Professor, your turtle!

"What's the reason?" The old man pushed his glasses and said doubtfully, "Tell me first."

"This flower seedling looks firm|quite moist, and there seems to be no major problem, but the problem lies here." Ji Fan handed him the soil in his palm.

"Huh?" The old man opened his eyes wide, turned on the knob of the desk lamp, and took a closer look.

"You can tell when you touch it with your hands. Is the substrate wetter than usual?"

"……It really is."

Ji Fan nodded: "Generally speaking, the store will deliberately control the water before delivery, so that when the goods arrive, the substrate will not be too wet, and they can be potted directly without slowing down the seedlings."

"Indeed." The old man took out his mobile phone again, and turned to the main interface of the store. It was advertised that direct planting was suitable for novices.

"However, there is another problem." Ji Fan touched the delicate and green seedlings lightly. "Once the express delivery takes a long time, the flower seedlings may wilt or turn yellow because the environment is too dry."

"...Although this is not a serious problem, for plants like geraniums that like to dry, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, those buyers who don't know the market, once they see yellow and wilting seedlings, are likely to Make the mistake of thinking that sellers are shoddy."

The old man was flipping through the comment section, and slapped his thigh when he heard the words: "That's true! You see, there have been several bad reviews recently saying that the flower seedlings are wilting. This group of people really don't know how to pretend to understand, and the store is so wronged." Nah."

Ji Fan took advantage of the situation and glanced at the screen. There were several bad reviews in the comment area, which were very conspicuous.

Although the boss tried his best to explain under the comments, the group of guests still firmly believed that the boss must have used the bad seedlings that had been burned to make up for it.

Some people even came back half a month later to add comments, saying that the flower seedlings were indeed raised to death.

——A novice who doesn't know how to plant at all and works behind closed doors, can he survive?

"But, having said that," the old man frowned, "what do you say, have anything to do with my flower seedling? My seedling is very healthy."

Ji Fan explained: "The so-called 'overcorrection', in order not to receive bad reviews, the store probably omitted the step of 'water control'. You see, although your seedlings are not wilting, the substrate is obviously too damp. Airy and slow seedlings, planted directly in pots..."

Father Xu's eyes lit up, and he finally came to his senses: "Then it will grow too long, and even the roots will rot!"

Ji Fan nodded: "It's very possible. The safest way is to put it in a cool place for a day or two before potting it. Don't worry, the geranium seedlings won't dry out to death."

"I understand that." Xu's father nodded repeatedly, immediately put away the small flower pots to be transplanted, carefully picked up the nutrient bowl containing the young seedlings, and put them in a ventilated place.

After finishing his work, he brushed off his cuffs and turned his face: "Little classmate, you look very knowledgeable, do you also grow flowers at home?"

Ji Fan smiled sheepishly: "No, I'm just interested..."

"That's a good interest," the old man's eyes lit up. "Although my son is studying biology, he has no interest in planting or raising things. He almost suffocates me! Come on, let me show you again." , these are the new pots I bought recently..."

He stood up enthusiastically, pulled Ji Fan and walked to the balcony. The aloofness from the first meeting was completely gone, and his expression was smug, like an old child.

There were two figures squatting on the balcony, one tall and one lower.

Lao Xu passed by the living room, saw this scene, and was taken aback—how could his father and Ji Fan look like good brothers?

"Dad, don't bully Ji Fan." Old Xu was shocked when he saw Ji Fan's hands covered with dirt, "He's an honest boy, he came here specially for class, why did you fool him into digging for you?"

"Come here," Xu's father turned a deaf ear to him, and pulled Ji Fan affectionately to introduce him, "This is my new friend."

Ji Fan: "..."

Old Xu: "..."

Ji Fan bit the bullet: "Well, Teacher Xu..."

Father Xu turned his head with a smile on his face: "Hey, baby~"

Ji Fan: "..."

Old Xu was furious: "...he was calling out to me!"

"Come on, Ji Fan, the teacher will take you to wash your hands," Old Xu angrily pulled Ji Fan to the kitchen, "The others just took the elevator up, and they will be there soon."

There was a kind-hearted old lady in the kitchen, who smiled and unwrapped a brand new small soap for him.

