I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 139. Wu Lingyu's Myriad Thoughts
"Mimi~ come here!" In the convenience store, Xu Qingfan squatted down and clapped his hands to call out to Mimi. The white cat walked over with elegant cat steps after hearing the voice.

"So good." Xu Qingfan reached out to rub the big cat against him, then picked it up and put it on his lap.

"Brother Fan, Brother Fan, these are some braised dishes my mom just made. Take them home and put them in the fridge." Wu Lingyu ran into the convenience store, panting, carrying a large white plastic bag.

Xu Qingfan patted the cat's butt, and the big cat wisely jumped down and ran to the cashier counter for a rest.

"Thank you for your hard work. Why are you running so fast? Be careful not to fall." He reached out and took the bag from Wu Lingyu's hand.

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Wu Lingyu raised her hand to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead and gave him a sweet smile.

"Go to the fridge and get two green tongues, it's on me," Xu Qingfan said, patting her head.

"Okay!" Wu Lingyu had known Xu Qingfan for a long time and knew that he was a man of his word, so she went without hesitation.

The two sat on the rocking horse by the door, leaning back in their seats, licking their ice cream with contentment.

Green Tongue is a popsicle with jelly as its main component. When frozen, it has a hard texture with a slightly gritty feel, but after licking it for a while, the whole popsicle turns into a soft tongue-shaped jelly. It's sweet and sour, delicious, and fun.

Xu Qingfan loved eating it in his previous life. It was only 50 cents a piece and not expensive. However, after he grew up, this kind of ice cream disappeared completely from the freezers of convenience stores, just like snow lotus.

"Brother Fan, is Sister Qingqing coming tomorrow?" After finishing her ice cream, Wu Lingyu couldn't bear to throw away the stick directly. She put it in her mouth and savored its subtle sweetness.

“Yes, she’ll arrive at Baiyun Airport tomorrow at noon. Teacher Guan will pick her up, and she should arrive in Licheng around 3 or 4 pm.” Xu Qingfan said to her, still holding the wooden stick he had finished eating in his mouth.

Because people in Yanjing have a tradition of celebrating the Lantern Festival, and because train and plane tickets are hard to buy after the New Year, Zhong Wenqing's trip to Licheng has been delayed until now.

"Hmm." Wu Lingyu suddenly felt a little inferior when she thought about Guan Bianyue and Zhong Wenqing possibly coming to the store tomorrow.

Despite knowing that her mother was a proud working-class person and that no one would laugh at her, Wu Lingyu still felt an indescribable sense of inferiority when others knew that Li Meijuan was a street vendor selling fried skewers.

This may also be related to the school she attended, where her classmates' parents were either big bosses, teachers, doctors, or civil servants—glamorous professions—leading Wu Lingyu to develop the misconception that these were the norm in society.

"What's wrong?" Xu Qingfan noticed that the little girl had become inexplicably withdrawn again and tilted his head to ask.

Wu Lingyu shook her head, feeling ashamed of having such thoughts.

"It's nothing, Brother Fan." She smiled faintly at Xu Qingfan. [Brother Fan said that hardship is only temporary. As long as Xiaoyu studies hard, she can become a teacher, doctor, or civil servant in the future.]
"Give me your stick, I'll scoop up the cat poop." He glanced at the stainless steel basin by the door and noticed a few more pieces of black poop. He said to Wu Lingyu.

"I'll take care of it!" Wu Lingyu got up, picked up the empty red envelope placed in the corner, rolled it into an arch, and slowly scooped out the cat's poop inside.

Because stainless steel itself has deodorizing properties, and the big cat usually only eats rice, pork, and fish that Xu Aiguo occasionally catches, it doesn't smell bad.

Having owned cats before, he knows all too well how much of a rip-off this is. A litter box costs 128 yuan, while an extra-large stainless steel bowl costs 88 yuan. The former is just a simple bowl assembled from a few pieces of scrap plastic, while the latter is made of high-quality materials, weighs about two pounds, and even has its own odor-removing function. It's obvious which one to buy.

"Okay!" Wu Lingyu smiled at him after washing her hands at the tap by the door.

"Why are you working so hard? If you do this, I'll take advantage of you and make you do all the dirty and tiring work," Xu Qingfan joked with her.

"It's okay, Brother Fan, just leave anything you don't want to do to me. I'm fine!" Wu Lingyu's eyes were sincere, and she stared at him without blinking.

"Don't be like that, I was just kidding. With your personality, you must have been bullied a lot in the dorm. You must have done all the chores like mopping the floor and taking out the trash." Xu Qingfan felt embarrassed by her gaze and changed the subject.

