Tea Egg Fiasco / Someone I Know?

"..."

Ignoring Lin Danyue's words, the group soon arrived at their destination. The walk had only taken a little over ten minutes.

The girls cheered as they rushed inside, but Ling Feng was different. Even now, she couldn't forget the words written on that red slip of paper, and her little hand trembled involuntarily.

Ye Qingya and Ling Xiaoyu didn't wait for Ling Feng to finish spacing out. Each grabbed one of her hands and pulled her inside.

In the end, the night came to a "perfect" conclusion amid Ling Feng's repeated attempts to dodge the microphone. She liked listening to music and occasionally hummed a few tunes, but she absolutely couldn't sing!

After hurriedly saying goodbye, Ling Feng stuffed Ling Xiaoyu into a taxi and headed home.

Ling Feng had no idea how much alcohol Ling Xiaoyu had drunk that night. She was swaying back and forth, rocking from side to side.

"Come on! I can still drink!"

"Give it up. You can't even walk anymore. What senior high school girl drinks as much as you?"

Ling Xiaoyu looked dazed, unsteady on her feet and unable to control herself as she staggered this way and that. Her eyes were half-closed, as if she were floating in the clouds.

Even after getting home, Ling Feng had to carry her. She couldn't just toss her onto the street. If some homeless people saw her, then... tsk.

Why was she so heavy? No, Ling Feng remembered that she hadn't been this heavy when Ling Feng carried her before. Why did she seem heavier every time? Or had Ling Feng gotten weaker?

No matter what, carrying her upstairs was unavoidable. In the end, Ling Feng used every ounce of strength she had to haul her onto the bed, then wiped the sweat from her brow.

Would it kill you to drink less?!

Ling Feng cursed inwardly. Suddenly, Ling Xiaoyu shot upright from the bed. Ling Feng froze for a moment, wondering what she was up to now.

Before Ling Feng could react, Ling Xiaoyu suddenly pounced on her like a puppy, pinning Ling Feng and her entire body onto the bed.

Ling Feng was still worrying about dirtying the bed with her shoes when Ling Xiaoyu gave a mischievous chuckle, snapping her back to her senses. By then, though, Ling Xiaoyu had her pinned beneath her. Ling Feng tried to break free, only to be forcefully pressed back down.

Looking into Ling Xiaoyu's unfocused eyes, Ling Feng felt a sense of dread rise in her heart. What is she trying to do now?

"Xiaofeng, do you want to get close with your big sister?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, **between our bodies."

"Damn it, Sis, you're drunk!"

"No, no, your big sister is perfectly fine. So, what do you say? Don't be shy, Xiaofeng~ Your big sister can teach you!" ╮(￣▽￣)╭

Ling Feng blanked out at that. Damn it, was this really her usual gentle, virtuous, ladylike sister?

Ling Feng had no idea where Ling Xiaoyu had learned this stuff. She broke free in one burst, then rushed straight out of the bedroom. Only after shutting the door did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"I can never let her drink again!"

Ling Feng swore to herself. Before long, she heard Ling Xiaoyu's steady breathing. It seemed she had fallen asleep, so Ling Feng returned to her own room as well.

The Tea Egg Incident

"Ling Xiaoyu!"

"What is it, what is it?"

Early in the morning, Ling Xiaoyu was still downstairs in the kitchen making breakfast when she heard a sharp cry from upstairs.

Ling Feng had gotten up to wash up. The moment she picked up her toothpaste and toothbrush, she saw her own face in the mirror, along with her loose, disheveled black hair.

"What's going on? Why hasn't it changed back yet? Shouldn't the medicine have worn off already? Why am I still like this?!"

Based on her past experience, her body should have returned to normal the next day. But the problem now was that she was still a girl! To Ling Feng, this was like a bolt from the blue. For a moment, she didn't know whether to be shocked or stunned.

Sensing that something was wrong, Ling Feng hurriedly checked herself. Her little hand suddenly grabbed at her crotch, only to find it empty. Her face turned green, then white, as she muttered under her breath.

