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Chapter 509: Chapter 340: Just Want to Give It a Warm Home_2
Of course, Class 8’s victory came at a cost, as Li Shengnan was so excited during the tug-of-war that she stepped on Yu Wen’s toes and caused them to swell.
Yu Wen screamed as if she were being slaughtered, but she benefited from the misfortune when Huang Zhongfei carried her to the school clinic.
Yu Wen experienced the treatment of a drama heroine.
"Jiang Ning, the prize money will be given out this afternoon," Xue Yuantong said.
"Right, there should be quite a bit," Jiang Ning remembered that the reward was indeed substantial, and it seemed like the champions got 200 yuan, plus an additional 100 for breaking records.
He had broken records in three events, so that was at least 900 yuan, but with the appearance of Changqing Liquid Company, the school received a large donation, so the reward would only be more.
On the way home, Jiang Ning chatted as he rode his bike.
Aunt Gu was busy at the company, and only Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning were at home—they had long been used to it.
Xue Yuantong cooked, and Jiang Ning went to the kitchen to watch her cook and lend a hand.
After lunch, Jiang Ning cleaned up the dishes, while Xue Yuantong went out with a flower pot.
Several flower pots were arranged on the windowsill of Jiang Ning’s bedroom, including cacti and spider plants, all growing vigorously and adding a touch of vitality to the room. The air became fresher with their presence.
The flower pot Xue Yuantong held contained devil’s ivy, its appearance vibrant green and its leaves smooth, looking very soothing.
As Jiang Ning washed the dishes, he observed Xue Yuantong using Divine Sense.
The arrangement of items in his room and even the airing of the quilt had all been sorted out by Xue Yuantong.
She had placed each flower pot there.
Xue Yuantong put the pot of devil’s ivy on the windowsill, adjusted it with her hands a couple of times until it looked pleasing to her eyes, and then she felt content.
She gently touched the leaves of the devil’s ivy and then looked at the other pots and solemnly advised,
"The new friend here is devil’s ivy, you all get along well from now on. Whoever dares to stir up trouble, I’ll beat them!"
Saying this, she clenched her fair little fist as a threatening gesture.
Only silence responded to Xue Yuantong.
She was very satisfied, her eyes brimming with joy, "Since you’re not speaking, I’ll take that as your agreement."
Jiang Ning, while washing dishes, was struck dumb—he thought she was utterly foolish.
...
After Jiang Ning finished the dishes, and Xue Yuantong had placed the devil’s ivy properly, they both went to the doorway to enjoy the cool.
Xue Yuantong was barefoot, her delicate little feet exposed; she seemed preoccupied and not as lively as usual.
After playing with her phone for a while, she glanced at Jiang Ning with a distracted expression.
Jiang Ning, "What are you looking at?"
Xue Yuantong withdrew her gaze and whispered, "I wasn’t looking at anything."
She continued to play with her phone—the class group chat was lively because Cui Yu and Yu Wen were having an argument.
During the tug-of-war, Li Shengnan had accidentally stepped on Yu Wen’s foot, and Cui Yu captured the moment of her painful expression.
He shared the photo in the group, and Yu Wen almost blew up the chat.
Jiang Ning wasn’t playing with his phone; he sat in a cool spot, gazing out at the distant field, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.
The recent sports day activities had allowed him to follow his heart; he did not just remain low key but indulged a little more than usual.
He had always longed for the sports day but lacked the strength before, always ending up just as a support act.
There was a time when he dreamt of proving himself if possible, at the sports day.
The atmosphere at Yu Zhou Fourth Middle School’s sports day was excellent. Despite the scorching sun overhead, youthful enthusiasm and passion burned fiercely. For the glory of the class, the fleeting glimpse of breathtaking figures on the field, and for the arduous training on ordinary days, students gave their best efforts.
Jiang Ning really liked that atmosphere.
Later, when he attended university and participated in sports days, he couldn’t recapture that feeling because there was no longer a concept of class by then—hardly any students even watched, let alone participated.
Sweat shed with no one to cheer, victories gained with no one to take pride, and more people only focusing on themselves.
Selfish? No, it was just everyone growing up.
Jiang Ning reflected on the past, while Xue Yuantong next to him was restless. She put down her phone, cutting off Yu Wen and Cui Yu’s hysterical arguing, and returned to the normal world.
