NOVPUBSunday.
Because they had arranged on QQ the night before to meet at the secret base at nine in the morning, Lin Wanning set an alarm for eight and got up early.
"Mom and Dad, I won’t be home for lunch today, we’ve planned to go report a case together!" After gulping down her breakfast sandwich, the girl spoke while still chewing.
"Eat slowly," Wen Wanqing gently patted her daughter’s back and poured milk into her cup. Only after Lin Wanning had fully swallowed her food did she ask, "Report a case? What case?"
"It’s about Ruan Wen. She encountered a scammer at Gualv Square while singing K yesterday..." Lin Wanning immediately repeated the scamming technique that Xu Qingfan had told her on QQ.
"With only two months until New Year, there are indeed more scammers on the streets. Be cautious of your safety there too!" Lin Qiaoshan nodded and said after listening.
"Dad should know, with Brother Qingfan around, we won’t be scammed!" Lin Wanning, with a faint milk ring still around her mouth after finishing her milk, didn’t even bother to wipe it off and proudly declared upon hearing her father’s words.
Lin Qiaoshan inexplicably felt a bit sour. His little cotton-padded jacket, only in junior high, hung on every word about "Brother Qingfan says" and "with Brother Qingfan around." If she grew a little older, wouldn’t she completely disregard even what her father said!
[Dad, that’s not right, Brother Qingfan says we should…] He had subconsciously envisioned the future scenario already.
"Sweetie, do you still have pocket money? Dad..." Just as Lin Qiaoshan was about to take money out of his wallet, he suddenly realized that the money in his wallet was actually drawn from his daughter’s bank card, which made him freeze on the spot.
"I still have money! I still have a lot of New Year’s money left, and usually at Gualv, it’s Brother Qingfan’s money I use!" Lin Wanning quickly took the last piece of sandwich from her plate, stood up, kissed Wen Wanqing on the cheek beside her, and then said, "Mommy, Daddy, I’m heading out. I’ll be late if I don’t hurry for our nine o’clock appointment!"
Lin Qiaoshan: ...
[So she doesn’t kiss Daddy now?]
"Slow down, and remember to watch for cars when crossing the road!" Wen Wanqing shook her head and smiled, clearly at a loss with her own daughter.
"Got it!" Lin Wanning balanced the sandwich in her mouth, slipped on her shoes, then leashed Little White at the doorway, "Off we go!"
"Woof woof woof~"
The girl ran along the road with her dog, meeting up with Zhang Yiyi, and the trio caught a ride in Zhang Chunxue’s lift.
"Be good and listen to your Brother Qingfan. If you miss me, give me a call. Off you go." Zhang Chunxue instructed as she dropped them off.
"Auntie, we’ll be good!"
"Hmm!" Zhang Yiyi nodded earnestly, stepping forward to hug Zhang Chunxue, holding the embrace for about ten seconds before letting go.
After watching the Maybach drive off, the two girls, hand in hand, returned home.
It was now 8:47 AM. There were still about ten-plus minutes until their arranged time, and they were the first to arrive.
Lin Wanning tethered the dog in the yard, then the two of them entered the house.
Even though they had locked all the doors and windows before leaving, the house was still fresh because it was kept clean. Therefore, it didn’t smell odd despite having been unventilated for over a day.
After opening the living room windows, the two girls picked up the brooms from the yard and began sweeping the twigs and leaves.
"Yiyi, I suddenly realized something really strange!"
"Hmm?" Zhang Yiyi looked up at Lin Wanning, blinking puzzledly.
"Didn’t the biology book say that the human heart is on the left? How do we embrace so that our hearts can beat as one?" Lin Wanning stood perplexed with her broom, questioning.
"Pfft~" Zhang Yiyi covered her mouth and laughed. Despite being accustomed to her best friend always asking strangely quirky questions, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this one.
"Yiyi, what’s so funny? Don’t you think it’s strange why someone would coin the term ’heart-to-heart’? Could the ancient people not know that the heart is on the left side?" Lin Wanning continued to ask, puzzled.
Zhang Yiyi’s head shook like a bobblehead, laughing without a word.
"Could it be like this, hugging back-to-back?" After setting down the broom, Lin Wanning stood back-to-back against Zhang Yiyi, with both hands reaching behind to hug the girl, "Was this how ancient people hugged? It’s weird, isn’t it Yiyi?"
Zhang Yiyi held her laughter and continued shaking her head, "I don’t know, ask Brother!"
"What are you two doing?" Xu Qingfan, Xia Xiaoxiao, and Xiao Ruawen happened to walk over and saw the girls’ strange poses, Xu Qingfan asked curiously.
"Brother Qing Fan!" Hearing Xu Qingfan’s voice, Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi immediately happily trotted over.
"Good morning, everyone!"
"Good morning, folks!"
"What time did you guys get here? We almost finished sweeping all the leaves in the yard." Xiao Ruawen said, looking at the pile of dry leaves on the ground.
"Just arrived a moment ago. I just thought of a question. The biology book says everyone’s heart is on the left, so how can we be ’heart-to-heart’ when hugging?" Lin Wanning repeated her earlier question and looked at Xu Qingfan for an answer, "Brother Qing Fan, do you know?"
"Goose, goose, goose~ Wanning, how do you always come up with such tricky questions!" Unable to hold back, Xiao Ruawen burst out laughing without any professional restraint.
"Goose, goose, goose..."
The comical squawking contagiously spread to everyone, and soon, the morning yard was filled with three girls and one boy laughing at Lin Wanning. Even Little White, who couldn’t understand human speech, was grinning along.
It took a while for Xiao Ruawen, who was laughing so hard she couldn’t catch her breath, for everyone to stop mocking. Lin Wanning, with her face all red and pouting, felt a bit shy to look at her friends.
Xu Qingfan slapped Xiao Ruawen, who was laughing the loudest, on the back and said, "What’s so funny, laughing that loud!"
"Humph~ Brother Qing Fan, you were also laughing super loud!" Lin Wanning complained, hands on hips.
"I was laughing at Ruawen’s laughter," Seeing Lin Wanning’s still pouting and upset face, Xu Qingfan ruffled her hair and said, "Come on now, this question is easy. It’s because the heart is on the left that people can fill each other’s void when they embrace!"
The four girls, surprised, gaped wide at Xu Qingfan’s answer, thoroughly impressed.
A moment later.
"So that’s how it is, Brother Qing Fan really knows everything!"
"Cough cough~ Brother Fan, you rock!" Xiao Ruawen coughed twice and then gave a thumbs up in praise.
"Brother, awesome!" Zhang Yiyi clapped her hands in admiration.
Only Xia Xiaoxiao remained silent, just looking at him with a tender expression.
"Just average, we should clean up now, and then go report to the police station!" Xu Qingfan said with an embarrassed scratch of his head and a laugh.
"Cleaning up and catching a swindler!" Lin Wanning picked up the broom again and swept energetically, with the others joining in each taking on their roles.
"By the way, Brother Qing Fan, I thought of another question. Why isn’t the water dispenser called the water dispenser, considering we are the ones doing the drinking?"
"..."
"Hahaha..."
...
