I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 34. A Little Birthday
What should I choose for the last question?

"Choose A!"

"I don't know, I chose B."

"You must have gotten it wrong. I know the answer to this question; the answer is C!"

Does anyone know where that dollar went?

"The waiter must have used a snake charm to hide the money!"

The last midterm exam had just finished, and the classroom was buzzing with chatter.

The midterm exams were conducted by randomly assigning exam rooms based on the first letter of their names. Xu Qingfan, Xia Xiaoxiao, and Xiao Ruanwen were all assigned to Class 2 of Grade 1.

As soon as the three top students returned to the classroom, a large group of classmates immediately surrounded them.

"Team leader, what's the answer to the last multiple-choice question?"

"Brother Fan, where did the dollar go?"

Lin Wanning's little head popped out from the crowd, and upon seeing Xu Qingfan, she excitedly shouted, "Brother Qingfan, Wanning can do so many things!"

"Touch your head."

Xia Xiaoxiao pouted and sat back down in her seat.

"Don't block the way here. We can discuss any issues later," Xiao Ruanwen called out to the students inside, noticing that more and more students were blocking the classroom door and unable to get in.

"Run! The female tyrannosaurus is about to unleash her fury!"

"Retreat retreat!"

"What did the class monitor choose for the last question?" Of course, some were still persistent and continued to ask.

"Choose D. Go back to your seat quickly, the homeroom teacher is coming."

"Damn it!" The three elementary school students who had just been discussing the answer cursed in unison.

"Brother Qingfan, Wanning can't do the question about Xiaoming's birthday!" After sitting down, Lin Wanning cupped her face in her hands and looked at Xu Qingfan.

"This question is actually very simple. It's Xiaoming's birthday. He invited Xiaohong and Xiaohua to a restaurant for dinner. The bill was 30 yuan. They split the cost, so each person paid 10 yuan. But the restaurant owner told the waiter that today was a special day for birthday celebrations. Anyone who spent 30 yuan or more would get a 5 yuan discount. Xiaoming asked the waiter to refund the money."

The waiter secretly kept 2 yuan and returned the remaining 3 yuan to Xiaoming. Xiaoming then returned 1 yuan each to Xiaohong and Xiaohua, so each person only paid 9 yuan for the meal.

The three people spent a total of 27 yuan. Adding the 2 yuan the waiter secretly kept, the total came to 29 yuan. Where did the remaining 1 yuan go?

"Yeah, where did they go?" Lin Wanning blinked in confusion.

"This question is actually a logic trap. The 27 yuan you paid includes the 2 yuan the waiter hid, so it should be 27 yuan plus the 3 yuan that was returned, for a total of 30 yuan!" To make it easier for Zhang Yi to listen, Xu Qingfan wrote the exam question on a draft paper as he spoke.

Xia Xiaoxiao had also leaned over at some point, resting her little head on his shoulder.

"Did you understand?" Xu Qingfan swallowed hard and underlined the 27 yuan and 2 yuan notes with his pen.

"I don't understand!" Xia Xiaoxiao said from behind.

"I don't understand either!" Lin Wanning said, raising his hand.

"I don't understand," Zhang Yiyi wrote on the paper.

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback for a few seconds, then looked up and his nose brushed against Xia Xiaoxiao's fair face.

[That can't be right. Could it be that Xia Xiaoxiao's intelligence was absorbed by me?]
"Then I'll say it again, Xiaoming's birthday, understand?" Xu Qingfan's gaze swept over the three girls in turn. "This is the fifth time, there's no way you can't understand, right?"

"Got it?" Lin Wanning scratched his head and asked weakly.

Zhang Yi nodded slightly, seemingly not quite understanding.

"I don't understand!" Xia Xiaoxiao punched Xu Qingfan on the shoulder and sat back down in her seat angrily. "Why did you hit me, you pig brain? You can't even understand such a simple question, even Zhang Yiyi understands it!" Xu Qingfan turned around and pinched Xia Xiaoxiao's nose.

