The next day, Jiang Linyuan was woken up by the sound of soone pushing the door open.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he t Jiang Zhiyao’s big, watery eyes, blinking at him.
“What are you doing?”
It took him a good while before he finally spoke.
The main thing was that he’d been genuinely startled. If it weren’t for the fact that he was a positive-minded person, he’d have thought he was still dreaming.
“Just looking at you.”
Jiang Zhiyao averted her gaze and pointed at the bowl and chopsticks on the bedside table.
“I brought you breakfast. You’re definitely too lazy to get out of bed, so eat it while it’s hot.”
Are you treating like a cripple?!
Am I really the kind of person who’d skip breakfast just because I’m too lazy to get out of bed?!
“Why are you up so early? It’s not like you have anything to do.”
Jiang Linyuan pulled the blanket tighter around himself, shrinking into it, and glanced at the breakfast.
It was a bowl of clear noodle soup topped with a fried egg, sprinkled with a few chopped green onions, steaming hot.
“Because I felt like getting up a little earlier.”
Jiang Zhiyao watched him wriggling around in bed and thought he looked just like a caterpillar.
Soone like him, how would he ever take care of himself in the future?
“Eat it while it’s hot. I’ll co back to collect the dishes when you’re done.”
Jiang Zhiyao reminded him again before dashing out of the room.
Jiang Linyuan looked at the A floating above her head, then back at the noodles.
Well, since things had co to this, he’d just eat the noodles first.
…
Around noon, Mother Jiang told Jiang Linyuan to drive into town and buy so New Year supplies.
Jiang Zhiyao wanted to tag along, but she had to help Mother Jiang prepare lunch, so she ended up staying behind.
When he reached town, the streets were bustling with people, lively and crowded.
He bought a few simple things, then took the chance to video call Yu Songsong.
During winter break, everyone else had gone ho, and she was stuck alone at school—pretty lonely and pitiful.
The call was picked up quickly.
Yu Songsong’s sweet, beaming face appeared on the screen. From the looks of it, she seed to be walking outside:
“Senior, did you miss ?”
“Yeah, I missed you.”
Jiang Linyuan nodded.
Between friends, thinking about each other—that was perfectly normal.
Hearing this, Yu Songsong’s eyebrows lifted, and her eyes curved into crescent moons:
“I’ve actually been missing you a lot too, Senior. I just… I was afraid that if I called, I’d keep missing you nonstop, so I didn’t dare to call.”
“If you want to call, just call.”
Jiang Linyuan said.
For an empty-nester Songsong, he could afford to be a little lenient.
“If I call, then I’ll want to et you. And if I et you, I’ll want even more.”
Yu Songsong smiled, playfully winking:
“Would Senior be willing to do that too?”
But leniency wasn’t the sa as indulgence. Was she still scheming to get into his treasure chest of gold?
A treasure boy had to protect his treasure chest. It was fine if he let a little gold peek out for himself, but if soone else wanted a look, he’d have to think it over carefully.
“That’s sothing I need to think about.”
“Mm, is Senior implying consent?”
Jiang Linyuan was speechless and didn’t want to keep dragging this topic out. He threw out a question:
“Are you still planning to stay at school for the New Year?”
Yu Songsong nodded:
“Mm.”
“All alone?”
“I was hoping it’d be two people.”
Yu Songsong stared into Jiang Linyuan’s eyes, smiling faintly.
“But that’s okay, I get it—Senior has to spend ti with family. Just make sure you call on New Year’s Eve, okay? Otherwise, I really will be so sad I’ll cry.”
Silly Thief Saint.
“Are you on the road right now? Where are you going?”
Jiang Linyuan asked again.
“? I’m on my way to the cafeteria. And you, Senior? I can hear it’s pretty noisy on your end—are you at so market?”
Yu Songsong said.
“I’m out buying a few things.”
Jiang Linyuan looked at her smiling face and asked:
“What kind of dumpling filling do you like?”
