Chapter 12 Unable to Pay, It's On Me

...

He Nan returned to the main hall where Li Chunhua was discussing borrowing money, "Why did you agree to it? And to promise support for high school too, that's no small sum."

Their family's situation was a bit better than the Shen Family's, but not by much. Junior high might be manageable, but high school was going to cost a lot, and if one could get into university, the expenses would be downright frightening.

Zhao xianlai, however, didn't see it that way, "If Mianmian really has the ability to make it to university, that would be the entire village's honor. What's my contribution compared to that?"

"Uncle Zhao, whatever amount she wants to borrow, you give her, and if she can't pay it back, it's on me," He Nan said in a calm tone, but his words carried significant weight.

Li Chunhua felt somewhat embarrassed when He Nan heard their conversation, "He Nan, it's not that your aunt is stingy. Our family is also just an average one. Although your uncle is the village head, he doesn't make much in a month."

"Why are you saying all this?" Zhao Xianlai frowned and reprimanded Li Chunhua.

Li Chunhua also felt some regret. She was too talkative. Since Zhao Xianlai had agreed, why did she even bring that up?

Now that He Nan had overheard, she didn't know what he would think of her.

"I might not be capable of much, but as the village head, if Mianmian truly has the potential, I won't let her talents go to waste."

This was none of He Nan's business, and Zhao Xianlai was not planning to shift his responsibilities onto him.

Remembering those clear, lively eyes, He Nan showed a hint of an inscrutable expression in his own.

"I think that girl has a lot of spirit, there's no harm in giving her a hand."

...

Zhou Lanfang and Shen Jianhua were still arguing over her schooling, completely unaware that Shen Mianmian had gone out.

With the military coat He Nan had given her, she felt warm all over, and her spirits were lifted somewhat. She found her backpack by the bed, took out her books, and started flipping through them.

The term was almost over, her books wrapped in paper covers, still looking almost new, which showed how much she loved reading. Yet, this detail had never caught anyone's attention.

It had been many years since she last saw these textbooks, and she thought she'd need some time to get back into it, but surprisingly, after reading through them once, the knowledge seemed to imprint itself into her mind, and she understood it all very quickly.

She could understand problems she once found baffling after looking at example problems just once.

The more Shen Mianmian read, the more excited she became. It was as if she had acquired a superpower. She became so engrossed that she revisited all the courses she had learned before.

"Auntie, has my sister come back?"

When Zhou Siyu came back from school, she saw Zhou Lanfang washing vegetables by the well, something Shen Mianmian usually did.

Zhou Lanfang gave a meaningful look, signaling that Shen Jianhua had returned and reminding Zhou Siyu to watch her words, before saying sarcastically, "She's back, lying in her room waiting for dinner. She's a sensitive one now, learned to run off and tattle to the village head."

Running to the village head to tattle?

Zhou Siyu felt there was something different about Shen Mianmian since lunch, so she'd found a backer.

Glancing toward the kitchen, she deliberately said loudly, "Auntie, you rest. I'll put my bag in my room and then come out to help with the vegetables."

Hearing her voice, Shen Jianhua came out of the kitchen, "Your aunt and I have it covered, you go inside and study!"

"Yes, go ahead and study, we don't need you here. Your teacher said with a bit more effort, you're sure to get into the county's number one middle school."

Zhou Lanfang purposefully hinted in front of Shen Jianhua that Zhou Siyu was the one with potential for school.