Chapter 117: Not Tired at All
Chapter 117: Not Tired at All
Accompanying Fang Yuenian in making his handmade paintings is truly a joyful experience.
—It would be even better if the artist could increase the speed a little.
Cheng Bing watched from the side, gradually put down his harmonica, propped his head up with his hand, and smiled slightly. He felt that Cheng Bing's attitude when he was doing practice questions and preparing for the exam was nothing special.
Fang Yuenian was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice the person next to him staring at him so intently he was practically dizzy.
Time passed slowly, and around ten o'clock, Cheng Bing fed the animals fruit for the fourth time, then asked with a sigh, "How does it feel to have someone keep you company while you work?"
Fang Yuenian, holding a brush in one hand, said without looking up, "Excellent!"
“Yes,” Cheng Bing sighed and nodded, “but when I was making book stands before, I was often all by myself.”
Fang Yuenian's expression changed in an instant, and she reached out her arm, but Cheng Bing blocked it.
Cheng Bing: "Hey, don't move around, I don't want to get dyed."
"I won't dye your hair," Fang Yuenian said with a forced smile, putting down her pen and rubbing it against him. "Our Brother Cheng has worked hard. How about I massage your legs and shoulders now, or maybe I can... uh, I can't play the harmonica, so I'll sing you a song?"
Cheng Bing moved the chair back, saying, "No, you hurry up and do your thing."
Both boys were a little embarrassed. Others might not know, but they knew themselves that after what happened last night, they couldn't afford to touch each other carelessly now.
Fang Yuenian said "Oh," and then added, "Okay."
Cheng Bing then said, "It's getting late, why don't we go home and come back tomorrow?"
Fang Yuenian looked at the candy wrappers that were almost completely dyed.
He separated them into three colors, light and dark shades of blue, which were originally meant to be left to dry. He reflected, "I'm too slow."
"That's good," Cheng Bing encouraged, after all, she had seen him picking out colors an hour ago and thought he wouldn't be able to get anything done tonight. "We can start earlier tomorrow."
Fang Yuenian said, "I'm going to talk to my mom about going out tomorrow, but I'm sure she'll agree."
Cheng Bing nodded, "Then I'll talk to my sister about it too."
"But if we go out to play, I'll have to carry all of these things with me. We can play during the day and work at night. What do you think?"
“I think it’s great,” Cheng Bing smiled. “Let’s pack up and go.”
Fang Yuenian's prediction was correct. Although Wang Jing had previously said that she hoped Fang Yuenian would stay home and rest for a few more days, she immediately agreed when she heard that he wanted to go out and play.
However, she still had a lot to tell her son.
"Mom will give you more money to take with you. When you're out and about, you can't always rely on your sister Xiaoxiao or Cheng Bing for money, whether it's for food, drinks, tickets, or anything else. You need to be more resourceful, understand? When you're staying with your sister Xiaoxiao, you need to be mindful of your words and actions. Don't be too casual. You two are big boys now, you need to be more sensible, do you hear me?"
Fang Yuenian said she understood, but then stopped her, saying, "Mom, I have some money of my own, enough for me."
"What can you possibly have with that little bit of money?" Wang Jing scolded playfully. "Besides, you can't possibly spend it all this summer, can you? Many students go on trips after finishing the college entrance exam. I was just about to ask you the other day, and they all have their parents paying for it, don't they? You had everything for free in junior high school, and you got scholarships in high school. You haven't spent much money these past few years. Besides, it's better to bring more money with you when you go out. It would be so inconvenient if you didn't have enough."
Fang Yuenian explained, "It's not a far-off place. Train tickets only cost a few dozen yuan. Besides, Sister Xiaoxiao said that many famous attractions there offer free admission. Even if they don't, we are high school students taking the college entrance exam, so we can get a discount by bringing our exam admission tickets."
Wang Jing laughed, "The current policies are really good. Students get discounts everywhere they go. I heard that when I go to university, I'll get discounts on train tickets too!"
