He sneaked into the kitchen beforehand and knew what else was in the filling.
“What’s so tricky about it? It’s something we see all the time.” Lieutenant Li wasn’t annoyed by the boy’s address; he was used to his son’s sharp tongue.
He knows perfectly well what kind of person the child he raised is.
If this gets you angry, then I'll really be overwhelmed.
"Girl, tell me." Yan Shuai stared at Aheng for a long time, seeing that she remained silent, and wanted to coax her to speak.
Ah Heng raised her head, her voice soft and gentle—"Orange peel."
Then, she pulled her head back into the steaming water and took small bites of the dumpling.
Everyone was stunned and turned to look at Lieutenant Li.
Lieutenant Li's smile grew even more benevolent, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling together, making him look rather comical and endearing—"Aheng was right. The pork I bought today was a bit too fatty, not the usual 40/60 fat-to-lean ratio. I was worried that Xiaoxi would be picky, so I chopped up some orange peel and put it in. It cuts out the greasiness and removes the fishy smell, just right."
"Hey! Li Ma, you know perfectly well I don't eat fatty meat, yet you still mistreat my young master! I'm going to deduct your salary immediately, without hesitation! Appeals will be rejected!" Yan Xi pouted, her expression one of disgust, her delicate eyebrows raised, her slender, beautiful hands constantly fiddling with the TV remote.
"Oh, no need for you to worry, Young Master Yan, our salaries aren't under your control," Lieutenant Li chuckled.
He received a State Council allowance for his first-class merit during the war, and his work as Yan hope's nanny in the Yan family was entirely out of respect for his former superior.
Others serve countless people, but he serves only one. Unfortunately, that one person is a brat who has one foot in a mental hospital and the other on Mars!
Yan hope felt that being filial to his old nanny was a traditional Chinese virtue, so he shut up and lazily buried his head in the sofa.
Ah Heng was very full, but Grandpa Yan was so attentive that she had no choice but to imitate Si Wan and sip her dumpling tea in small sips, which was both polite and made her dawdle.
Occasionally, through the mist, one could vaguely see the boy lounging on the sofa, his black hair blowing in the wind, his red clothes soft and fluffy, his long legs swaying, his feet tapping the ground, gently and leisurely tapping his feet, his mischievous and carefree appearance incredibly handsome.
***************************************************************
During her visit to the Yan family, Aheng did not meet Yan Xi's parents. At first, she thought they were busy with work. Later, after overhearing fragmented conversations between her grandfather and mother, she gradually realized that Yan Xi's parents were diplomats stationed in the United States and had left the country when he was less than two years old.
Grandpa's exact words to Mother were: "Axi is a bit wild, but his parents aren't around, and Yan Shuai isn't good at raising children. It's a miracle that he was able to raise him. Our Siwan can play with him, and that's fine, but we can't let Yanxi learn those traits."
Ah Heng felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this, but she didn't know why. She silently went upstairs and kept doing her English exercises.
Ironically, Ah Heng had no talent for learning Mandarin, but she spoke fluent English. In Si Wan's words, she had quite the potential to betray her country. Si Wan had a childhood friend who was studying in Vienna. When the two talked on the phone, they often chatted in English, taking the opportunity to practice their spoken English.
Once, when the phone rang, Siwan was busy with something else and didn't have time to answer it, so she asked Aheng to answer it for her. Aheng struggled for a long time to say "hello" in Mandarin, but the other person said "hi, Siwan?"
“No, Siwan has something at hand. This is his sister. Please wait a minute.” Ah Heng was a little excited, thinking to himself that this was the first time he had spoken so fluently since arriving in City B.
Siwan's hands were busy, but her eyes were idle. After catching a glimpse of Aheng's expression, she laughed until her stomach cramped.
"Er'er?" came the clear, magnetic standard Mandarin from the other end of the phone.
Ah Heng was silent for a long while, then said to the other person with great seriousness, "Another, another."
Siwan was stunned when she heard this.
