Drinking really does lead to mistakes; she even forgot that.
After replying to Fang Maozhou that he didn't need it, Fang Bai asked Ji Yuning, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, "What time will the competition results be released?"
The sound of water stopped, and Ji Yuning's voice rang out: "Six o'clock in the afternoon."
Fang Bai glanced at his phone; it was only nine o'clock…
Nine o'clock?
Fang Bai asked, "Aren't you going to study today?"
Yesterday, Ji Yuning was supposed to leave at 8 o'clock, but today she was still washing dishes at 9 o'clock.
Ji Yuning came out of the kitchen, picked up her schoolbag from the chair, and said, "Go."
The schoolbag was hidden under the table, and Fang Bai didn't see it.
"oh."
Fang Bai responded and lowered his head to drink his porridge.
Just as Ji Yuning was changing her shoes in the entryway with her schoolbag on her back, Fang Bai couldn't help but say, "It's Mid-Autumn Festival today, come home early tonight."
Ji Yuning paused while tying her shoelaces, and finally let out a muffled "Mmm".
—
Fang Bai thought about it all afternoon, but still couldn't remember what happened last night.
Fortunately, she wasn't exposed, so she quickly let it go and stopped thinking about it.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is naturally inseparable from a family reunion dinner.
Fang Bai prepared the ingredients. This time, she didn't cook the vegetables first, but planned to wait for Ji Yuning to come home before starting, otherwise the vegetables would get cold.
Ji Yuning returned home at 5:30 p.m.
Upon entering, one sees the table piled high with ingredients and Fang Bai sitting on the sofa, feeding Bei Bei snacks.
Hearing the sound, Fang Bai lifted his eyelids and whispered, "You're back?"
"…Um."
Fang Bai picked up Bei Bei and put Bei Bei directly into Ji Yuning's arms, saying, "You accompany Bei Bei back to its room to play for a while, I'll go cook."
The second-floor side room has become Beibei's bedroom.
Ji Yuning hadn't seen Beibei all day and missed it terribly. She rubbed Beibei's head, and her expression softened.
After Ji Yuning went upstairs, Fang Bai also put on an apron.
She stewed the meat and prepared to stir-fry four more dishes.
Forty minutes later, just as Fang Bai was about to finish cooking the last dish, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Ji Yuning had somehow appeared in front of the kitchen.
Fang Bai raised an eyebrow: "Hungry?"
Ji Yuning held her phone and repeated He Wei's first words to her during their phone call: "The results are out."
Fang Bai turned off the stove and asked, "How is it?"
Ji Yuning glanced at the dishes on the table and said indifferently, "Just as you guessed."
Fang Bai ladled the food onto a plate, carried the plate to the table, and whispered to Ji Yuning, "What was our bet again? If you get first place, I'll grant you one wish?"
Ji Yuning: "Yes."
Fang Bai was about to ask Ji Yuning what she wanted when he heard Ji Yuning's clear voice in his ear:
"I want to commute to school."
Chapter 38
Fang Bai slowed down his movements as he untied his apron.
Fang Bai remembered that she had suggested at the beginning whether or not to commute from school, but she stopped because of He Wei's words. Now that Ji Yuning had suddenly brought it up, it would be a lie to say that Fang Bai was not surprised.
After a moment of surprise, Fang Bai quickly understood why Ji Yuning wanted to commute: boarding school would limit her communication with Yuan Yizhen.
Knowing what was going on in his mind, Fang Bai still pretended not to know and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to commute from school?"
Fang Bai asked, turning back to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks. Ji Yuning followed him into the kitchen, washed her hands, and said, "Didn't Auntie say before that she wanted me to be a day student?"
Fang Bai noticed that Ji Yuning did not address her by her surname. Although there was only one character difference between "Aunt Fang" and "Auntie," it conveyed a sense of distance and intimacy.
Ji Yuning didn't deliberately tease her like that just to get her to agree to something.
Fang Bai paused for a moment and said, "Back then, I was worried that you would be bullied and embarrassed in the dormitory, but haven't He and the other person changed their ways now?"
Ji Yuning wiped the water droplets from her hands with a tissue, without even looking up, "Auntie, are you going to back out?"
She didn't; she was just pretending.
Fang Bai walked outside. "No, I just wanted to find out the reason so I could talk to Teacher He about it."
Ji Yuning wiped the last drop of water from her fingers, threw the wet paper ball into the trash can, then looked up at Fang Bai's back and said in a deep voice, "I already told you that when Teacher He informed me of my grades."
"What did the teacher say?" Fang Bai asked.
Ji Yuning: "I'll have you go and complete the formalities tomorrow when school starts."
Fang Bai thought it was good, she didn't even need to contact He Wei anymore. "Okay, then I'll go to school with you tomorrow."
