Free Web NovelChapter 183: Chapter 183: Pain
After the military training students finished target practice, they headed back, and Tang Yuanxiao did too.
It was Monday, and Little Tang Mo had been listless all morning before school. Su Li had been at military training the entire previous weekend, so he hadn’t been able to go to the Imperial City to see her.
He kept saying he missed Su Li and wanted to go find her.
Little Tang Mo wanted to find Su Li, and so did Tang Yuanxiao. But there was nothing Little Tang Mo could do about it, and neither could he.
He rushed back without a moment’s rest, arriving half an hour before Little Tang Mo got out of class.
Instead of heading home first, Tang Yuanxiao decided to wait for Little Tang Mo to get out of school. And while he waited, he happened to learn a piece of news.
It had been officially decided that September 10th would be Teacher’s Day this year. To celebrate, the military-affiliated elementary school was to follow the directive and have all its teachers and students prepare for the festival starting tomorrow. Regular classes would be temporarily suspended.
When Little Tang Mo got out of class, his face was alight with excitement.
"Dad, let’s go find Mom! We don’t have school anymore."
Tang Yuanxiao had a feeling this was coming. "Don’t you have to prepare for the festival program?"
Little Tang Mo shook his head vigorously. "I don’t need to. I can just rehearse on my own. I signed up for the storytelling event."
Enchanted by Su Li’s tales, Little Tang Mo loved storytelling and was quite good at it. He had no stage fright whatsoever. When the teacher had asked for volunteers for the program earlier, none of the other students had dared, but Little Tang Mo had shot his hand up right away.
The moment he heard there was no school, Little Tang Mo’s first thought was that he could go see Su Li!
When Tang Yuanxiao confirmed that Little Tang Mo really didn’t have to go to school, his own eyes lit up.
He remembered the pained look on Su Li’s face from before. After a moment’s thought, he went out and bought some brown sugar and eggs. Blushing, he even asked the older woman at the shop what was best for a woman to eat during her "special time."
Amidst the woman’s enthusiastic recommendations and good-natured teasing, Tang Yuanxiao returned with his arms full.
After their shopping, neither father nor son was hungry, so they skipped dinner and headed straight for the Imperial City.
The entire way there, Little Tang Mo was full of energy, his eyes sparkling. He was a completely different person from the listless boy who’d been sent to school that morning.
Tang Yuanxiao asked Little Tang Mo, "Momo, do you not like school?"
Little Tang Mo thought for a bit and shook his head. "It’s not that I don’t like it."
"Then why are you always so listless? Are you having trouble keeping up with the lessons?"
Tang Yuanxiao was puzzled. Su Li had said Little Tang Mo was very smart and a fast learner, which he had seen for himself. This shouldn’t be happening.
"I’m not having trouble keeping up... I already know a lot of the stuff in the books. Either Mom already taught me, or I get it after the teacher says it once. But... the teacher keeps repeating everything..."
Little Tang Mo’s brows furrowed. "It’s boring listening to the same thing over and over."
’Ah, right, the first-grade curriculum...’ Little Tang Mo had already gone through it once and had basically learned it all.
He had learned so quickly that even though Su Li had tried to adjust the pace again and again, he still ended up far ahead of schedule.
Which led to the current situation.
"I still like it more when Mom teaches me..."
Little Tang Mo was very melancholic.
Tang Yuanxiao listened, speechless.
’So that’s why Su Li called Little Tang Mo a little genius.’
’He’s already mastered the first-grade material. If he’s already learned it well and has a solid foundation, keeping him in first grade really isn’t a good idea.’
"Dad will think about it. We’ll ask for your mom’s opinion when we get there, too."
Little Tang Mo nodded eagerly. "Okay! Let’s find Mom. I was going to tell her about this anyway."
Although Little Tang Mo was slowly getting used to Tang Yuanxiao, his first instinct was still to turn to Su Li whenever he had a problem or a question.
When he was younger, he didn’t have many questions, and he wouldn’t ask Mrs. Tang much, either.
By the time he started growing up and having more questions, Su Li was the one by his side.
No matter what he asked or what problems he faced, Su Li could always help him solve them or offer advice. He trusted her completely.
It was hard to say exactly when this reliance began.
But back when he had been abducted by traffickers, at his most helpless moment, it was Su Li who had appeared and saved him.
From that moment on, Su Li held a special place in his heart.
With Tang Yuanxiao away from home all year, Little Tang Mo found the sense of security a father should provide in Su Li instead.
Everything that happened afterward only served to cement this impression.
In the few days since classes had officially started, as Little Tang Mo grew more familiar with the routine, he began to notice this problem and had been planning to talk to Su Li about it.
He just wasn’t used to telling Tang Yuanxiao things yet.
If Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t asked, he wouldn’t have even thought to mention it.
Tang Yuanxiao was so preoccupied with Little Tang Mo’s problem that he didn’t notice this detail at the time.
The father and son duo eagerly rushed to the Imperial City.
But when they arrived... Su Li wasn’t there.
The sky quickly darkened, but Su Li still hadn’t come back. Tang Yuanxiao made dinner for Little Tang Mo first.
After they finished eating, Su Li was still not back. free𝑤ebnovel.com
Little Tang Mo waited until he fell asleep. It wasn’t until past nine, nearly ten o’clock, that Su Li finally came home.
Su Li came back so late because she went to see a movie.
’I already had dinner with Wu Sheng, so what’s the harm in seeing a movie too? Just as he said, I’ve returned to this age, so I should live the life that’s appropriate for it. With the divorce, I should slowly let go of everything from my past life. Wu Sheng is sincere and honorable, and he’s genuinely pursuing me. Why not give him—and myself—a chance? When I’m with him, he often exasperates me, but it’s also truly relaxing and happy, isn’t it? I need to slowly undo the shackles I’ve placed on myself, live a little more freely, and make sure this new life has fewer regrets.’
With these thoughts in mind, Su Li went into the movie theater with Wu Sheng, just like many other young people of the era.
The old-fashioned movie theaters of this era were a novel experience for Su Li.
She had seen many movies and TV shows in her previous life, but those were all from much, much later.
At this time, aside from the open-air movies shown in the village, this was her first time watching in a movie theater.
So, Su Li looked around with great interest.
"First time at a movie theater?" Wu Sheng asked Su Li.
Su Li nodded. "Yes." ’This is definitely my first time in a movie theater from this era.’
"Excellent. Keep it that way. From now on, you can call me for anything you want to do," Wu Sheng said immediately, raising an eyebrow.
He hoped to be there with Su Li for many more of her firsts.
"Have you been here many times?" Su Li asked Wu Sheng.
"No... I haven’t been in a long time either." Wu Sheng sighed. "No one to come with me."
Before Su Li could speak, he added, "But I don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ll have you with me."
The movie soon started, and Su Li watched with considerable enjoyment.
After the movie, Wu Sheng brought Su Li home.
He escorted her all the way to the door. "I have to see you get home safely. I’ll only be at ease once I see you go inside."
Su Li opened the door, stepped inside, and said goodbye to Wu Sheng one last time before he felt at ease.
"Alright, goodbye. Good night."
Wu Sheng closed the door from the outside, and smiled when he heard Su Li lock it.
"This is great..." Wu Sheng leaned his back against the door, let out a satisfied breath, and then left.
After Wu Sheng left, the door across the hall opened quietly.
Tang Yuanxiao looked at Su Li’s door, his eyes filled with anguish.
