Chapter 32
One day, when we grow up, when we've grown into adults with deep crow's feet around our eyes when we smile, and when we look back on this time together, we'll feel a little regretful that in the early 21st century, before cameras and smartphones were widespread, there weren't many visual records, leaving this period of time only to remain permanently and vaguely in our minds.
However, even before that day arrived, Mu Zhengxi was already regretting it. His biggest mistake in returning to Changqing this time was not bringing a camera. He sat on the ping-pong table by the playground, swinging his legs and watching the awards ceremony. When it was the turn of the women's 1500-meter winner, Jiang Jiawei was the third to last from the left.
Use the index fingers and thumbs of both hands to frame the picture.
Click.
Jiang Jiawei stepped off the stage.
The sun was a bit strong, so I put my baseball cap back on, which I had been wearing backwards.
The three-day school sports meet passed in the blink of an eye.
But it's okay, we'll have two more days of classes, and then it'll be New Year's Day, which means another three-day holiday!
The teachers looked worried, while the students were beaming.
The remaining time after the closing ceremony in the afternoon was for a final celebration.
Mu Zhengxi and Zhang Chao invited his friends to play ball together, while Jiang Jiawei and Chen Jingyu went to a secret base exclusively for girls.
They met up again at the school gate in the evening.
The two walked side by side.
"It's just reading shoujo manga."
Mu Zhengxi, hands in his pockets, raised an eyebrow, looking as if he had seen through it all long ago.
Jiang Jiawei's eyes widened. "How did you know?!"
“I…” Mu Zhengxi paused deliberately, his eyes darting around, “I guessed it, didn’t I, Jiang Jiawei?”
Jiang Jiawei scoffed, her mouth moving angrily as she muttered something, which Mu Zhengxi didn't hear clearly. He bent down and deliberately leaned closer.
"What? What did you say? You're not insulting me, are you, Jiang Jiawei? No way, right?? You're insulting me just because I guessed correctly??"
"Haha, Mu Zhengxi is crazy."
Jiang Jiawei raised her hand and pushed his shoulder away. Mu Zhengxi, who had stumbled a step to the side, suggested, "Let's go find Jiang Jiayi. He said he wanted to treat me to teppanyaki, what, tofu sizzle."
"Teppanyaki squid and tofu?"
"Yes, that's it."
"Is your throat better?"
Mu Zhengxi scoffed, "It's already healed. A mere pharyngitis wouldn't take several days."
Jiang Jiawei smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go tell Dad."
On the way to find Jiang Jiayi, Jiang Jiawei led him into a bakery and pointed to the small cakes in the window, asking him to pick one.
"You choose, see what you like to eat."
"You get to choose how to celebrate."
Mu Zhengxi asked in confusion, "Huh?" He looked bewildered and asked, "What are you celebrating for me?"
"A football match!" Jiang Jiawei tilted her head, her eyes sincere. "Mu Zhengxi, aren't you actually a goldfish?"
Memory lasts no more than seven seconds.
Mu Zhengxi turned his face away and said in a muffled voice, "You're the fish, it's been several days already."
"Well, who told you to get a sore throat?" Jiang Jiawei implied that it wasn't his fault, turning to look at the glass display case and then at him, "How about this one?"
A pink buttercream basket cake, with two carved roses and the word "peace" written on it.
The man with his hands in his pockets said smugly, "Shouldn't this be a surprise? Why make me choose it myself?" He seemed quite dissatisfied with the arrangement.
Jiang Jiawei said directly to the shop assistant, "Hello, could you please get me one of these cakes?"
They completely ignored the person who was still putting on airs.
Mu Zhengxi was so angry he wanted to jump up and down, but Jiang Jiawei gave him another lollipop.
"I'm not a child!"
He felt that Jiang Jiawei had a misunderstanding of herself.
Jiang Jiawei blinked, held up the same one in her hand, and said weakly, "This plum flavor is delicious."
Mu Zhengxi swallowed hard, said "Oh," and turned around.
Her ears turned red.
They didn't run into Jiang Jiayi on their way to eat teppanyaki squid and tofu, so the two of them had to go by themselves.
When the bakery owner heard that they wanted to celebrate, he specially gave them candles. Jiang Jiawei felt that since that was the case, they shouldn't waste them, so she went to the teppanyaki stall and specially asked the owner to borrow a lighter.
The orange flames flickered in her eyes.
"Congratulations, Mu Zhengxi!"
Should I close my eyes and make a wish?
Will wishes that aren't made on your birthday come true?
Mu Zhengxi's thoughts were a jumbled mess. It seemed that substances of the same nature would have a connection. The volcano started bubbling and boiling again, making him feel anxious from the heat. Before he could make a wish, he quickly blew out the candles.
