When Li Shuo received the call, he was eating at a roadside stall with a group of junior high school boys. The boys had huge appetites; they had ordered a lot, but they finished it in just a few bites.
When Chu Yigui said that Yang Xiaoyu was going to treat them to dinner, he was stunned and looked around at the starving ghosts.
"Okay, okay, no problem. Where is it? We'll go right away. Oh? You're coming to find it? Then I'll send you the location."
Li Shuo never imagined that he would one day be able to show his face in front of Yang Xiaoyu.
"Chu Yigui's mother is coming over in a little while; she's treating us to dinner."
When Fu Zhengyu heard the name Chu Yigui's mother, wasn't the first person he thought of Wan Qiu's mother?
After hearing what Wan Qiu said on the phone, Fu Zhengyu was almost dying of jealousy for having such a mother, and he was also a little curious about this mother.
"Why is his mother inviting us to dinner?" Some people didn't understand, but they were clearly unhappy that other parents were coming along.
"Don't be upset. When they arrive, you can eat and drink as much as you want, even until you're stuffed. You can even take some good food home. Their mother said she'll send a car to take each of you to your doorstep tonight!"
Hearing that they could eat and drink to their heart's content and that it would be delivered to their door, everyone finally showed some excitement.
Li Shuo looked at his classmates and friends and laughed, calling them idiots. He knew that no one knew whether eating was more important or Yang Xiaoyu was more important.
"Wanqiu's mom is really good." Fu Zhengyu, who had been 'bullied' today, sat next to Li Shuo, eating skewers in his hand, and said, "If my mom could treat me like Wanqiu's mom, I wouldn't be afraid of anything."
Li Shuo scoffed and didn't reply.
He had only heard his parents talk about the Chu family, but he didn't know the specifics.
I only remember my parents saying that their family was only a little bit rich, and that they couldn't even be compared to the Chu family's social class.
Li Shuo shared his location with Chu Yigui, and only when he saw that there was only a straight-line distance left did he look up.
Seeing that Chu Yigui had also spotted them from afar, he turned off his phone's location services.
Li Shuo narrowed his eyes.
Did Wan Qiu hold Chu Yigui's hand like a clingy little devil today?
However, Li Shuo gradually saw Wan Qiu following behind Chu Yigui, and Wan Qiu was holding someone else's hand.
She is a woman, dressed fashionably, with exquisite makeup, and a beautiful, young appearance.
Li Shuo: "..." That's Yang Xiaoyu? The mother of several children?
After Yang Xiaoyu approached, she first glanced at the plate full of barbecue oil, which was almost empty.
"Good evening everyone, I'm Yi Gui and Wan Qiu's mother. Have you paid the bill? Can we have another meal? Auntie will take you to eat something delicious!"
“Go,” Li Shuo said immediately.
"Where would you like to go?" Yang Xiaoyu smiled and covered her mouth, her delicate and beautiful eyes full of laughter. "We are friends of Yi Gui and Wan Qiu, so we must treat them well."
A large group of people entered the hotel in a grand procession.
Yang Xiaoyu told people to order whatever was delicious.
But while everyone was hesitating over the prices on the menu, Yang Xiaoyu glanced around and said to the waiter, "Just bring as much meat, vegetables and seafood as possible, whatever is best."
The waiter made recommendations, and Yang Xiaoyu nodded in agreement.
A few boys huddled together furtively to look at the prices on the menu, and they all gasped in shock.
These dishes were completely affordable for Yang Xiaoyu; if she wanted a more refined meal, it wouldn't cost much.
However, a group of boys are more concerned with whether the food is good or not than whether it is plentiful. How could boys who are still growing eat only a little bit each time like Wanqiu?
Yang Xiaoyu watched her classmates enjoying their food as it was served, then went to check on her two children.
Chu Yigui has always been very refined when eating. She once took a month-long etiquette course and has maintained this manner ever since.
But Wanqiu...
Yang Xiaoyu couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
Wanqiu, who has always been a light eater, seemed to be infected by the hearty eating habits of the others at the table.
A hint of envy seemed to linger in her beautiful eyes. She lowered her head and, mimicking everyone else, opened her mouth wide and stuffed a piece of meat into it, her cheeks bulging out.
Yang Xiaoyu was charmed by it and even wanted to record a video.
While everyone was jokingly substituting drinks for alcohol, Li Shuo and Yang Xiaoyu started chatting.
