NOVPUB"Alright, alright, no more crying. I’ll take you to KFC this afternoon," the kid’s mom said.
The little brat who had been sulking stopped crying and making a fuss as soon as he heard this, and the commotion quickly ended. Xu Qingfan also successfully evaded everyone’s suspicion.
After all, he was clever. When he had fired the gun, Xu Qingfan had also thrown a small stone to divert attention, and it had actually worked.
After uncomfortably exchanging pleasantries with a group of relatives who were only vaguely familiar, Xu Qingfan finally made it through noon.
"I want to go eat at KFC!"
"Leave me alone, go play by yourself. I’ve drawn a triplet!"
"I want to go eat at KFC, you said you’d take me there at noon!"
"Yao Boliang!"
"I want to go to KFC, KFC!!!" the child roared demonically.
"Slap!" Then he got a big slap from his mom, "Don’t think I won’t dare to hit you during the holidays. Shame on you, adding up two subjects you don’t even score 150, still have the nerve to yell here all day, look at Xu Qingfan, does he ever behave like you? He always scores full marks on his tests!"
"Ah? Only 150 points? Can’t be, right? Can’t be?" Xu Qingfan pretended to be incredulous.
"Hmph, Nanfeng, did you hear that? When we get home, I’m burning all those broken Yu-Gi-Oh cards!"
"Auntie, I never play with those things. Our teacher says only hopeless students play with those, and he also says KFC is junk food. Eat too much of it and it will rot your brain!" Xu Qingfan continued to spout all sorts of nonsense with a straight face.
"Did you hear that? Learn from Qingfan, it would be better to give birth to a piece of char siu than you!"
While no one was looking at him, he smugly made faces at Yao Boliang.
"Auntie, Yao Boliang is hitting people!"
"Ah!!!"
Screams like those of a slaughtered pig came from the room, and Xu Qingfan walked out the door laughing uproariously, convinced that a gentleman always takes his revenge.
...
The second day of the lunar new year.
Xu Aiguo was going to drive back to Cong City to pay a New Year’s visit. Initially, he had intended to force Xu Qingfan to go back with him.
Hoping to avoid the trip, Xu Qingfan played his trump card, "Dad, the red envelope grandma gave me the year before last was empty."
This tactic really worked. Once Yao Jiping found out, she refused to let Xu Qingfan go back no matter what, "If you want to go back, go by yourself. We mother and son won’t go back to be disdained by others!"
Xu Qingfan spilled the beans about how his grandma had given him dirty looks, and Xu Aiguo had no choice but to return home alone, dejected.
He wasn’t lying; Xu Qingfan didn’t know if the other party had done it to disgust him or if it was an accident, but he remembered receiving an empty red envelope one year.
With Xu Aiguo in Cong City and Yao Jiping out playing mahjong, the living room suddenly felt empty, leaving him all alone.
Xia Xiaoxiao was still celebrating the new year in her hometown, Lin Wanning had not come back either, Xiao Ruawen and her mom had gone to celebrate the new year at the military district, and Zhang Yiyi was still in the Beautiful Country and hadn’t returned.
Xu Qingfan realized Yao Jiping was actually right; outside of a few exceptions, he was always surrounded by these little girls.
"I’ll go find Wu Lingyu." He snapped his fingers, dressed up, took his keys, and left the house.
Li Meijuan hadn’t closed her store for the New Year. She asked Yao Jiping for the shop keys and also helped to look after the convenience store business.
When Xu Qingfan arrived at the store, Li Meijuan and Yu’s grandfather and father were busy with the skewer stand business, while Wu Lingyu was sitting at the cash register looking after the store.
Upon hearing the welcome chime at the door, Wu Lingyu turned around and then saw Xu Qingfan dressed handsomely.
"Brother Fan!" She exclaimed joyfully.
"Yu, Happy New Year." Xu Qingfan walked into the store, "Uncle, Auntie, Grandpa, Happy New Year!"
"Eh~ Xiao Fan is here, Auntie has a red envelope for you!" Li Meijuan put down the chopsticks she used for frying skewers, took a red envelope from her pocket, and handed it to him.
"Thank you, Auntie."
Xu Qingfan sat down next to Wu Lingyu, "Doing your winter homework, huh?"
"Yeah! Brother Fan, I’ve already finished yours; it’s at home. I’ll give it to you tomorrow," Wu Lingyu glanced nervously at her mom and whispered.
"It’s okay to give it to me after the holiday too. Do you want to go out for a bit?"
"I have to watch the store." Wu Lingyu put down her pen and blinked at him.
"It’s fine, it’s slow in the morning, let’s go for a walk." Xu Qingfan helped her close her winter homework, "Auntie, Uncle, Yu and I are going out to play!"
"Sure, go ahead but be careful!"
"Got it!" Xu Qingfan mimicked Wu Lingyu’s catchphrase, grabbed the girl’s hand, and left the store.
...
"Brother Fan, slow down, I can’t keep up." Wu Lingyu panted.
"I haven’t even started trying, Yu, you’re too weak," Xu Qingfan had to slow down.
As they walked hand in hand on the sidewalk, "Brother Fan, where are we going now?" Wu Lingyu asked.
During the holiday season, the stores were closed, so there really wasn’t anywhere nice to go.
Xu Qingfan shrugged, "I don’t know, do you have a place you’d like to go? I’ll go with you."
Wu Lingyu’s eyes suddenly lit up, "Brother Fan, can you come with me to one place?"
"Lead the way."
"Okay!" The little girl, smiling, pulled Xu Qingfan toward the direction of the city’s protective moat.
"You wouldn’t happen to want to buy bubble tea, would you?" This direction was toward his former elementary school, Xu Qingfan curiously asked.
Wu Lingyu shook her head, without explaining.
"They’re not closed, let’s go buy bubble tea!" Xu Qingfan saw that the Green Tea Island bubble tea shop next to the elementary school was open and pulled Wu Lingyu forward.
Back on the road, each of them was holding a cup of warm red bean milk tea.
