Chapter 121 - 111: What’s Eldest Cousin’s Name?
Chapter 121: Chapter 111: What’s Eldest Cousin’s Name?
"Mo Xiaoni! Hey! I’m talking to you, did you hear me?"
Mo Xiaoman had one arm crossed and the other cupping her chin, lost in memories of the past. Zheng Shaolian shook her awake. Her unfocused eyes and sorrowful expression startled him. "What’s wrong with you? Are you okay? Just daydreaming, right?"
Mo Xiaoman: ...
’He sounds so experienced. Looks like this kid daydreams a lot.’
She yawned. "I’m a little tired. I spent all last night selling grapes in front of the movie theater. I was so exhausted I didn’t sleep well."
Zheng Shaolian shot her a look. "You little money-grubber. Selling all those fresh, sweet grapes to other people... wouldn’t it have been better to keep them for yourself?"
He then nudged her shoulder bag. "What about that bunch? Give it here, I’ll finish it for you. I’m starving."
Xiao Man clutched her bag tighter. "No way. That’s my lunch!"
"A single bunch of grapes is enough to fill you up?"
"I could say the same to you!"
Zheng Shaolian: ...
’This little girl is as clever as a fox. She’s not falling for it. What do I do?’
"I already told you, if you want some, give me your address. I’ll pick some and send them to you next year."
Zheng Shaolian’s face scrunched up. "I’d like that, but right now... I’m serious, I don’t even know if I can stay in Wancheng!"
"Why?"
He arrogantly turned his head away, not answering.
Xiao Man started to worry too. "Then how much longer will you be here? Why don’t we walk around a bit?"
’Maybe if we wander the streets for a bit and I buy him something to eat, this guy will be willing to talk more and reveal some information.’
Zheng Shaolian lifted his right leg. "I twisted my ankle. It hurts a lot to walk. I’m just going to sit here and wait for someone."
"Who are you waiting for?"
"Waiting for..." ’...the person who’s going to clean up my mess, of course.’
Zheng Shaolian didn’t want anyone to know about the embarrassing mess he’d made, especially not this little country girl. He couldn’t lose face in front of her.
"Does that person know you’re here? Did you arrange to meet?" Xiao Man asked again.
"Yeah, I told them. Under the big banyan tree at the end of the street."
"Shouldn’t you have specified a direction, like north, south, east, or west? Is this the only big banyan tree in all of Wancheng?"
Zheng Shaolian shot her a sideways glance. "You sure talk a lot. Aren’t you from around here? You don’t know how many big banyan trees there are in Wancheng?"
"I don’t. I told you, I’m from the countryside!"
"This can’t be your first time in the city, can it?"
"More or less. It’s the first time I’ve actually walked down a couple of whole streets." Xiao Man sighed. "It’s because I missed the morning bus and couldn’t get home, so I’ve just been wandering the streets."
Zheng Shaolian couldn’t help but reach out and tug her braid. "No wonder we ended up together. Misery loves company! Sigh, me too. I have a home I can’t return to!"
"I..."
Xiao Man was speechless. ’I’m not in the same boat as you! You’re probably a deserter, aren’t you? I’m here on legitimate business. I even took official leave!’
But she still had to humor this guy and get him to talk more.
"Are you very hungry?" Xiao Man reached into her bag, rummaged around, and pulled out some biscuits wrapped in newspaper. She had bought them at the department store last night. She had only eaten a few before switching to the two bread buns, storing the rest of the biscuits and milk candies in her space.
Zheng Shaolian looked at them with disdain. "These loose biscuits? They’re the cheap kind. What’s so good about them?"
Annoyed, Xiao Man laughed and grabbed a piece for herself, taking a bite. "Then you can just stay hungry. By the time your stomach has a hole in it, you won’t even be able to hold down the cheap stuff!"
’In her past life, this guy had constant stomach aches. His chronic gastritis was incurable.’
