Chapter 19
"What are you doing, stealing chickens and doing other sneaky things? Are you in a relationship?"
Xu Zizhao ran alongside him, and Mu Zhengxi raised his hand and slapped him.
"Do I need to resort to underhanded tactics to date?"
"You're laughing so radiantly, aren't you?"
"I'll make you even more aroused later."
"No, Captain!"
"Hey, Lu Qirui!"
Xu Zizhao asked curiously, "Why did you call out to that ghost?"
Because Mu Zhengxi changed his route, Xu Zizhao had no choice but to follow him.
The person carrying the tennis bag hunched over, as if carrying a mountain on their back, making their already short stature appear even shorter, like a primary school student.
Since they were classmates in high school, Lu Qirui has always been the undisputed number one choice for the boys' team.
The person who looked up asked softly, "Is there something you need?" Their gaze was unfocused, and they didn't even dare to look directly at each other.
"Want to play soccer together this weekend?"
Xu Zizhao thought he was hallucinating. Not only did he think so, but Lu Qirui himself, upon hearing the invitation, looked at Mu Zhengxi as if he thought he had taken the wrong medicine.
Ignoring their reactions, Mu Zhengxi continued, "I see you often come to the football field, so you must be quite interested in football too."
The person who pursed their lips didn't speak and turned their face away.
"Oh, if you're not interested in football, we can play tennis too, and we can play together."
Mu Zhengxi nudged Xu Zizhao with his elbow. "Right, Xu Zizhao?"
Even if you find what your brother says incomprehensible, you can't refuse to give him face.
"Oh, yeah." Xu Zizhao hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "Let's hang out sometime."
The coach on the field called for everyone to assemble.
Mu Zhengxi patted Lu Qirui on the shoulder, "I'm leaving now. We're going to Xingyi Park to play football tomorrow around three or four o'clock. You can come along if you're interested."
Xu Zizhao was completely bewildered. He ran a few steps away and looked back, "Wait, did you take the wrong medicine???"
"What's wrong with me?"
"With his build, can he even play football properly? What if he kicks it and it falls apart?"
"When you first started playing football with us, weren't you just like that, looking like a skinny chicken?"
"So you're saying we're brothers, right??"
"Don't call him a ghost anymore, he has a name."
Xu Zizhao responded with an "oh," since everyone in the class had been calling him that, so he just followed suit.
Xu Zizhao nudged Mu Zhengxi with his elbow and teased, "What's going on all of a sudden, you righteous messenger?"
Mu Zhengxi stopped and said to him very seriously, "Xu Zizhao, we cannot be superficial people."
"What do you mean??? Superficial? How am I superficial?"
"Hey, you're insulting me, Mu Zhengxi!!!"
Mu Zhengxi's team, who missed the final group stage match due to competition, finished on Thursday, topping the standings with a perfect record of three wins and advancing to the knockout stage. However, this means the real competition has only just begun, and they cannot afford to be complacent in any of the following matches. This is not only because they have entered the knockout stage, but also because their seniors from the previous year won the championship with a perfect record. With the determination that they cannot be inferior this year, the entire team is training even harder than before.
Once you start making phone calls, you'll start making them again.
People don't actually have 100% of the right to explain their own behavior; often, actions precede consciousness.
The brain is like a public relations manager, automatically giving reasonable explanations. They were going to be husband and wife, so it's normal for them to get to know each other better now. Mu Zhengxi thought this way. Moreover, talking to Jiang Jiawei gave him a sense of comfort that he couldn't quite put his finger on. If he had to describe it, it was like a wrinkled shirt being neatly ironed, or a cotton quilt being fluffy and warm in the winter sun.
In short, it's very...good.
Jiang Jiawei's school has also entered the mid-term exam week. Although she was sick, she still had to make up for the two days of classes she missed over the weekend. Chen Jingyu brought her the homework and notes that the school had given her when she asked for leave.
"well enough?"
"I'm feeling much better today." Jiang Jiawei said, wearing the mask the clinic doctor had given her. "Stay away from me, I don't want to infect you." She turned her head and coughed lightly twice.
Chen Jingyu lay on her bed nonchalantly and began to mutter to herself.
"I've been so bored these past two days while you were away from school."
"And then there's your little brother Zhang Chao, who keeps asking me about your condition." Chen Jingyu was completely baffled. "When did you two become such close friends?"
“Zhang Chaoren was a good person to begin with.”
Chen Jingyu rolled her eyes at this, "Hey, but did you know that our English teacher is really pregnant? We were right."
"real?!"
"Yes, she told us that herself when I went to the office with the class representative to hand in our homework last time."
"That's great! Her wish has finally come true."
“Yes…” Chen Jingyu turned over and faced Jiang Jiawei, “But if she goes to have a baby next year, she won’t be able to teach our graduating class then.”
