NOVPUBAfter Xu Qingfan personally phoned Xia Guofu to apologize, using the lame excuse of forgetting to turn off the gas at home, the incident of his sudden departure was finally put to rest.
Accompanying Xia Xiaoxiao back to her hometown this trip wasn’t entirely without gains—at least the two red envelopes from Uncle Xia amounted to ten thousand yuan. Qingfan wouldn’t give Xia Xiaoxiao back half of that money no matter what; it was his well-earned compensation!
He had already arranged to visit Bijui Garden on the third day of the Lunar New Year to play with Wanning and Yiyi.
Before leaving, he asked Xia Xiaoxiao, "I’m going to Bijui Garden, are you coming?"
By this time, Xia Xiaoxiao had reverted to her online gaming addict persona. Getting up at nine o’clock for brushing teeth, washing up, and having breakfast, she didn’t even change out of her pajamas before starting a round of QQ Speed.
"What for?" she asked as she took off her headphones and turned to look back.
"To discuss comics and stuff."
"Then what’s there for me to do," Xia Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and then put her headphones back on, continuing, "Bring me back a milk tea when you come back!"
Xu Qingfan wanted to say more, but the girl had already turned her head back, and he gave her a white-eyed look, twirling his keychain as he left.
This year’s Spring Festival came exceptionally late, with the first day of the New Year falling on February 14th. However, school was set to start on the 19th, meaning that classes would commence on the sixth day of the New Year, and boarding students had it even worse—they needed to report back to school the evening of the fifth.
As a province nationally known for migrant labor, at this moment, train stations and national roads were already crowded with returning workers. Because of this, both Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi had returned to Li City early.
Wu Lingyu was catching a ride back tomorrow; the six friends had one last day of rest on the fifth before starting the second semester of eighth grade.
Waking up, Li City abruptly returned to weather over twenty degrees, with gloomy skies both humid and hot. Even with his past two lifetimes combined, having lived in this city for more than thirty years, he never quite adapted to the climate of the rainy southern region.
Xu Qingfan rode his beloved bicycle out the door, wearing just a short-sleeved shirt and loose sports trousers, but there were people on the street wearing all kinds of attire.
Down jackets, thermal pants, alongside those in shorts and T-shirts—it was a surreal sight with some dressed for winter and others for summer.
When he arrived at Lin Wanning’s house, it was rare to find both Lin Qiaoshan and Wen Wanqing at home, the couple busily using squeegees to wipe water droplets off the exterior walls.
Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi were also busy outside in the yard, crouched on the ground observing the flowers and plants they had grown.
Wen Wanqing was the first to notice Xu Qingfan and she stopped her work to smile and say, "Xiao Fan is here, and you’ve grown so much taller."
"Brother Fan is here?" Lin Wanning lifted her head upon hearing this and sure enough, she saw Xu Qingfan pushing his bike into the yard.
"Brother Fan, long time no see!"
"Brother, Happy New Year!"
The two excitedly got up and bounced around Qingfan from both sides.
"Happy New Year, Uncle and Auntie." Xu Qingfan first greeted the two adults before taking Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi’s hands, asking, "What were you guys looking at just now?"
"We were looking at the clover ducks, but that’s not important. Brother Fan, come with us, we have a little surprise for you!" Lin Wanning took charge, pulling Xu Qingfan’s hand toward the house.
"Careful not to run so fast, my girl; the floor is slippery, be careful you don’t fall!" Lin Qiaoshan called after them from behind.
But his daughter continued on as if she hadn’t heard a thing, not looking back.
He showed an embarrassed expression and after exchanging looks with his wife, the two of them shared a smile.
The trio quickly arrived at Lin Wanning’s room, which was cool and comfortable because the air conditioning had been left on, making the bed sheets and furniture feel dry and crisp.
Xu Qingfan was made to sit on the bed by the two girls. Looking at their mischievously sparkling eyes, he said, "Alright, what’s the little surprise?"
"You have to close your eyes first, Brother Fan!"
Before Xu Qingfan could even speak up, Zhang Yiyi had already reached out and covered his eyes.
"What are you two up to now?" Even though he said this, a smile had already blossomed on his face.
"Ta-da!" the next second, Zhang Yiyi removed her hands from his face, revealing a crudely made but high-quality ceramic cup.
"A cup for a lifetime; Brother Fan, this is for you!" Lin Wanning held the ceramic cup in both hands and offered it to Xu Qingfan.
Perhaps influenced by the popularity of phrases like ’wanna hold you in my palms’ and ’a cup for a lifetime’ following the hot selling of Xiang Piao Piao milk tea, Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi decided to give him a cup after seeing such sayings on the internet.
"Thank you, Wanning and Yiyi... what a... unique cup. Did you guys have someone make it?" Xu Qingfan pretended to be surprised and pleased, taking the ceramic cup and inspecting it carefully in his hands.
"Nope, Yiyi and I made the cup together, Brother Fan. Do you like it?" Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi both sat beside him on the bed, their eyes fixed on Qingfan, not wanting to miss any reaction on his face.
"I would have really liked this cup, but..." Xu Qingfan began, causing both girls to tightly clench their fists, anxious to hear the dreaded words ’don’t like it.’
"But given that the two of you made it, a handmade DIY cup, then of course I can only like it even more!" He laid the cup on his thighs, hugged their shoulders and burst into hearty laughter.
"Brother Fan, you’re always teasing!"
"You big meanie, brother!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Be careful, don’t let the cup break!" The cup nearly fell to the ground, but fortunately, Qingfan caught it in between his thighs.
