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Volume Two: Youthful Feelings

Chapter 61: Adolescence

Many things happened in the span of seven years. Mi Zehai’s career developed steadily. After a few projects, it was much smoother than he had expected. In recent years, real estate had become popular. Some people in the company had left, and other companies had come to poach him, but Mi Zehai was unmoved and remained in the company, just as he had promised at the beginning.

Cheng Qing had opened a small pharmacy in Shanghai and had hired a retired old doctor to work there. Her life was also quite good. She was frugal, and her family’s income was stable. Except for the first two years, which were a bit tight, things were very good after that.

Their second child was a little girl named Mi Xue, who was as cute as a jade carving. Mi Zehai and Mi Yang both liked her very much, especially Mi Yang. It was his first time being an older brother, and he doted on the little girl. Cheng Qing had to play the bad cop at home and take on the responsibility of educating her. However, the little girl was also sensible and obedient and rarely made mistakes. The occasional tantrum was just to get some candy. Cheng Qing would turn a blind eye to such small things, watching the father and son sneakily give the little girl candy.

As long as it wasn’t too excessive, she couldn’t be bothered to manage it.

Middle school was also quite intense. Many of Mi Yang’s classmates were already preparing for the next step under their families’ arrangements. It was the height of the “going abroad” craze, and many families had arranged for their children to go abroad.

Bai Luochuan’s family, however, had no such plans. It was just that Mrs. Bai was also intentionally or unintentionally having her son get more involved in matters related to her business, and it seemed she had no intention of sending him to the army.

The young master Bai was relaxed and leisurely. When he was in a good mood, Mi Yang could also relax for a few days.

The two of them now lived in the same dormitory, and they spent more time together than with their families. They might not even see the adults at home on the weekends. On Sunday nights, the young master Bai would definitely have Mi Yang go to his house in advance, with a ready-made excuse that he was afraid of being late the next day, and it would be just right for the driver to take them to school together.

After several years, it had become a habit. Even Mi Yang’s little sister knew that her older brother was going to “school” early on Sunday, and she would see him off with teary eyes every time.

As Mi Yang was packing his schoolbag, the little girl stood at the door, half of her body hidden outside, stubbornly revealing only a pair of eyes to watch her brother. Her little chubby hands were still picking at the door as she called out to him in a low voice, “Brother, are you leaving again?”

When Mi Yang saw her , he beckoned for her to come over. After the little girl ran over, he picked her up and placed her on his lap, teasing her, “Yes, brother is going to school. You have to study hard in kindergarten too, you know?”

The little girl nodded very seriously.

Mi Yang said, “Can you write your own name properly now?”

The little girl wriggled off his lap, found a pen and paper, and wrote for her brother to see, stroke by stroke, the two characters “Mi Xue.”

She had been born during the first snow of winter, so Mi Zehai and Cheng Qing had given her this name, which was a contrast to her older brother, who was born in the sunny month of September. A son and a daughter in the family made up the character “好 (hao).”

T/N: The character 好 (hǎo – Good) is composed of two separate parts:

1. 女 (nǚ) – This radical on the left means “female” or “daughter.”

2. 子 (zǐ) – This radical on the right means “son” or “child.”

Mi Yang looked at the characters she had written and knew that the little girl had practiced a lot during this time. They were quite well-formed. He gave her a few milk candies as a reward and ruffled her head. “Baby is so amazing.”

The little girl, with a milk candy in her mouth, smiled shyly, then also unwrapped a piece of candy and handed it to Mi Yang. “Brother, you eat too!”

Mi Yang bit into the candy, his eyes curving into a smile. “Okay.”

Despite showing off her talent, she couldn’t keep her brother. The little girl still saw off her favorite brother with teary eyes today. As she watched the black sedan take Mi Yang away, she couldn’t help but wail, which startled Cheng Qing. She quickly comforted her, “What’s wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?”

The little girl hugged her mother, her two pigtails trembling from her sobs. “Brother went to his house again!”

