19. What kind of basketball are they playing?
On Saturday afternoon, Xiao Cheng's grandmother called and said they would have dumplings for dinner and asked Xiao Cheng's family to come over for dinner. Xiao Cheng's mother, Cui Ying, asked Xiao Cheng and his father, Xiao Shilei, to go out and buy some cooked food to bring over.
Xiao Shilei was usually very busy, and it was a rare Saturday when he could rest at home, so he was lazy and didn't want to move. Seeing this, Xiao Cheng said that he could go alone. Xiao Shilei immediately went to get money for Xiao Cheng, and said that the remaining money from the shopping was his pocket money.
Xiao Cheng took the money and told Cui Ying that he would ride his bike directly to his grandmother's house after buying the things and would not go home.
Xiao Cheng rode his bike to the entrance of a supermarket near his community, locked his bike, and was about to go inside when he stopped. After thinking for a while, Xiao Cheng got on his bike again and arrived at the entrance of the Qingshi Farmers' Market.
He remembered Chen Mengyao telling him that Chen Yang's father sold delicious braised food at the Qingshi Farmers' Market, and that they should all go buy some whenever they had time. After Chen Mengyao started high school, she started hanging out with Chen Yang. In Xing Jiaqi's words, Chen Mengyao thought of Chen Yang as the "bad student" in novels with poor grades and a disobedient disposition. She herself was a "good student" with good grades and a warm heart, so it was only natural that they would connect and become his special friend.
Since Chen Mengyao had strongly recommended it, Xiao Cheng rode his bike to the Qingshi Farmers Market. Later on, he would say it was just to give Chen Mengyao some face.
Entering the farmers' market, Xiao Cheng spotted a line at the braised food stall near Chen Yang's. He didn't rush to buy anything, deciding to browse around first. When he reached the seafood stall, Sister Huang, the same woman who had ripped him off the last time, immediately approached.
"Hey, isn't this the handsome boy from last time? What are you planning to buy today?"
"I'll take a look around first."
Xiao Cheng agreed and looked at the stalls to the side. He saw Xu Yanmei dozing off at the stall of the Xu family mother and daughter, but he didn't see Xu Wenqiang. He looked twice more, and Xu Wenqiang was indeed not there.
She is not here?
Xiao Cheng was surprised and somewhat disappointed.
She's not at the market, is she supposed to be studying at home? Yesterday, she swore she didn't want to be the math representative and that she wouldn't be in the top 20 on the midterm exam. She acted like she had no interest in studying. But right after she finished, she was back home slogging away.
If this isn't hypocrisy, then what is?
Xiao Cheng felt a little regretful about coming to this market to buy any braised food.
"Aunt Huang." Xiao Cheng remembered that Xu Wenqiang called the woman in front of him like this.
"Hey, handsome boy, tell me what you want to buy. I will definitely give you a discount." Sister Huang was originally planning to make back the money she lost last time while the girl from the Xu family was not around, but she didn't expect that Xiao Cheng's call of "Aunt" would soften her heart and she almost wanted to let him go.
"Aunt, I promised my classmate that I would go to her house to buy seafood in the market in the future, so I'm really sorry..." Xiao Cheng said apologetically.
"Haha...is that so? You are classmates, it's only natural, it's only natural." Sister Huang laughed dryly, and from then on she bore a grudge against Xu Yanmei and Xu Wenqiang, mother and daughter.
"Then Auntie, you are busy, I will go shopping."
"You go shopping, you go shopping."
After Xiao Cheng got rid of Sister Huang, he still came to the Xu family's seafood stall. As soon as Xu Yanmei saw Xiao Cheng, she recognized him. This was the rich young man who bought a lot of seafood that day, so she greeted him warmly: "Hey, young man, you're here. What did you buy today?"
Xiao Cheng looked at the fish and shrimp on the stall and pointed at a few items without asking the price.
Dealing with this kind of business was like picking up a fortune. Xu Yanmei was overjoyed. She busied herself picking out the best seafood for Xiao Cheng and even gave him a small change when calculating the bill. This was how everyone did business. Sister Huang preferred a quick sale, earning a quick buck, while Xu Yanmei preferred repeat business, earning a steady income.
Sister Huang watched from a distance and spat on the ground angrily.
After Xiao Cheng paid, he casually asked, "Auntie, didn't your daughter come to the market to help you today?"
When Xu Yanmei was suddenly asked about Xu Wenqiang, her enthusiastic smile froze for a moment, and she even stopped counting money: "She's here. She was just called out to play by her classmates."
"Oh, really?" Xiao Cheng glanced at Xu Yanmei, who looked uneasy, and said with a smile, "Auntie, you are so kind to your daughter. She went out to play and left you here alone to work, and you didn't get angry."
"It's the weekend, so it's only right to relax," said Xu Yanmei.
If Xiao Cheng didn't know that Xu Wenqiang's mind was beaten out by Xu Yanmei with a stick, he would believe that Xu Yanmei in front of him was a considerate and good mother.
"Auntie, you are busy, I will go shopping for a while." Xiao Cheng said.
"Come often in the future." The smile on Xu Yanmei's face became warm again.
Xiao Cheng had already bought some seafood, so he didn't plan to queue up for any more braised food. And since Xu Wenqiang wasn't studying at home, it wasn't hypocritical, so she should prioritize her classmates' business. But, was she really out there having fun? Xu Yanmei looked like she'd been dragged out to pay off a debt.
"Xiao Cheng." Suddenly, someone next to him called his name.
"Su Xiaoshan? What are you doing here?" Xiao Cheng asked in surprise as he looked at Su Xiaoshan who was guarding a pile of vegetables with a textbook beside him.
"Obviously, I'm selling vegetables." Su Xiaoshan said stiffly, "Xiao Cheng, do you have time now?"
"I guess so. Is there anything wrong?"
"Xu Wenqiang was asked by Chen Yang to play basketball. Can you go over and take a look? There's a feud between Xu Wenqiang and Chen Yang, and I'm worried that Xu Wenqiang will suffer." Su Xiaoshan looked at the vegetables in front of him, a trace of hatred flashing in his eyes. "My parents are not here, I can't leave."
"Xu Wenqiang and Chen Yang? A girl and a boy, what kind of basketball are they playing?" Xiao Cheng sneered. Xu Wenqiang was practically being beaten like a ball. "Where are they going to play?"
"The basketball court of Qingshi Junior High School." Su Xiaoshan said.
"Can I still enter the school casually?" Xiao Cheng asked.
Su Xiaoshan was very sure: "You can enter Qingshi Junior High School at will."
But Xiao Cheng had no reason to go.
He and Xu Wenqiang were classmates, but his friendship with them was limited to the point where he could look after her seafood business. He wasn't ready to meddle in her affairs. As for the incident on the basketball court, he had come to his senses. He'd simply been playing too hard and lost his mind for a moment. He was also carrying a bag of fish and shrimp, which gave off a faint fishy smell.
What he should do now is to send this bag of fish and shrimp to his grandmother's house, then listen to Xiao Yi's genius complaints for a while, play chess with his grandfather, and make dumplings with his grandmother.
"I still have to—"
"Xiao Cheng, please, do me a favor."
Su Xiaoshan stopped Xiao Cheng's refusal and bowed his head to beg for help.
Seeing that Su Xiaoshan had already been so servile, Xiao Cheng had to change his mind.
"I can go over and take a look. But you have to tell me what the grudge between Xu Wenqiang and Chen Yang is all about," Xiao Cheng said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
