Whenever she had some free time in the evening, Yu Jihong would think about whether Fang Yu was getting used to living at school, whether she was eating well, and whether she would be scared to stay alone when she came back on Saturday. She would fall asleep with these thoughts in her mind.

The junior high school here is attended by elementary school graduates from several surrounding villages.

This is the first weekend after the start of the school term.

After finishing her Saturday morning classes at school, Fang Yu returned home to find the house deserted. Her parents weren't home, and she would be alone every weekend from now on. Fang Yu stood in the quiet room for a while, lost in thought.

After a while, she soaked the dirty clothes she had brought back from boarding school in a basin. "Fang Yu!" Hua Hua came to find her.

"Huahua, are you free this afternoon?" Fang Yu pressed her clothes down into the water.

"I'll come see you first when we get back," Hua Hua said, chatting with her from the side.

"Oh, have you had lunch yet?"

"I've eaten, what about you?"

"I haven't yet. I'll soak the clothes I brought from school first."

"What do you want to eat? I'll cook it for you." Fang Huahua looked towards the kitchen.

"Do you know how to burn it?" Fang Yu asked.

"Yes, I can! My grandma taught me. She wanted me to learn to cook. My grandma," Fang Huahua whispered to Fang Yu, "you can't tell anyone."

"What is it? You said it can't be told to anyone, so I definitely won't." Fang Yu shook her head.

“My grandma said she won’t be home anymore after the sweet potatoes are harvested and sold.”

"What's wrong with saying this?" Fang Yu asked, puzzled.

"She probably got married," Fang Huahua said, leaning closer.

"Huh? Your grandma is so old?" Fang Yu looked at Fang Huahua, raised her eyebrows, and opened her mouth.

"Yeah, I heard it from her and my dad. My dad didn't go out to work this year, he just stayed at that bamboo craft factory for over half a year, and he thinks it's not bad. My brother and I eat steamed rice at school for lunch, and then we come home in the afternoon. My grandma said that we can manage without her at home. So she..."

"Oh! So who did your grandma marry?"

“Of course the old woman will marry the old man.” Fang Yu and Fang Huahua both laughed.

"What are you eating? You haven't had lunch yet," Fang Huahua asked, remembering to ask.

"Cook noodles. We eat at school." Fang Yu put down the clothes she was holding and went to the stove.

After Fang Huahua got to the stove, she helped her start the fire.

"Huahua, do you want some? I'll add extra noodles."

"No, I've already eaten."

Fang Yu made the noodles, and Fang Huahua said she would go home first. "Fang Yu, are you afraid to be alone tonight?"

"It's alright, I locked the door from the inside too."

"Hmm, I'll go home and ask. If it's okay, I'll come keep you company tonight."

"OK!"

As darkness fell, Fang Yu brought the clothes inside and was about to close the door when Fang Huahua arrived.

"Hua Hua, I thought you weren't coming."

"Come on, at first my grandma wouldn't let me come, but then she said, 'Go ahead, go ahead! Anyway, she won't be able to control you after a while, you can do whatever you want.'" Fang Huahua imitated her grandma's tone, making Fang Yu laugh.

With the adults away, things felt more relaxed. Fang Huahua was interested in everything in Fang Yu's house. She flipped through Fang Yu's photo album and asked, "Fang Yu, how come you have so many photos?"

"Yes, my mom takes me to take photos every year."

“I only have one photo of Fang Yu. She has short hair and looks like a boy. Your mom is so kind; she even braids your hair.” Fang Huahua looked at Fang Yu’s photo with envy.

"Now that you're all grown up, you should learn to comb your hair and grow braids yourself."

"My grandma said that long hair absorbs nutrients, which means it absorbs all the intelligence, making it harder to concentrate on studying, which is why girls are not as smart as boys."

"Huh?" Fang Yu smiled awkwardly. "There's such a saying? I don't have a grandmother, so I didn't know that."

At night, the two of them squeezed into Fang Yu's small bed, covered with the same thin blanket that smelled of sunshine, and chatted one sentence after another until very late before they finally drifted off to sleep.