After saying that, Fang Bai placed the bowl of rice in front of Ji Yuning's usual seat, turned to look at the figure in the kitchen, and said softly, "Come and eat."
After Ji Yuning sat down, Fang Bai used serving chopsticks to put some of the stewed meat she had prepared on Ji Yuning's plate, saying, "Try it."
The meat, with its perfect balance of lean and fatty pieces, is coated in a rich broth. The broth seeps into the rice, instantly turning the glistening white rice brown.
Even Ji Yuning, who only sees eating as a means to sustain life, found it very appetizing.
Fang Bai watched as Ji Yuning picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and took a bite. After seeing Ji Yuning swallow, Fang Bai couldn't wait to ask, "Is it good?"
This is her specialty dish.
Ji Yuning lowered her eyes and calmly replied, "It's delicious."
It's so delicious... it doesn't taste like something a beginner could make.
Ji Yuning's eyes darkened.
Fang Bai felt satisfied when he heard Ji Yuning say "delicious" instead of just saying "hmm" or nodding in response.
Ji Yuning said it was delicious, which means her cooking skills haven't declined.
Fang Bai smiled and said, "Then eat more."
"Um."
Fang Bai didn't speak again. She ate her food in small bites. It wasn't that the food didn't suit her taste, but rather that she had very little desire to eat after cooking, as if she had inhaled too much of the cooking fumes.
Halfway through the meal, Ji Yuning's voice suddenly rang out at the table. Her tone was flat, but what she said instantly put Fang Bai on alert.
Ji Yuning said, "It seems like Auntie hasn't played the piano in a long time."
Fang Bai doesn't play the piano, so of course he wouldn't touch that piano, let alone play it.
Although Fang Bai has the original owner's memories, knowing and being able to do are two different things, just like a well-memorized math formula can never be applied to a problem.
Fang Bai didn't know why Ji Yuning was concerned about whether she had played the piano or not, and even asked about it. She could only give a perfunctory "uh-huh" while chewing her food.
Ji Yuning said indifferently, "Doesn't Auntie play it every day?"
After finishing chewing the food in her mouth, Fang Bai had nothing left to say. She cleared her throat and said, "You're usually at school, so how come you've seen me playing the piano?"
Fang Bai added, "But I haven't touched it for a few days. I've been engrossed in studying recipes lately."
Fang Bai met Ji Yuning's eyes. Her pupils were dark and deep, her eyes seemed to see through everything. Fang Bai said, word by word, "Do you want to hear me play? I'm a bit rusty these days, so it might not sound very good."
Fang Bai appeared calm and composed, as if she could sit down at the piano and play a piece the moment Ji Yuning said she wanted to. But only Fang Bai knew that she was nervous, afraid that Ji Yuning would agree.
Blindly applying formulas will only result in getting questions wrong.
Fang Bai's initiative put aside Ji Yuning's doubts for the time being. She looked at Fang Bai and took in all the subtle expressions.
But the other party's acting was so good that she didn't notice any flaws.
Ji Yuning's eyes flickered slightly, her tightly closed lips moved as if she was about to speak.
Fang Bai's hand, dangling under the table, with her index finger and thumb pinched together, revealed her inner unease.
However, there was nothing unusual about the upper body that Ji Yuning could see.
A soft "click" sounded particularly loud in the quiet environment.
Fang Bai was taken aback and turned to look at the entrance.
Ji Yuning silently withdrew her gaze, her thick eyelashes concealing the emotions in her eyes.
Wu Mei entered the room carrying her bag and saw Fang Bai and Ji Yuning sitting at the table, the atmosphere harmonious.
Wu Mei looked at Fang Bai with a forced smile and said, "I'm sorry, miss, my train back was delayed."
Fang Bai was relieved to see that it was Wu Mei, and was glad that Wu Mei had returned in time. "Didn't I tell you to come back tomorrow?"
Wu Mei called her to say she would be back late, but Fang Bai was worried it would be too late, so she told Wu Mei to come back tomorrow, and Wu Mei agreed.
Wu Mei explained, "I bought my train ticket when I went back, and I was too lazy to return it. Besides, Miss, your vacation was supposed to end today, so I felt bad not coming."
“I’ll reimburse your train ticket even if you cancel it,” Fang Bai said.
Seeing Wu Mei's travel-worn appearance, Fang Bai asked, "Have you eaten? If not, come and have some. The food is still warm."
Wu Mei shook her head: "I ate instant noodles on the train, so I'm not hungry."
Wu Mei stepped forward, looked at the brightly colored dishes, and asked, "Did you order takeout, Miss?"
Before Fang Bai could speak, a voice suddenly rang out: "Aunt Fang made it herself."
After Ji Yuning finished speaking, she looked up and called out, "Aunt Wu."