Cheng Qing was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. “Brother is going to school.”

The little girl said, “How can he go to school at his house!”

Cheng Qing coaxed her, “That’s not polite. Isn’t Brother Bai also a brother? How can you call people like that? Besides, they’re going to school together the next day.”

The little girl was still sobbing, extremely sad. Cheng Qing comforted her for a long while, took her to the pharmacy, and gave her a calculator to help her “do the numbers” before she was finally appeased. How could such a small child be of any help? It was just a task to distract her. As Cheng Qing was busy with her own things, she watched the child sitting there, seriously pressing the calculator to calculate “1+1,” so busy that she had forgotten to cry, and couldn’t help but smile.

On the other side, Mi Yang had also arrived at the Bai’s house.

The location of the Bai’s house in Shanghai had not changed, but the prices in the surrounding area had already multiplied several times. Mrs. Bai was very meticulous in managing her home and knew how to enjoy life. Although she might not have much time to come back when she was busy, the driver, chef, and nanny auntie were all at home, able to take care of her son, who was in school, at all times.

After Mi Yang came in, he didn’t see Bai Luochuan in the living room, so he went upstairs. In the hallway, he heard the sound of a video game. The door to the room was wide open. Bai Luochuan was sitting cross-legged, holding a controller and playing a game, his fingers moving quickly. There was no expression on his face, and he looked a little lazy. If it weren’t for the fierce battle on the TV screen, you wouldn’t be able to tell that he was the one in control.

At fourteen, the boy’s childhood features had faded. Bai Luochuan’s features had matured. His eyes and eyebrows were handsome, and his features were sharp. Hearing footsteps, he said without looking up, “Put the orange juice on the table. I’ll drink it in a bit.”

Mi Yang said, “Then wait a minute. I’ll go get it.”

Bai Luochuan stopped what he was doing, looked up, and raised his eyebrows. “You’re here? A little earlier than last time.”

Mi Yang nodded. “I took a detour and didn’t run into any traffic.” Last time, he had been half an hour late, and the young master had thrown a big tantrum, so scared that the driver didn’t dare to speak. This time, he had deliberately taken a detour to arrive early. He only dared to be early, not late.

Mi Yang was about to go down to get the orange juice when Bai Luochuan yawned. “Don’t go. Just have Auntie Wu bring it in a bit. You can keep me company.” He moved over, making a small space on the sofa. Mi Yang sat down. Just as he was settled, Bai Luochuan lay down with his head on his lap. The young master Bai stretched out his long legs and rested them on the armrest of the two-seater sofa, whining like a spoiled child, “My head hurts.”

Mi Yang reached out and massaged his temples, thinking to himself, Serves you right. Who told you to play games all day.

Bai Luochuan closed his eyes and smiled. “You’re definitely cursing me in your heart.”

Mi Yang: “…”

Auntie Wu brought in the orange juice and put it down for them, also preparing some snacks. She knew that Mi Yang usually came at this time and had prepared double portions. When she came in and saw Mi Yang rubbing the young master Bai’s temples, she couldn’t help but say a few words, “He was playing yesterday too. He didn’t sleep well at night. Yangyang, you should come earlier next time and also manage him!”

After Auntie Wu left, Bai Luochuan opened his eyes and looked at him, as if asking.

Mi Yang shook his head. “I really can’t come any earlier. I have to go back to my own house too.”

Bai Luochuan was dissatisfied. “Bring your little sister with you, alright?”

Mi Yang shook his head. “Forget it. You two will just fight when you meet.”

Bai Luochuan sneered. “Would I fight with a six-year-old little girl?”

Mi Yang said with a blank expression, “Who was it last time, who argued with her through the door at my house?”

The young master Bai also got angry. “Is that my fault? I had already closed the door to my room, which meant ‘do not disturb.’ Your little sister kept knocking on the door, one moment bringing candy, the next bringing milk. Does a person not need any privacy…”

Mi Yang said, “But that’s my bedroom. I’ve never locked it before.”

