In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived.
Su Nuonuo sat at the dining table nibbling on toast, pondering whether she should go to Grandpa Lu’s place to have a bowl of sweet soy milk.
“Nuonuo! Did you forget?” Su Xiaoyu held a cup of milk, reaching out from across the table to poke her arm.
“About that incident where Lu Zhiye was mean to you that day! Aren’t you going to complain to Grandpa Lu? While you’re at it, you can also ask Grandpa Lu about that ring!” Su Xiaoyu raised her eyebrows and asked.
She looked even more anxious than Su Nuonuo herself.
Because of that ring, Su Nuonuo hadn’t been eating or sleeping well for several days.
Su Nuonuo paused mid-bite of her toast. In truth, she had long since thrown that minor unpleasantness to the back of her mind.
Only after Su Xiaoyu’s reminder did she belatedly slap her forehead.
That’s right—on that day, his words “know your limits” and “I don’t like girls like you, the pampered young ladies” had made her feel upset for quite a while.
How could she just let that go!
Especially that ring on his thumb—given by someone very important to him.
She truly wanted to know who that very important person was.
In fact, she even thought that if it were her, how wonderful that would be.
At that thought, she immediately became energized and finished the toast in a few quick bites.
Carrying her “complaint plan” and thoughts about the ring, she left the dining table.
She first hurried upstairs in a flurry of motion.
Not long after, she came back down, slinging a small bag over her shoulder and clattering down the stairs.
Su Xiaoyu looked at Su Nuonuo, who was hurriedly changing her shoes at the entrance, and let out a soft sigh, her tone carrying a hint of regret: “Ah, if I didn’t have something to do, I would’ve gone with you.”
She really wanted to see the school bully being reprimanded by an elder.
Just as she finished speaking, the sliding door to the kitchen creaked open.
Zhou Qing walked out carrying a floral-patterned thermal container.
Her gaze had just landed on Su Nuonuo, who looked as if she were about to rush out immediately.
Before she could even ask, Su Xiaoyu quickly stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
“Auntie Zhou, let’s go.”
Su Xiaoyu subtly shifted her body, blocking Zhou Qing’s line of sight toward Su Nuonuo.
A hint of mischief flashed quickly in her eyes, though her tone remained especially obedient: “Nuonuo has something to do today, so she won’t be going to the hospital with us.”
Zhou Qing paused slightly, her brows faintly furrowing in doubt, but in the end, she did not ask further.
Su Xiaoyu quietly let out a breath of relief.
Her father had accidentally fallen at a construction site yesterday and fractured his leg. He was now lying in the hospital, with her mother staying by his side without leaving.
So she had to stay at her uncle’s house these few days.
Of course, she wasn’t deliberately trying to lie for Su Nuonuo.
It was just that she knew very well how strict Aunt Zhou’s discipline over Su Nuonuo was.
Even being ten minutes late coming home would be questioned thoroughly, let alone going to a male classmate’s house.
Moreover, Su Nuonuo had helped cover for her many times before—whenever she and Chen Che had secretly slipped out to date, it had always been Su Nuonuo who helped her smooth things over in front of her mother.
Their relationship had progressed so smoothly thanks to Su Nuonuo guarding their secret tightly.
Su Nuonuo was not only her cousin, but also her closest confidante.
This time, it was her turn to protect this little girl.
Su Xiaoyu linked her arm with Zhou Qing’s and subtly glanced toward the entrance, quickly blinking in Su Nuonuo’s direction.
Turning back to Zhou Qing, she said in a lighter tone: “Auntie Zhou, let’s go quickly, or the hospital might get crowded later.”
At the mouth of the alley in the residential area in the north of the city, a simple breakfast stall was already filled with the aroma of fried dough sticks and the rich warmth of soy milk.
Grandpa Lu was wearing an apron, skillfully flipping the fried dough sticks in the pan. The golden sticks sizzled in the oil, their fragrance making Su Nuonuo, who had already eaten toast, swallow unconsciously.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up. Upon seeing her, Grandpa Lu immediately smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes gathering together: “Nuonuo is here? Come in and sit. Freshly fried dough sticks—Grandpa will get you some.”