"Jiang Ning, aren’t you having an ice pop?" she tentatively asked. The mung bean ice pops were still in the fridge.
Jiang Ning looked at her; Xue Yuantong had made a lot of mung bean ice pops, and he had even brought them to school to share with his classmates, who had unanimously praised them, proving Xue Yuantong’s skill.
Yesterday, Xue Yuantong ate several ice pops in a row, and Aunt Gu, worried she might get sick, scolded her.
Xue Yuantong, fearless as always, talked back.
She even swore on the spot that she would never eat ice pops again. The remaining ice pops in the freezer were all for Jiang Ning!
When she made the oath, Xue Yuantong was very confident and loud about it.
It felt great, but now, unsurprisingly, she regretted it.
She wanted to eat an ice pop, but remembering her bold oath in front of Jiang Ning yesterday, she was too embarrassed to ask outright.
Unless Jiang Ning offered her one first, then she could reluctantly accept. That way, it would seem like she hadn’t broken her promise.
"Hmph, it’s only because you insisted. I really can’t deal with you. For your sake, I’ll have a few bites," Xue Yuantong fantasized about this scenario.
Jiang Ning, hearing her words, also recalled the scene from yesterday.
He said, "I don’t want to eat."
"How can you not want to eat? Mung bean ice pops are so delicious," Xue Yuantong tried to tempt Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning watched her perform, "If I don’t want to eat, then I don’t. I just finished eating and I’m quite full."
Jiang Ning then feigned surprise, "Aren’t you full too?"
How could Xue Yuantong reveal her true gluttonous self in front of Jiang Ning?
"Hmph, I’m so full it hurts."
Xue Yuantong ignored him. ’Damn, he didn’t fall for it. It’s my fault for feeding him too well!’
She even considered making less food next time to torture him!
After several attempts, Xue Yuantong couldn’t find Jiang Ning’s weakness and sulkily picked up her phone to continue fiddling with it.
She really wanted an ice pop. It would be wonderful to have one while cooling off.
Xue Yuantong felt miserable.
In the class group chat, Cui Yu and Yu Wen were muted by the class monitor for arguing too fiercely.
Now they were texting each other, arguing, each message costing a dime, a real silver-and-gold fight.
Wang Longlong, acting as the spy, received screenshots of the arguments from Cui Yu and broadcasted them live in the group chat.
Everyone was thrilled, offering multifaceted comments on how they should argue.
After mindlessly scrolling through her phone for a while, Xue Yuantong suddenly had a brilliant idea.
She asked, "Jiang Ning, aren’t you a very caring person?"
"Sort of," replied Jiang Ning, not a saint but not heartless either. If feasible and not too costly, he would intervene in injustices to feel better.
Inside, Xue Yuantong was snickering. He had taken the bait!
She immediately said, "Look, those ice pops are so pitiful, always living in the cold rough freezer. I’d love to give them a warm home."
She playfully blinked, "Don’t you think they deserve some pity?"
Jiang Ning was amused by her. Grinning, he said, "Indeed."
Xue Yuantong eagerly nodded her little head, her lips curved like a tranquil crescent moon, in full agreement!
Hehehe, he was almost tricked. As soon as the ice pops were out of the freezer, she’d carry out her next plan. Could they escape her little mouth?
"How many ice pops do you think deserve a warm home?" Jiang Ning asked with a playful tone.
Xue Yuantong silently counted. Two for herself and one for Jiang Ning, totaling three.
Hmm, she shouldn’t push her luck. Time to cut back, she thought reluctantly.
Thus, she happily said, "Two, two will be enough!"
Jiang Ning: "Oh~"
Then, Jiang Ning turned and went back inside.
Xue Yuantong, watching his retreating figure, almost jumped up in joy!
Great, she could eat ice pops now. She was drooling already!
Soon, Jiang Ning came out with a plate. The smooth, clean porcelain plate held two dark green mung bean popsicles with white frost glinting, almost begging Xue Yuantong to cherish them!
With flushed cheeks, Xue Yuantong said, "Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning, I’ll tell you where there’s a warm home."
Of course, it was her little stomach!
Jiang Ning said, "I know."
Then, he placed the plate under the blazing sun outside: "This should be warm enough."
So that afternoon, Xue Yuantong watched helplessly as the mung bean ice pops slowly melted under the sun...