Yang Xiaoyu wasn't unaware that Li Shuo was deliberately trying to get close to her, but she wouldn't refuse if he was her child's friend.
After inquiring about Li Shuo's family background, Yang Xiaoyu drank a few more sips of her beverage.
I initially thought he was a business partner or the son of a big entrepreneur.
But we don't know each other at all...
I haven't heard of it. I'll ask Zhao Jingyue to check when I get back and see if there's any business dealings between us.
"By the way, who was the child who helped our baby today?" Yang Xiaoyu asked.
Li Shuo immediately turned his head and called Fu Zhengyu's name.
"Auntie." The ten-year-old child was still rather reserved in front of his elders, but he did not hide his affection for Yang Xiaoyu.
"Thank you for speaking up for Wanqiu today." Yang Xiaoyu opened her phone. "Please let me know your parents are calling so we can thank them."
Fu Zhengyu's eyes lit up immediately; he could avoid getting beaten up!
Fu Zhengyu watched helplessly as Yang Xiaoyu made the phone call.
He saw Yang Xiaoyu smiling and thanking his parents, hoping they wouldn't punish Fu Zhengyu when they got home, and expressing her gratitude that Fu Zhengyu was willing to be friends with her child.
Fu Zhengyu was still somewhat dazed when Yang Xiaoyu finally hung up the phone.
"What's wrong?" Yang Xiaoyu asked with a smile.
“Other people’s parents don’t let others play with me, saying I’m a bad student,” Fu Zhengyu said.
However, Yang Xiaoyu shrugged: "Would you treat Wan Qiu badly?"
Fu Zhengyu was taken aback.
"Would you take Wanqiu to smoke?" Yang Xiaoyu asked.
Fu Zhengyu immediately shook his head.
"Would you take Wanqiu into a fight?"
Fu Zhengyu immediately retorted, "They insulted us first."
"Would you let Wanqiu do something bad?"
Fu Zhengyu shook his head.
"Wanqiu in my family has always considered you a good friend."
Yang Xiaoyu rested her chin on her hand, seemingly recalling the things Wan Qiu had rambled on about during their phone call that evening.
For example, Fu Zhengyu gave him a piece of meat today.
For example, today Fu Zhengyu taught him how to play basketball.
For example, he would tell Fu Zhengyu before he went to the toilet after class.
Wan Qiu was probably quite lost in the unfamiliar classroom.
However, because Fu Zhengyu kept asking Wan Qiu to play, Wan Qiu was more inclined to integrate into the class.
With the help of her friends, her child is having a great time at school.
Yang Xiaoyu thought to herself, "This child in front of me is a little hero."
Fu Zhengyu scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "It was Brother Li Shuo who asked me to take Wan Qiu out to play more."
"Then please take care of Wanqiu more often in the future? I would be very grateful if you could do that, and I will treat you to some delicious food in the future."
Yang Xiaoyu tilted her head, her long, wavy hair cascading down her shoulders, and the curve of her smile was also very beautiful.
For some reason, Fu Zhengyu suddenly felt a sense of mission at this moment.
It's as if taking care of Wanqiu is a great honor.
Looking at Fu Zhengyu, who had already given a few words of agreement, Yang Xiaoyu suddenly realized that children are all adorable in their own way.
Fu Zhengyu looked up and glanced at Wan Qiu, who was sitting next to Yang Xiaoyu.
Wan Qiu also seemed to be peeking over with some curiosity.
The two children's eyes met, and Fu Zhengyu suddenly realized that Wan Qiu would be his best buddy from now on!
Wanqiu felt that everyone was happy since her mother came.
Wan Qiu still remembers Chu Yigui saying that her mother and other classmates had nothing in common, but Wan Qiu didn't think so at all.
My mom seems to be able to chat happily with anyone.
But the younger brother can't be wrong.
Then it must be because Mom is too amazing.
Wan Qiu held Yang Xiaoyu and Chu Yigui's hands as they walked together on the road at night.
Wan Qiu looked up at the starry sky, which was just as bright in the city, and it was very different from the sky he used to see when he looked out of his narrow little window.
Even though it was in the city, Wan Qiu was walking on the road, and all the lights illuminating the road around him were warm.
"How did you do on your exam, my darling?" Yang Xiaoyu asked.
"It seems to be well written, but I haven't had time to check the answers yet."
