AD (QT) Chapter 82

Great-Aunt was elderly and still recovering from surgery, so she went to bed early. After Han Doudou finished the dishes and made her phone call, she saw Wang Yurui using a ladle to pour a massive amount of water into a large pot.

Curious, Han Doudou asked, “Rurui, why are you boiling so much water?”

Wang Yurui looked at her as if she were a bit slow. “For washing up, of course. Our solar heater is broken. If you want to take a bath, I’ll boil extra for you.”

“I definitely need a bath,” Han Doudou said. “Go ahead and boil more.”

Wang Yurui nodded with a smile. Once the water was hot, she ladled out half a basin and carried it to the main room. Han Doudou followed behind and watched in shock as Wang Yurui knelt before her Great-Aunt. With practiced movements, she removed the old woman’s shoes and socks and placed her feet into the basin. Wang Yurui scrubbed them carefully and gently, her focus so intense it was as if she were washing her own feet.

Noticing Han Doudou’s stunned expression, Great-Aunt smiled. “I can’t bend over anymore. For the past six months, Wang Yurui has been washing my feet. When the weather was hotter, she even helped me bathe. Now that it’s cooler, she doesn’t have to do it every day, so it’s a bit easier for her.”

Han Doudou felt incredibly uncomfortable. Back in elementary school, before her grandmother passed away and before her parents divorced, a teacher had assigned a task: “Wash your parents’ feet.”

At the time, Han Doudou had been disgusted. she thought the teacher was being unreasonable—what did washing feet have to do with studying? She was one of the few students who refused to do it. Their teacher, a stern veteran, had scolded them harshly, calling them “white-eyed wolves.” The teacher argued that their parents had raised them through every mess and hardship without complaint, yet the children couldn’t handle washing their parents’ feet once.

Back then, Han Doudou felt a fleeting sense of shame, but she quickly dismissed it because she truly thought feet were “dirty.” Seeing twelve-year-old Wang Yurui doing it so naturally made Han Doudou feel like she couldn’t even look her father in the eye. She realized that in her father’s heart, a child like Wang Yurui was the ideal daughter.

On the bus, she had complained about Wang Yurui being a brat. Yet here was Wang Yurui, taking care of an ill grandmother with such meticulous detail, all while maintaining top grades. Han Doudou felt like a “leech,” only taking from her father without ever considering his pain.

Later, Wang Yurui pulled out her backpack. “Han Doudou, I saw you brought your bag, too. Let’s do our homework together.”

Han Doudou agreed, trying to regain some “big sister” dignity. “Sure. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.”

“Okay!” Wang Yurui chirped.

Han Doudou watched the girl work. Whether it was cooking, boiling water, or serving her grandmother, Wang Yurui was incredibly focused. She brought that same intensity to her studies. Inspired, Han Doudou began working as well.

Thirty minutes later, Han Doudou stretched her neck and looked over. Wang Yurui had already finished her workbook and was practicing her calligraphy. Han Doudou peaked at the handwriting in the grid notebook and gasped. “Rurui, did you take calligraphy classes? Your writing is perfect.”

The characters looked like they had been printed from a computer.

“Do synchronized copybooks count?” Wang Yurui asked, looking up.

Han Doudou blinked. “I… I guess they do.”

By the time Han Doudou finished her own assignments, it was only 10:00 PM. She looked over and saw Wang Yurui sprawled on the bed, absorbed in a book.

“Reading in bed causes nearsightedness,” Han Doudou warned.

“Oh, Han Doudou,” Wang Yurui pouted cutely. “I’m tired! Reading in bed is comfortable. Just let me rest a bit.”

Han Doudou chuckled. Ever since she arrived, she had felt “beaten” by Wang Yurui’s perfection. Seeing that this capable, top-tier student also had small “flaws” like reading in bed made Han Doudou feel a bit more human.

“What are you reading?” Han Doudou asked.

Wang Yurui showed her the cover: The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

…

The next morning, Han Ze woke up early to cook breakfast so the girls could sleep in. When Wang Yurui finally emerged at 8:00 AM and saw him in the kitchen, she panicked. “Uncle! Why are you cooking? You should have called me!”

“You stayed up late doing homework,” Han Ze smiled. “Sleep a bit more.”

Wang Yurui felt a bit guilty. Han Doudou had slept early, but she had stayed up until midnight reading.

“How did you know we stayed up late?” Wang Yurui whispered.

“The light in your room was on until midnight,” Han Ze replied.

Great-Aunt’s voice boomed from behind them. “Rurui! Were you staying up late reading novels again? If you do it again, I’m confiscating that book!”

Wang Yurui grinned sheepishly and promised to be good.

Before they left, Han Ze gave Great-Aunt some money and tucked a few hundred yuan into Wang Yurui’s hand for books. On the way back to the city, Han Doudou was uncharacteristically quiet.

“I want to come back during winter break,” Han Doudou finally said. “I want to hang out with Wang Yurui again.”

“Oh? I thought you two had too much of an age gap to get along,” Han Ze teased.

Han Doudou blushed. “Actually, Wang Yurui is more sensible than me. Great-Aunt is sick and she’s handling everything. I don’t even remember what I was doing at twelve, but it definitely wasn’t that. Even now, I’m not as capable as her.”

She paused, then looked at her father. “I’m not as good as her yet, but I’m going to change.”

Han Ze reached out and patted her head. “Being brave enough to admit your flaws and deciding to fix them… that makes you a good kid in my eyes.”

Han Doudou’s smile widened. She realized that being a “good kid” wasn’t as complicated as she thought, and being praised by her father felt better than any 1,600 yuan concert ticket ever could.