“KFC!” Song Qiaoxi clasped her hands together and cheered joyfully in a low voice.

She has never eaten fast food like French fries and hamburgers before and vaguely remembers that KFC has been operating in Qizhou for two or three years.

Among the young friends in the compound, only Wang Junyang had eaten it before. He vividly described to his friends several times how delicious KFC was and how fun the toys included in the children’s meals were.

Song Qiaoxi, this little greedy cat, dreams of trying the taste of hamburgers.

But Wang Junyang also said that a children’s meal at KFC costs 14 yuan.

Actually, she doesn’t have much concept about money. Was 14 yuan expensive or cheap?

A fried ham sausage costs 50 cents, and for 14 yuan, you can buy 28 fried ham sausages!

After considering this, she concluded that KFC was very expensive. Besides, she had a big appetite, and she was really afraid of being a burden to her parents.

Thinking about the taste of the hamburger, she swallowed her saliva and carefully looked up to ask her mother, “Is KFC very expensive?”

“Not expensive, if our Xixi does well in the final exam, Mom will reward you.”

Her mother answered, casually putting the shopping voucher into her leather bag and buttoning it up.

Carefully interpreting her mother’s tone as the words ‘not expensive’ were spoken lightly which made Song Qiaoxi feel much less burdened.

However, she silently reminded herself to control her appetite and eat less this afternoon.

Afterward, under her mother’s urging, she obediently squatted at the door and changed into her sandals, ready to go out on the street.

—

As the provincial capital, Qizhou opened the first comprehensive department store in the province in 1996, called Ginza Mall.

Song Qiaoxi believed what Wang Junyang said because his mother had already taken him there.

Mother Wang was recognized as the most fashionable woman in the compound. She was definitely a trendsetter at the forefront of fashion and was always the first to take Wang Junyang to places with delicious food and fun activities.

Wang Junyang said that Ginza Mall was quite large, with children’s counters on the sixth floor and an entire floor dedicated to games, including the “Big Tooth” game console.

Holding her mother’s hand, Song Qiaoxi walked into Ginza Mall. She looked at the crystal chandelier hanging in the center and exclaimed, “Wow, it’s so beautiful!”

“Xixi, there are many people in the mall, so you must not run around and always follow Mother.”

Her little hand was pinched twice as she heard her mother’s serious voice.

Looking up at her, she nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, promising not to run around. The ‘train station escape’ incident from over a month ago had probably left her mother with some psychological trauma.

They took the elevator directly to the children’s section on the sixth floor.

At the stationary counter, her mother bought her 72-color watercolor pen set that looked like a small suitcase, a semiautomatic flower fairy pencil case, a complete set of fragrant smurf erasers, and a hand-cranked pencil sharpener shaped like a little tiger…

Song Qiaoxi stared blankly at the high-end stationery piled up like a small hill in front of her…

When her mother held out a pink Minnie Mouse hard-shell backpack and wanted her to try it on, she immediately gestured that she wasn’t interested.

“Mom, my kindergarten backpack is still in good shape. Why do we need a new one?” she said seriously.

The saleswoman quickly approached with a cheerful smile and said to her mother, “Oh, what a sensible girl you have! You’ve raised her so well! But this isn’t just any backpack. It’s designed ergonomically to reduce shoulder strain, which is really important for kids starting elementary school, especially with all those heavy books!”

“Alright, we’ll take it. Please wrap it up,” Qiao Qin said, pulling out a shopping voucher.

The new backpack and stationery came to over 240 yuan, leaving her with only one voucher worth 50 yuan.

But she didn’t feel any guilt at all because Qiao Qin had always insisted on giving Xi Xi the best within their means. She wanted to ensure her daughter wouldn’t be easily swayed by “small favors” from men when she grew up.

Besides, although Qiao Qin’s family was fairly well-off when she was young, her parents would only occasionally indulge her and her sister. But before doing so, they would launch into long lectures about “how tight the family budget is,” “how frugally your parents live just to buy this for you,” and “you must study hard, or you won’t be able to repay your parents.”

