The next day was Saturday, and high school students didn’t have to return until the afternoon for evening self-study.
But Yang Wanxi got up early and took the bus alone to the street, where she entered a phone store and wandered around with furrowed brows.
Just as Bai Xiaochu and Yang Yingyun had worried, although Yang Wanxi wasn’t spending money recklessly, her tastes had truly become much pickier.
She had spent the entire previous night thinking about Bai Kou wanting a new phone, and even in her dreams, she heard Bai Kou grabbing her hand and pleading, “Sister Xiaoxi, I don’t want to use the PHS anymore!”
As soon as she opened her eyes, Yang Wanxi decided to buy a phone for Bai Kou too.
But now, after looking around, the cheap ones seemed unworthy of Bai Kou to her, and the expensive ones—truth be told—buying that phone for Bai Yuqiao had already used up all her cash, with the rest of her savings locked in a six-month bank deposit that she couldn’t withdraw until the end of the year.
She had originally planned to give it to Bai Kou right after the new year, just in time for her birthday…
“Sigh, plans can’t keep up with changes.”
Yang Wanxi walked out of the glass door and looked up at the sky.
It was clear and cloudless.
“Mm hm hm hm~” Bai Kou hummed a tune lightly while playing on her phone as she walked out of her room.
Her sister was sitting in the living room watching TV, her expression unusually serious—she didn’t even turn her head when Bai Kou went out.
What TV drama could captivate her sister like this? Bai Kou put down her phone, stood still, and glanced at the TV.
On the screen was a blackboard, with a bespectacled auntie, and a simple logo in the upper right corner that read—
“High school physics? Question type breakdown?”
Bai Kou’s mouth fell open in shock as she shuffled forward. She read the chalk words on the blackboard softly, “And P is doing circular motion in a vertical plane?”
Nuts!
Who watches physics problems on TV first thing on a weekend!
Bai Kou stood beside her muttering for a moment before Bai Yuqiao finished calculating the problem in her notebook, lowering her head.
Only then did she turn to look at her sister and said, 【Good morning.】
Bai Kou felt mocked and smiled faintly, pointing behind her. “Sis, study slowly. I’m going to eat some bread.”
Bai Yuqiao nodded, her gaze shifting away from her sister’s face.
At the dining table, Bai Kou’s right hand was busy replying on QQ while her left hand struggled for ages to open the bread bag.
In the chat window, someone named “Early Summer Love” said: 【Kuikui, what time are you heading out?】
UIO: 【Eating breakfast ovo, heading out in five minutes!】
Early Summer Love: 【Okay=3= See you at McDonald’s!】
McDonald’s was packed with people on the weekend. Across from her, Lu Tongtong was scribbling furiously on two math worksheets, while Bai Kou carefully tore apart the McDonald’s discount coupon in her hand.
“Tongtong, I’ll get the McChicken and fries combo. Which one do you want?”
Lu Tongtong’s pen was practically sparking from how fast she wrote. She looked up casually. “Mm… that one, McFish with Coke.”
“Okay.” Bai Kou tore off two slips for the 10-yuan combos, folded the rest neatly, put it back in her bag for next time, and said, “Hold our spot. I’ll go buy.”
Lu Tongtong barely had time to flash an “OK” hand sign.
Bai Kou took the two 10-yuan combo coupons and two 10-yuan bills to the McDonald’s counter, lining up at the end.
She passed a little girl being led by her mom, clutching a Chibi Maruko-chan toy that bounced happily.
Bai Kou was extremely envious.
Too bad the toy combo cost 38.5—way too expensive for Bai Kou, who had just spent a big sum.
She just looked, then tilted her head up at the promotional board above the counter and sighed.
Bye-bye, Chibi Maruko-chan. Looks like we’re not meant to be this year.
Yang Wanxi walked into McDonald’s and spotted the little Bai bean sprout right in front of her.
Well, she could hardly be called a Doudou sprout anymore.
After all, from sixth grade through middle school summer vacation, Bai Kou had visibly shot up a whole head, and now the top of her head just barely reached Yang Wanxi’s nose.
She quietly approached from behind Bai Kou and saw her tilting her head toward something, curiosity piqued. She followed Bai Kou’s gaze.
Yang Wanxi deliberately stayed hidden, so even when Bai Kou carried a tray of food back to her seat, they still hadn’t run into each other.
“Here.” Bai Kou handed over Lu Tongtong’s McFish.
“You eat first! I’m swamped!” Lu Tongtong said. “I haven’t finished a single one. Oh, right, did you bring your English homework?”
“Yeah, it’s all in my bag. Want it now?”
“Uh, no no, later.”
“Oh.” Bai Kou saw Lu Tongtong was truly frantic and stopped bothering her. She lowered her head to idle on QQ.
Beep beep beep.
Someone she had noted as “Yang Kuikui” messaged her: 【Turn around.】
Bai Kou turned around, puzzled.
Beep beep beep.
Yang Kuikui: 【To the left.】
Bai Kou exclaimed in delight, “Yang Kuikui!”
She was even more thrilled to see that Yang Wanxi’s tray had a kids’ combo—with the exact Chibi Maruko-chan toy she had just eyed.
Bai Kou immediately got up and walked over. She thought for a second and didn’t sit, instead squatting by the two-person table. She pitifully pawed at the edge with both hands, her big eyes watery. “Sister Xiaoxi—”
“No—pro—blem—” Yang Wanxi drawled.
