On the first day of class, even though it was a bit tough, the six of them still managed to stick it out until the very last lesson ended and t up with the ringing of the school bell signaling the end of the afternoon classes.
But there was still a perk during the first week of school, as the exercise books that were ordered had not arrived yet, so the howork for the week consisted only of previews and simple tasks like copying and recitation.
After putting the textbooks that needed to be taken ho into their backpacks, the group of six shouldered their bags and left the classroom together.
In early September, the campus was still a lush green.
The ornantal jackfruit trees had sparse fruit hanging from them, each larger than a human head.
The greening mango trees scattered around the campus would naturally drop their fruit when it ripened, attracting countless fruit flies; walking past, one could sll the rotting odor.
Going against the flow of people, the six left the teaching building, left the school.
The mont they stepped out of the school gates, it was as if birds trapped in a cage had been freed, their souls sublimated.
School is such a magical place, those who enter it think only of escape, but once they truly leave, they begin to miss the life within its walls.
But at this mont, they were clearly the forr.
"Freedom!" Lin Wanning, as always, was the first to exuberantly hop and skip ahead of everyone.
"Wanning, slow down!" Behind her, Zhang Yiyi was reaching out and chasing after her.
Xiao Ruawen and Xia Xiaoxiao walked arm in arm on one side, Xu Qingfan with hands in pockets on the other, and next to him was the well-behaved Wu Lingyu with her backpack, who now grasped the straps of her bag with both hands, looking every bit the elentary school student on a spring outing.
The scene of the six heading ho after class resembled sothing right out of an ani or movie.
Xu Qingfan watched Lin Wanning being caught by Zhang Yiyi and silently laughed, "Wanning’s birthday is coming up soon," he said.
"Yes, in twenty-one days," Wu Lingyu nodded in agreent.
She took everyone’s birthdays very seriously, always keeping them in mind, because she would never forget that the first pair of beautiful shoes she received was a gift from Brother Fan and the girls.
"It’s on a Wednesday, so we’ll only be able to have a simple celebration at ho," Xu Qingfan mumbled as he calculated the date.
"You can still have an elaborate celebration at ho," Wu Lingyu said with a smile.
"What are you whispering about, Brother Fan, sothing about it being both simple and not simple?" Xiao Ruawen, pulling Xia Xiaoxiao along, ca over to eavesdrop.
"There," Xu Qingfan pointed to the girl being dragged ahead by Zhang Yiyi and counted with three fingers, "Wanning’s birthday is the Wednesday after next, I was saying we’ll only be able to have a simple celebration because of school."
"If we’re at school we should celebrate properly! How could you, Brother Fan!" Xiao Ruawen gave him a look full of disdain and gave Xu Qingfan’s arm a shove.
"How do you know I won’t do it properly? Cough up the gift I gave you a few days ago!"
"Once you’ve given it to , it’s mine. You’d better start thinking of how to celebrate Wanning’s birthday properly. No half-hearted efforts!" Xiao Ruawen brushed off the hand he extended to reclaim his gift.
"Like you have to teach !" Xu Qingfan moved faster and patted her hand back instead.
"Hmph, Brother Chou Fan, we’re leaving too, Xiao Xiao. Let’s ignore him!"
"It’s about ti you knew," Xia Xiaoxiao shot him a challenging glance, and taking Wu Lingyu’s arm, they caught up with the two girls ahead.
Xu Qingfan shook his head helplessly, planning birthdays every year, coming up with five different ideas, really did consu his brain cells.
But just thinking about the variety of surprises from the five girls on his own birthday, Xu Qingfan could only toughen up and push on!
It was quite a coincidence that among the six of them, all their birthdays were clustered in the second half of the year, one for each month.
Xu Qingfan was in June, Wu Lingyu in July, Xiao Ruawen had August, Lin Wanning was in September, October was Zhang Yiyi’s month, and the youngest, Xia Xiaoxiao’s birthday fell on the twentieth of December.
Caught up in thoughts of birthday surprises for Lin Wanning, Xu Qingfan had unknowingly fallen a small distance behind the group, prompting the five girls to look back and urge him on.
"Brother Qing Fan, catch up already!"
"Brother, don’t space out!"
"Brother Fan, hurry up, will you!"
Xu Qingfan smiled and in the next second, he started to run.
"Coming!"
...
Shopping for groceries didn’t take very long. Established over more than two years of living together, their routine had beco increasingly harmonious — although this phrase is usually used between spouses, the aning was just the sa.
Back at ho, the girls tended to their tasks; so watered the plants, others played with the cat or walked the dog. As for Xu Qingfan and Wu Lingyu, without needing to ask, they headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"Brother Fan... it’s going to burn!" Seeing Xu Qingfan staring blankly with a spatula in hand for quite a while, Wu Lingyu hurriedly reminded him.
"Ah? Oh... no problem, the green beans taste better a bit charred." He snapped back to reality and imdiately started stir-frying; luckily, the girl’s early reminder ant only a slight blackening on the surface.
Xu Qingfan had just been thinking of the birthday surprise for Lin Wanning, which is why he had unconsciously lost track of ti.
"Brother Fan, were you thinking about Wanning’s birthday?" Wu Lingyu asked.
"Yeah, Yu, how did you know?" He looked at her in surprise.
Wu Lingyu just smiled and did not answer his question.
The reason was simple: she was the one among the five who loved observing Xu Qingfan the most.
