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[Chapter 017] “Teacher Bian, let’s add each other on WeChat.”
Bian JinYuan looked at the English words written on the sheet of paper in his hand, and then looked at the uncomfortable expression on Lu YunFei’s face.
Lu YunFei stared back and said in embarrassment, “What, it’s the first day of the holiday.”
“It’s the first day of the holiday and you’ve already gotten 8 words that you had previously memorised wrong, and you don’t know how to write a single word from the new vocabulary?”
“I didn’t consolidate my memorisation last night, and I haven’t memorised the new words yet.”
Bian JinYuan looked at him in exasperation, Lu YunFei looked back at him pitifully.
A silent Bian and a tearful Lu.
Bian JinYuan picked up the black gel pen beside him and got ready to mark it.
Before his pen touched the surface of the paper, his hand was swiftly grabbed by Lu YunFei.
“Have mercy,” Lu YunFei exclaimed.
Bian JinYuan raised his head to look at him.
Lu YunFei smiled and used his other hand to slowly slide the sheet of paper away from him.
Bian JinYuan saw him hide the paper behind him, and said helplessly, “Now could you let go of your hand.”
Lu YunFei immediately released his grip and smiled at him winsomely.
There’s no helping it, Lu YunFei who had been scoring full marks in the recent spellings was unable to accept that he would be failing this one.
“Let’s not mark this one. Wait until the next one. Just mark the next one.”
“Who was the one who said, it’s spelling, be serious about it? Was it you, classmate Lu?”
“That’s right, we have to be serious about spelling, which is why the marking pen needs to be a red pen. Look at your black pen, it’s too half-hearted.”
Bian JinYuan looked at him, and then calmly opened the cashier drawer. He searched for a bit before retrieving a red gel pen and twirled it in front of him.
Lu YunFei looked in disbelief at the red gel pen which had suddenly appeared in his hands. He was so shocked that his eyes turned round. Why would a cake shop have a red pen? This didn’t make any sense!!!
Lu YunFei saw how Bian JinYuan spun the pen faster and faster, and then a “slam” as it hit the table. He felt that this wasn’t a pen at all, but a brilliantly sharpened knife meant to pierce his heart.
Bian JinYuan didn’t say anything, as if to see how he would talk his way out of it.
Lu YunFei acted calm and said, “I’ll go home to memorise it later, really. The next time you test me, I’ll definitely know how to answer everything, so just give me a break this time.”
Bian JinYuan was skeptical about his “I’ll definitely know how to answer everything”.
Lu YunFei assured him, “Really, if I can’t, then I’ll give you a red packet # .”
He said this, and then realised that he didn’t seem to have Bian JinYuan’s WeChat.
“Hey teacher Bian, let’s add each other on WeChat. If I’m unable to remember my spelling, one word is a hundred. I’ll let it rain red packets for you.”
Upon hearing this, Bian JinYuan thought that his student’s determination seemed quite sturdy, only that his self-control was too lacking.
He took out his phone to let Lu YunFei scan his QR code, “Don’t send me red packets. If you aren’t able to memorise your spelling, then after the holiday, for each incorrect word you’ll have to write it down one hundred times. Practise makes perfect – reading it over a thousand times is no better than writing it down once. If you write a hundred times it should be sufficient for you to remember it.”
Lu YunFei thought that this was too harsh. His hand trembled as he added Bian JinYuan on WeChat.
Bian JinYuan’s WeChat nickname was very simple, it was just one word, Bian.
Compared to him, Lu YunFei’s nickname was more flashy – Luschenovski.
Bian JinYuan silently looked up at him, and Lu YunFei boasted, “Doesn’t it have flair, doesn’t it fit the prefix, the great Sociologist Luchenovski once said—”
Bian JinYuan continued looking at him in silence, obviously not in agreement.
Lu YunFei shook his head and said critically: “You really lack a sense of humour.”
“Then I hope that classmate Lu’s memorisation of vocabulary will be on the same strong level as classmate Lu’s humour.”
Lu YunFei: “… Actually humour isn’t something necessary, it can be discarded.”
After Lu YunFei professed this, he nodded his head in affirmation.
Bian JinYuan thought that his deskmate was probably really good at spinning tops.
Lu YunFei and Bian JinYuan chatted for a bit more until someone entered the shop to buy cakes. Then he took his terrible test paper and left with Wen MingYi.
