Chapter 10: Nine Years Old—If I Had a Magic Wand

This answer caught Xuezhu off guard.

She didn’t smile. Instead, she nervously gripped the hem of her dress, her cheeks growing warm.

Meng Yuning led the dazed Xuezhu out.

Song Yanping asked, “Well? Does your brother think you look nice?”

Xuezhu let out a muffled “Mm.” through her nose.

“Then why do you still look so unhappy?” Pei Lianyi chuckled. “You’re being praised, but you don’t seem pleased?”

Xuezhu lifted her chin, baring her teeth fiercely. “I’m happy! Who said I’m not?”

“Alright, alright, if you’re happy, no need to shout.”

Pei Lianyi wasn’t sure what had set his daughter off this time. He walked ahead with Uncle Meng, leaving Xuezhu in Meng Yuning’s care.

This time, He Zhengyue’s graduation banquet was a grand affair. They had booked a large private room in a high-end restaurant. The familiar neighbors from their community, along with He Zhengyue’s parents’ colleagues and friends—many of whom had brought their families—turned the celebration into something that felt more like a wedding reception.

A banner was even hung at the restaurant entrance, boldly proclaiming: “Congratulations to He Zhengyue for an outstanding college entrance exam performance and admission to a top-tier university!”

Aside from He Zhengyue herself, who felt incredibly, extremely, and unbearably embarrassed, the entire He family was beaming with pride.

The neighbors who lived in the same building as Xuezhu shared a table. Xuezhu wanted to watch TV, so Song Yanping picked some food for her and let her move her chair to sit in front of the television while eating.

The children’s channel was airing Doraemon, instantly capturing the attention of both kids and adults. Even He Zhengyue joined in to watch.

The grown-ups weren’t particularly interested, but with nothing to do besides eating and drinking, they resorted to chatting.

Pei Lianyi suddenly asked Uncle Meng and Uncle Zhong, “When are you holding your kids’ graduation banquets? Let our Xuezhu soak up some of that good luck so she can get into a good middle school.”

“Your kid still has three years before she graduates from elementary school. What’s the rush?” Uncle Meng replied casually.

Uncle Zhong added, “You can’t say that. Education is much more competitive now. If kids don’t start early, it’ll be tough to catch up later.”

Uncle Meng chuckled, “I never supervised Meng Yuning’s studies, and he still ranked first.”

“That’s because Ningning is naturally smart,” Uncle Zhong sighed. “If my Zihan weren’t constantly monitored by me and his mom, getting into No. 1 High School would be impossible.”

“Zihan really has it tough. Besides tutoring classes, he also has extracurriculars. Even after school, he has extra lessons with teachers. If he’s already this overwhelmed in middle school, how will he survive high school?”

Uncle Zhong spread his hands. “What can we do? The ^[1]“The slow bird has to fly early” means that someone who isn’t naturally gifted or talented has to put in extra effort and start earlier than others to catch up or succeed. … Continue readingslow bird has to fly early. If he’s not naturally gifted, he just has to work harder.”

Pei Lianyi and Uncle Meng exchanged a glance but said nothing.

As for the upcoming graduation banquets, Uncle Zhong planned to hold one in a few days, while Uncle Meng showed little interest. Raising his glass, he said vaguely, “I’ll just invite a few people for a meal at a restaurant. That’s enough.”

“What are you talking about? Ningning ranked first in the entire district for the high school entrance exam. How is that ‘just a casual celebration’?”

“If Zihan ranked first in the district, forget a simple banquet—I’d book an entire hotel!”

Old Meng thought they were exaggerating. He smirked and said, “If I had to throw a feast every time he ranked first, I wouldn’t be able to afford raising this son.”

For a moment, it was unclear whether he was complaining or bragging.

Old Zhong glanced at his son, who was sitting with the other children, fully engrossed in watching cartoons. He sighed in disappointment and took a sip of his drink.

Pei Lianyi pretended not to catch Old Meng’s meaning and teased, “If you can’t afford it alone, why not find someone to share the burden?”

For a split second, Old Meng’s expression showed guilt. He lifted his glass to hide his face and muttered, “No money, no skills, and a kid to take care of—what woman would want me?”

“You never know,” Song Yanping said with interest. “I heard from Old Yang that a woman came looking for you at the neighborhood a while back, but you and Ningning weren’t home, so she left. He said she was quite pretty. Didn’t you know about this?”

Old Meng froze for a moment, lowered his gaze, and thought for a bit. Seemingly realizing who it was, he dismissed it, “Just a coworker. Probably something work-related.”

“If it was work-related, why would she come all the way to your home? ^[2]“What, is a Nokia now just a useless brick?” is a sarcastic or humorous remark, implying that a Nokia phone, which was once known for being very durable and reliable, is now considered … Continue readingWhat, is a Nokia now just a useless brick?” Song Yanping clearly didn’t believe him.

“Old Meng, not bad! Your son’s all grown up, but you’ve still got the charm to find him a stepmother,” Old Zhong raised an eyebrow, taking the opportunity to tease. “Did you tell Ningning about this?”

