Chapter 9

  For the next two weeks, Yu Cai walked around with her tail between her legs, thinking that everyone she saw was mocking her. When she saw Qiao Jia, Li Miao and others who had heard Old Mei's words, she wished she could turn invisible.

  Yu Cai then received an invitation from Qi Shu Fan, Yu Cai naturally refused resolutely, but the little fox couldn't defeat the old fox, and soon collapsed, signing a humiliating treaty, agreeing to arrive at his house on Saturday morning at 8 o'clock sharp.

  Yu Cai had just arrived at the Qi's residence when he saw a certain pale-faced young man lingering around, leaning against a silver Buick and chatting with the beautiful Xia Yunyun. As soon as he saw Yu Cai, he immediately began his classic opening line.

  The words "fated affinity" suddenly flashed through Yu Cai's mind, and she was immediately startled by herself. She shook her shoulders to shake off the chill in her heart.

  The car door opened and a young man in casual clothes, who was about twenty years old, appeared. "Teacher Yu is beautiful."

  Yu Cai Pi smiled wryly and said through gritted teeth, "Thank you, Uncle. You're even more elegant and charming."

  "Thank you for the compliment," said Chi Shu-fan with an even more elegant smile.

  "Wow, your way of greeting is too exaggerated! Are you calling me Uncle Qiu?"

  Yu Cai lazily ignored him and continued staring at Qi Shu Fan, "Uncle, what's this?"

  "These two days I have free time, just right to take you guys out for a stroll."

  "Can I say no?"

  Qí Shū merely shrugged his shoulders and said, "What do you think?"

  Yu Cai shrugged and said, "Are you guys ready? Let's go then."

  This old Buick had two rows of seats in the back, and Qǐ Shì was already sitting in the last row. Xiao Bai Lian also crawled in, Xia Yunyun sat in the middle row, and gestured for Yu Cai to come in. Yu Cai smiled politely, closed the car door for her, opened the front passenger door, and just as she was about to get in, suddenly clutched her stomach and squatted down.

  "What's wrong?"

  Yu Cai lowered her head and squeezed out a few words from between her teeth, "My stomach hurts."

  "Is it all right?" asked Chi Shu-fan after he got off the car and walked around.

  Xiaobai also shouted from the back row.

  Yu Cai supported herself with one hand on the car door and said with difficulty, "It's nothing, just an old illness, but I'm afraid I won't be able to go with you guys."

  "Let's go to the hospital and take a look."

  "It's okay, you guys go ahead and hurry along, don't delay your journey, I'll just sit here for a bit."

  "Absolutely not, you're not feeling well, how can we leave you behind to have fun? I'll take you to the hospital first. Since you're not feeling well, let's find another time to go next time."

  Xia Yunyin immediately let out a disappointed "ah" sound.

  Yu Cai gritted her teeth and glared at the smiling old fox, who saw her glare and smiled even more deeply, still saying he would send her to the hospital.

  The little fox finally fell again, slowly got up and climbed onto the passenger seat.

  "Is Little Yu's teacher's stomach feeling better?"

  "It doesn't hurt anymore," Yu Caihen's teeth itched with hatred.

  Qishu Fan shrugged again and got on the bus, which drove smoothly onto the road.

  Xiaoyu and Xia Yun also noticed, Xia Yun pouted and made a face at the front, "Uncle Qi, when did you have an extra niece? Why haven't I heard you mention it before?"

  "Distant relatives, just got in touch recently."

  "Really? I heard Yucai's English is very good, our English teacher praises her every day."

  "Oh, really? Xiao Cai's grades have always been good, otherwise she wouldn't have been admitted to your school."

  "That's also true, Uncle Qi. Next time when you're free, can you take us out to have some fun? We're bored to death staying in school all day."

  "Uh, okay..."

  Yu Cai hadn't listened for a while before she fell into a deep sleep. What a wonderful weekend!

  When Yucai woke up again, the car was quiet. She looked back and saw that Xiaoyun was lying on her seat, sleeping with her face tilted to one side. Jixie's head was bowed, probably also asleep.

  "Awake?" Qishu Fan asked in a low voice.

  "Where have we arrived?"

  "Just passed xx city"

  "Where are you all going?"

