Chapter 10

Guan Nan couldn't help but sigh.

I don't know what's wrong with me today, things seem to be going exceptionally badly.

From beginning to end, there were fights between classes and disturbances caused by students, one after another.

"Still running?" Changing the subject, Jiang Li asked her a seemingly random question, raising his eyebrows.

The strange looks or questions about family circumstances that I had imagined did not happen.

His tone changed so quickly that Guan Nan was a little caught off guard and couldn't help but ask, "What?"

"Calligraphy practice with me," Jiang Li said with a smile. "What, trying to back out again?"

Who cheated?

Guan Nan was speechless.

As soon as get out of class ended at noon, before she could ask, Jiang Li was called away to play basketball and have lunch.

When school was over, she hesitated whether to ask him, and then she thought that if Jiang Liwan agreed to go, she wouldn't have time to pick up Lin Zhaozhao.

Guan Nan chose to ignore what he said next and said, "Aren't you in class?"

"I've taken leave." Jiang Li raised an eyebrow slightly.

The sun was setting but hadn't quite set yet; the temperature was as intense and oppressive as midday, and the sticky sunlight made people uncomfortable.

Jiang Li stood there, the golden light spreading along his shoulders and hair, adding a warm tone. He still had that carefree and nonchalant look, and his smile was like the pomegranate flowers in Hecang Garden.

Yes, it's pomegranate blossom, the pomegranate blossom that Guan Nan is most familiar with and fondly remembers.

Its head is covered with sharp spikes, but it feels soft to the touch.

His feigned ferocity was indistinguishable from the person in front of him.

Although I hate to admit it, that's the truth.

"..." Guan Nan was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Okay."

The bicycle was folded up, and Guan Nan followed him into a taxi. The car drove straight through the intersection, passing through several streets until it arrived at "Bai Li Chen".

Bailichen is located opposite Fuwai. Around the corner is Shaxian Hotel, and next door is Sanjidi.

Jiang Li said that this street is the second canteen of Fuwai, and they often sneak out of the school to eat.

"Often?" Guan Nan was a little surprised. "Did you board in junior high school?"

Jiang Li hummed in agreement and said, "Wait a moment."

After saying that, he turned and went into Bailichen, leaving Guan Nan to help the reassembled car.

Guan Nan glanced around listlessly, while Yu Guang caught a glimpse of the eight flags of the Eight Nations flying diagonally, his gaze settling on the stone plaque that read "Fuling Foreign Language School".

Guan Nan had heard a little about Fuwai, but could only look on with longing and never reach it.

"Try it." Jiang Li took the car with one hand and handed her the bowl in his right hand, which contained skewers and chopsticks. "Their rice noodles are good, and their oden is also good. I used to eat here often when I was in junior high school."

Guan Nan held the bowl, the soup was still warm, and there was a tissue underneath: "Thank you."

"Can you please stop thanking me?" Jiang Li said. "It's really bothering me."

He always reminded her to thank him.

Before long, Guan Nan had gotten into the habit of remembering to say thank you whenever they met.

Guan Nan muttered to herself, "Didn't you tell me to say it?"

"Just kidding," Jiang Li said.

Guan Nan: "Oh."

She took a small bite of the radish, her face contorted in pain as it burned her teeth. The radish, cooked all afternoon, was so hot it could scald her teeth.

Seeing this, Jiang Li immediately reached out and held his hand to her mouth: "You threw up."

He clearly wanted her to spit on his hand.

Guan Nan felt it was impolite, so she quickly shook her head and forced herself to swallow the radish after it had cooled down a bit.

Jiang Li laughed out loud at her joke and patted her ponytail: "Are you silly?"

His ponytail swayed gently, and the soft, fine strands of hair brushed against his fingertips, sending a jolt through him.

He subconsciously clenched his fingers.

Guan Nan shook her head, then thought it was too silly, so she simply stopped talking and quietly ate her food. This time she was smarter; she slurped up the rice noodles little by little first, leaving the oden in the corner.

