Chapter 192 Brother... I'm sorry, there's no clean water at home...
The news that Wen Xinglin had become more handsome during the winter break spread during several class breaks.
Those who had seen Wen Xinglin before, and those who hadn't, came to see him out of curiosity or out of a sense of urgency. Wen Xinglin was forced to endure the gazes of others for an entire day.
He was never used to being stared at, but while he felt uncomfortable, he was also a little happy because he was now the same as everyone else, and he knew that people would no longer discuss why he looked strange.
During PE class in the afternoon, Wang Xiaoqi took the initiative to talk to Wen Xinglin. Wen Xinglin did not make up with him, but this made Wen Xinglin feel very good, so much so that he took the initiative to greet every classmate and teacher he saw.
It wasn't until school ended in the afternoon that Wen Xinglin suddenly realized he seemed to have neglected his best friend today.
Wen Xinglin decided to make amends, "Guigui, is your grandma picking you up from school today?"
"I'll go home by myself," Bai Guigui said.
Wen Xinglin knew that Bai Guigui went home by herself every day. School regulations stipulated that students below the third grade must be picked up by their parents before leaving school, but this did not include Bai Guigui.
Wen Xinglin had asked Bai Guigui the reason before, and Bai Guigui said that he was his own parent, so he no longer needed his parents to pick him up. Wen Xinglin was extremely envious.
"Would you like to come to my house to play? We can do our homework together," Wen Xinglin invited warmly.
Bai Guigui remained silent.
Wen Xinglin said, "Are you worried that your sister doesn't want to see you? We can go to your older brother's office. Your sister won't go there, and your older brother will give us some good food."
Bai Guigui was not only unafraid of being scolded by his sister, but also wanted to see her. Wen Xinglin's words disappointed him a little, but he still said, "Okay."
So when school was over in the afternoon, Wen Xinglin pulled Bai Guigui aside and said to Lou Lan, "Aunt Lou, can Bai Guigui come to our house to play for a while? He's my best friend."
Lou Lan said, "Of course you can, but do his parents agree?"
“His parents have agreed,” Wen Xinglin said. Bai Guigui had said that his parents were himself, and they had just given their consent.
Wen Xinglin continued, "We're going to do our homework together in Big Brother's office."
Although Wen Xinglin's academic performance wasn't very good, he had always been diligent and hardworking. Every day after school, he would finish his homework carefully before playing. Now, he even knew to ask classmates with good grades for help. Lou Lan was touched and said, "Alright, after he finishes his homework, I'll take him home."
Lou Lan, like Wen Xinglin, thought that Bai Mangmang wouldn't go to An Fusheng's office.
Wen Xinglin excitedly brought Bai Guigui to the restaurant. Upon seeing Zhao Lin, he took the initiative to introduce his best friend to him. Zhao Lin had long heard of Bai Guigui's reputation, but when he finally met him in person, he found that he was just an ordinary little kid with dull and weak eyes, as thin as a bean sprout. He waved his hand and said, "I know, you guys go have fun."
Wen Xinglin explained, "We're not here to play; we're here to do our homework."
Zhaolin: "What's the point of your homework? You might as well play a little longer."
Wen Xinglin: "The teacher said that homework must be done by oneself."
Zhaolin: "Alright, alright, then go do your homework yourself."
Wen Xinglin and Bai Guigui happily went upstairs.
The hotel's offices were on the third floor. Wen Xinglin pulled Bai Guigui up the stairs, skipping and hopping, even humming a song: "The big elephant can dance, the horse can climb trees, the fox can do somersaults, hey, the big elephant can dance..."
The singing stopped abruptly the moment he reached the door and his eyes met those of the white-clad figures inside the office. Wen Xinglin froze for a second, then reflexively pushed Bai Guigui away and hid behind her.
Two seconds later, Wen Xinglin popped out from behind Bai Guigui again, and awkwardly called out, "Sister."
Bai Mangmang sat behind a huge desk, holding a colorful cheese pastry in her hand, about to put it in her mouth. She just stared at them without responding.
After a while, Wen Xinglin heard a soft "Second Sister" from Bai Guigui.
