That was a domestic call.
…Were they that used to Qin Yize not answering phone calls?
Looking back in confusion toward the fake kid beside him, the latter had already sat down on the edge of the bed, digging out the plasticine again. While rolling the dough pieces, he gazed at him uncomprehendingly: “Older brother, what’s wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong.” Yan Jun tossed his phone back into the drawer with a distracted mind, and two seconds later fished it out again, copying the phone number onto the test paper. Then, in a flurry of panic, he powered off the phone: “…I’m going to make dinner.”
With this matter weighing on his mind, he unusually ruined the dishes: the braised pork belly with glutinous rice bamboo shoots had too much salt, the scallion-oil broad beans were stewed too mushy, and he even forgot to add cornstarch thickening when reducing the sauce for the braised tofu.
Qin Yize ate a bite with full enthusiasm, stopped his chopsticks in surprise, and wore a subtle expression. Ah-po, however, was quite fond of it: “These broad beans are so soft, they melt right away with a gentle squeeze!”
Yan Jun had no choice but to add a bit more rice to the fake kid’s bowl: “Have some more rice with it, and it won’t be as salty.”
Qin Yize nodded with sudden realization: “Older brother, you have a guilty conscience.”
…Yan Jun glared at him fiercely.
That night, Yan Jun lay in bed with his eyes wide open, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
Qin Yize’s sleeping appearance was like a gorgeous feline, his facial features heavy and vivid, his hair glossy and bright. For a person like this, Yan Jun could never imagine the fact that his “father didn’t love him and his mother didn’t care for him.”
That bossy and domineering text message… Even his own biological father, outrageous as he was, hadn’t spoken to him like that back then.
Seeing that the blanket had slipped down below his waist, Yan Jun silently pulled it up a bit to cover him well. The heaviness in his heart felt like the eve of a violent storm, and he didn’t know when he would find release. He both longed for this matter to be satisfactorily resolved, yet feared that that day would bring thunder and lightning, tearing his peaceful life to pieces.
…Should he or should he not call Qin Yize’s parents back?
The seventeen-year-old youth looked anxiously at the ceiling in the dark, his palm resting involuntarily on the fake kid’s arm, and he barely managed to fall asleep past eleven o’clock.
The next day was August 1st, the last day of summer vacation, and also Xiao Hui’s birthday.
Early in the morning, the little kid came over to buy buns and incidentally extended an invitation to Ah-po: “Ah-po! Today is my seventh birthday, in the evening you should bring Xiaoshu and Big Brother Xiaojun over to eat cake!”
“It’s your birthday!” Ah-po said with a beaming smile, “Good, good! At noon when the two of them wake up, I’ll tell them!”
During the meal, Ah-po actually remembered this matter and mentioned it to her grandson. Yan Jun paused his chopsticks with a smile and said, “Strange, he never invited me before; this time he probably just wanted to invite Xiaoshu!”
Qin Yize was well-pleased, leaned against his shoulder, and acted obediently: “Inviting him means I have to invite you too! The two of us are a package deal anyway.”
“Then what gift are you preparing to give Xiao Hui?” Yan Jun asked deliberately.
“A gift…” The fake kid knew what Xiao Hui wanted, but… he was a bit reluctant to part with it.
After the meal, Qin Yize went back upstairs to take out his cigarette case, and rummaged through it to find the two most valuable Zhonghua cards and the two most valuable He Tianxia cards. Thinking that he still had a few matching ones, it wouldn’t matter if he gave these away… The fake kid gritted his teeth, decided to bear the pain of parting with his favorites, and give those four cards to Xiao Hui as a birthday gift.
“You’re just giving these four cigarette cards?” Yan Jun asked.
“Mmh.” The fake kid was still quite reluctant to part with them, his gaze finally moving back to his older brother’s face: “Older brother, you’ll help me find new cigarette boxes, right?”
“I’ll ask some friends.” Yan Jun looked somewhat absentminded, “I’ll fry another plate of crispy pork strips in the evening, and we’ll bring it