A moment later, he smiled, looking at Aheng, his smile was particularly sincere and beautiful.
Hmm, the other one?
It seems... it's not entirely unacceptable.
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
The Ministry of Education advocates quality education, and City B is the capital city. Responding to the central government's call, it should at least do its part.
So, the only physical education class each week was a lively and joyful affair at Aheng's school. Several sets of sportswear were made for the students, but they were all counterfeit products from Xilin, imitating Nike and Adidas back-to-back so perfectly that they were incredibly accurate.
The principal smiled and said, "Students, if you don't study hard, how can you face the craftsmen who rush to make these brand-name sportswear for you?"
Everyone agreed wholeheartedly and admired him, feeling that there was one sentence in particular that could be flushed down the toilet after all the principal had said over the years.
Yes, even if it's not about quality, we have to complain about those few ridiculous trademarks, like Adidos and Neki—such famous and alluring brands…
Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great in winter; the cold wind howled, and the bare tree branches looked rather awkward. Ah Heng's mind wandered. If leaves were a tree's clothes, then it would be quite strange—a green coat in summer, and naked in winter…hehe.
The term "streaking" started to become popular in schools at that time. Boys would brag and say things like, "If I don't do this or that, I'll go streaking."
Ah Heng found it interesting and kept thinking about using the term, but couldn't find an opportunity.
So, seeing the withered tree, the timing and location were perfect, and the scene evoked my emotions. I felt very content.
As usual, the PE teacher said, "Free time!" The boys huddled together and started playing basketball.
Sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls, at that age of saying one thing and meaning another, chatter away while clutching their volleyballs, gazing at the basketball court with an air of nonchalance, as if they were roaming the world. One of them, with a long beard, wearing Nike and Adidas and brand names, thinks he's Michael Jordan but is actually a thug; the other, with greasy hair, hasn't washed it in days—a complete lack of character, manners, and upbringing, the epitome of "three no's"—who else could it be but a freak? Two words—utterly appalling and utterly disgraceful!
Ah Heng didn't know much about basketball, but he was trying hard to suppress his laughter when he heard the girls' comments.
But after a short while, the girls fell silent. Without exception, they remained reserved and elegant.
Ah Heng peeked through the crack and saw a group of second-year high school students discussing a match against their class. The one leading them happened to be Si Wan.
Siwan's class also had physical education this period.
Xin Dayi saw Siwan and grinned, his white teeth gleaming. He put his arm around the boy's shoulder, living up to the term "childhood friends." They were inseparable. Unfortunately, his dribbling was fierce, and the rim slammed shut with a loud thud. The girls felt sorry for him and hissed, "Auntie, please be gentle!" They were almost saying, "If you hurt Wen Siwan, you won't be able to go to class alive!" Siwan appeared gentle and nodded politely to the girls, but when he heard his childhood friend Xin Dayi grinding his teeth, he found it amusing. He wondered when he had offended the hothead in front of him. However, he didn't need to give his brother any face. He stole the ball, took three steps, and easily made a layup, hitting the backboard squarely.
Siwan moved with the grace of a dragon, her smile captivating all who beheld her, startling a flock of hens beside her.
The girls pouted, feeling incredibly embarrassed. Oh dear, Wen Siwan just smiled at me, but he scolded Xin Dayi for being useless and bringing shame to their Class 3 of Grade 1. Xin Dayi glared at the girls with his big eyes like light bulbs and uttered a single, earth-shattering "Damn it!" The stadium trembled.
Knowing Xin Dayi's temper, the girls scattered sheepishly, going to the side to play volleyball in twos and threes.
Ah Heng was left alone. She quietly squatted in a corner, watching her classmates play volleyball.
With arms outstretched and wrists together, she... can catch the ball using her wrist strength too.
On the left, on the basketball court, figures move nimbly, sweating profusely; on the right, gestures are graceful, laughter fills the air.
She was in the middle, neither to the left nor to the right.
