Wen Xuan smiled gently, put away his notebook, and got up from his seat without saying another word.
Yan Sisi and Jiang Siyue exchanged a glance when he left, silently agreeing to act as if nothing had happened. Jiang Siyue flipped open her own notebook and placed it on Yan Sisi’s desk. “Here, I honestly paid attention in class for the past few days just for you. You owe me one.”
When Sisi wasn’t around, no one talked to her. Even during meals, she would sit with the bookish Wang Xiaohua, answering questions only with a simple “mm.” Today, even Wang Xiaohua had taken a day off, and Sisi thought she would have to spend the whole day alone.
Jiang Siyue chattered nonstop, telling Yan Sisi about all the things that had happened in class over the past few days, someone fighting here, what a girl wore there, until the class bell rang. Everyone hurriedly packed up and returned to their seats.
After missing several days of class, during the morning half-day, almost every teacher called on Yan Sisi to stand and answer questions as soon as she arrived.
This kept her on edge throughout every lesson. Even during breaks, she didn’t dare chat, instead opening the next class’s textbook to preview the lesson in case the teacher asked questions.
By the end of the morning, Yan Sisi felt mentally drained. She had just taken out her lunchbox from her bag when Jiang Siyue, sitting in front of her, grabbed her hand and dashed out the door, sprinting toward the cafeteria.
As soon as Yan Sisi arrived at the cafeteria, the smell of meat hit her. She had forgotten that every Thursday the cafeteria served braised pork, no wonder Siyue ran so fast.
Having already eaten braised pork yesterday, Yan Sisi could control herself, but other students had already formed a long line at the meat counter with their lunchboxes.
Seeing this, Jiang Siyue immediately pulled Yan Sisi to the back of the line. As the line slowly moved forward, she couldn’t help peeking ahead to see how much meat was left.
It took a while before they finally got three pieces of braised pork, two multigrain buns, and a bowl of corn porridge.
Sitting down at a table, Jiang Siyue chattered nonstop, happily eating and talking with Yan Sisi. Yan Sisi occasionally nodded in agreement. She hadn’t eaten much yet when suddenly a sharp-voiced girl loudly remarked, “Some people, falling into the water and getting saved by a man, still have the face to come to school!”
Yan Sisi’s expression immediately turned cold upon hearing the obvious jab. She paused for a moment before lifting her chopsticks to continue eating.
In the next instant, another girl chimed in, “Xiao Ye, who are you talking about?”
“Yeah, say it so we can see who it is.”
The teasing voices of several girls instantly drew most of the cafeteria’s attention. Jiang Siyue, knowing why Yan Sisi had taken leave, was about to stand up and confront them.
Yan Sisi grabbed her hand and pressed her back into her seat. Meeting her friend’s angry gaze, she shook her head and said firmly, “Eat.”
After saying that, Yan Sisi continued eating as if she hadn’t heard anything. People like that only get more satisfied the more you argue with them, as if your reaction proves you’re afraid.
Ignoring them, not responding, made them lose interest.
Sure enough, the troublemaker, seeing Yan Sisi’s calm reaction, muttered a bit more, and when she still didn’t respond, she could only laugh sardonically for a moment before turning to other topics.
Yan Sisi finished her meal as if nothing had happened, never once glancing at the girls. Once done, she washed her lunchbox and left the cafeteria.
Outside, Jiang Siyue looked at her in confusion. “Sisi, they said those things about you, aren’t you angry?”
It felt like something had changed in Sisi since her injury. In the past, she would have already argued with them by now.
“They didn’t mention my name. If I argued back, it’d be like admitting it was about me. Besides, even if we argued, it wouldn’t change the fact, I really fell into the water and was rescued,” Yan Sisi said gently. “More importantly, we come to school to learn and get into university, not to waste our time on this kind of thing.”
Siyue was reluctantly convinced. Back in the classroom, Yan Sisi pulled her into studying with her. Classes continued in the afternoon, and by the end of the day, Yan Sisi’s mind was full of formulas, poetry, and knowledge about mountains and rivers.
After saying goodbye to her friend, she remembered the agreement to sell strawberries. Rushing home, she didn’t see her father and didn’t know where he had gone.
Yan Sisi quickly closed the door, entered her space, and began picking strawberries. In a short time, she collected fifty strawberries, layering them with cloth in the basket. She then carefully packaged them before leaving for the agreed-upon restaurant.
Before reaching Guoxiang Restaurant, she saw Xie Hong standing at the entrance. Xie Hong, who had been waiting, also spotted her. They exchanged a quick glance and smoothly connected.
Yan Sisi pointed to the left, then turned and walked in that direction, stopping only at a secluded corner.
