11:30 a. m.
Song Yunshen sat next to Xia Kening, his left hand supporting his chin, watching Xia Kening enjoy her braised chicken with relish, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face.
"I didn't realize you had such a big appetite," Song Yunshen teased as he watched her finish two bowls of rice.
Although the rice bowls in the shop aren't very big, two bowls of rice are still quite a lot for a girl.
"Being able to eat is a blessing." Xia Kening ate the braised chicken with relish, and didn't forget to pick up a spoon and pour the broth over her rice.
But halfway through the meal, Xia Kening seemed to remember something, and her expression turned dejected and guilty. She couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
"What's wrong?" Song Yunshen asked, noticing her changing expression. "Did you eat too much?"
"Of course not." Xia Kening said softly, a little unhappy, with her head down. "Hey, tell me, if your family secretly ate less so you could have enough to eat, and scrimped and saved every day, what would you do?"
Song Yunshen blinked; it was the first time he'd been asked this kind of question.
This really stumped him.
"I've never encountered this problem before."
"Of course I know." Xia Kening glared at him. "How could someone like you, who has lived a privileged life since childhood, possibly understand?"
"Hey, hey, that's a bit of a personal attack," Song Yunshen shook his head helplessly. "My family wasn't as well-off when I was a child; we were just an average family."
"Liar." Xia Kening wrinkled her cute nose. "I don't believe you."
"It was probably around the third grade of elementary school," Song Yunshen recalled. "Our hometown was demolished for redevelopment, and my dad got a promotion, which suddenly made things better for our family."
"My grandparents were farmers, and my parents grew up in Tangning Village. Ningjiang District used to be Ningjiang County, which was later merged into Linhang City."
"But actually, Ningjiang District was very poor back then, especially the area north of Mount Ning. People there were even called country bumpkins by people in the county center, and that was indeed the case."
"It's just that my dad and uncle were both quite ambitious and got into university, which is how our lives gradually improved."
"When I was a child, my dad was often away on business trips and was rarely home, so my mom raised me."
"Back then, we rented a small house in the county center to attend primary school; the conditions were nowhere near as good as they are now."
At this point, Song Yunshen paused for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "I didn't mean to play the victim; it's just a comparison with now. I think I was quite happy when I was a child."
Xia Kening listened intently, never expecting that Song Yunshen's childhood environment was like this.
She thought Song Yunshen was born into wealth, but it turns out it was the result of his parents' hard work.
Of course, the situation is different for those who are relocated due to demolition.
Xia Kening pouted, wondering why her family never had such good fortune.
"If I were you," Song Yunshen said, putting himself in Xia Kening's shoes, continuing the topic Xia Kening had brought up, "If my family were silently suffering so I could have enough to eat, I definitely wouldn't expose them."
"Why?" Xia Kening asked curiously.
"Because it was their own choice, and it's also a testament to their love for me," Song Yunshen said. "Since they didn't choose to tell me, I just need to accept it."
"Isn't that too selfish?" Xia Kening retorted, biting her lip.
"But if you expose them and then eat less to save money for your family, they'll feel sorry for you," Song Yunshen said. "At this time, the most important thing to do is to live well, study hard, and then take care of them when you're able to in the future."
"When will I be able to do that?" Xia Kening sighed. "I'm only in the second year of junior high. I have three years of high school and four years of university. I can't wait any longer! Isn't there a way to make money right away?"
"Yes, I have."
"What?" Xia Kening's eyes lit up.
"My shoulders and neck are a little sore." Song Yunshen rubbed the back of his neck. "Give me a massage for ten minutes, I'll charge you five yuan."
Xia Kening: "..."
"Go to hell!"
After a bit of a commotion, Xia Kening angrily grabbed Song Yunshen by the neck and gave him a chokehold.
When they parted, Song Yunshen was still a little reluctant to leave, especially when Xia Kening had choked him, her chest pressing against his back and shoulders—it really was...
Incredibly wonderful.
However, Song Yunshen didn't have any ulterior motives; it was purely an appreciation of beautiful things.
"Anyway, you're still young. Just focus on your studies and improve your grades. That's more important than anything else," Song Yunshen said, patting her head.
"Don't touch my head." Xia Kening snorted and pushed his hand away. "You're not my mother, why are you spouting all this lecture? You're a student yourself."
"Theoretically, anyone over 16 can do part-time work," Song Yunshen chuckled. "But I'm different from you."
"Do you do any part-time jobs?" Xia Kening pouted. "Being able to do something and not doing it are two different things."
"Yes, I have."
"What?"
"Part-time landlord."
"Shameless!"
After finishing our meal and chatting, it was already 11:50.
Xia Kening didn't linger any longer. After saying goodbye to Song Yunshen at the store entrance, she carried her schoolbag and headed home.
Song Yunshen watched her turn at the street corner, and then returned to the shop.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Xia Yunuo.
[ Song Yunshen ]: I'm almost ready to leave. Are you on your way?
[ Xia Yunuo ]: Yeah, I'll be there in about four or five minutes.
[ Song Yunshen ]: OK.
Tangning New Residence East District.
Xia Yunuo put away her phone at the door and turned to Xia Jinshu, saying, "Sis, I made plans to go back to school early with my classmates, so I'll be leaving now."
"Mm." Xia Jinshu didn't think much of it and nodded as she saw her off.
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Xia Kening walked out with her schoolbag on her back, only to run into Xia Yunuo.
"Second sister," Xia Kening said, feeling inexplicably guilty, blinking her eyes, "Where are you going?"
"Go back to school."
"Oh." Xia Kening glanced at the serious-looking Xia Yunuo, thinking to herself, so Song Yunshen's nickname is School.
While venting her frustrations, she suddenly had a whim and took out her phone to send a message.
[ Xia Kening ]: Hello, school.
[ Song Yunshen ]:?
[ Song Yunshen ]: I didn't give you any alcohol, so how come you're drunk?
[ Xia Kening ]: Hmph~ You don't understand.
[ Song Yunshen ]: Let me take you to the hospital to get checked out.
[ Xia Kening ]: Let's go on your date!
" Ningning, why are you back so early?" Xia Jinshu asked as she saw her younger sister enter.
"I'll be back after lunch," Xia Kening said. " Kong Xi and the others went shopping this afternoon, so I won't be going."
"Oh." Xia Jinshu believed her this time.
Since Teacher Ruan said Xia Kening isn't in a relationship, then she really did make plans to go to the library with her roommate this morning.
I had misunderstood her.
After much thought, Xia Jinshu decided not to tell Xia Kening about her final exam results beforehand, intending to let her go to school to receive this surprise herself.
So she looked at the couple's mugs on the coffee table and decided to ask them directly.
" Ningning."
"Um?"
"Where did those cups on the coffee table come from?"