Chapter 61

Waking up, feeling refreshed and invigorated, Zhang Tan realized that the window had been left open last night, and the air conditioner was off. The breeze, filtered through the green leaves, blew in, bringing a coolness.

Zhang Tan picked up his phone from the bedside table and saw that it was 6:30 in the morning. He lay on the bed, gazing at the ceiling, organizing his to-do list for the day, then got up!

Barefoot on the floor, he squatted down to look under the bed and checked the corners.

"Where is it? Where could it be hidden?" Zhang Tan muttered to himself.

Last night, two crickets chirped all night long, right under the bed, but he couldn't find them.

To say that the cricket chirps were so soft that they could be ignored most of the time, but at night, the quieter it got, the more the "dudu" sounds filled his ears.

Bang bang bang ~~~~

Noise came from the yard, and Zhang Tan was puzzled. Who could be in the yard so early in the morning? Usually, at this time, it was very quiet, except for the morning insects, and the noise from Chang'an Street was blocked by the trees.

He pushed open the glass door of the balcony and scanned the yard. It was a child in a red and white soccer uniform, chasing a soccer ball and kicking it. The number 33 on the back of the uniform shone brightly in the morning sun.

Xiao Bai!

Zhang Tan rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked again. It was still Xiao Bai! Not a bird, a bug, or a fruit.

How did she get here?

Did she come out of the ground?

Did she stay overnight?

...

Zhang Tan had many questions, and he was lost in thought. Before he knew it, Xiao Bai had already come to the balcony, standing under the mulberry tree, looking up at him. When she saw him looking back, she giggled, "Mr. Zhang, come down and play?"

What? Mr. Zhang??? What kind of title is that?

Zhang Tan rubbed his eyes and examined her carefully, "Are you really Xiao Bai?"

"What?" Xiao Bai asked, taken aback.

"Are you Xiao Bai?"

Xiao Bai glanced at him, muttered something strange, and turned to leave, not bothering to answer, continuing to play with the soccer ball and singing loudly: "Tang僧 rides a horse, dong that dong, followed by Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong runs fast, followed by Zhu Bajie. Zhu Bajie has a long nose, followed by Sha Wujing..."

Xiao Bai had sung this song before, so Zhang Tan was sure it was her. When did she come?

With these questions in mind, Zhang Tan quickly washed up, changed into his sports clothes, and went to the yard to jog.

Bang~ The soccer ball rolled over to his feet, and Xiao Bai put her hands on her hips, "Uncle, come play."

Play, then play. Zhang Tan kicked the ball, and it flew up.

"Oh no~"

Xiao Bai's eyes followed the ball as it landed in the tree, stuck between the branches, motionless!

Xiao Bai quickly turned her head, eyes wide, staring at Zhang Tan, ready to explode.

Did he ask to play, and then kick the child's soccer ball into the tree? Was he here to cause trouble? Did he think children had no temper? Were children so easy to bully? Did he want to fight?

Zhang Tan also saw that Xiao Bai was not to be trifled with, her eyes fierce and her expression unfriendly.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I'll get it down."

Zhang Tan walked to the camphor tree, looked up, and saw the ball stuck between the branches, about 3/4 meters off the ground. He looked for a stick to poke it, and Xiao Bai came over, standing by his feet, looking up and offering, "Uncle, let me show you my specialty."

"Huh?"

Zhang Tan didn't react at first, but then saw Xiao Bai ready to climb the tree. Climbing trees was one of her many specialties.

Sure enough, Xiao Bai said, "I'm going to climb the tree."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't climb the tree. I have a better way to get the ball down."

"This is my specialty."

"No, no, this is also my specialty."

"What? Your specialty? What do you mean?"

"Nothing, just come with me to get a stick, and we can poke it down."

He forcibly took Xiao Bai to find a long stick, stood under the tree, and poked it. Bang, the ball fell.

Zhang Tan looked down at Xiao Bai, "See? This is my specialty, being tall. You can't do that."

Xiao Bai opened her mouth wide, this specialty, emmmm~~~ was indeed not hers, and she felt embarrassed to boast about it.

"How did you get here? Who brought you?"

"My aunt brought me," Xiao Bai said.

Her aunt and uncle had to go to work at 6:00 in the morning, usually leaving Xiao Bai at home to sleep, but today they had to go out early, so they brought her to the school early, and the gatekeeper, Old Li, let her in. Old people sleep lightly and wake up easily with any noise.

Zhang Tan noticed a small backpack and a sky-blue water bottle lying in the yard, which belonged to Xiao Bai.

"Did you eat breakfast?" Zhang Tan asked.

"Yep."

Indeed, if she hadn't eaten, she wouldn't have so much energy to kick the soccer ball so early in the morning.

Zhang Tan let Xiao Bai play with the soccer ball while he ran a few laps.

Xiao Bai didn't call him to play anymore, wondering if he would kick her soccer ball into the sky again, this Mr. Zhang was just causing trouble.

