Chapter Forty-Five

  After a busy day, Yucai slept soundly that night and got up early the next morning to help Zhai buy breakfast and send it to Class 12.

  She seemed to have something to say, but didn't know where to start. Yu Zai's smile was as radiant as ever, "I overreacted yesterday and made things difficult for you. You go to class first, let's eat together at noon after school."

  Jiexi nodded, and Yucai smiled at him again. "Ashi, you have ideas to share with me, I'm delighted! For the first time, I feel that you actually treat me as a friend!"

  Qishu didn't sleep well all night because he had something on his mind. It was too late last night, and Yucai's emotions were unstable, so he couldn't ask him anything and just endured it.

  The next morning, Qi Shi Zhe had just left the house when Qi Shu Fan also followed him downstairs. They arrived at the door of Class 3, Grade 2 almost at the same time. At that time, Yu Cai had already brought breakfast to Class 12. Qi Shu Fan couldn't find Yu Cai and thought she hadn't arrived at school yet, so he waited at the door.

  At this time, He Qi arrived and saw that Ji Shu Fan was very surprised to call out, "Uncle Ji? Are you here looking for Yu Cai?"

  "Hmm, isn't she here yet?" Essentially, Ji Shu Fan's sentence was a waste of words and didn't expect He Qi to provide any useful information. Unexpectedly, He Qi replied, "She should be in the twelfth class right now, she'll arrive soon."

  "What is she doing there?"

  "Uncle Qi, didn't you know? Yu Cai sends breakfast to A Shi every morning."

  "What's going on?"

  He immediately seized the opportunity to show off his eloquence, adding oil and vinegar to describe how Yu Cai had endured wind and snow for over a year, braved scorching heat and climbed mountains, got up at 5:30 every day, went far away to buy breakfast that suited his taste, and finally added with relish, "Yu Cai is really too ungrateful. I asked her to help me bring it, she brought it for a few days, and after I said a few words about how bad it tasted, she refused to do it again. How ungrateful!"

  Qibook Fan was in the local area, without mentioning the hardships and emotions inside. He had a very picky mouth, he liked to eat cheaply, but one breakfast was at least ten or twenty yuan, thirty days a month, and half of Yu Cai's salary went into Qibook Fan's breakfast.

  "Huh, Ji Shu Fan, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

  Qishu Fang was originally supposed to go to work today, but in order to see Ji Shi, he had no choice but to ask for leave. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to find Yu Cai so early in the morning.

  "Came to find you, afraid it's inconvenient for you to ask for leave, and took the opportunity to meet your teacher."

  "What's the big deal, just make a phone call to He Qi and let me out."

  Qishu always quietly watched her, if you think it's troublesome, how would I know about your big sister's actions?

  Before long, Yu Cai's head teacher arrived. Qi Shu Fan exchanged pleasantries with him and borrowed Yu Cai away.

  Yu Cai naturally knew the purpose of Qi Shu Fan, and as soon as they left the teaching building, she said, "Last night, Qi Shi asked me if it was because you were good to me that I wanted to repay him, but actually, I didn't really like him."

  "Qī shū fán mù guāng fù zá de kàn zhe tā, 'suǒ nǐ kū le?'"

  Translation:

  "Qishu looked at her with a complex gaze, 'So you cried?'"

  Yu Cai shook his head, "No, at that time I was anxious for him not to think too much. He first looked at me calmly, then lowered his eyes, and somehow...I felt particularly heartbroken. Then..." Yu Cai shrugged, "I'm sorry to make you laugh, I've seen too many things, always like to find trouble where there isn't any, making everyone feel awkward."

  Qishu Fan stretched out his hand and patted Yucai's shoulder, "Xiao Cai——"

  Yu Cai raised her head and smiled, "Qi Shu Fan, I think although Ah Shi seems to be rejecting you, the reality is not as severe as imagined. Otherwise, he wouldn't agree to have you by his side. Maybe in his heart, he also hopes you'll accompany him more."

  "Xiao Cai, you don't know—"

  Yu Cai waited patiently for him to continue, but Qi Shu struggled for half a day and still couldn't speak.

