Zhao Anbang lives alone. After his father ca back to recuperate, his parents moved to a sanatorium on Shifo Mountain in Huaibei City, so Lu Erxiong and Cheng Baoguo brothers temporarily stayed at his ho with Xibao. At the mont, the two brothers were playing chess, and they looked up upon hearing Xibao, who was taking off his coat, hat, and scarf. "Back? Finished the enrollnt form?"
Xibao nodded, "Principal Zhou said I ranked first in the exam."
First place ans being the top scorer, and both Lu Erxiong and Cheng Baoguo were very happy, especially Lu Erxiong, who, being a scholar, had more of an attachnt to the title. When they learned that it was citywide first, statewide first, not just schoolwide first, they were even more proud, and invited Zhao Anbang for dinner at a state-owned restaurant to celebrate when he returned from work.
"My son is the top scorer? We absolutely have to celebrate!" Zhao Anbang slapped his thigh. "Let’s go, let’s go, we’re heading out."
Xibao shyly replied, "There’s no need to do that. If people find out, they might say I’m arrogant. I haven’t even received the score sheet; when I get my acceptance letter, I’ll treat both grandpas and my godfather to dinner."
Among the siblings, he received the most pocket money.
His parents regularly sent him remittances, and his grandparents would occasionally slip him a large bill; he already had personal savings exceeding a thousand.
Zhao Anbang laughed heartily and, after consulting Lu Erxiong and Cheng Baoguo, said, "Then we’ll wait for my son’s gesture of respect. But you can give your mom a call and tell her to share the joy with your dad."
That’s a must!
Without another word, Xibao went to dial.
Even though phone bills were really expensive, at this mont, it didn’t hurt at all.
However, the call was received not by Feng Qingxue, but by Lu Erxiong, who shouted, "Hello, who’s this?"
"Can’t you tell from my voice? Why are you asking?" Xibao replied helplessly.
"Big brother!" Lu Erxiong’s voice rose even higher and he started rattling on, "I heard from mom that you’ve finished your exams. When are you coming over with grandpa? I miss you so much! Dundun and Zhuangzhuang are so bad. Aunt gave us money to buy things, but they tead up to buy expensive stuff and didn’t want to share with . I’m so upset."
Therefore, he no longer addressed Dundun as brother since no brother should behave like that, only favoring Zhuangzhuang and not him.
Xibao detected the grievance in his brother’s tone and couldn’t help but laugh. He already knew the specific situation from the letter his sister sent him, and casually said, "I’ll comfort you properly when I get ho. Let mom take the phone."
"Mom’s not ho; she’s in surgery. It started this morning and hasn’t finished yet, so dad went to pick her up."
Xibao felt awkward telling him about coming first in the exam and quickly changed the topic, "When dad and mom get back, ask them to call . I’m going to cook now."
Lu Erxiong couldn’t cook, Cheng Baoguo cooked very ordinarily, and Zhao Anbang had only one arm, so cooking beca Xibao’s job.
As elders, they didn’t spoil him to the point where his limbs were idle.
Lu Erxiong wasn’t ready to end the call, "Big brother, let’s chat a bit more."
"Two minutes of talking costs about a pound of good pork belly, and there’s still so left." Xibao’s one sentence caused Lu Erxiong to hang up with a click, the call stopped at two minutes and three seconds. When it’s ti to pay, they’ll need to pay for three minutes, fifty cents per minute.
"It’s just too wasteful; definitely could talk for another fifty seconds." Xibao grumbled.
Lu Erxiong and Cheng Baoguo exchanged a smile, Zhao Anbang single-handedly reached out and pulled out a bag of vermicelli from the kitchen, "I had soone save a piece of fatty pork belly during the day; tonight we’ll have pork and cabbage with vermicelli stew."
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