Chapter 21.1
Editor: Jodi
Ning Sheng’s grandmother: “Really?”
Ning Sheng nodded: “Absolutely true.”
“Alright then.” His grandmother told him, “I’ll have the doctor come over to take a look at you.”
Ning Sheng: “There’s no need.”
Ning Sheng: “I feel like I might never walk again in this life.”
His grandmother: “……”
Then taking a deep breath, she went out to make a call.
“I don’t think it will work. His legs are sometimes fine and sometimes not….. the reason? How would I know.” His grandmother said, holding the phone, “Why don’t you come over and study it yourself?”
Ning Sheng’s nerves eased a little, then someone suddenly grabbed his ankle.
Ning Sheng: “Uh……. ouch ouch ouch, let go!”
Xu Ling turned sideways to dodge a kick: “Aren’t you okay?”
Ning Sheng: “……”
“No.” Then he declared, “Starting today, I’m going to go back to using a wheelchair.”
“Why?” Xu Ling poked his cheek with a violin bow.
“Since when do I have to explain why to you? ” Ning Sheng asked.
“Then what should we do? We promised Lu Peng we’d go to the orchard this afternoon.” Xu Ling asked, “You’re not going?”
Kicking the wheelchair away, Ning Sheng stood up: “I can be lame again tomorrow.”
Xu Ling: “…..”
Xu Ling: “…….”
Ning Sheng: “Don’t shout.”
After Ning Sheng’s grandmother finished the call and returned to the living room, both cubs had disappeared, leaving only the violin teacher packing up the violin case, getting ready to leave.
“Where are they?” His grandmother asked.
“They vanished right after the lesson.” Then teacher said, “Both kids are quite good at the violin, they could try for the exams.”
Ning Sheng’s grandmother: “Okay, I’ll arrange that.”
Ning Sheng, sitting on the back seat of Xu Ling’s bicycle, was biting into a chocolate ice cream.
“Ride slower.” He told Xu Ling, “The wind is melting my ice cream.”
“Then just eat faster.” Xu Ling responded, “I finished mine in two bites.”
Ning Sheng: “That’s called gobbling, not tasting, it lacks soul.”
Xu Ling: “……”
“Princess.” Xu Ling said, “Why don’t you feel like walking today again?”
“Don’t call me Princess, how many times have I told you.” Ning Sheng got angry, “Even Li Haoyue doesn’t call me that.”
“That’s because he’s dull.” Xu Ling said in reply.
“The two of you, it’s one thing to call me that behind my back, but don’t do it to my face!” Ning Sheng told him.
Xu Ling: “Next time for sure.”
Ning Sheng finished his melting ice cream, then casually tossed the wrapper towards a trash bin as they passed by casually.
“I wasn’t able to make it, go pick it up.” He patted Xu Ling.
Xu Ling parked the bike and Ning Sheng by the roadside, went back to pick up and properly dispose of the wrapper, then went back to pedal Ning Sheng.
“I think not being able to walk is quite nice.” Ning Sheng said, “Hand fed and clothed by others, every day whimsically kidnapping someone morally.”
“Whether you walk or not, you’re still fed and clothed by others, right?” Xu Ling asked.
Ning Sheng: “Hmph, that’s because young master, I, am fortunate.”
Xu Ling: “…..”
The orchard belonged to Li Haoyue’s family, and was located at the foot of a mountain.
When Xu Ling brought Ning Sheng there, Li Haoyue was sitting at the entrance of the orchard helping his mom with the accounts, spouting a string of numbers faster than a calculator.
“Eat more of our fruits, it’s good for the brain.” Li Haoyue’s mom shouted towards them, “Look at my son, always first in math.”
Ning Sheng scoffed: ” No one would really believe that right?”
Then when he turned his head, Xu Ling handed him a pear from Li Haoyue’s family.
Ning Sheng: “This big? I can’t finish it.”
“Then I’ll cut it in half.” Xu Ling said, pulling a fruit knife from his pocket.
“No!” Ning Sheng said, “You’ve given it to me, you’re not allowed to eat it!”
Xu Ling, confused, put the fruit knife away: “?”
Ning Sheng, hugging the pear, sat down on a small stool to take a bite.
Dividing a pear was too unlucky, the little devil king didn’t know anything.
Xu Ling seemed not to have given up yet, reaching out to snatch his pear.
Just as Ning Sheng took a small bite, the pear was snatched away.
“What are you doing!” He asked.
“…. I’m peeling it for you. This pear was just picked, it hasn’t been washed yet.” Xu Ling told him.
Ning Sheng: “….. pei pei pei, why didn’t you say so earlier.”
Lu Peng arrived a bit later, his bicycle’s rear seat loaded with a large chunk of pork.
“Auntie!” Lu Peng got off the bike, shouting towards Li Haoyue’s mom, “I’ve brought the meat over. My mom said it’s top-quality black pork.”
“Okay, thank you.” Then Li Haoyue’s mom added, “I’ll have my maths nerd give you the money.”
Li Haoyue took a few bills out of the cash box and handed them to Lu Peng.
“Hi! Princess!” Lu Peng came over with a grin to say hello.
Ning Sheng: “Go away.”
Ning Sheng: “You smell like black pork.”
“Really?” Lu Peng lifted his shirt to smell himself, “I’ll go take a shower.”
Then he grabbed the hose at Li Haoyue’s house that was meant for washing fruits and blasted himself with water, splashing everywhere, leaving Ning Sheng staring in amazement.
He suddenly felt that Xu Ling’s way of bathing him, pouring water gently, was quite tender after all. At least the water temperature was just right.
“Since you’re all here, help me pick a couple of baskets of pears.” Li Haoyue’s mom gave them a few bamboo baskets, “My Haoyue can’t even climb a tree.”
Ning Sheng: “Then he’s quite a disgrace.”
Li Haoyue: “Tsk.”
Then Lu Peng and Xu Ling, carrying the baskets, and Li Haoyue with a pack of math problems and Ning Sheng with empty hands, headed deeper into the orchard.
“Is your family’s black pork delicious?” Ning Sheng asked.
“It’s delicious!” Lu Peng continued, “In Qing’an Town, who hasn’t eaten our meat?”
Ning Sheng: “Me.”
His family’s weekly groceries were all delivered from other places, and only occasionally would the butler buy from the town.
“Then we can have barbecue tonight.” Li Haoyue said, “Lu Peng’s barbecue is really tasty.”
Xu Ling: “I barbecue better.”
They didn’t go deep into the orchard, as Ning Sheng would complain about being tired if they walked too far, and Li Haoyue fundamentally found nothing appealing about roaming his own family’s orchard.
But Lu Peng and Xu Ling were skilled, climbing trees agilely to pick fruits.
Ning Sheng, disliking the sun, stood in the shade waiting, finishing his pear leisurely.
“Is there water?” He asked, “I want to wash my hands.”
“There’s a creek nearby.” Li Haoyue stuffed the draft paper into his backpack, “I’ll take you there.”
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