Bai Luochuan rolled over and hugged his waist, murmuring, “What’s wrong with me locking it for a while? So annoying.”

Mi Yang was tickled by his breath and pushed his head. “Get up. Time to eat.”

Bai Luochuan said, “I don’t want to eat!”

Mi Yang heard his hoarse voice and said, “Then have some juice? Does your throat still hurt?”

Only then did Bai Luochuan roll over and get up. His messy hair fell on his forehead. His eyes were deep, and his nose was straight. He was handsome, but his words were much harsher. “You can take care of Mi Xue. Why are you taking care of me?”

Mi Yang was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. “She’s only six. What are you competing with her for?”

The cup was brought to his hand, and only then did Bai Luochuan reluctantly drink it. His voice was unstable during this period of puberty, and his Adam’s apple was also a little congested from development. When he drank, you could see his Adam’s apple roll as he tilted his head back to swallow, vaguely showing the appearance of a young man.

After a little sugar, the young master Bai’s mood improved a lot. He reached out and touched Mi Yang’s neck, his thumb rubbing his throat a few times, and said proudly, “Your voice hasn’t changed. You’re still a little kid.” He then took Mi Yang’s hand and had him touch his own, saying proudly, “See? It’s different, right?”

Mi Yang: “…”

The book also said to prevent inferiority complex during puberty. What’s with this inexplicable confidence of yours?

Mi Yang drank the juice with him and, hearing that he hadn’t eaten, went down with him to eat something.

Bai Luochuan sat there and talked to him about school. Both of them had competitions next week, but Bai Luochuan was participating in the IJSO, and Mi Yang was participating in a model aircraft competition. The competition venues were both in Beijing, and the school had made unified arrangements. Their accommodations were also not far apart.

Bai Luochuan asked Mi Yang for the time and checked it against his own. “You’ll be done a few days earlier than me. Will you wait for me to go back together?”

Mi Yang nodded. “Okay. I’ll tell the teacher to book my ticket with your team’s.”

Bai Luochuan was satisfied. Seeing Mi Yang eating braised pork with bean curd knots, he also wanted a bite. “Is it sweet?”

Mi Yang gave him a piece. “It’s sweet.”

Bai Luochuan ate and said, “It’s delicious. No wonder you usually like to eat this.”

Mi Yang had been taking the blame for so many years that he was used to it and had no temper at all. The young master Bai had a sweet tooth but was too proud to admit it. He would always push it onto him, so that when it was his birthday, the cake would be extra large, and he would also receive a lot of candy and chocolate as gifts—the young master Bai would also take the opportunity to buy some of his own favorite things, stuff them on his side, and then take the opportunity to eat some, which was very cunning.

After eating, perhaps because Mi Yang was here, Bai Luochuan found it interesting to talk to him and didn’t touch the game console again. Mi Yang also had a small studio here, a small partition in the study, which had now been tidied up and had a desk for him as a workbench. In the past few years, he had been corresponding with his grandfather, Mi Hong, and had been learning and practicing at the same time, slowly starting to practice the technique of book restoration.

As Mi Yang was decontaminating the paper, Bai Luochuan was on the side, folding a paper airplane and talking to him in a desultory way, “That teacher of yours is too stingy. The hotel he booked is so remote. Why don’t you stay with us?”

Mi Yang said, “This model aircraft competition is not that big to begin with. I didn’t even expect to go to Beijing for the competition.”

Bai Luochuan clicked his tongue, lay on the back of the chair, and fiddled with the paper airplane in his hand. He suddenly asked him, “I’ll give you some extra money. How about you switch to our hotel?”

Mi Yang shook his head. “No, there are so many of us.”

Bai Luochuan’s eyes darted around. Mi Yang said again, “Don’t even think about switching all of us over. Don’t be difficult.”

Only then did Bai Luochuan say, “Alright then.”