Wen MingYi didn’t want to go home just yet, so he dragged Lu YunFei over to the nearest arcade to play games.
“You’re not going home on National Day?” Lu YunFei asked him.
Wen MingYi pressed the buttons as he replied, “No one’s home, there’s no difference whether I go home or not.”
“How about going to your ge’s home?”
“I’m an only child, thank you very much.”
“Alright then, I’ll say it another way, your childhood gege-who’s-been-watching-you-grow-up-since-you-were-kids-and-who-is-virtually-your guardian’s home, better?“
Wen MingYi shot him a glare, “You know so much, play properly.”
“Just how long are you going to be difficult? It’s already been a year. You haven’t gotten out of your rebellious phase yet?”
Wen MingYi retracted his hand, “Could we just play our games?”
“Sure sure sure,” Lu YunFei said helplessly, “Remain stubborn. One day when your ge really doesn’t care about you, you’ll be crying.”
“You’re overthinking it,” Wen MingYi said stubbornly, “That‘s when I ought to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”
Lu YunFei didn’t know what to do with him. He wondered why Wen MingYi’s rebellious phase was extraordinarily long. Other people’s rebellious phases were only a few months, but for him, a year wasn’t even enough. It was worrying.
He accompanied Wen MingYi to play two rounds and ate a meal together before heading home.
For the National Day holiday, Lu YunFei had also given his English tutor a day off. He looked at the time, saw that there was enough time left, and took out an English book to start memorising the words that his teacher wanted them to memorise over the holiday.
Lu YunFei finished memorising the words before 9pm. After writing them out once and ensuring that he got all of them correct, he went to bed.
As expected, he found himself in Bian JinYuan’s house when he opened his eyes. However this time there wasn’t Bian JinYuan or Bian JinYuan’s small aunt. There was only Shuang Shuang and another boy who looked a bit older than him.
This boy looked to be about eight or nine years old, and was quite chubby. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt, denim jeans, and a pair of white Adi(das) sneakers.
Shuang Shuang sat near him, laughing loudly at the animation on the television.
Lu YunFei was just celebrating the fact that he didn’t have to tell stories today, when he heard the boy tell Shuang Shuang, “I don’t want to watch this, give me the remote control.”
Shuang Shuang turned to look at him. The little boy stretched his hand out, “Quickly, I’m your gege, you have to obey me.”
Shuang Shuang had no choice but to get down from the sofa and hand the remote control to him.
The boy held the remote control and started flipping through channels, eventually settling on a period idol drama show to watch.
Shuang Shuang didn’t like to watch this type of show, so he took out a storybook to read.
The boy watched for a while and seemed to have gotten hungry. He took out a KFC bag from his school bag and opened it, producing a hamburger as he called out to Shuang Shuang.
Shuang Shuang raised his head to look at him. The boy waved the hamburger in his hand and asked, “Do you want to eat?”
Shuang Shuang hadn’t eaten hamburgers in a long time. It was so long since he had a hamburger that he’d already forgotten how they tasted. He nodded his head sincerely, “Yes.”
The boy giggled and beckoned him over.
Shuang Shuang happily walked over. The boy unwrapped the hamburger and let him take a whiff, asking him, “Does it smell delicious?”
Shuang Shuang nodded.
The boy joyfully took a bite out of it.
Shuang Shuang watched him eat, and also wanted a taste. He asked, “Gege, can I take a bite?”
The boy moved the hamburger to the other side and said, “You can’t, my mum bought this for me. If you want to eat it, tell your mum to buy it for you.”
Shuang Shuang pouted and didn’t say anything.
The boy looked at him and laughed disdainfully, “Oh right, your mum is poor. My mum said that your family has nothing left and that you can’t buy anything.”
Lu YunFei heard that laughter and got incensed. Both are fatties, but the fatty in his class is quite cute. Why was this little fatty here so obnoxious!
Lu YunFei watched Shuang Shuang, afraid that he would be unhappy. However Shuang Shuang didn’t seem to have a large reaction to this. He only pouted and went back to sit and continue reading his storybook.
The boy saw him leave and called for him again, “You come here, come here.”
Can’t you go over yourself? How could you be so casual in somebody else’s home! Lu YunFei was very unhappy with this little boy.