Hearing this, Jiang Jiawei also felt sad. "But no matter what, I'm still happy for her. Hasn't she wanted a child for a long time?"
Speaking of this, Chen Jingyu immediately sat up, indignantly saying, "I heard from our neighbors that her mother-in-law has been making sarcastic remarks about Teacher Wang a lot because of the children. Having children isn't just the woman's problem. Maybe her son can't have children. She's really sick. She only blames women for everything. She's a woman herself!"
"What do you mean, girls or boys?"
"Oh, Uncle, it's nothing."
"Jingyu, come on, have some grapes." Jiang Weichao placed the washed grapes on the chair between Jiang Jiawei and Chen Jingyu. "Thank you for coming all this way to deliver Jiajia's homework."
"Of course, of course. Jiajia always took care of me when I didn't go to school before. We're good friends, after all."
“Yes, good friends, you two chat, I won’t disturb you.” Jiang Weichao walked out, but turned back before closing the door and asked, “Jingyu, why don’t you have lunch at our house? Give your mom a call, your uncle bought a fresh sea fish today.”
Jiang Jiawei looked at her expectantly.
"Great! My mom's not home today, so I can eat out by myself."
"OK."
Jiang Weichao closed the door.
“Jiang Jiawei, I really envy you for having such a good father. He never gets angry and can cook delicious meals.” Chen Jingyu snorted and complained, “My dad, on the other hand, lies on the sofa all day and can’t stand moving.”
"Don't say that, Uncle Chen is so funny."
"He's all talk and no action. My mom said she was fooled by his smooth talk back then."
"You've got a sharp tongue now."
You're teasing me, aren't you?
"Haha, I didn't." Jiang Jiawei picked up a grape and hurriedly stuffed it into Chen Jingyu's mouth.
"Hey, where's your friend?"
"Who? Jung-hee?"
"yes."
"What's wrong?"
"Didn't you come back this week?"
"He doesn't come back often."
"Oh, I was just thinking, could I look at some handsome guys to feast my eyes on?"
"Hurry up and do your homework. After you're done, we'll go to the bookstore this afternoon."
"Great, these grapes are so sweet."
"Really? Hey, let's go buy some wheel cakes tonight, I suddenly really want some."
"Can you eat now?"
"Are the wheel cakes okay? They're fine, the red bean filling is no problem."
"But I'd rather have an egg burger."
"What should I do? I've thought about it too!!!"
"Ahhh!!! Hurry up and write, hurry up and write."
Wearing his new Warrior Medal, Mu Zhengxi returned to Changqing on the weekend of the new week, just as he had promised. He brought four or five large bags of cakes and chocolates, a whole set of comic books that Jiang Jiayi wanted to read, as well as "Me and the Temple of Heaven" that Jiang Jiawei had casually mentioned last time, and a deep orange hair tie.
Mu Zhengxi said it was a gift his sister, Mu Yashan, insisted on giving it to her, but he didn't say why. He then began to tell Jiang Jiayi about how their team had thrillingly come back from behind in the final minutes of overtime to take the lead and ultimately win.
Jiang Jia listened intently, but also felt a great sense of regret.
"It's a pity we live too far apart, otherwise I could have gone to your school to watch your game!"
"Why don't you come to Hanyang for fun? I'll buy you plane tickets, okay?" That's right, he came to Changqing the same way Jiang Jiawei and Jiang Jiayi can go to Changqing.
Mu Zhengxi looked at Jiang Jiawei with anticipation, but Jiang Jiawei just smiled.
Jiang Jiayi raised the most crucial question: "Airfare is very expensive, and going to Hanyang also costs a lot of money."
"I'll buy it for you."
“My dad won’t agree.”
"Can't you come and play with me?"
Jiang Jiayi shrugged to indicate that the suggestion was not feasible.
The silence spread outwards from the three people in question.
Sometimes, the interaction between minors needs to be bridged by their guardians, especially for Jiang Jiawei and Jiang Jiayi, who have strong family upbringing. However, Mu Zhengxi knows that Mu Shaoqing wouldn't invite his friends over to play on his behalf, and Zeng Yuan isn't the kind of mother who would bake delicious cookies and warmly entertain his friends at home. Besides, in their eyes, perhaps such friends can't even be called friends.
But Jiang Wenqing wouldn't think that way, but Jiang Wenqing...
Jiang Jiayi broke the silence, saying, "When I go to university, if I get into Hanyang University, I'll come visit you!"
Jiang Jiawei looked at him and slowly smiled, then nodded.
Mu Zhengxi paused for a moment, then smiled and extended his uninjured hand. "Then it's a promise, you must get into Hanyang University, pinky promise."
