He ran out of the arcade while on the phone, shouting, "You and Old Xie wait for me, I'm coming right away!"
The next day, Chu Ziyu saw that model student from the comic book class again in her new class.
Lu Lin was reading a book when he nudged Lu Lin's arm. "Look, it's him!"
Lu Lin didn't look up. "I'm not looking."
"..." Chu Ziyu poured out a handful of chocolate beans in boredom, feeling hopeless about this class full of good students, and went back to sleep on the table.
A figure walked by, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance with it.
Lu Lin's eyelids twitched slightly.
Plum fragrance?
Then Meixiang sat down behind him, and he heard a boy ask, "My name is Ge Tongyuan, what's your name, classmate?"
Immediately following was a clear and crisp voice.
"Hello, my name is Yan Heqing."
Peace and tranquility?
Lu Lin paused slightly while turning the pages, then continued turning them after a couple of seconds.
Chu Ziyu, however, came back to life. He pulled out a handful of snacks from his schoolbag, sat up facing backwards, and piled them on Yan Heqing and Ge Tongyuan's desk.
"Hehe, my name is Chu Ziyu. See if there are any snacks you like, take whatever you like!"
"Thank you." Lu Lin heard that clear voice again, and he slowed down his reading.
Yan Heqing remained silent. Chu Ziyu and Ge Tongyuan were both talkative, and once they met, no one else could get a word in edgewise.
Lu Lin listened for a while, then suddenly turned around and looked directly at Yan Heqing.
The first thing I noticed were those light brown eyes, as beautiful as a fox's eyes.
Yan Heqing listened politely to Chu Ziyu and Ge Tongyuan's conversation. Suddenly sensing their gaze, he turned his head, and the boy in front of him turned around, only to see the back of his fluffy head.
" Chu Ziyu, class is starting."
He heard the boy call out Chu Ziyu.
Chu Ziyu, still wanting more, turned back and said, "Let's talk again after class!"
The school bell rang, and the homeroom teacher of Class 2, Grade 11, walked into the classroom. She went up to the podium, looked around at the students, and smiled, saying, "Students, please pack your bags and line up in the corridor. For the first month, we will choose seats according to height, rotating them every week. Starting from the second month, we will choose seats according to grades."
Chu Ziyu clicked her tongue and shook her head, then turned to Lu Lin and said, " A-Lin, we'll be saying goodbye forever next month."
Lu Lin ignored him.
Based on height, Lu Lin was at the back of the line, Yan Heqing was third from the bottom. Lu Lin openly looked at his back.
The boy stood tall and straight, No. 1 Primary School section of the back of his neck that was exposed was dazzlingly white.
Lu Lin watched as the line drew closer to the classroom. When it was Yan Heqing's turn, there weren't many seats left in the classroom. There was only one empty seat in the first row by the window, and his deskmate was a girl.
Then there's the second-to-last seat in the second group. There's a seat next to Chu Ziyu, and an empty seat in front of Chu Ziyu, where her deskmate is also a girl.
Yan Heqing walked into the classroom, and there were noticeably small gasps of surprise.
The classroom was noisy just now, and most people didn't notice Yan Heqing. Now that the class is orderly, he easily attracts everyone's attention.
Yan Heqing knew that Chu Ziyu and Lu Lin had a good relationship, so he didn't care who his deskmate was. He picked up his schoolbag and sat down in the seat in front of Chu Ziyu, and the girl sitting next to him looked pleasantly surprised.
The seats were changed.
This time, Yan Heqing was in front, followed by Lu Lin.
Yan Heqing was very perceptive; he could sense that someone was watching him, not just in a normal way, but since it didn't bother him, he didn't pay any attention.
When Yan Heqing got home from school in the afternoon, Yan Qiushuang and Qin Li were not yet back. Yan Heqing started cooking rice and did his homework. He finished half of it when Qin Li came home first.
To celebrate Yan Heqing's start of high school, Qin Li went to the market after work to pick out an old duck to make duck soup for Yan Heqing. After Yan Heqing finished his homework, the rich aroma of the duck soup wafted from the kitchen. Yan Heqing, tempted, ran to the kitchen without even putting away his books, shouting, "Dad, I'm going to pick up Mom!"
Qin Li glanced at his watch; Yan Qiushuang should be home soon. He scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and fed it to Yan Heqing, saying, "Taste the salt."
Yan Heqing took a sip; the tangy flavor was particularly appetizing. He gave a thumbs up, "Perfectly seasoned, a wonderful soup!"
Qin Li's fatigue from a day's work vanished instantly. He put away his spoon. "Then we won't add anything. Go pick up your mom, and we'll make a cucumber salad and then we'll eat."
Yan Heqing responded, and without changing his shoes, he went out in his flip-flops. He pushed out the bicycle that had carried him to school when he was a child, and rode it out of the yard.
The evening breeze, no longer hot with the daytime heat, lifted the boy's clean white clothes and black hair. He rode across the long lake bridge and saw Yan Qiushuang picking watermelons in the distance.
Yan Qiushuang has never made a mistake in picking watermelons. She picked a big watermelon and didn't ask the vendor to cut it. She wanted to take it home, soak it in ice water for a while, and then cut it.
Even though QR code payments are now common, Yan Qiushuang still carries cash with her. She paid the old lady in cash, took the bag, and turned around to see Yan Heqing standing beside her with a bright smile, one foot on the pedal and the other on the ground, waiting for her.
Yan Qiushuang skillfully handed the watermelon to Yan Heqing to put in the bicycle basket, while she lifted her skirt and sat on the bicycle sideways.
Once she was settled, Yan Heqing set off.
Hold on to me!
Yan Qiushuang said, "How old is your mother? How could she fall down?" but her hand grabbed Yan Heqing's shirt.
"By the way, Mom, you always carry cash with you. Are you worried that if you run into elderly people, they won't be able to receive their electronic payments?" Yan Heqing's voice drifted on the wind.
Yan Qiushuang noticed a speck of dust on Yan Heqing's clothes. She leaned closer and gently patted it off. "Yes, you should carry some cash with you from now on. Some elderly people use their children's QR codes, and they might not be able to receive the money."
Yan Heqing nodded. "I've got it."
"How are you adjusting to the new school today?" Yan Qiushuang brushed the dust off and tilted her head to look at Yan Heqing. She wasn't worried that Yan Heqing would have trouble handling his relationships with his classmates, but some teenage boys have bad tempers. Yan Heqing was excellent in both character and academics and popular with girls, so there were always some boys who were jealous of him.
Some boys had given Yan Heqing trouble since junior high school.
"Adapt."
"How are things going with your classmate?"