NOVPUBIn the following days, Xu Qingfan had no opportunity to be alone with Lin Wanning, and since the girl hadn’t sneaked into his bed in the middle of the night recently, the lecture had been postponed again and again.
Before they knew it, the weekend had arrived, and despite it being the end of March, Li City showed no signs of spring awareness. Whether they were in the water, flying in the sky, or scurrying on the ground, the animals were all overheated in the high temperatures of over thirty degrees Celsius.
Speaking of dogs, Da Huang had been gone for a while, and Xu Qingfan was gradually getting used to the absence of the dog in Lianhua Courtyard.
At the end of 2008, their family had pre-purchased a duplex on the second floor in Donghui City next to Licheng Square. More than a year had passed and the building was nearly complete.
After breakfast today, the two families drove early to Donghui City to inspect the house.
"Why open the window when the air conditioning is on?" Xu Aiguo looked at his son through the rearview mirror as he rolled down the rear window completely, and then he closed it again for him.
"It smells a bit off. I prefer the scent in your old Hyundai, Dad. This car smells too much like leather." Xu Qingfan cracked the window open slightly again and pinched his nose as he spoke.
"Haha~ The boar isn’t used to fine bran," Xu Aiguo merely laughed without taking his eyes off the road as he drove carefully.
Actually, that Hyundai also had a bit of that new car smell, but the only car Xu Qingfan had been in that had no smell at all was the Wuling Hongguang, probably because the ventilation was too good — he couldn’t detect any odd smell at all.
Compared to a year ago when Donghui City was still a plain, it had transformed into a forest of steel.
Honestly, as long as there are no unfinished buildings, you can always trust the speed of construction in China.
The residential building they bought was part of the first phase, which had been topped out last month. Today they returned and the final touches had been completed, presenting before the five people a high-rise building towering fifty or sixty meters high, with a roof that resembled a cockroach’s head.
The quality of the house seemed quite good, with a generous provision of rebar, but Xu Qingfan was less impressed with the designer’s aesthetics...
The seventh and eighth floors were what they had purchased. The apartment was still unfinished: only the outer door was installed, and the interior was still bare cement mortar.
The house had already been inspected, and naturally, the keys were in Yao Jiping’s hands. She took out the keys to open the door, and the others followed her in.
Upon entering, the most striking feature was the spiral staircase connecting the two floors. The developer called to ask if the couple wanted to install a small elevator, but both thought it was pointless, so they opted for the space-saving spiral staircase instead.
He and Xia Xiaoxiao were entering for the first time; they quickly toured the first floor before heading up to the second floor via the staircase.
The balcony wasn’t enclosed, but a railing wall over one meter high had been built. Looking down from the eighth floor, you could take in Licheng Square in its entirety; with the willows swaying and the water a brilliant green. Even though they couldn’t see the Zengjiang River nor enjoy the intimate proximity to the banyan leaves just outside the windows like at Lianhua Courtyard, it had its own unique charm.
"Let’s go, let’s take a look at your place," Xu Qingfan withdrew his gaze and, taking Xia Xiaoxiao’s wrist, went downstairs.
Downstairs, Yao Jiping and Xu Aiguo were discussing how to decorate the place. Xu Qingfan didn’t join in on the excitement. He was acutely aware that whether it was high school, university, or work, the time he would spend in this house would only decrease.
"What do you think, is it nice upstairs? Xiaoxiao, which room do you like? Auntie will keep one for you," said Yao Jiping with a smile when she saw them coming down hand in hand.
"Ah, Auntie, you’ve kept a room for me too?" This was clearly unexpected for Xia Xiaoxiao; her face showed surprise before turning to delight.
"Of course, Xiaoxiao is like a daughter to me, so naturally I have to save a room for you!"
"Auntie, you’re the best!" Touched, Xia Xiaoxiao dashed forward and gave Yao’s mother a big hug.
Xu Qingfan pursed his lips. Shouldn’t choosing a room have started by asking for his opinion as the actual son?
