Chapter 77 Chen Jizhou's Twenty Years 01: Jiang Xiaomeng vs. Chen Xiaozhou vs. Xie Xiaozhuo
1.
Chen Jizhou's first meeting with Jiang Meng was not pleasant; he kicked over her vegetable garden and frightened the little girl to tears.
A few days later, he took the initiative to apologize with a bundle of thorns on his back—instead of thorns, he carried a small Ultraman backpack filled with his favorite snacks.
He didn't go inside; he stood outside her fence, mimicking the adults' pensive manner, pacing back and forth.
There was finally some movement in the yard.
Jiang Meng came out to fish.
There is a small artificial pond in her home, which her grandfather built especially for her to play in.
As Jiang Meng tossed the fishing net into the pond, she heard a soft, gentle voice say, "Hello."
Jiang Meng sat on the small stool, not daring to move her head, and quickly glanced at him from the far side.
She was a little scared, so she quickly turned her eyes back and pretended not to hear.
"Hello, Mengmeng," the person spoke again.
Jiang Meng pursed her lips, still considering whether or not to pay attention to him.
Just then, an acquaintance passed by and called out to her, "Little beauty, are your parents home?"
Jiang Meng raised her head and obediently replied, "Mom and Dad went to work."
After my uncle left.
Chen Jizhou poked his temple with his finger; he had an idea.
Hello, beautiful lady.
"..."
Jiang Meng finally looked over.
He gripped the two bars of the wrought iron fence, his bright, radiant smile displayed between them. His eyes sparkled as he looked at her, appearing very friendly, but his intentions were unclear.
Jiang Meng chose to ignore it for the third time.
She had lost all interest in fishing and was about to leave after packing up her net when she heard the persistent call.
"Hello—ouch, my head, my head!!"
The person behind her suddenly made a commotion, forcing Jiang Meng to look over and show concern.
She was terrified, thinking his head was stuck in the gap of the fence, which would be a real problem.
Jiang Meng walked over and asked, "Are you alright?"
Chen Jizhou smiled, relieved that the danger had passed, and performed for her: "My head went in, my head came out, my head went in, and my head came out again."
"…………"
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Jiang Meng asked him.
Standing on the fence, Chen Jizhou looked into her round, beautiful eyes and blinked. "Is there something wrong with me? Is there something wrong with me? I..."
He was captivated by her beauty for a moment before remembering his business: "I've come to apologize to you."
He opened his backpack and generously showed her the snacks.
To be honest, Jiang Meng was a little tempted by the food.
Fortunately, Grandpa was home that day. After testing, the jelly and cookies that Chen Jizhou brought were found to be non-toxic. Jiang Meng thought they tasted great, so she approved his request to come again next time.
02.
Now that he's in kindergarten, Chen Jizhou sits there all day, unable to eat or drink.
He wasn't paying attention in class; he kept looking out at the sky, really wanting to go out and play...
It's normal for many children to experience separation anxiety and aversion to school. If they have familiar classmates, they will show a dependence on these "old friends."
Chen Jizhou didn't sit in his own seat. Instead, he moved his small stool between Jiang Meng and her deskmate, squeezed himself in, and stood next to her. He lowered his head and wrung his hands, looking listless, like a little mushroom getting rained on.
Compared to Chen Jizhou's obvious aversion to school, Jiang Meng was much more independent and self-reliant.
Jiang Meng was full of energy, holding her head high, her arms folded on the table, listening attentively to the lesson, like a thriving sunflower.
At noon, we lined up for lunch.
Chen Jizhou, holding a bowl, quietly walked into the girls' group and stood to Jiang Meng's left, seemingly oblivious to his food.
"Chen Jizhou, are you in a team by yourself?" The team leader came over and gave him a lecture.
Chen Jizhou looked ahead, then looked behind.
"You should stand behind the child in line, not next to her."
Chen Jizhou said "Oh," glanced at Jiang Meng, and stood behind her without any appetite.
