Persimmons

The little one seemed to have grown fond of staying inside Mo Jingchun's jacket, pressed against him. Mo Jingchun teased her a couple of times without zipping up the jacket, and she immediately showed her displeasure.

That morning, Mo Jingchun had planned to wait for the rain to let up before heading to the school Courier Station to pick up his package. But it had rained all morning, with no sign of easing.

As for waiting until the little one fell asleep before going alone to collect it, Mo Jingchun didn't feel comfortable with that.

What if she woke up while he was picking up the package and couldn't find him? Who knew how hard she'd cry?

What worried Mo Jingchun most was that she might crawl around and fall off the bed. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry.

If anything happened, it would be too late for Mo Jingchun to regret it.

Perhaps because of the afternoon rain, there were few people on the campus paths. When Mo Jingchun reached the Courier Station, he didn't see a single student—only the staff.

It was Mo Jingchun's first time picking up a package at the school Courier Station, and he had no idea how it worked. Seeing rows upon rows of shelves covered with packages, he could only approach a senior student in a yellow vest, who seemed to be working part-time, and ask, "Hello, could you tell me how to find 23-3-45?"

Song Yiping looked at Mo Jingchun in surprise. He had a healthy complexion and was holding a baby. "Are you a new student?"

Mo Jingchun nodded. "Yes."

Song Yiping gave a quiet "Mm." She didn't ask some stupid question like why a new student was carrying a child. It was none of her business, and she didn't even know him. She'd have to be out of her mind to pry into a stranger's private affairs for no reason.

"Come with me."

"Look, junior. Starting from the right, the shelves are numbered in order, beginning with one. Your package number is 23-3-45, so it's on the twenty-third shelf."

When Song Yiping led Mo Jingchun to the twenty-third shelf, she pointed to the third level. "The 3 in the middle of 23-3-45 tells you which level the package is on. You count from the bottom up."

"The last number, 45, is just the regular item number. It doesn't mean much to you; it mainly helps the Courier Station's system tell packages apart."

"23-3-45... 23-3-45..."

Song Yiping quickly found number 45 among the dozen or so packages. It was a large one, too.

She reached out to pick it up. Good grief, it was heavy. She couldn't even lift it with one hand.

Mo Jingchun stared at the huge box, completely baffled. Wasn't it supposed to be a teething stick? How had it turned into such a massive package?

If he hadn't checked the shipping information and confirmed it was correct, Mo Jingchun would've thought the senior student had picked up the wrong package.

The box was wrapped in plenty of tape, which gave Mo Jingchun a good grip when he lifted it. He tested the weight; it had to be at least twenty pounds. Don't ask how he knew so confidently. The box felt about as heavy as the little one in his arms.

Song Yiping took out a special phone and scanned the shipping label. Mo Jingchun signed for the package, and after she tore off the label, the senior student told him he could take it and go.

Looking at the heavy package, Mo Jingchun was struck by an existential question: how was he supposed to get back?

He'd thought it was just a teething stick that he could slip into his pocket. But no, it was a huge package weighing over twenty pounds.

One hand was holding his little sister, and the other had to hold an umbrella. So which hand was supposed to carry the package?

Nearby, Song Yiping watched as Mo Jingchun lingered. She had clearly realized what problem he was facing.

Song Yiping watched with interest, wanting to see how this junior would handle the situation. As for helping him, she'd only thought about it. She was on the clock, after all. If she left without permission and got docked pay, who could she blame? Herself, of course.

The little problem didn't stump Mo Jingchun.

To the utter astonishment of Song Yiping and the two other staff members, Mo Jingchun tucked his jacket into his pants and tightened his belt.

"Candy, hold on tight to your big brother."

"Gwo-ge."

The little one was very obedient. She really did squeeze tight with her little hands.

Only...

"Urgh—" Mo Jingchun sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

"Candy, hold on to your big brother's clothes. I didn't mean for you to pinch me!"

"Pfft—"

Song Yiping, who'd been drinking water, spat it out.

"Sorry, sorry. I really couldn't help it." Song Yiping fought back a laugh, trying desperately to hold it in until her whole face turned red.

Mo Jingchun shot the senior student a resentful glance. He picked up the package with his right hand and held the umbrella with his left, using it to shield his little sister inside his jacket as well. Then he walked out of the Courier Station and gradually disappeared into the distance.

"Hahahaha! That's hilarious!" As soon as Mo Jingchun had left, Song Yiping couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into maternal laughter.

"That junior is too funny. Hahaha, I can't believe she actually pinched him."

"555~, Song Yiping, I bet you were wondering where that junior got pinched."

"No, I wasn't."

"Sure."

"I really wasn't."

"I didn't even say where. Why are you denying it so quickly? Feeling guilty?"

"I'm not talking to you."

Mo Jingchun made it back to his apartment building without a problem, though his right hand had gone weak and was still trembling.

He was curious about what else was in the package besides the teething stick.

It had been shipped all the way from his hometown to the Capital City, and the postage couldn't have been cheap.

Mo Jingchun put his reluctant little sister, Candy, into the Baby Carriage and began the thrilling, nerve-racking process of opening the package.

He lightly sliced the box twice with a kitchen knife, and it opened. What did Mo Jingchun see???

Persimmons! Oh my god! Huge, golden persimmons. They must have come from the persimmon tree in front of his eldest uncle's house.

The teething stick had been wrapped separately in a piece of cloth. Mo Jingchun could tell at a glance.

After taking out the teething stick, Mo Jingchun poured a cup of boiling water and put it in to sterilize.

Back in the living room, Mo Jingchun took all the persimmons out of the box and counted them. There were a full fifty-one. Hmm.

Mo Jingchun figured that he might not even get as much as the shipping fee if he sold them.

He took a photo and sent it to his eldest uncle.

"Eldest Uncle, I got the package. Why did you send so many persimmons, too?"

Before long, Mo Jingchun received a voice message from his eldest uncle on WeChat.

"They came from the persimmon tree by the gate. They're pretty tasty. Your classmates and teachers have been looking after you, so you can give them some to try. Homegrown persimmons taste different from store-bought ones. They're really good."

Mo Jingchun was at a loss for words, so he just replied, "Okay."

Looking at the fifty-one large persimmons on the table, Mo Jingchun stroked his chin and thought it over. He wasn't very familiar with the boys in his class, and so far they hadn't helped him with anything, so there was no need to give them any.

That meant he could give two persimmons each to the fifteen girls in his class, and give all the remaining twenty-one to his academic advisor, Na Jie.

As for himself, he didn't plan to keep even one.