"Suit yourself, then I won't bet. Besides, I've already won," Wu Hua said, using a tactical retreat.
Song Xinmei bit her lower lip, hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded, saying, "Fine! It's a deal. I'm definitely going to win!"
Having boldly laid down her flag like a goddess, she raised her proud head like a swan and walked straight away.
Wu Hua smiled with satisfaction. The fish had taken the bait again.
When he got home from school that evening, his mother Wang Shufen was busy cooking in the kitchen, and the aroma of braised chicken was already drifting out.
It had been a long time since he had eaten his mother's braised chicken, and it made Wu Hua's mouth water. He dropped his schoolbag, ran straight into the kitchen, pinched a piece of chicken with his fingers, and popped it directly into his mouth.
"Wash your hands first! How many times have I told you, illness enters through the mouth!" Working in the hospital, his mother placed special emphasis on hygiene and gave her son a reproachful slap.
"Hehe, Mom's braised chicken is just too delicious," Wu Hua muttered, running off to wash his hands without a care in the world.
His dad wasn't back yet. Being busy with work and frequently working overtime into the evening, the rest of the family was used to it, and his mother would specially set aside food and keep it warm for him.
Being able to eat his mother's cooking from his childhood again, tasting that exact familiar flavor, filled Wu Hua's heart with a sense of happiness.
He took the initiative to set out his mother's bowl and chopsticks and dished up a bowl of rice for her.
"Well, Xiaohua has grown up and become sensible," Wang Shufen thought, feeling a warmth in her heart. Knowing that her child understood how to show filial piety to his parents brought her great comfort for all her hard work.
"Mom, let me tell you some good news," Wu Hua said while eating.
"What good news?" Wang Shufen asked casually, not paying much attention.
"I took part in the school's selection for the Mathematical Olympiad, got second place, and I'm going to the city to compete," Wu Hua said.
"What? Really? You're going to the city's Mathematical Olympiad? No way. I've heard that's a very difficult math competition with extremely high value—just you?" Wang Shufen's first reaction was that her son was boasting. People at the hospital often chatted about their children's studies, and she knew that the Olympiad was a competition reserved for top-tier students.
"Really. If you don't believe me, go ask my teacher," Wu Hua said.
For parents, nothing is happier than hearing about their child's academic progress. Even though her son wasn't always the most reliable, he didn't have the bad habit of bragging, so this was most likely true.
"Son, you've really done us proud! Here, have this chicken leg!" Wang Shufen, overwhelmed with excitement and joy, directly picked up the large chicken leg and put it into Wu Hua's bowl.
"I'm going to call your dad right now and share the good news. He'll definitely be thrilled!" Unable to contain her excitement, Wang Shufen stood up to make the call, but Wu Hua pressed her back down into her chair.
"Hey, Mom, eat your food first. It's no big deal—let's wait until I bring back an award from the city before we celebrate," Wu Hua said.
"Don't get cocky! You need to keep up the good work and scale new heights!" Wang Shufen said with a smile.
After dinner, Wu Hua took the initiative to clear the dishes, while Wang Shufen went to her room to call Wu Hua's father, Wu Zhengguo. It took two rings before someone answered the office phone.
"Old Wu, let me tell you some good news. Our son got second place in the school's Mathematical Olympiad and is going to represent the school in the city competition," Wang Shufen said.
"I know. I was eating at the cafeteria tonight and ran into Old Song. His daughter Song Xinmei took first place. Our son really stepped up this time, getting second and making it to the city competition too," Wu Zhengguo said with some emotion.
Old Song's daughter had always excelled academically, something Wu Zhengguo had long envied. He never expected his own son to suddenly have such a breakthrough after starting high school.
Now that his son had suddenly gotten smart and managed to place second—competing in such a high-level global math competition, no less—Wu Zhengguo was overjoyed.
"Tomorrow is the weekend, come home early from work and we'll have a drink to celebrate," Wang Shufen said with a smile.
Wu Zhengguo paused for a moment before saying, "How about this: Old Song invited our whole family over to his place for dinner tomorrow to celebrate both kids doing so well. We should buy some gifts and go over."
Wu Zhengguo and Song Xinmei's father, Song Changjiang, were both members of the leadership team at the Wujiang Railway Branch Bureau. Wu Zhengguo was the bureau chief and Song Changjiang was the party secretary. Working as partners for over a decade, they shared a rock-solid friendship.
Since he was in a great mood about going to dinner, Wu Zhengguo didn't bother buying a special gift; instead, he brought along a bottle of Moutai that he had kept treasured in his home for many years.
This bottle of Moutai had been a gift from his father-in-law, and he had never been able to bring himself to drink it. Today, he was really splurging.
Wu Hua was also quite excited. He was finally going to his goddess's home. Although he had been there before when he was little, he had been too young to understand anything, and now that his soul was forty years old, he had long forgotten what it looked like.
Song Xinmei's home wasn't far. Her mother, Chen Juan, had already cooked several dishes and warmly welcomed Wu Zhengguo's family into their home.
Seeing the Moutai in Wu Zhengguo's hand, Song Changjiang laughed and said, "Well, if it isn't Old Wu! I've had my eye on this bottle of Moutai for so long, and no matter what I said, you wouldn't bear to take it out. Today you're really bleeding money!"
"Haha, what are you talking about? Am I that stingy? The children have achieved success, and as parents, we're the happiest. It's worth having a drink over!" Wu Zhengguo placed the Moutai on the table, looking extremely proud!
Wu Hua looked around but didn't see Song Xinmei. He knew the girl must be hiding in her room to avoid seeing him.
"Meimei, Meimei, come out quickly. Your Uncle Wu and Auntie are here, come say hello," Chen Juan called out to her precious daughter locked in her room.
Extremely reluctant, Song Xinmei walked out of her room, greeted Wu Hua's parents, glared secretly at Wu Hua, and then announced that she needed to study before running back to her room.
Wu Hua was quite happy. He just loved seeing Song Xinmei forced to compromise.
Of course Song Xinmei didn't want to see Wu Hua right now. She felt like Wu Hua had become a completely different person after the summer vacation. He used to be silent and invisible, but now he was suppressing her at every turn—he was just completely infuriated by him.
To make matters worse, his math skills had mysteriously improved to the point where he could participate in the city's global Olympiad selection, becoming her competitor, and even coming up with such a hooligan-like bet!
During dinner, Song Xinmei had no choice but to come out and sit at the table with everyone, and she was even forced to sit right next to Wu Hua.
Luckily, Wu Hua didn't dare act too presumptuously in front of her parents and didn't try to strike up a conversation with her, which saved a lot of awkwardness.
Still, Wu Hua's mother, Wang Shufen, enthusiastically piled food onto her plate and kept praising her for being pretty and smart, saying she was bound to have a bright future, which made her terribly embarrassed.
Naturally, Wu Hua knew his limits. He knew he definitely couldn't provoke Song Xinmei right now; young girls had very sensitive minds, and going too far with the teasing wouldn't be good. So he behaved properly and uprightly, keeping his eyes straight ahead the entire time.