Chapter 11

Su Xiaoxiao had assumed that because Jin Qishan had eaten at her house, he considered her a friend, but she hadn’t expected him to remain so distant.
After seeing the key hanging around Jin Qishan’s neck through the door crack, Su Xiaoxiao stopped insisting and pulled Grandma Su along as they left.
Once Grandma Su and the others had gone, Dong Xiaohong took Jin Qishan for a walk around the neighborhood.
They first went to Grandma Xiao Xue’s corner store to buy a bottle of Jianlibao for him to take to school. Then they bought two meat buns from Aunt Zhang’s bun shop, also to take to school.
Dong Xiaohong was in an unusually good mood today. She even rode her ladies’ bicycle, personally escorting Jin Qishan to school.
At the school gate, Dong Xiaohong waved goodbye to Jin Qishan in a picture-perfect “caring mother, obedient child” manner.
Feng Zihao immediately noticed Jin Qishan and thought something was different about him today. His hair was unusually neat, not messy like before.
Feng Zihao nudged Luo Zhi with his shoulder: “Hey, is that Jin Qishan?”
“Mm,” Luo Zhi said, taking a bite of his bun and nodding.
Feng Zihao asked, “What’s different about him?”
Luo Zhi looked carefully: “He’s not as dirty as before.”
“Mm,” Feng Zihao smiled. “Looks like he took a shower yesterday, and even washed his hair.”
Luo Zhi, remembering what Su Xiaoxiao said about Feng Zihao smelling bad yesterday, teased: “Did you take a shower yesterday?”
Feng Zihao frowned: “When do I not shower?”
Just then, Jin Qishan walked over. Feng Zihao thought, it’s because of Jin Qishan that people said he smelled.
So Feng Zihao grabbed Jin Qishan’s backpack: “Hey, sloppy boy, took a shower?”
Jin Qishan didn’t want to respond, people like Feng Zihao only got more excited when he engaged. He tried to leave, but Feng Zihao held onto his backpack.
Su Xiaoxiao, at the small corner store by the school gate, was buying chicken legs for Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan, keeping her promise from yesterday. When she came out, she happened to see Jin Qishan being bullied by Feng Zihao.
These kids were truly unruly, born to pick on others. If only she had the strength to teach them a lesson,
Su Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and shouted fiercely: “Feng Zihao, what are you doing?”
Seeing it was Su Xiaoxiao, Feng Zihao immediately let go. In front of a pretty girl, he preferred to play the role of a cute, harmless boy.
Grinning, he said to her, “I’m playing with Jin Qishan. Have you eaten breakfast? Want some sausage?”
“No, thanks,” Su Xiaoxiao replied.
Just then, Jin Qishan walked away. Su Xiaoxiao didn’t even glance at Feng Zihao, chasing after him immediately.
“Instant noodles, spicy sticks? I even have Tang Seng meat, sheep droppings,” Feng Zihao rummaged through his backpack while running, seeing what else he had.
Luo Zhi’s mouth watered: “I want some, I want some!”
“Go away, go away,” Feng Zihao said impatiently, pushing Luo Zhi aside.
Su Xiaoxiao shoved the chicken leg she’d just bought into Jin Qishan’s hand. He refused it and handed it back, so she quickly stuffed it into his backpack and ran off.
Feng Zihao, seeing the interaction between Su Xiaoxiao and Jin Qishan, was so angry he crushed his instant noodles, then grabbed a handful and shoved them into his mouth.
Luo Zhi, smiling, did the same, grabbing a big handful and also stuffing them into his mouth.
Feng Zihao glanced at Luo Zhi, suddenly getting an idea: “I’ll give you all the food in my backpack, you go away”
By the time Su Xiaoxiao reached the classroom, Yao Yulian was already standing by the door.
Seeing Su Xiaoxiao and Jin Qishan enter one after the other, Yao Yulian sneered at them.
Indeed, bad kids seemed to play well together, sitting them apart before had been a missed opportunity.
Yao Yulian didn’t even care who had let the air out of her bicycle tires; to her, both Jin Qishan and Su Xiaoxiao were equally detestable.
Su Xiaoxiao noticed Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan reading diligently, and with Yao Yulian at the door, she didn’t take out the giant chicken legs from her bag.
The first lesson was Chinese, and Yao Yulian unexpectedly checked the homework assigned the previous day.
“Group leaders, collect the homework. I’ll grade it this afternoon and return it.”
The once silent classroom erupted in groans.
Yao Yulian tapped the podium: “What’s all the noise? Everyone who didn’t do their homework, stand up.”
She looked at the students who stood up, all the usual suspects.
Seeing Jin Qishan sitting down, she tossed a piece of chalk onto his desk: “I said, everyone who didn’t do their homework, stand up! Didn’t you hear me?”
Jin Qishan stood, his face slightly red: “I did it.”
At that moment, the group leader reached Jin Qishan’s desk, flipped open his notebook, and said to Yao Yulian: “Teacher, Jin Qishan has finished his homework.”
Yao Yulian, annoyed, said: “If you’re done, sit down.”
…
During the break, as soon as the bell rang, Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan dashed out.
Su Xiaoxiao watched their hurried backs, curious why they were in such a rush.
Could it be a collective bathroom emergency?
They didn’t return until the next class bell rang, and Su Xiaoxiao didn’t have time to ask.
The second break was the same.
During the third break, before Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan even had a chance to stand, Su Xiaoxiao asked, “Xiaoxia, Lainan, are you going to the restroom?”
They exchanged a strange look and shook their heads.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t think much of it, assuming they simply didn’t want to go.
At lunchtime, Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan dashed off the moment the bell rang, disappearing without a trace.
Usually, it was the two of them dragging Su Xiaoxiao to the cafeteria.
Now Su Xiaoxiao realized, they were avoiding her.
She pulled nine packaged chicken legs from her backpack, feeling conflicted.
Originally, she had bought ten, planning to give five to each of Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan. But that morning, after running into Jin Qishan, she had given him one as well.
Each chicken leg cost three yuan, so ten had cost her a total of thirty yuan.
Don’t underestimate thirty yuan. Her Grandpa Su, a retired doctor, only earned about 2,000 yuan a month in pension.
When going to school, Grandma Su gave Su Xiaoxiao five yuan pocket money every day. These thirty yuan had been saved over more than a week.
Why were these two kids avoiding her now?
Had she done something wrong, offended them somehow?
Su Xiaoxiao thought carefully. Last night, after school, the three of them had laughed and chatted together all the way to the school gate. How had a nap at home turned them into a perfectly synchronized pair ignoring her?
Although Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan were deliberately avoiding her, Su Xiaoxiao, as the “big sister,” wouldn’t stoop to childish behavior.
She packed all the chicken legs into a tote bag and headed to the cafeteria.
The path was crowded, full of people chatting and laughing in groups.
Su Xiaoxiao, walking alone, felt a bit lonely.
Normally, she found Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan’s conversations childish, whose pencil was prettier, whose eraser was bigger, who had a new notebook,
But having someone to be with was better than being alone.
Jin Qishan saw Su Xiaoxiao trudging along alone, head down, and wanted to ask what was wrong.
But that remained just a thought,
In the end, he quietly, slowly followed behind her.