Wen Chen loves dragging me to the shopping street to buy some trendy yet affordable trinkets. Most of the time, he’s the one browsing while I just follow him around, looking aimlessly.
This time, he wanted to buy a new earring. While he was picking one out, I wandered over to the girls’ accessory rack to look at butterfly ribbons.
Just like the bestselling lipsticks my mom buys every season, certain cheap but cute items suddenly become popular among high school girls.
The butterfly ribbons on Chen Guoguo and her friends’ heads were just like that. As soon as I stood by the counter, the saleswoman in a brown lace apron smiled and asked if I was buying a ribbon for my girlfriend.
She said, “This butterfly ribbon is really popular right now. Are you buying it for your girlfriend, young man?”
“No…” I hesitated between the orange and purple ribbons, holding them up to my hair in front of the mirror.
“Wen Chen!” I called out to him, “Come over and see which one looks better.”
Wen Chen navigated through a few shelves to find me, giving me a knowing look. “Is it for Chen Guoguo? Go with the orange one. She’s fair-skinned, so the orange will suit her.”
“Alright,” since Wen Chen suggested it, I put down the orange ribbon and handed the purple one to the saleswoman. “Please wrap this one for me.”
It’s not that I didn’t trust Wen Chen’s taste, but his comment reminded me that Yuan Ziyi’s complexion was a bit darker, and an orange ribbon might not look as good on her.
Wen Chen, seeing that I didn’t take his advice, playfully pulled me into a headlock, “Cheng Yueguang, what’s wrong with you? How can you not listen to your dad!”
I pushed against his chin, laughing, “Can you not make a scene in the store?”
The saleswoman handed me the receipt, instructing me to pay and then return with the receipt to collect the item. Wen Chen took the receipt for me and dragged me over to help him pick out earrings.
The earrings in this store were sold in pairs. Wen Chen draped his arm over my shoulder, rubbing my earlobe with his thumb and forefinger, asking if I wanted to get my ears pierced too.
He said, “That way, buying a pair of earrings won’t go to waste.”
I quickly covered my ears, “What are you thinking? My mom would kill me if she saw that.”
We lingered in the store for nearly half an hour before Wen Chen finally chose his earrings. I sighed in relief and went to pay with the receipt.
Carrying the butterfly ribbon as we left the accessory store, I noticed that a few shops had already turned on their neon lights. The bustling shopping street was bathed in the glow of the setting sun, which was almost out of sight. It was getting dark.
I checked the time and asked Wen Chen if we should head home.
Wen Chen clearly hadn’t had enough fun yet and, dissatisfied, pulled me further into the shopping street. “Why do you always go home so early?”
Being dragged along, I frowned and tried to explain, “My mom…”
“Stop, stop,” Wen Chen interrupted me, “Are you a mama’s boy? Always ‘my mom, my mom.’ At worst, I’ll take you home tonight and tell your mom you were out buying study materials with me. You won’t get scolded.”
Since he put it that way, and I wasn’t particularly eager to go home just yet, I followed him, “Alright then.”
This was the first time I stayed out so late without my mom’s permission. I must admit, the shopping street at night, especially on a summer night, had its unique charm.
During the day, the street was clean and tidy, but at night, food stalls popped up everywhere. A pot for frying snails was set up right by the roadside, and if Wen Chen hadn’t pulled me aside, I would have almost walked into it.
Wen Chen handed me half a roasted pig’s trotter. After being taken off the grill, the trotter was rolled in crushed peanuts and chili powder, wrapped in oil paper, and emitted a tempting aroma.
But I was a bit dumbfounded and asked Wen Chen how to eat it.
Wen Chen said, “Just bite into it.”
I swallowed, hesitating as I looked at the pig’s trotter, “Shouldn’t we cut it?”
“Oh my, young master,” Wen Chen took the trotter from my hand and took a big bite, “Just eat it like this, got it? Ah, it’s hot, it’s hot!”
The freshly grilled trotter burned him, making him yelp. I quickly handed him my drink, which he took and gulped down, looking at me with a complex expression, “Cheng Yueguang, your mom’s got you on too tight a leash. Lucky you have me. Don’t worry, I’ll take you out to have fun in the future.”
I blew on the pig’s trotter and took a bite, nodding.
The roasted trotter was greasy but delicious, covered in finely ground dry seasoning. Each bite was fragrant and tender, with a lingering spiciness.
The spice made me open my mouth slightly, feeling like even my breath was fiery.
Wen Chen, perhaps feeling sorry for me, seemed determined to show me around the entire street. Like a mountain king leading his little demons on a tour, he wanted me to try anything he found interesting.
“This is pineapple beer, very low alcohol content, you won’t get drunk. Try a sip.”
Wen Chen held a large plastic cup to my lips, and I took a small sip, smacking my lips and saying it tasted a bit like pineapple soda.
After having our fill of fun, we went to a bookstore and bought a couple of study materials as an excuse. When I got home, I found my mom wasn’t there, only my dad.
With the coast clear, I breathed a sigh of relief and reminded Wen Chen to be careful on his way home.
The housekeeper who usually cooked for us was still away visiting family, so my dad was tinkering in the kitchen. Being tall, he had to be careful not to bump into the range hood, slightly bending over to place dishes on the steamer.
“Dad.”
I put down my things and followed him into the kitchen like a little tail.
My dad closed the steamer lid, wiped his hands on his apron, and turned to pat my face, “We’re having smoked meat tonight, made by Tang Shi’s grandma herself.”
