Lips are very soft

After recognizing the person, Wen Sheng jogged towards him. Under the dim streetlights, her shadow swayed.

Xu Jianing straightened up, his gaze following her figure, a smile unconsciously curving his lips upward. When she stopped in front of him, he reached out to pull up her slipped shoulder strap and naturally took the bag from her hand.

"Why are you running? It's windy, walk slowly."

Wen Sheng tried to retrieve the bag, but her fingers didn't actually touch it; she just looked up at him. The streetlights shone in her eyes, making them bright, and the stray hairs on her forehead were slightly disheveled from running.

"It really is you! I thought I was seeing things," she said, panting.

"Let's go," Xu Jianing said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and walking ahead.

The night wind blew, and the two shadows overlapped on the ground. They walked side by side, with no gap between them.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

She stammered, "So, I guess you could say I...ate it?"

Xu Jianing turned her head, seeing her hesitant expression, and pressed, "So what? What did you eat?"

Wen Sheng pursed her lips and turned her head away from him: "I'm not telling you!"

Xu Jianing was amused by her stubbornness. "Okay, I'll guess."

He deliberately lowered his voice: "It definitely wasn't a proper meal, it was probably just something you grabbed to eat... right?"

Wen Sheng's lips subtly curved into a faint smile, revealing a hint of slyness. She didn't expose him, secretly gloating: Wrong, wrong, wrong! She hadn't actually eaten anything at all.

Seeing her expression, Xu Jianing knew she hadn't eaten anything. He turned to face her and gently flicked her forehead.

"Still being stubborn. Fine, come with me to get something to eat."

Wen Sheng covered her forehead and glared at him. "You're the one who's being stubborn! My lips are soft!"

"Wen Sheng, do you know what you're saying?"

His voice was a few decibels lower and a little hoarse as he looked at the girl in front of him who clearly hadn't realized the ambiguity in his words.

Wen Sheng blinked, looking at him with some confusion: "What did I say? I was just correcting you. My lips are indeed soft."

To prove herself, she licked her lips, and under the dim streetlights, the pink color looked particularly alluring.

Xu Jianing took a deep breath, suppressing a certain impulse within her, and turned around to continue walking forward: "Come on, let's go eat. If you don't catch up, your backpack is mine."

Wen Sheng jogged to catch up with him, still feigning ignorance of what she had just said: "Where did I talk nonsense? Xu Jianing, do you think my lips aren't soft?"

"......"

"Say something!" She caught up with him and looked up at him.

Xu Jianing turned her head and looked at her innocent face. She couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair, deliberately changing the subject: "Want to eat the steamed buns at the school gate?"

Wen Sheng exclaimed excitedly, "Eat! I haven't eaten in so long!"

She immediately added, feigning nonchalance, "But I'm eating with you, not because I'm greedy."

Xu Jianing chuckled and walked forward with her bag on her back: "Fine, I'll take your craving."

As Wen Sheng walked, she chattered on about her recent academic progress: "In this week's test, I only got one big math problem wrong in the calculation, and the teacher said I could have gotten full marks if I had been more careful. My English essay was even read aloud as a model essay, isn't that amazing!"

"Yes, that's really impressive. You would be even more perfect if you were a little more modest."

Wen Sheng raised her chin triumphantly: "That won't do, I have to let my mentor know."

Upon hearing the title "mentor," Xu Jianing frowned slightly: "mentor? That sounds a bit strange. It's too formal."

"It's you! You always say you're going to keep an eye on my studies, right? It would be impolite not to report when I do well on a test," Wen Sheng said with a grin.

He was both amused and exasperated. He couldn't hold her hand or pinch her cheek, so he simply adjusted the strap of his backpack to suppress the urge.

"Let's go, what else do you want to eat besides xiaolongbao?"

"Dumplings? No, that's too much. How about a bowl of noodles?" Wen Sheng reached out and grabbed his sleeve, shaking it from side to side.

She thought, this could be considered holding hands...

Xu Jianing glanced down at her. The fabric she was clutching at her cuff swayed gently with her steps. He didn't say anything, but raised his arm slightly, tacitly approving of her action.