Bai Mangmang didn't respond to him, but took a bite of the cheese pastry and ate it by herself.
What is this? It's so colorful and beautiful, I've never seen anything like it before. My sister is eating it so deliciously, it must be tasty! Wen Xinglin stared at the white desk in front of him. There was a plate on it, and on the plate were many of the things his sister had been eating.
In the silent space, the clattering sounds of Bai Mangmang eating stood out. Wen Xinglin couldn't help but swallow. His older brother no longer brought him food to school, and he was so hungry.
"Sister, what are you eating?" Wen Xinglin finally couldn't help but muster up the courage to ask.
Bai Mangmang did not answer.
"Is it good?" Wen Xinglin asked again, his voice noticeably weaker.
Bai Mangmang remained silent.
"I want to eat too." Wen Xinglin stared at the white expanse, his voice barely audible.
After finishing one dish and then another, Bai Mangmang said, "Aren't you coming in?"
Wen Xinglin perked up, then cautiously asked, "Can Gui Gui come in?"
Bai Mangmang snorted: "I didn't say it wasn't allowed."
If it doesn't say you can't, then you can!
Wen Xinglin excitedly pulled Bai Guigui to the other side of the desk. He first thanked Bai Mangmang in a flattering tone, then slowly took a pastry from the plate. He then broke the pastry in half and secretly stuffed one half into Bai Guigui's hand.
After dividing it up, I couldn't wait to eat my half. "Crunch!" I took a bite, and the outside was just as I imagined—crispy and crunchy. Inside, there was sweet potato and cheese, soft and chewy, and it even had a stretchy texture. "Wow, what is this?"
Wen Xinglin got so excited that he forgot he was afraid.
Bai Mangmang snorted, "You've already eaten it and you still don't know what it is, you idiot."
Wen Xinglin didn't care at all: "Only my sister knows the names of all the food."
Bai Mangmang was quite pleased with the flattery: "It's a five-color cheese pastry. The outer layer is like wonton wrappers, and the inside is sweet potato and cheese."
Wen Xinglin: "But there are colorful five-pointed stars on it."
Bai Mangmang: "Those are colorful breadcrumbs."
Wen Xinglin: "Wow, the breadcrumbs are even star-shaped! I love them!"
Bai Mangmang: "Since you like it, you can have one more."
"Thank you, sister!" Wen Xinglin quickly grabbed one and happily shared it with Bai Guigui.
One of them was awkward, another kept praising, and the third ate quietly. By the time they finished the last plate of cheese pastries, they hadn't touched their homework at all. An Fusheng had already come to take Bai Guigui home as instructed by Lou Lan.
An Fusheng asked Bai Guigui the name of her residential compound and then drove his tricycle, swaying and bumping, for about twenty minutes to drop Bai Guigui off at the entrance of the compound.
In early spring, it still gets dark very early; it was already dark at just past five o'clock.
The residential area where Bai Guigui lives is called a community, but it is actually several buildings with the same appearance. There is no wall or gate to the community. The only access control is the iron gate at the entrance of the staircase on the first floor.
Bai Guigui taped the electronic card to the lock, and the door opened with two beeps. Bai Guigui opened the door and said to An Fusheng and Wen Xinglin, "I'm home. Thank you for bringing me back."
It was pitch black inside the door crack. An Fusheng asked, "Which floor do you live on?"
Bai Guigui: "Sixth floor."
An Fusheng: "We'll take you upstairs."
Bai Guigui said, "No need, I can go up by myself."
The stairwell was pitch black, like a cave. Wen Xinglin was a little scared, but thinking that Bai Guigui must be scared all by herself, he mustered up his courage and said, "My older brother and I will take you there."
"Alright." Bai Guigui held the door open and let An Fusheng and Wen Xinglin in.
All the lights in the hallway were broken, and there were no windows. Once the door was closed, it was pitch black inside. Wen Xinglin kicked the steps and almost fell, but luckily An Fusheng caught him in time.
An Fusheng took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and was finally able to see the steps under his feet a little better.
Wen Xinglin reached out to grab the stair railing, but Bai Guigui stopped him, saying, "Don't touch it, it's dirty."
