Beep beep…

"Hello, is this the adorable fairy?"

"Xiaomin, when did you get back?" Tang Meng's clear voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I got home around four or five this afternoon. I'll treat you to pizza tomorrow. Order whatever you like, don't be shy."

Xia Jianguo sat to the side reading a book, listening intently to his daughter chatting with her best friend, feeling heartbroken about the huge financial loss he was about to incur.

"Xiaomin, you've got quite the nerve! Order whatever you want? Well then, I won't hold back!"

"Hehe, no need to be polite. My dad said he'd pay. Let's order something more expensive."

Tang Meng hesitated, feeling uneasy. "Isn't this a bad idea? Is this really putting my uncle in such a difficult position?"

"Don't worry, Dad!"

Xia Minmin turned to Xia Jianguo, who was sitting next to her, and said, "Dad, I'll turn the phone on speakerphone so you can tell Mengmeng."

"Yes, Mengmeng, it's on your uncle's treat. Order whatever you like, don't worry about the price."

Xia Jianguo dared to say that because he knew his daughter and her best friend very well; the two girls knew how to behave and wouldn't do anything reckless.

"Thank you for your generosity, Uncle."

"You're welcome, you girls can chat all you want."

After Xia Jianguo finished speaking, Xia Minmin turned off the speakerphone. The two were less than 500 meters apart and talked on the phone for 30 minutes.

"Okay, see you at seven tomorrow!"

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Xia Minmin went to the balcony, stretched and twisted her waist to loosen up the playground where she used to study.

Li Chunmei took the flower shears and went to the balcony to prune the branches of her favorite chrysanthemum, Guanghan Palace. "Xiaomin, when you go out to play tomorrow, remember to buy a hat for your Uncle Wang. You'll need it on the day we become godparents. Do you need Mom to give you money?"

"No need, I have money in my piggy bank."

Xia Minmin pulled out a small stool from the corner of the balcony and handed it to Li Chunmei to sit down and prune the branches.

Xia Minmin squatted down beside Li Chunmei, watching her trim and shape the chrysanthemums. "Okay, Mom, shouldn't we repot these chrysanthemums?"

This chrysanthemum has been growing for two or three years, and was repotted in the middle. Li Chunmei took good care of it and provided it with plenty of nutrition, and now the pot is full.

Li Chunmei gently brushed the soil out of the flowerpot; it was dry enough to be suitable for repotting without damaging the chrysanthemum roots.

"It's a bit small. Bring back a 42-liter plastic flowerpot tomorrow. It's perfect for repotting now, after watering before the New Year."

"Is a 42-liter flowerpot too big?" The current flowerpot holds 18 liters of soil.

Li Chunmei shook her head, "Not big, so we don't have to repot it halfway through."

After Li Chunmei finished pruning the flower branches, Xia Minmin helped put the broken branches and leaves into the trash can.

...

As the sun rose slowly in the morning, Xia Minmin carried a pile of books back to her room from the balcony. She put the three hundred yuan sponsored by her dear Comrade Xia Jianguo, along with two hundred yuan she took from her piggy bank, into the left breast pocket of her coat and zipped it up.

At this time, Li Chunmei and Xia Jianguo had not yet gotten up, and the room was quiet.

thump thump thump…

Xia Minmin stood in front of the master bedroom door.

"Mom and Dad, are you up yet? Mengmeng and I are going out to play and won't be back for lunch."

Don't you eat breakfast?

"No, Mengmeng said she'll treat me to breakfast."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

Xia Minmin ran into Tang Meng at their usual spot, quietly walked up behind her and suddenly pounced on her, "Mengmeng, good morning, did you miss me?"

Tang Meng was so frightened that she didn't come to her senses for a long time. When she finally came to her senses, Tang Meng gave the culprit a few light taps.

The laughter of the two girls echoed through the small garden, and passing neighbors watched them playfully with smiles.

What should we eat for breakfast?

"Shall we say it together?"

"ravioli!"

The two, seemingly on the same wavelength, smiled at each other and headed towards their target shop.

Tang Meng was excited to hear that her best friend had seen and heard so many interesting things during the winter break without her knowledge. School life was just too boring and lacked any passion.

"Your work experience is really interesting. I'll find a part-time job during the summer vacation to see the different aspects of society."

Xia Minmin looked at her best friend excitedly, "Let's go together! I want to go with you too."

Tang Meng looked her best friend up and down and shook her head, "I might be able to manage, but with your height... it probably won't work! You look like a little kid."

Xia Minmin, despite being rejected, said haughtily, "Actually, I didn't really want to do a part-time job with you. I've already made plans to learn to swim this summer."

Tang Meng smiled broadly at her dejected best friend, "I was just kidding. I didn't expect you, my silly girl, to actually take it seriously."

Xia Minmin pretended to be angry and walked ahead alone, dodging Tang Meng whenever she tried to catch up.

"I just finished breakfast, don't run away!"

"I'm naturally gifted, and running makes me healthier."

They played this silly little game all the way to the bookstore entrance.

Their hair and clothes were completely disheveled from running all the way here.

"Got you!"

Tang Meng's voice attracted the attention of the bookstore staff. She shrank behind Xia Minmin's small body, embarrassed, and still held Xia Minmin's clothes in her hand.

Xia Minmin smiled at the young shop assistant who was watching them, "Sister, I'm sorry, we'll be speaking softly."

"Everyone is reading, so don't disturb others."

The bookstore clerk glanced at Tang Meng and then went to attend to other tasks.

Xia Minmin shrugged her right shoulder and said expressionlessly, "Let go! The person is gone."

Tang Meng straightened up and put her left hand on Xia Minmin's shoulder. "Xia Minmin, you wouldn't be suffering like this if it weren't for your sister."

In response to Tang Meng's nonsensical remarks, only Xia Minmin responded with a completely emotionless "Oh!"

Xia Minmin went straight for her goals: workbooks with a large number of questions and a high level of difficulty. English, math, physics, biology, and geography were must-buys, while chemistry would only be needed this summer.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!