“Okay.” Bai Kou hadn’t expected to be treated anyway. She pointed at her target. “Are you still interested in the toy?”
“Toy?” Yang Wanxi tilted her head in confusion. A few seconds later, she fished out a pink plastic bag from behind her Coke, unimpressed. “Why does McDonald’s give out such an ugly toy? Who’d want it?”
“Exactly, it’s so ugly!” Bai Kou chimed in. “But I want it! Give it to me!”
“Hmph—” Yang Wanxi narrowed her eyes with a smile. “For free?”
The three of them squeezed at one table. At first, Lu Tongtong, who was copying homework, felt nervous and covered her papers furtively.
But soon she realized Bai Kou’s older sister wasn’t paying her any mind, so she relaxed and spread out her workbook openly.
Yang Wanxi demanded Bai Kou serve as her little servant for the afternoon.
When she wanted Coke, Bai Kou handed her Coke. When she wanted to wipe her hands, Bai Kou passed her a napkin.
Bai Kou agreed without any backbone.
“Mm.” Yang Wanxi crooked her finger, and Bai Kou set down the toy she was fiddling with to hand over the Coke.
“Mm.” Yang Wanxi crooked her finger again, and Bai Kou set down the toy once more to take back the Coke.
After going back and forth three or four times, Yang Wanxi was temporarily satisfied. Her gaze swept over the unfamiliar 5300 on the table, puzzled. “Bai Kou, did you get a new phone?”
“Huh?” Bai Kou looked up. “Oh yeah, my sister bought it for me.”
“Yuqiao-jie?” Yang Wanxi picked up Bai Kou’s phone and examined both sides. “How come it’s the same model as the one you got her?”
“We’re super in sync, duh.”
Yang Wanxi chuckled, lit up the screen. “You already know how to use it so well? Even switched to this eye-friendly green theme. What’s the password?”
“0000.”
“…” Yang Wanxi gave Bai Kou a disappointed look, entered 0000, and said, “Change it when you can. Otherwise, if you lose the phone, anyone could guess your password right away.”
“No way.” Bai Kou took a sip of Coke. “This is from my sister. I’m using it for the next ten years.”
Aside from private apps like messages and QQ, Yang Wanxi tried out the phone’s various functions. Finally, she opened the camera, propped her chin lazily, raised her arm, and called out.
“Bai Kou, look at me.”
Bai Kou turned her head dumbly, and when the photo snapped, she still had a piece of lettuce leaf stuck to her mouth.
Before they wrapped up, Bai Kou and Lu Tongtong chatted about their favorite actress lately, Li Wan.
Both were obsessed with the drama Thirteen Curses of the Broken Gate that had just finished airing over the summer vacation. Li Wan starred as Qin Lingxuan, who was originally an immortal crane, so fans also called Li Wan “Xianxian.”
“Yeah yeah! I’ve saved tons of Xianxian’s photos!”
Oh, so the pages full of strangers in the photo album earlier were called “Xianxian”? Yang Wanxi thought as she grabbed Bai Kou’s backpack.
On the way home alone, Bai Kou suddenly asked Yang Wanxi, “You’re in liberal arts, right? What university are you planning to apply to?”
Yang Wanxi was replying to a text. “I’m only in sophomore year. Haven’t thought about it. Why ask?”
“Nothing really.” Bai Kou said, “Last night my sister asked me where I hoped she’d go to university. I don’t even know many universities. Then she asked what I hoped she’d do afterward.”
“Do what?” Yang Wanxi turned her head. “What do you mean?”
“Like, what job.” With her backpack on Yang Wanxi’s shoulders and phone stuffed in her pocket, Bai Kou swung her hands carefree. “I thought about it carefully. Xianxian was in a drama once as a lab researcher, wearing safety goggles and a white coat all day—looked super cool. So I suggested my sister do that too.”
“Oh~” Yang Wanxi drawled thoughtfully. “So that’s what asking me means—you wanna recommend a job for me too?”
“Haha.” Bai Kou laughed. “I think you’d be great in movies. You look exactly like your mommy. You could be her stunt double, take turns acting, and get rest too.”
“…” Yang Wanxi was speechless. “You really come up with some ideas.”
Full and satisfied, it was already past four in the afternoon when she got home. Her sister had already left to return to school.
Bai Kou decided to pack her school stuff for tomorrow. After a bout of fussing, she stuffed two oranges into her backpack, tossed it dashingly onto the chair, and flopped spread-eagled onto the sofa happily—
Time to play on her phone!
After getting home, Yang Wanxi flopped on the sofa flipping through a fashion magazine. She was the type who didn’t enter school until the last second. She was reading the bottom of the page headlined “NEWS: Skinny Jeans!” when the doorbell rang ding-dong-dang-a-lang.
She paused, her first thought, “Mom—you forget your keys?”
She opened the door to find Bai Kou, whom she had just sent back not long ago, standing outside with pursed lips. The instant their eyes met, she burst into loud wails.
“?”
Yang Wanxi was stunned, taking half a second to react. She hurriedly pulled Bai Kou inside and asked, “What happened? Did you fight with your sister? No wait, she couldn’t argue with you… Did Auntie Bai scold you?”
“Wah—” Yang Wanxi’s concern broke the dam. Bai Kou, who had held it in the whole way, now sobbed heart-wrenchingly. She wailed, “Yang Wanxi wah wah wah, there’s no one home wah wah wah, m-my phone’s gone wah wah wah wah, how am I supposed to explain to my sister when she gets back wah wah wah I don’t wanna live anymore—”