Wen Xinglin withdrew his outstretched hand and noticed a thick layer of dust piled up on the rusty handrail. "Why don't you clean the stairs when they're dirty? They'll get your clothes dirty."
Bai Guigui: "Everyone only cleans their own homes, no one cleans here."
Wen Xinglin: "When my second brother cleans the house, I help him wipe the stair railings. There is no dust on the stair railings in my house."
An Fusheng: "Don't talk, concentrate on watching where you're going."
Wen Xinglin: "Oh."
...
The three of them huffed and puffed their way up to the sixth floor. There were two doors facing each other on the sixth floor. Bai Guigui stopped in front of one of the doors, fumbled for his key in his bag, and inserted it into the lock in the dim light of his phone. After turning it for a while, he finally unlocked the door. He gently pushed the door to make sure the lock on the back was out of the lock slot, and said, "I'm home."
Seeing that no one was home so late, An Fusheng said, "Go in and turn on the lights."
Bai Guigui said, "No need, you can go. I can manage on my own."
The only light source in the entire world right now is the cell phone in An Fusheng's hand. An Fusheng thought that Bai Guigui might not want anyone to enter his house, so he said, "I'll turn on the light for you and then leave. We won't go in."
Bai Guigui had no choice but to say, "But my house is a bit messy."
Wen Xinglin quickly said, "Turn on the light quickly, otherwise you'll be left without light after my brother leaves."
Since he hadn't turned on the light, Bai Guigui figured the two weren't going to leave, so he opened the door, found the light switch on the wall, and clicked—the light came on.
There was no blinding light as I had imagined. The lights in the room were dim and not even as bright as An Fusheng's mobile phone flashlight, except that the beam was much wider than that of a flashlight.
An Fusheng glanced at the lamp that was emitting light. It was shaped like four trumpet flowers extending in all directions. Three of them were dark, probably because the lights inside were broken. So only one flower was left, which was the current source of light. The light inside flickered from time to time, as if it was about to go out at any moment.
An Fusheng was a little worried. "Are you really okay being home alone?"
Bai Guigui: "Yes, I can. I'm home alone every day. My grandma doesn't come back until very late."
From the moment they entered the stairwell, An Fusheng noticed that Bai Guigui seemed very uneasy, as if afraid that others would discover the situation in his home. An Fusheng didn't ask any further questions. "So what are you having for dinner?"
Bai Guigui: "I'll cook noodles for myself in a bit."
Wen Xinglin: "Guigui, you can cook noodles by yourself?"
Bai Guigui: "Mm."
"You're amazing!" Wen Xinglin exclaimed.
An Fusheng patted the carefree Wen Xinglin: "Let's go, we should go home."
An Fusheng, with Wen Xinglin in his arms, was about to turn around when he heard Bai Guigui call him, "Brother..."
"What's wrong?" An Fusheng asked.
Bai Guigui: "I'm sorry, I don't have any clean water glasses at home..."
An Fusheng: "It's alright, we're not thirsty."
Bai Guigui: "Thank you for taking me home."
An Fusheng: "You're welcome."
...
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Author's Note: Just wanted to let you know it's been a long time since my last update. The previous chapter was written too roughly, almost like copying an outline. I regretted it as soon as I posted it, and after much deliberation, I decided to revise it. Now that I've revised it, I can finally write with peace of mind.
Regarding the revisions to the previous chapter: Two thousand three hundred words have been added. The overall plot remains unchanged, but some more slice-of-life content has been added. This won't affect the plot flow if you don't read it, and reading it might even provide some enjoyment. (Revision time: around 9 PM on November 19th. Subsequent updates are just typo corrections; those who have already read them don't need to read them again.)
Perhaps the outline was too well-organized, because I ended up using it as I wrote (awkward (＞人＜;)... Based on my performance over the past period, daily updates might be a bit difficult, so I'll just update sporadically from now on. I'll write when inspiration strikes, post more when I write more, and post less when I write less, trying to avoid the embarrassing situation of having to use the outline when I can't write anything...
Okay, I've finished speaking, that's enough...
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