“Why the sudden question?”
Yu Songsong was surprised for a mont, but she answered seriously:
“I like chives and egg filling, I guess. When my dad was still around when I was little, that’s what I loved to eat during New Year’s.”
“Good taste. I like it too.”
Jiang Linyuan nodded.
“If possible, I hope next year I can sit down and eat with you, Senior.”
Yu Songsong smiled as she walked into the cafeteria:
“The handmade kind, you know. I’m really good at it. If you want so, Senior, just tell —I’ll wrap them for you.”
“Are you planning to set up a stove in your dorm? Set the whole place on fire?”
“How could I! I have so sense of safety! I’m pretty close with one of the cafeteria aunties from my part-ti job. I could ask her to borrow the kitchen.”
Yu Songsong smiled at Jiang Linyuan.
She ordered her al and sat down in the cafeteria to wait.
“Too much trouble. Might as well just buy frozen dumplings.”
Jiang Linyuan said.
“Frozen dumplings aren’t as good as the ones I hand-wrap.”
Yu Songsong raised an eyebrow.
In truth, even frozen dumplings were made by soone.
Jiang Linyuan could make frozen dumplings too—all he needed was a pack of paper.
He could wrap fresh ones every day.
If he ran out of energy, he could always wrap so wontons instead.
“Oh, right, Senior, I actually prepared a New Year’s gift for you. When do you get back to school? I’ll give it to you.”
Yu Songsong, as if rembering sothing, said again.
“New Year’s gifts should be given during the New Year, right? Even if I go back to school early, it’ll still be after the seventh.”
Jiang Linyuan said.
But then again, he could sneak back on New Year’s Eve night.
Hearing this, Yu Songsong’s expression dimd slightly, and she bit her lip:
“Yeah… New Year’s gifts really are best given during the New Year.”
“Why do you look so disappointed?”
Jiang Linyuan deliberately teased.
“Of course I am. When the person you love isn’t by your side, even a video call feels like you’re worlds apart.”
Yu Songsong arched her brows and said very seriously.
“It feels like the whole point of a phone date has been severely undermined by you.”
“‘Phone date’ is a term for boyfriends and girlfriends, Senior.”
“I wouldn’t know, wouldn’t know—I’m just a country bumpkin.”
The two of them chatted a bit more about recent fun stories, and before they knew it, over half an hour had passed.
But looking back on it, it felt like they hadn’t really talked about anything at all—yet both of them were really happy.
Jiang Linyuan couldn’t keep wasting ti. His family was waiting for him at ho. So he told Yu Songsong he had things to do and had to hang up.
“If only it were nightti now.”
Yu Songsong said.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because at night, we wouldn’t have to hang up. We could fall asleep listening to each other’s breathing, like we were sleeping in the sa bed.”
Though honestly, if that were the case, I’d have a harder ti falling asleep.
Yu Songsong thought to herself.
Heavy Quotes.
Jiang Linyuan thought to himself.
In the end, he hung up anyway, bought a few more things, and hurried back ho.
…
When he got back, as soon as he stepped through the door, Mother Jiang asked:
“Took you that long just to buy a few things?”
“Traffic jam on the way.”
Jiang Linyuan said without a hint of embarrassnt.
“Fair enough. It’s almost New Year’s, so it’s normal to have a lot of people.”
Mother Jiang didn’t think much of it and pointed at the pot:
“Go serve yourself so rice. We’re making dumplings this afternoon, so don’t try to slack off, you hear?”
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”
Jiang Linyuan buried his head in his al and casually added:
“I bought so chives and eggs in town just now. Pretty cheap, and they looked fresh too. Let’s make extra this year.”
“Since when did you like that filling? Aren’t you always the at filling type?”
Mother Jiang gave Jiang Linyuan a surprised look.
“Tastes change over ti, you know.”
Jiang Linyuan said with a smile.
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