I nodded, and he asked me to get some small buns from the fridge.
Tang Shi’s grandma was very fond of him and often sent over fancy little buns or glutinous rice balls. Tang Shi wasn’t interested in these things, so Aunt Tang would send them to our house.
I took out a box of pink pig-shaped buns from the fridge drawer, wondering why they thought I’d like them. I didn’t like them either, but no one ever asked me.
My dad started cooking rice and steamed a few buns for me, then washed his hands and called me to the living room.
He took off his apron, checked the time, and asked why I was back so late.
I helped him turn on the TV and switch to the news channel, kicked off my slippers, and sat cross-legged on the sofa, “I went out with a classmate. Don’t tell mom.”
My dad chuckled and shook his head, sitting down next to me, “Alright, I won’t say anything.”
“Dad,” I took out the butterfly ribbon from the light yellow bag and showed it to him, “Is it pretty?”
My dad looked at the ribbon for a couple of seconds before handing it back to me, “Are you giving it to your little desk mate?”
“Yeah,” I lounged on the sofa, resting my head on his thigh as I admired the ribbon in my hand, “I saw a lot of girls wearing these. She often gives me gifts, so I wanted to give her one too.”
My dad watched the news, his warm hand gently scratching my chin, “My son is great.”
I said, “I only told you, so you can’t tell mom.”
Yuan Ziyi loved the butterfly ribbon I gave her and tied it in her braid that afternoon.
Wen Chen noticed and pulled me out of the classroom, asking why I gave the ribbon to Yuan Ziyi.
“I thought you were going to give it to Chen Guoguo.”
I hadn’t slept well at noon and was a bit dazed as he dragged me out. I looked at him and said, “Doesn’t Chen Guoguo already have one on her head?”
“…” Wen Chen glared at me, “But I told Chen Guoguo you bought a purple ribbon for her.”
Wen Chen and his big mouth. I had no choice but to say, “Then come with me after school to buy another one. It’s just as well, tomorrow’s the weekend, and I can give it to her when I go to the Youth Palace for class.”
Next week, the school was hosting a Sports Festival, and Old Qin called me to the office to pick up some forms. He told me to encourage our classmates to participate more. Another teacher in the office asked him, “What event is your class’s little class president signing up for?”
Old Qin picked up a cloth to clean his glasses, smiling at me, “Did you hear that? They’re asking you.”
…I didn’t want to participate in any event.
Under the affectionate gaze of several teachers in the office, I clutched the forms and dryly said, “I might need to discuss it with my classmates first.”
“Right,” Old Qin clapped his hands, “Discuss it well and try to bring back a few more certificates for our class.”
Leaving the office, I ran into He Antang on the way back to the classroom building. He was carrying two bundles of books tied with nylon rope, and I asked if he needed help.
“No need.”
He Antang declined my offer, glancing at the forms in my hand, “Is your class just starting to fill them out?”
“Yeah, Old Qin is always so slow with things.”
Walking alongside him, I complained, “He only gave them to me on Friday afternoon. Tomorrow’s a holiday, who’s in the mood to fill out forms?”
He Antang said seriously, “It’s about collective honor, everyone will be eager to sign up.”
“I hope so…” I sighed, waving the forms in my hand. On the way, we ran into a few other class presidents who gathered around to look at the forms.
I was surprised, saying that Old Qin wasn’t the last teacher to give out the notice after all.
The class president from Class 6 shrugged, “Count yourself lucky. Our teacher gave me a strict order to fill all the event slots.”
“Pfft… That’s rough.”
I stopped to chat with them for a while, only heading back to my classroom when the bell was about to ring. He Antang had been waiting for me up ahead, and I felt a bit embarrassed, catching up to him and asking why he didn’t join the conversation.
He waited until I was beside him before starting to walk again, his expression somewhat aloof, “Not familiar.”
Ah, I hung my head in regret, realizing I’d almost forgotten that He Antang had a cool and distant persona.
Back in the classroom with the Sports Festival registration forms, Wen Chen helped me distribute them. Holding a form, he stood on the podium and shouted, “Come sign up! Those who register now will receive a kiss from Brother Wen Chen!”
The classmates below burst into laughter, letting out a collective sigh.
Wen Chen slapped the desk and pointed at me, who was grinning foolishly at the side, “If that doesn’t work, you can get a kiss from Brother Cheng Yueguang instead.”
The boys in the class started making a fuss again, and the girls joined in. I picked up the blackboard eraser and tapped it on the board, “Alright, alright, be careful, the grade director might come by.”
Everyone wasn’t too concerned about class honor, but they were very interested in the Sports Festival. Wen Chen mentioned that each class would need to select a cheerleading team, and a girl sitting in the front row asked, “Is the class president choosing the cheerleading team too? Who’s teaching the cheerleading routine? The class president?”
I quickly said, “What are you thinking? I don’t have that skill. If anyone’s teaching, it’s your Brother Wen Chen.”
Everyone laughed again, and a girl stood up, “Then I’ll sign up for the cheerleading team.”
We spent a self-study period resolving the Sports Festival registration. After returning to my seat, Yuan Ziyi also asked me for a registration form.
She said she wanted to participate in the girls’ long-distance run.
That event was just what our class needed. I frowned and asked her, “But it’s an 800-meter run. Can you handle it?”
“It’s fine,” Yuan Ziyi said, “Someone’s got to run, right?”
I signed up for a relay race myself, so I gave Yuan Ziyi a bright smile, “Then let’s do our best together. I’ll treat you to a drink on the day of the Sports Festival.”