MGASC -Chapter 40 A Kiss

He quietly watched her finish rubbing her wrist, then earnestly continued translating the English book and her notes. Her handwriting was delicate and elegant, and the soft scratching of the pen on paper, combined with her focused expression, had a peculiar charm—especially captivating.

Lin Tianyue hesitated for a moment before softly saying, “How about this—you translate, and I’ll help you take notes?”

He had realized that Zhang Qiao intended to handwrite the entire translation of the book herself.

Even a single book would have tens of thousands of words; that was quite a workload.

Zhang Qiao turned her head, her apricot-colored eyes calmly fixed on his imposing figure.

She wanted to say, “Is your handwriting even readable?”

But then she remembered that in the original story, Lin Tianyue had completed a year of high school with decent grades.

However, after his father died, his mother remarried, abandoned him, and didn’t provide for his living or schooling, he was forced to drop out.

By then, Lin Tianyue was already homeless, and there were hardly any job opportunities. He had to drift from place to place, scavenging, living under bridges, sometimes going days without food. When small businesses started to emerge, he began peddling goods, often hiding from authorities and constantly in confrontations with city management.

Back then, the crackdowns were harsher than now. He frequently went in and out of detention, and occasional fights gradually earned him a notorious reputation on the streets as a bully.

But in reality, what was wrong with someone just trying to survive? Fate was cruel, and Lin Tianyue was also a pitiable child.

If he hadn’t had such a selfish mother, with his grades, he might have been attending a prestigious school by now.

Fortunately, in this era, opportunities were everywhere. True talent would not be buried.

“Sure, that works. My hands are tired anyway. But you better write nicely—don’t make it hard to read.”

Zhang Qiao made space and handed him the pen.

“Don’t underestimate me. I practiced calligraphy when I was little. I even wrote the Spring Festival couplets for the whole village.”

Lin Tianyue bragged a little. When he picked up the pen, his fingertips trembled slightly with a long-lost excitement.

Now, Zhang Qiao could comfortably lean back on the bed.

She translated the sentences methodically while Lin Tianyue recorded them.

After a few lines, Zhang Qiao leaned forward to look at his writing.

“Tsk, it’s actually much nicer than mine—manly, bold, and vigorous,” she teased.

Lin Tianyue raised an eyebrow smugly. “If our family weren’t poor, I’d already be a college student by now.”

“Complaining makes you out of breath,” she jabbed.

He lowered his head and chuckled quietly. “Just joking. But Zhang Qiao, I’m curious… when did your English get this good? If you had shown off earlier, maybe you could’ve gotten a job in the county as a clerk or something—no need to follow a small-time delinquent like me.”

Zhang Qiao stiffened. She certainly couldn’t tell him about her background.

She rolled her eyes. “Mind your own business! Stop being sarcastic. Whose light would I even be borrowing? Are you trying to bring up Wang Mingqing again?”

“No, no… hey, don’t be mad.”

Having seen her temper, Lin Tianyue didn’t dare provoke her and simply focused on taking notes.

Even though he wrote fast, finishing the book took them well into the late night.

When he finally closed the notebook and turned around, Zhang Qiao was holding the book, her little head tilted, already asleep.

Fearing she might wake up with a stiff neck, Lin Tianyue walked over, cupped her head, laid it gently on the pillow, took the book from her hands, and pulled a blanket over her.

The little woman in front of him breathed evenly, her long lashes framing her brows, her small nose delicately shaped, and her inviting red lips slightly parted—like two tender petals waiting to be plucked.

Lin Tianyue watched, throat tightening. He bent down and gently pressed a kiss on those soft lips.

Zhang Qiao, half-asleep, was dreaming. In her dream, a certain Zhao Qiang was spewing insults at his girlfriend, saying she looked like Pigsy and wasn’t good enough for him.

Suddenly, she felt the wetness on her lips and, drowsily, opened her eyes slightly. Sleepily, she swung her hand and slapped him, muttering, “Scumbag!”

The slap made Lin Tianyue’s face burn with embarrassment.

He stood up, irritated, rubbing his sore cheek.

“You’ve spoiled her, yet she still hits her man!”

He replaced her mosquito net, returned to his makeshift bed, pulled the blanket over his head, and sulked.

…

The next morning, Zhang Qiao got up early and roused the three boys from bed.

“The early bird catches the worm! Wake up for morning reading! Quick, quick! Before breakfast, memorize the ancient poems I marked yesterday! Then practice your pinyin a bit more!”

She tossed them their clothes. Seeing Lin Jin half-asleep and about to collapse, she threw a T-shirt over his head. Then she patted Lin Xun’s back: “Big brother, make sure your brother gets dressed quickly! Whoever dresses fastest gets an extra egg this morning!”

The moment she finished, the three boys seemed magically energized. The sleepy kids grabbed their clothes and dressed in a flash.

Lin Xun, normally the fastest, deliberately slowed down out of brotherly affection, letting Lin Ran win.

“Aunt Qiao, I’m the fastest!” Lin Ran jumped out of bed as Zhang Qiao went to the kitchen to cook.

By the time the boys washed their faces and picked up their books, the kitchen was filled with the enticing aroma of breakfast.

Lin Ran yawned, rubbing his eyes. “I’m so sleepy. Why do we have to wake up early to memorize poems? Don’t you think Aunt Qiao is just torturing us in a new way instead of scolding us? These poems are so hard… why do I have to go through this?”

Lin Xun found morning reading interesting. He had always envied kids who could attend school. He glanced quietly at his younger brother. “If you find memorizing poems too hard, you can go to Aunt Yan.”

“What do you mean?”

“Go to her house, eat pig feed, work as her laborer, help her sell stuff on the street. Guaranteed success.”

Wang Yan had told the boys before that she would get rich with them, but really, she just tricked them into moving goods. Often they were exhausted for just a few roasted sweet potatoes or a simple meal. She never mentioned school—as if they were born to do hard labor.

Before, the three didn’t understand. But with Zhang Qiao, they finally saw what genuine care looked like.

So even though Lin Ran complained, he secretly enjoyed it. He pouted: “No way! I want Aunt Qiao’s eggs!”

Xiao Lin Jin, eyes closed, swayed blissfully to himself: “The grasses on the plain, sleep and burrow, spring wind can’t move them, wildfires make them grow… Great! I memorized it! I want to recite it for Aunt Qiao!”

Lin Xun and Lin Ran exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing again.