After playing with Mei Ya for a while, Lin Youxi went to the kitchen to help Xiang Xiaoxia. Xiang Xiaoxia naturally didn’t want Lin Youxi to do that.

“You’re a guest today, Youxi. You can play with Mei Fang and Mei Ya, play games or anything. Auntie doesn’t need your help here.”

“It’s okay, Aunt Mei. I don’t regard myself as an outsider.”

As Lin Youxi spoke, she picked up a small stool and sat, helping to peel corn kernels. “You’ll be taking a car in the afternoon, and the road will definitely be bumpy and tiring. I’ll help you share some of the hard work.”

“Your Uncle Mei will come to pick us up at the train station in Baizhou City. It’s not tiring at all…”

Xiang Xiaoxia always had the intention to drive Lin Youxi away, but after so many years of getting along, Lin Youxi was no longer the timid and pitiful little girl she used to be. No matter how much her Aunt Mei urged her, she wouldn’t budge.

Xiang Xiaoxia sighed helplessly.

This child has grown up and started to ignore advice…

It seems like the rebellious phase has arrived.

But do you think Xiang Xiaoxia is happy?

She must be happy.

She found a well-behaved and obedient daughter out of nowhere.

No, it should be said that she found two.

After busying herself with preparations, Xiang Xiaoxia poked her head out of the kitchen and asked Mei Fang, who was playing video games with her sister.

This was the birthday gift Mei Fang gave to her sister, hoping that she would stop clamoring to use his computer once she had a game console.

Although it was an electronic product even older than arcade machines, it was still sold in small electrical appliance stores in the small county town. The Little Tyrant[1], a console that cost only a few dozen yuan, and a four-in-one cartridge cost 8 yuan. For Mei Fang, it’s something incredibly cheap.

Her sister treated it like a treasure, while Xiang Xiaoxia saw it as a great disaster. The family often had chaos because of the time spent playing video games.

“It’s almost time for lunch in half an hour! Mei Fang, if you have time, stop playing and call Yuan Yuan over for lunch.”

“I can just call her, and she’ll come.”

Mei Fang said as he put down the controller and was about to go to the landline phone, but he was scolded by his mother.

“You can’t be so casual! The little girl is feeling sad right now. What’s wrong with going to invite her in person? Girls care about their image. You should be more considerate of her!”

“Okay, I got it.”

Mei Fang secretly complained about his mother in his heart, “It was clearly her who told me to keep a little distance from them, but now she’s creating opportunities for me to interact with them everywhere. I really don’t know what she’s thinking.”

What his mother was thinking wasn’t that important, but Xia Yuan’s recent state was really worrying.

It was supposed to be a summer vacation that she should have enjoyed, but she had been torturing herself with constant practice exams because of her failure in the entrance exam.

Of course, Xia Yuan had always been seen as a good student by everyone, carrying a heavy burden of expectations, a burden Mei Fang can understand.”

In these two lifetimes of studying, Mei Fang had seen many classmates who lost motivation and felt ashamed because they failed the exam. After all, in small county towns, the atmosphere is all about studying relentlessly. Everyone takes academics very seriously.

Perhaps it was because he didn’t have such shame at the beginning that he ended up barely making it to a second-tier university.

Mei Fang pressed the electronic doorbell of Xia Yuan’s house, and the door slowly opened. Mei Fang walked in without waiting for someone to come out to greet him.

He opened the slightly ajar door and found his usual slippers on the shoe rack. As Mei Fang was putting the slippers on, he heard someone calling his name.

“Hello, Teacher Yu.”

Mei Fang greeted her elementary school homeroom teacher, and Teacher Yu quickly called Mei Fang over and asked him, “Your mother and sister are going to Baizhou City today, right?”

“Yes.” Mei Fang nodded, “So I called Yuan Yuan yesterday and asked her to come to our house for lunch.”

“Yuan Yuan locked herself in her room to study last night, and she didn’t let me in when I knocked on the door this morning. Can you persuade her not to do this?”

“Yes, I came here today for this.”

“By the way, Mei Fang, you don’t have to call me Teacher anymore.” Teacher Yu emphasized, “I’m not your homeroom teacher anymore, just call me Aunt Xia.”

“Got it, Teacher Yu.”

Oops, I said it without thinking…

Mei Fang’s loss of composure made Teacher Yu chuckle, and she patted Mei Fang’s shoulder, “Go and persuade Yuan Yuan, or she might miss your family lunch.”

