Sunday morning.
With Jiang Ning around, Xue Yuantong did not sleep in. Of course, by her definition, not sleeping in still meant hurriedly throwing on clothes and getting up at nine.
Wearing soft, warm cotton slippers, she pushed open her bedroom door.
The weather was clear, the sky a deep blue, and the clouds white.
Xue Yuantong could not help thinking of the cotton candy she had eaten as a child. The cotton candy had been huge, bigger than her head, and just as white.
Even if she held it without eating it, she would feel immensely secure, as though she possessed the whole world.
Thinking of cotton candy made her a little hungry.
But Jiang Ning had not made breakfast.
Nor had Xue Yuantong. She and Jiang Ning had agreed to go into the city for fun.
Today was Sunday, the official opening day of Phase Two of Blue Horse Shopping Mall.
Halfway through washing up, Jiang Ning barged in.
"You're pretty conscientious." He had been planning to wake Xue Yuantong, but she had gotten up right on time.
With foam in her mouth, Xue Yuantong could not speak. She was brushing her teeth and could only make muffled "Mmhm" sounds.
She quickly finished brushing and spat out the foam. "Jiang Ning, did you pump up your bike?"
When they had returned at the end of the week, she had noticed that the Mountain Bike tires were a little flat. They needed air to keep the bicycle in optimal condition.
"No," Jiang Ning said.
Xue Yuantong put away her toothbrush and cup. "Come on, come on, I'll pump them up for you."
"I'm amazing at pumping tires."
Xue Yuantong usually rode on Jiang Ning's bike. Though she compensated him in other ways, she had never ridden him to school.