That was close; I almost burned to death.
Mu Zhengxi suddenly stood up: "I'm going to buy a juice. Which one do you want?"
Pineapple juice.
"Jiang Jiawei, you're not allowed to steal my cake!"
"..."
Mu Zhengxi made a name for himself on the community basketball court in just two days while Jiang Jiawei and the others were at school, and was even invited to join the basketball club.
As for time, it's not too boring to kill any time.
I made plans with Zhang Chao and the others to go hiking on Saturday morning.
In the afternoon, Jiang Jiawei did his homework at the bookstore. He took a nap, and after waking up, he also read books.
I secretly went out and ate spicy snacks last night.
After returning to Hanyang, his ability to eat spicy food has improved significantly thanks to extra training. However, he still has a long way to go before he can catch up with Jiang Jiawei.
Back at the hotel.
They retrieved his long-forgotten phone.
"Hey Jung-hee, you got your phone back?"
Yan Yuheng, who had just returned from the study tour, made sarcastic remarks to him over the phone.
Xu Zizhao shouted from the side, "You said you'd tell me when we got to the finals! The finals are over now! Where the hell have you been?"
Mu Zhengxi covered his injured ear and moved the phone away from him.
Xu Zizhao: "Ask him where he is, quick."
Where?
Yan Yuheng said, "If you don't say it this time, brother, we're really done."
"You might not believe this story."
"You go first."
Xu Zizhao: "Turn on speakerphone. Turn on speakerphone."
Mu Zhengxi took a deep breath. Well, things have come to this.
"It's like this, do you remember the last time I fainted..."
No more than eight hours after the phone call ended, the two living fathers, who were two thousand kilometers away, were already sitting in their hotel room.
Mu Zhengxi only cared about whether he had brought my camera.
Yan Yuheng tossed the backpack to him.
Mu Zhengxi took it out and fiddled with it.
The other two people sitting on the sofa with their arms crossed stared at him without saying a word.
"Hengzi, have we adjusted to the time difference?"
"What's the point of you pouring it just because it's two hours earlier?"
"Oh, so we're not in Australia right now, are we?"
"It's hard to say, it might be at the Sydney Opera House."
What show are you watching?
"Mu Zhengxi is dead."
"Are you two looking for death?!" Mu Zhengxi turned around, grabbed a cushion, and threw it at them. "Are you trying to give me a stand-up comedy routine?!"
"Hengzi isn't a dream!!!!"
"Of course it's not a dream!!"
"What should we do about Hengzi?!"
The two of them practically rolled to their feet. One squatted down next to Mu Zhengxi like a monkey, while Xu Zizhao reached out and pulled the pendant off Mu Zhengxi's neck, curiously touching the jade pendant. "When your mom took you to have it blessed, did the master mention this? Damn, I should have had my mom take me to have one blessed too."
Yan Yuheng pushed his head away, glared at him, and said, "What consecration? Don't talk nonsense if you don't know." Standing in front of Mu Zhengxi, he paced back and forth, his hands and feet seemingly busy with something, his voice feigning calmness, "Zhengxi, listen to me, let's not sit here anymore, let's hurry up and see for ourselves first."
Xu Zizhao leaned closer again, "Besides dreaming about your wife, have you really not foreseen your future partner?" He's been fixated on this question since last night, showing no sign of giving up.
Yan Yuheng couldn't take it anymore and smacked him. "Xu Zizhao!!!"
The man who had been punched clutched his shoulder, indignantly saying, "I was just curious what happened! I'm just seeing if I still have a chance with the affiliated high school. If not, I'm not going to pursue them anymore."
"I'm speechless," Yan Yuheng said, grabbing the man and sitting down in his seat. "Zhengxi, listen to me. Right now, the most important thing is for us to go see your sister-in-law."
Mu Zhengxi, arms crossed and eyes closed, took a deep breath.
I knew it would be like this.
A phone call came in.
Xu Zizhao, with his sharp ears, asked, "Whose phone is that?"
Yan Yuheng: Who cares whose it is, I don't have time right now.
The person on the other end of the phone persisted relentlessly.
Xu Zizhao was intimidated. "Damn, it might be my mom. Let me check. Hey, no, Zhengxi, it's yours."
Xu Zizhao tossed the phone over.
Mu Zhengxi glanced at the caller ID, stood up, and walked a little further away.
When he came back, he looked visibly agitated and cursed.
"What's wrong?"
"My dad is back."
Why come back now of all times? He could have just found some peaceful haven; why did he have to come home? Mu Zhengxi irritably tossed his phone aside.
Xu Zizhao didn't think there was anything wrong with it. "So what if you go back? He doesn't care about you anyway."