"It's alright. The trash is meant to be taken out when it's full, otherwise it'll stink. After they found out that Fan and I are friends, they've all started to follow the duty roster." Wu Lingyu felt a warmth in her heart as she thought of the intangible help Xu Qingfan had given her at school.

Because of the influence of Hong Kong movies and TV series, it is common for people to become the "big brother" or "big sister" in schools, and Xu Qingfan was undoubtedly the biggest "big brother" in the second grade of Experimental Primary School, even though he did not accept any underlings or ask for protection money.

But when someone has a conflict at school and suddenly says, "I have Xu Qingfan's QQ number," that's quite intimidating.

"That's good. If anyone bullies you, remember to tell me." Xu Qingfan smiled and patted her shoulder.

Wu Lingyu thought to herself: [It's clearly only you, Fan-ge, who bullies me and makes me do your homework!]
"Mmm!" However, the happy smile that unconsciously appeared on the little girl's face clearly revealed that she was also enjoying herself.

"Your mother is really amazing, she can cook so many delicious dishes!" Xu Qingfan nodded to Li Meijuan, who had come out for some fresh air, and said to Wu Lingyu after she went back.

"Grandpa is the best! He taught all of these to Mom. He used to be the village cook, and he knew how to cook so many dishes!"

"Oh, so why didn't your grandfather become a village cook?" Xu Qingfan asked curiously.

"It seems that Dad was coming south to work, met Mom, and then Grandpa came along too."

Xu Qingfan nodded. The saying "Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure" was indeed true. "Xiaoyu, do you know why Sister Qingqing came to Licheng?"

"Open a duck neck shop, or even a McDonald's franchise?" Wu Lingyu asked uncertainly, recalling what Xu Qingfan had told her during their last hot pot meal.

"Well, it's just that we're using Grandpa Xiaoyu's secret recipe to open a duck neck shop," Xu Qingfan said with a smile.

"Yes, Brother Fan and Sister Qingqing will definitely succeed!" Wu Lingyu didn't understand why Xu Qingfan was telling her all this, but she still encouraged him.

"Of course it has to succeed, because the recipe belongs to Xiaoyu's family, so the store also belongs to Xiaoyu's family. If the store makes money, Xiaoyu will have money to take your father to the beautiful country for medical treatment." Xu Qingfan reached out and rubbed the little girl's head.

"I...I don't know," Wu Lingyu wanted to say that it was alright and that they could just take the formula, but since it concerned her father, the little girl couldn't bring herself to say it.

Her dream of her father's successful surgery and recovery was something she had longed for day and night.

“It’s not a free gift for Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu’s family will also have to help out. Xiaoyu’s mother will be responsible for helping to braise the duck necks, and will also regularly improve the flavor and launch new products based on feedback. We can let Sister Qingqing and Aunt Li discuss these things. We’ll just be responsible for eating!” Xu Qingfan could naturally guess what the other party was thinking. She just felt unworthy of it, so he spoke up to dispel Wu Lingyu’s thoughts.

Despite Xu Qingfan's words, Wu Lingyu knew that he only wanted to help her family.

How much is a recipe worth? Last time, Mom only sold the fried skewer recipe for a thousand yuan, but opening a shop requires a lot of money. She can clearly calculate the difference.

"Thank you, Brother Fan!" Wu Lingyu quickly came to her senses. She already owed him so much, so what difference would one more time make? At worst, she could repay him with her body when she grew up, just like in the TV dramas!
[I have no way to repay your kindness, so I can only offer myself to you!] She recalled the scene she had seen in the TV series last time, and her face couldn't help but feel a little hot.

The little girl clearly didn't quite understand the meaning of "returning one's body to another," thinking that sleeping together simply meant sleeping in the same bed fully clothed.

In Wu Lingyu's mind, repaying Xu Qingfan with her body would mean giving all the money she earned from her job to him, taking care of his daily needs, doing his laundry and cooking, and helping him take care of his children if he had any.
"Xiaoyu? Xiaoyu?"

"Ah! Brother Fan." Wu Lingyu snapped out of her fantasy world, lowering her head shyly. "What are you thinking about, so engrossed?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Just then, a child came to ride the rocking horse, so Xu Qingfan got up to give up his spot, and Wu Lingyu followed suit.

"Come on, let's go to my house!" Xu Qingfan grabbed Wu Lingyu's hand and was about to leave.

"Oh, oh." Wu Lingyu glanced back at the convenience store and followed Xu Qingfan's steps forward.

When the two returned to their home in the Lotus Courtyard, Xia Xiaoxiao was sitting at the computer desk in Xu Qingfan's bedroom, playing games.

Hearing Xu Qingfan's footsteps, the little girl immediately shouted joyfully from inside the room, "Xu Qingfan, come quick! I caught a mutated sea worm!!"

