Chapter 22 Part 2

Bai Kou: 【Can it wait a bit to eat?】

Pei Yue: 【Hm?】

Bai Kou: 【Can I come now to watch it eat? 0.0】

Almost a minute after asking, no reply from Pei Yue. Bai Kou realized it might be too sudden and hurriedly added: 【Just asking! If your mom’s home, I can still come tomorrow, haha.】

Pei Yue: 【Not home.】

Pei Yue: 【I’ll come pick you up.】

Pick me up? Bai Kou didn’t get it: 【Aren’t you home?】

Pei Yue: 【Yeah, it’s on the way. You home?】

Bai Kou was a bit dizzy: 【What way? Yeah, I’m home.】

Pei Yue: 【Good. I’ll message when I arrive. Come down.】

What did that mean? Bai Kou replied with an ok in confusion.

Thinking she was going to Pei Yue’s house to play, Bai Kou took a 100-yuan bill from her little safe in her room, went downstairs early, and bought fruit from the fruit stall.

She didn’t know what fruit to bring as a guest gift, so she went by the auntie’s recommendation and bought a super abundant fruit basket with snake fruits or whatever… Anyway, Bai Kou hadn’t eaten them herself.

She waited by the roadside, holding the fruit basket.

A car stopped in front of her. Yang Wanxi got out, looking puzzled as she fished out money. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for someone.” Bai Kou was puzzled too. “What about you? Aren’t you supposed to be at school for evening self-study?”

“I have something.” Yang Wanxi did look quite rushed. She came closer and straightened Bai Kou’s scarf. “Move somewhere else. It’s so windy here. Standing like a fool all day.”

“You’re the fool.” Bai Kou was indeed a bit cold but stayed stubborn. “I’m not cold at all, okay.”

“Tch.” Yang Wanxi pulled a 50-yuan bill from her bag and stuffed it into Bai Kou’s pocket. “Don’t play too late. I’m off. Bye.”

“Hey—” Bai Kou’s hands were both full with the fruit basket, so she could only shout, “Why’d you give me money—”

Yang Wanxi didn’t answer. She waved over her shoulder and quickly ran across the street.

Not even a few minutes later, Pei Yue arrived.

The taxi stopped across the street. As Bai Kou started to step forward, Pei Yue got out from behind the car and, very unusually, shouted loudly, “Bai Kou, no need to come over!”

Pei Yue was still in her school uniform. After paying, she ran across from the other side to Bai Kou. She glanced at the fruit basket in Bai Kou’s hand, frowned, and asked, “What’s this?”

“Um… the… gift… I brought to your house?” Bai Kou couldn’t recall that word for the moment.

“Ah.” Pei Yue nodded and took it. “Thanks, I’ll take it.”

The two chatted casually for a couple sentences before Pei Yue turned and hailed a taxi.

Bai Kou said, “You didn’t have to get out of the car just now. That’s so uneconomical.”

One on the left, one on the right in the car, with a fruit basket wrapped in a red ribbon in between. Streetlights outside swept into the car window one after another.

Pei Yue took a quiet deep breath, mustered her courage, and turned her head.

She stared blankly at Bai Kou, who was leaning against the window with her eyes closed in rest. Light and shadow flickered across Bai Kou’s nose tip one cluster at a time, like firefly sprites leaping in a fairy tale.

‘……’ Pei Yue’s heart stirred.

Her gaze gradually slid down from Bai Kou’s face and stopped at the fruit basket obstructing them.

She reached out, trying to gently pick it up.

“Hm?” Bai Kou woke up.

Pei Yue’s fingertips instantly shrank back. In a panic, she turned and twisted open the car window.

“Ha—” Bai Kou yawned over there and muttered, “I thought we’d arrived.”

Cold wind blew fiercely on Pei Yue’s face, but it burned hot from embarrassment.

“Ah, right.” Bai Kou suddenly spoke, followed by the faint rustle of plastic.