After a pause, Guan Nan asked, "Did you often skip school before?"

"It's alright," Jiang Li said nonchalantly. "This lousy school isn't very strict. The old man at the gatehouse turns a blind eye to everything."

Guan Nan silently uttered an "Ah," thinking, "a lousy school that costs over ten thousand yuan a semester."

Seeing her surprised look, Jiang Li smiled and told her about the embarrassing incident that had happened before: "You know Yu Shu, right?"

Guan Nan nodded.

Hearing him describe the cafeteria as having "red radishes stir-fried with white radishes, green peppers stir-fried with red peppers, and not a single whole shred of meat in a single dish," Guan Nan couldn't help but laugh.

These pampered young masters couldn't eat, so they divided up the tasks: at noon, one of them would chat and joke around with the guards, while the others would sneak out to eat and pack another meal for them.

When the school gates were locked at night, they wanted to have a late-night snack, so they climbed the wall shoulder to shoulder.

If he came back late and the dorm supervisor locked the door, Yu Shu would start arguing with her. Over three years, the dorm supervisor had become like a friendly aunt to him.

Her cheeks were bulging from eating, and she listened to the stories of school and life she had never experienced before, finding them novel and interesting.

Jiang Li slowly turned his head, a lazy smile on his face: "Fun, isn't it?"

Guan Nan nodded hesitantly.

Not only is it fun, but Bailichen's oden is also delicious.

Jiang Li: "How about you guys? Is it fun?"

Guan Nan's life was boring, rule-bound, and rigid, revolving around the same three points every day: school, home, and the canteen.

"Don't you think you should have met me sooner?" Jiang Li raised an eyebrow, his posture casual, lazy, and nonchalant.

Guan Nan thought for a moment and shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Li looked at her.

"If I had met you too early, I wouldn't have been able to get into Fuling High School." She envied Jiang Li and his friends for being interesting, but if she had met Jiang Li too early, she might not have been able to study seriously.

Sensing her unspoken meaning, Jiang Li chuckled, "I didn't play with girls in junior high."

Guan Nan pursed her lips and remained silent.

What she said were all hypothetical. Since they were false, there was no need to worry about whether she would take them seriously, whether she could get to know him, or whether there would be a chance to get to know him.

In reality, if she hadn't gotten into Fuling High School, she and Jiang Li would never have crossed paths in their lives.

The premise of this condition is false, so there is no need to investigate the facts.

But when she heard Jiang Li say that, she added, "Not now either."

As the two chatted, they unknowingly arrived at the "Fuwai Gift City," a tall building adorned with various event banners and slogans.

Jiang Li parked the car in the parking pillar, pulled down the belt on his chest a little, and walked up to Guan Nan.

Seeing her staring blankly at the building, Jiang Li asked calmly, "What's wrong?"

“I…” Guan Nan hesitated for a moment, her gaze falling on the large red characters, still in a daze, “I think I’ve been here before.”

Following her gaze, the words "Fuwai Gift City" were still brand new. Jiang Li casually said, "Okay, let's go in."

As she walked in, a familiar feeling enveloped Guan Nan, seemingly pushing her into a certain phase.

The shops are packed tightly together, like cubicles, and they have everything from school supplies to toys and dolls.

The walls, tabletops, and doorways are almost overflowing with items, and a cardboard sign on the ground reads "Wholesale prices as low as a few yuan" or "New products arriving in store, all 20% off and up."

As she followed Jiang Li, she glanced at the interior scenery out of the corner of her eye until they reached the sixth floor.

"This is fine." Jiang Li suddenly turned and went into a shop.

The shops above are interconnected; one can easily slip from one shop into another, with only PV panels separating them.

As I walked through each house, the feeling of familiarity grew stronger and stronger.

Guan Nan stood there, looking around several times, and finally remembered.

"How about this?" Jiang Li held up a calligraphy practice book for her to see. "Guan Nan."

