NOVPUB"Not bad," Xu Qingfan nodded, his words slightly slurred.
Anyway, he didn’t get that toe-curling delicious feeling. If he had to compare, Xu Qingfan still thought the lychee wood roasted chicken tasted better.
After spending two days together, Wu Lingyu had also lost her initial shyness. She didn’t need Xu Qingfan’s help and rolled the Peking duck herself.
"Where are we going to play in the next few days?" Having stayed in Yanjing for two days, Xu Qingfan unconsciously started speaking with an erhua accent.
"The usual places, Forbidden City, Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Yihe Garden... It’s actually good since there are fewer tourists in winter, which is convenient for taking photos," Zhong Wenqing listed the attractions of Si Jiu City with her index finger. Given a choice, she’d rather stay in bed and sleep in the harsh winter.
"Qingqing, do we have any intangible cultural heritage handicrafts here? I’d like to buy some as gifts," Xu Qingfan asked, thinking of Lin Wanning back home.
"Lots! Bristle dolls, dough figurines, furry monkeys, palace rugs, Peking opera dolls, and so on—too many to count," said Zhong Wenqing.
Xu Qingfan thought it was a pity Lin Wanning wasn’t here. Otherwise, the little girl would surely be jumping around excitedly, shouting, "Ningning wants them, Ningning wants them all!"
"Great, Qingqing, you should take us to check them out. I love these little knick-knacks," he said.
"You post-90s still like these? I thought now kids are all into Gundam and Barbie dolls. I assumed only we who were born in the 70s and 80s would appreciate them," Zhong Wenqing said with a laugh.
Xia Xiaoxiao stopped eating her Peking duck, tilted her head, and then responded, "It’s okay, I like anything that’s interesting."
[If it’s someone giving them to me, especially for me, personally handing them to me, only giving them to me, then it would be even better.] The little girl added in her mind.
"These handicraft shops are not easy to find, luckily I’m here. If it were up to your Teacher Guan to lead, you wouldn’t be able to find these places. I’ll take you guys there!" Zhong Wenqing patted her chest, which unfortunately didn’t make much of an impact since her weight was all on her legs.
Guan Biyue reached under the table and pinched her best friend secretly, "Let’s go to the handicraft shops tomorrow, after we wake up in the afternoon we’re going shopping in Wangfujing!"
Everyone had their fill, and finally finished the last pancake.
Since they were going out again in the afternoon, Zhong Wenqing dropped them off at the hotel and got out of the car as well.
"You can sleep on the floor, I’m not squeezing into one bed with you," Guan Biyue joked as they entered the elevator.
"If not with me, I’ll sleep with one of your students. Who wants to sleep with sister?" Zhong Wenqing playfully touched their heads.
Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu didn’t say anything, and Xu Qingfan was even less likely to speak. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
He indeed wouldn’t mind getting cozy with a beauty, but with his own ideas brewing, Xu Qingfan didn’t want to lug around the label of a pervert at such a young age.
"Sister, you can take my bed, I don’t mind sleeping on the floor," Wu Lingyu said quietly after a long silence, remembering the virtues her mother often taught about repaying kindness.
"Hahaha~ I was just teasing you, it’s fine to squeeze in with your teacher," she said.
"I’ll squeeze in with Yu; Qingqing, you can have my bed," Xia Xiaoxiao added.
Having a chance to relive the Guan Guan brand pillow after many years, Zhong Wenqing didn’t want to miss it. She nudged Guan Biyue’s arm, motioning for her to speak.
"Then, Teacher will thank you for Qingqing!" Guan Biyue gave her best friend a triumphant smirk.
Zhong Wenqing widened her eyes, her expression one of mournful accusation.
[Taking advantage and not responsible for putting out the fire, no way am I sleeping with you!] Guan Biyue mouthed.
[I’ll just hold you to sleep, definitely no funny business!] Zhong Wenqing whispered back.
Guan Biyue crossed her index fingers, making a "darn!" face.
The three youngsters naturally didn’t catch all the small interactions between the two cheeky women. Excited, they dashed back to their rooms as the elevator reached the fifth floor.
Back in his room, Xu Qingfan remembered his lesson this time and immediately called Lin Wanning after setting down his backpack.
The call was answered as usual after just one ring, "Brother Fan~ Ningning is eating." Lin Wanning’s voice, chewing food, came from the receiver.
"Eating, eh? Then listening to me while you eat might be best; eating cold food in winter hurts the stomach,"
"Mmm~ Ningning is listening!"
"Then you can’t interrupt me now,"
"Okay!"
"You just spoke,"
"Hehe~"
"I had fried dough sticks and soy milk for breakfast. Here in Yanjing, some people actually drink salty soy milk, adding pickled vegetables, cilantro, and vinegar. It was so hard for me to watch,"
"Brother Fan, stop, Ningning is losing her appetite!" Lin Wanning interrupted.
"Okay, we’ll skip that. After breakfast, I went for an exam; the papers were as simple as ever. I’m sure I came in first place again. For lunch, we had Beijing duck, and their pancakes are made right here..." Xu Qingfan detailed his day minutely to her.
"Come add some dishes, Ningning!" Wen Wanqing watched, amused, as her daughter, with one arm propping the phone, had been eating plain rice for nearly three minutes.
Lin Wanning looked down at her bowl and realized she had somehow finished all her veggies, "Hehe~" she gave her mom a cute smile.
Xu Qingfan also heard what Wen Wanqing said and chuckled softly, "Ningning, go eat first. I’ll call you again at 9 p.m.; no need to wait in the living room anymore."
"Okay! But Brother Fan, remember not to call early."
