Chapter 7
“All over, all over,” Ti Nanyi muttered as he rubbed Xiao Hulu’s head, lamenting, “It’s really over.”
“Spit it out if you have something to say,” Ti Xiao frowned, still adjusting a draft he’d been working on since yesterday. His head was aching terribly. “Have you eaten? It’s almost two. Hurry up and eat, then go to class.”
“No, no, I’ll be quick and leave right after,” Ti Nanyi hastily sped up her petting of the cat.
“I think our English teacher might have a girlfriend. It’s definitely that blonde, blue-eyed girl from the other day,” Ti Nanyi said. “Today, after class, he asked if anyone knew of a good restaurant nearby.”
“Looks like he just got himself a girlfriend and is ready to take her out for dinner!”
She spoke with excitement, but her hand slipped, causing Xiao Hulu to give a displeased meow.
“And then? Why are you so upset?” Ti Xiao put down his stylus, rescued Xiao Hulu from Ti Nanyi’s hands, and gently patted her head. “Be gentle.”
“I feel bad for you,” Ti Nanyi pondered for a moment, coming up with a reason. “In my mind, you two are a couple, and now your couple is going to treat someone else to dinner.”
Ti Xiao snorted and smugly said, “Who cares about pairing up with your English teacher for dinner? I’ve got someone else to treat me.”
“Who? The neighborhood aunties and uncles who keep giving you oranges and pumpkins?” Ti Nanyi said, pulling an orange from his bag.
Apart from Aunt Zhang, who had given Ti Xiao a pumpkin the other day, the neighborhood had quite a few older uncles and aunties. Because Ti Xiao was sweet-tongued, he had a good relationship with them.
When they bought too many groceries, they’d often share with the younger folks in the area.
For example, right now, there was Xiao Yao, standing helplessly with a big pumpkin in his arms.
The pumpkin was from Aunt Zhang, who lived upstairs. She noticed Xiao Yao was tall and handsome and, thinking about her unmarried daughter and son, decided to give him a pumpkin.
It wasn’t the pumpkin itself that confused him the most, but the unexpected kindness. Unfortunately, Aunt Zhang was too enthusiastic, and since he wasn’t good at turning people down, he reluctantly accepted the pumpkin, taking it back home with him.
Xiao Yao had been living there for almost a month. His place had gone from chaotic to neatly organized.
On the table were some rice paper sheets, several stones, and unfinished seals. Nearby, his brush and ink stone sat, and the faint smell of ink lingered in the air.
The entire space gave off a vibe of an old cadre’s home. It felt like if there were a parrot or a mynah bird, Xiao Yao would fit right in with the neighborhood’s older men who always went out for morning exercises and bird-walking.
As he looked at the pumpkin, Xiao Yao suddenly thought of the pumpkin cream scent he had noticed on Ti Xiao the other day. He had some cream and milk left in the fridge, so he decided to make some pumpkin soup.
Having lived in the UK for several years to avoid the horror of British food, he had become quite skilled at cooking. Soon, he posted a picture of the pumpkin soup on Weibo.
Meanwhile, Ti Xiao, who had been scrolling through his phone, happened to see the post:
pass by: 【Image】
The golden pumpkin soup was topped with cream, served in a uniquely shaped white porcelain bowl, garnished with a single green basil leaf. The bright colors seemed to almost waft a delicious aroma through the screen.
Ti Xiao looked at the photo of the pumpkin soup and compared it to the one he had made the other day. It was like night and day, one floating in the sky, the other buried deep in the earth.
What puzzled Ti Xiao was why he had seen the post from pass by? He wasn’t even following them—though it wasn’t unusual for him to automatically follow his 30,000th fan.
Never mind, Ti Xiao thought. He decided not to unfollow, as that would make him seem petty. To show how magnanimous he was, he liked the post.
At the same time, Xiao Yao, who was sipping his pumpkin soup, heard the “ding-dong” sound and saw that the manga artist he had followed a few days ago had liked his post.
Xiao Yao casually opened Ti Xiao’s Weibo, where the pinned post was promoting the new comic series.
Just as he was about to scroll further, a ringtone interrupted his action.
The caller ID: “Naomi.”
Seeing the name, Xiao Yao furrowed his brow.
After the call, the pumpkin soup didn’t taste as good anymore, and even his mood while practicing calligraphy wasn’t as pleasant.
Reflecting on the call, his hand holding the brush froze, leaving a large ink blot on the rice paper.
Xiao Yao bit his lip, then wrote the word “烦” (annoyed) in large characters on the paper before crumpling it up and tossing it into the trash can, as if throwing his bad mood away along with it.
However, the call still affected him, and the next day in class, he couldn’t shake the low mood.
“The student in the fourth row, Ti Nanyi, stop hiding and staring at comics. Stand up and spell this word. If you can’t, write it a hundred times after school.”
——————
Ti Nanyi: “I got scolded by our English teacher this morning. He was so fierce today QAQ. Made me write words—though I recommended him to a restaurant the other day!”
Ti Nanyi: “But I didn’t write it. I ran away. Hehe.”
At noon, when school let out, Ti Xiao received a private message from Ti Nanyi.
Because Ti Xiao’s sister-in-law, Ren Yue, was at home these days, Ti Nanyi didn’t dare speak in the family group chat and only dared to privately message Ti Xiao.
Recently, the family group chat had been taken over by health tips shared by Ti Xiao’s parents, with Ti Zhe, Ti Xiao’s older brother, stepping in from time to time to debunk them.
The latest post was “The Ten Disadvantages of Getting Married After 25,” which, while not explicitly mentioning Ti Xiao, seemed to poke fun at him subtly.
Ti Xiao selectively ignored the messages and hadn’t told anyone about Xiao Yao.
“I’ve decided,” Ti Nanyi said, holding Xiao Hulu in his arms, dramatically spitting out an orange pit like she was about to make a life-changing decision.
“I’m not going to ship you two as a couple anymore.”
Ti Xiao curled his lips. “Well, thanks for that.”
“What’s it got to do with me? He scolds you, just don’t like him. Why drag me into this?” Ti Xiao asked as he gathered the trash.
“No way.” Ti Nanyi shook Xiao Hulu’s head, making her do a little shaking motion.
“Why not?”
“Because he’s handsome.” Ti Nanyi nodded her head as if she had made a profound statement.
“Mr. Lu Xun once said, ‘Everything starts with looks,’ and with that face, I can forgive him for scolding me.”
“…”
Ti Xiao fell silent for a moment, then finally spat out, “Just go away,” as he shoved the trash into her hands and escorted her out.
At this time, the streets were still crowded with students rushing to their afternoon classes.
As Ti Nanyi passed an intersection near the neighborhood, she happened to spot her English teacher, that handsome face she could forgive, with his long legs straddling a little yellow bike, heading in her direction.
Ti Nanyi was so scared that she ran off as fast as she could.