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Chapter 547: Chapter 356: Make Way, I’m Peter Pan!
The bell signaling the end of class echoed throughout the campus. For the students in the second and third year of high school, this sound merely marked an ordinary break between classes, failing to stir any ripples of excitement.
However, to the ears of the first-year students, it was like divine music, for it was the Friday afternoon bell that signified the end of the second period.
The weekend had arrived.
Students filed out in unison, causing the sound of chairs scraping and conversations to fill the classroom.
"Xiaxia, are you going out to play tomorrow?" Chen Siyu asked. Midterm exams had just ended, and they could finally have a good time relaxing. This weekend promised to be enjoyable.
Bai Yuxia fastened her backpack, filled with several test papers, and pursed her lips, "I’m going to Nan City to buy clothes and shoes tomorrow."
Chen Siyu thought for a moment and said, "By yourself?"
"With my aunt. Are you guys joining us?"
Nan City was very close to Yuzhou, and Bai Yuxia’s home was near Snowflake Lake, not far from the High-speed Railway Station. A forty-minute high-speed train ride was all it took to reach Nan City.
Chen Siyu replied, "I’ll ask my sister and get back to you tonight."
"Okay, good. If you come, you can also help me choose shoes." Bai Yuxia warmly welcomed the idea.
"I’d like to wear matching outfits with my sister," Chen Siyu stated as they began to discuss the details of their trip to Nan City.
Xue Yuantong, on the other hand, lay sprawled across her desk, her pale fingers resting on the textbook. Turning to the title page, she gripped her mechanical pencil and, encountering characters with radicals like ’mouth’ shapes, would fill the hollow centers with pencil lead, shading until solidly covered.
With each line completed, her eyes lit up with innocent joy, reaping bits of happiness.
Once she filled an entire page, a significant amount of time would have passed. She would then carefully erase the pencil marks with an eraser before tediously repeating the process.
Since childhood, she seemed like a solitary sprite, etching moments of time onto paper.
This joy, requiring no collaboration, was perfectly suited for her back when she had no friends.
In junior high, when she continued this activity, some classmates labeled her peculiar.
Not wanting to become an outcast and easily bullied, Xue Yuantong reluctantly set aside her pencil, resorting to daydreaming instead.
Upon entering high school and finding her peers more amiable, she resumed her pastime, her happiness undiminished.
The conversation in the front row didn’t disturb Xue Yuantong.
Suddenly, Chen Siyu turned and asked, "Tongtong, do you want to come to Nan City with us tomorrow? I remember you’ve never been there, have you?"
"Nan City?" Xue Yuantong was momentarily lost in thought.
Due to its geographical location, many Yuzhou locals enjoyed trips to Nan City, but Xue Yuantong had indeed never visited.
Her mother was very busy in the past, and a trip to Nan City meant spending a lot of money. Even traveling by train, the fare for two was a substantial amount, enough for several pounds of meat for her mother.
During the most difficult times, her mother earned only a few hundred yuan a month, just enough to get by without any unexpected expenses.
Hearing the name of Nan City brought to mind the bustling scenes she had seen on TV, featuring all sorts of splendid ancient architecture.
"No, no. I won’t go," Xue Yuantong declined subconsciously.
Chen Siyu didn’t press the issue: "Alright then." 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖕𝖚𝖇.𝖈𝔬𝔪
"You should think about going some time, Tongtong. Nan City is really fun, with many more sights than Yuzhou," Chen Siyu suggested, knowing from her interactions with Xue Yuantong that her family was not badly off, and her mother’s job was good enough to afford such a trip.
Xue Yuantong murmured disheartenedly, "Maybe later."
Seeing her like this, Bai Yuxia suggested, "Jiang Ning, you could take her out to explore the world sometime. It would be good for her to broaden her horizons."
Jiang Ning said, "We can talk about it during the summer break."
With most of the classroom emptied, Chen Siqing entered Classroom 8.
Bai Yuxia took the initiative: "Siyu, Siqing, my dad’s coming to pick me up. You can ride with us."
"How could we impose?" Chen Siqing demurred.
"It’s on the way. Just listen to me," Bai Yuxia insisted, her beautiful face brooking no argument.
...
The setting sun bathed the earth, casting a golden sheen across the expansive playground, adding a touch of splendor.
On the central green lawn, a group of youths in sports attire were chasing a rolling soccer ball, their robust figures occasionally launching it high into the air.
Next door at the basketball court, tall players dashed with the ball, now and then leaping silhouettes sending the basketball into the hoop.
With summer in full swing, the trees lining the edge of the playground grew wildly, providing shade for clusters of students seeking relief from the heat beneath their canopies.
Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong strolled along the red elliptical track, with people occasionally jogging past them.
Having eaten too much at lunch, Xue Yuantong planned to eat dinner in town later.
"Jiang Ning, are we really going to travel this summer break?" Xue Yuantong was somewhat at a loss. Although her family now had money, she still felt unprepared for such a grand plan.
"What’s the matter? Are you scared?"
Challenged, Xue Yuantong quickly dispelled any trace of hesitation, puffing up with pride: "Hmph, scared? Not me."
"Alright then, let’s go." Jiang Ning wasn’t worried—in case of her hesitations, a bit of prodding was all it took.
After rallying for a couple of minutes, Xue Yuantong added, "Jiang Ning, should we invite Chuchu too?"
Like her, Chuchu had never left Yuzhou. With Chuchu backing her and Jiang Ning leading the way, Xue Yuantong could comfortably find her place in the middle.
Ready for offense or defense, it was a full sense of security.
Thinking about the traditional charm of Nan City, Xue Yuantong felt transported to the prosperity of hundreds of years past. In her mind, she was a maiden of a prominent family from ancient times, luxuriating in a sedan chair while Jiang Ning and Chuchu carried her, front and back.
