"I know my second aunt loves me." Fang Dongqiang leaned against Fang Meili. "Tingting went outside to check, I'll stay here and cook with you."
"Tingting has already washed the vegetables, I'll just stir-fry them. Have you contacted Grandma?"
“I contacted them and told them I was going to the city to visit my classmates for a few days, and then I would go home after seeing them briefly.”
"Okay, your mom hasn't seen you in a long time and misses you. Your grandma taught her how to cook, and she even knows how much water to add now."
"Yes, Grandma treated her like a child again and taught her."
“When I went back last time, I told her to learn how to do it so that she could take care of your child in the future. She became even more diligent and started washing the dishes after meals.”
Fang Dongqiang smiled and said, "I'll go back and spend more time with her."
"Yes, you are her greatest hope." Fang Meili put the lid on the pot. "Dongqiang, although your mother is much better than before, your uncle also said that it will be difficult for her to live like other normal people. Your mother won't help you like other mothers do in the future, so you can't look down on her. You have to be good to her!"
“I know! She’s my mom. Without her, I wouldn’t exist. A son doesn’t despise his mother for being ugly, and besides, my mom isn’t ugly at all,” Fang Dongqiang said with a grin.
"Fang Yu has always been very polite to your mother since she was little." Fang Meili opened the lid of another pot and stirred it a few times with a spatula.
Fang Dongqiang's lips twitched, "Second Aunt!"
"What's wrong? Was Fang Yu being polite to your mother?"
"Yes."
“Fang Yu sometimes comes over on weekends to play with Tingting, and I chat with her mother.”
"Um!"
Fang Yu is not dating any other boys right now.
"Second Aunt," Fang Dongqiang called out again.
"What's wrong? We haven't seen each other for half a year, so you're calling out to me like this to make up for all the times you didn't call out to me in the past six months, is that it?"
“Yes, Second Aunt, Second Aunt, Second Aunt!” Fang Dongqiang kept calling out to Fang Meili.
Fang Meili smiled and said, "You're such a grown-up, yet you still act like a child, going to get a basin to serve the food."
Yu Jihong arrived at Fang Meili's place early the next morning. "Sister Jihong, you really came?"
When Yu Jihong came over to chat with Fang Meili over the weekend, she learned that Fang Meili had been too busy during the Spring Festival and said that she would come to help her during the holiday.
"It's okay that kindergarten is closed."
"Okay, where is Fang Yu?" Fang Meili asked immediately.
"She's still sleeping at home. Let her sleep in during her vacation."
"Yes, the rest of my family are still sleeping. We'll invite Fang Yu to have lunch here later."
"No need, no need. Let her stay at home. I just came to check on her. If I'm busy, I'll stay here. If I'm not busy, I'll go back later."
"These customers are unpredictable. Sometimes they come in as if they've agreed to all of them and they all pile up together. There are so many of us here, and we all need to cook. If she's just one person, it's just a matter of having an extra pair of chopsticks. When Tingting comes over, I'll have her go and call them."
Yuan Tingting and Fang Dongqiang brought Yuan Fangfang from home to the wholesale department. "Tingting, go and call Fang Yu and tell her to come here for lunch."
“Okay!” Yuan Tingting turned to Fang Dongqiang and asked, “Brother, will you come with me?”
"I'll just page her and ask if she's coming. There's no need to go through all that trouble to call her," Yu Jihong said.
"Okay, okay, the phone is here." Fang Meili moved the phone on the table a little closer.
Yu Jihong made the phone call and looked at Fang Dongqiang with a smile, "Dongqiang, are you getting used to the food and accommodations at school?"
"It's a habit, Fang Yu's mom."
“Your second aunt used to run a shop in town. Sometimes she would bring things to your maternal grandmother’s house. You were just a little kid back then, so obedient and cute. Now you’re a big young man. Time really flies.”
"Yes, the children have grown up, and we have grown old."
After a while, Fang Yu still hadn't returned the call. "Tingting, go and call her," Fang Meili said. "I'll put the rice down first."
“Brother, you go. It’s the place we went to last time, across from your classmate Awei’s house, there’s a tree. We waited for him under that tree. There’s a dormitory building next to the tree. Go up the stairs behind the tree to the second floor, the last room in the corridor.” Yuan Tingting instructed Fang Dongqiang, “You haven’t been home for half a year. Mom will go to the back to cook later. Someone’s coming. You don’t know the prices. I’ll watch the shop, you go.”