"I remember there's a short holiday after the midterm exams," Yang Xiaoyu asked with a smile. "Before that, I think there's a parent-teacher conference."
Wan Qiu thought for a moment and said, "Yes."
The teacher mentioned it in class.
"Does Yigui also have parent-teacher meetings?" Yang Xiaoyu asked.
"Yes."
"The parent-teacher meeting at Yigui before..."
"Uncle Song Wenqiu helped me open it," Chu Yigui said.
"How about Mom attends your parent-teacher conference this year?"
Yang Xiaoyu's words completely surprised Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui turned her head and looked past Wanqiu at Yang Xiaoyu on the other side.
"Mom, this is my brother's first real parent-teacher conference. Maybe it would be better to go to his."
“It would be better to go to the younger brother.” However, just as Chu Yigui finished speaking, Wan Qiu said.
Chu Yigui lowered her head and said to Wan Qiu, "I don't need to worry too much."
Wan Qiu was taken aback: "Do I need to worry about this?"
Chu Yigui responded subconsciously, realizing that she had misspoke due to her surprise, and immediately thought about how to smoothly steer the conversation away from the topic.
“Yi Gui, it’s my regret that I haven’t attended your parent-teacher meetings before. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Yang Xiaoyu's hand, half-draped over Wan Qiu's shoulder, gently stroked Wan Qiu's short but soft hair with her fingertips.
Wanqiu's hair felt like a soft feather brush, sending a delicate sensation through her fingertips.
Yang Xiaoyu was probably influenced by Wan Qiu's softness.
"Can we give Mom a chance to make amends now? Of course, Wanqiu will attend the parent-teacher meeting."
Chu Yigui hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Mom, there's no need for that."
"I am the one who needs this kind of person. It is because I want to do something out of my own selfish reasons, not because of Yi Gui."
Yang Xiaoyu looked up, and those extremely beautiful eyes, inherited from Wan Qiu, made Chu Yigui feel as if he were looking at Wan Qiu, unable to resist her.
Chu Yigui opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't refuse.
"I understand, Mom. Let's do it that way."
Chu Yigui turned her head and met Wan Qiu's gaze.
Wanqiu was probably happy.
The slightly upturned corners of her lips seemed to hold the colorful light, making her joy bright and clear.
Chu Yigui sometimes felt that the huge Chu family was like a clock that had stopped turning because it was missing an important gear.
When Wanqiu, the gear of time, returns to its original state, the family's time begins to flow again.
He was merely a comical clock-telling bird that appeared on the clock every time the time came.
But now Chu Yigui feels that perhaps it is because of the return of the gears that the clock has started turning again that he, the clock-telling bird who is forever confined to a narrow and dark space, has the opportunity to find his own value.
——
Wan Qiu's midterm exam results were quite good.
When Wan Qiu received the final results, he was in a daze for a long time.
Looking at his test paper over and over again, he began to doubt how he could have achieved such a score.
Wan Qiu was always familiar with the test papers, which she always tried her best to fill out, but always ended up with single-digit scores.
Now, with a score that barely meets the passing mark, Wan Qiu has taken a huge step that he never dared to dream of.
“You scored higher than me.” Fu Zhengyu glanced at Wan Qiu several times after seeing Wan Qiu’s total score.
He remembered Li Shuo saying that Wan Qiu wasn't mentally sound, right? She seems pretty normal, isn't she?
No, it's still abnormal that he's Chu Yigui's older brother but is still in fifth grade.
Wan Qiu looked at his own exam paper, then at Fu Zhengyu's.
He held his exam paper, his eyes wide, unsure of the emotions surging within him.
It always makes his eyes feel dry and sore.
"What's wrong?" Fu Zhengyu tilted his head to look at Wan Qiu. "I didn't mean to say you were bad. I just said you did better than me on the exam."
Wan Qiu held the exam paper, her lips pursed, looking as if she was about to cry, while Fu Zhengyu anxiously jumped up and down beside her.
Aside from passing most subjects in English, Wanqiu only knew how to memorize vocabulary, but even memorizing vocabulary well was enough to get a good score in fifth grade.
When Wan Qiu got home that evening, he immediately rummaged through his schoolbag and showed the test paper to Jiang Chengfeng.
Jiang Chengfeng looked at the score several times.
"Oh my god! Your teacher is so proud of you."
Jiang Chengfeng's voice rose, and his sincere praise made Wan Qiu even happier than receiving a gift.