"Thank you." Ji Fan took it in embarrassment, and lowered his head to wash the dirt between his fingers.

"No, I should thank you." The old lady added a spoonful of water to the pot and said softly, "His father hasn't met a child he can talk to for a long time."

"Eh?"

"Don't look at him like this now, but he used to have a stern face every day," the old lady chuckled. "The bad temper made the students afraid of him. In the end, no one was willing to visit him."

"Is... is he also a teacher?"

"Well," the old lady showed nostalgia, "It happened a long time ago, we first lived in City T..."

"Mom, don't pull Ji Fan to gossip," Teacher Xu said helplessly, "I'm going to class now."

"Oh," the old lady wiped her hands on the apron, took off a towel for Ji Fan, and patted him on the shoulder, "then go quickly."

The study room was temporarily converted into a classroom. A movable whiteboard was placed in front of the bookcase, and two desks were put together, surrounded by six or seven plastic stools.

Ji Fan pushed open the door and saw Wang Gang in the corner at a glance, his pupils shrank slightly.

Wang Gang was wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans, with a tired expression and a band-aid on the corner of his lips. When he saw him coming in, he immediately looked away.

However, Ji Fan arrived too late, all the seats were taken, and the only vacant seat was right next to Wang Gang.

Someone pushed him gently from behind, and Lao Xu asked in confusion, "Why don't you go in and sit?"

Ji Fan pursed his lips and was in a dilemma, when suddenly someone stood up and moved to the side—it was Chen Zhen.

Even on holidays, he was still wearing a school uniform, with half-length forehead hair covering his eyes, looking rather gloomy.He sat down directly next to Wang Gang, moved his belongings, and said indifferently: "You sit here with me, so as to save you the trouble of getting in and out."

Wang Gang glanced up quickly, turned his face away again, and didn't speak.

Relieved, Ji Fan hurried over to sit down and said in a low voice, "Thank you."

Chen Zhen didn't answer, but stared at his face thoughtfully, after a while, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"..." Ji Fan didn't know how to explain it, so he shook his head: "It's nothing."

The gaze from Chen Zhen's glasses was so sharp that he seemed to be able to see everything, which made him hang his head a little uneasy.

Fortunately, the other party only looked at it for a while before looking away.

The surprise class started, Lao Xu copied the questions on the blackboard, Ji Fan refocused on his studies, and immersed himself in copying.

At this moment, his foot seemed to have accidentally kicked something, and there was a slight muffled sound.

——It's not the corner of the table, and it's not the legs of a classmate. It seems... a square box?

Taking advantage of picking up erasers, he sneaked a glance under the table, and saw a boxy cardboard box leaning on Wang Gang's feet, the packaging was gorgeous, and he didn't know what was inside.

Is it a gift?For Old Xu?

No, it shouldn't be.Ji Fan straightened up slowly, a little distracted. Old Xu made it clear that no fees would be charged for tutoring, participation was entirely voluntary, and other students didn't bring gifts. Wang Gang didn't have to do this at all.

So... who is this gift for?

Until the end of the course, this mysterious gift has been quietly placed at Wang Gang's feet.

Under Xu's father's strong request, Ji Fan was forced to agree to stay for dinner.

When he came out of the bathroom, the classmates had already dispersed. Just as he walked to the door of the study, he suddenly heard the sound of arguing from inside.

The door of the study room was ajar, only a rough overview could be seen, and even the voice was intermittent.

"What do you mean?" Old Xu's voice was very low, sounding unpleasant.

"Teacher, my parents asked me to bring this to Academician Xu," Wang Gang said with a smile. "It's not something expensive, it's just a little souvenir. You can accept it."

"Take it back, our family doesn't need these." Old Xu said coldly.

"No, teacher, you misunderstood, in fact..."

Squeak—the wooden door was pulled open.

Ji Fan was startled, and after a closer look, he realized that it wasn't the door beside him.The other end of the study is connected to the master bedroom, and someone should have walked into the study from that side.

"What are you doing?!" The voice was full of anger.

"Academician Xu—" Wang Gang said pleasantly, "Hello, I have seen you for a long time, this time my parents entrusted me..."