—Guan Nan.

"I am Guan Nan's mother."

"Guan Nan, say goodbye to your teacher."

At this moment, all those sealed memories resurfaced.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Li walked over, patted her shoulder, and said in a low voice.

Guan Nan shook her head, her voice becoming deep and muffled: "Have you made your choice?"

Jiang Li stared at the bandage on her forehead: "Isn't this what I was waiting for you to do?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Nan followed him to a wall of calligraphy copybooks, looked them over, and picked out a set of regular script for him.

"Wait a minute," Jiang Li opened his backpack, took out a pack of tissues, and tore off a half-card and pressed it against the tear strip, "Here you go."

Guan Nan hesitated before taking the tissue. "...Thank you."

She turned around and wiped her forehead.

Standing next to the trash can, Guan Nan suddenly realized that Jiang Li was really considerate.

Whether it was when he heard that Lin Zhaozhao was her stepmother's daughter, or when he noticed her unusual behavior and the sweat on her forehead, he didn't ask any questions. He simply changed the subject quietly and thoughtfully handed her a tissue.

Jiang Li asked suspiciously, "Are two books enough?"

"That's enough." Guan Nan nodded, one book for practicing pen control and the other for practicing regular script.

"Should I buy it after I finish writing it?"

"You can buy an erasing pen, then it will last a long time."

"..." Jiang Li said expressionlessly, "Even if I'm gone, he'll still be here, right?"

He sounded a little annoyed, and Guan Nan was inexplicably amused by him.

Guan Nan glanced at the pens on the shelf and remembered the day he couldn't find a pen during the exam. He pointed in the direction and said, "There are still pens here. Do you want to take a look? They seem to be cheaper than at school."

"Oh, then buy more." Jiang Li twirled the calligraphy copybook in his hand, looking rather lazy.

Guan Nan: "Huh?"

“Anyway, it’s cheap, so buy more.” Jiang Li gestured for her to look at the wall, where the slogan “Buy five boxes, get two free” caught her eye.

A pen costs two yuan at school, but here it's only three mao (0.3 yuan) wholesale, which is a great deal.

But compared to pens, the 72 loose pen refills for 15 yuan are even more eye-catching.

Guan Nan packed up the money, slung her rather lavish backpack over her shoulder, and followed Jiang Li down the stairs. She saw scattered students in school uniforms holding hands, wandering around each floor.

As if sensing her confusion, Jiang Li patiently explained to her, "This place can also be considered a popular dating spot outside Fuling."

Guan Nan's expression immediately changed, becoming restrained and awkward.

“I haven’t been here many times either,” Jiang Li said. “Yu Shu often brings people this way.”

"·····"

After holding it in for a while, Guan Nan finally blurted out, "Yu Shu, are you dating early?"

“What’s wrong with puppy love?” Jiang Li seemed amused by her. “There are three or four couples in our class.”

Guan Nan listened incredulously: "You mean Class One?"

"Hmm." Jiang Li turned around, slowly building suspense, "Want to know who's in it?"

“…” Guan Nan shook her head: “I don’t want to.”

"In no mood?"

"In no mood."

"You really don't want to?"

This topic is so strange. She already felt uncomfortable walking with Jiang Li when she saw other couples holding hands, and when she heard Jiang Li say that there were several other couples in their class who were secretly dating, she felt even more awkward.

Guan Nan didn't have the courage to continue the discussion with him. Pointing to his right hand with curiosity, as if books and calligraphy practice books posed no challenge for him, she asked, "Can you turn anything?"

"Pretty much." Jiang Li stopped reposting: "Just use the inertia of motion and the law of conservation, and control the angle and center."

Guan Nan suddenly asked, "Can I use ping-pong?"

“I haven’t tried it. Do you have one? You can give it a try.” Jiang Li replied smoothly.

"There it is." Guan Nan pointed to a sports equipment wholesale store right around the corner, where a child was choosing balls from a racket at the entrance.