  "Not you guys, us," said Qi Shu Fan with a smile, "go play in XX city for a day and then go climb Jiuhua Mountain."

  "Do you believe in Buddhism?"

  "I don't believe it, but I can ask for peace of mind."

  Yu Cai raised an eyebrow, "Indeed, successful people always have some unmentionable little secrets behind them."

  Qishu Fan couldn't help but laugh in a low voice, "I don't count as a successful person."

  "Maybe, but I know that even if I work hard for another ten years, I still won't be able to catch up with you now."

  "Oh, Teacher Xiao Yu is too lacking in confidence?"

  "This is called respecting facts," Yu Cai sighed, "but I don't need to compare with you either."

  "Oh?"

  Yu stretched his waist, "I'm thinking that being a parent is not easy. Not only do you have to take your kids out to play on rare holidays, but also chat with their childish friends and pretend to be extremely interested. It's not easy!"

  "It's great chatting with you."

  Yu Cai rolled her eyes, "Is the underlying meaning of your sentence that I'd rather sleep at home?"

  "Hehe, as a child, you can't be considered naive at all, I can guarantee that."

  "I understand this point better than you."

  "Oh?"

  "Although I am physically only fifteen years old, my mental age far exceeds twenty-five."

  "Kids would think like that."

  "Believe it or not."

  "Have you gone so far as to neglect others?"

  Yu Cai pointed at her own face, "I've done it here," and then pointed at her left chest, "but not here yet."

  Qishu Fan couldn't help but smile again, "Not bad, I suppose."

  pouting

  "I've always been curious, how did you think of calling me?"

  Yu Cai fell silent for a moment, "Because, among all the people I know, only you will give me the answer I want".

  A low laugh rose from Chi Shu Fan's chest, this girl, he had indeed not misjudged her.

  She turned her head to look out the window at the rapidly retreating scenery, and again thought of her plan to buy a house, her brow furrowed involuntarily. Even ten years later, she wouldn't be able to earn that much money in one go, let alone now. But, it's really frustrating!

  The faint scent of tobacco smoke wafted through the car, and Yu Fang turned around to look at Qi Shu Fan. The latter, seeing her furrowed brow, immediately extinguished his cigarette. "Sorry about that, I'm a bit sleepy, just trying to stay awake."

  Yu Cai smiled and said, "At this time, there are not many men like you who respect women's consciousness."

  Qī shū fán bèi yǎn qián zhè ge yī běn zhēng jǐng de xiǎo gū niáng nòng dé kū xiào bù dé, "xiǎo yù lǎo shī, zhuāng dà rén shì bu shì hěn hǎo wán?"

  Yu Cai's expression changed slightly, and he replied solemnly, "I'm the eldest at home, with a younger brother below me, and countless cousins who need my care. You should know that growing up isn't just about getting older, but also about accumulating experience and maturing psychologically."

  "Alright, Little Yu teacher, your words make it hard for me to refute. It seems I should also consider abandoning a bunch of younger brothers and sisters to let you worry about them."

  "He will be a good older brother."

  "Really?"

  Yu Cai Shen focuses on the head.

  Just as Bao Zheng was about to speak, Yu Cai continued, "Can I take over for a while? You can rest and I promise nothing will go wrong!"

  "Are you driving?"

  "Uh, you tell me the basic operations, I'll be very careful," Yu Cai had just obtained his driver's license not long ago and hadn't had time to try it out yet. Seeing Ji Shu Fan driving made him itch with eagerness.

  Qī shū fán kàn le kàn tā, jué de tā bù xiàng zài zài kāi wán xiào, jìng rán guǐ shǐ shén chāi de diǎn diǎn tóu, yī biān kāi yī biān gěi tā jiǎng jiě zhùyì shì xiàng. Yù cǎi dāng chū xué de jiù shì shǒu dòng gē, yīncǐ chú le yǒu xiē wēi xiǎo de qū bié wài, bié de jī běn shang méi yǒu wèntí.

  After a while, Ji Shu Fan pulled over and stopped the car, switching positions with Yu Cai. Although the road conditions were good, Yu Cai was still a bit nervous, after all, she had switched to a ten-year-old body, and there were several geniuses sitting in the back seat, if something happened, she wouldn't be able to afford it even if she sold herself.