“Stepmother, my ass.” Old Meng sneered. “Old Zhong, have you had too much to drink? If I were that lucky, would Meng Yuning’s mom have divorced me? Give me a break.”

Song Yanping curiously asked, “I noticed Ningning doesn’t look much like you. Does he take after his mom?”

No one in the neighborhood had ever seen Ningning’s mother, but given Old Meng’s rugged, tough-looking appearance, it was hard to believe he could father such a gentle and refined son.

So, even without having met her, everyone naturally pictured a woman with delicate features—probably someone with fair skin, soft eyes, and a quiet personality, much like Meng Yuning himself.

“Yeah, he looks a lot like her,” Old Meng nodded in acknowledgment, then let out a dry laugh. “Just don’t know if he’s as cold-blooded as she is.”

Judging from his tone, it seemed the couple hadn’t been on good terms.

No wonder Meng Yunjian never liked talking about his ex-wife.

The adults instinctively glanced at Meng Yuning, who was still focused on the TV, unaware that he had become the subject of their conversation.

The chatter at the table was getting too noisy, voices overlapping and grating on the ears.

Xuezhu turned up the TV volume, only to be quickly scolded by her dad.

“Pei Xuezhu, turn it down. Don’t you have any manners?”

“If I can’t hear anything, what’s the point of watching?” Xuezhu muttered under her breath.

In just thirty minutes, ^[3]“Ju Ping” (鞠萍) refers to Sister Ju Ping (鞠萍姐姐), a real-life Chinese children’s TV host who was especially popular in the 1990s. She was a warm, friendly figure known for hosting … Continue readingSister Ju Ping and Naughty said goodbye to the kids watching TV, and with that, her happiness was gone.

After that, the children’s channel started airing other domestic cartoons. Xuezhu wasn’t picky—she could watch anything as long as it was animated—but the older kids quickly lost interest.

He Zengyue got another phone call and took her phone outside the private room to answer it. Zhong Zihan finished the food in his bowl and got up to get more from the table.

Fortunately, Meng Yuning stayed by Xuezhu’s side, keeping her company. But he didn’t seem very focused—she could tell because he had the same distracted look she had when daydreaming in class.

“Brother Ningning, do you not like watching this?” she asked.

Meng Yuning: “Not this kind.”

“Then what do you like watching?”

“^[4]“Neon Genesis Evangelion” (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン) is a Japanese anime television series created by Hideaki Anno and produced by Gainax. It originally aired in 1995-1996 and is … Continue readingNeon Genesis Evangelion.”

Xuezhu had never heard of it. “What’s it about?”

Without meaning to, she had stumbled upon one of Meng Yuning’s interests. The usually quiet boy, who was always patiently listening to her, suddenly started talking, explaining the show’s world-building and character backgrounds.

Xuezhu was completely lost—something about Angels, something about piloting robots.

If Meng Yuning’s voice wasn’t so nice to listen to, she would have lost patience long ago.

She pretended to be listening seriously, but in reality, she was staring at his moving lips—soft pink, opening and closing, revealing a sliver of his teeth. Her gaze wandered to his throat, watching the small bump there move slightly as he spoke.

Meng Yuning noticed her zoning out and frowned slightly. “Are you even listening?”

Xuezhu was caught off guard. “Huh?”

He seemed a little annoyed, but more than that, he looked helpless.

“Forget it,” Meng Yuning pressed his lips together. “I won’t talk about it anymore.”

Xuezhu panicked, afraid he was upset, and quickly defended herself. “I was listening! Really, I was!”

Just then, Zhong Zihan returned with a bowl packed full of food. As soon as he heard the topic, he immediately joined the conversation.

He asked excitedly, “Who do you think would win in a fight—^[5]“Eva” and “Gundam” refer to two iconic franchises in the mecha (giant robot) anime genre, both with significant cultural impact. They are often compared because they both … Continue readingEVA or Gundam?”

Meng Yuning: “Probably EVA.”

Zhong Zihan frowned. “Why?”

Even though the question was meaningless—no matter how much they debated, the two would never actually fight on screen—Meng Yuning still got interested. The two boys immediately launched into a serious discussion about this hypothetical battle.

When boys got caught up in a topic they liked, they tended to forget everything else around them.

As expected, Xuezhu was left out.

She wasn’t happy about it, but since she couldn’t join the conversation, she could only sit there and sulk, staring blankly at them.

He Zengyue, who had been wandering around, noticed her sitting back at the table and found it strange. “You’re not watching cartoons anymore?”

“They’re not fun,” Xuezhu muttered as she ate, “Brother and the others won’t watch with me, and they won’t talk to me either.”

“Those two are total otakus, just ignore them,” He Zengyue saw she was upset and suggested, “Do you want to come over to my place and play ^[6]MapleStory is a popular online multiplayer role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Nexon. It’s known for its 2D side-scrolling gameplay, where players can create characters, explore different … Continue readingMapleStory after we eat?”

Xuezhu’s eyes lit up. “On the new computer?”

He Zengyue nodded proudly. “Yep!”

Since her sister had gotten into university, their household had upgraded too—Uncle He had replaced the bulky old monitor with a sleek LCD screen, giving the desk a modern feel and finally getting rid of the clunky vibe of the old computer.

