Chapter 122 (One-two-two-one update)
During the meal, Zhou Weifang chatted with Xiao about the batch of electronic watches he had brought back, saying, "When I arrived, I went to the department store to inquire, and they said that they couldn't supply any new watches these days."
If the store doesn't have it, his stuff will sell better.
Digital watches have been a hot-selling item lately. Luo Hong said, "It's a pity we're on holiday, otherwise we could sell them right outside Jiaotong University. I've discovered that these students are the richest."
Luo Yan chimed in, "I discovered that day that everyone was even buying imported sex glasses."
Imported goods will have labels from Guangzhou or Hong Kong with small foreign words written on them. Buyers deliberately don't remove them to distinguish them from domestically produced goods, since they are much more expensive.
Luo Hong: "Doesn't your school prohibit wearing them?"
Even the first student to wear bell-bottoms was warned by the academic affairs office.
Luo Yan: "If you see a teacher, just take it off and hide. You can't fight against everyone. Look how many people are wearing them on the street these days?"
As if overnight, everyone had one.
That's true. If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if it's going to remarry, you can't stop it.
Luo Hong: "You should buy one and wear it too."
Luo Yan wrinkled her nose: "They look weird, I don't like them."
Luo Hong said she didn't understand: "This is a trend, it's fashionable, and you watch TV every day."
This thing was popularized by an American TV series.
Luo Yan leaned forward a little to show her brother: "See this face? Do I need to be fashionable?"
Indeed, with such beautiful eyes, covering them would only diminish their charm.
Zhou Weifang nodded and said, "Absolutely not."
He wasn't the one being asked the question, yet he interrupted and answered it.
Although Luo Yan had always considered herself to be good-looking, she felt inexplicably embarrassed by his assertive words in front of her, and her eyes drooped slightly.
Luo Hong, on the other hand, always liked to contradict his sister on these matters, saying, "You're number one in thick-skinnedness, no, you're only thick-skinned at home."
Luo Yan was known as a bully at home, saying, "But outside, people could beat me up at any time."
She can't win an argument or fight, and if she gets hurt in the process, it will be even more of a loss.
Zhou Weifang's heart suddenly tightened upon hearing this: "Did someone hit you?"
Luo Yan brought up old grievances: "Apart from my parents, everyone who has ever hit me is here."
"So what if I hit you?" Luo Hong said righteously. "Don't you deserve a beating?"
The siblings fight and bicker three hundred times a day, so many times that it's impossible to count them all.
Zhou Weifang had no recollection of it at all and instinctively denied it, saying in a panic, "Impossible, I've never hit you?"
The only girls he ever fought with were his two older sisters.
Luo Hong also realized, "I don't remember having any either."
Despite his childhood jokes about giving his younger sister away to the chicken feather collector in exchange for candy, he was actually extremely protective of her and would never let anyone lay a finger on her.
Since they all denied it, Luo Yan insisted on arguing with them, but she was also a little unclear about the cause and course of events, so she tried to recall the details: "It was winter, and I was wearing very thick clothes. You took a stick from the broom and hit me."
But as she continued, she herself seemed less confident: "My brother is here too. Oh, what are you doing here?"
Luo Hong retorted, "You're asking me? Who should I ask?"
He added, "You must have misremembered."
Luo Yan was very confident in her memory and racked her brains: "There must be, but what was it for again?"
She wouldn't give up until she figured this out today, so much so that she didn't even bother to eat. She muttered to herself, "It must be my fault, because I'm not angry when I think about it."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Weifang breathed a sigh of relief and then fell into reminiscence.
His mind seemed to be constantly regressing to his childhood, and he actually remembered it, giving his childhood friend a slap on the elbow as a hint: "Old hag."
"Who are you cursing?" Luo Hong was about to reply when he paused, then clapped his hands: "Oh, it's that time."
Not satisfied with just patting himself, he also patted his sister: "You almost got kidnapped, do you know that?"
Luo Yan touched the back of her hand and shook her head slightly: "I don't know."
