A Casual Get-Together

Wen Ning had been home for two days, and life had been wonderfully comfortable.

Every morning, breakfast made by his mother was waiting as soon as he opened his eyes.

At noon, he followed his father into the backyard to pull weeds. After dinner, he sprawled on the couch watching TV and playing on his phone, occasionally helping clear away the dishes.

No scrubbing backs, no boiling water, no acting as a relationship adviser for the Sparrow Spirit, and no worrying whether Big Yellow was out holding another grand assembly of the Woof Patrol.

The last time he had enjoyed this sort of life, with everything done for him, was probably the summer after his college entrance exams.

On the afternoon of the third day, he was squatting in the courtyard, munching on a cucumber his father had just picked, when his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw a name he had kept in his contacts for years but rarely called: Zhang Wei.

He was Wen Ning's childhood friend. They had been in the same class from elementary school through high school, and their houses were less than two hundred meters apart.

As kids, they had spent every day together, climbing trees to raid birds' nests, catching fish and shrimp in the river, and scaling walls to steal dates from other people's yards. This guy had always been the ringleader.

Later, Wen Ning had gone to university in the city while Zhang Wei stayed in their hometown, and they had gradually fallen out of touch.

"Hey, Wen Ning! Heard you're back! I ran into your mom at the entrance to town, and she said you've been home for days!"

Zhang Wei was as loud as ever. Even over the phone, Wen Ning could practically feel him waving his