  "Look at me for a moment."

  Qishu nodded slightly.

  "Or would you like to smoke a cigarette to refresh yourself?"

  "It's okay, I'm fine now after talking."

  Yu Cai took out a piece of chewing gum from her pocket and handed it to him. Ji Shu Fan, who didn't usually eat such things, still took one and put it in his mouth.

  Yu Caiping calmed down, took a deep breath, released the handbrake, slowly lifted the clutch, and the car drove out smoothly.

  Gradually, Yucai's feeling came back, and on this flat road with no turns, the driving was extremely smooth and familiar, although the speed was a bit slower.

  "I absolutely don't believe you're driving for the first time."

  "I don't believe it either, actually I studied for a while ten years ago."

  "How old were you ten years ago? Five?"

  "That didn't stop me from driving, actually I was driving a tricycle back then, now it's just changed to a four-wheeled one, the nature is almost the same."

  "Tricycle? A three-wheeled bicycle?"

  "Maybe, I don't remember clearly, but the feeling of driving is always there."

  Qishu Fang Lang burst out laughing, "Xiao Cai, I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time."

  "Shouldn't I be proud of myself for making things easy for you?"

  "It should be me who feels lucky, fortunately I brought you along."

  "Your good fortune is built on my suffering."

  "Oh? At your age, you should be enjoying going out and having fun. And I'm sure you've never been to xx city and Jiuhua Mountain before, right?"

  "That's how it is, but think about it, I accepted your invitation for no reason, troubled you, sat in your car, and definitely spent your money too. How can I repay your kindness?"

  "This isn't for no reason, just consider it a thank you gift for tutoring A Shi," Qi Shu Fan put down his guard and stopped staring intently at Yu Cai as she drove, stretching out his body to lean back in his seat, and unintentionally caught sight of Qi Shi in the rearview mirror, who had somehow woken up without anyone noticing, and was now listening intently to their conversation with a deepening smile on the corner of his mouth.

  "That's what I should have done..."

  "But I still want to thank you."

  "But you're making me very uneasy."

  "You can transform this anxiety into a more serious and responsible way of helping others with their studies."

  "Mr. Qi, please don't doubt my professional ethics. Since I've accepted this job, I will definitely do my best, so what you said about being more serious and responsible is not a prerequisite."

  "Teacher Xiao Yu, I don't know why, but every time you talk about professional ethics, I always feel like laughing."

  Yu Cai glared at him fiercely, and Qi Shu Fan hurriedly adjusted his expression. "Besides, you're a friend of Ah Shi's, just like He Qi and Yunyun. Since they're not uncomfortable, why should you be?"

  "How is it the same?"

  "What's different?"

  "The three of them have known each other for probably a lifetime, we—"

  Qishu's mouth corners rose in a subtle smile. "If growing up can't be measured by the increase in age, then friendship shouldn't be measured by its length of time either, right?"

  The words got stuck in her throat, and she couldn't bring herself to say "I didn't think he considered me a friend".

  At this time, Xiao Bailian's exclamation saved Yu Cai from embarrassment, "How are you driving?!"

  Xia Yunyun also woke up and started asking questions curiously. Yu Cai had no choice but to say that she was curious, so let Qishu Fan teach her.

  Xiao Bailian immediately said he also wanted to open, Xia Yunyun also joined in the fun, Yu Cai rolled her eyes and pretended to be a newcomer who was too nervous to talk, leaving the two noisy people behind to Qishu Fan.

  Before long, more and more cars appeared, Yucai knew that his skills were not enough, so he consciously stopped the car and let Qishu Fan take over.

  Xiaobai ran over from the back seat, wanting to sit in the passenger seat to observe and learn how to drive. Yucai had no choice but to give up her seat and sat down beside Xiayunyun, although she would have preferred to sit next to Qishilei. The latter didn't speak, but at least he didn't give her a feeling of oppression or occasional annoyance like Xiayunyun did.

  Mei Ren Xia Yunyun was not aware of Yu Cai's subtle rejection, and enthusiastically asked Yu Cai how she felt about driving, and also asked her how she learned English, and then took out snacks from her bag to offer Yu Cai.