The little boy shoved him away and glared at him fiercely: "You're the one with a pig's brain! You're the one I can't understand! Xu Qingfan, I hate you the most!!"

After saying that, Xia Xiaoxiao ran out of the classroom in a huff.

"???"

Xu Qingfan was completely baffled. Had Xia Xiaoxiao taken the wrong medicine today?

Inexplicable!
"Let's ignore her and come to Wanning. I'll continue explaining the problem to you!"

"It's Xiaoming's birthday. He invited Xiaohong and Xiaohua to a restaurant for dinner. Hua..." Xu Qingfan paused, then suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Fuck!!!"

November 3rd, today is Xia Xiaoxiao's birthday, and he actually forgot!

After Xiaoxiao went abroad in my previous life, I never celebrated her birthday again. In order to avoid thinking about her, I forced myself to forget this day. Over time, I actually managed to do it.

Xu Qingfan finally understood why Xia Xiaoxiao had said he was the one who didn't understand. Undeterred, he turned to Lin Wanning and asked, "Today is Xia Xiaoxiao's birthday, did you know that?"

Lin Wanning blinked in confusion: "I know, Wanning gave Xiaoxiao a gift at noon!"

"Oh, really? I was just reminding you, in case you forgot and Xiaoxiao was sad."

Lin Wanning pouted: "No way, Wanning has your birthdays posted on the calendar in my room!"

Not long after, Xia Xiaoxiao and her homeroom teacher walked into the classroom one after the other. The little girl had just washed her face, and there were still water droplets on her face. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

"The parent-teacher meeting is next Monday. The notice will be handed out shortly. Students, go home and get your parents to sign it. The class monitor will collect them and give them to me tomorrow. Okay, school dismissed!"

For the first time, Xia Xiaoxiao left the classroom silently without waiting for Xu Qingfan, carrying her schoolbag.

"See you tomorrow." Xu Qingfan hurriedly packed his belongings into his schoolbag, grabbed the bag containing the ocarina, and ran out of the classroom.

All the teaching buildings on campus are connected, and the school's broadcasting room happens to be on the fifth floor. Xu Qingfan made a quick dash and managed to slip inside before the staff arrived.

He calmed his breathing slightly, turned on the microphone, and took out the ocarina from the bag.

"You stinky Xu Qingfan! You mean Xu Qingfan, I'm never talking to you again!" Xia Xiaoxiao kicked a small pebble with a wronged expression. When she was almost at the square, her steps unconsciously slowed down. She looked back, but still couldn't see Xu Qingfan.

suddenly.

zizi~
"Hooray~ Good evening, teachers and students of Experimental Primary School. Today is the birthday of someone very important to me. I'm dedicating this little tune from Totoro, her favorite song, to her. Happy birthday, Xia Xiaoxiao!"

The melody of "Wind's Path" emanated from the ocarina, its rhythm echoing throughout the campus via the loudspeaker.

In the office, on the playground, and in the classroom, everyone stopped what they were doing, looked up at the loudspeaker overhead, and gazed at the red glow on the horizon.

Xia Xiaoxiao felt her heart skip a beat, just enough to make up for the pause when she thought Xu Qingfan had forgotten her birthday.

I don't know how long I stood there, but then the little rascal's voice came from behind me, "Do you like it?"

"Xu Qingfan~" Xia Xiaoxiao choked up like a wronged kitten.

"Happy birthday." Xu Qingfan stepped forward and hugged Xia Xiaoxiao, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't leave again."

"Mmm." Xia Xiaoxiao secretly wiped her tears and snot on Xu Qingfan's clothes, sobbing as she answered.

She thought Xu Qingfan was referring to not waiting for him to come downstairs, but only Xu Qingfan knew what he actually meant.

The two walked hand in hand, the setting sun casting long, long shadows of them. "[I hope to be with my little rascal forever!]" Xia Xiaoxiao silently made a wish to the clouds on the horizon.

(End of this chapter)