A Leisurely and Extravagant Life - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Making Things Difficult

Cheng Yulian washed her hair over and over, using up more than half a bottle of shampoo, yet she still felt as if a faint stench of bird droppings lingered. Her scalp turned red from scrubbing, and plenty of hair came loose.

“Teacher Cheng, why are you washing your hair so many times?” asked Wang Mengmeng, the youngest teacher at Hemawan Elementary, puzzled as she watched Cheng Yulian wash again and again.

“I just keep feeling like there’s still a smell in it,” Cheng Yulian said awkwardly.

“I didn’t expect you to be such a neat freak, Teacher Cheng,” Wang Mengmeng teased with a smile.

Cheng Yulian didn’t reply further. Her gaze drifted to the children leaving school. She wasn’t watching just anyone—she was staring at Luo Tianwang. Above his head, that hateful sparrow flitted happily.

It never occurred to her that the same sparrow that had “bombed” her yesterday while supposedly “repaying kindness” would now be so intimate with this brat.

Luo Tianwang had no idea what the sparrow had done. No one else at Hemawan Elementary knew either, and Cheng Yulian would never admit such an embarrassing incident to anyone.

That day, Luo Tianwang had only taken a nap at noon. For the rest of the day, he managed to stay awake until school ended. When the bell rang, he slung on his backpack and headed home.

Because of his illness, none of his teachers required him to do homework. Now that he was improving a little, he certainly wasn’t about to request any assignments himself.

Because of the sparrow, the neighborhood kids all trailed after him, itching to snatch the bird away and claim it as their own. But the little sparrow only acknowledged Luo Tianwang.

Luo Shengui, however, kept brooding. He suspected that Luo Tianwang’s sparrow was the same one he had tied up that morning before school.

After class, he even went back to the spot where he had tossed it, finding no trace of the bird—only the bit of string that had been tied to its leg. He strongly suspected that Luo Tianwang’s sparrow was his discarded one.

But that bird had been on the verge of death! Its leg had been badly injured. How could it suddenly be fine?

“Tianwang, is that sparrow of yours the same one I had?” Luo Shengui couldn’t help but ask.

“Which one? Didn’t you already kill yours this morning? You think it can come back to life? Or maybe it turned into a ghost sparrow to collect your debt?” Luo Tianwang said.

“You—you—you’re lying! Sparrows don’t turn into ghosts!” Luo Shengui stammered, suddenly unsure.

The next morning, the third graders’ first class was Cheng Yulian’s math class. Luo Tianwang arrived at school a bit late, just as the bell rang. At the same time, Cheng Yulian entered the classroom.

He had thought that after a night’s sleep, the sparrow would have flown off, never to bother him again. To his surprise, when he came to school, it appeared from somewhere and followed him all the way.

Seeing it, Cheng Yulian’s heart skipped a beat. After living all day under the shadow of bird droppings and barely sleeping a wink at night, her nerves were raw. At the sight of the sparrow, her body jolted. She didn’t even notice that Luo Tianwang had just walked into the classroom.

The sparrow, not recognizing her, flapped its wings and darted into the trees beside the school. Cheng Yulian finally relaxed. But then, recalling the familiar figure she’d glimpsed earlier, her heart clenched again.

Could this really be a coincidence—seeing the sparrow yesterday and again today? Could it truly belong to someone?

“Who was the last one to come in just now?” Cheng Yulian demanded.

Everyone looked around in confusion, then instinctively turned toward Luo Tianwang.

No one needed to say anything more. Cheng Yulian already knew. She remembered clearly that yesterday, when she saw the sparrow, Luo Tianwang had also been there.

“Luo Tianwang!” she shouted furiously.

“What?” Luo Tianwang had no idea what she was on about this time.

“Stand up!” she barked, jabbing a finger at him.

“Why should I? I wasn’t late, and I didn’t break any rules,” Luo Tianwang retorted. He never liked this math teacher.

Cheng Yulian slammed her desk. “How dare you talk back! Yesterday you brought a sparrow into class, disrupting order. And today you’ve brought it again!”

Luo Tianwang chuckled. “If you’re going to frame me, Teacher Cheng, at least make it sound reasonable. Who on earth raises sparrows?”

“Then why is it always following you?” she pressed, though her voice lacked conviction. Everyone knew sparrows couldn’t be raised.

“It follows me, but what can I do about it? I’m just as puzzled as you are. Honestly, if it would let me keep it, I’d be thrilled,” Luo Tianwang said, feigning innocence.

Cheng Yulian couldn’t be sure. She stared at him, hoping to read his face, but he stayed calm. After enduring Zhao Pingshui’s questioning yesterday, he wasn’t about to be rattled by her.

Throughout the lesson, Cheng Yulian was distracted and kept making mistakes. The third graders pointed them out, leaving her red-faced and angry. When the bell finally rang, she hurriedly wrapped up the class and fled in embarrassment.

But just as she stepped outside, the sparrow began chirping.

“Ah!” Cheng Yulian shrieked.

The sparrow also let out a sharp cry and bolted.

Cheng Yulian plopped down on the ground, her backside covered in dust. She scrambled up and ran, mortified that several kids had seen the whole thing.

Luo Shengui, watching her retreating figure, murmured in surprise, “Teacher Cheng looks so strange today… like she’s being haunted by a ghost.”

His casual remark quickly spread. Soon the children were saying outright: Teacher Cheng is haunted by a ghost. Within no time, the whole of Hemawan knew.

Scratching his head, Luo Tianwang muttered, “Why do Teacher Cheng and Teacher Zhao both keep thinking I’ve raised a sparrow?”

Luo Shengui walked over and asked, “Where’s your sparrow? Didn’t you bring it today?”

Luo Tianwang was speechless. Everyone now seemed convinced the bird was his.

From not far away came the sparrow’s chirping. A tiny agile figure appeared on the roof beam along the corridor.

The little sparrow dropped a pine nut into Luo Tianwang’s hand and chirped at him a string of notes.

But since it wasn’t cracked open, he couldn’t eat it. He simply slipped it into his pocket.