  Yu Cai basically had no interest in snacks, but she couldn't resist her enthusiasm, so she took a box of milk and drank it slowly, vowing to drink the whole box all the way to their destination.

  Xiaobai and Jixi also received some snacks, the former holding a bag of potato chips and waving it at Yu Cai, who said extremely calmly, "I've always followed your advice."

  Xiaobai's face turned red as he suddenly remembered his own advice, looked at the milk in Yucui's hand and felt a bit embarrassed, scratched his head and said, "I was just joking that day, don't take it to heart".

  Yu Cai answered in her heart, but she had already put it in her mind, and didn't say anything out loud. She nodded slightly and turned to look outside the window.

  The car entered the city and arrived at its destination in less than half an hour, which was a famous amusement park in xx City. Yu Cai saw it immediately and secretly cursed, she had been to such places before, but unlike playgrounds, they required a certain amount of physical strength, which was simply a nightmare for her, a sports idiot.

  Xiaobai and Xiayuny were very excited, while Jishizhi didn't show much expression, but presumably was also willing to come.

  After going in, Yu Zai played a few simple games, and then she refused to come down again. Seeing Qi Shu Fan was also staying with her, he smiled slyly, "Uncle, at your age, if you don't move around, you'll rust!"

  Qishu saw that she was determined, so he left, leaving Yucai alone on the recliner, staring blankly at the laughing crowd.

  They arrived around 10:30 and played until 1 o'clock when several people casually found a restaurant to eat.

  Qishu Fan said with great embarrassment, "Xiao Cai, I originally wanted to take you along to have some fun, but didn't expect that instead you'd end up being bored alone."

  Yu Cai hastily shook her head, "It should be me who's sorry, a group of people going out to have fun, that person who spoiled the mood is really annoying, I know that, but I'm timid, you all are too kind".

  "Otherwise, we can change places in the afternoon, what do you like to play?"

  A happy little white face who was chatting with Xia Yuyun suddenly interrupted and said, "I think the only thing you like is playing mahjong online!"

  "Are you online?!" Xia Yunyun exclaimed in surprise at that moment.

  Xiaobai's face fell as soon as he spoke, and he looked at Yu Cai with a regretful expression.

  Yu Cai has already been speechless about him, calmly nodding, "Uh-huh, occasionally go".

  Qishu Fan laughed and said, "It's not a bad thing to go online occasionally. What else does Little Yu teacher like to play?"

  "No need to bother, let's just play here."

  "Yes, yes, there's still a lot of fun stuff we haven't played yet!"

  Qishu hesitated for a moment, and Yucai hurriedly said, "Right, I think that water roller is quite fun, but I don't know if they'll let me play at my age."

  "Don't worry, I've seen bigger ones than you play around."

  "That's good, I've been thinking about it for a long time, and that cable car, it should be very exciting to ride on."

  Xia Yunyun said with a smile, "I also saw it, looks not bad, Yu Cai, you're too timid, actually the ones we played in the afternoon were not that stimulating, you just didn't dare".

  Yu Cai's face turned red with embarrassment as she smiled awkwardly, perfectly revealing her inexperience and lack of worldliness, lowering her head to eat.

  Xia Yunyun ignored him again and went on to discuss with Xiao Bailian which game to play next.

  Several people played until dusk before returning, exhausted. After dinner, Qí Shūfán led them on a stroll through the brightly lit pedestrian street, and only then did they find an inn to settle down in.

  Yu Cai's half-dead, as soon as she entered the room, she lay down on the bed and pretended to be dead. Xia Yunyun was still full of energy, rummaging through things for half a day, then took out a stack of clothes and put them in front of Yu Cai, "Yu Cai, this is what Uncle Qi asked me to prepare for you, I don't know what size you wear, so I just bought some randomly, you can make do with it for now, anyway, it's only for tomorrow, the day after tomorrow we can go exchange them for a different size".

  She stared at the clothes in front of her, which included both outerwear and sleepwear, all perfectly intact. Indeed, people with money had a way of doing things that was different from hers, but what could she do when they had already made their purchases?

  "Okay, trouble you, how much is it? I'll go pay you back."

