I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 179. Xia Xiaoxiao's Dowry
The last period on Friday afternoon was physical education. After the PE teacher announced that it was free time, they sat in a row on the flagpole and looked at the registration forms for the New Year's Eve party that they had just received from their homeroom teacher.

Licheng Middle School has a total of 48 classes, but the time for the New Year's Eve party is limited, so it is impossible for each class to put on a performance.

Therefore, a preliminary round is held before the official performance, with the school's music teachers and school leaders responsible for judging, and a total of twenty classes are selected to participate in the final competition performance.

"How come there are only six spots for the first year of junior high? The competition is fierce!" Xiao Ruanwen said after reading the instructions on the registration form, which stated that there were 6, 7, and 8 performance spots for the first, second, and third years of junior high, respectively.

"And there's not much time left. The preliminary selection is the Monday after next, so there are only ten days left!" Xia Xiaoxiao also counted on her fingers.

"I...I don't know how to play any musical instruments at all," Wu Lingyu said, raising her hand somewhat shyly.

She is not someone who dares to step out of her comfort zone; in elementary school, she chose math olympiad and calligraphy as elective courses for six years.

“Me too,” Zhang Yiyi said, raising her hand.

Because of a congenital hearing impairment, Zhang Yiyi did not come into contact with any musical instruments during elementary school.

It is worth mentioning that Zhang Yiyi underwent cochlear implant surgery abroad in 2007, and her hearing in both ears has now recovered to nearly 80%.

It wasn't that Zhang Chunxue intentionally delayed having the surgery until she was almost ten years old, but rather that cochlear implant technology was not yet mature, and installing a cochlear implant would require craniotomy, which sounded quite frightening.

The downside is that although Zhang Yiyi's hearing has recovered to about 70-80%, she still doesn't like to speak more than four words at a time, just like Yukishiro Nanako from the anime Senryu Girl, who always likes to use the "575 senryu" format.

For example: Xizhilang, more care, more love.

"It's alright, we can just add a triangle and tambourine to the music later. Anyone can do that," Xu Qingfan said, looking at the two of them and comforting them.

"Yes!" The two girls nodded in unison.

"Brother Qingfan, are you going to write a song?" Lin Wanning looked at Xu Qingfan with bright eyes. The girl obviously thought that writing a song would be an easy thing for her brother Qingfan.

"Yeah, Fan-ge, are you going to write a new song? You promised me and Xiao-xiao when we were little that you would continue to write songs for us when we got to junior high school!" Seeing that her best friend didn't mention it, Xiao Ruanwen finally couldn't help but say.

"Huh?" Xu Qingfan scratched his head, trying to recall if he had promised to do this. Seeing Xia Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ruanwen's aggrieved and angry expressions, he could only laugh awkwardly and say, "Let's write the song next time. There's not enough time in ten days. Either sing the old song 'Looking Out the Window' or sing a popular song recently."

"Are you the girl with braces who sings your songs?!" Xia Xiaoxiao glared at him angrily.

"It's not impossible if you want to," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"No way!" the five girls said in unison.

"Then let's sing 'Looking Out the Window'. It's an original song, after all, so we shouldn't be eliminated in the first round!" Xiao Ruanwen said, hoping that her first song would be recognized and liked by more people.

"Agreed," Xia Xiaoxiao nodded.

"Agreed!" Lin Wanning clasped his hands together.

"Anything is fine as long as it's not Fan Ge's ringtone." Wu Lingyu rarely made a joke, and after saying that, she lowered her head shyly.

"Hahaha"

After their last PE class, they casually returned to their classroom.

The blackboard was already covered with this week's homework, and several girls were writing it down on scrap paper. Only Xu Qingfan and Lin Wanning, two lazybones, were packing their schoolbags.

It wasn't that they had particularly good memories; it was mainly because they were both self-aware enough to postpone their homework until Sunday, when they could simply look at other people's notes in their secret hideout.

In 2008, more and more families were able to afford cars. When the children came downstairs with their schoolbags, the basketball court and the flagpole were already full of vehicles picking up and dropping off their children.

"Brother Qingfan, where are we meeting tomorrow?" Lin Wanning had already seen her parents coming to pick her up from school in the distance. She waved excitedly in the direction of her parents and asked Xu Qingfan.

"Sister Xiaoya's music store is close to Biguiyuan. We'll meet at your house tomorrow."

"Okay!" As soon as Lin Wanning heard this, he let go of Zhang Yiyi's hand and ran towards her parents.

"Slow down!" Xu Qingfan smiled helplessly. He was already thirteen years old, but he still acted like a child who would never grow up.

"Okay!" Lin Wanning said without turning his head, but his speed did not slow down at all. Before long, he threw himself into Wen Wanqing's arms.