Look at her innocent face, and she still has the nerve to say that someone hit her.
Luo Hong still feels a chill run down his spine when he talks about it: "If the three parties hadn't seen you leaving with someone, you wouldn't know where you'd been sold off to."
Saying it like that makes it seem like I have a reason to be beaten.
Luo Yan didn't actually want to "settle scores" with anyone, but since the topic had been brought up, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight without figuring things out, so she gave a look of sudden realization.
Zhou Weifang nudged his childhood friend impatiently: "You have to say first that you asked me to hit him."
He was utterly wronged!
Luo Hong clicked his tongue: "She's wearing seven or eight layers of clothing, all rolled up like a ball, and it doesn't hurt. You only managed to slap her twice, but you couldn't really hit her."
He thought he should teach his sister a lesson, but he couldn't bring himself to be ruthless, so he asked his childhood friend to be the bad guy. Unexpectedly, he spoke with great bravado, but as soon as his sister cried out, he abandoned the situation and ran away faster than if he were being chased by eight dogs.
Zhou Weifang emphasized: "You started crying before I even started, so I didn't dare to use any force at all."
Based on his experience in fighting, this couldn't be categorized as assault, especially since he couldn't refuse his childhood friend's hospitality, having accepted half a candied hawthorn.
Luo Yan: "I'm a very reasonable person, so it's okay if you really hit me."
She could imagine how panicked her brother must have been at the time, and perhaps she herself had been so frightened that she had completely forgotten even the smallest details, and he hadn't mentioned a single thing about it over the years.
Zhou Weifang felt a little relieved. Seeing that her expression didn't seem angry, he thought to himself that he had a lot of "crimes" with her. He scratched his head in exasperation.
Luo Yan was immediately in a good mood. She would take a bite of meat and then watch him scratch his head and cheeks, giving her the illusion of watching a monkey in a zoo.
Luo Hong felt he bore some responsibility for the situation, so he tried to smooth things over for his childhood friend, saying, "It's okay, now you've fallen into her trap too."
He thought about it and felt that the things in the world were truly wonderful. He took a sip of the pork rib soup and said, "You two idle people can eat slowly."
As soon as his childhood friend left, Zhou Weifang shuffled over and said, "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to."
Luo Yan raised an eyebrow: "Anyway, I'm not going to apologize for hitting you."
Zhou Weifang remembered and chuckled: "Besides your brother, you only dare to hit me."
Luo Yan is a bully at home, usually only messing with her older brother. But she's extremely protective of her brothers from outside. When she was little, she couldn't tell the difference between playful banter and teasing. If she saw Zhou Weifang pushing and shoving her brother, she would immediately rush over and scratch him.
Strictly speaking, she is the one who should apologize years later.
But seeing Zhou Weifang's inexplicable pride, she asked curiously, "You seem quite pleased with yourself for being beaten."
Zhou Weifang gave a thumbs-up and pointed in Luo Hong's direction: "Besides him, it's me."
These six words were enough to make him overjoyed.
Just talk, why are you giving me that sticky look?
Luo Yan was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, and punched him lightly: "Eat your food, you have to finish what you bought."
She brought enough for herself and her brother. Her mother had already filled the lunchbox to the brim, but Zhou Weifang bought four extra dishes—three meat dishes and one vegetable dish.
With such a large portion, how could he possibly finish it? He shouted, "Radish, you're partly to blame too! Digest it a bit and keep eating!"
Without turning his head, Luo Hong asked, "Who's responsible?" He replied, "I told you to buy two groceries, but you're just being a show-off."
His throat was already choked with "motherly love," and he couldn't eat another bite.
Zhou Weifang made an excuse: "I thought you were talking about those two, what were they called again?"
He turned towards Luo Yan when he said the last five words.
Luo Yan: "Approximately."
That's right, Zhou Weifang: "You didn't explain it clearly yourself."
Luo Hong considers himself illiterate, and he is quite self-righteous about it.
He said, "Speak in a way that people can understand."
This left Zhou Weifang speechless, and he could only say, "Then I'll rest for a while before I eat."