Zheng Shaolian paused, then reached over and grabbed a couple of pieces. He took a huge bite, planning to just chew them a few times and swallow. But he suddenly realized the biscuits tasted and felt amazing. They had a great texture. He couldn’t help but lean over to look at the newspaper packet in Xiao Man’s hands. Yep, they were just cheap, loose biscuits. His family would never buy this kind of stuff for them. But why... why were they so delicious?
The young master ate with gusto, all while mulling over this puzzle. The two of them actually finished off nearly two jin of biscuits just like that!
And without any water to wash them down. Luckily, they’d had a few grapes earlier.
Xiao Man clapped her hands clean and held one out to Zheng Shaolian. "Pay up. I bought two jin of biscuits from the department store. We each had one jin. It’s two yuan per jin, so give me two yuan!"
Zheng Shaolian: ...
He took out a handkerchief, wiped his mouth, then his hands. Suddenly, he reached over and wiped a few biscuit crumbs from the corner of Xiao Man’s lips. "You used my handkerchief. That’s two yuan a use. We’re even!"
Xiao Man scrambled to wipe her mouth, sputtering, "Don’t you dare gross me out! That handkerchief of yours is filthy! You just wiped your hands with it several times, and now you’re using it on my mouth... Have you no sense of hygiene?"
"Mo Xiaoni, you’d better open your eyes and look closely."
Zheng Shaolian brandished the used handkerchief in his left hand. With his right, he pulled two fresh ones from his other pants pocket. "I usually carry several handkerchiefs when I go out. I keep the used ones and the clean ones separate!"
Xiao Man was speechless. ’Reborn into a new life, and I’m still bowled over by this man who’s so fastidious he’s practically neurotic!’
The two yuan were written off just like that. Seeing the disappointment in the little girl’s clear, bright eyes and her pouting pink lips, Zheng Shaolian couldn’t resist reaching out to tug her banana pigtail again.
"It was just a few biscuits. Talking about money hurts our friendship. You just wait. When my guy gets here, he might bring me something better. I’ll share some with you!"
"Who’s coming? And from where?"
Zheng Shaolian looked at her like she was a country bumpkin. "This is North Street. Coming from that direction means they’re from the provincial city, understand? I don’t know who’s coming yet. My cousin is in the provincial city. I ran to the post office this morning to call him, and he said he’d send someone to check on me. It’s almost noon, so they should be here soon!"
"Which... who’s your cousin?" Xiao Man’s eyes sparkled, feigning an eager-to-learn expression.
"My eldest cousin. You wouldn’t know him."
It was just like Zheng Shaolian to be so obnoxious. He never gave you a straight answer to a question.
But Xiao Man was satisfied with that answer. A boundless hope bloomed in her heart. ’What if it’s him?’
"Then I’ll wait with you!"
Zheng Shaolian nodded. "Go ahead and wait. I won’t let you lose out! No matter who comes or what happens, they’ll at least have to take us out for a good meal!"
Xiao Man had never found Zheng Shaolian so endearing before. She cheerfully took the bunch of grapes he’d been craving from her bag and fawningly offered it to him. "Here. After all those biscuits, these are juicy enough to count as a drink."
Zheng Shaolian took the grapes. He plucked one, popped it in his mouth, and closed his eyes to savor it. Then, with a smile, he graciously bestowed three or four grapes upon Xiao Man...
While he was in a good mood from eating the grapes, Xiao Man pressed her advantage. "You still haven’t told me your eldest cousin’s name. I can’t just call him ’Eldest Cousin’ like you do, can I?"
"What’s wrong with calling him Cousin? From now on, you can call me Big Brother and be my little sister."
Xiao Man pouted. ’Like hell I want to be your sister. You’d pester me to death.’
"If there’s an eldest cousin, there must be a second eldest. I should at least know their names, right?"
At the mention of the second cousin, Zheng Shaolian’s expression darkened for a moment. He answered reluctantly, "The eldest is Gu Shaojun. The second is Gu Shao Feng. The third is my age... You’ll find out later!"
After saying this, Zheng Shaolian felt something was off. He glanced at Xiao Man. ’Later? This little girl lives in such a remote part of the countryside, thousands of miles from Beijing. What could she possibly find out?’