Chapter 89 of 100

Chapter 89

12 min read2,930 words

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Outside the dormitory building of the township hospital, Feng Yiping saw off his grandfather who had stayed overnight. He walked through the dappled shadows cast by the sycamore trees and returned to the rented 502 room.

Yesterday, his eldest uncle brought his grandfather, his clothes, luggage, and some vegetables. At noon, the two of them personally tested Feng Yiping's ability to live independently—mainly by eating a meal he had cooked. After the meal, both of them said it was good.

Grandpa was still worried and stayed overnight. Seeing that everything was in order, he had nothing to worry about. So, after breakfast today, seeing Feng Yiping busy with his summer homework, he felt there was nothing to do and insisted on going back.

Before leaving, he repeatedly warned him to be careful with fire and to remember to turn off the gas cylinder.

Closing the door, he looked around the currently dry and tidy room, feeling very satisfied. Finally, he had his own free space!

He took off his long pants, changed into shorts, and sat down at the desk without a shirt, ignoring the cicadas chirping outside the window, the tractors honking on the road, and the loud greetings of the aunties downstairs. He calmed down, enjoying the gentle breeze from the screen window, and focused on his summer homework.

It was already the 25th. If he couldn't hand in his summer homework by the start of school, it was certain that Wang Yumin would use various methods to teach him what a "strict teacher" means.

The summer morning seemed particularly short. Before he knew it, the sound of doctors and nurses returning home echoed in the hallway, and soon the smell of food filled the air.

These old dormitory buildings had no chimneys, and Feng Yiping could already smell that someone upstairs or downstairs was cooking stir-fried pork with chili peppers and had added a lot of soy sauce.

The spicy smell made him sneeze loudly, and he was sure that people on the first floor could hear it.

It was time to cook.

Lunch was simple: cooking four cups of rice, stir-fried eggplant, and a soup of loofah and eggs. It took about half an hour to finish.

In terms of housework, his other skills were good, but his knife skills were average. He couldn't cut fast, and the cuts were irregular.

But for home-cooked meals, these things didn't matter.

He ate half of the food, and the rest was just right for dinner.

After washing the dishes and taking a short nap, he was woken up by the alarm on his watch and continued his homework.

He ate dinner after dark and then took a leisurely walk by the river.

The moon was half full, and the riverbank turned silver. The river flowed with a gurgling sound, and the cool breeze was refreshing. Fireflies occasionally flashed and flew past.

In this scene, if there were a girl with big eyes and long, thick braids, holding the end of her braid and looking down, it would be perfect.

It didn't really matter if the girl was named Xiaofang.

Feng Yiping indulged in his fantasies for a while but then discovered a major distraction: too many mosquitoes! They buzzed around him, attacking him from head to toe.

He was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, so he could defend the top but not the bottom, and the front but not the back. So, after a short walk by the river, he had to run back home in a hurry.

Counting the bites, he found six large red bumps all over his body!

He didn't do his homework that night but instead recalled various stores he had seen later, designing the image for his first store.

Of course, it wasn't really image design at this stage. The MI (Mindset Identification) was roughly determined, but the BI (Behavior Identification) was not yet established. So, the focus was mainly on VI (Visual Identity).

For someone like him, who knew the basics but hadn't systematically studied "Corporate Image Design," this wasn't an easy task. His art skills were also just at the beginner level.

So, he thought for a long time, drew a rough sketch on paper, and kept modifying it. By the time he went to bed, he still hadn't come up with a satisfactory result.

However, this couldn't be rushed. Non-professionals could only achieve good results with patience and attention to detail.

After two days of hard work, he finally finished his summer homework and decided to switch his focus.

In the morning, he wrote, and in the afternoon, he continued designing the store's visual image or recalled classics and started composing music on the staff. All of this was for the big goal of making money.

On the 28th, at noon, he had just finished a section when he heard a hoarse voice from downstairs shouting, "Feng Yiping!"

He looked out and saw Xiao Zhijie standing in the shade of a tree, fanning himself with a straw hat. Next to him was a large basket full of various vegetables.

Seeing him, Xiao Zhijie waved and called him down, "Can't you come down yourself?"

"Come down quickly, I can't carry it." He added, "Don't forget to bring money."

Xiao Zhijie's ability to haggle was truly superior. He bought ice cream, then soda, then watermelon, and in the end, still owed the boss a few yuan.

Xiao Zhijie carried the watermelon and soda, while Feng Yiping carried the basket. "There's so much food, I can't eat it all at once. I still have a lot at home."

"It's fine. My mom picked these, and they keep well," Xiao Zhijie said, struggling up the stairs with his belly sticking out and the big watermelon in his arms. "Besides, you're not eating alone. After school starts, you can cook for me and bring it to school every day!"

That was Xiao Zhijie's true nature—calculating.

Inside, Xiao Zhijie wandered through the rooms and then lay down on the simple sofa, unwilling to move. He said, eating ice cream, "This is so nice, I have to find a way to move in early."

Seeing him lying on the sofa, sweaty, Feng Yiping kicked him, "Go take a shower first, I'll buy you a towel."

Xiao Zhijie didn't treat himself as a guest. After the shower, he demanded good food, fish, and meat.

There was no fish, and the only meat was a piece of cured pork hanging on the wall. So, the two of them had to go out again.

In the end, they had stir-fried pork with chili peppers and cucumber with cured pork for lunch. The two carp were cooked with tofu in the evening.

Li Jia was right; you really shouldn't eat with these big eaters. Four cups of rice weren't enough for the two of them, and the two dishes were completely finished.

After eating and drinking, Xiao Zhijie patted his belly and was about to go to sleep when Feng Yiping ordered him to wash the dishes.

In the afternoon, Xiao Zhijie saw Feng Yiping's shiny new bicycle and pestered him to teach him how to ride.

He could ride, but he wasn't very skilled. After a few laps in the courtyard, he rode out onto the road and kept praising the bike, saying he wanted one too.

Xiao Zhijie, this unwelcome guest, stayed until after lunch on the 29th. He wanted to take a nap before leaving, but Feng Yiping, fearing he would act up when he woke up, rode him directly to the village entrance.

On the way back, he stopped by the school. It was very quiet, with only two third-grade classes in session. The teachers' building was also quiet, with few people around. The teachers, like most students, were probably enjoying the last days of their summer break!

Thank you all for your support! Special thanks to the book friends TuTuXiaoBaiMaoMao and zhoulzhao for their donations!

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