NOVPUBComputer class was the last lesson on Wednesday afternoon, and once the bell rang, the students were reluctant to leave—it was, after all, the happiest forty minutes of their imprisonment at school.
Xu Qingfan and his friends were not so addicted to the internet; as soon as the bell sounded, they shut down their computers, tucked the stools under the desks, slung their backpacks on, and left.
Lin Wanning, like a child who refused to grow up, slid down the stair’s edges with the soles of her shoes. Qingfan found it amusing and joined in, the two smoothly descending the stairs one after the other, like performers in a circus.
"Descending the stairs this way is much faster, Brother Qingfan!" exclaimed the girl with pride once they reached the bottom.
"Falling down would be even faster," Xia Xiaoxiao said, shooting them a glance.
"Goose goose goose~ No wonder the two of you always have the most worn-out shoes; it’s because of this."
"Hehe~ It’s not too bad," Lin Wanning lifted her leg to check the just-worn sole of her shoe, already looking like it had been through the war in Syria.
The computer room was on the fifth floor of the school and, by the time they descended to the third floor, the staircase became crowded. Zhang Yiyi grabbed Lin Wanning’s backpack, keeping her from fooling around too much.
The six of them chatted and laughed, and soon left the campus behind.
Licheng Middle School ended at five o’clock in the afternoon, and thanks to summer, the sky was still bright despite the approach of evening.
It was the rush hour of people heading home from work; the streets were teeming with traffic, and occasionally the enticing smell of sausages bursting from their skins at convenience stores could be caught.
The time after school in the afternoon was the most comfortable, unlike after lunch when they’d have to return to school soon. They had a long stretch of time to do what they wanted and to be alone in their private spaces.
The six of them strolled to the nearby market to buy vegetables for cooking. Their unusual combination was so distinctive that many vendors remembered them.
"Decided what you want to eat yet? Hurry up!" Having to cook every day made deciding what to cook a headache, so Xu Qingfan simply passed this difficult question on to the four girls, asking them to think of one dish they wanted to eat each day.
"Lotus leaf steamed chicken," Zhang Yiyi was well-prepared and voiced her choice immediately when asked.
"Ah~ I want to eat that too, Brother Qingfan, can I have soy sauce chicken instead?"
"What do you think?"
"Ying ying~ then I’ll have stir-fried pork with Chinese leeks." The girl’s attention was caught by an old lady selling Chinese leeks nearby, and she quickly made her choice.
Chinese leeks are a crop that resemble green onions, with white bulbs that grow underground and are often used for pickling.
"Brother Fan, I want to eat the one... the dish with wood ear mushrooms and lotus root from the lotus pond," she tried to remember the name.
"I want to eat pumpkin shoots!" Xia Xiaoxiao declared last.
After gradually collecting the dishes everyone wanted, the six of them headed back home.
"Little White!" At the doorstep, the five girls took turns calling the dog’s name.
"Ao ao ao~" Little White, like an ever-present NPC in a video game, always greeted them excitedly by wagging his tail and spinning in circles.
Then the door opened, and there was the familiar little brother stretching and greeting them.
Upon entering, the six of them dropped their backpacks to the ground, slipped into their slippers, and found comfortable positions to lie down and rest.
Of course, this didn’t include Xu Qingfan and Wu Lingyu, for they had to go to the kitchen to wash the rice and cook.
No one knew which girl had turned on the TV, but the theme song of the drama "Dark Fragrance" drifted from the living room into the kitchen.
When petals leave the flower, the lingering fragrance remains,
The scent fades with the wind and rain, unsmelled by anyone.
For some reason, whenever he heard this song, Xu Qingfan always felt an urge to pee.
After putting chopped ginger and garlic into a bowl, he patted Wu Lingyu on the shoulder: "I’m going to the restroom."
"Sure, go ahead, Brother Fan," the girl nodded.
In the living room, Lin Wanning and Xiao Ruawen lay on the floor like primary school students, not even taking off their backpacks, using them as pillows to prop up their views of the TV.
"Just went to the bathroom." Seeing the four of them looking at himself as he came out, Xu Qingfan added.
"Remember to wash your hands." Xia Xiaoxiao turned her head back to continue watching TV.
Xu Qingfan was instantly speechless. When had he ever not washed his hands after using the bathroom!
"Do you need to come in and supervise, and maybe stand by to give me a hand?"
"I faint at the sight of needles."
Xu Qingfan: ...
[This Xia Xiaoxiao, I need to see what she’s been looking at on her fan forum when I have the time!]
"What’s this ’yunzhen’? Is it something to eat?" asked Lin Wanning, curiously and innocently.
[Eat?] As strange images came to mind, Xia Xiaoxiao’s face instantly turned red.
"What Xiao Xiao meant was feeling dizzy and vomiting, both dizzy and vomiting!" Xiao Ruawen helped to explain.
Xu Qingfan chuckled secretly. So Xiao Ruawen was this innocent too, despite being so grown-up.
"Xia Xiaoxiao is talking nonsense, Wanning, don’t mind her," he said.
"Is that so, oh oh!" Puzzling actions like these were common, with everyone in the house being a usual suspect, except Wu Lingyu. Lin Wanning nodded and turned back to watch TV.
Dinner was a simple affair of three dishes and a soup. With Wu Lingyu’s help in the kitchen, the rice cooker had finished just as the last dish was ready, timed perfectly.
Xiao Ruawen turned the TV to Mango Channel. The "Happy Girls" show had reached the top 100 nationwide, and the host Teacher He was reading a long list of advertisements, ending with:
[Send a text message to 1066 9588 20 to vote for your favorite contestant!]
"If you ever compete, Ruan Wen, we’ll all vote for you," Lin Wanning said with a smile.
"No way, even if I was old enough, my dad, mom, and grandparents definitely wouldn’t agree to let me participate in these things," Xiao Ruawen shook her head.
"Why? Are they worried it’ll affect your studies?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked without thinking.
"No, it’s just that my family doesn’t really like these things," the girl said with an air of not wanting to elaborate further.
"Well, if you don’t like it, just don’t participate. What’s the big deal? It’s the modern age now. If you like singing, you can post your work online and still become popular. Xu Song became famous this way," Xu Qingfan patted Xiao Ruawen’s shoulder.
"That’s true. I almost forget who was in the top ten of the last season of ’Super Girls,’ not as famous as Xu Song," Lin Wanning said, feeling guilty for her earlier slip of the tongue, and quickly agreed.
"Yeah!" Xiao Ruawen smiled sweetly. "Just posting songs online is good enough. We’ll have the chance to perform on a big stage at the New Year’s party!"
"And there’s karaoke!"
"We can perform on the street," suggested Zhang Yiyi.
"That’s not a bad idea. How about we go to Park Street this weekend to sing? We can put a bowl out front, and all the money collected will be donated to those in need," Xu Qingfan snapped his fingers as he suggested.
"Goose, goose, goose—then we’d be street performers. Can I do a set of military boxing then, goose… goose… goose…"
"Then Yiyi and I will perform by drawing portraits for people!"
"I’ll play the violin?" Xia Xiaoxiao offered.
"Then I’ll play the erhu, for a duet."
The topic had been successfully derailed, leaving only Wu Lingyu without adding to the conversation. Everyone turned to look at her.
"I... I... I’ll help you guys collect money!" The girl struggled for a while before finally saying.
"Hahaha..."