Standing beside him was Lin Qiaoshan, who wore a wry smile of envy.

"Hello, Uncle and Aunt!" They came over shortly after and greeted them in unison.

"Hey~" Wen Wanqing and Lin Qiaoshan responded with smiles.

As their daughter's playmates since childhood, the couple knew them very well.

"Mom, we signed up for the school's New Year's Eve party! You have to come and watch!" Lin Wanning took Zhang Yiyi's arm again and shared with a smile.

"Okay, when? Mom and Dad will definitely come!" Wen Wanqing lovingly patted her daughter's head.

"It's the 31st of the month," Xu Qingfan said, remembering the date on the registration form.

"Okay, Mom will definitely come to see your performance!"

"Hee hee~"

After saying goodbye to Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi, the four of them walked side by side with their hands in their pockets on their way home.

"Goodbye, Brother Fan! Goodbye, Xiao Xiao! Goodbye, Xiao Yu!" Xiao Ruanwen waved goodbye to them as she reached the crossroads.

"See you tomorrow!"

Goodbye, Ruan Wen!

After Lin Wanning left the team, the team of four became three.

Wu Lingyu has also started to grow taller recently, growing from 1.5 meters to almost 1.6 meters in half a year. Xu Qingfan walked in the middle of the two, and the formation changed from the "convex" shape when they were in the first grade to the "concave" shape now.

The three returned to the Lotus Courtyard in less than ten minutes. The dog downstairs, whom they hadn't seen for a week, excitedly stretched its neck, but the leash was too short to reach them. Since the city's dog ownership policy was introduced, dogs can no longer roam freely.

"You're on holiday?"

"Ah."

After exchanging pleasantries with the neighbors along the way, Xia Xiaoxiao returned to the third floor. The living room light was on, but the iron gate at the door was locked. Without asking, it was clear that Aunt Lin Jing had gone to his house.

"Mom!" Xu Qingfan shouted at the door before even entering the house.

"Bring the one from the living room in for me!" Yao Jinping's voice came from the kitchen.

"What are you getting?" Xu Qingfan had just finished asking when he saw Wu Lingyu had already changed her shoes, picked up the peeler from the coffee table, and walked into the kitchen.

"How would Yu'er know what to take, especially since she's her own daughter!"

Xu Qingfan:
He and Xia Xiaoxiao changed their shoes and came to the kitchen door. Lin Jing and Yao Jinping were cooking. Wu Lingyu had just come in and had already rolled up her sleeves to help wash the vegetables.

"Mom, Auntie!"

"do you need my help?"

"Don't come in and get in the way. Call your dad and tell him to come home for dinner. Xiaoxiao, come and have a piece!" Yao Jinping said without turning her head as she stir-fried pickled cabbage and pork intestines over a high flame.

"Okay." He nodded obediently.

Since Wu Lingyu and Xia Xiaoxiao joined the family, Xu Qingfan has long been used to being a free gift with a phone top-up.

He returned to his bedroom, which he hadn't visited for a week, and comfortably collapsed onto the bed. He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed his father's number. "Dad, come home for dinner before 5:30," he said into the receiver after the call connected.

"Understood." Xu Aiguo replied briefly and hung up the phone a second later.

"Ugh~" He tossed his phone onto the bed and sighed deeply, "Without me, this family would have fallen apart sooner or later."

After revealing to Lin Wanning's parents at the end of October that they had made more than 20 million yuan by drawing comics and buying stocks, Xu Qingfan also appropriately revealed the truth to Yao Jinping and Xu Aiguo.

He didn't dare say more, after all, his parents were just ordinary people. Xu Qingfan only mentioned a figure of three million, and that there would be a copyright fee income of no less than 500,000 every year. However, the reality was that the three million was the copyright fee for the entire year of 2007.

After confirming the matter with Zhang Chunxue, the two elderly people felt at ease continuing their life of sponging off their child.

"What's that person muttering about in the room again!" Xia Xiaoxiao suddenly pushed open the door and walked in.

"I was wondering why a beautiful woman suddenly appeared at the door," Xu Qingfan said abruptly as he turned around.

The girl was secretly delighted and was about to retort arrogantly when she heard Wu Lingyu's voice from behind: "Brother Fan has prepared the meal!"

Xia Xiaoxiao shuddered in fright. She turned around and saw that Wu Lingyu had also appeared at the door. She turned around and glared fiercely at Xu Qingfan before sitting down at the dining table.

"Here I am!" Xu Qingfan said, getting up with a smug look on his face.

The bowl was already filled with white radish and mutton soup. He sat down and slurped a mouthful while it was still hot, and his whole body immediately felt warm.

