Chapter 19: Twelve Years Old – Sakura Kinomoto

With Meng Yuning’s help, Xuezhu now had her very first QQ account.

It was a nine-digit number, with no particular pattern, making it a bit hard to remember. Xuezhu borrowed some paper and a pen from the internet café boss to write it down, just in case she forgot.

She added Meng Yuning’s QQ number, and he proudly became the first friend on her bare friend list.

Xuezhu also wanted to add Brother Zihan and Sister Yueyue.

Meng Yuning logged into his account. “I’ll look it up.”

Xuezhu looked at his friend list. Her own list only had the lonely “My Friends” section, while her brother’s had separate categories like “Elementary School Friends,” “Middle School Friends,” and “High School Friends.”

She also wanted to have so many categories, but she realized she only had “Elementary School Friends” for now, so she gave up on the idea.

But that was okay. When she reached middle school and high school, she would have many more categories, and her friend list would grow.

Meng Yuning found Sister He Zhengyue’s QQ number first.

“Why is Sister’s name in red?” Xuezhu asked.

“Because she’s a VIP member.”

Xuezhu asked again, “How do you become a VIP?”

The red name looked so cool.

“Become a VIP by spending ten QQ coins a month, which costs ten yuan.”

“Ah, that’s expensive.”

It would be better to buy twenty packs of spicy strips for fifty cents each.

He first sent a friend request to He Zhengyue, then found Zihan’s number.

Meng Yuning hovered the mouse over the profile picture, and the personal information bar on the left appeared. Xuezhu saw that Brother Zihan’s profile picture had him with flowing yellow hair, wearing a black jacket, and the background was a glittering QQ show.

“How did Brother Zihan do this?”

Meng Yuning raised an eyebrow and chuckled, not sure what he was laughing at.

“He bought a red diamond, it’s also ten yuan a month.”

Xuezhu still felt a bit reluctant to spend her pocket money, so she asked, “Do you have to spend money to use QQ?”

“No,” Meng Yuning said with interest as he looked at her, “It depends on whether you can resist the temptation.”

Xuezhu firmly responded, “I definitely won’t spend money.”

Meng Yuning knew she was most interested in the colorful decorations, but he didn’t believe her words. Nonetheless, he remained calm on the surface and patiently answered every question she had.

It was the first time Xuezhu realized that chatting software could do more than just chat—it had so many fun features.

She was even able to raise a QQ pet.

Xuezhu immediately adopted a pink MM penguin. Watching it hatch and say “Master, hello~” in a bone-shaped speech bubble, she immersed herself in the joy of raising a pet until Meng Yuning reminded her that the two hours were up and it was time to go home.

Reluctantly, she asked, “If I close it, will it disappear?”

“It won’t. When you log into QQ next time, it’ll be there again,” Meng Yuning replied.

Xuezhu was reassured and happily jumped off the chair, following her brother out of the internet café.

Xuezhu had always wanted a pet, but her mother didn’t allow her to keep cats or dogs because of shedding fur. So, Xuezhu had to place her hopes of having a pet into electronic pets.

Years ago, the ^[1]“Tamagotchi trend” refers to the popularity of Tamagotchis, which are small, handheld digital pets that were first released in Japan in the 1990s by Bandai. The word “Tamagotchi” … Continue readingTamagotchi trend was once her favorite, but she had forgotten about it when it became outdated.

By the time they got home, it was already half past five.

The adults hadn’t come back yet, and Xuezhu had completely forgotten about her mother’s reminder to do her homework. She lazily sat on the couch in the living room, watching TV.

Meng Yuning, worried that Xuezhu would be scolded when their parents came back, took on the responsibility of an older brother. He gently coaxed her into doing her homework, making sure to use a tone that wouldn’t spoil her mood but would still make her listen obediently.

Xuezhu, acting like an elder, slouched on the couch with gum in her mouth and said, “No hurry.”

She was the typical type who wouldn’t cry until she saw the coffin.

After watching TV for over half an hour, a girl on the screen, about Xuezhu’s age, was chanting a spell to turn her magic key into a wand and capture magical cards. Xuezhu muttered enviously, “I wish I could use magic. That way, I could make the Clow cards do whatever I want, and I wouldn’t even have to do my homework.”

Meng Yuning didn’t think her idea was childish.

Because when he was young, he had the same fantasies while watching Doraemon.

But compared to Xuezhu, the little girl named Sakura Kinomoto in the anime was obviously more mature.

She liked her brother’s friend, the one with fair skin, beautiful silver-gray short hair, who always smiled gently at her.