He thought that although it wasn't a real hand-holding, this was enough for the moment.

——

Days passed by one by one amidst a sea of ​​questions and assignments, as if time had been fast-forwarded. In the blink of an eye, spring was in full bloom, and the old locust trees on campus were sprouting new buds.

The topic of conversation among students in the classroom is no longer their weekly test scores or the recent monthly exams, but rather the upcoming spring outing.

Excitingly, this time Cangzhong did not take away the two-day weekend after the monthly exam, but generously gave two days off.

More importantly, the second day after returning to school was a spring outing, which meant we had a three-day holiday!

When the homeroom teacher, Du Sulan, announced the news, the classroom erupted in excitement, with some daring students even whistling.

After the bell rang, a group of people rushed out, eagerly running back to their dormitories to pack their things and go home.

Li Qingmiao was no exception. She was about to pick up her schoolbag and go back to the dormitory to pack her luggage when she saw that Wen Sheng hadn't moved. She asked, "Wen Sheng, aren't you going home?"

Wen Sheng shook her head, closed the exercise book on the table, and said with a smile, "I'll go to the bookstall later. The rice I brought last time will last me a month, so I won't go home."

Li Qingmiao couldn't believe it: "You're not going home? That's a three-day holiday! It's rare for the school to be this generous."

“Yeah, it’s a rare long holiday.” Wen Sheng tidied up the stationery on the table and stuck out her tongue. “You’d better hurry up and pack, or the station will be packed with people.”

"Okay, okay, I'll bring you something delicious when I get back!" Li Qingmiao blew her a kiss, then hummed a song as she left the classroom.

The book stalls near the school gate are always particularly deserted during holidays, with fewer students flocking there after class on weekdays.

The boss was sitting on a small stool, dozing off, with a palm-leaf fan resting on his knees. Hearing footsteps, he groggily raised his head.

Upon seeing Wen Sheng, he immediately perked up, "Oh, little girl, you're here again. Long time no see."

"Yes, I've been busy with exams lately, and now that I'm finally on vacation, I have time to read." She bent down and rummaged through her old books.

The bookstall owner nodded and sighed, "You students at Cangzhong High School have it tough, much busier than my little stall."

As he spoke, he rummaged through the cardboard box, mysteriously pulled out a novel with a slightly worn cover, and handed it to her. "I just received this one. It looks alright. I thought you would definitely come, so I kept it for you."

Wen Sheng was pleasantly surprised. She took the book with both hands and carefully brushed the dust off the cover. "Boss, you're too kind to me!"

"You're a regular customer, and you've been a frequent patron of my business before, so giving you a book is nothing," the bookstall owner said.

Wen Sheng suddenly remembered something and asked, "Boss, do you have any books on making cakes?"

She recalled that she had recently tried making cakes a few times at another small shop, learning from the owner. However, she always felt that the cakes were not quite right, either because she didn't control the heat or because the proportions were incorrect.

"Making cakes? You know what, there actually is a book on that. Wait a minute, let me find it for you."

A moment later, the bookseller pulled out a yellowed book titled "A Collection of Homemade Desserts" and handed it to her: "Look, this book contains recipes for many pastries, and even cakes."

"Boss, how much is this book?"

The shopkeeper waved his hand and said with a smile, "You're such a good customer, young lady. I'll treat this as a half-price sale, just give me fifty cents."

Wen Sheng quickly pulled a few coins from her pocket and put them on the stall, then smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling as she held the book: "Then I've made a fortune!"

After saying that, she grabbed the book and ran to the noodle shop.

"boss!"

The owner came out and, seeing it was Wen Sheng, greeted her with a smile, "Oh, young lady, you're here. Want to try something again today?"

Wen Sheng held up the "Collection of Homemade Snacks" in her arms, a little smug: "That's right! But today is different, I have a recipe."

The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "No wonder you were in such a hurry, it turns out you had a secret weapon. There's still a carton of eggs left from the last time you brought them, come in quickly."