Resting here? How long are you planning to stay?
Luo Hong: "No, don't you have your own place?"
Zhou Weifang: "I was already homeless."
For him, the attic was just a temporary place to stay and could not be called a home. His parents' place was not a place for him to stay, so it would be appropriate to say that he was homeless.
He used to say those four words all the time, and Luo Hong was used to it, but it was the first time Luo Yan had heard them. She felt a pang of sadness and was inexplicably angry for him.
Zhou Weifang had already accepted reality and felt that maintaining the current distance between himself and his parents was good enough. He simply turned his head and said, "But I will definitely buy a big house in the future."
He was still laughing, but Luo Yan was also angry with him: "A house isn't a home."
Zhou Weifang cautiously probed, "If I live alone, then of course it doesn't count."
He kept watching her expression as he spoke.
Luo Yan wasn't so stupid as to not understand the implication. She played with a strand of hair in her hand, avoiding a direct response, and changed the subject: "Perfect timing, my brother is about to be kicked out of the house too, you two can team up."
Wait a minute, Luo Hong: "Why should I be kicked out of my home?"
It turns out that even while he was working, he was also keeping his ears perked up.
Luo Yan: "Mom was cleaning the room today and found a pair of smelly socks under your bed that I don't know when they came from. She said you'll see tonight when you get home."
"How could that be?" Luo Hong said. "I only wear three pairs of socks in rotation. How could I not know if one pair was missing?"
Luo Yan: "So we don't know which year it is."
That makes even less sense, Luo Hong said: "She's swept the area several times this year alone."
That makes sense, Luo Yan said: "Anyway, there is some, maybe some dirty bastard is trying to pin it on you."
After saying that, she realized it was July in the lunar calendar, so she quickly covered her mouth, only revealing her big, round eyes. She caught a glimpse of Zhou Weifang seemingly "making fun of" her, and snorted.
Zhou Weifang wasn't joking; he simply found her very cute and asked, "Are you coming again tomorrow?"
Luo Yan: "I'm not coming. School starts soon, and I've only just started writing my report."
Universities in Beijing have short summer vacations and the start of the new semester is very early. She has already spent more than half a month just collecting information, and there are only a few days left.
Of all things under the heavens, her studies are undoubtedly the most important.
Zhou Weifang: "Then I won't come either."
"Who's talking to him?" Luo Yan asked. "Weren't you going to sell watches?"
He wanted to sell the watch, but he was also very anxious because he couldn't see her for several days at a time.
Zhou Weifang originally planned to make more trips to Fujian to make the electronic watch business work. However, firstly, it was not appropriate to entrust the car dealership to his childhood friend, and secondly, this kind of life of traveling all year round was not a big deal. The risks of each trip were greater than he had imagined.
He thought he should consider something else, and said, "There are 24 hours in a day, so I can still find time to come."
Luo Yan crossed her arms: "You can't treat yourself like a spinning top."
She gave him a few words of advice on taking care of his health, and felt that he had really lost a lot of weight since returning from his trip to Fujian: "I have to do my homework at home before school starts."
She really puts her heart and soul into her homework. When will I ever be able to do that?
Before Zhou Weifang could say anything, she jumped up and said, "I'll go back and write it right now."
It was only a little past seven o'clock, and the streets were bustling with activity; the sky wasn't completely dark yet. Luo Hong wasn't worried, and upon hearing this, he simply instructed, "Ride slowly."
Zhou Weifang seized the opportunity to suggest, "I'll take her home; it's on my way back to the shop."
"What's the point of telling myself?" Luo Hong shrugged. "You two can decide for yourselves. My opinion doesn't count."
Zhou Weifang turned his head: "Is that okay?"
Luo Yan thought about it carefully and gave herself a way out: "It's almost the Ghost Festival."
What's wrong with the Ghost Festival? Zhou Weifang's mind worked quickly: "Yeah, it's kind of scary to walk alone. We're going the same way anyway, let's walk together."
That's right, it was on the way.
