“Can we do video calls from now on?” he asked, pointing at his phone.
Jiang Rong looked down at her phone.
[Xu Si]: I’m leaving.
He waved goodbye to Jiang Rong, his motorcycle quickly disappearing into the night.
Jiang Rong looked at Xu Si’s message.
[Xu Si]: Can we video call? You can teach me the problems I don’t understand, little teacher.
Right after Xu Si sent his message, Jiang Rong replied quickly.
When the video call request popped up, Xu Si accepted. Jiang Rong placed her phone on the table: “You write first, ask me if you don’t understand.”
“Okay.” Xu Si lowered his head to work on the problems. After doing a few questions, he secretly glanced up. Jiang Rong was looking down at some book with a serious expression. She wore cream-colored pajamas, her long hair falling neatly over her shoulders.
Xu Si looked for a few moments before returning to his work.
Yuan Yuan jumped onto Xu Si’s shoulder, its large face getting close to the screen, meowing a few times.
Jiang Rong, who had been reading, looked up to see a cat face. She smiled: “Yuan Yuan, do you remember me?”
Yuan Yuan patted the screen with its paw, its large face getting even closer.
Xu Si picked it up: “Why are you getting so close?”
Yuan Yuan struggled a bit, seemingly wanting to get back to the camera.
Jiang Rong couldn’t help but laugh: “Continue with your work, I’ll video chat with it for a while.”
“Fine.” Xu Si watched the girl and cat video chatting, feeling a bit jealous. He had brought home his own little love rival.
Quite some time had passed when he finished the problems.
Xu Si looked at Jiang Rong through the camera: “I’m done, little teacher, please check.”
“Turn the camera so I can see.”
Xu Si’s handwriting was like him – somewhat unrestrained. It wasn’t the type teachers preferred, but it wasn’t ugly either.
“Look at problems two, five, and the last one again.”
Xu Si obediently reviewed them.
“See what’s wrong?”
“I misread the content of problem two.”
“Do it again.”
Xu Si redid it, then looked up at Jiang Rong, finding her watching him, seemingly supervising his work. He smiled at her: “I’m done.”
Jiang Rong checked again: “Good, this one’s correct now.” Then she added: “Redo the other two problems as well.”
“Okay.” Xu Si looked several times but couldn’t figure out where he went wrong.
So Jiang Rong explained it to him again.
After finishing the explanation, Xu Si didn’t want to end the video call. He looked at Jiang Rong: “Can we always do video calls for tutoring? I won’t disturb your homework.”
Thinking he was eager to learn, Jiang Rong smiled: “Sure.” She paused before adding: “I can tutor you on weekends too when I’m free.”
Xu Si couldn’t help but smile, his mood greatly improved: “Okay.”
“Get some sleep early. Goodnight, Xu Si, and Yuan Yuan.”
“Goodnight, little teacher.”
They had thought Xu Si’s interest in studying was just a novelty.
Unexpectedly, for a whole week, Xu Si studied diligently, stopped sleeping in class, and stopped playing games at home.
His friends could hardly find “Si Ge” online anymore.
Though sometimes Xu Si still fell asleep in class, the study expert Jiang would poke him awake.
Thursday afternoon, October 19th.
After packing up, Jiang Rong said to Xu Si: “I have tutoring this week and might be very late. I won’t be able to video call for tutoring these few days. I’ll check your homework on Monday.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Rong always studied ahead, learning future content and doing advanced problems.
Xu Si didn’t understand what she needed tutoring for.
Maybe the little bookworm was doing even harder problems.
That evening at home.
Xu Si took out his English materials. Just as he opened them, he habitually placed his phone on the table, then put it away again.
He had forgotten – no tutoring or video calls these few days.
Xu Si worked for a while.
He unconsciously looked up.
No Jiang Rong on the phone screen.
He suddenly realized he wasn’t used to this feeling.
These days he thought he had fallen in love with studying, but actually, he just liked having the little bookworm teach him.
He just liked seeing her.
Yuan Yuan jumped onto his shoulder. Xu Si rubbed its head: “Don’t look, she’s not here today.”
Yuan Yuan meowed, seeming confused.
“Little bookworm went for tutoring, no lessons or video calls today.”
He didn’t know if he was telling Yuan Yuan or himself.
Even though she had gone through chemotherapy many times, every time Jiang Rong entered the hospital and smelled the disinfectant, she still felt terribly sick, her body instinctively rejecting it.
She hated hospitals.
This time, she directly fell unconscious.
She slept until noon on Friday.
Seeing Jiang Rong awake, Aunty Liu said: “Qiao Qiao, Madam went out on business. I made soup, it’s still in the thermos. Would you like some? It’s pigeon soup, simmered for a long time, very tasty.”
Jiang Rong nodded: “Okay.”
After washing up, she drank some soup, then fell asleep again.
By afternoon, she was awakened by pain.
She curled up in the hospital bed, her face pale with pain, nearly biting through her lips. The full-body pain caused cold sweat to break out on her forehead.
Seeing her suffering, Aunty Liu’s eyes turned red with worry. She ran out to call a doctor.
The female doctor looked at Jiang Rong: “This is a normal post-operative reaction. I can only prescribe some painkillers. She’s already thin and weak, she needs more nutrition, more fiber-rich vegetables, and foods high in fat and protein.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Aunty Liu thanked her.
Jiang Rong took the medicine and drank half a glass of warm water, her face still pale, looking painfully thin.
Aunty Liu asked the doctor about her current condition. The doctor looked at the young girl in the ward: “Her condition is somewhat better than before, but she’s already in the late stages. The chance of cure is very small. As for the future… it’s hard to say, but the family should be mentally prepared…”
Aunty Liu could hardly bear to hear the rest. She said “thank you” and secretly wiped tears outside.
She opened the door, tucked in Jiang Rong’s blanket, then went out again.
Jiang Rong saw Aunty Liu’s reddened eyes but didn’t know what to do.
Xu Si didn’t receive Jiang Rong’s message until very late.
Little Teacher: I finished my tutoring today. Remember to do your homework, I’ll check on Monday.
[Xu Si]: That late?
[Xu Si]: Rest early, goodnight.
Jiang Rong put her phone aside. The pain had subsided somewhat, and she got up from bed.
She pulled back the curtains.
Unfortunately, there were no stars today.
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