Jiang Meng knew what he was worried about; he didn't want to go to school.
She wasn't particularly fond of school to begin with, but in front of the listless Chen Jizhou, her desire to perform became very strong.
She wants to be a good child, to get a big red flower sticker, and to be praised by her parents and teachers.
Take a nap after lunch.
Chen Jizhou followed Jiang Meng to her bed like a shadow.
Jiang Meng realized she was being followed and suddenly turned around to look at him. She did so with too much force that her pretty braid slapped across his face.
Chen Jizhou suddenly closed his eyes: "Aww!"
He touched his numb face, wanting to say, "You almost beat me to death!"
But faced with Jiang Meng's haughty expression, he quickly swallowed his anger and shut his mouth, glancing at her.
Jiang Meng: "This is Xiao Jin's seat. Do you want to sleep in Xiao Jin's bed?"
Chen Jizhou: "My name is Xiao Jin."
The teacher came over: "Little Chen Jizhou..."
Chen Jizhou looked at the teacher and said in a clear and distinct voice, "My name is Chen Xiaojin."
"..."
"Do you want to sleep with Jiang Meng?"
"Yes."
"But you can't sleep with Jiang Meng."
"Why."
"Because this is a girl's bed."
Why can't I sleep?
"You are a boy."
"I am a girl."
The teacher, who usually has limited patience, was amused by him.
Finally, Chen Jizhou was carried back to the boys' room. The teacher laid him down on the bed, and the last empty bed against the wall was for him.
Next to him was a little boy with pale skin and long eyelashes, who pretended to close his eyes when the teacher came over.
Since things have come to this, let's make some new friends.
Chen Jizhou was heartbroken for a minute, then decided to pick himself up. He nudged the arm next to him and asked, "What's your name?"
The new friend pulled his hand back under the covers: "Xie Zhuo."
"oh."
The new friend was a bit cold and stopped talking.
Chen Jizhou could tell that he wasn't asleep at all; his eyeballs were still rolling around under his eyelids!
What are you pretending for?
Then Chen Jizhou spoke again: "Why didn't you ask me my name?"
After what felt like an eternity, Xie Zhuo asked, "What's your name?"
Chen Jizhou: "My name is... Tiga Kabuto Dragonfly Captain Zhouzhou Chen."
The other party remained silent.
Chen Jizhou thought he hadn't heard him: "I said, my name is—"
Xie Zhuo closed his eyes: "Be quiet."
How rude!
Jiang Meng is still the best...
Chen Jizhou was so angry that he snorted and almost cried.
But he was a man; he didn't cry. He quickly wiped his eyes and said, "It's okay, it's okay."
He comforted himself and soon came up with a good idea, kindly suggesting a name for his classmate: "Then you can be called Seruo Maruko Dragon Scorpion Lai Lai Zhou Zhou Xie."
Rude people don't speak.
The rude person opened their eyes.
The rude person glanced at him and corrected, "It's Zhuozhuo Xie."
Although Xie Zhuo ignored him, Chen Jizhou's one-sided output helped them build a good afternoon nap friendship.
He finally put Jiang Meng out of his mind for a short while.
After the break, the teacher returned to wake the students, first looking towards the wall.
good.
Chen Jizhou was already fast asleep, sprawled out at an odd angle, like a nimble kitten.
One leg was still wildly draped over Xie Zhuo's body.
He was sleeping soundly, probably having a sweet dream, with a slight smile playing on his lips.
Xie Zhuo stared at the ceiling, his face ashen.
03.
After adapting to campus life, Chen Jizhou became much happier and gradually began to unleash his true nature.
He doesn't play with Jiang Meng as often anymore; he prefers to spend time with Xie Zhuo, playing the things boys like to do. They assemble toys, drive remote-controlled race cars, and they even read comic books together…
Every time Chen Jizhou saw Jiang Meng, he would compliment her on her clothes. For example, if she wore a light yellow dress, he would say she looked like Belle. He would also compliment her on a cardigan with a bear badge sewn onto the chest, saying the bear was especially cute. If her mother braided her hair, he would say she looked like a celebrity, like that princess from TV.
