When Mr. Chen learned that Jiang Nian’s grades were almost as good as the two girls’.
He was overjoyed.
Thumbs up, this is the exchange of cultured people.
Chen Yunyun couldn’t help but cover her face upon hearing that, feeling her old father was indeed a bit too, well, pragmatic.
Wang Yuhe dug into the fruit without feeling there was any issue.
Jiang Nian sipped tea, not really listening. Mrs. Chen was so enthusiastic that he couldn’t help but feel like he was mistaken for a son-in-law.
It’s true that he’s a classmate, but nobody believed it.
However, it didn’t matter.
At noon, feeling quite bored, Jiang Nian thought of helping in the kitchen. He was pushed out, told to sit and drink tea.
No choice, he had to make do by playing with Wang Yuhe.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking our class group." Wang Yuhe was eating grapes and scrolling through ssages, "They’re arguing again."
Naturally, referring to Yang Qiming and Sun Zhicheng.
Jiang Nian took out his phone and glanced.
"Interesting to watch now."
When Chen Yunyun ca out of the kitchen carrying green dates, she saw the two sitting on the couch engrossed in their phones, laughing.
"What are you looking at?"
"The class group." Wang Yuhe said.
"Alright." Chen Yunyun had no interest in the class group, more nervous than Jiang Nian, "I’ll go to my room for a bit."
Jiang Nian looked up at Chen Yunyun.
"Hm?"
Going back to her own room, does she need to say goodbye to the guests? Or does it have a deeper aning?
"Hey." Jiang Nian nudged Wang Yuhe with his elbow, "Chen Yunyun going to her room, is it a code between you two?"
Wang Yuhe looked up, bewildered.
"What code?"
"Nothing."
Jiang Nian thought to himself, silly Wang Yuhe, why not just ask Chen Yunyun directly, yet he’s pondering how to say goodbye.
Lunch indeed beca a family affair.
With Wang Yuhe around, Jiang Nian didn’t feel out of place. The person started eating at the table right away, trying a bit of everything.
Mrs. Chen: "Yuhe, want so Sprite?"
"Yes!"
"How about coconut milk?"
"But, I can’t drink more."
"It’s pretty tasty."
"Well... pour a little then." Wang Yuhe, though quite full, was earnest, yet very appreciative.
Mrs. Chen was very pleased, the hosts and guests enjoyed it well.
Jiang Nian was more reserved, keeping his head down eating throughout.
Technically, he was just visiting a classmate’s ho today. However, the atmosphere at the table felt a bit odd.
"Xiao Jiang, want so fish head soup?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chen happily went to serve the soup.
Chen Yunyun watched and couldn’t help but blush. Their eyes t, she hung her head and continued to eat cautiously.
"Ahem... speaking of," Mr. Chen set down his chopsticks and said, "You high school seniors are quite good at basketball."
"Huh?" Jiang Nian was puzzled.
"At the last parents’ eting, I ran into two students at the court," Mr. Chen said calmly, "We played back and forth, it was pretty even."
Chen Yunyun: "..."
That’s back and forth? She didn’t want to say a word.
Old enough to be their grandfather, he got outdone like a grandson.
Jiang Nian picked up a chopstick of veggies, "Those guys are probably from the school team, playing basketball every day. Uncle, your fitness is comparable to that of an eighteen-year-old boy."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Chen’s face instantly lit up with a broad smile.
"Haha, not quite."
Mrs. Chen didn’t speak, just rolled her eyes off to the side.
The al lasted almost an hour.
Seizing the dishwashing mont, Jiang Nian squeezed into the kitchen, managed to do a bit of work, and was ready to leave.
He’s not bothered by any misunderstandings, it’s whatever now anyway.
Before leaving, he looked at the elentary school student.
"Yuhe, leaving or not?" Jiang Nian held up his keys, "I drove here, I can drop you off."
Their towns are not far apart.
"Never mind, I’ll go back myself in the afternoon." Wang Yuhe wanted to play a bit more, not wanting to go back too early.
"When you and Yunyun visit my house, I’ll keep so snacks for you."
"Sure." Jiang Nian nodded, not taking it to heart, "I’ll visit next ti, I have to go study at school tomorrow."
Wang Yuhe: "Oh."
"I’ll walk you over." Chen Yunyun stepped forward.
They walked along the old street, chatting casually, and their pace was leisurely.
To be precise, it was Chen Yunyun who was dawdling.
Jiang Nian wasn’t in a rush, so he kept her company, walking slowly and chatting casually.
From discussing when sester grades would be out, to talking about how the girls’ dormitory would be changing buildings next sester.
A girl’s thoughts are all hidden in trivial matters, like a ball of yarn, getting tangled if you’re not careful.
