Chapter 3 First Encounter with Sugar

Ning Yanzhao: ? What on earth is going on? How come her dog is with An Nianyu now?

And another important point is that even in her dream, Ning Yanzhao had clearly planned many times what she would say when she reunited with An Nianyu, but this unexpected encounter left her at a loss for words.

The two stared at each other in utter silence, and the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward.

"Hi..." Ning Yanzhao finally spoke first, and she waved symbolically.

"Hello."

"You must be An Nianyu from Class 1. I've seen you at the school's grade assembly before. The dog you're holding looks like ours, but how come you... know our dog?"

"Is this your dog?"

"Yes, but how did it get here?" An Nianyu was still holding it in his arms.

"When I saw it, it was already injured. It was lying on the road, whimpering softly. I guessed it had tripped over something and fallen on a sharp object, and there was some bleeding on its leg. So I took it to the vet for treatment first. The treatment didn't take too long. Now I'm just going to ask the shopkeepers here if they know if the dog has an owner."

What a coincidence! "Oh, I see. Thank you so much. I'll pay you back for the medical expenses." Ning Yanzhao said, looking for change in her backpack. Unfortunately, she was a middle school student and couldn't bring her smartphone to school every day, in case a teacher caught her. Otherwise, she could have transferred money via WeChat and maybe even added An Nianyu on WeChat. On the other hand, it was convenient that she happened to have so much change on her.

Ning Yanzhao's family lived in a self-built house in a small alley. The dog they kept, named "Kaochuan," was not a pet dog with a name, but a small mongrel brought from the countryside.

So it usually likes to wander around its neighborhood like it does in the countryside, since vehicles can't usually pass through here, and at most it can only drive a small electric motorcycle.

The alley is relatively quiet compared to the city center, and there are fewer people around. Plus, the kebab is quite obedient and docile, so her family didn't pay much attention to it. They never expected it to cause such a mess today. When she gets home, she'll definitely tell her mother that in the future, the kebab should just play quietly in the yard, and only go out for a stroll when someone is taking care of it.

"You don't need to give me money. Helping animals is a very simple thing. Since you are its owner, I'll leave it to you now. The vet said it shouldn't move around too much lately and needs to rest."

An Nianyu's action of handing over the cardboard box was more like a "push" than a "hand". Ning Yanzhao had no choice but to step forward and take the box with both hands for the time being. The skewers inside the box saw Ning Yanzhao coming to take them home and quickly quieted down. "Okay, thank you so much."

"Then I'll be going now."

"etc."

"Since you're unwilling to accept my medical fees, then accept this." Ning Yanzhao said, adjusting her movements as she hugged the cardboard box with one hand and took out a few candies from her school uniform pocket with the other.

Further refusals would be impolite, so An Nianyu accepted the candies. The colorful and gaudy candies were clearly Ning Yanzhao's style, just like the various pens he had seen her with in the examination hall.

Thank you.

Actually, Ning Yanzhao was a little nervous at first, after all, she was not familiar with An Nianyu at all. If An Nianyu refused her thanks, it would be a lie to say that she wouldn't feel awkward. But the moment An Nianyu's hand touched Ning Yanzhao's hand, her nervousness eased a lot, because it was replaced by another kind of nervousness.

Ning Yanzhao's heart was pounding.

"You're welcome. By the way, didn't you skip evening self-study last night?"

Upon hearing Ning Yanzhao's question, An Nianyu's expression clearly changed. "How did you know? Did you come to see me?"

"Um...no." Ning Yanzhao didn't expect her mouth to react faster than her brain, and she actually said "um" without hesitation. Now her denial seemed very weak. Since that was the case, she had no choice but to continue making things up.

“I actually saw you taking the bus to school from the overpass yesterday. I thought you would go to school, but you didn’t go to school for evening self-study.”

"So what do you want from me?"

"Do I need to talk to you? I... well, I do need to talk to you. I wanted to ask if you'd like to participate in the essay competition? I heard you're pretty good at Chinese, and I'd like to see your essays and even participate in the competition with you."

An Nianyu: "..."

After saying this, Ning Yanzhao felt like an idiot, and sure enough, An Nianyu's expression reflected that.