  "Uncle Qi has already given it."

  Alright, Qishu Fan, I admit that your success is not accidental. If you can even think of a half-familiar little girl's dressing problem, what can't you do?

  "Uh, can I withdraw?"

  Xia Yunyun raised her head in surprise, "It can only be exchanged, why do you want to return it? You can also exchange for other styles."

  "Then change into your clothes, I really can't wear such good clothes."

  Xia Yunyun nodded understandingly and said sincerely, "Yu Cai, you are Uncle Qi's niece, this dress is nothing to him, don't worry about taking it, he had previously instructed me to make sure you wear it."

  Yu Cai didn't know what Qi Shu Fan meant, for twenty years he had been educated that there was no free lunch in the world, so what did he want? Yu Cai narrowed his eyes.

  Xia Yunyun saw Yu Zai didn't make a sound and thought she had accepted, so she went to take a bath first.

  Yu Cai thought that even if she broke her head, she wouldn't have thought that there was anything on her body worth praying for, so she simply went out to find Ben Zun and ask him.

  They booked three rooms, Yucai and Xiaoyun in one room, Qishizhi and Xiao Bailian in another, and Qishufen in the third.

  Yu Cai knocked on the door, and Qi Shu was lying in bed smoking a cigarette after just taking a refreshing bath. When he opened the door to see Yu Cai, he was somewhat taken aback.

  "Sit down," said Qishu Fan, pulling out a chair and sitting down, letting Yu Cai sit on the bed, "Is there something?"

  Yu Cai carefully sized up the man in front of her and said sincerely, "Qi Shu Fan's appearance is quite good, very much in line with the Chinese classical standard of sword eyebrows, bright eyes, and star lips. He looks very dignified and upright, unlike Qi Shi's delicate beauty, which won't give people a sense of abruptness or oppression. His experiences and years have added a few points to his maturity and wisdom, making him like warm jade, emitting a soft and lasting glow.

  Qishu Fan was once again left speechless by the serious-looking little girl in front of him, her gaze at him was not like a junior looking at a senior, but rather like a woman looking at a man...

  "Xiao Cai, is there something wrong with my face?"

  "There's nothing, it's just that Mr. Qi made me feel uneasy again, I'm uncomfortable, and naturally I want to make Mr. Qi uncomfortable too, but can't think of a way, so..."

  Qishu's mouth corners curled up into a helpless smile. "Xiao Cai, that was just my way of expressing goodwill, don't overthink it."

  "But I couldn't help but think more."

  Qibook Fan said helplessly, "Xiao Cai, you're being too cautious."

  "Being cautious is not a bad thing."

  "But it may also cause you to misunderstand many people's kindness and lose many friends."

  Yu Cai nodded in agreement, "Maybe, but I really can't understand what reason you have".

  "Since you insisted, okay, it's like this. In the past, Lao Jiu would never speak to me for more than two sentences without getting impatient, but last time he even took the initiative to respond to my words and said three sentences. I think this is your credit, so I want to express my gratitude properly."

  Yu Cai's eyes widened in surprise, Mr. Qi, aren't you thinking too much?

  "Really?" Yu Cai's expression was full of doubt.

  "What do you think, or what do you think is worth our father and son's plotting?"

  Yu Cai had already believed half of it in her heart, but she was still hesitant. Just as she was hesitating, someone knocked on the door again.

  Whenever she got up and opened the door, it was Xiang Yunyun wearing her pajamas.

  "Uncle Qi, was Yu Cai at your place? I came out of the bath and she had already left."

  Qishu said, "Summer Rhythm came over and said she wanted to talk to me."

  "That's good, Yu Cai, He Qi just suggested playing cards, are you going to play or not?"

  "No, it's too late, I'm exhausted after a long day."

  "Oh no, Yu Cai, three minus one, don't be such a spoilsport!"

  "I haven't taken a bath yet—"

  "Come on, let's go!" Xia Yunyun said, pulling her along.

  "Or I'll play a few cards with Xiao Cai, and then Xiao Cai can take a bath before going over?"

  Xia Yunyun thought for a moment and agreed. She went to Qi Shu Fan's room with Qi Shi Zhi to play cards, while Yu Cai returned to take a bath.