It seed to be a habit that started back in the first grade of elentary school when she could only get to know Brother Fan by secretly watching everything about him.
Even though they later t, beca acquainted, and grew close, she had retained this habit. Looking at Brother Fan when she was tired from studying, or feeling down, or even when she was in good spirits.
Having observed so much, it naturally beca clear to her what Xu Qingfan was thinking.
"Actually, Brother Fan, you could ask Wanning what she wants, you know. You don’t have to figure it out on your own," she said, feeling a bit sorry for Qingfan and offering her suggestion.
"Would that be okay?" Xu Qingfan asked, tilting his head and batting his eyes at the girl after he finished transferring the stir-fried dish onto a plate.
"Mhm, mhm, if it were , I would hope that Brother Fan could accompany back to the old house again on my birthday," Wu Lingyu said earnestly.
"Alright~ We don’t need to wait until your birthday. I’ll take you back this weekend when we have a day off," Xu Qingfan said as he tousled the girl’s hair.
"Mhm!" Wu Lingyu smiled contentedly, "So, Brother Fan, you could also ask Wanning what she thinks. It doesn’t always have to be an incomparable surprise... because... because as long as it’s you, Brother Fan... anything you do is a surprise..."
The girl’s voice faded until it was no longer audible.
"Good, I’ll go ask Wanning what she thinks this weekend," he said, patting Wu Lingyu on the head as he washed the wok and continued cooking.
If you asked him who among the five girls he liked the most, Xu Qingfan might hesitate for a mont before saying he liked all of them, each for their own good.
But if you asked him who was the most thoughtful, Xu Qingfan would certainly answer with Lin Wanning and Wu Lingyu without hesitation.
If Lin Wanning was a caring little sweater, then Wu Lingyu was like a warm down jacket, the kind that could warm you up inside and out.
"Hmm... You decide, Brother Fan," Wu Lingyu, unsure if Xu Qingfan had heard her earlier words, suddenly regretted not speaking up louder.
"That’s more reliable, Xiao Yu. Pass that pork belly," he said.
"Mhm!"
Without any further distractions, Xu Qingfan’s cooking speed more than doubled, swiftly preparing a lavish al that was soon laid out on the table by the two of them.
Life needed a bit of ceremony, and the first day of school clearly deserved a feast as a reward for oneself.
Xu Qingfan opened a bottle of chilled Apple Sidra, a glass-bottled number one apple vinegar, and the rising bubbles mixed with the rich scent of vinegar perated the room.
As the provincial drink of Lingnan Province, having a bottle of this on the dinner table was a sign of the al’s high standard.
"Cheers, everyone!"
"Cheers!"
A half glass of apple vinegar downed, the sound of six people hiccupping echoed in the living room one after another.
"It’s unbelievable we’ve made it to the ninth grade so fast. Do you think when we get to high school, it’ll also fly by just like that and soon we’ll be seniors?" Xiao Ruawen mused about their current standing among the six of them.
"Yeah, ti really flies," Xia Xiaoxiao agreed, giving a certain slly dog a look.
"What does it matter? We can still be in the sa class in high school, and keep living together like we are now, right Brother Qing Fan?" Lin Wanning said, putting down the half-eaten chicken leg and joining in the conversation.
"Talk about getting into the high school section first," Xu Qingfan said indulgently, wiping the grease from her mouth with a napkin.
Xia Xiaoxiao pouted unhappily. [You didn’t wipe my mouth!]
"I’ll definitely get in... I will surely pass!" she quickly corrected herself, with alarm, as she caught Brother Qing Fan’s skeptical look.
"Wanning, no problem!" Zhang Yiyi said with a smile, placing two peeled shrimp into the bowls of her brother and Wanning.
"Yiyi, that’s not fair, I want so too!" Xiao Ruawen imdiately felt dissatisfied, the little foodie Ruan Wen expressing her need for equal treatnt.
"Okay~" Zhang Yiyi then peeled three more shrimp and distributed them to the other three.
"Thanks, Yiyi!"
Xu Qingfan wondered, [Isn’t this what I usually do? Why is Yiyi doing it too?]
"Xu Qingfan, I need a napkin too!" Xia Xiaoxiao held a drink in her left hand and chopsticks in her right, her hinting could not be more obvious.
[Now, right away, imdiately, wipe my mouth!]
"Here you go." He promptly tore off two squares of tissue and handed them to the girl.
However, Xia Xiaoxiao didn’t take them, instead bringing her face closer.
"My hands are full!" she said.
Xu Qingfan looked at her aningfully, remaining silent.
"Look... what are you waiting for, hurry up, I still need to eat..." Xia Xiaoxiao inwardly cursed the insensitivity of the dead dog, her toes curling under the table.
Watching the girl’s flustered expression, he couldn’t help but laugh until Xia Xiaoxiao glared at him. Then he reached over and wiped her slightly oily mouth, "It’s not that dirty."
"Thanks." Xia Xiaoxiao refrained from arguing with him for once, and pretending to be busy eating her shrimp, she bowed her head lower.
"Brother Fan, ’Heart Storm 3’ is about to start, go turn on the TV!"
"And the juice!"
"Looks like I owed you all sothing in a past life," he said, rising from his seat with a feigned sigh.
The next second, all five girls in the house echoed Lin Wanning’s catchphrase in unison:
"Brother Qing Fan is the best!"
"Hee hee hee..."
Monthly bonus chapter: (7/9)
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