The two of them, one running in circles, the other kicking the soccer ball.

"Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai, why are you here so early? Open the gate?"

Outside the wall, Huang Meimei stood.

Xiao Bai had just kicked the soccer ball to this side.

Xiao Bai didn't recognize her and became cautious when asked to open the gate, looking at her suspiciously.

"What?"

"..." Huang Meimei said, "Open the gate, Xiao Bai, let me in."

Xiao Bai asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Last time, she let a big sister in, but unless this one fell down, she wouldn't let her in.

As the saying goes, the morning sets the tone for the day. Huang Meimei had recovered overnight, but then encountered Xiao Bai, feeling very frustrated.

"Xiao Bai, it's me, your sister Meimei. Didn't we meet last night?..."

Huang Meimei had to introduce herself.

Xiao Bai listened carefully, and from her expression, Huang Meimei thought she would remember, but...

"You're so strange~ I don't know you, why are you saying all this?~"

She kicked the soccer ball and ran after it.

Huang Meimei: "..."

She began to doubt whether this trip was necessary.

"Zhang Tan! Zhang Tan—open the gate!"

Huang Meimei could only call out to Zhang Tan.

Zhang Tan heard the voice and came to open the gate, but Xiao Bai stopped him, pointing and pointing, not knowing what she was saying, only to see Zhang Tan pat Xiao Bai's head and run over.

Huang Meimei was wearing a set of sportswear, looking full of energy.

"How did you get here so early? We're leaving at 8:00."

Zhang Tan opened the gate and let Huang Meimei in.

Huang Meimei held up a handbag, "I prepared breakfast for you."

Zhang Tan was surprised, "Thanks, so considerate."

"Don't thank me, thank my mom. She heard you were taking Xiao Bai and Xiao Mi out to play today, so she prepared these foods last night. There's breakfast and lunch, in case the kids get hungry."

"Thanks, Aunt Huang."

"You can continue running. Come over to eat later."

Huang Meimei looked at Xiao Bai, who was nearby, and said irritably, "What? Xiao Bai, do you know I'm a good person now?"

"I don't know you, but I'll let you in next time. Don't be angry."

Since you said that, how can I still be angry?

"I have breakfast here. Have you eaten? Come join us."

"I'm so full."

She ran off to chase the soccer ball.

Huang Meimei watched her run away and asked Zhang Tan, "Is Xiao Mi up yet?"

"Still sleeping."

Zhang Tan continued running, did five laps, and called Xiao Bai to go home.

Huang Meimei had already laid out the breakfast on the table and was upstairs in the dormitory, helping Xiao Mi get up.

Last night, Huang Meimei was driven away by Xiao Bai, feeling very frustrated and doubting her own charm. She had barely recovered half of her energy overnight, but then encountered Xiao Bai again. This child was simply her nemesis, not letting her in when she asked, and not saying so earlier, making her talk a lot for nothing.

However, Xiao Mi liked her very much, asking her to help her get up, which made Huang Meimei feel confident again.

Xiao Mi was very friendly to her but still very reserved when she saw Zhang Tan, sitting at the table, head down, eating breakfast quietly, not speaking, and only answering when asked, with a voice no louder than a cricket's.

The breakfast included fermented tofu noodles, scallion oil pancakes, glutinous rice balls, egg pancakes, and for the afternoon, sugar cakes and rice pancakes, not for lunch but to snack on when hungry in the morning.

Xiao Mi quietly asked where Xiao Bai was.

They had agreed that Xiao Bai would go, and because Xiao Bai was going, she would go. If Xiao Bai didn't go, she wouldn't go.

Now, the three of them were eating breakfast, but Xiao Bai was nowhere to be seen. Was Xiao Bai not coming? This made Xiao Mi nervous.

Huang Meimei looked around the house, searching for Xiao Bai. She had been there, but now she was gone.

Zhang Tan said, "She's in the bathroom."

Xiao Mi's eyes lit up, her confidence restored. With Xiao Bai there, she felt more at ease and more courageous.

A moment later, Xiao Bai finally came out, swaying.

"Xiao Bai~~" Xiao Mi immediately locked onto her, calling out happily. Now, she felt like going to play.

Xiao Bai responded to Xiao Mi and bent down to look under the table.

"What are you looking at?" Zhang Tan asked, not eating but looking under the table.

"Why is there a cricket chirping?" Xiao Bai asked, puzzled, listening closely. Yes, it was a cricket, chirping, "dudu"~

"Cricket? What is it?" Huang Meimei looked at Zhang Tan, puzzled. She wanted to ask Xiao Bai but thought Xiao Bai might ignore her, so she asked Zhang Tan directly.

Zhang Tan looked at Xiao Bai and Xiao Mi, both looking under the table, and answered, "It's a cricket."

Suddenly, the cricket chirped, and everyone heard it. Huang Meimei was surprised, "Zhang Tan, do you keep crickets at home? So natural."