"The airline reported him to the authorities some time ago."
Mu Zhengxi was still furious when he talked about this. He looked at Yan Yuheng and the brothers understood each other instantly.
Yan Yuheng stood up. "No big deal, buddy, I'll cover for you and take care of it right away."
Yan Yuheng took out his phone from his bag and called his mother.
Ten minutes later.
A snap of fingers rang out.
"It's all set. I told him the three of us would go out together and asked my cousin to come. He's already put in a good word for us."
Xu Zizhao: "Your cousin?? Which cousin of yours is still here?"
"My second aunt's son was recently transferred to the Nanshan Municipal Government."
Xu Zizhao: "What a coincidence??"
"He—" Yan Yuheng was almost distracted by Xu Zizhao's digressions, "That's not important, quick, Mu Zhengxi." He got back to the main point.
"What's the rush? What are you doing?"
The man, sitting on the sofa with his hands outstretched like a lord, was now relaxed after his immediate crisis was resolved. That's how friends are: brothers when you need them, who are you to me when you don't?
"You son of a bitch."
Yan Yuheng picked up a cushion and punched him.
Mu Zhengxi dodged.
The scene switches to a fighting scene in an instant.
"Could you two stop hitting each other for a moment?" Xu Zizhao joked. "I'm so hungry, let's order something to eat first. Hey Zhengxi, what kind of specialty restaurants are around here?"
"Xu Zizhao!!!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Yan Yuheng threw two pillows at the other party, hitting them squarely in the face.
"Yan Yuheng, are you fucking crazy?!"
Mu Zhengxi: "Hahahaha!!!"
The three of them went out for lunch together.
Despite Yan Yuheng and Xu Zizhao's repeated assurances and solemn vows, Mu Zhengxi was still uneasy about letting them meet Jiang Jiawei. He turned to go back to the hotel halfway through his journey, but was pulled back by a combined force.
"So you're being too formal, aren't you? Mu Zhengxi, why are you being so distant with your brother?"
"I told you two that's enough. There's nothing to see here, nothing to be curious about. I'm leaving."
Xu Zizhao started dredging up old grievances, excitedly saying, "Oh, wasn't this the time when you and Yan Yuheng followed me and Liang Xinyan to the movie theater?!?"
"I……"
"How are you?" Yan Yuheng also took out his account book and started flipping through it. "This isn't the time when you were sneaking a peek at my diary in elementary school!!!"
"When did I!"
"You dare say you didn't?!"
"I……"
"So, you're pulling this stunt now?"
"There's a barrier between us, isn't there? There's a distance between us, isn't there?"
"You've become a stranger, haven't you?"
Mu Zhengxi was caught in a pincer attack from the two men, both on moral, verbal, and emotional grounds, and he pulled his coat back with a jerk of his shoulder.
"Okay, go ahead, alright?"
The two of them let go of each other's hands at the same time.
Yan Yuheng even thoughtfully straightened his clothes, and in the manner of an elder, he lectured Mu Zhengxi, "How could your sister-in-law possibly be interested in someone as unreliable as you?"
Mu Zhengxi pointed a warning finger.
Yan Yuheng immediately shut up, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I won't say anything more, I don't know anything, I don't know anything."
"If either of you says the wrong thing," Mu Zhengxi made a fierce throat-slitting gesture, "especially you, Xu Zizhao."
Yan Yuheng put his arm around Xu Zizhao's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm watching him. Nothing will go wrong."
Xu Zizhao scoffed, "Who knows whose mouth is tighter between us?" He felt a punch to the chest. "Ouch, yeah, he's looking at me. If I make a mistake, I'll never get married in my life, okay?"
"No, it's not that I can't find a wife, it's that I'm impotent, do I dare to admit it?"
"Damn Mu Zhengxi!!!"
"Let's go back—"
"Okay, okay."
“Say it completely.”
"If I let slip even a single word, I'd rather never lift a finger again."
Mu Zhengxi looked at Yan Yuheng.
"Don't you trust me?"
"explain."
"Okay, okay, if I let slip even a single word, I'll never be able to lift a finger again for the rest of my life."
Very good, this oath is almost complete.
When they were still dozens of meters away from the breakfast shop, Mu Zhengxi stopped and gave instructions for the umpteenth time.
"Remember this, you two."
The two of them once again performed a crazy chicken pecking at rice act.
Yan Yuheng: "Have we arrived?"
Mu Zhengxi raised his chin in acknowledgment, "That breakfast shop up ahead."
"Wait, wait!" Xu Zizhao looked at himself in the glass window of the shop next door. "Damn it, it's all your fault for arguing like that. Is this outfit okay? Tsk, this hairstyle, I should have washed my hair before coming out!! Is this alright, bro? I'm not going to embarrass you, am I?" He looked around again. "Hey, there's a barbershop over there. Should I go get my hair washed first?"