  After taking a bath, Yu Zai felt depressed looking at a pile of clothes. Those guys were all wearing pajamas. Did she also have to wear her own pajamas to play cards with people she wasn't close to, including one of her students? But if she didn't wear pajamas, who had ever seen anyone dress formally after taking a bath and going to sleep?

  Yu Cai leaned in to listen to the commotion next door, it seemed like several people were having a great time. If she went over, she might end up being a wet blanket, so forget it. Even if they asked her about it tomorrow, she could just say she was too tired and fell asleep without realizing it, no one would mind anyway. And besides, this way, Qi Shu Fan and his son could spend more time together, that's doing something good too! Yu Cai couldn't help but smile to herself.

  Ji Shu Fan waited for half a day but didn't see Yu Cai coming over, so he let Xia Yunyun go take a look if Yu Cai had finished washing up. Xia Yunyun opened the door with the key and found that Yu Cai was already asleep. She naturally hoped more that Ji Shu Fan would accompany them, so she quietly closed the door and went out again, afraid of waking Yu Cai up.

  Qishu couldn't help but laugh when he heard that Yu Cai had fallen asleep, and even he didn't notice the extra tenderness in his smile. "Is the quilt covered? Is the air conditioner on? What temperature is it set to?"

  Xia Yunyun didn't expect Chi Shu Fan to ask this, and after glancing at it briefly, she had no impression, so she said, "I didn't notice".

  Qishu Fan paused for a moment, quickly finishing the cards in his hand, "Give me the key, I'll go take a look".

  Gazing at her father's receding figure with a mixture of surprise and puzzlement, she furrowed her brow.

  "A Xi, your dad is really good to your cousin," said Xiao Bai Lian, patting Jiexi's shoulder, "isn't she your dad's illegitimate daughter outside?"

  "Don't talk nonsense!"

  Xiaobai made a face at Xia Yuyun, who secretly looked at Jiexi's expression and said seriously, "He Qi, don't talk nonsense, Uncle Ji is a very upright person."

  "Alright, alright, I was just joking, forget it!"

  On this side, Qishu pushed open the door and entered the room, seeing Yucai lying on his back very neatly, with half of his face buried in the pillow, a corner of the quilt covering his stomach, and the long sleeves of his pajamas rolled up to his elbows. His apple-like face still had a hint of redness, giving off an inexplicable sense of calmness and tranquility that made people feel at ease upon seeing him.

  Put the magazine beside Yucai on the bedside table, just about to turn on the air conditioner, suddenly remembered that this girl usually doesn't blow air conditioning, occasionally once, the next day will inevitably feel uncomfortable, so put down the remote control and quietly went out.

  As soon as they returned to Qi Xizhe's room, Xia Yunyun pitifully said, "Uncle Qi, please stay and play with us for a while longer, it's still early!"

  "Alright, today I'll die with you, sir!"

  Xia Yunyin immediately cheered up, "He Qi, shall we play all night today?"

  "That won't do, Uncle Qi still has to drive tomorrow."

  "Just let Yu Cai open it."

  He Qi Lai's spirit lifted, "Right, I've also had enough for today. Uncle Qi, let me try tomorrow?"

  "Alright, tomorrow I'll find a safe place for you to try it out. If the little treasure doesn't turn out well, don't blame me for not giving you face!"

  "How is this possible! How can I be worse than that little brat!"

  "I'll be looking forward to it then. By the way, Yunyun, the weather isn't hot anymore, Xiaocai might not have turned on the air conditioner, don't turn it on when you get back, or she might get a headache tomorrow."

  Xia Yunyun nodded cleverly and said in a delicate voice, "Qiu uncle, you're being biased!"

  Qishu Fan also liked this pretty and clever little girl, and immediately said, "Since Yunyun says I'm biased, then I'll just be biased to the end. Xia Yunyun, classmate, isn't it late? You still have to get up early tomorrow, shouldn't you go back to sleep?"

  Xia Yunyuns immediately became coquettish, He Qi also followed suit, and for a moment the room was filled with joyful voices. However, Xi Shu still looked at them with an icy expression, thinking to himself: when his son can be as well-behaved as He Qi, his life will be perfect...