That kind of pressure felt like an invisible shackle, weighing heavily on Qiao Qin’s chest. Even now, she still feels its discomfort. There’s no way she’d let her daughter bear that same burden.

Seeing the glutinous dumpling still pouting unhappily, Qiao Qin couldn’t help but laugh. Since when did her daughter become so stingy?

Squatting down and gently pinching her daughter’s chubby cheeks, she said, “Come on, let’s go. Mom will take you to get a hamburger.”

At the mention of a hamburger, Song Qiaoxi’s stomach let out a loud, well-timed growl, making her blush as she buried her face in her mom’s chest.

Ugh, it’s always like this. Her stomach just has to give me away at the worst times.

Across from Ginza Mall, there was a KFC.

Sitting across from her mother on a plastic chair at KFC, Song Qiaoxi held her burger wrapper tightly in both hands. Her little cherry lips worked hard as she took dainty bites, savoring the burger with all the seriousness in the world.

It was absolutely delicious!

Crispy chicken, sweet and tangy salad dressing, soft buns—not just the hamburger, but the fries, mashed potatoes, and finger-licking good fried chicken—everything was delicious!

Her small throat tightened as she ate too quickly, nearly choking. A quick gulp of cold cola washed it down, and her mother couldn’t help but laugh at her.

When she got to the mashed potatoes, she didn’t even waste the chicken gravy on the lid, licking it clean with her little tongue.

After they’d had their fill, her mother rode a bicycle to the Normal Affiliated Primary School to pick up her school uniform and books.

Sitting on the back seat, the warm summer breeze brushing against her cheeks, and holding the toy telescope she got from the kids’ meal, Song Qiaoxi felt like today was a really happy day.

Mom loves her so much and treats her so well, so she have to protect the best mom in the world.

As these thoughts ran through her mind, they arrived at the entrance of the Normal Affiliated Primary School. It was nearly two in the afternoon, and many parents were gathered outside.

Most of them seemed to be new parents waiting for the doors to open at two, eager to pick up school uniforms and books. Among them were also many familiar faces from the neighborhood.

An aunt wearing a blue printed dress warmly waved at her mother, squeezed through the crowd, and ruffled Song Qiaoxi’s hair, saying, “Xiao Qiao, you’re here with Xixi. I heard that the results of the first-grade division have been announced today.”

“Ai, sister-in-law are Yiyi and Miao Miao at home?”

Mom smiled with her eyes curved as she got off the bike and stood holding the handlebars.

The aunt who came over was Ding Yu and Ding Miao’s mother, whom Song Qiaoxi knows well.

Mother Ding works in a textile factory, while Father Ding was the deputy workshop director of a newspaper printing factory. On weekends, he often comes home with Father Wang to drink. Several aunties call them ‘three stinky leather craftsmen’.

Song Qiaoxi sat on the small bamboo chair and gave a sweet smile to Mother Ding as she said, “Hello Auntie.”

“Xixi, you’re so good. Bringing the siblings over is too much trouble, so I left them at home. Xiao Qiao, have you heard that this time the affiliated elementary school has split the children from our newspaper office courtyard into two classes?”

“I heard from Brother Wang that one class is mixed with children from the normal school, and the other class is mixed with students from cross-district schools. I understand it’s difficult to teach so many kids. Look at how many little rascals in our courtyard are worry-free?” Mother said as she affectionately poked Song Qiaoxi and playfully scratched her little nose with a smile. “It’s better for your family with Miao Miao, she’s gentle and quiet while sometimes my Xixi doesn’t even seem like a girl.”

“Oh my, Xixi is so lively. She runs around the courtyard with my Ding Yi every day. I hoped that Miao Miao would go out and run more, but she prefers to stay home and read. Miao Miao got perfect scores on her final exams, but Ding Yi did so poorly that I almost fainted. I heard from the teacher that Xixi did well too.”

When Mother Ding talked about Ding Miao she couldn’t hide her pride. However, when she mentioned Ding Yi, her face showed frustration as if hating that iron cannot turn into steel.

As the two mothers started to praise each other’s children, Song Qiaoxi held the toy telescope in her hand and casually looked around to hide her nervousness.