Jiang Chengfeng gave Wan Qiu a reward he had prepared beforehand: a box of chocolates. He remembered seeing Wan Qiu secretly hiding chocolates.
Wan Qiu took the exam papers and went to Chu Yigui's room.
"Wow, you're amazing! You actually got such a high score." Chu Yigui praised Wan Qiu when he saw the score that Wan Qiu had specifically shown him. "You got a lot of questions right."
Jiang Chengfeng stood at the door, looking at the two children, and kept smiling.
Wan Qiu moved closer to Chu Yigui.
"What about your younger brother's?" Wan Qiu also wanted to see Chu Yigui's grades.
Chu Yigui took out his exam paper.
Although Wan Qiu didn't know what exactly constituted a high score, Chu Yigui's clean and beautiful exam paper didn't contain a single incorrect mark.
The bright red score gave Wan Qiu a unique feeling.
Wan Qiu flipped through the exam papers.
He held up the test paper for Jiang Chengfeng to see and asked, "My brother did very well on the test, right?"
"Of course." Jiang Chengfeng was already impressed just by seeing the perfect score on the paper; at his age, he certainly didn't have Chu Yigui's abilities.
Wan Qiu remembered that Jiang Chengfeng had once mentioned that Chu Yigui was the top student in the grade.
"Is Chu Yigui also ranked first in the grade this time?" Jiang Chengfeng asked.
"Yes."
Chu Yigui answered very calmly, as if these results were just ordinary achievements for him.
But Wanqiu knew that his younger brother was also studying hard.
Wan Qiu always saw Chu Yigui studying.
The light on his desk is rarely turned off.
He always sat on the stool, his back straight, his head down, looking at the books on the table.
Wan Qiu remembers the continuous rustling sound of Chu Yigui's pen.
I also remember the sound of Chu Yigui turning the pages of a book.
My younger brother must be working very hard.
I'm so happy that my hard work has paid off, but why...?
Why is Chu Yigui unhappy?
Wanqiu looked at the exam paper he was holding in his arms.
I also took a look at Chu Yigui's exam paper.
Then suddenly he hugged all of Chu Yigui's exam papers to his chest.
Chu Yigui was somewhat surprised: "Brother?"
"Hehe." Wan Qiu happily circled around the house, clutching the test paper.
If Chu Yigui won't be happy about the results, then he can be happy for her on her behalf.
Wan Qiu thought of something, took the chocolates Jiang Chengfeng had given him, took out a few pieces for himself, and then put them all in Chu Yigui's hand.
Jiang Chengfeng made no attempt to hide his laughter when he saw Wan Qiu's actions.
Wanqiu looked at his extremely handsome younger brother, but still didn't smile.
But Wan Qiu vaguely sensed that Chu Yigui seemed happy.
Wan Qiu shared his own exam paper in the family group chat, and also sent Chu Yigui's beautiful exam paper to the family group chat one by one.
Wan Qiu received a lot of praise, as did Chu Yigui.
——
On the day of the parents' meeting, Chu Jianshu wore a casual suit. With his handsome appearance and tall stature, he stood out among the parents.
Wanqiu overheard many other parents secretly praising his father for being handsome, and how some aunties were always looking at him.
Wan Qiu, who already had a sense of gender and had even taken a physiology class with Jiang Chengfeng, felt that this should be called 'appreciation of the opposite sex'.
Wanqiu also wondered when he would be able to appreciate the opposite sex.
When the homeroom teacher holds a parent-teacher meeting, only the parents are in the classroom, while the other students are mostly waiting outside.
Wan Qiu and Fu Zhengyu peeked into the classroom together.
Among many adults, the first person Wan Qiu notices is Chu Jianshu.
Chu Jianshu stood out among the group of people. Wan Qiu didn't know if it was just his own feeling or if Chu Jianshu really did seem very unique among everyone.
Chu Jianshu looked up from his phone and immediately caught Wan Qiu's gaze, as if he had known from the beginning that Wan Qiu was watching him.
Wan Qiu and Fu Zhengyu both pulled their heads back, and Wan Qiu leaned against the wall.
She blinked, wondering why her dad looked especially handsome today.
“Your dad is so handsome,” Fu Zhengyu said to Wan Qiu very seriously.
“I also think Dad is very handsome.” Wan Qiu said very seriously, without any sense of modesty. “Your mom is also very beautiful.”
