Chapter 172: For You, I’m Not Tired at All
By Thursday, Chen Mo had completely recovered from his illness, just in time for the day of the physical education assessment exam.
In fact, his illness had mostly cleared up by yesterday.
Thanks to Su Yuqing’s attentive care over the past two days, Chen Mo felt an unusual sense of happiness despite being sick.
However, Su Yuqing had been bustling about for those two days, and Chen Mo worried she was exhausting herself.
Figuring he’d be better by Thursday morning, he had told Su Yuqing to sleep in while he made breakfast.
He had bought the ingredients the night before and had already set a pot of soup to simmer overnight.
Waking up to a bowl of nutritious, restorative soup was a very comforting experience.
It could instantly reboot a body that had been dormant all night.
Chen Mo needed a bowl of nutritious soup to recuperate, and Su Yuqing, who had worked so hard taking care of him, also needed some nourishment.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
For something to go with the chicken soup, breakfast items like steamed custard buns would be perfect.
Chen Mo steamed a basket of custard buns and a basket of red bean paste buns. After setting the food on the table, he went to Su Yuqing’s door.
Just as he was about to knock, the door happened to open.
Having just finished washing up but still looking drowsy, Su Yuqing possessed a lazy sort of beauty that made one want to protect her.
Chen Mo stared, stunned for a few seconds, before smiling. "I just finished making it and you’re already out. Come on, let’s eat breakfast."
As they walked side by side, Chen Mo asked with concern, "Did you not sleep well last night?"
"It’s not that. I went to bed early, but I woke up after an hour and had a hard time falling back asleep. I don’t even know what time I finally drifted off."
Last night, Chen Mo had urged Su Yuqing to go to bed early so she could rest well.
He didn’t expect it to have the opposite effect.
"Well, make sure to take a good nap at noon, then. The physical education assessment is this afternoon. Your body won’t be in peak condition if you don’t get enough rest."
"Mm," Su Yuqing nodded and sat down at the dining table.
Her appetite was piqued as she looked at the bowl of chicken soup before her. The grease had been carefully skimmed off, leaving the broth perfectly clear.
Her body, which had been feeling a bit drowsy, instantly warmed up and came to life after she finished the bowl of soup.
"Want another bowl?" Chen Mo asked with a smile, seeing her satisfied expression.
"I’ll get it myself," Su Yuqing had just said when a hand pressed down on her shoulder. "You’ve worked hard these past few days. It’s my turn to serve you."
Chen Mo smiled, took the bowl from her hand, and headed to the kitchen.
Seeing this, Su Yuqing’s heart grew warm.
’It’s just that their situations are different.’ Su Yuqing had taken the job as his caregiver; looking after Chen Mo was purely part of her responsibilities.
But as her employer, Chen Mo had no obligation to care for her in return.
Yet he did it anyway. It was clearly an expression of the mutual care and concern shared between family members or lovers.
It wasn’t the kind of consideration based on an employment contract.
"Just a small half-bowl this time," Su Yuqing said to Chen Mo with a radiant smile.
"Alright."
Soon, Chen Mo returned with the small half-bowl of chicken soup and placed it in front of Su Yuqing, not forgetting to add, "Be careful, it’s hot."
Watching Su Yuqing’s adorable expression as she held the small bowl and blew on it gently, Chen Mo sat back down in his own seat and instantly felt his own food tasted even more delicious.
After finishing their breakfast, the two of them headed to school together.
Because of Chen Mo’s recent explosive test scores, many classmates had started coming to him for help with things they didn’t understand. This meant that Chen Mo’s interactions with Su Yuqing and the others during breaks had become much less frequent.
However, this also happened to prove that Chen Mo was very popular with his classmates.
People only dared to approach him with questions because they found him approachable.
Some top students were very cold and aloof; like school tyrants, they were two extremes that both gave off an unapproachable "keep out" vibe.
Even though Chen Mo was now a top student and good friends with the school tyrant, no one felt he was difficult to approach.
On the contrary, they found him very warm and friendly.
Being popular was certainly a good thing, but sometimes it could also be a hassle.
Take Chen Mo’s current situation, for example.
He had barely sat down after entering the classroom when several classmates immediately swarmed him, asking for help.
Chen Mo really didn’t have the heart to discourage the enthusiasm of these ambitious classmates who were eager to improve.
As long as people were willing to learn, he was more than willing to teach.
He wasn’t just doing a good deed; he was also practicing his ability to teach others.
Knowing something yourself and being able to convey that knowledge to others in a simple, easy-to-understand way are two completely different matters.
For instance, your elementary and middle school teachers were unlikely to be top scorers on the college entrance exams or graduates from top-tier universities.
Many of them were professionals produced through the specialized education of teachers’ colleges.
Their academic credentials might not match those of top scorers or elite students, but their ability to teach and nurture others was often far superior.
This was a case of "to each their own specialty." Just because you knew something didn’t mean you could teach it.
Even though Chen Mo seemed to know everything now, if he wanted to impart his knowledge to Su Yuqing, he first had to improve his ability to instruct others.
Whenever his classmates asked him questions, Chen Mo would intentionally pull Su Yuqing over to listen in.
Regardless of whether Su Yuqing already knew the material they were asking about, there was no harm in listening to a focused explanation again.
For things she already knew, it would reinforce her memory.
For things she didn’t, she could learn something new.
It was a win-win.
Therefore, Chen Mo patiently gave guidance to every classmate who came to him for help.
Over the past two days, Su Yuqing, listening in from the side, truly felt that she had learned a great deal.
Many of the concepts and problem-solving methods were eye-opening for her.
Chen Mo spent the entire morning either teaching someone or in the process of teaching someone.
His busy morning, however, was of great benefit to Su Yuqing, Zhao Yuanyuan, and Huang Mao, who were nearby.
With teachers in class, someone to provide detailed analysis and explanations after class, and their own desire to learn, it would be difficult for their grades not to improve.
The morning passed by quickly.
"Whew." Walking out of the school gates, Chen Mo stretched. After chugging a few mouthfuls of mineral water, he realized he was actually quite tired.
"If it’s too much work, you should probably turn some of them down next time," Su Yuqing said, having naturally seen everything.
Chen Mo had practically become everyone’s free private tutor. A regular teacher probably didn’t get this tired even during class.
He had to deal with several students at once.
While she knew it was a good thing that those classmates were so motivated and didn’t want to dampen their enthusiasm, she still felt bad for Chen Mo and was worried he’d wear himself out.
"It’s fine. When they come ask, you’re right there to listen too. I just pretend I’m teaching it all to you. I don’t feel tired at all when I’m teaching you," Chen Mo said, looking at Su Yuqing with a casual, joking grin.