Chapter 4: Six Years Old – The Ruyi Divine Sword

Even when the game ended, Xuezhu was still reluctant to leave.

“School is about to start soon. Why don’t we let Xiao Zhu sleep over tonight so the sisters can have more time to play?” Auntie He suggested thoughtfully.

Song Yanping immediately refused. “Oh, that won’t do. It’s too much trouble for you.”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

“Let Xiao Zhu stay over at our place.”

After several rounds of back-and-forth between the parents, Song Yanping finally surrendered under her daughter’s pitiful gaze.

“Fine, but you have to go home and take a bath first. You’re all sweaty—you’ll stink up the bed, and your sister won’t let you sleep on it.”

Xuezhu clung to He Zhengyue’s hand, unwilling to go home. “If I go back, you definitely won’t let me come back again.”

Song Yanping didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She’s quite clever.

“But you still have to take a bath, right?”

Xuezhu pushed her luck. “Then bring me my pajamas, toothbrush, and towel. I’ll bathe at my sister’s house. That works, right?”

He Zhengyue also wanted Xuezhu to stay over, so she quickly chimed in to help. “Auntie, I’ll make sure she washes up properly.”

Song Yanping had no choice but to agree. Before leaving, she repeatedly reminded Xuezhu not to trouble Zhengyue’s family and to behave herself. Otherwise, there would be no next time.

Xuezhu nodded vigorously like a pecking chick, eager for her mother to leave as soon as possible.

She was allowed to stay over at her sister’s house, but the two boys weren’t as lucky—they had to go home.

Xuezhu walked them to the stairs and said they should play pretend family again next time.

Zhong Zihan asked, “Do I still have to be the kid next time?”

He actually wanted to play the dad. As a soon-to-be middle schooler, playing the child felt a bit embarrassing.

Xuezhu was fair. “You two can take turns.”

Zhong Zihan was satisfied. “That works.”

Meng Yuning pressed his lips together, lost in thought. He didn’t speak until Xuezhu turned to him. “Brother Ningning, why haven’t you gone home yet?”

“Xiao Zhu,” Meng Yuning bent down to look at her, his voice hesitant. “Do we really have to act out such realistic storylines?”

When it came to a man’s dignity and pride, Meng Yuning had no choice but to negotiate with his little sister.

But deep down, the young boy felt that discussing this with his little sister somehow made him seem even more childish.

So Meng Yuning’s expression remained somewhat awkward.

Xuezhu blinked and said, “Then next time, let’s pretend to be rich people.”

Perhaps he didn’t expect the little girl to be so easygoing, but Meng Yuning’s brows relaxed, and his tone softened. “Okay.”

“Then when we go shopping next time, I’ll buy lots of things,” Xuezhu started imagining what adults would buy when they go shopping. “Clothes, shiny necklaces and rings, and also skincare products.”

Realizing that her shopping list was getting too long, Xuezhu grinned and said, “You’ll have to earn a lot of money, or you won’t be able to buy me all these things.”

Meng Yuning nodded. “Alright.”

With their plan set, the two boys went upstairs to go home.

The shared stairwell’s lightbulb was old and covered in a thick layer of dust, blocking most of the light, making it hard to see the steps clearly.

Zhong Zihan walked a little ahead of Meng Yuning, holding onto the railing while walking backward. As he walked, he looked at Meng Yuning with envy. “They’re so lucky—they get to play together all night.”

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his tone became excited. “How about you come sleep over at my house tonight too? I have the Light Guardian’s badge and weapons, and I even know how to draw magic circles!”

As he spoke, he mimed holding a sword and dramatically shouted into the air, “One slash, severed in two—Ruyi Divine Sword!”

Meng Yuning’s clear eyes suddenly lit up slightly, and he gave a small nod.

“Mm.”

Zhong Zihan immediately beamed. “Then go home and tell your dad that you’re sleeping over at my place tonight.”

“My dad isn’t home at night,” Meng Yuning said. “He’s out playing cards and won’t be coming back today.”