Jiang Li glanced at her, unable to hide his smile, "I didn't realize you were so wicked."

Guan Nan immediately tensed up and remained silent.

I borrowed two balls and tried several times, but they just wouldn't spin.

"Hey kid, can I borrow your racket for a second?" Jiang Li didn't argue with it and turned to borrow the racket from the child.

"Watch closely, I'm going to show you something new." Jiang Li instructed Guan Nan, and the child next to him stared intently at him, curious about what kind of trick he could come up with.

Jiang Li tossed the ball with his right hand and held it flat with his left, spinning it back and forth several times. Then, the ball grazed the racket face, bounced in an arc near Jiang Li's upper chest, and with a flick of his fingers, the ping-pong ball that hadn't spun with his index finger now began to spin at his fingertips.

"How was it?" Jiang Li was dragged by the child to perform a few more times. After handing the ball and racket back to the child, he asked, "Are you satisfied?"

Guan Nan nodded, affirming him: "Very impressive."

Jiang Li raised his eyebrows, looking pleased and pleased with her praise.

It was getting late, so the two left the Fuwai Gift City. Jiang Li pushed his bicycle and accompanied her to the bus stop.

"Oh, right," Guan Nan said, taking off one of the shoulder straps, unzipping the backpack, taking out a decorative book from the inner lining, and pulling out a yellow banyan bookmark with a tied string. "Here, this is for you. Thank you for today."

Jiang Li took the bookmark and read it carefully. There was a line of text written on it.

May Chang'an be filled with joy and happiness, and may all things go smoothly.

"Thank you, I like it very much." Jiang Li lost his casual attitude and became very serious when looking at the bookmark. He examined it carefully, put it into his crossbody bag, and then, worried that the bag was too messy and might get crushed, he haphazardly zipped it up.

Guan Nan watched as he stuffed the bookmark into his pocket, patted it twice, and then took it out again, seemingly remembering something.

After a while, he looked down at himself with a troubled expression, then put the item back in his breast pocket.

Jiang Li scratched his head and smiled at her: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. This is the first time someone has given me a gift like this. I don't even know where to put it."

For some reason, Guan Nan followed up on his words and said, "You still have a backpack full of things to do."

"You mean those letters?" Jiang Li frowned.

Guan Nan nodded.

“That’s different,” Jiang Li said, dissatisfied.

Guan Nan: "I think they're all the same."

They were all gifts for him, all gifts from girls, all handwritten and made by hand.

Guan Nan felt that all of these things were the same; everyone was very kind to him and there was no perfunctory attitude whatsoever.

“It’s just different.” Jiang Li’s mood wasn’t very high, and his tone was indifferent. “I used to be ignorant and would just throw it away after I took it. Later, my mom found out, gave me a beating, and then did some talking-to with me.”

"She said we shouldn't waste a young girl's feelings, that they're all teenagers, and that we shouldn't embarrass them. Now I have to take all of these things back. She put them in the storage room, saying she'll show them to my future wife so she can see why I didn't do well in school—because I only dated young girls." Jiang Li finished speaking and let out a long sigh.

Seeing his reaction, Guan Nan chuckled softly, "Your mother is doing quite well."

Jiang Li said nonchalantly, "So be it, she's like a little girl, she'll never grow up."

Before long, the bus came from a distance.

Guan Nan gripped the shoulder strap of her backpack and said, "The bus is here, I'm leaving now."

"Hmm." Jiang Li leaned on the bicycle, making no move to leave, and just looked at her.

Guan Nan: "You should go home early too."

"I know," Jiang Li said. "You should get in the car now."

The bus stopped in front of her, and Guan Nan nodded the moment the door opened.

She smiled and turned around, slipping a piece of candy into Jiang Li's hand, and said gently, "Goodbye, Jiang Li."

"See you tomorrow." Jiang Li tugged at her ponytail, raising his eyebrows and smiling.