Wen Sheng rolled up her sleeves, turned to the page on making cakes, pressed her fingertips on the page, and read the recipe.

"Two hundred grams of flour, three eggs, fifty grams of sugar..."

As she read, she prepared the ingredients and placed them beside her. The eggs were from the supply and marketing cooperative a few days ago, the flour was in an old tin can, and the sugar was sealed in a plastic bag. Her mixing tools were nothing more than a rough porcelain bowl and a pair of chopsticks.

Following the steps in the book, Wen Sheng first cracked the eggs, then gradually mixed in the flour and sugar, and finally placed the bowl in the steamer. While waiting, she was so nervous that she even held her breath.

But when the steam dissipated and the lid was lifted, the cake had collapsed, the surface was uneven, and the color was strange.

Holding the bizarre cake she had made, Wen Sheng was both amused and exasperated: "How come... it still failed?"

She took a bite; it was soft, chewy, and sweet. Despite being a failure, it was still delicious.

We need to think of a solution.

——

When Xu Jianing returned home with his schoolbag, the house still smelled of food. Chen Tianying was squatting in front of the stove adding firewood. Seeing him enter, she smiled and asked, "You're back? Are you taking two days off again this time?"

He nodded, put his schoolbag in the corner, took off his coat, and sat down next to Chen Tianying: "Mom, let me tell you about the recent situation of looking for a shop."

Chen Tianying put down the fire tongs and looked up at him.

“I’ve been to the street corners several times this month. The shops on East Street are in good locations, but the rent is too high. The shops on West Street are cheaper, but the foot traffic isn’t good. The foot traffic at the station entrance is good, but I heard that several groups of people have changed hands before, and none of them could survive. I suspect there’s something wrong with them, so I didn’t consider them.” Xu Jianing explained the situation he had gathered one by one.

“I’ve been to the town a few times.” He paused, then continued, “There are two shops next to the supply and marketing cooperative that are about to be sold. The location is better than West Street, but the rent isn’t cheap either. I heard that you have to pay for six months upfront. There’s also that row of small shops opposite the grain station. There’s a lot of foot traffic, but the location is in a corner, so it’s not very conspicuous for doing business.”

He spoke in great detail, clearly outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each aspect.

After listening, Chen Tianying frowned slightly, then relaxed, and sighed, "Oh, I'm really making you worry. Logically speaking, these things should be the adults' concern, but you, a child, have to go around asking around."

The fire crackled in the stove. She reached out and pushed the firewood further in. "Your brother is getting married soon, and we need to give him a dowry."

"My brother is getting married?" Xu Jianing had never heard of this before and was extremely shocked.

Chen Tianying nodded, "Yes, the matchmaker has come to our door several times, and the girl's family is also urging us to reconsider. Our conditions are a bit lacking, and if we delay any longer, I'm afraid they might change their minds."

“We need to raise the bride price, but we don’t have much money on hand. Your brother is in a hurry to settle down, and I’m worried…sigh.”

Xu Jianing was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Mom, actually I've been thinking that I might have to go to the city to study in my senior year of high school, and then I won't have time to come back and help you as often."

As soon as the words were spoken, the room fell silent, with only the crackling of the stove fire remaining.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Chen Tianying's eyes, but she quickly concealed it and forced a smile: "That's a good thing. If you can really go to study in the city, you'll be the most successful person in our family."

She turned around, her eyes already wet. She wiped them with her hand, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Mom, why don't we stop rushing to open a big shop? There are always people coming and going near the station. People who are rushing to catch their trains get thirsty and need to find a place to rest. Why don't we open a small teahouse first, selling big bowls of tea, and also give away some melon seeds and peanuts? It's easy and reliable."

"Can we make a living just by selling tea?" Chen Tianying asked.

“Yes, we can.” Xu Jianing said confidently. “With so many people and vehicles coming and going, and the tea being cheap and thirst-quenching, we won’t have to worry about business. We can add some food items later when conditions are better. As for the shop, I’ll discuss it with them then.”

The mother and son exchanged a glance and said nothing more, but they actually had a lot to say.