Xu Qingfan slapped his forehead, feeling guilty for turning a promising student from Tsinghua and Peking Universities into an internet addict.

"Here you are, let me see!" He jogged into the room after changing his shoes.

Xia Xiaoxiao had already shown him the pet's panel. It had a maximum attack aptitude of 1550, and its speed aptitude was almost maxed out. It had five skills: Critical Strike, Night Battle, Poison, Advanced Counterattack, and Weakness to Fire.

"Good heavens!" Xu Qingfan was stunned.

"Impressive, right!" Xia Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows proudly.

Xu Qingfan had never played Fantasy Westward Journey in his previous life. After all, it was a time-card game, and it cost 40 cents to play for an hour. He didn't have that much money to burn back then.

But even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. Turn-based games are ultimately just number games. A mutated sea worm with full stats and skills is pretty awesome!

"Cow!" He gave a thumbs up.

"But how long have you been playing? Hurry up and get off the computer and go see the scenery. Don't wear glasses in elementary school, it's ugly." Xu Qingfan touched the hot computer case and tapped her on the head.

"Hmph~ You won't be able to beat me in the next PK." Xia Xiaoxiao obediently turned off the game and got up, but still couldn't resist provoking her.

Wu Lingyu doesn't play Fantasy Westward Journey, so she couldn't join the conversation and silently stood aside watching the two bicker.

"You'd better hide your game cards properly, or I'll get scolded again if my mom finds them." Xu Qingfan said irritably as he hid the Shanda game cards on the table in the drawer.

"Hehe~ I'm sorry!" Xia Xiaoxiao scratched her head embarrassedly, remembering that Xu Qingfan had taken the blame for her last time.

"It's rare to see someone apologize like this." Xu Qingfan turned off the computer and led the two into the living room with a smile.

"Brother Fan, what are we going to do now?" Wu Lingyu asked, sitting awkwardly on the stool.

"Forehead"

Well, Xu Qingfan didn't really know what to do at the moment, and on a whim, he dragged Wu Lingyu home.

"I want to see Finding Nemo!" Xia Xiaoxiao said this because Xu Qingfan took Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi to the cinema the day before yesterday, but didn't take her.

"I've already seen it. Watching a movie is fine, but how about watching something else?"

"Then watch it again!"

Xu Qingfan glanced at Wu Lingyu beside him, "Then let's watch it again."

He felt that Wu Lingyu might be moved by the values ​​conveyed in the film, and Finding Nemo was also a rare and excellent animated film.

Wu Lingyu stood there dumbfounded as Xu Qingfan pulled her out the door again. The three of them held hands and went to the fifth floor of Guagreen Plaza. After buying tickets for the next movie screening, Xu Qingfan, carrying a large bucket of popcorn, led the two of them into the screening room.

The cinemas here seem to have always had the same price; it was 30 yuan in 04, and it's still 30 yuan more than ten years later.

It was Wu Lingyu's first time watching a movie at the cinema. She followed behind Xu Qingfan, looking around curiously.

[So this is what movie theaters look like, like a school auditorium.] She thought to herself after entering the screening room and taking her seat.

The movie begins on a vast blue sea, where two talking clownfish immediately capture Wu Lingyu's attention.

When Nemo was captured by humans, she clenched her fists in tension, but when Marin escaped the sharks' pursuit, she unconsciously loosened her grip.

Xia Xiaoxiao wasn't much better off; she was holding Xu Qingfan's hand so tightly it was sweaty.

Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu were watching the movie intently, while Xu Qingfan watched the two little ones with great interest, occasionally feeding them popcorn from his lap.

When the movie ended, both of them looked like they wanted more.

Just as there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes, Zhang Yiyi saw her own reflection in Nemo, who was born with missing fins, and Wu Lingyu saw her father's reflection in Ma Lin.

As for Xia Xiaoxiao, the little girl thought the animation was great in every way, but it would be even better if the father fish were changed to the mother fish.

"Not bad, but why did Mom die instead of Dad?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked on the way back.

"Pfft~" Xu Qingfan didn't expect Xia Xiaoxiao to have such a unique focus. He laughed and explained to her, "Clownfish are hermaphroditic, just like chickens. If the female dies, a young male will be chosen to become the female. So you can actually think of Marlene as your mother."

"Is that so?" Xia Xiaoxiao felt that Xu Qingfan was trying to fool her.

Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, go back and look it up online!

"Brother Fan, you know so much!" Wu Lingyu looked up at him with admiration.

"Haha, it's alright. I saw it while reading '100,000 Whys'." Xu Qingfan laughed.

His eyes suddenly widened. If this setting were true, wouldn't Marlene and Nemo be...?
(End of this chapter)