Reunion

The two of them had been desk mates for a week without saying a single word.

Chen Yan hurriedly caught the apple. Already used to Su Yan giving her things, she silently accepted it and put it into her desk.

Su Yan looked at her malnourished complexion and reminded her, "This is for you to eat. Don't take it home for your family, understand?"

Chen Yan nodded hurriedly, growing even more nervous. Every piece of fruit Su Yan had given her before had ended up being brought home for her family.

"Eat it in front of me after class." Su Yan made the final call.

"..." Chen Yan remained silent.

Su Yan was not actually a patient person. Chen Yan really made him anxious sometimes. Why was she so hard to communicate with? It was so frustrating. If not for what had happened in his previous life, which made him feel he owed Chen Yan a favor, he truly would not have had the patience to bother with her now.

Reunion

Chen Yan truly could not bear to eat the fruit Su Yan gave her. Although there was only one each day, whether it was an apple or a pear, every piece was large, plump, beautifully colored, and full of juice. Whenever Su Yan gnawed on fruit beside her, merely hearing the juicy crunches made her swallow. She thought such beautiful fruit must be expensive. Su Yan dressed quite well, had a cell phone, and even his bicycle looked especially cool. She figured his family must be wealthy. Unlike hers, where the old and young of the whole family were crammed into a dark, fifty-square-meter home. The elderly needed medical treatment, the children needed food, drink, and schooling. Her father had no education and could only do cheap manual labor, while her mother worked as a housekeeper and was scolded by her employer's wife every day. When her mother came home full of pent-up anger, she would vent it by scolding Chen Yan. Chen Yan knew her mother was under too much pressure and felt miserable inside. If she wanted to scold her, then so be it. It did not matter. In a family like theirs, they wished they could stretch one cent into five. Even eating fruit felt wasteful. The occasional cheap fruit they bought was given to her younger siblings and grandparents. Her mother always said, "You're the eldest. Give way a little."

The fruit Su Yan gave her looked tempting, but she always thought of her younger siblings and could not bear to put it in her own mouth. Recently, because she brought home one piece of fruit every day, her younger siblings had been especially happy, eagerly waiting at the door for her to return.

Su Yan had not expected that even when he practically threatened Chen Yan to eat it in front of him, she would still ignore him.

Su Yan nagged tirelessly all morning, while Chen Yan maintained her fine habit and stayed silent to the end.

Su Yan had nothing left to say. He felt utterly stifled.

When the noon bell rang, Chen Yan packed two simple books into a plastic bag, put the apple in with them, and added a half-empty plastic water cup. Chen Yan brought water from home every day, then changed it when she went home for lunch.

Chen Yan rode her battered bicycle home, with Su Yan following behind.

Chen Yan's home was not far from the school, but the living conditions were terrible. The entire building was so rundown it looked unsafe. Her family lived on the first floor. The moment she returned, her younger siblings surrounded her. Chen Yan skillfully handed over the apple. Her siblings divided it among themselves, leaving none for Chen Yan.

Su Yan tilted his head and watched from a distance for a while before turning back toward the school.

"Heh heh, this house is even more rundown than yours. The buildings here really have no sense of beauty."

Su Yan curled his lip. "My family is comfortably well-off, of course it's nice. Even my current savings of three hundred and fifty thousand make me one of the 'rich people.' Heh, not every family has that much in savings."

"Then go buy jade for me."

"Vegetables for sale! Vegetables for sale! Fresh vegetables, come take a look!" Su Yan rode like the wind as he shouted loudly, making every passerby laugh.

"...Remember to buy me jade after you make money selling vegetables." The voice sighed resentfully.

Su Yan knew he could not overcome Chen Yan's stubbornness, so he changed his strategy and set his sights on her water cup.

That afternoon, Chen Yan brought water to school. When she went to the restroom, Su Yan seized the chance to secretly pour a little spiritual spring water from his space into her cup—about two spoonfuls.

Chen Yan noticed nothing and drank the cup dry that afternoon. Su Yan secretly smiled in satisfaction.

"This girl has the weakest body in your class."

It was because the owner of the space had once said that that Su Yan decided on a way to help Chen Yan. The fruits and vegetables in the space were greatly beneficial to the body when eaten. Since Chen Yan refused to eat them, drinking the water was more convenient—and even more direct, with faster results.

Su Yan was in a great mood. After school, he whistled all the way home, ate dinner, and then went to visit Aunt Xu.

Aunt Xu happened to be eating dinner: a bowl of plain rice and a bowl of cold cucumber salad. It was an incredibly simple meal.

"Xiao Yan, why did you come over? Have you eaten? You child, I'll turn on the fan." Aunt Xu greeted him warmly and hurried to pour him a cup of cooled boiled water. She wanted to find something to serve Su Yan, but there was nothing in the house—not even a watermelon.

"Don't trouble yourself, Aunt Xu. I came to discuss something with you."

"Oh, oh, go ahead. If you need any help, just come to me. Auntie will definitely do her best."

"I want to buy a vegetable stall and sell vegetables. I already have a source of goods, but I have to attend school and won't have time to watch the stall. So I'd like to ask you to help sell them. The monthly salary will be eighteen hundred. There'll be benefits during holidays and a bonus at the end of the year. What do you think?"

"What?" Aunt Xu thought she had misheard and froze for a moment.

Su Yan patiently explained it again, going into detail. "I'll handle the stocking. Auntie only needs to watch the stall. Don't worry, Auntie, my vegetables will definitely taste good, so business won't be bad. Of course, you can also take whatever vegetables you need for yourself."