However, Ning Yanzhao was right. Although An Nianyu was good at every subject, what surprised people the most was his Chinese score. It broke the stereotype of boys' academic performance. He was particularly good at Chinese and often ranked first in the grade in a single subject, along with the three science subjects.

However, no matter what, Ning Yanzhao's words in this situation sounded like nonsense, but she wouldn't admit it. "Well, that's how it is. Since it's so late now, you should go back early. We'll see each other at school later."

"Okay, goodbye."

"goodbye."

After watching An Nianyu leave, Ning Yanzhao realized that she had forgotten to ask a very important question. She felt that it was strange for An Nianyu to appear at her remote home so late at night and to save her dog.

However, the most important thing right now is to send the dog home. Ning Yanzhao can ask about this matter another day.

"Grilled skewers, grilled skewers, let's go home first."

Ning Yanzhao carried the cardboard box and kebabs all the way home, but when she stood outside the door, she found that the house was completely dark.

It's so late, and my parents aren't home. Next time, I must talk to them properly and tell them not to work so hard.

Ning Yanzhao's mother worked in an office at a factory, which was relatively easy compared to working on a pure assembly line, and she was in good health even in her fifties.

Ning Yanzhao's father is a freelance worker whose main business is water and electricity repair. Although as a skilled worker, as long as you are willing to work hard and take on more business, you can earn more than some clerical jobs, but relatively speaking, it is much more physically demanding and you will suffer from many occupational diseases.

When Ning Yanzhao was a child, she thought her tall father was omnipotent and could always be strong and powerful. However, when she was in her twenties, she realized that her father's legs would hurt even when he climbed stairs due to years of hard work.

After Ning Yanzhao graduated from university, her father did reduce his business considerably, but he was still worried that she wouldn't have enough money, so he would still occasionally take on some work. He hadn't truly "retired" and kept blaming himself for not having a decent, high-paying job that could pave the way for his child's future and prevent him from worrying about his retirement.

However, nowadays, her parents wouldn't listen to Ning Yanzhao's "take a good rest" advice. They would only tell her to study hard. But once she graduated from high school at eighteen, she could start working and earning money, reducing the burden on the family. The two of them could also take more time off to travel and enjoy life.

Even if this is a dream, if she can stay here forever, Ning Yanzhao will try her best to do as much as she can for her parents.

After setting up the skewers and taking a quick shower, Ning Yanzhao started doing her homework.

According to Ning Yanzhao's own sleep schedule, she still had an hour to study. Today, she felt that she had made many mistakes in every subject and had almost forgotten everything. She really had to study. However, reality is always contrary to expectations, and she accidentally fell asleep.

In her dream, Ning Yanzhao dreamt that on the day she attended An Nianyu's funeral, the weather was so gloomy it seemed to tear everything apart, and she sank deeper and deeper into the heavy rain, unable to save herself...

"Yan Zhao, Yan Zhao, wake up! Why are you sleeping on your desk? It's so cold, don't catch a cold." It wasn't until some time later that Ning Yan Zhao's mother, Wen Hui Quan, woke her up.

When Ning Yanzhao looked at the alarm clock, it was 10:30 p.m. She had slept for about half an hour. At the same time, just like countless times before, she heard her father busy in the kitchen, making her a midnight snack. Everything here felt so real. Was that a dream?

"I know, I was so sleepy while doing my homework that I accidentally fell asleep. Mom and Dad, why are you so late?"

“We just went to help out at a relative’s house, so we’ve been busy until now. Your dad saw you were so tired that you fell asleep, and he thought you’d be hungry when you woke up. So we’ve made a midnight snack. Come out and eat something, and then go to bed early. Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

"good."

As soon as Ning Yanzhao stepped outside, she saw that her father had already cooked steaming hot dumplings. Her father had worked all day and still had to make a late-night snack for his daughter who had fallen asleep while studying. She felt ashamed when she said this, but sometimes it was also important to express that need to her family: "Dad, how did you know that I wanted to eat dumplings today?"

"No one knows a daughter better than her father."

"Don't listen to his nonsense. It was me who suggested cooking this."

"Haha, then thank you first, Mom, and then thank you, Dad."

"Eat it while it's hot."

"good."