Yan Yuheng realized, "Empty-handed, what do we do?!" He rubbed his hands on his trouser legs, wiping the sweat from his palms. "Brother, I'm suddenly a little nervous, it feels like I'm going to propose marriage, what should I do?"
Mu Zhengxi turned around without hesitation and raised his hand, "...Go back to the hotel, you two."
"Hey, wait a minute." Yan Yuheng grabbed the person, completely erasing his memory from three minutes ago. He cleared his throat, hands in his pockets. "What? You just said you wanted to meet a new classmate? Oh, where?"
Xu Zizhao: "What's your name, new classmate?"
Mu Zhengxi: "..."
In short, after some pushing and shoving, Mu Zhengxi eventually led the two to Shuangjia Breakfast Shop.
Jiang Jiayi, who was sitting opposite him, was the first to notice him.
"Brother Xi, you're here!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Weichao stood up. "Zhengxi is here."
"uncle."
Noticing the two people behind him, he asked, "Who are these two?"
Mu Zhengxi quickly introduced them, "Oh, these are my classmates. They came all the way from Hanyang to visit me." Then he winked at the two of them.
Yan Yuheng received the signal, extended a handshake, and instantly switched to his father's persona, "Hello, Uncle Jiang, my name is Yan Yuheng, and I am Mu Zhengxi's classmate."
Xu Zizhao also realized what was happening and followed suit, saying, "Uncle Jiang, my name is Xu Zizhao, and I am also Mu Zhengxi's classmate."
"Hello." Jiang Weichao smiled at them, looked them up and down, and said, "You're all so tall! Come, come, have a seat." He took off his gloves and offered them chairs.
"What would you like to drink, kids? Coke, Sprite, or Fanta?"
Xu Zizhao looked at the two people who were whispering to each other.
Yan Yuheng spoke in a breathy voice: "Your father-in-law is really quite handsome."
Mu Zhengxi turned his head to the side, "Don't you even consider whose taste you're looking for?"
"What would you like to drink, kids?"
Xu Zizhao smiled sweetly, "Uncle, Coke is fine."
"Okay, shall all three of you drink Coke?"
"right."
Sister Zhenzhen from the shop next door walked in carrying a basket of washed vegetables. "Speak of the devil! We were just saying why you hadn't arrived yet."
They had arranged to have a barbecue on the rooftop to welcome the New Year, and they were currently skewering the food.
Big waves, exaggerated silver round earrings, thigh-high boots, a hot short skirt and black stockings, this is way too much... way too much!
Yan Yuheng and Xu Zizhao stared at each other wide-eyed in disbelief, swallowed hard, and looked at Mu Zhengxi in unison.
It turns out that Mu Zhengxi secretly liked this type.
Zhenzhen looked and exclaimed, "Oh, we have new friends too! Two new handsome guys!"
"Oh right, these two are me—" Mu Zhengxi glanced around, but his words were cut off by the two's idiotic expressions. He put his arm around their shoulders and gritted his teeth as he said, "Classmate."
"Sister Zhenzhen."
Hello everyone.
Sister Zhenzhen? Zhenzhen?
Yan Yuheng felt the pain in his shoulder and realized he had mistaken someone for someone else.
"Hello, Sister Zhenzhen, my name is Yan Yuheng."
Xu Zizhao snapped out of his thoughts and immediately followed suit, saying, "Hello, Sister Zhenzhen, my name is Xu Zizhao."
Jiang Weichao opened their Cokes, inserted straws, and said, "Sit down, kids."
Sister Zhenzhen called out, "Come on, everyone, come and help skewer the skewers. We're having a barbecue tonight!"
Mu Zhengxi: "Okay~"
The two, feeling dizzy and disoriented, sat down with Mu Zhengxi and were instructed to obediently put on gloves and get to work.
In the middle of a chat.
Yan Yuheng was greatly shocked by Mu Zhengxi's infiltration of his future wife's family. He looked at Mu Zhengxi with admiration, thinking that his brother was quite capable.
Xu Zizhao couldn't hold back any longer and was about to speak when Mu Zhengxi, anticipating his move, stuffed a lettuce leaf into his mouth.
"It's fresh, and you like it."
"..."
"I'm back! La la la~~"
The girl standing at the door had her hair in two low braids, wearing a gray turtleneck cashmere sweater and light blue straight-leg jeans. The afternoon sun shone on her face, and the smile that reached the corners of her eyes and brows was vibrant and energetic, like evergreen in all four seasons.
"Jiang Jiawei".
Mu Zhengxi turned his head and immediately stood up, being the first to respond to her.
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