"She got up very early this morning and started getting ready and putting on makeup, which is unusual for her," Fu Zhengyu shrugged and asked again.
Wan Qiu nodded. Yang Xiaoyu had also put on a very beautiful makeup this morning, so beautiful that she seemed to be glowing.
"But your dad looks really fierce," Fu Zhengyu said casually. "He looks even fiercer than my dad."
Wan Qiu was stunned, not understanding why.
"Is your dad usually strict with you?" Fu Zhengyu asked.
Wan Qiu shook his head.
"That's probably just how it looks." Fu Zhengyu didn't take it to heart.
Wan Qiu's mind drifted back to the moments he shared with Chu Jianshu. He could only say that his father didn't seem to like talking much, and other than that…
It seems there's nothing wrong with it.
Is it fierce?
Wan Qiu quietly peeked into the classroom again and noticed that Chu Jianshu was talking to his deskmate's mother.
Chu Jianshu's expression was calm, but it seemed different from when he was facing him.
Wanqiu didn't know what this feeling was like.
It's like...
It's like looking down at something from a higher place.
Does this mean something ominous?
"What are you planning to do during the long weekend? Want to hang out?" Fu Zhengyu's voice suddenly interrupted Wan Qiu's thoughts.
Wan Qiu was taken aback, then replied, "Mom said she's going to reward my brother and me by taking us on a trip this holiday."
"Where are you going on vacation?" Fu Zhengyu asked.
Wan Qiu shook his head; he didn't know either.
Even Wanqiu was unfamiliar with the word "tourism".
"That's great," Fu Zhengyu said. "Remember to bring me a gift when you come back."
"Yes." Wan Qiu nodded, then said, "My younger brother's birthday is coming up after the short holiday."
"Huh? Brother Chu?" Fu Zhengyu thought for a moment about Chu Yigui. "Are you going to give him a surprise?"
Wan Qiu had thought about preparing a gift for Chu Yigui, but hadn't decided what kind of gift to give.
Not to mention a surprise.
"Wouldn't it be better to prepare a surprise?" Wan Qiu asked.
“That would be more interesting, wouldn’t it?” Fu Zhengyu said.
interesting?
Wan Qiu thought about his birthday.
"Then let's prepare a surprise." Wan Qiu thought, "Wouldn't it be a surprise if I just hid the gift and gave it to my brother on his birthday?"
"How are you going to prepare a surprise? You're usually with your younger brother, right?" Fu Zhengyu asked.
Wan Qiu opened his mouth, but couldn't refute it.
To fulfill his promise of protection, Wan Qiu spent most of his time with Chu Yigui, except when he was in a different class at school.
Wouldn't it be strange if they suddenly disappeared?
"How about this, when you get back from your trip, find a chance to sneak out, and I'll take you to pick out a gift," Fu Zhengyu suggested.
Wan Qiu thought for a moment: "Isn't it wrong to do it secretly?"
"Are you stupid? Oh no, you're really stupid," Fu Zhengyu said, changing the subject. "If you're going to prepare a surprise, doesn't that mean you have to do it secretly? What kind of surprise is it if it's all done openly and honestly?"
Wan Qiu thought about it and realized that seemed to be the case.
"But do Mom and Dad know where I am? Am I still sneaking around?" Wan Qiu looked at her bracelet.
"Just leave it at home, and sneak it out when no one is looking."
What should I do?
Wanqiu was bewildered.
Fu Zhengyu, who really wanted to help Wanqiu prepare a surprise, secretly plotted with Wanqiu their grand plan to sneak away and prepare the surprise.
Wan Qiu thought Fu Zhengyu was really smart.
They can come up with all sorts of very creative ideas.
Wan Qiu considered it very seriously, looking at his bracelet.
But he was still very hesitant.
The parent-teacher meeting didn't last long, and Wan Qiu soon saw Chu Jianshu come out.
His father was very tall, and when he looked down at him, although there was no smile on his face, Wanqiu felt that his father seemed to be in a good mood.
"Let's go, wander around, and wait for your mother and brother." Chu Jianshu ruffled Wan Qiu's hair.
Fu Zhengyu, who was standing to the side, was somewhat surprised by the interaction between Wan Qiu and Chu Jianshu.
They don't seem really fierce.
Chu Jianshu left with Wan Qiu, and Fu Zhengyu secretly mouthed to Wan Qiu, "Surprise!"
Wan Qiu did not respond until Fu Zhengyu was out of sight.
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