Zhong Zihan was instantly filled with envy. “So no one’s watching over you? Wow, that’s awesome.”

When Meng Yuning went home to grab his toiletries, he fumbled in the dark to turn on the light. The house was empty. On the coffee table, there were a few scattered bills—probably tomorrow’s lunch money.

He put the money away, thinking that if Zhong Zihan was willing to lend him the Light Guardian’s badge, he wouldn’t have to save up his meal money to buy one.

On the last night of summer break, Xuezhu lay awake in the dark, wide-eyed, both excited and scared as she listened to He Zhengyue tell ghost stories.

By the end, she was so frightened that she curled up tightly under the covers, despite the summer heat, wrapping herself up completely without leaving a single gap. As if, as long as she stayed under the blanket, she could be safe from all the dangers outside.

Meanwhile, Zhong Zihan and Meng Yuning took turns playing the hero and villain, fighting intense battles until they were drenched in sweat and had to take another bath.

Even when the moon was high in the sky and the stars had fallen asleep, none of them had gone to bed.

—

The summer break passed by quietly.

No matter how long summer seemed, it was always fleeting.

On the morning of September 1st, at seven o’clock, the rice noodle shop at the entrance of the neighborhood had already been open for quite some time. Several trays of steamed buns had been freshly made, their warmth still lingering in the air. The fragrant buns and rice noodles were the residents’ favorite breakfast and were quickly bought up one by one.

The crisp, piercing sound of bicycle bells rang out as working adults rode past, their plastic bags of breakfast hanging from the handlebars. A short and light drizzle had fallen the night before, leaving behind small puddles on the uneven concrete road. The bicycles weaved skillfully around them, the plastic bags swaying, releasing delicious aromas into the air.

The sky had brightened, the mist gradually fading and rising into a clear, washed-out blue, merging seamlessly with the drifting clouds.

Today, the old furniture collector arrived a little earlier than usual.

His rusty three-wheeled cart had been with him for many years. A large loudspeaker was strapped to the handlebars. The man leisurely chewed betel nut while the speaker did all the work for him.

“High-price recycling! Color TVs, refrigerators, water heaters, washing machines, air conditioners—”

Xuezhu and her father had been waiting at the door for over ten minutes.

“Dad, why isn’t Mom ready yet?”

“She’s picking out clothes.”

Pei Lianyi called into the house, “Can you hurry up already?”

“Almost done, almost done,” Song Yanping’s voice came from the bedroom.

Women were always like this—no matter how much time they took, the moment you asked if they were ready, they would only say, almost.

After waiting a bit longer, Song Yanping finally came out.

Xuezhu was stunned by how dazzling her mother looked.

Today, her mom was wearing a floral dress, brightly colored and beautiful. She had even powdered her face, making it ghostly white, and put on a deep red lipstick—so red it made her look even more like a ghost.

“It’s not even your first day to school,” Pei Lianyi said with a laugh.

“Well, I still have to dress up! What if one of Xuezhu’s classmates calls her mom a country bumpkin? I can’t embarrass her, can I?”

That reasoning made sense. Xuezhu believed her and looked at Song Yanping, touched.

Song Yanping took Xuezhu’s hand. “What do you want for breakfast?”

Xuezhu beamed. “I want rice noodles!”

Pei Lianyi chuckled. “With your missing teeth? The noodles will just slip right through the gaps.”

Yes, Xuezhu had lost a tooth.

And not just any tooth—it was her front tooth, making her speech slightly airy and her smile adorably silly.

Xuezhu bared her teeth and pointed to the baby tooth beside her missing front tooth. “Then I’ll just chew with the side.”

“Close your mouth, you look awful,” Song Yanping said, unable to bear the sight.

The family of three chatted as they made their way downstairs when suddenly, the creaky old door behind them was pushed open.

Xuezhu turned around and, suddenly excited, called out, “Brother Ningning!”

Meng Yuning seemed startled by her greeting. His shoulders flinched slightly as he turned his head to look at the family standing on the steps below.