"Ah~"

"Aunt Xu Qingfan made a noise while drinking soup!" Xia Xiaoxiao immediately complained to Yao Jinping, who was still in the kitchen, after hearing his strange noise. After speaking, she put her hands on her hips and glared at Xu Qingfan triumphantly.

"Little one, help Auntie hit him!"

Seeing Xia Xiaoxiao raise her hand to strike, Xu Qingfan's expression changed from astonishment to anger.

The girl opened her mouth wide, wanting to complain again, but Xu Qingfan could only give in and shrink his neck, begging for mercy: "Be gentle."

To his surprise, Xia Xiaoxiao's raised hand did not strike down. Instead, it slipped inside his clothes and twisted hard on his waist.

"Hiss—" Xu Qingfan gasped in pain, clutching the spot where he had just been pinched, and made a "you wait" face with his index finger.

Xia Xiaoxiao stuck her tongue out at him triumphantly, while Wu Lingyu watched enviously from the side, holding her soup bowl in both hands.

She couldn't naturally play around with Xu Qingfan like Xiaoxiao, or intimately link arms with Fan-ge and lean against him like Lin Wanning.

Not long after, Xu Aiguo returned, and the six of them sat at the dining table enjoying a warm dinner.

"You motherfucker, don't you dare run away after stealing!"

"Old Xu, help me catch him!"

"Catch the thief!"

"Wang Wang Wang!"

The soundproofing in the old-style houses in the neighborhood wasn't very good. They were eating when suddenly they heard a commotion of chickens and dogs outside.

"I'll go take a look." Xu Aiguo put down his chopsticks and went out.

The noise soon faded into the distance, and they lost their appetite. Curious, they went outside and watched the commotion from the corridor.

"You damned scoundrel who stole the wild!"

"Call the police and have him arrested!"

"Damn, pull up and steal the wild!"

"."

The neighbors passionately showcased the charm and elegance of Cantonese opera.

Not long after, the two thieves who had been subdued were taken to the nearby police station by the neighbors, and Xu Aiguo returned upstairs.

"So many households in the neighborhood have had things stolen this month!" Lin Jing said, shaking her head as she sat back down at the table.

"If we let those opportunists rent here, how can we guarantee any security!"

"Why don't we move too? Donghui City next to Licheng Plaza has started pre-sales, right? Let's go check out the apartments and shops in advance." After robbing her son of a fortune, Yao Jinping spoke with increasing confidence.

“Okay, I haven’t used my housing provident fund yet, let’s go check it out together tomorrow.”

"It's alright, I'll cover the shortfall first. Consider it a small dowry for your family," Yao Jinping said cheerfully.

"Haha, great! I couldn't be happier!" Lin Jing laughed heartily as well.

Xia Xiaoxiao blushed and subconsciously looked at Xu Qingfan. Seeing that he was only focused on eating, the girl angrily stomped on his foot under the table.

"Tsk~ Why did you step on me!"

"careless!"

Xu Qingfan wasn't going to tolerate her, and he raised his hand and tapped the girl on the head.

"Why did you hit me!" Xia Xiaoxiao touched the spot where she had just been hit, feeling wronged.

"careless!"

"Hahaha"

The adults were all laughing, and Wu Lingyu laughed along with them, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons, but for some reason, she felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

She felt like a freshwater fish that had strayed into the ocean; her smile grew wider, but her heart ached more and more.

"Eat your food!" Seeing that Wu Lingyu was just eating, Xu Qingfan picked up a piece of her favorite spicy stir-fried beef and put it in the girl's bowl.

"Ah!" Wu Lingyu came back to her senses. When she saw that the bowl contained her favorite beef, the girl's mood was like a roller coaster ride, instantly going from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain.

"Mmm!" She smiled sweetly at Xu Qingfan and put the beef in her bowl into her mouth.

"Is it spicy enough?" Yao Jinping asked with a smile.

To cater to Wu Lingyu's taste, Yao Jinping added a lot of chili peppers when cooking.

"It's delicious, Auntie!"

"If it tastes good, eat more."

"Mmm!" Wu Lingyu felt a warmth in her heart.

As she grew up, she naturally understood that it was impossible for her to repay Xu Qingfan with her body. After all, repaying him with her body would mean becoming his wife, which seemed more like a reward than a repayment!

[Xiaoxiao, Wanning, Yiyi, Ruanwen, they are all very, very outstanding, and they are far more qualified than me to be Fan Ge's wife.] Wu Lingyu thought to herself.

But so what? As long as I keep being good to Fan Ge and his parents, that's how I repay Fan Ge!
At the same time, Wu Lingyu also had an idea in her mind that she could not tell anyone.

(End of this chapter)