Chapter 48: A Declaration of Love Amidst Laughter and Tears

  With Lei Ge around, loneliness is no more.

  There is Le Ge around, no boredom will come.

  At noon, they had several dishes and some fruit for lunch. Lei Dapeng even dragged Principal Dan to join them. Before finishing the meal, a few parents sent over two baskets of vegetables and a basket of freshly picked sweet melons, mountain apricots, and unripe apples. I thought it was strange that Lei would be so generous, but when I asked Uncle Shan, I found out that Lei was actually very kind-hearted. During his home visits, he saw how poor some families were and lent them money for fertilizer and pesticides without keeping track of the amount. A hundred or two hundred yuan may not seem like much, but to rural people, it's a significant favor in times of need.

  This is also the reason why Shanguo was scolded by this rascal, who said that he would drink at noon and say that he was suffocated at home. It wasn't until Simu Xian threatened to tell his parents that he didn't dare to make a move.

  In the afternoon, there was a physical education class for 8th graders. When Le Ge got excited, he brought out all the sports equipment and let the boys and girls play wildly on the playground, shouting and running around, making it very lively. This disturbed the students in other classes, who couldn't focus on their lessons. At dinner time, Lei Da Peng, who had been idle all day, naturally switched back to his role as a chef. When asked what they had eaten recently, he complained that there was nothing new and interesting. He whispered something to the students who were walking out of class, and soon, Tu Piao Sheng brought back a dozen or so freshly picked ears of corn, along with some eggs from his family's chicken coop. He wanted to make stir-fried corn with eggs with Shan Yong.

  When it was time to eat, he naturally bragged about how awesome the meal was at Shijia Village, and how he had drunk with the tough guys in Shijia Village that day, and how awesome he was. He drank more than half a catty before drinking ten bowls, which was over four or five catties, and it was over 70 degrees of Maotai! With that amount, three donkeys would have been knocked out, but surprisingly, his brother wasn't knocked out.

  After this joke, the meal was naturally enjoyable, but after getting drunk, Guo Xiang and Simu Xian didn't dare to say anything. Everything remained the same, this brother's temper was hard to change. However, what was slightly different was that Wang Huating returned to normal, chatting and laughing with Lei Dapeng, praising his bold and generous drinking capacity. When Lei Dapeng occasionally showed kindness by handing her an orange, she not only accepted it with a smile but also peeled half of it for Lei Ge, making him so happy he almost dropped his chin. He probably thought that his ten cups of wine had won over the flower-like Party Secretary's heart.

  So delightful, that matter was put down, just like a heart disease, put in the heart, Wang Huating and Shan Yong neither said. Every time Wang Huating's proud eyes looked over, Shan Yong would always be startled and dodged, fortunately, Lei Dapeng, this rough guy, only boasted and didn't notice that his crush had been stolen away.

  The more you fear something, the more it comes. After finishing dinner, Liu Cuicloud was about to clean up the bowls and chopsticks when Lei Dapeng couldn't bear to watch and hurriedly went to do it instead. Unexpectedly, at this moment Wang Huating spoke up, calling out to Lei Dapeng in a warm and intimate tone: "Dapeng."

  One sentence made Leigou's bones go soft, almost collapsing on the spot. Another single brave one was heart-pounding, almost jumping out of his throat. Wang Huating saw this and intentionally added a bit more: "Come, let's take a walk with me."

  "Alright!" Lei Dapeng nodded, looking at one person and then another. Wang Huating urged, "Hurry up, don't bother with that, Cuiyun will wash the dishes, we'll take turns being on duty for the next few days."

  "That... that, or Egg Brother, shall we go together?" Lei Dapeng asked Dan Yong, turning his head to look at Wang Huating again. It seemed he had no experience of being alone with a girl before. Dan Yong, who was drinking water, was choked and didn't know how to respond. Wang Huating, on the other hand, became excited and urged: "I called you, not him."

  "No, don't call him, when he comes over my mom always says it, don't play with him together, or you'll learn bad things from him."

  Lei Dapeng didn't care about people talking behind his back, and with a swagger, he strode out of the school gate side by side with Wang Huating.

  Liu Cuicui, who was washing dishes, buried her head and smiled secretly. The class leader, however, looked in the direction where the two had gone, with a very frustrated expression, got up and left. As for Simu Xian, he waited until the three of them had left before he couldn't help but let out a snort, which was met with a light slap on the back of his head from Shan Yong, who scolded him with a stern face: "What are you laughing at? What's so funny?"

  "Egg brother, you're too unscrupulous! I haven't said a word and yet I'm wrong?" Si Mu Xian laughed and said, he really couldn't help it. Wang Hua Ting must have been intentionally provoking Shan Yong, but Lei Ge actually thought that he was so handsome that the party flower was taking a liking to him.