By the time Pei Yue reacted, Bai Kou had already moved the fruit basket aside and scooted next to her arm. “Pei Yue, I’ve been looking into it carefully these past few days. Online it says Little Lantern is a grass goldfish and can live six or seven years, then it—”

Bai Kou opened her phone as she spoke, her expression excited, like sharing something with a good friend.

Pei Yue didn’t dare blink as she stared out the window. Half her body stiffened. Even separated by several layers of clothing, Bai Kou’s arm felt so hot.

……She couldn’t hear a single word and had no idea what to do.

Her heart turned into a wind chime hanging at the window, tinkling.

Bai Kou finally finished, a bit tired. She leaned back to the center of the seat and summed up, “Anyway, everyone says Little Lantern’s breed is especially easy to keep alive. Oh, I also brought a few pebbles in my bag for it…… They should be pebbles, right? I picked them up while strolling with Lu Tongtong. I’ve washed them clean. Can I give them to it later?”

“……”

“Pei Yue, Pei Yue.” Bai Kou patted the person next to her who hadn’t moved. “Why aren’t you responding? Did you fall asleep?”

Pei Yue sat up straight and looked back at Bai Kou. After one second, her eyes hastily shifted away. “N-no.”

“Oh, last time you said Little Lantern needs disinfecting or something before going into the fish pond……” Bai Kou looked down and pulled three pebbles of varying shades from her bag. “What about these? Do they need it too?”

The three pebbles were gently placed into the pond.

Bai Kou stood in front of the fish pond—which was as big as five of her bathtubs—and pondered for a moment. “So many fish…… Can you really tell which one is Little Lantern?”

She didn’t believe it.

Pei Yue straightened up. “Yes, it’s the only grass goldfish here.”

“Oh, like that.” A smile immediately appeared on Bai Kou’s face. “That’s great then. I was afraid we’d pick the wrong fish.”

“Mm, I’ll go get you some feed.” Pei Yue said, “Little Lantern hasn’t eaten yet. It should come out.”

With that, Pei Yue walked a few steps, her back figure pausing in the courtyard. She turned back and asked Bai Kou, “Do you want to see my guinea pig?”

“Pig?” Bai Kou was stunned. “You still keep pigs at home?!”

Pei Yue pursed her lips. If it were anyone else, she probably wouldn’t bother responding, but Bai Kou like this was pretty cute.

So she didn’t immediately tell Bai Kou—“Guinea pig isn’t a pig.”

Hand on the doorknob, before opening the door, Pei Yue glanced back at Bai Kou’s hand quietly tugging her clothes.

She heard Bai Kou ask very cautiously, “Pei Yue, your family’s pig…… it won’t charge at people, right? When I was little, I went to the countryside with my mom and got charged by a pig…… I’m a bit……”

Her expression was truly all wrinkled up, not the usual kind of scared.

Pei Yue released the doorknob and looked at Bai Kou’s face in the half-light, half-dark. Before raising her hand, she clenched her fingers tightly, then spread them open when she lifted it.

“It might. Do you want to hold onto me?”

“Ah?” Bai Kou hurriedly clasped her hand. Just before she opened the door, she “hey”ed and abruptly stopped. “Pei Yue, Pei Yue, so can you control it? If it charges me, will I have time to dodge?”

Pei Yue rarely laughed out loud. She gripped Bai Kou’s hand and turned to press down the doorknob.

“Don’t worry.”

“Hey hey hey hey—”

The first second she was pulled into the room, Bai Kou only smelled the fragrance of fresh grass, completely different from the nightmare in her memory.

“It’s seems to be sleeping.” Pei Yue blocked in front of her and said.

Sleeping? So that’s the safe state? Bai Kou gripped Pei Yue tightly with one hand for a sense of security while her other hand climbed onto Pei Yue’s back shoulder. She peered over her body into the room.

‘……’ Where’s the pig?

In her bewilderment, Pei Yue walked toward a row by the neighboring window that looked like mini castle models, crouched down, and reached out her arm.