Every time Xuezhu saw Yingying blushing at her brother, she thought it was unbelievable. They were both in different schools—one in elementary school, the other in high school—so why did she like someone much older than her?

Xuezhu tilted her head and quietly looked at Meng Yuning.

It seemed like she and Meng Yuning were just about that many years apart.

Meng Yuning was sitting with her, watching a ^[2]Shoujo anime (少女アニメ) is a genre of Japanese animation aimed primarily at young girls, typically aged 10 to 18. The word “shoujo” means “young girl” in Japanese.shoujo anime. Xuezhu couldn’t see what he was thinking at this moment. The sky had nearly darkened completely, and the lights in the living room weren’t on. The light from the TV illuminated his side profile, outlining his clear features like a silver-white brushstroke sketching a face.

His side gaze was as clear as a cold spring, and Xuezhu blankly recalled his clearer appearance from earlier in the day.

Anyone would react when being stared at like this.

Meng Yuning turned his head and met her gaze, slightly puzzled, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Caught off guard and not sure why she felt guilty, Xuezhu quickly said, “It’s getting dark. I’ll go turn on the lights.”

She hurriedly stood up, trying to get around Meng Yuning to turn on the lights, but she tripped over his leg because she couldn’t see the path in front of her.

“Xuezhu!”

Meng Yuning called her name softly and immediately reached out to pull her back.

The sudden force caught Xuezhu off guard. By the time she reacted, she found herself sitting on his lap.

Her lower body went numb instantly, and Xuezhu widened her eyes, her face still showing the signs of panic.

Meng Yuning asked, “Did you hurt yourself?”

In the living room, shrouded in darkness, Xuezhu could clearly see the worry and helplessness in his eyes.

It felt as if she had been suddenly gripped by the softest part of her heart. Her hand, resting on his shoulder, unconsciously tightened, slightly crumpling his school uniform.

Meng Yuning watched her in silence for a while before bending down to gently tap her ankle.

The moment his cold fingers touched her skin, Xuezhu let out a sharp gasp.

Meng Yuning immediately withdrew his hand, furrowing his brow, his voice even softer than before: “Does it hurt?”

Xuezhu shook her head. “No.”

If her ankle was really sprained, she would have been crying out in pain and asking for comfort by now. Meng Yuning understood her, so he let out a sigh of relief.

“Be careful. You’re not a little kid anymore,” he gently reprimanded, pinching her cheek. “Get up. I’ll go turn on the lights for you.”

Xuezhu immediately jumped up from his lap as if she had been burned.

Meng Yuning stood up and went to turn on the light. As the bright fluorescent light illuminated the entire living room, Xuezhu was suddenly dazzled by his good-looking face.

Before she could recover from the strange feeling, she suddenly sensed something, and hurriedly got up and ran to the balcony window to look outside.

Children really do seem to have a telepathic connection with their parents.

While Meng Yuning was still puzzled, she quickly turned off the TV, grabbed a towel soaked in cold water, and placed it on the hot back of the TV. Then she positioned the fan to blow on the TV to cool it down.

A few minutes later, the temperature of the TV had dropped.

Sure enough, the sound of footsteps approaching from upstairs reached their ears.

Xuezhu quickly returned to her room, obediently sat at her desk, and with swift movements, pulled out her workbook from her bag, placing it on the desk. She then took out a pen from her pencil case, pretending to focus as she buried her head in her work.

Her heart raced in sync with the increasingly clear footsteps. When the footsteps finally stopped, Xuezhu unconsciously held her breath.

Meng Yuning watched her move with such agility, letting out a helpless sigh, wondering why his sister’s cleverness was always used in the wrong ways.

The door opened, and as her parents entered, they only saw Meng Yuning standing in the living room.

“Ningning, where’s Xiao Zhu?”

Meng Yuning pointed to Xuezhu’s room. “She’s in there.”

“She’s pretty well-behaved,” Pei Lianyi said with a chuckle.

Song Yanping, clearly not as easily fooled as Pei Lianyi, took off her shoes and walked over to the TV, reaching out to touch the back of the TV.

Xiao Zhu really knew her mother well, Meng Yuning thought to himself.

Even though she hadn’t found any flaws in the story, Song Yanping was still sure of her guess and said to Xuezhu, who was doing her homework in the room, “You watched it, didn’t you? If you admit it now, I won’t scold you.”

How could Xuezhu admit it? She raised her head and said confidently, “I didn’t watch it.”

Seeing that she was being stubborn, Song Yanping didn’t press further and turned the TV back on.

Meng Yuning watched the scene on the TV that hadn’t finished playing, and couldn’t help but smile, both amused and somewhat regretful.

“Pei Xuezhu, I’m giving you one last chance. Will you admit you watched TV?”

