NOVPUB"Why not just call her and see if her phone is off?" Xu Qingfan took out his own phone and handed it to her.
"Okay!" Xiao Ruawen joyfully took the phone. She had actually wanted to call earlier, but the timidity expected of a middle schooler had held her back. However, using Xu Qingfan’s phone was a different story.
[The number you have dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later, sorry...]
"Hahaha~" Hearing the voice coming through the speakerphone, the six teenagers laughed out loud on the sidewalk, their youthfulness soaring unrestrained, their passion enduring.
Those who wield words as a blade are eventually wounded by that very blade. Shan Fengtao, who had frequently used verbal violence against students over the past decade, had finally faced the fragrant words of netizens nationwide.
Shan Fengtao initially thought everything would get better once she resigned from the school. With the money she had earned from running a tutoring business over the years, she could live comfortably in a new city. But reality swiftly presented her with a harsh blow.
Her photo was everywhere on the internet, from her fresh-out-of-university ID picture to recent candid shots. Once netizens uploaded these to the web, they spread like a virus, and no matter where she went, people would point and whisper.
Her phone, her husband’s, her parents’, even her in-laws’ phones were constantly receiving calls from netizens, who, after connecting, would offer ’friendly greetings’ and ’wish the entire family well.’
Her son, who was in the second grade, became isolated and ostracized by his classmates. Now, the whole family dared only hide at home, startled by the slightest noise, fearing it wouldn’t be long before they developed mental issues.
Of course, Xu Qingfan was not aware of these developments. Even if he had been, he would have only applauded. He always believed that the wicked got what they deserved.
As for her husband and son?
Xu Qingfan just thought, had her husband and son not enjoyed the ill-gotten gains from Shan Fengtao’s tutoring business? Since they had, they should rightfully accept their share of the responsibility!
Would they act like a certain banana singer’s daughter, whose mother embezzled workers’ compensation, and the daughter, carrying the money, fled overseas to live a comfortable life above others, only to solemnly weep for her mother on the internet each year?
...
Leaving the market, everyone carried big and small bags, their faces full of the excitement of impending independent living.
Each had their roles, the four girls who couldn’t cook were in charge of plucking and peeling, Wu Lingyu was responsible for washing the vegetables, and Xu Qingfan took care of the rest.
Dried chilies thrown into the hot oil instantly filled the kitchen with a choking spiciness.
"Cough cough..." Xu Qingfan turned around, coughed twice, then added the hand-torn cabbage into the wok, stir-frying it over high heat until it slightly softened, seasoned it with salt, and just before taking it off the stove, drizzled a little vinegar around the pan – the spicy Sichuan-style hand-torn cabbage was ready.
Wu Lingyu carried the last dish out, Xu Qingfan, with his obsession for cleanliness, wiped down the stove and walls with a towel, cleaned the spatula briefly, then also took off his apron and followed out.
Lin Wanning licked her forefinger and thumb, clearly having just sneaked a taste with her fingers. As soon as Xu Qingfan sat down, the five girls, unable to wait any longer, eagerly picked up their bowls and chopsticks to start eating.
"It’s great that we can now buy groceries and cook together!" Lin Wanning’s cheeks were puffing with food as she spoke indistinctly.
"Going to and from school, eating, sleeping, we’ll do it all together!" Zhang Yiyi smiled sweetly, glancing around at everyone in the room.
"Wuuu~ I still have to go home to sleep at night. My grandpa doesn’t agree with me staying over." Xiao Ruawen said while wolfing down her food.
"It’s okay, Ruan Wen. Your home is just over three hundred meters from here; we’ll wait for you to go to school together," Wu Lingyu consoled.
"Yeah, we’ll wait for our class president to go to school together!"
"Hahaha~ I’m not the class president anymore, but Wanning you still call me that."
"Hehe~ I’m just used to it!" 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Because getting up at six in the morning to catch the bus for school was such a hardship, Wen Wanqing and Zhang Chunxue were very open-minded parents. They had the means, so why should their kids suffer needlessly?