“I’m in!”

With a goal in mind, Xuezhu quickly finished her food, eager for He Zengyue to take her to the new computer.

Uncle He didn’t really want his daughter leaving so soon—though the graduation banquet had turned into a drinking contest among the adults, the main guest shouldn’t leave early.

But He Zengyue used Xuezhu as an excuse. “But Xiao Zhu really wants to come to our place and play! I’m going now, Dad!”

Uncle He had no choice but to relent. “The snacks are in the cabinet under the TV. Make sure to give Xiao Zhu some.”

“Got it!”

Escaping the noisy banquet, He Zengyue grabbed Xuezhu’s hand, and the two of them excitedly ran home.

Xuezhu felt like she was rushing home before a school break to catch her favorite cartoons—she wished she had wings so she could soar over the crowded streets in an instant.

The restaurant wasn’t far from their apartment complex. The summer heat was stifling, but even the convenience store with its large ice-filled fridge at the entrance couldn’t tempt them to stop. The butterfly hair clip on Xuezhu’s head fluttered wildly, its colorful beads sparkling under the sun. She sprinted in her layered chiffon princess dress, but under the scorching heat, the outfit felt suffocating. It was far less comfortable than cotton shorts—pretty but useless.

When they finally got home, He Zengyue wasted no time turning on the air conditioner. But even that didn’t seem cool enough. Xuezhu watched as she took off her T-shirt, unhooked her bra, casually tossed it onto the sofa, and then put her T-shirt back on.

At first, He Zengyue didn’t think anything of changing in front of Xuezhu. But when she noticed the little girl staring directly at her chest, she suddenly felt a bit awkward, wondering if her actions had been too bold and scared the kid.

“Sister, why are you wearing two layers in this heat?” Xuezhu asked innocently.

Kids really did have a different way of seeing things.

He Zengyue sighed. “No matter how hot it is, you still have to wear it.”

Xuezhu said with relief, “Good thing I don’t have to.”

He Zengyue replied, “When you grow up, you’ll have to wear one too.”

“I don’t want to,” Xuezhu wrinkled her nose in distaste. “It looks thick and uncomfortable.”

“Even if you don’t want to, you’ll still have to wear it when you grow up.”

Xuezhu thought to herself, I’m still just a little girl, it’s way too early to worry about that.

The two sisters huddled in front of the desk, turning on the computer to play games, but unfortunately, they ran into a server update. Their 4M broadband connection was crawling at just a few dozen KB per second, making the wait frustrating. Left with no choice, they opened a browser to kill time with some mini-games.

There was a wide variety of browser games, covering all sorts of genres. Xuezhu especially loved dress-up and simulation games, where the main character was usually a girl, the controls were simple, and the art was cute and detailed. She gripped the mouse, completely engrossed.

A little girl’s taste was pure and unwavering—no matter how much He Zengyue suggested other styles, Xuezhu refused to listen, thinking her sister’s choices were too plain and not pretty enough.

Just as He Zengyue was starting to worry about Xuezhu’s future fashion sense, a knock came at the door.

“Sister Yueyue, open up! It’s me and Meng Yuning.”

Zhong Zihan’s voice carried through the walls. He Zengyue tilted her head back and shouted, “Coming!”

Then she patted Xuezhu’s shoulder. “Go open the door.”

Xuezhu was too absorbed in picking a nail polish color, glued to her chair. “Sister, you go.”

He Zengyue growled, “Go. Now.”

Xuezhu caved under pressure and immediately ran to the door.

The moment she opened it, before she could even ask anything, Zhong Zihan started complaining. “I had to ask Uncle He to find out you guys came back early.”

His tone made it obvious—he hadn’t been able to stand that off-topic graduation banquet any longer either.

“What are you guys doing at home?” Zhong Zihan asked as he took off his shoes.

“Playing on the computer.”

“The new one?” His eyes instantly lit up. “I wanna play too!”

Meng Yuning was still changing his shoes slowly, but Zhong Zihan had already charged into the room ahead of him.

“Ah! What the hell?!”

“Ah! Oh my god!”

Two startled yells rang out in unison.

Xuezhu and Meng Yuning both froze, completely confused.

Before they could figure out what had happened, Zhong Zihan suddenly bolted out of the room. His face, already flushed from the summer heat, turned an even deeper shade of red.

A few seconds later, He Zengyue stormed out with an equally red face, grabbed the back of Zhong Zihan’s neck, and slammed him to the floor.

“Who told you to barge in without knocking?!” She didn’t hold back, landing a heavy punch on his forehead. “Pervert! Freaking pervert!”

Zhong Zihan didn’t dare fight back and could only keep defending himself. “How was I supposed to know you were changing?!”

“Peeping Tom! You’re dead today!”

“Sis! Have mercy!”

Xuezhu was listening with great interest when, suddenly, her ears were covered.

She tilted her head back at a ninety-degree angle, looking up at Meng Yuning’s jaw. “Brother, what are you doing?”

“You shouldn’t listen to this,” Meng Yuning said calmly from behind her. “Not suitable for children.”