Her mind was now filled with the matter of dividing classes. Does this mean the probability of being assigned to the same class as Chu Jin suddenly decreases?

With a loud bang, the large iron door of the affiliated primary school opened, and at two o’clock, the crowd surged in.

Suddenly, Song Qiaoxi saw a familiar figure in the telescope.

The boy was grabbed by a thin man’s arm and stumbled through the crowd.

He was wearing navy blue striped short sleeves, and his loose collar was almost revealing his shoulders as if only a skeleton was left.

His hair was cut short, exposing his sharp features. His chin had become even sharper, and his beautiful almond-shaped eyes appeared large and hollow in his pale face.

It was Chu Jin.

“Chu Jin! Brother Chu Jin…”

She panicked, put down her binoculars, and shouted his name loudly. Grabbing the armrest of the small bamboo chair, she tried to jump off the bike.

But she didn’t notice her mother start pushing the cart, which caused her to lose her balance and fall backward.

Thanks to Mother Ding’s quick reflexes, she caught Xiao Qiao and prevented her from falling to the ground.

“Mom! Mom, I saw Brother Chu Jin, right there! Mom, please look…”

Twisting her body in Mother Ding’s arms, she was feeling so anxious that she raised her hand and pointed in the direction where she had seen Chu Jin.

But when she looked back, he was gone?!

In just a few seconds, Chu Jin disappeared without a trace.

Seeing her daughter standing there dumbfounded and disappointed, Mother Song quickly parked the bike and stole her from Mother Ding’s arms.

“There are so many people here, maybe Xixi mistook him? It’s okay, school will start soon, and you can see Chu Jin every day when it does.” She comforted softly…

“It’s really Brother Chu Jin, I saw him. He has become so thin…”

Her mother put her back in the bike’s back seat, and Song Qiaoxi spent the entire ride across the campus of the Affiliated Primary School looking around anxiously.

Why was Chu Jin so thin? His clothes were still the same as those at the train station, and he looked even more worn out. But what worries Song Qiaoxi even more was the look in Chu Jin’s eyes.

Previously, his eyes were mostly silent and cold. However, in just over a month, they had become dark and ominous, sending a chill down her spine even in the hot and humid summer.

For the first time, Song Qiao saw hatred in his eyes.

Just then, Mother Ding shouted. “Great! Xixi, Yiyi, and Miao Miao are all in the same class. Oh, and Yang Yang is also assigned to Class 5 of Grade 1.”

“They’ve been playing together since childhood, so now they should not be afraid of not being in their company.”

Mother Song’s voice was also filled with joy.

She sat up straight and leaned forward.

Mother Ding was holding a piece of paper, both mothers peering closely at it.

Clenching her little fist, Song Qiaoxi anxiously asked. “Mom, which class has Chu Jing been assigned to?”

Mother Ding was momentarily taken aback, and when she heard Chu Jin’s name, her expression grew a bit complex.

Looking up from the list, she said. “Chu Jin? Oh, I remember him. He used to be in your compound, almost like a little prince, but now he has no home…”

Seeing Mother Song shaking her head, Mother Ding awkwardly smiled and added. “Ah, it’s okay Xixi, let me help you check. Chu Jin…found it. He’s also in Class 5 of Grade 1.”

“Thank you, Auntie. I got it.”

Song Qiaoxi muttered softly as she nodded at Mother Ding.

Fortunately, he was assigned to a class.

Although relieved that Chu Jin was assigned to the same class, a faint concern still lingered in her heart.

—

After the two mothers finished their tasks at school, they chatted for a long time along the way and made plans to go to the market together.

Song Qiaxi sat in the back seat, holding a peculiar telescope and lost in thought. By the time it was almost dark at the entrance of the compound, she felt a bit tired.

Stretching lazily on the small bamboo chair, she looked up and saw several adults gathered around the entrance of the compound, gesturing and discussing something.

It looked like Dad and Uncle Wang were also there, as a red Mustang motorcycle, resembling a big sword beetle was parked on the side.

As her mother pushed the bicycle to the crowd, Song Qiaoxi could clearly hear her father’s somewhat angry voice, “It’s really outrageous. No one should neglect such a good child!”

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