And so, I felt somewhat lonely.
After squatting for a while, my legs got a little numb, so I stood up, stomped my feet, stood for a bit, got tired, and then squatted down again.
After repeating this several times, Aheng felt that he was just wasting his time and might as well go back to the classroom and do some physics problems.
Just as I stood up, a white ball flew towards me.
"Thump!" A face collided solidly and enthusiastically with the volleyball.
Ah Heng, covering her nose, squatted on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
A girl ran over, patted her on the shoulder, and said somewhat rudely, "Hey, Wen Heng, are you alright?"
"No...no...it's nothing." Ah Heng was a little dazed, her nose hurt terribly, and her voice was muffled.
"What did you say?" The other person didn't hear clearly.
"It's nothing." Ah Heng felt dizzy, and upon hearing the other person's voice, her mind raced.
"Can you speak louder!" Northern girls are straightforward and can't stand seeing others being coy. Ah Heng's voice was very soft, so the girl raised her voice, sounding a little impatient.
Ah Heng was getting a little anxious and really wanted to yell, "Try getting hit in the face by a volleyball and see if you can still speak!" Unfortunately, her Beijing dialect was still at an infantile level, so she shut up and used psychological hypnosis to tell herself it didn't hurt.
People either erupt from silence or become even more silent.
A few seconds later, a warm liquid flowed from his nostrils down between his fingers.
Snap, snap, bright red blood.
Ah Heng has had a fear of blood since childhood. He is already dizzy, and when he sees blood and is surrounded by a group of people, he feels even more dizzy. His head tilts to the side and he loses consciousness.
She had a dream, a dream of a vast expanse of white, thick with the scent of cold.
When I woke up, I found myself covered with a blanket, with a warm feeling that was different from the one in my dream.
I opened my eyes and saw a familiar face.
It is Siwan.
"You're awake?" the boy smiled.
"Mm." Ah Heng smiled, her dark eyes gentle and serene.
"Does it still hurt?" Siwan's voice became even gentler, his eyes fixed on her with a hint of pity.
Ah Heng looked at Si Wan and smiled, her lips warm and her eyebrows curved like distant mountains.
"It doesn't hurt." She didn't think she was being delicate and shook her head.
If children from poor families are spoiled, it's simply unbearable.
Therefore, the bad habit developed in the Yun family is that no matter if one bumps into a tree or a rock and becomes mentally impaired, when asked by one's father and mother, one will always say "it doesn't hurt".
Only when you are present do you have the right to feel pain.
Siwan gently touched Aheng's nose, which had just been stopped bleeding by the school doctor.
She shrank back quickly, gasped, and looked at Siwan with a somewhat aggrieved expression.
Siwan smiled, her dimples deepening, and gently ruffled Aheng's black hair before speaking softly.
"See, see, it still hurts. If it hurts, don't try to bear it, okay?"
Ah Heng's eyes were red, and her nose, which she hadn't felt much pain before, was now very sore.
However, it felt as if a furnace was burning in my heart, with orange flames and unrestrained colors. My heart became a canvas, painted with fiery colors, warm and deep.
When she returned to class from the infirmary, everyone looked at her strangely, especially the girls.
The next period after PE was music class, which was naturally a self-study period. Ah Heng secretly rejoiced and returned to his seat to prepare for his homework.
"Oh, the poor little thing is back!"
Ah Heng looked up and saw the girl in the front row looking at her with a sarcastic expression.
She stood there, stunned.
The other girls sneered, looking at her with disdain.
The boys didn't care where they sat; they just thought the girls were petty. But life was so boring, and there was always something interesting to watch. So, they frowned and pretended to be doing their homework, but their ears were sticking out.
Ah Heng pondered deeply: besides the ape, could the ancestors of humankind also include donkeys?
"Wen Heng, teach everyone how to time things so precisely! Wen Siwan just walked over and you fainted?" The girl who hit her with the ball shouted at Aheng from several rows away, a smile on her lips but cold eyes.