  "I just can't stand the way you're sneaking a smile, no way?" Dan Yong forced himself to find an excuse and got up awkwardly, feeling a bit uneasy. He walked out the door but lost his sense of direction. He couldn't very well follow those two who were taking a stroll behind him, but it was still early, so going back to bed wouldn't work either. At this point, he felt anxious and didn't have the heart to play ping-pong anymore. As a result, Dan Yong ended up wandering around the playground in circles, looking like an ant on a hot skillet.

  "Mu Xian, the trend of four-cornered love is becoming more and more obvious now." Liu Cuiyun whispered to Mu Xian, who was standing next to her, looking at Wang. Mu Xian looked at Dan Yong, who was pacing back and forth, and then glanced at Class Leader Ding Yizhi, who was rushing to finish his thesis in the office. He whispered: "Do you see? Egg Brother is now very hesitant in his heart, on the one hand he can't bear the strong pressure of Branch Book, on the other hand he can't put down the brotherly feelings, maybe there are other people in his heart, it's enough to make him suffer."

  "Serves him right, he's not devoted at all." Liu Cuicui commented.

  "This isn't his fault, it's just that Lao Da's daughter is too unrealistic; now our branch secretary is also involved, and there's a Lei Ge in between, so he can't help himself. It's understandable." Si Mu Xian said to Lao Da, but unexpectedly Liu Cui Yun whispered something in her ear, pointing to a certain part of her body, and suddenly revealed what she had seen the night before to her boyfriend. Hearing this, Si Mu Xian's eyes widened and his lips trembled, and it turned out that he had lost his phone during the passionate moment the night before. After a long pause, he finally said: "He really is asking for it...he broke up with Lao Da's daughter just a few days ago, I thought he was a romantic, but it turns out he hooked up with our branch secretary..."

  The two of them were already fed up with this wandering old man, while the wandering Dan Yong was still walking around the playground again and again. When he was confused and disoriented, he suddenly bumped into a wall. He lifted his head to find himself unknowingly standing in front of the ping-pong table, almost tripping over the balls piled up on it. This made him furious, and with one kick, he nearly kicked the entire table down.

  Alas, the table is fine, but his foot hurts, Shanyong clutches at his foot, limping and staggering, still feeling uneasy, continuing to wander...

  ……………………

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  Looking at Lei Dapeng, who had already strolled to the riverbank, it was a different story. His chest was puffed out higher than his pair of breasts, and his head was raised to an angle of almost 120 degrees with the sky. The eighth master's pace was so fast that he stumbled over his own feet, and the cowhide in his mouth was blown so hard that it seemed to blow away the night color and dawn. He said that he had been unwell for the past two days and had stayed at home reading Feuerbach's philosophy, but the German guy's books were not interesting, always talking about immortality and soul, which was meaningless. Compared to China's profound and subtle learning, it was much more enjoyable to flip through his father's collection of books again.

  That Leida Bao Wang Huating is still fresh in memory, smiling and asking what hidden book, Lei Dapeng didn't pretend, directly saying Jin Dashuai's full set, the two of them loved to read that "The Deer and the Cauldron".

  Wang Hua Ting smiled, knowing this was definitely not bragging and couldn't be faked.

  Two people walked along the small river and went to a short mountain near the village. The central village of Zhuoma Township is not big or small, and there are seven or eight administrative villages and more than ten natural villages along this township road. This place is only separated from Shijia Village by a few mountains, with a straight-line distance of less than 20 kilometers. However, compared to the wealth level on that side, it is far behind. Standing on the short mountain, half of the houses in the village are still earth-shack houses, and the school is the best building in the village.

  As soon as the historian's village was mentioned, Lei Dapeng's mouth opened again, and he said that Shi Jia Bao and Shi Jia Ying were really good people. He went to the hospital specifically to find them, and Shi Jia's young master even wanted to recognize him as his brother, saying that his father had said that anyone who could drink ten bowls of wine was a good man worth befriending. Lei Dapeng gave a thumbs up to praise Shi Jia siblings, not without boasting about his own abilities, and he didn't care what state he ended up in after drinking.

  Wang Huating intercepted Lei Dapeng's topic, changing the subject to a more important one, and said in a very tactful tone: "Dapeng, I have something to tell you, but I don't know how to bring it up."

  "Who are you to me, anyway?" Lei Dapeng said bluntly, which made Wang Huating smile wryly. She had hardly interacted with this foolish guy in four years of school, but after spending over a month together, she found that his foolishness was actually genuine and sincere, and she couldn't bear to hurt his enthusiasm. After some deliberation, she said softly, "Actually... you're not bad as a friend."