"I’m leaving." Jiang Nian opened the car door, buckled his seatbelt skillfully, waved his hand, and said, "You should head back."
"Okay."
Chen Yunyun watched the car drive away and suddenly felt that this holiday was a bit too long.
...
Jiang Nian might naturally be carefree, feeling nothing about partings. Without overthinking, he stepped on the gas and drove all the way to Xiao Longtan Village.
After getting out of the car, he saw Qianqian and Song Xiyun sitting in the courtyard of the old house, basking in the sun. One was dressed in pink, the other in blue.
Young Master Xu saw Jiang Nian park and get out, but didn’t co forward to greet him. Instead, he tucked his hands in his pockets, squinting up at him against the light.
"Want so mandarin oranges?"
In front of the two girls was a small stool with a plate of candied fruits, and a plastic bag of mandarin oranges on the ground.
A fruit peeler was located at the edge of the stool.
During the New Year, these things are sold for two to three yuan per pound if they’re a bit bigger. Smaller ones go for one yuan per pound.
Beside the orchard road, they’re sold by the bagful.
He said, "I’ll have an egg."
"If you want an egg, go steam it yourself, there aren’t any here." Qianqian said leisurely, "Jiang Nian, you’re really troubleso."
Song Xiyun stood up and quietly made way.
"Want to sit?"
Jiang Nian didn’t decline and sat down directly.
"When are you going back?"
"Three or four o’clock, I think." Song Xiyun replied.
"Going back too early, I don’t know what to do." Qianqian glanced at him and added, "Are the shops open on the street?"
"No."
Soon, Qianqian’s grandparents ca out to invite Jiang Nian for tea.
After declining a few tis, he said, "If you’re bored after you go back, you can co to the school with for self-study."
"Huh?" Song Xiyun was surprised.
Qianqian rolled her eyes, "Finally on break and still going to school, what’s the point of the holiday then?"
"Hmm...sothing like proactive learning," he said.
"Pfft, silly."
"Oh, fine if you don’t want to go." Jiang Nian said as he got up, "Alright then, I’ll take a nap here for a bit."
He closed his eyes and basked in the sun for a while, then heard Qianqian speak.
"Want to play gas together tonight?"
"No, I have to go pick soone up." Jiang Nian opened his eyes a sliver, "So maybe after I get back."
"Pick up who?"
"Deskmate, flying back from Qiong Province," he said, "If you don’t want to play gas, you can co along."
"No." Qianqian refused.
She thought his words were really whimsical, going to pick up soone unknown, wouldn’t it be awkward?
"I was at Han Xiao’s house doing archery yesterday." Jiang Nian suddenly said, "I happened to et another deskmate."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qianqian’s eyebrows raised, and she murmured an "hmm~".
"You went to Han Xiao’s place?"
"Yeah, it was too boring." Jiang Nian glanced at her, "Too boring, so I went to do archery, what’s up?"
"Nothing." Qianqian spread her hands, feigning calm, "I an, you guys seem to be really close, huh."
"Just archery."
"Oh."
At 4:15 in the afternoon, Jiang Nian put the girls’ luggage into the trunk.
"Let’s go."
"Oh."
This ti, Qianqian didn’t sit in the passenger seat but chose to squeeze into the back seat with Song Xiyun, chatting noisily.
The two elders ca out to see them off and advised Jiang Nian.
"Drive slowly on the road."
"Alright, don’t worry." He smoothly reversed the car, ca down the concrete village road gently, and gradually rged onto the highway.
On the way, Jiang Nian occasionally glanced at Qianqian through the rearview mirror. The mont their eyes t, she imdiately looked away.
An hour later, they were about to enter Zhen Nan territory.
Song Xiyun suddenly rembered sothing and whispered a few words to Qianqian.
After getting off the car, Qianqian handed him a cellphone.
"Here’s your phone back, I finished all the tasks, play by yourself."
Jiang Nian heard the "play by yourself" and felt it was loaded with so hidden connotations.
"Alright."
He took it and glanced at it, finding that he had reached the King level in the ga, thinking Xiao Song had quite a knack for farming.
After a mont’s thought, he tossed the phone back to Qianqian.
"I don’t have ti to play, I’m off to self-study tomorrow."
Qianqian couldn’t help but laugh, "And you had ti for archery yesterday?"
Jiang Nian didn’t answer directly, "I’ll add three hundred, help manage it for two more weeks."
"Are you nuts..." Qianqian paused mid-sentence, turned her head to him, "Wait, how much are you giving?"
"Three hundred, transferred to you."
Qianqian was silent for a while before squeezing out a sentence.
"Tomorrow morning, I want to have rice cake with green garlic."
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