She boarded the bus, walked to the last seat, and as the bus gradually moved forward, her view opened up.

Guan Nan opened her hand, peeled open another candy, and put it in her mouth. The candy core was a very soft and sweet round milk candy that burst with filling when bitten.

The little figures on the candy coating blushed and smiled happily at people, as sweet as the candy itself.

······

When I got home, the door was already open without me having to knock.

Guan Nan changed her shoes, put her schoolbag on the balcony, saw water overflowing in the living room, and then heard Lin Zhaozhao's voice coming from the bathroom.

"Guan Nan." Lin Zhaozhao's voice was very irritable.

Hearing the sound, Guan Nan walked towards the bathroom and was immediately shocked by the scene before her.

Inside, Lin Zhaozhao was bent over, using a towel to cover the faucet on the lower right side of the shower.

"You're still looking!" Lin Zhaozhao, soaking wet and furious, yelled, "Come here and hold it down!"

The faucet exploded.

As soon as she let go, the water gushed out like a bursting cave.

Guan Nan squatted down and tried to turn on the faucet, but failed several times and ended up getting soaked. She asked Lin Zhaozhao to call the property management, and Lin Zhaozhao reluctantly went.

When the property management arrived, they turned off the water valve and told them what to do if something like this happened again.

The living room floor was soaked. Guan Nan took a mop to absorb the water and then wiped every nook and cranny.

"Hey, are you angry?" Lin Zhaozhao leaned against the balcony, holding an apple in her hand and eating it, and said sullenly, "I didn't say those words, my mom did."

Before this, the whole house was almost flooded.

Guan Nan explained the division of sanitation duties and asked Lin Zhaozhao which area she wanted to choose.

Lin Zhaozhao lay on the sofa, turned on the TV and started selecting channels, saying without thinking, "Do it yourself, what does it have to do with me?"

Before Guan Nan could reply, she said heartlessly, "My mother said that all these things should be done by you. You are just a slave raised by our family."

Upon hearing this, Guan Nan paused for two seconds, then turned and hurried into the bathroom.

Seeing that Guan Nan's expression was not good, Lin Zhaozhao thought she was going to hit her, so she quickly shouted, "Guan Nan, if you dare to hit me, I'll have my mom kick you out, you believe me! I'll make you sleep on the street!"

Guan Nan came out with a mop, not glancing at her again, and kept her head down wiping the floor.

He seemed to realize that his words had gone too far.

Lin Zhaozhao tried to ease the tension: "Hey, was that guy your boyfriend?"

Guan Nan ignored her.

"Do you have his QQ?" Lin Zhaozhao ignored her silence.

She muttered to herself, "Could you help me get his QQ number?"

Seeing that Guan Nan was still ignoring her despite her efforts, Lin Zhaozhao got angry: "What's wrong? I didn't do it on purpose. Who told you to scare me like that just now?"

After tidying everything up, Guan Nan returned to her usual self and tutored Lin Zhaozhao without any awkwardness.

She showed no expression, remaining the same submissive and easygoing person she always was.

After everyone had entered the room, Guan Nan went in, pulled out the bed, took the thin blanket from the cabinet, and spread it on the folding bed. Under the dim light of the lamp, she sat on the low lamp and studied for another two hours.

The clock struck 1:25. Guan Nan packed up the test papers and textbooks and put away her schoolbag.

She wiped the candy wrapper clean and gently tucked it into her decorating notebook, along with a perfectly intact band-aid. Right next to the decorating notebook was a diary, filled with brief, mundane, and fragmented entries about her adult life from childhood to adulthood.

Guan Nan opened the notebook and wrote a sentence in her diary.

—I hurt my forehead today, but Dad didn't see it. He asked Zhaozhao why she was all wet.

The notebooks were closed, but Guan Nan opened them again, gripped the pen tightly, and solemnly wrote in the next cell.

—I'm so happy that I made a friend and have a great deskmate.