  "Of course, one must have a sense of justice, that's what my dad taught me." Le Ge said with a pat on his chest.

  "Hehe... I mean, it's possible that we two may not have the possibility of becoming boyfriend and girlfriend... I don't mean to look down on you, but actually, I have someone in my heart. I'll just say it straight out, I have someone I like." Wang Huating held back for half a day, but still adopted Lei Dapeng's straightforward way of talking, even she felt that this awkwardness and embarrassment couldn't continue any longer.

  The expected situation occurred, and Leida Peng's excited face turned dull, his head drooped, his stomach shrunk, and he seemed to have shrunk into a ball, sitting on the ground like an eggplant that had been frostbitten. Wang Huating also quickly sat down, just as she was about to comfort him, but unexpectedly Leida Peng said: "I knew it, I've known all along. I knew you were thinking of him."

  This frightened Wang Huating into silence, staring blankly at Lei Ge who had suddenly become decadent and desolate. Could it be that he was actually a wise and clever person!? He had seen through her thoughts early on.

  "He's taller and more impressive than me, isn't he?" Lei Dapeng asked dejectedly.

  Wang Hua Ting nodded.

  "He's more handsome than me, isn't he?" Lei Dapeng asked painfully.

  Wang Hua Ting nodded again.

  "He's more talented than me, smarter than me, and more likable than me, right?" Lei Dapeng asked dejectedly.

  Wang Hua-ting was about to persuade, but hesitated and stopped. Anyway, it's all said and done, sooner or later it would be said, and she nodded heavily with a ruthless attitude. This matter had been dragged on for long enough, and she didn't know how to deal with it anymore.

  "It's okay, you don't need to persuade me, it was all fake from the start, I didn't take it seriously."

  Lei Da Peng said, "But it's okay, this expression seems to be fake, sniffing his nose, almost with tears in his eyes, saying: 'I know everyone thinks I'm stupid, my dad blames my mom for playing mahjong while she was pregnant with me and making me stupid; my mom blames my dad for having an affair outside and making her angry, which also made the baby in her belly stupid... But I never blame my parents, I think I'm fine. I know you can't possibly like me, among women, except for my mom and stepmom, no one has ever liked me. Actually, I just want to find someone who likes me... even if it's fake, even if it's a lie, even if it's pretended."

  These words are so touching, yet so bleak. Even Wang Huating regrets ruining the only good thing in his heart. Now she knows why Shanyong is so hard to get along with. In Leidapeng's heart, there aren't many people who can be accommodated. Thinking of this, holding Leidapeng's chubby hand, Wang Huating said emotionally: "Let's be friends, I think whoever becomes your friend is the luckiest person. Look at the kids in school now, they all like you."

  Lei Dapeng withdrew his hand with a look of disappointment and said generously: "Originally, we are friends, what can't be done? You treat me as a friend, how can I treat you as an outsider?"

  It's so touching, as Lei Dapeng stood up, Wang Huating involuntarily followed suit. With a chest expansion, more than half of the depression dissipated. Perhaps he had never dared to hope for such good fortune, so the depression didn't last long. He swung his hand and mustered up courage: "Let's go back to school, anyway we're not a match made in heaven. You're not awkward, I'm not awkward either. My mom said that after graduation, she'll buy me an Audi. With money and a car, I won't have to worry about girls chasing after me."

  This is indeed the truth, Wang Hua-ting smiled and followed slowly. Originally thought it was a difficult situation, but it seems that with Lei Ge's open-minded personality, it's not a big deal. She asked slightly anxiously: "You won't do anything to the one I like, will you?"

  "You won't, what do you take me for?"

  Lei Dapeng said, "At this time, I jumped out of emotional bondage and let go. Lei went up and said straightforwardly: 'However, it's not me who says you, your vision is really dazzling. What kind of person can't be liked? You like that kind of goods, handsome is handsome, but with a dead man's face, he doesn't even smile; talented is talented, but can talent be eaten as rice? That's all, and it's not even good enough. Others don't take him seriously, but he takes himself as a person... Ugh, I get annoyed just looking at him.'"

  Originally bright and open, but then entered the maze, this sounds like there is a difference between Wang Huating's heart and that person, and it feels like Lei Dapeng shouldn't describe him in such a tone. Hurriedly intercepting the conversation, carefully asking Lei Dapeng: "Dapeng... who are you talking about?"

  "Our class monitor Ding Yizhi, isn't it?" Lei Dapeng said with a hint of disdain.

  Wang Hua Ting was choked with sobs, staring at Lei Da Peng in a daze, unable to utter a word. Just when she hadn't resolved the previous issue, another one popped up...