Both eventually agreed to Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi staying over at the local home during the school term, provided that Xu Qingfan was with them.
Indeed, both parents trusted him so much. With the goodwill accumulated over six years of primary school, Xu Qingfan had become a byword for reliability and sensibility in the parents’ eyes.
As for puppy love, that wasn’t even on their radar. A boy and a girl together might lead to an early romance, but in the setup of one boy and five girls in this big family, concerns didn’t stretch to early romance—at least, that’s what the parents believed.
A love triangle only involves three people; what a complex relationship it must be to evolve into a love hexagon.
After dinner, Xu Qingfan comfortably settled in front of the television to watch Heart of Greed while five girls busily cleared the dining table.
"The feeling of being the head of the household is truly nice," Xu Qingfan thought contentedly.
He got up and walked into the kitchen where Wu Lingyu was washing dishes. Xia Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ruawen were wiping the stove and the range hood with a cloth, while Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi were responsible for mopping the floor and taking out the trash.
Since only Wu Lingyu’s dishwashing was considered clean, she was given the most time-consuming and strenuous task of washing dishes. Although the girl didn’t mind, Xu Qingfan still felt a pang of distress watching her.
"Looks like I have to arrange for a dishwasher," he thought.
"Brother Qing Fan, don’t come in; the floor has just been mopped!" Lin Wanning, crouching on the ground and pushing the mop forward, looked up at Xu Qingfan standing in the doorway and said.
"Feed the cat and walk the dog, what are you doing standing at the door!" influenced by Yao Jiping, Xia Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but chide Xu Qingfan whenever she saw him idle.
"Ruan Wen, stop wiping; it’s past eight, and I’ll take you home along the way. It’s not good to go back too late," Xu Qingfan waved to signal Xiao Ruawen to come out.
"It’s so late already? Then, Xiao Xiao, I’ll leave this part to you as well!" Xiao Ruawen put down the cloth, pecked Xia Xiaoxiao on the cheek, and scurried out.
"Go on then," said Xia Xiaoxiao, casting an annoyed glance at her best friend.
Xu Qingfan, filled with envy, thought that this must be what it’s like to have the affection of beautiful girls. How he longed for his childhood days.
"Come back early, Brother Qing Fan!"
"Be careful."
"I know, I’ll come back after I drop Ruan Wen off at home," Xu Qingfan said after feeding the cat.
"See you tomorrow, love you guys!" Xiao Ruawen, clutching Xu Qingfan’s hem, waved goodbye to them.
On the quiet path, the two of them and a dog walked quietly, Xiao Ruawen, taking advantage of her temporary height advantage, rested her hand on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder.
"Brother Fan,"
"What is it?" Xu Qingfan turned his head to glance at her.
Having rare time alone with Xu Qingfan, Xiao Ruawen had many things she wanted to say to him, including which of the five girls he found the prettiest, and what kind of girl Brother Fan liked...
"The moon is so full tonight!" Xiao Ruawen chuckled, shook her head, pushing the words she wanted to say back down, and instead looked up at the moon.
"It’s just two weeks until Mid-Autumn Festival, huh. I still remember how to make snowskin mooncakes. I’ll make some for you all then."
"Hmm!" Xiao Ruawen smiled, and a breeze blew by, carrying away the words she had wanted to say.
"Although the moon doesn’t belong only to me, its light shines on me all the time." The heart of a young girl is always like poetry, Xiao Ruawen thought to herself.
After sending Xiao Ruawen home, Xu Qingfan returned to their shared home.
The four girls were sitting on the sofa, watching TVB’s eight o’clock prime-time show "Scholar Meets Soldier." When Xu Qingfan arrived, Lin Wanning shifted to make space for him to sit down.
The television program lasted until ten o’clock, and afterwards, they took turns in the bathroom to shower before heading to bed.
Xu Qingfan still slept in a separate room, while the four girls squeezed into the large bed in the master bedroom.
From this day forward, their cohabitation life officially began.
...