"It... it's gone?!"

"It's gone... it's gone..."

Standing downstairs, Ling Xiaoyu watched Ling Feng walk down step by step like a lost soul, her face pale as she kept muttering something.

The moment Ling Feng saw Ling Xiaoyu, she raised her head sharply, rushed downstairs like a madwoman, and grabbed her hand. She explained what had happened and told her how furious she was. Ling Xiaoyu, however, burst out laughing.

"Isn't... isn't this pretty good? You can be my little sister from now on."

"What's good about it?! Explain yourself!"

Ling Feng shook Ling Xiaoyu furiously. Only then did Ling Xiaoyu finally start trying to comfort her.

She said the medicine was probably stronger this time and that Ling Feng would likely recover soon. She even said something about saving a pill. Damn it, would you care if this weren't happening to you?!

Ling Feng was skeptical, but life had to go on.

After tidying herself up a little, she went out to sell tea eggs beneath Ling Xiaoyu's gaze full of "affection."

She was still wearing her own clothes. Before she left, Ling Xiaoyu had wanted Ling Feng to wear a skirt, but Ling Feng had sternly "scolded" her for it. It seemed Ling Xiaoyu had forgotten what happened last night, or she wouldn't be acting so shamelessly with her.

"In ancient times, there was the little match girl. Today, there's little Xiaofeng selling tea—ah, no, tea eggs."

"What do you take me for? (┯_┯)"

After Ling Feng left, Ling Xiaoyu's smile gradually faded.

"Whew, she's finally gone. Xiaofeng probably doesn't remember what I did to her last night, right? P-Probably, right? Ah? What if she finds out? I'm determined to be a good wife and mother in front of her. My ladylike image in her heart has been completely ruined! No, I have to make up for it later."

Ling Xiaoyu secretly swore to herself.

Meanwhile, Ling Feng set up her stall in her usual spot. Customers came to buy from her right away.

There was barely any pause. In just over twenty minutes, dozens of tea eggs had been completely sold out.

Ling Feng was slightly surprised. Why was business so good today? Usually, it took her two or three hours to sell everything, but this time it took less than half an hour.

"Whatever. The sooner I sell out, the sooner I can go home."

What Ling Feng didn't know was that at the breakfast stall beside her, a middle-aged man was staring at her in utter confusion, feeling rather puzzled.

"That's strange. Isn't Xiaofeng usually the one selling tea eggs there every day? Why didn't he come today? Why has he been replaced by a little girl? She must be some relative, I guess?"

The middle-aged man was Old Wang. He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

Ling Feng's tea eggs were made from blends she had personally researched. There were oolong tea-flavored ones, Longjing Green Tea ones, Phoenix Dancong ones, Orchid-Fragrance Oolong ones, Snowbud Scented Tea ones, Big Red Robe ones, Four Seasons Spring ones, Moonlit Breeze Osmanthus ones, and more.

Her tea eggs were famous far and wide. Some people had even suggested she apply for a patent, but Ling Feng had refused.

She was only selling eggs, after all. An egg cost around seventy or eighty cents, and after processing, she sold one for a dollar fifty. She only made a few dozen dollars a day.

"Hello, two osmanthus-flavored tea eggs."

"Sorry, they're sold out today."

"They're gone? I finally had time to come here over the weekend. Little sister, don't you have any left? I'll pay double."

"There really aren't any left. Even if you paid ten times the price, I wouldn't have any."

"Is that so? Sigh."

"Mm."

Ling Feng answered flatly as she packed up her things. She casually glanced at the girl and saw that one of her hands was wrapped in thick bandages. She looked injured. Then, seeing the girl's gentle, pitiful little face, Ling Feng suddenly froze.

An Acquaintance?

"Qiu Yun'er?"

That was right. The girl trying to buy tea eggs was the Astral Mark Girl from the class next door. Seeing this, Ling Feng already knew how she had gotten injured.

She was definitely beaten up by those Magical Girls!