  "Mr. Qi, if you find it difficult to speak out, don't force yourself, after all I'm just an outsider, there are many things I don't need to know."

  Qishu's mouth corner overflowed with a wry smile, "Xiao Cai, that matter is a nightmare for me and Shi Zhe..."

  "Mr. Qi," Yu Cai interrupted him, "the past is already in the past, you don't need to tell me about it, and even more so, there's no need to keep holding on to it."

  "Xiao Cai, I have no choice—"

  Yu Cai looked at Qi Shu Fan's painful face, filled with regret. "Mr. Qi, I think Qi Shi has been more diligent lately than before. The other day, I even saw him flipping through a political book."

  Qishu Fan nodded silently, his eyes surging like the dark waves of the sea, "Xiao Cai, I heard that you've been getting up early to buy breakfast for Shì Zhī for a year now?"

  Yu Cai immediately thought of He Qinao, and said somewhat unnaturally, "No, it's just on the way. I told A Shi to buy some himself, he must not want to eat them."

  Qishu sighed and said, "Xiao Cai, I don't know how to thank you. Compared to your unwavering dedication over the past year, any words of gratitude would be too pale."

  Yu Cai became even more unnatural, "Qishu Fan, don't say that, really nothing's wrong".

  Qishu smiled and said, "Alright, I'll keep your feelings in mind, there's no need to say it out loud."

  "Pray tell me——" Yu Cai was both anxious and urgent, but after a long time, she still didn't know what to say.

  Qishu smiled and asked, "Xiao Cai, isn't your class this afternoon important?"

  "Alright, actually you should believe in my self-study ability. I took a month off back then and still managed to catch up with work."

  "You didn't mention it and I had almost forgotten. You're a truant mastermind, aren't you? Alright, wait here for a moment while I go call Shi Zhi."

  "I'll go," Yu Cai said, finishing her sentence without waiting for Qi Shu Fan's response, and ran towards the teaching building.

  Qishu looked at her back and a smile slowly emerged from the corner of his mouth.

  Before long, Yu Cai led Qi Shi to arrive.

  "Xiao Cai, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to fly a kite? Go buy a few and bring them over, we'll wait for you here."

  Yu Cai saw this situation and knew that Qi Shu had something to say to Qi Shi, so she nodded and quickly ran out of the school gate.

  Yu Cai spent half a day selecting three kites and bought several bottles of water. Seeing that Qi Shu and Fan were no longer talking, he ran over to them and asked, "Where are we going to fly?"

  "Let's go to the park, there shouldn't be many people today."

  Yu Cai nodded and smiled, "Having two handsome guys of different sizes accompany me to fly a kite, it's really face-saving!"

  Qī Shū patted her head, "You're neither big nor small, next time you'll be punished to write 'Respect the Elderly and Cherish the Young' a hundred times."

  Yu Cai exclaimed loudly, "Unbelievable! I have to respect you as the elder and love Ah Shi as the younger one. Being stuck in between is simply unbearable!"

  "Then I will love you two little ones, and you two old ones must respect us two elders, or else it won't be worth the trouble?"

  "That's true, hey, the park is very close by, can't we just ask your esteemed legs to perform their normal functions?"

  Qishu Fan gave up his plan to take a taxi and reached out to take the bag from Yucai's hand, "Come on, give me a chance to show my love".

  Yu Cai and Qi Shu walked all the way to the park, chatting and laughing. The weather was great, with warm sunshine and gentle breezes blowing from time to time, and everywhere they looked was filled with the atmosphere of spring.

  Qishu Fan's original intention was naturally to watch Yu Cai and Qishu release, but he was entangled by Yu Cai for a while, so he had no choice but to roll up his sleeves and come out.

  Yu Cai had only flown a kite successfully once, and this time was no exception. She ran around with the kite for half a day but couldn't get it to fly, until Qi Shi helped her out and it finally took off. Yu Cai looked up at the three kites in the air and thought that indeed, good-looking people are treated favorably by even kites. These kites seemed to be of decent quality, so she could take them back and fly them with Yu Yan later. Lately, she hadn't had much time to spend with him...