After a good while of motherly and daughterly affection, Xia Xiaoxiao wriggled out of the embrace and said, "I think all the rooms are nice. Auntie, you pick one for me."
The girl still had some emotional intelligence, after all, it wasn’t her own home, and she couldn’t just bypass Xu Qingfan to make her choice.
Yao Jiping’s thoughts were not to be shared with outsiders. She actually wanted to keep a room for Wu Lingyu, but she worried about not being fair, since Xiaoxiao was the child she had watched grow up since infancy, so she simply decided to reserve a room for Xia Xiaoxiao as well.
"Okay~ Auntie promises to make your room nice and pretty." She said this while casting a disdainful glance at her own son, not knowing what she was thinking.
Xu Qingfan inexplicably felt targeted and suddenly felt like a monk with two feet of height who couldn’t touch his head.
"Hee hee~ Thank you, Auntie!" Xia Xiaoxiao, although usually aloof, was different with people like Yao Jiping and Lin Jing, always remaining the little girl who never grew up.
On the other hand, Xia Xiaoxiao’s home layout was quite simple: just over eighty square meters, still the familiar three-bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom setup. Upon entering the house, Lin Jing pointed to one of the rooms and asked Xu Qingfan, "Do you want Auntie to reserve a room for you? You can come live here if you quarrel with your mom."
Of course, this suggestion was mostly a joke. Xu Qingfan was no longer the kind of clueless kid who would have conflicts with his parents.
"Sure, Auntie, my mom also said she’s keeping a room for Xiaoxiao next door. I’ll just stay here to keep you company in the future!" Finally, it was Xu Qingfan’s turn to show off. He ran up behind Lin Jing with a smile and started to massage her shoulders, with a chopping hand making a soft sound against the flesh.
"Mm~ Not bad, a bit higher." Lin Jing squinted in enjoyment, while catching a glimpse of her daughter turning her head and walking away.
[She wouldn’t be jealous of her own mother, would she?] She couldn’t help but think amusedly.
The house was quickly looked over; after all, it was just an empty shell, and there wasn’t much to see.
It must be said that the salesperson hadn’t lied when selling the property: the materials used in the house were indeed substantial, with thick walls and sufficiently sturdy ceilings between the floors, suggesting that there shouldn’t be any worries about soundproofing.
As they left, they gave the cockroach-headed building another glance. Just a two-minute walk away was the best shopping center and the biggest square in the area. Life after moving in would most likely be rather posh.
After having tea at Zhengwu Gate for lunch, Xu Qingfan said to his dad, "Dad, can you drop me off at Bijui Garden first? I have an appointment with Wanning."
"You’re not going home for a nap, and you’re running off again?" Yao Jiping frowned disapprovingly at her home-shirking son.
"It’s about the comics, we’re releasing a new one." What he meant was that he was going to give Lin Wanning a health and hygiene lesson, but obviously, that was not something he could discuss openly.
"Oh, a new comic is coming out?" Yao Jiping nodded, then it was okay. The more he drew, the more money he could make, and that was great. If Qingfan didn’t work hard, how could their lives of peaceful years be secured?
"Is it the kind of joke in Hilarious Daily?" Lin Jing asked with a smile.
"No, it’s a long story this time. I want to challenge myself."
"Then Auntie will be your first reader when it’s ready."
"Great, when it’s done I’ll show it to you, Auntie." The place where they had tea wasn’t far from Bijui Garden, and the car soon arrived. Xu Qingfan got out of the car without looking back and replied.
As the car door closed again, Lin Jing saw her daughter still sitting inside and couldn’t help asking, "Xiaoxiao, aren’t you going?"
"They’re making comics and it’s not like I can contribute; why go?" Xia Xiaoxiao said nonchalantly. She hadn’t even completed her daily racing game task for the day.
The car soon started again, and Lin Jing glanced at Xia Xiaoxiao, who was looking down at her phone, and thought to herself:
[What’s going to become of my silly daughter in the future...]