Ling Feng had spoken the name instinctively, but Qiu Yun'er looked slightly surprised.

"You know me?"

"Uh, well... my brother knows you." Ling Feng casually came up with an excuse.

"Your brother?"

"My brother is Ling Feng. I'm his distant cousin, Ling Meng."

"So you're classmate Ling Feng's little sister. That makes things much easier. Your brother and I are very close."

"Huh?"

Ling Feng froze. Close, my ass.

In reality, Ling Feng had barely spoken to her at school. Qiu Yun'er was the one who often came over to strike up conversations with Ling Feng for no reason. Since they were in different classes, they normally wouldn't have had any interaction at all.

Things were different now. Almost everyone in Ling Feng's class knew Qiu Yun'er, and even Ling Feng's admirers in class had realized that yet another rival had appeared. They were extremely hostile toward her.

Perhaps because she thought it had something to do with Ling Feng, Qiu Yun'er no longer seemed so reserved. She directly took Ling Feng's hand and continued pestering her.

"If there's really no way around it, can I go visit classmate Ling Feng?"

"My brother isn't home."

"Then what about the tea eggs?"

"Tsk."

Ling Feng was speechless. She had already told her they were sold out, so why was she still being so persistent? And she wanted to visit the house? The thought that Ling Xiaoyu might be a Magical Girl sent a chill down Ling Feng's spine.

Seeing the Astral Mark Necklace Qiu Yun'er wore, Ling Feng could already imagine the two of them facing each other with swords drawn.

After all, Qiu Yun'er's injuries were related to Ling Feng, so Ling Feng couldn't help feeling a little guilty. In the end, she agreed to let Qiu Yun'er follow her home.

"Put the necklace away," Ling Feng said flatly.

"Huh? Do you know something?"

"Just put it away. Otherwise, I won't let you come."

"Oh, okay."

Qiu Yun'er seemed to notice something. Obediently, she put the Astral Mark Necklace into her bag, then gave Ling Feng a small smile.

Ling Feng sighed and prepared to leave.

Linzhou City could only be considered a mid-sized city in China, but it was still prosperous. It was mixed with towns and villages, and every evening, many elderly people and children would gather nearby to have fun.

The streets of Linzhou Ancient City were bustling early in the morning. People selling vegetables and the like got up before dawn to claim their spots, including Ling Feng, the tea egg seller.

There were many people here, it was lively, and the misty Jiangnan scenery was beautiful. Whenever there were no customers, Ling Feng liked to admire the view right where she was. Wasn't that wonderful? The only troublesome part was having to take the bus again every time.

After returning home, Ling Xiaoyu was slightly surprised that Ling Feng had come back so early. When she saw Qiu Yun'er standing behind Ling Feng, however, surprise was no longer enough to describe her expression.

Ling Feng naturally noticed it. She quickly pulled Ling Xiaoyu aside and explained in a low voice. Only then did Ling Xiaoyu nod as if she half understood.

"So you're Xiaomeng's classmate. Have a seat, little sister."

"Thank you, big sister," Qiu Yun'er answered obediently.

"Eh? Little sister, what happened to your injury?"

"This? I accidentally fell off my bicycle."

"I see. Then you should be more careful in the future."

Ling Feng watched them chat halfheartedly. They looked peaceful on the surface, but why did the atmosphere feel so strangely off?

Without paying them much attention, Ling Feng cooked a few tea eggs for Qiu Yun'er. She didn't even take any money, only hoping she would leave soon.

Qiu Yun'er didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, she was unusually delighted.

"Now that I know classmate Ling Feng's address, I can come play with him in the future~"

"Strange. I feel like I've seen that girl somewhere before."

After Qiu Yun'er left, Ling Xiaoyu looked confused.

"You see so many people every day. It's only natural that someone might look familiar."

After saying that, Ling Feng fell silent. She found an excuse and went upstairs, leaving only Ling Xiaoyu behind, still puzzled. She was certain she had seen Qiu Yun'er before, but she couldn't remember where.