Xuezhu buried her head at her desk, her fingers nervously twisting together. She thought to herself that she had already cooled down the TV, so her mom shouldn’t be able to tell.

But her mom’s tone sounded like she had already figured out the key evidence.

Xuezhu didn’t want to admit it, but was afraid that if she didn’t, her mom would scold her even more. So, reluctantly, she shifted the blame onto Meng Yuning: “I turned on the TV but didn’t watch it. It was Brother Ningning who said he wanted to watch TV, so I turned it on for him.”

Just as Meng Yuning was about to say something, Xuezhu already put her hands together in a prayer position in front of him, her hands held up devoutly as if she were about to bow and light incense.

“…”

This sister…

The boy didn’t say anything, silently agreeing to take the blame for her.

But Song Yanping was clearly not so easily fooled.

“Pei Xuezhu, you’re still lying! You’re already blaming your brother now, huh!” Song Yanping was furious, her eyes wide with anger. “Come out here and face me!”

Xuezhu trembled and walked out of the room.

Song Yanping pointed at the TV and shouted, “Do you think Brother Ningning likes to watch ^[3]Cardcaptor Sakura is a Japanese anime and manga series created by the all-female artist group CLAMP. It’s a magical girl (mahō shōjo) series — a genre where young girls use magic to solve … Continue readingCardcaptor Sakura like you? Who else in this house likes Cardcaptor Sakura besides you?!”

Xuezhu froze on the spot.

She had forgotten to switch the channel back to the news station before turning off the TV.

Later, Xuezhu was lectured by her mom for half the evening because her lying was considered worse than just watching TV. She watched as her mom ordered her dad to move the TV into their bedroom and lock the bedroom door when the adults weren’t home. Only then did she start shedding tears of regret.

Whether it was regret for not listening to her mom and sneaking a watch, or regret for making a misstep, she wasn’t sure.

In any case, there was no such thing as regret medicine in this world, and Xuezhu could only endure her endless regret throughout her fifth grade.

—

After she moved up to the sixth grade, Xuezhu’s QQ pet grew up too.

The pet’s growth was clearly much faster than hers. It had already started going to school just like her. Xuezhu paid for its tuition, fed it, and took care of it like she was raising a child. Each time, it cost her quite a bit of money. Once, when the pet was sick and near death, she didn’t have enough money to buy medicine for it. So, Xuezhu didn’t buy any snacks for two weeks, saving up ten yuan and biting her lip to go to a digital store near her school to top up a pink diamond for it. This saved the pet.

But she didn’t dare tell Meng Yuning that she had topped up a pink diamond, fearing he would think she was inconsistent.

But this worry was unnecessary.

In fact, after she entered sixth grade, Meng Yuning moved up to his senior year of high school, and his QQ avatar never lit up again. It remained grayed out, behind the online friends.

Xuezhu specially bought a small notebook from the Candy Tribe blog, took it to school, and asked the girls in her class for their QQ numbers. After writing them down, she waited until the weekend when her mom allowed her to use the computer to add them one by one. On weekends, most classmates were online, so her friend requests were quickly accepted. Once added, Xuezhu carefully labeled each classmate’s QQ number with notes.

But before long, it was no longer popular to use small notebooks to record QQ numbers. Everyone preferred to buy a classmate album from the convenience store because it was a loose-leaf book with beautiful colored paper stickers, making it very popular. People would buy it and distribute it to classmates to write in. The more signatures you collected, the better your reputation in the class.

Xuezhu also followed the trend and bought a black-and-white pig classmate album, but only gave it to a few boys to write in. The rest were all girls, so her album ended up with only a thin half-finished section filled out.

She had no intention of giving one to every classmate. There were more than fifty people in the class, and by the time they reached the sixth grade, the relationships were still limited to a few close friends. The rest were at best just acquaintances, and after graduation, they would never keep in touch. Writing in their albums would be a waste of paper.

Next to acquaintances, there was an even lower tier: strangers.

There was only one person in this category, and Xuezhu was absolutely not going to give this person her album.

The teacher didn’t allow students to write in class during lessons, so break time became the prime time for everyone to write in their classmate albums.

Xuezhu was seriously writing in Zhu Qingying’s classmate album, even using colored pens to draw hearts and stars in the blank spaces to show how special Zhu Qingying was to her.

“Hey.”

Someone called out to her, causing Xuezhu to ruin her heart drawing.

She looked up and saw it was Chi Yue. Her expression immediately became impatient. “What is it?”

It had been so long since they last spoke that their first conversation in a long while was met with a bad attitude from both of them.