“Yes,” Fang Yuenian said, “Anyway, we’ll decide when to leave after Cheng Bing asks Sister Xiaoxiao.”
Wang Jing went on to say a lot of things to be careful about, and then gave Fang Yuenian some money to spend, telling him to keep it for later if he couldn't spend it all.
When it comes to money, Wang Jing is absolutely unwilling to wrong Fang Yuenian.
Aside from the meager income from farming and the odd jobs she took from the village's garment factory, the Fang family's only source of income was Teacher Fang's salary.
Fang Wu often said he wanted to go out and work, but he always worked sporadically and lost money playing mahjong. He never brought any money home all year round.
However, the family's expenses are limited. Teacher Fang used to live and eat at the school, and now that she's retired, she can do whatever she wants. Grandma Fang and her old friends play cards for small amounts of money. In recent years, her daughter-in-law has taken care of all the family's food, drink, and social obligations, and she has been quite considerate.
Therefore, Fang Yuenian was still the one she was most worried about.
As a teenage boy, her son was much easier to manage than other children. He seemed to have no demands for anything, and could wear the same clothes and shoes for a long time. He saved a lot of his living expenses during his three years of high school, and he usually didn't want any trendy gadgets like electronic products. She saw this and felt both gratified and heartbroken.
He would only spend time and money on something outside of his studies for Cheng Bing or his two older sisters. So when Wang Jing found out that he bought Cheng Bing a cell phone, she thought it was the right thing to do.
Cheng Xiaoxiao replied that she could come anytime, as she was not busy with work at the moment.
These past few days, Cheng Junjun has been dedicated to digging up her parents' love story. Having lived under Cheng Qiuyan's watchful eye for so long, she's been eager to get rid of her younger brother as soon as possible.
"Come here," she said, pulling Cheng Bing aside when no one was around. "Let me give you a heads-up: there's a really handsome guy pursuing me. If you go there, you might want to check him out."
Cheng Bing asked in surprise, "What?"
"What?!" Cheng Junjun raised an eyebrow. "Is it strange that I've always had a long line of suitors since I was a child?"
"No," Cheng Bing shook her head. "I know, but what about you, sis? Do you also have a long line of suitors?"
Cheng Junjun was outmaneuvered and put on a stern face: "What's it to you? You should be minding your own business."
After saying that, her expression turned a little strange. She patted Cheng Bing and said, "Go on, pack your things. Don't bring too much. Leave some space in your suitcase. Mom needs to bring things for my sister."
Cheng Bing didn't have much to bring, and Fang Yuenian didn't either, but he had to carry his artwork and a large box of odds and ends.
Cheng Xiaoxiao was worried that the two of them would be too much of a burden, so she specifically told her mother not to give them anything to add to their burden.
Cheng Junjun said, "How could I? How could I bear to let two high school seniors get tired?"
When Cheng Xiaoxiao met him at the train station, she was startled by her younger brother, who was carrying two large bags and looked travel-worn, as if he were seeking refuge.
The suitcases were already full, but the main problem was that there were some pickled ginger and chili sauce in glass jars. To avoid breaking them, the two of them had to carry them by hand, taking great care not to bump or damage them on the way. They practically carried them all the way.
The train station was bustling with people. The two young men were tall and handsome, attracting a lot of attention, but they were too clumsy. Fang Yuenian's backpack was full and too heavy, containing food that Cheng Junjun had prepared for the train. Cheng Bing pushed a suitcase and carried two large bags.
Afraid of missing the time, Cheng Xiaoxiao took a taxi directly after work. She was a little worried about her two underage brothers. As a result, she recognized them at a glance in the crowd and was stunned on the spot.
"Sister!" Fang Yuenian also saw Cheng Xiaoxiao and waved energetically, "We're here!"
Cheng Xiaoxiao hurried over to take them, not knowing for a moment whose hands to take first. "How can there be so much stuff? You two came here to have fun, not to move in and live here."
Cheng Bing: "We didn't pack it properly when we left."