Su Nuonuo placed the fruit basket she had bought onto the counter.
Smiling, she said, “Grandpa Lu, I’ve already had breakfast. I can’t eat anymore.”
“Oh, you’ve already eaten? How about a bowl of sweet soy milk to warm you up?”
Su Nuonuo squinted and smiled, patting her stomach: “Sure.”
It wasn’t her fault she was tempted—Grandpa Lu’s soy milk was really delicious.
As Grandpa Lu poured her a bowl of soy milk, he chatted casually: “Girl, you came rushing over like this—are you here for Little Ye?”
Before Su Nuonuo could respond, he seemed to recall something and frowned as he asked, “That brat hasn’t been mean to you or bullied you at school again, has he?”
Su Nuonuo paused. She hadn’t expected Grandpa Lu to still remember what happened last week when he had been harsh to her.
Naturally, she hadn’t forgotten her purpose in coming here.
She had been hesitating about how to bring it up, but hearing Grandpa Lu mention it first made her eyes light up, and she nodded emphatically.
Grandpa Lu furrowed his brows slightly and turned around, waiting seriously for her to continue.
Su Nuonuo pouted, placing her hands on her hips and putting on an indignant expression: “Grandpa Lu! I came here today specifically to complain!”
Grandpa Lu froze for a moment, then smiled in understanding and pointed toward the inner room: “Oh? That brat was mean to you again? He’s inside picking vegetables. Go scold him back or even give him a beating.”
He looked completely like someone saying, “Don’t worry, Grandpa’s got your back.”
Su Nuonuo gathered her courage and rushed into the inner room. As expected, she saw Lu Zhiye sitting on a small stool, slowly picking a bunch of green vegetables.
His long fingers pinched the leaves, his movements carrying a hint of impatient indifference.
Hearing the commotion, his hands paused. He looked up at her, the tips of his ears quietly flushing red, though his tone remained stiff: “Why are you here?”
“Hmph!” Su Nuonuo walked up to him and looked down at him from above. Her ponytail swayed with the movement.
In a soft yet fierce tone, she said, “You were mean to me that day! And you said ‘know your limits,’ and that you don’t like girls like me—the pampered young ladies!”
The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became: “I went to explain things to you with good intentions, and you still yelled at me! Grandpa Lu, you judge this—wasn’t he way too much?”
The greens in Lu Zhiye’s hand nearly fell to the ground, and the redness on his ears deepened further.
He abruptly stood up, intending to cover her mouth, but restrained himself since there were guests outside. He could only lower his voice, somewhat exasperated: “Keep your voice down!”
“No!” Su Nuonuo straightened her neck and raised her chin triumphantly.
Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with a cunning light. “I want Grandpa Lu to hear! I want him to properly discipline you!”
Grandpa Lu walked in carrying a bowl of sweet soy milk, smiling as he handed it to Su Nuonuo.
Then he turned and glared at Lu Zhiye, shaking his head in disappointment: “Brat, I knew it was you who made Nuonuo upset! Look at you—such a good little girl came all the way to explain things to you, and you still scold her?”
Lu Zhiye pressed his lips together and said nothing. His ears were completely red, and his lowered fingers curled slightly, revealing a trace of helplessness.
Grandpa Lu patted Su Nuonuo’s shoulder again, smiling kindly: “Nuonuo, don’t be upset. Grandpa will teach him a lesson for you! Today’s soy milk—I won’t let him drink it. Let him crave it!”
Su Nuonuo held the warm bowl of soy milk, feeling the warmth spread from her palms to her heart.
Looking at Lu Zhiye’s embarrassed and flustered expression, most of her anger had already dissipated.
She didn’t stay long before leaving, as she hadn’t forgotten she needed to visit her second uncle at the hospital that day.
“What? You didn’t ask about the ring?”
At the end of the hospital corridor, Su Xiaoyu pulled Su Nuonuo aside to gossip about the ring, only to find out that Su Nuonuo had completely forgotten to ask.
It was because Lu Zhiye had apologized to her for being harsh—so sincerely it was almost as if he were about to kneel.
In her excitement, she had completely forgotten about the ring.