When she came back, there was an extra clump of earthy yellow in her arms.

As if naturally unafraid of the cold, Pei Yue had taken off her jacket upon returning home. Now she only wore a short-sleeved shirt inside, with a transparent, reflective jade bracelet on her wrist.

The earthy yellow thing lifted its head. Its four black paws stepped over the jade bracelet as its nose tip sniffed at Bai Kou sniffsniifsniff.

“Hahahaha, its face.” Bai Kou had even forgotten she was there to see the pig. Her fingertip gently poked the earthy yellow thing’s nose tip. “How’s it like it’s burnt.”

“It’s called Yellow Doudou.” Pei Yue said.

Bai Doudou immediately frowned. “No way!”

Their figures reflected on the glass window in the dim scene. Pei Yue’s profile smiled happily. “Really. I was surprised too when I knew your little name is Bai Doudou.”

‘……’ Bai Kou’s fingertip slowly stroked over Yellow Doudou’s head. This “coincidence” couldn’t help but remind her of when she was little, and Yang Wanxi had once named a puppy “Doudou” for a while.

Mm…… But Pei Yue probably wasn’t as bored as Yang Kuikui.

“Fine.” She lowered her arm and said, “Anyway, it’s cute. Same little name is fine.”

Pei Yue had Bai Kou help hold Yellow Doudou while she walked back to Yellow Doudou’s castle and slowly picked up the scattered hay everywhere.

“You only keep Yellow Doudou?” Bai Kou noticed another cabinet in the opposite wall corner, three levels high like a composite little villa.

“No.” Pei Yue turned back and pointed for Bai Kou. “There are two hedgehogs inside that.”

Hedgehogs?

It was also Bai Kou’s first time seeing them.

She hurriedly carried Yellow Doudou over to visit the hedgehogs. “Too amazing. Your home is no different from a zoo.”

Pei Yue put away the things and walked to Bai Kou’s side. She tilted her head and looked at Bai Kou’s fascinated face.

“Upstairs there’s also a kitten.” Pei Yue said, “A black-and-white curly-haired one.”

When Bai Xiaochu called Bai Kou, Bai Kou had already hit it off with Pei Yue’s Devon Rex cat.

Bai Kou scratched under the cat’s chin and asked, “Mom, can we keep a cat at home?”

“What keeping a cat? Where are you?”

“Me? Still at Pei Yue’s place.”

“Oh.” A door closing sounded on Bai Xiaochu’s side. “Alright, then play. Sis got out of class early. I’m going straight to pick her up now.”

“Ah?” Bai Kou blanked for a second, anxiety appearing on her face. “No! Weren’t we supposed to go together? I’ll head over now!”

“No need—Yu Qiao—” Bai Xiaochu’s voice trailed off for a bit before returning. “Anyway, your sis still has to keep reviewing when she gets home. Don’t disturb her. Stay and play at your classmate’s. I’ll pick you up when it’s late.”

‘……’ Bai Kou lowered her head without responding.

“Come, I’ll take it. Put it here.” Through the receiver, Bai Xiaochu didn’t notice her daughter’s disappointment. “Bai Kou, I’ll help your sis carry stuff first. Hanging up.”

“Oh…… Okay…… Bye……” Bai Kou said softly.

A black-sleeved white-gloved cat paw was lifted forward and patted Bai Kou’s knee.

Looking up, Pei Yue had a somewhat worried look. “What’s wrong? Do you need to go back?”

Bai Kou put away her dejected expression. “No, just my sister got out early. They went back first. A bit regretful I couldn’t pick her up.”

Pei Yue went “oh” and put the cat into Bai Kou’s arms. “Listen, it goes purr purr.”

“Purr purr?” Bai Kou lowered her head, ear close to the kitten’s body, surprised. “Really! Why’s that?”

“Because.”

Pei Yue looked into Bai Kou’s eyes.

“With you here today, it feels very happy.”