“Okay, Aunt Xia.”

Mei Fang now had the freedom to come and go in Xia Yuan’s house, but he still hadn’t been to Xia Yuan’s room much. The last time was before New Year’s Day last year when Xia Yuan invited him to her room to see her beautiful wardrobe and help her pick out the clothes that were most suitable for her performance on stage.

The door of Xia Yuan’s room was tightly closed, just as Teacher Yu described.

Knock, knock, knock.

Mei Fang gently knocked on the door, but no one inside responded.

“Yuan Yuan? It’s me, Ah Fang.”

Mei Fang knocked a little harder, and this time he heard movement inside the door.

“Don’t knock, wait a moment.”

Mei Fang obediently stood outside the door and waited.

After a while, Xia Yuan’s bedroom door opened.

She had already changed into a casual dress to go out, and she looked at Mei Fang with her head held high.

“Let’s go.”

“…”

“Aren’t we going to your house for lunch?”

“You’re not in a good state, don’t force yourself.”

“I’m not forcing myself.”

Mei Fang gently pinched Xia Yuan’s cheek, “Your eyes are so swollen, and you say you’re not forcing yourself? I told you that you don’t have to pretend in front of me.”

“This has nothing to do with you! Anyway, Aunt Mei must have made a very sumptuous meal today. If I don’t go, I would be too sorry for her…”

Xia Yuan rubbed her eyes while grumbling, then went back to her room to grab a small mirror, continuously blinking her eyes to check her appearance.

“Do my eyes… swell up that badly? I didn’t notice when I was combing my hair just now…”

“Really? I just said it casually.”

“Ah Fang! You’re so mean!”

Angrily, Xia Yuan kept punching and hitting Mei Fang, and then she held Mei Fang’s shoulders with both hands, pressed her forehead against Mei Fang’s chest, and stayed like that for a while.

This is what Xia Yuan usually does to Mei Fang when she is sad or upset, and recently it has been happening very frequently, almost every day, to boost her spirits. Mei Fang is exhausted.

“Feeling better now?”

Xia Yuan nodded, “I’m feeling a bit better. Let’s go to your house quickly, so Aunt Mei won’t scold us.”

Mei Fang led Xia Yuan as they walked on the stone steps in the neighborhood.

“Speaking of which, after Aunt Mei and Little Ya left, Ah Fang is living alone at home.”

Xia Yuan lowered her head and thought for a moment, “Ah Fang, can you cook by yourself?”

“I can a little bit.”

“A little bit won’t do. You’ll have to cook for the next two months by yourself.”

“As long as I don’t starve, it’s fine. I can also come over to your place for meals. Besides, Youxi is also good at cooking now, and there are times when no one’s at their house, so the two of us can eat together there.”

“Just come to my house for meals! But my mom’s cooking is really average…”

As Xia Yuan was speaking, she suddenly became depressed again.

“Speaking of which, Youxi and I learned cooking from Aunt Mei together, but Youxi surpassed me in no time.”

“She’s really talented. She ranked first in the whole class in the entrance exam, and she’s good at playing games and catching dolls. I, on the other hand, can’t do anything compared to her.”

“That’s not true. Youxi has her strengths, and you have yours.”

Xia Yuan grabbed Mei Fang’s arm.

“Then tell me, where do you think I’m good at?”

That pleading expression…

“You dance well, you sing well, and also…”

It’s quite simple to list Xia Yuan’s strengths. Mei Fang just listed a long list, and Xia Yuan had a proud expression on her face.

So cute!

“Ah Fang, I was thinking, after Aunt Mei and Little Ya left, you would be bored at home alone. So, how about…”

Xia Yuan raised her head excitedly and stared at Mei Fang,

“We… spend the night at your house tonight?”

Translator's Notes:

  1. Little Tyrant is a Famicom console knockoff: https://kotaku.com/a-look-back-on-chinas-most-beloved-video-game-console↩︎
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    1. Anonymoussays:

      Oct 15, 2023 at 6:18 pm

      Oh oh oh~

      Reply

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    3. Dinkytinkysays:

      Oct 15, 2023 at 10:45 pm

      Thanks for the chapter!

      Also, Mei Fang should totally get Xia Yuan to teach him to cook then.

      1. Distracts her a little bit (in a healthy way)from crazy studying.

      2. Boosts her mood. (Right up her alley of things she likes to do.)

      3. He learns to cook. (Everyone should be able to prepare food for themselves to eat, it’s a basic life skill.)

      Reply

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