"Okay! Pinky promise!" Jiang Jiayi said, "I'll bring Dad along, and Dad will come too!" He took Jiang Jiawei's hand and they made the promise together, "How about it, sister?"
Jiang Jiawei agreed.
Mu Zhengxi reached out to hook her finger, as if he had regained the innocent view of the world that he had as a child, and the ability to have endless expectations for the future.
Actually, Mu Zhengxi had already mentioned the victory in the first knockout match over the phone the day after the game, but he didn't mention the fracture in his right little finger.
Jiang Jiawei looked at his little finger, which was in a splint, and asked, "Does it hurt? How long will it take to heal?"
Jiang Jiawei had never followed football matches before, and she didn't know that playing football could easily lead to injuries.
“But the injury on your face has healed.” Jiang Jiawei pointed to the spot where he had been scratched last time.
"Yeah, didn't I say it wouldn't leave a scar?" The man, who had been so proud of his masculinity, felt strange under such a concerned look. He chuckled and turned his hand away, "It's just a minor injury." He quickly changed the subject, "Weren't we going to play cards? Come on over."
"But are your hands up to it?"
"Why not? It's just that you can't move your little finger."
Three people were playing cards. Two of them were counting their cards, while Jiang Jiawei was the only one who was playing in a daze. However, she always had the best luck. After playing for half an hour, she only had two white cards stuck to her face.
"Your Majesty, is there anything? Is there anything?!"
"If not, then I'm done!"
Mu Zhengxi and Jiang Jiayi, two farmers, looked at each other and both had expressions of self-abandonment, numb with defeat.
Jiang Jiawei swung her legs, picked up a yogurt drink, and asked while biting the straw, "Want to play again?"
That sounds very provocative.
However, before Mu Zhengxi and Jiang Jiayi could reunite as avengers...
Jiang Weichao's voice came from the kitchen, "Play later, dinner's ready."
"They're here!"
Jiang Jiawei was still the first to respond positively.
The chicken soup, made with a farm-raised young hen, is infused with cordyceps flowers and bamboo fungus, resulting in a bright, golden broth that perfectly captures the autumnal atmosphere.
The chicken was scooped out and made into shredded chicken, with refreshing cucumber and carrot shreds added. However, because Mu Zhengxi's hand was injured, it was a non-spicy version of shredded chicken.
The wounded Mu Zhengxi was awarded a whole chicken leg.
Jiang Weichao said he needed to take good care of himself.
So he childishly boasted to Jiang Jiayi, "Want to eat?"
Jiang Jia didn't mind at all, saying, "You're injured, here you go eat." She even picked up a big pig's trotter for him.
They euphemistically call it "you are what you eat."
His sudden maturity has become so boring.
Mu Zhengxi awkwardly withdrew his hand.
One glass of juice for each person.
"Celebrating Zhengxi's victory in the competition, and also Jiajia and Jiayi's successful passing of their midterm exams! Cheers!"
"cheers!"
"cheers!"
Cheers!
What rank did Jiang Jiawei get in the midterm exam?
The person holding chopsticks, stuffing a bite of chicken into their mouth, had a squinting eye and held up their hand to indicate the number twenty.
Wow, that's amazing!
"Yes, I told you my sister is amazing."
Mu Zhengxi nodded in agreement.
"Jung-hee, where does your grandma live? If it's convenient for you to tell your uncle, we can help her if she needs anything in the future, or we can deliver some groceries to her occasionally."
Mu Zhengxi gasped as his lips touched the chicken soup, turned away and coughed lightly twice. Quickly, he said, "No need, Uncle. My grandma has been staying at my aunt's house these days."
"She's helping my aunt take care of her child."
"It's summer vacation."
Jiang Weichao: "I see. So if you come back, you'll be all alone?"
"My aunt's house is not far from my grandma's house."
"If your grandma is busy lately, you can come to our house for dinner."
Mu Zhengxi's eyes lit up. "Really???"
Jiang Jia turned his head and seemed to see a giant dog wagging its tail. He was startled by the thought in his mind.
“Sure, why not?” Jiang Weichao looked at his son and joked with a smile, “Since you came, Jia Yi has been eating more. Isn’t that right? If you didn’t eat, you wouldn’t even be as tall as Zhengxi.”
"dad!"
"Haha, I'm just telling the truth."
Jiang Jiawei, who was focused on eating, glanced at Mu Zhengxi, who was laughing, and stared at his lips after seeing the father and son start bickering. "What's wrong with your mouth?"
"ah?"
Jiang Jiawei asked again, "Is your mouth uncomfortable?"
Mu Zhengxi then realized that he had been biting his lip the whole time. He paused for a moment, then forced himself to say, "...It's hot."
Be careful.
"Okay~"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
