Lu Yingchi walked lightly up the stairs. Before he even reached the second floor, he heard Jian Song’s voice.
“Jiang Qi! The sun is high up, and you are still not up? You are going to get me late again!”
Jian Song pounded on the door, urging Jiang Qi to hurry up and open it. The door rattled under Jian Song’s frantic knocking. Inside, Jiang Qi was incredibly annoyed; he frowned and pulled the quilt over his face, tossing and turning in bed, refusing to get up.
Jian Song clicked his tongue. “Jiang Qi, I am counting to three. If you do not get up by then, I will not invite you to any future activities.”
“One.”
“Two.”
Before Jian Song could even say “three,” Jiang Qi threw the door open. Jiang Qi covered his mouth to yawn, tears of sleepiness still clinging to the corners of his eyes. “Brother Jian, you really have nothing else to threaten me with, do you?”
Jian Song hummed smugly. “Just tell me if it works or not.”
Jiang Qi nodded helplessly. “It works, it works. How could it not? If I did not have a good friend like Brother Jian, I do not know how I would survive.”
Jian Song was amused by Jiang Qi’s words and lightly patted the back of his hand. “Go away, stop being so glib with me. Go wash up quickly. If we are late, I will kill you. Lu Yingchi is coming with us today, too.”
Jiang Qi glanced past Jian Song and saw Lu Yingchi standing behind him. Jiang Qi’s brows shot up. “Why is he tagging along?”
Jian Song looked back at Lu Yingchi, his ears turning red. He coughed a few times and replied, “It is on the way. I discovered last night that he lives in my complex, and since we bumped into each other this morning, we decided to walk together.”
Jiang Qi nodded and ran his fingers through his hair to tame it. “Got it, Brother Jian. Wait for me downstairs; I will be down in a second.”
Jian Song nodded. “Hurry it up, you fur-ball.”
After Jiang Qi closed the door, Jian Song turned to Lu Yingchi. “Why did you follow me up?”
Lu Yingchi pursed his lips. “I saw you go up, so I followed.”
Jian Song walked down the stairs, muttering, “That guy Jiang Qi has a heavy idol burden. Whenever there are outsiders around, he acts so fake.”
Lu Yingchi heard the word “outsider” in Jian Song’s remark and knew he was referring to himself. His heart took a hard hit against his chest. His brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Jian Song’s expression. He knew Jian Song had not said it maliciously, but it was precisely this unintentional remark that hurt the most. So, to Jian Song, I am still an outsider.
Lu Yingchi lowered his eyes. That is fine. I will work hard, hard enough until Jian Song treats me as one of his own.
Once downstairs, Jian Song did not just sit around; he began helping Jiang Qi’s mother with her tasks. It was 6:00 AM, and students and office workers were starting to pour out. The once-quiet breakfast stall was now packed. Voices echoed from all sides.
“Boss, are my dumplings ready?”
“Auntie, please pack my soup noodles first. I am going to be late for school!”
“Boss, give me one order of soup buns.”
Jiang Qi’s mother was bustling about, sweat trickling down her face. “Yes, yes, coming right up! Everyone, please wait just a moment.”
Jian Song started helping, and seeing this, Jiang Qi’s mother asked, “Songsong, is Jiang Qi up?”
“He is up, Auntie.”
Jiang Qi’s mother took a packed order of soup buns from a hot steamer.
“I packed three portions; take them to eat at school.”
Jian Song took them, puzzled. “Three portions?”
“Yes, yes. That Student Lu also wanted one. He paid for it, but I have not given him his change yet. Could you help Auntie give it back to him, Songsong?”
Jian Song turned to look at Lu Yingchi. He was also helping out, clearing away leftovers from the previous customer. After wiping the table clean, he invited another customer to sit. Jian Song raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling that this kid, Lu Yingchi, was not so bad after all.
“Sure, I understand, Auntie.”
Jian Song and Lu Yingchi helped Jiang Qi’s mother for a while until Jiang Qi finally descended with his school bag.
“Mom! I have taken down the laundry, I have wiped Dad’s portrait clean, I have prepared breakfast for Dad, and I have tidied up the house. You will not have to clean later, Mom! I am going to school now!”
Jiang Qi’s mother shouted “Yes, yes” several times without even turning her head. “Little Qi, walk carefully! Use the crosswalk and the pedestrian path. Look both ways when crossing the street and pay attention to the traffic lights!”
Jian Song and Lu Yingchi set aside their work and followed Jiang Qi out.
“I know, Mom! How old do you think I am? I am not a little kid anymore.”
Jiang Qi’s mother’s words drew laughter from the customers.
“Little Qi, no matter how old you get, you will always be your mother’s precious son! Walk safely and learn well.”
“That is right, Little Qi. Get into Tsinghua or Peking University, and our neighborhood will become famous, hahaha!”
This was the liveliest time at Jiang Qi’s house. Jiang Qi’s mother laughed until she could not straighten her back, tears of joy welling in her eyes. Since she was only one person, customers often grabbed what they needed themselves, telling her they had paid before heading off. A few early birds who had finished dropping their grandchildren off at kindergarten would occasionally jump in to help her out.
The breakfast stall usually stayed busy until noon. Only then would Jiang Qi’s mother find a moment of peace to chat with the local grandmothers about the latest neighborhood gossip.