Ning Yanzhao was telling the truth. She had been craving homemade dumplings at school today, but she had eaten a full dinner earlier, which temporarily eased her craving. She was even dreaming about them earlier. She never expected to get to eat them for a late-night snack. Her parents are truly the best people in the world to her.

"Huh? What happened to the skewer's leg?" Wen Huiquan hadn't paid attention to the skewer since it was asleep, but now that he was done with his work, he took a closer look and saw that the skewer's leg was bandaged.

"Oh, it accidentally got hurt today, and when I came back I saw one of my classmates taking it to the vet."

"What classmate? What a kind and helpful person! Next time, invite your classmate over for a meal as a way of thanking him for doing us such a big favor."

Ning Yanzhao didn't expect her mother to still be so enthusiastic. Whenever someone helped her, she couldn't help but invite them to dinner and liked to ask them what they thought of her cooking.

In fact, Ning Yanzhao and Jing Yiran only gradually became acquainted because of Wen Huiquan's excessive enthusiasm.

Ning Yanzhao and Jing Yiran have been classmates since junior high school, but they were not familiar with each other at first. In addition, Jing Yiran was the class monitor and did not like to talk, so Ning Yanzhao's initial impression of Jing Yiran was that she was very aloof. However, after getting to know each other, Ning Yanzhao realized that it was just a misconception caused by not being familiar with Jing Yiran.

Then the opportunity for the two to start crossing paths came when Ning Yanzhao fell seriously ill. Jing Yiran, as the class monitor, was arranged by the homeroom teacher to collect her homework every day and deliver it to her after school every Friday.

At that time, Wen Huiquan would often enthusiastically invite Jing Yiran to dinner. Jing Yiran declined a few times at first, but on the last time he came to deliver her homework, she couldn't refuse his enthusiasm and finally agreed to his request.

Finally, the crucial point arrived. Jing Yiran couldn't help but praise Wen Huiquan's cooking skills, saying that she had never eaten such delicious cola chicken wings. She then started discussing with Wen Huiquan how to make a dish even tastier. Wen Huiquan happened to be lacking such a "soulmate," and from then on, the two became like long-lost friends, and began to discuss the preparation of various dishes without stopping.

In reality, it can be said that Wen Huiquan became familiar with Jing Yiran first, and then Ning Yanzhao joined the "cooking alliance" along with her, which is how she and Jing Yiran became familiar with each other.

It was only then that Ning Yanzhao learned that Jing Yiran became a completely different person when it came to making delicious food. Of course, she also learned that Jing Yiran had other hobbies that she was equally obsessed with, but that's another story.

Ning Yanzhao recalled the past, but inadvertently drifted off-topic, and time returned to the present:

"He wouldn't mind such a small thing if we were just ordinary classmates."

"Really? How do you know your good classmate wouldn't mind such a small thing?"

"Because he's not that kind of person, and most people wouldn't mind. Mom, you're being too enthusiastic."

"All right."

Ning Yanzhao couldn't imagine what it would be like for An Nianyu to be invited to her home for dinner, so she quickly changed the subject, "Next time, don't let the dog wander around when no one is watching, even if our alley is impassable by cars."

"Yes, yes, I told you before, but your dad wouldn't listen. He said it was safe here and that puppies need their own socialization too."

"Okay, okay, it's all my fault. I humbly admit my mistake."

The family soon began to enjoy a late-night snack together. On a winter night, a bowl of hot dumplings is a comforting treat that warms both the heart and the stomach.

"By the way, Mom and Dad, which relative's house are you going to help out at today?"

"It's your aunt's family. Their daughter-in-law recently gave birth, and we went to see the baby today. They'll be having a full-month celebration soon."

"Oh, I see."

When her mother mentioned it, Ning Yanzhao seemed to have a vague memory. Her aunt's daughter-in-law gave birth to her child in her first year of high school, but she didn't seem to remember her parents helping out. In any case, she was certain that she had never attended the full moon celebration.

Perhaps some details have changed in the unseen realm, but it's normal for dreams and reality to have some discrepancies.

"When is the full moon celebration?"

"It should be next week. Once the date is confirmed, I'll come to the school to pick you up so we can go together."

"good."