So Jiang Meng wore a princess dress with star-shaped sequins that day, and when she looked in the mirror at home, she was already hoping for compliments.
When they got to class, Chen Jizhou didn't immediately compliment her on how pretty she looked.
Jiang Meng looked around and saw that Chen Jizhou had arrived, but he and Xie Zhuo were looking at the picture book with their heads close together and didn't notice him at all.
He has made new good friends.
Jiang Meng suddenly felt a little sad.
She slumped over the table, too exhausted to even concentrate on the lesson.
Now, he's turned into a sunflower.
She turned into a little mushroom getting rained on.
Chen Jizhou was completely unaware.
Because Chen Jizhou's "falling out of love" hurt her, Jiang Meng decided not to reconcile with him and would no longer invite him to her house to catch fish!
He always brings such a big net that he almost catches all the fish in her house!
She had long since stopped wanting to play with him.
She was angry for the entire class, and after class, Chen Jizhou went to find Jiang Meng.
Jiang Meng didn't want to pay attention to him at first, but he brought out a small hydroponic plant, a tulip, which surprised her.
The teacher assigned them a task last time: to plant a small flower, carefully nurture it, and record its blooming and growth process.
"Jiang Meng, these are the flowers I planted. They're for you. You look beautiful today." He said, a little shyly.
The stars on her skirt, which had been dim for an hour, lit up again, and her pouting lips softened: "Why me?"
Chen Jizhou said softly, "That's what the teacher said."
What did the teacher say?
She had almost forgotten.
Then Jiang Meng thought for a moment, and the teacher said, "You can give the first little flower you grow to your favorite friend in the class."
Noticing Jiang Meng blushing slightly, Chen Jizhou glanced at her quickly and lowered his head. Shyness, like someone who had done something wrong, made her cheeks puff out like balloons. She scratched her head, scratched her head rapidly…
She then asked, "Why didn't you give it to Xie Zhuo?"
"I wanted to give it to him, but I only planted one." Chen Jizhou really meant it; he decided to plant a new flower for Xie Zhuo.
Jiang Meng thought for a moment and then generously said, "Then let's exchange them, mine has bloomed too."
"Yes!"
Chen Jizhou laughed happily, ran around the classroom, and then did a Xinjiang dance with a neck twist on the spot.
Jiang Meng was also happy. She thought he had a very handsome smile and was the most handsome boy in the class. When he was full of energy, he would also make the people around him feel energetic.
Chen Jizhou adored Jiang Meng's little flower, carrying its container everywhere he went—to art class, to English class, and even to the cafeteria. Soon, the small kindergarten was filled with Chen Jizhou's figure, twirling around with the potted plant. He was strutting around with immense joy.
After school in the afternoon, Jiang Meng noticed that Chen Jizhou was happily heading home.
Chen Jizhou held her little flower in both hands, hopping and skipping, her schoolbag bouncing along with her.
Jiang Meng looked at his back in the sunset and smiled, revealing eight teeth.
She held Chen Jizhou's little flower in both hands, mimicking his steps, hopping and skipping, her schoolbag bouncing along with her.
Xie Zhuo watched the two of them bounce off.
Xie Zhuo received too many flowers, 11 in total. If he takes one back in each hand every day, it will take him five days to carry them all...
No, it's seven days...
No, that's not right!!
After a fierce brainstorming session, Xie Zhuo frowned.
—Never mind, I'll have to take it for many, many days anyway.
So in the end, he didn't bring any flowers with him and left them all on the windowsill in the classroom.
Xie Zhuo put his hands in his pockets and followed quietly behind the two lunatics with a cool gait.
————————!!————————
This is basically a story told from the male protagonist's perspective. Since they're childhood sweethearts, the timeline is bound to be quite long.
This bonus chapter will probably be written quite slowly; I can only write it when I have time. Don't wait. It's fine if it comes, or not.
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