The young boy was dressed in the uniform of Xuhua Middle School—a white short-sleeved shirt and navy blue pants. He looked clean and slender, his features delicate and upright.

“Ningning, is today your first day of middle school?” Xuezhu’s mother asked.

Meng Yuning nodded. “Mm.”

“Why isn’t your dad taking you? Do you know the way?”

He paused for a moment before answering softly, his childish voice calm and light. “My dad is still sleeping. He gave me money to take the bus by myself.”

They had moved here from another place, and since Meng Yuning was just starting middle school, it was surprising that his father felt comfortable letting him go to registration alone.

Xuezhu’s parents had once asked about Meng Yuning’s mother. At the time, his father had only given a brief response—

“She left.”

So they hadn’t asked any further.

“Do you know which bus to take?”

Meng Yuning shook his head honestly. “I’ll just ask someone when I get to the bus stop.”

Song Yanping said, “Ningning, why don’t Uncle and Auntie take you to your school registration?”

Meng Yuning shook his head. “I can go by myself. Isn’t Xiao Zhu starting school today too?”

“We’ll take you first, then drop Xiao Zhu off,” Pei Lianyi decided.

Meng Yuning still declined. “Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, but that’s not necessary.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Xuezhu chimed in eagerly, scooting up beside him. “We’ll take you to your school first, then you guys can take me.”

She had been pushed to second place in the schedule, but she didn’t mind at all.

Meng Yuning ended up following Xuezhu’s family, and Pei Lianyi even bought him a bowl of rice noodles.

Meng Yuning tried to pay for it, but Pei Lianyi refused.

“I’ll just ask your dad for the money later.”

The breakfast shop wasn’t very big, and the owner had set up a few extra tables outside. The wooden tables paired with red plastic stools looked mismatched, but since the stools were cheap in bulk, many small shop owners used them.

Xuezhu and Meng Yuning sat next to each other. As soon as the rice noodles were served, Xuezhu eagerly grabbed the chili sauce and added a generous amount to her bowl.

Meng Yuning looked at the sheer amount of chili with concern.

“She can handle spicy food,” Pei Lianyi explained while adding several spoonfuls of chili sauce to his own bowl. “Spicy tastes better—otherwise, the rice noodles are too bland. Ningning, do you want to try?”

Out of politeness, Meng Yuning added a spoonful as well.

It was a bit spicy, but it was indeed delicious.

The chewy rice noodles were paired with pickled long beans, bits of minced meat floating on the surface of the broth, and a perfectly flavorful chili sauce.

Unlike the mild taste of soy milk, fried dough sticks, or steamed buns, these breakfast noodles carried a spicy kick and a bold flavor.

The noodles were slippery and firm. Xuezhu, determined to chew using the teeth next to her missing front tooth, had a comical expression as she bit into them.

Meng Yuning had been eating quite politely, but for some reason, he suddenly coughed, his throat burning as the spicy broth went down—both hot and painful. His fair face quickly flushed red with discomfort.

Xuezhu, wanting to show off her spice tolerance in front of him, had unknowingly added too much chili. She ended up gasping, sticking out her tongue, and hissing as she sucked in air to cool the burn.

Song Yanping, both amused and exasperated, poured them each a cup of water.

The moment the cool water hit her tongue, the burning sensation eased. Xuezhu gulped it down, finding it more refreshing than any other drink at that moment.

The chili’s afterburn lingered, and even after finishing the meal, Xuezhu’s lips remained bright red.

Song Yanping teased, “Xiao Zhu, you put on lipstick too.”

Both Pei Lianyi and Meng Yuning turned to look at her.

Her father grinned happily. “Starting elementary school and already caring about looks. Too bad you lost a front tooth.”

Unwilling to entertain her dad, Xuezhu turned to talk to Meng Yuning—

Only to find him also staring at her lips, a faint smile in his eyes.

At her age, being called vain was the last thing she wanted. Loving beauty was considered embarrassing for kids because children were supposed to act like children.

Afraid that Meng Yuning would think she was vain, Xuezhu quickly covered her mouth and silently vowed never to add that much chili to her noodles again.