Fang Yuenian: "Yes, as a result, I ended up having more and more things in my hands."
Cheng Xiaoxiao was both amused and exasperated. "Let's go, let's go, let's just go get a taxi."
She tried to accept gifts from either of them, but they both said they were fine, not tired, and didn't need anything.
Cheng Xiaoxiao's place is a two-bedroom suite, which she just rented in the spring. It was mainly for Cheng Junjun's internship, and now her younger brothers are coming over to play for a few days.
As soon as Fang Yuenian entered, she started praising the place, saying how sunny it was and how nice the environment was. Cheng Xiaoxiao invited them to put down their things and have some water, but when they opened the box, they found it was full of all kinds of food for her.
This left her somewhat helpless. When Cheng Bing called home to let her know she was safe, she took the phone and said in a drawn-out voice, "Mom, they must be exhausted from the journey. Why did you bring me so much stuff?"
Cheng Qiuyan stopped indulging her son at this moment. "They are two strong young men. Ask them if they are tired."
Fang Yuenian and Cheng Bing: "Not tired at all, not tired at all."
Cheng Xiaoxiao was amused, "That's too much, how long am I supposed to eat it all? I haven't even finished the duck feet buns you sent me last time."
"Let them eat together for the next few days. They've never been far from home or stayed away from home before. If they don't like the food, we can make them something that tastes like home," Cheng Qiuyan said thoughtfully. "Stop talking. You two should cool off first and then we'll make dinner."
In addition to what Cheng Qiuyan brought, Wang Jing also prepared some everyday items, two kinds of dried goods, and a small box of black goji berries that someone had given her before.
When Cheng Xiaoxiao saw this, she found it strange and asked Cheng Bing, "Where did you get this? Mom asked me to bring a box of red goji berries, but I didn't because I was afraid of wasting them."
Fang Yuenian quickly moved closer to her, looking slightly uneasy: "Sister Xiaoxiao, this is what I brought for you... I heard it can improve eyesight and calm the mind, anyway it's pretty good, you can soak it in water and drink it."
Cheng Xiaoxiao looked at him. "This must be very expensive, right?"
"No, no," Fang Yuenian quickly waved her hand, "It's fine as is."
Cheng Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Okay then, thank you so much, Niannian. Oh, by the way, how was your journey? Was it smooth sailing?"
Fang Yuenian said, "It went quite smoothly, but there was an aunt across from us who kept trying to find out if he had a girlfriend."
The person who was mentioned stiffened, realizing that this person was starting to settle scores.
The aunt on the bus was so enthusiastic it was almost overwhelming. She kept pressing Cheng Bing to ask if he had a girlfriend, so Cheng Bing had no choice but to say yes. The aunt then asked what kind of girl she was. "A classmate? She must have a great personality, be very gentle and pretty, right?"
So Cheng Bing had no choice but to sculpt Fang Yuenian in clay, saying, "Hmm, he's very handsome and gentle."
Cheng Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise, "No way, you two look like kids!"
"What?" Fang Yuenian was very dissatisfied. "How old are we? Sister Xiaoxiao, don't always treat us like children. That auntie asked us for a long time today and kept praising how good-looking he is."
"Didn't I praise you?" Cheng asked with a smile.
"No." Fang Yuenian lied without batting an eye.
Cheng Bing, who was packing his suitcase, couldn't stand it anymore and said, "You praised me."
"It was just a coincidence, I didn't want to seem too impolite. She mainly wanted to find out about you, especially after hearing that we got off at the same stop. I felt like she couldn't wait to take you to her house for dinner."
Cheng Xiaoxiao couldn't stop laughing and added, "It's normal. When I took him out as a child, I was always afraid that he would be taken away by other people's adults."
"Really??" Fang Yuenian smiled meaningfully. "Then you'd better keep a close eye on them." Author's Note: Thank you to my mentor 9492239 (9492239) for your support! For more exciting content, please leave a message for this book on Liancheng Reading.
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