Looking back, she saw Xie Hong had followed. Together, they hid behind a nearby large tree. Squatting, Yan Sisi lifted the cloth and transferred the strawberries into Xie Hong’s basket.
Once all the strawberries were moved and covered, Xie Hong handed over the 1.05 yuan she had prepared and asked, “Little girl, if I want to get more strawberries, how can I find you?”
Yan Sisi pocketed the money but didn’t dare give her address to a stranger. She replied lightly, “Try selling what you have first, and then we’ll see.”
Without waiting, she left first. After a few steps, she felt someone following her, mirroring her movements.
Keeping her composure, Yan Sisi pretended to be shopping, slipped into the crowded department store, removed her scarf, wiped the dust from her face, squeezed through the crowd, and then quickly left, circling through other areas. Only when she was sure no one was behind her did she relax and head home safely.
When Yan Sisi got home, carrying the basket in her hands, she was met with her father’s puzzled expression. Oh no, they were back.
Trying to appear calm, she asked first, “Dad, why weren’t you home when I got back just now?”
Yan Sisi’s mother stared at the sweater her daughter was wearing. That morning, hadn’t she been wearing a different one? Could it be her age was making her forget?
Father Yan, however, focused on the basket in her hands and the gray smudges on her face. His eyes widened as he shouted, “Sisi, are you hiding something from us?”
Had their daughter been in a fight? Otherwise, how could her face be dirty like that?
Yan Sisi, facing her parents’ suspicious looks, thought about the tailing incident she had just experienced. She decided to tell them about her space. After all, if she couldn’t trust the people who loved her most, who could she trust?
With that in mind, she turned, locked the door, and led her parents into their room. Once inside, she locked the door again, acting mysterious.
Seeing her daughter’s secretive behavior, Father Yan and his wife assumed that something serious had happened that couldn’t be revealed. Their imaginations ran wild, and both their faces turned pale.
When Yan Sisi turned back, she saw their ashen faces and was startled. “What’s with these expressions?” she asked in surprise.
“Have you been bullied?”
Both her father and mother spoke at the same time. Yan Sisi quickly waved her hands. “No! I have something to tell you.”
“That’s good. Then hurry up and tell us,” they said, so they wouldn’t start imagining things and frightening themselves.
Standing there under her parents’ curious gaze, Yan Sisi carefully organized her words and explained how she had obtained a mystical immortal space.
When she finished, she was met with laughter from her parents. Her mother even placed a hand on her forehead. “No fever… so why are you talking nonsense?”
“Sisi, it’s not that your father won’t help you, but what you’re saying is just too absurd,” her father added.
Neither of them believed Yan Sisi’s words. Seeing their mocking expressions, she couldn’t help but grab their hands, intending to take them into the space to experience it for themselves. But as soon as she tried, she realized only she could enter.
Focusing her consciousness, Yan Sisi exited the space. The moment she appeared, her parents, startled and fearful, grabbed her. Their voices trembled as they asked, “Sisi, how did you just disappear all of a sudden, and then appear again?”
Yan Sisi explained, “I wanted to take you into the immortal’s space, but once I entered, I found that you couldn’t come in.”
“Really an immortal?”
“Otherwise, how could you just vanish like that?”
They began arguing again. Yan Sisi entered the space once more in front of them and this time harvested some corn and strawberries to bring out. Father Yan’s eyes widened as he looked at the golden corn and bright red strawberries in her hands, frozen in place until she shoved a strawberry into his mouth.
The sweet and tart taste left no doubt, these were real strawberries. Their daughter really had an immortal’s space. Was their daughter a reincarnated fairy?
Mother Yan grabbed a piece of corn and pinched her husband hard. Only when she heard him scream did she believe this wasn’t a dream.
Watching their reactions, Yan Sisi smiled and said, “Now you should finally believe me! I went out earlier to sell strawberries.”
Mother Yan’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly lowered her hand to avoid hitting her daughter and whispered, “Child, that’s a risky business! You’re just a little girl, how dare you do that? If you got caught, what would your father and I do?”
Father Yan was also startled by their daughter’s boldness. “We aren’t short of money at home. Why are you going out to sell things?”
Hearing this, Yan Sisi glanced toward the cupboard where the money was kept. She had noticed that the household funds had decreased, yet the adults still acted as if she didn’t know.
Her parents scolded her again, but she didn’t feel wrong for earning money. Stubbornly, she said, “We’ve spent too much on medical bills recently. I just wanted to earn a little to help with household expenses.”
“Medical bills aren’t that costly. We have money at home,” Mother Yan said, glancing at her husband. When he nodded, she took their daughter’s hand and walked toward the cupboard. “You were too young before. There were some things we didn’t tell you because we feared you’d go and say something reckless. Now that you’re older, there are some things you can be told.”