"Your parents?" The old man interrupted him angrily, "What's your name?"

"...and..., they are now teaching at Z University, and they are also doing work on basic subjects..." Wang Gang talked endlessly.

Ji Fan outside the door only listened to the general idea, but was completely stunned.academician?Is it the academician he thought of?Just that grumpy old man?

The old man snorted and interrupted him coldly: "What a mess, I've never heard of it."

After a moment of embarrassing silence, Wang Gang bit the bullet and continued: "Teacher Xu..."

"Don't call me a teacher," Xu's father rejected him flatly, with a stern tone, "I have never taught you, nor have I taught your parents. This little gift, you let them give it to the person who should give it, don't Use it to block my eyes."

"Dad..." Old Xu couldn't help persuading.

"What's wrong with me?" After glaring at his son, Xu's father continued to say to Wang Gang, "You go back and tell your father that if you still insist, tell them to come to me by themselves, and don't hide behind the children and fool around."

Wang Gang's face turned red: "I..."

Xu's father interrupted him unceremoniously: "Jing teaches some crooked ways, and all good seedlings are led astray by this kind of people. Do we rely on connections to learn?"

"Hey, Dad, please don't say a few words," Old Xu pushed the nagging Academician Xu into the room, while winking at the embarrassed Wang Gang, signaling him to run away quickly.

"Is it okay for me to talk about it? Children nowadays... Am I missing a bite for them, or a little less to wear? Cordyceps sinensis, ginseng and ganoderma, do I look old enough to need this kind of thing?"

Even though he was far away, Father Xu's angry humming voice still came through very penetratingly.

Wang Gang's face was completely red, and after a long while, he stiffly packed up the presents, hugged his schoolbag, and walked out in a hurry.

In the corridor, he ran into Ji Fan.

The two looked at each other for a moment, Wang Gang pursed his lips and said nothing.

Ji Fan raised his eyes and glanced at him, turned sideways silently, and stepped aside without saying a word.

Wang Gang walked out.

Unexpectedly, the moment the two passed by, the paper bag in his hand broke, and all kinds of boxes fell all over the floor, some of them even broke the lids, and the contents spilled out, making the floor a mess .

He hurriedly squatted down, gathered those precious medicinal materials together, and randomly stuffed them into the box.

However, the more he tidied up, the more upset he became. His fingertips began to tremble slowly, and his movements became slower and slower.

At this moment, footsteps came and went, a pair of slender and beautiful hands appeared in his sight, picked up a good box, and stuffed it into the plastic bag beside him.

"I asked grandma for a shopping bag." Ji Fan squatted, pushed the bag in front of his eyes, and said calmly, "You can use it for now."

Wang Gang stared at the plastic bag with a distorted expression, and said in a hoarse voice, "Do you think I'm so funny?"

Ji Fan raised his eyes and looked at him, but said nothing.

"Hehe, watching me make jokes. Is it like watching a fool?" Wang Gang pierced his fingertips deeply into his palm, gritted his teeth and growled, "It's the same yesterday, and it's the same today, I'm a fucking idiot..."

Ji Fan sighed and said softly, "Don't cry."

As a result, upon hearing this, the tears that the other party was holding back seemed to burst a dam, and flowed like money.While Wang Gang was crying until he lost his image, he also glared at him viciously.

"I really didn't mean to read your joke," Ji Fan lowered his gaze, "I really don't like you. But in fact, you don't like me either."

Wang Gang hiccupped tears and stared at him: "I just like it!"

"Then your 'like' is too cheap." Ji Fan patted his pants and stood up, condescendingly said, "You say you like it, but in fact, you never think highly of me. There are some things I never said before, but I understand it in my heart."

"I……"

"If you really like someone, how can you be willing to insult him?" Ji Fan remembered something, and a warm smile appeared in his eyes, "The premise of love is respect and trust."

"And you, you never understood."

After finishing speaking, he turned around and walked towards the study, ignoring the distraught person behind him.

I like a bright star, Ji Fan thought to himself.

He stopped by the window, turned his head, and stared at the gradually darkening sky in a daze.

——Every time I look up, I can see the direction he is in.

——One day, I will also fly behind him, and accompany him, shining in this lonely and dazzling starry sky.