Chi Yue threw his classmate album onto her desk.

“Finish it and give it to me.”

Xuezhu blinked and stared at the Ultraman-themed album on her desk, thinking she was seeing things.

“Are you out of your mind?” Xuezhu’s tone was mixed. “You want me to help you write in your classmate album?”

“If there’s an extra one that no one has written in, I’ll give it to you,” Chi Yue said with a mischievous shrug.

Xuezhu was unhappy with his tone but decided it didn’t matter since graduation was coming soon. If she had to write it, so be it. She wasn’t that petty.

“Fine, I’m busy right now. I’ll write it for you after the next class.”

“Mm.”

After the conversation ended, Chi Yue still stood in front of her desk without moving. Xuezhu asked, “Do you need something else?”

Chi Yue clicked his tongue and said fiercely, “Pei Xuezhu, don’t you understand the concept of give and take? I’ve written in your album, and now you’re not writing in mine?”

Xuezhu was baffled. “Who said it’s a must to exchange signatures?”

“I did. Is that a problem?” Chi Yue stretched his hand out toward her. “Give me yours.”

Just as Xuezhu was silently cursing Chi Yue in her mind, the class bell rang. It was the homeroom teacher’s class, and all the students rushed back to their seats, their minds still on the previous lesson. Xuezhu noticed that Chi Yue didn’t seem ready to return to his seat, which made her a bit angry. “The class is starting. Didn’t you hear the bell? If the teacher comes and scolds you, it has nothing to do with me.”

The little boy pressed his lips together, glancing nervously toward the classroom door, always on alert for the teacher’s arrival. But his legs were still firmly planted in place as he stubbornly said, “Then hurry up and give it to me!”

“You’re so annoying.”

Xuezhu pulled out a classmate album and handed it to him.

As soon as Chi Yue took it, he quickly hurried back to his seat, stepping over several groups of desks along the way.

At this moment, the homeroom teacher finally arrived, late as usual.

During the next break, Xuezhu had already written in Chi Yue’s classmate album. For the blessing section on the back page, she only casually wrote “Wish you happiness every day” in six words and quickly handed it back to Chi Yue.

“Did you finish writing in mine?” Xuezhu asked.

Chi Yue: “No.”

Xuezhu: “Why are you so slow?”

The boy glared at her, biting his lip and muttering, “What, you have a problem with how slow I write?”

Xuezhu clicked her tongue: “Whatever.”

She just considered it as having given away one classmate album.

It wasn’t until after school that Chi Yue returned the finished classmate album to her.

She couldn’t be bothered to look at it and simply threw it into her backpack.

On the bus home, Xuezhu opened the album and flipped through the back pages, discovering there were still more than ten blank pages left.

The driver called from the front: “Hold on if you’re standing, the bus is moving.”

Thick exhaust fumes spewed from the back of the bus as it slowly pulled away from the gates of Tongzhou First Primary School.

Xuezhu glanced out the window at the familiar school gates. The central, neatly painted school name had already started to peel off. Every morning, she could see the gates bathed in the early sunlight, and every afternoon, under the thin light of the setting sun, she could see the gates again.

Six years of commuting through spring, autumn, winter, and summer, and now, finally, graduation was approaching.

“Xiao Zhu, you still have so many blank pages,” Zhu Qingying said, sitting next to her. “Why don’t you give it to someone in the next class to write in?”

Xuezhu shook her head. “I don’t know anyone in the next class.”

“Well, it’s such a waste not to write in them,” Zhu Qingying thought for a moment, then suddenly came up with a good idea. “Why don’t you take it home and give it to the people you get along with in your neighborhood? You could even give one to your brother. Isn’t he about to graduate too?”

That was actually a good idea.

But soon, Xuezhu dropped her head, her lips curving downward. “How would I give it to him? He hardly comes home on weekends anymore.”

“Is it that hard?” Zhu Qingying’s expression also turned downcast.

Xuezhu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Mm.”

Actually, she knew why her brother rarely came home on weekends. At first, she thought he was just playing too much and wanted to go to an internet café to play games, but over time, she realized maybe her brother was avoiding something, or perhaps he was using this rebellious behavior to resist their father.

But this resistance didn’t help. Uncle Meng and Aunt Xu both worked at the same place and had many mutual friends. Every weekend, their house would be filled with the loud sounds of cards being played, mixed with playful cursing and the clinking of glasses. Every time Xuezhu passed by their door, she could almost smell the smoke through the door.

Zhu Qingying stroked her chin, thinking deeply. After a few seconds, she suddenly came up with a solution. “Isn’t this easy to solve? Since your brother doesn’t come home, you can go to his school to find him!”