The evening of the twenty-first day of the holiday, to prevent influencing the child's studies at home, and also because there were some things Wang Haiyan wanted to keep from Ding Yun, she and her husband Liu Jianguo tacitly went out for a stroll after dinner.
Not long after they went downstairs, Wang Haiyan said, "Don't you think Xiaohua is a bit strange?"
"Ah... no, what's wrong? Wait, you mean she hasn't needed us to worry about her lately, studying and doing homework on her own? I think it's great, the child is getting older and more sensible. Not only does she not need us to worry about classes and homework, but her grades have also improved a lot. If she continues on this trend, she might even get into a top university, perhaps even a super-elite one. Just tell me what you want to say. There's no one else!"
Liu Jianguo could naturally sense that his daughter was different from before, but in his eyes, this was entirely her becoming better, and he was happy about it.
"Yes, I'm not saying it's bad now. It's just that she's suddenly so obedient and so serious about studying that I'm always worried she's hiding something or has some plan. Take the summer homework, for example. In previous years, she wouldn't start it until the end of the summer vacation and then rush to finish it. But this year? She did it in advance. She finished all of it before half of the summer break was over and now she's previewing her lessons every day. This isn't being sensible! This is like a completely different person. For instance, on the day her final grades came out, she didn't ask for anything, no rewards or gifts. That's also strange. In the past, she never got good grades without asking for something, for a reward. And she never even made it into the top ten of her grade before. This time she got first place! So, I think she might be hiding something from us. Even if someone suddenly becomes better, there has to be a reason, right? She wouldn't just be like the Buddha, sitting under a Bodhi tree for a few days. Starve for a few days, and then have an epiphany!"
Compared to Liu Jianguo, Wang Haiyan spent more time with her daughter and understood her personality more deeply. But precisely because of this, she felt her daughter's change was too drastic. If it weren't still the same person, she would suspect she had been swapped out, or perhaps sent to some boarding school for intensive education. That's why she suddenly became so obedient and loved to study.
However, Liu Jianguo clearly did not agree with her words. He rolled his eyes and retorted, "No, why are you thinking so much? The child is growing up, it's normal for her to have small secrets. Are you sick for needing to figure everything out? If her grades had worsened, then it would be normal and reasonable for us to figure out the reason and mend our ways. But now her grades have improved, and you still want to figure out the reason. What, are you trying to spread experience?"
"I'm telling you, sometimes people become sensible in an instant. They might suddenly understand something, or suddenly have a goal."
"That might be true, but you know your daughter's personality. She's inconsistent, always flaking out. No, I really think she's hiding something from me. And haven't you noticed? She occasionally smells nice, and a few times I've seen her wearing lipstick. Could she be dating? But don't people's grades usually drop when they're dating? Why did her grades actually improve?"
In the last few sentences, Wang Haiyan was muttering to herself. She was used to controlling her daughter's actions and even her thoughts. Now, even though her daughter's grades had improved, the sense of loss of control brought about by her sudden change in personality made her very uncomfortable. She wanted to regain control of her daughter.
"You're really something else. Dating? Do people who are dating stay at home all day? She's always holed up at home, either doing homework or studying. Who is she dating, practice problems?"
"Could it be online dating? I've seen a lot of news about online dating lately!"
"Why wear lipstick for online dating, who is she showing it to?"
"To take pictures..."
"No, wife, are you having a slight issue? Your daughter doesn't have a phone or a computer. Is she dating online through telepathy?"
"Internet café!" "She doesn't go out..."
In the end, they couldn't figure out any way their daughter could be dating online, so they could only assume they were overthinking things and went back to watch TV after their stroll.
...
Two days later, Ding Yun, relying on her quick typing skills, managed to buy a ticket after some effort. But as soon as she bought it, she started to agonize over another issue: how to come up with an excuse to leave home.
The concert was at 8 PM. And it was in another city, so it would take a long time to get there. To successfully watch the concert, she would have to buy a train ticket on the morning of the concert day. Then she would spend eight hours reaching her destination. She would stay overnight after the concert ended. And then return the next morning. This wasn't a quick trip of an hour or two where she could return in time without anyone noticing. This was a trip of over thirty hours, and she couldn't possibly hide it. Therefore, Ding Yun had to either come up with a perfect excuse, or simply tell the truth, or say nothing and go first. A fait accompli, notifying them after arriving at her destination.
Besides, how she got the money was also a tricky explanation. While she could downplay the ticket price, the travel and accommodation costs were fixed. It certainly couldn't be said to be ten or twenty yuan. That would be treating her parents like fools.
Fortunately, she still had nearly a month, so Ding Yun didn't dwell on it for too long. She soon returned from the internet café, planning to think and worry about it later. As for the outcome... the source of the money was easier to explain. As long as she slightly lowered the ticket price, claiming the price of a front-row ticket was that of a standing spot at the back, and then stating that she had been saving money all along and had also sold some of her collectibles, the amount should be sufficient. After all, the original owner was quite frugal. If it were someone who spent two yuan for every one yuan they had, with no money left, this excuse wouldn't work.
However, for the other matter, finding an excuse to leave home for a day or two, Ding Yun really couldn't think of anything. Her grandmother's house was less than a hundred steps away, and her maternal grandmother's house was a little further, but still only about one or two kilometers. The other relatives' houses were also not far. She basically had no contact with those who lived truly far away. So, in the end, unable to come up with a solution, Ding Yun decided to go with a fait accompli. At worst, she would get a scolding when she returned, or at most, a beating. It wouldn't cause any serious injury! Her parents couldn't possibly beat her to death. The real concern was actually the safety of traveling alone. She needed to make thorough preparations and search online for relevant information.