“Don’t bother, Meili, I’m going home,” Yu Jihong said.
"Don't go back. Help me cook. There are people ahead, so I need to go out and do business." Fang Meili grabbed Yu Jihong.
"I'll go, I know the way," Fang Dongqiang said, getting on his bicycle.
Fang Dongqiang parked his bicycle under the tree, looked up at the row of dormitory buildings, and walked towards the stairwell.
After climbing a few flights of stairs, Fang Yu heard footsteps coming from upstairs and hurriedly ran downstairs, clutching her pager.
Fang Dongqiang had just reached the corner of the stairs when their eyes met unexpectedly.
Fang Yu's eyes widened suddenly, and she almost dropped the pager in her hand, but she quickly grabbed it. Good heavens, how could it be Fang Dongqiang? She was both surprised and delighted, but her mouth seemed glued shut, and she couldn't utter a single word.
"Fang Yu." Fang Dongqiang looked at Fang Yu, then a hearty smile appeared on his face.
"Dongqiang, you're back?" Fang Yu's heart was still pounding.
"Yes, I came back yesterday. Your mom just paged you but you didn't answer. You had lunch at my aunt's place."
"I was just doing laundry and hanging the clothes out to dry. I just saw them and was about to make a phone call. When did you get back?"
"Huh?" Fang Dongqiang was stunned for a moment. He seemed to have said that he had come back yesterday.
"You just said you came back yesterday." Fang Yu covered her mouth and laughed, wondering why he was so nervous.
"Hehe, maybe they did say that. Let's go."
"I need to go upstairs for a bit." Fang Yu was genuinely annoyed. During her vacation, she prioritized comfort at home, wearing a thin cotton-padded jacket and sweatpants. She hadn't even combed her hair; she'd just quickly tied it into a braid after getting up. And now she was running into Fang Dongqiang, whom she hadn't seen for six months.
"Okay, then I'll wait for you downstairs."
"Mm." Fang Yu nodded.
Fang Yu hurriedly ran back to her room, immediately looked in the mirror, and said to herself, "I look like an idiot today." Then she went to find some clothes to change into.
Fang Yu changed into a gray wool coat, over which she wore a colorful striped turtleneck sweater and dark blue jeans. She styled her hair into a high ponytail, glanced at herself in the mirror one last time, and then came downstairs immediately, worried that Fang Dongqiang might be waiting too long.
Downstairs, Fang Dongqiang was sitting astride his bicycle, one foot on the ground, waiting quietly.
"Dongqiang, I'm not going to work, so I'll just wear whatever I feel like at home. I'll change my clothes when I go out," Fang Yu said softly as she approached Fang Dongqiang.
"Oh!" Fang Dongqiang thought for a moment, then seemed to want to say something, "You are very good-looking." Fang Dongqiang said mechanically.
Fang Yu listened, thinking, "Why does this praise sound so forced? It's like someone forced you to say something."
"No, you should know whether it looks good or not yourself," Fang Dongqiang said, sounding a little flustered.
Fang Yu was amused by him, "I can't keep up with your college student's thought process."
Fang Dongqiang scratched his head and chuckled twice. "Let's go. Oh, do you have a bicycle?"
"My mom rode it."
“I’ll take you there,” Fang Dongqiang turned around and dusted off the back seat with his hand. “This bicycle is the one I rode in high school.”
Fang Yu nodded.
"Get on, and hold on tight."
Fang Yu carefully sat down, gently grasping the hem of his clothes with both hands.
Fang Dongqiang pushed forward with one foot, and the bicycle slowly started moving.
Fang Yu never imagined that one day she would be sitting on the back of Fang Dongqiang's bicycle like this. His back was broad, blocking the wind from blowing in her face, and he had a faint scent of soap mixed with the smell of sunshine, which made her feel particularly at ease.
Fang Yu quietly raised her head, looking at his profile as he focused on riding his bike, and his hair, slightly disheveled by the wind. A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. She gently leaned her face against his back, then quickly straightened up, afraid he would discover her secret.
Fang Yu really wished she could keep riding like this forever.
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