Luo Yan repeated the instructions to herself one last time before walking out first.
Zhou Weifang followed closely behind on his bicycle.
After they both left, Luo Hongcai realized, "Damn it, Zhou Weifang left this leftovers for me."
I only felt satisfied after cursing the kid a couple of times because he was very cunning.
But Zhou Weifang really didn't do it on purpose. It was just that when Luo Yan said she was leaving, that was all he could think about, and he couldn't let go of anything else.
Even though she couldn't see his eyes, Luo Yan seemed to sense that intense gaze and gripped the brakes.
Zhou Weifang immediately stopped beside her and asked, "What's wrong?"
Luo Yan: "Don't keep staring at me, just ride your bike properly."
Zhou Weifang honestly replied, "I will try my best."
He then asked, "If you're coming to see Luo Hong someday, could you let me know?"
Perhaps because he has always been the kind of decisive leader since childhood, this questioning posture makes him seem all the more pitiful and aggrieved.
Luo Yan: "I don't know when I'll come."
Zhou Weifang: "It's okay, I can come anytime."
Luo Yan was planning to go to the library to find some materials when she suddenly remembered: "You haven't been reading lately, have you? School starts soon."
Book… Zhou Weifang touched his nose guiltily.
Luo Yan knew: "Since you have so much time, come with me to the library to review your lessons."
Whenever the library was mentioned, Zhou Weifang would think of Zhou Xiuhe, and how he had watched them laughing and chatting in the corner, his heart felt like it was being tugged in someone's hand.
Luo Yan only remembered seeing Zhou Xiuhe in the library after noticing a slight change in his expression, and then belatedly realized: so he had liked her back then.
She felt like she was rubbing chili peppers into someone's wounds, and said, "Uh, never mind, you can look it up yourself when you have time."
"Stop calculating," Zhou Weifang admitted, "I haven't looked at the book since the final exam."
What?! Luo Yan didn't discuss it with him: "I'll tell you in advance when I go, otherwise how will you keep up with the start of the semester?"
If you don't consolidate your foundation after all that hard work, you'll have to start all over again soon, and all your time will be wasted.
Zhou Weifang deeply reflected: "Yes, I was wrong, but I was just too busy."
Luo Yan blurted out, "I see you have a lot of time today."
Zhou Weifang had just returned to Beijing and had a lot of things to do today. If it weren't for her coming over tonight, the three of them would have left after dinner.
He said, "Yanyan, she only came into being because of you."
Luo Yan felt her ears were burning, so she brushed her stray hairs down to cover them and said somewhat solemnly, "Zhou Weifang, I need to think about it some more."
Zhou Weifang knew what she was thinking, and thought that at least he wasn't completely meaningless to her, so he said, "It's okay, take your time to think about it. Don't feel pressured. I'm doing everything voluntarily."
If it were someone else's choice, Luo Yan wouldn't feel any pressure at all. After all, if she were always feeling guilty about these things, she would have changed partners a hundred times by now.
However, the same thing can have different effects on different people. She admitted that she was biased towards Zhou Weifang, but she could also see that: "Why didn't you say that when you were playing the victim?"
We sell because someone wants to buy.
Zhou Weifang: "I want you to look at me more."
Look, their true colors are written all over their faces.
Luo Yan glanced at him sideways: "Don't talk anymore, let's go."
The two rode their bikes side by side, only going their separate ways when they were almost at the entrance of the alley.
Luo Yan turned a corner and went home, only to find her parents participating in a lively discussion with the neighbors at the gate of the courtyard. As she passed by, she poked her mother's lower back.
Liu Yinfeng was startled. She turned around and saw her daughter. She said, "There's a watermelon in the refrigerator."
He then gestured to her with his eyes to stop listening and go inside quickly.
It seems to be something that young girls shouldn't hear, but it's nothing more than things between men and women.
Luo Yan wasn't curious. She lifted the front of the car, stepped over the threshold, and went inside to eat watermelon.
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Author's note: I'm going out for a walk before I go home to write, since it's not raining.
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