Chapter 104 : Bicycle
Now, Mei Fang and the others have to stay in school until 8:30 in the evening, so if they walk home together, they won’t arrive home until after 9 o’clock.
Xia Yuan’s father, Xia Xun, felt that although Mei Fang was with them, it wasn’t very safe for the girls to walk home at night. Since his work was also easier now, he proposed the idea of driving the three of them to and from school every day.
However, this suggestion was immediately rejected by Xia Yuan.
She wanted to spend more time with Mei Fang and Lin Youxi, even if it was just for a minute. Who wants their dad to be around? There were so many topics that couldn’t be discussed with him around.
Although he knew that his lovely little cotton-padded jacket had entered adolescence, with growth and rebelliousness coexisting, the little angel who used to hold his hand and ask for a hug had become a distant memory. Nevertheless, Xia Xun still had to fulfill his duty as a father.
“If you really don’t want me to pick you up, then take the bus or ride a bicycle at night. In any case, I have to see you home before 9 o’clock!”
“Okay, okay! I got it! Dad, you’re so annoying.”
Faced with his daughter’s reproach, Xia Xun suddenly felt a heart-wrenching sadness.
My daughter has grown up, and I can’t keep her by my side anymore…
“So… that’s how it is.”
Xia Yuan told Mei Fang and Lin Youxi about her father’s words to discuss the arrangements for getting home at night in the future.
“Taking a bus at night is not very convenient. It’s crowded and there’s no space. It’s even worse if we have to transfer.”
Mei Fang thought for a moment and said, “I think it’s more reliable to ride a bicycle home. But can you guys ride a bike?”
In a small county town, everything is close by, so Mei Fang and the others have always relied on walking during their school days. If they need to go a bit further, they would just use their own families’ vehicles or just ride a taxi or bus. The three of them didn’t seem to have much experience in riding a bicycle.
“If we don’t know, we can learn. But from the way Ah Fang talks, do you know how to ride? I haven’t seen you ride before.”
“I occasionally ride a bike when I go out to buy groceries for my mom. It’s just that you haven’t seen me.”
“Then I have to look forward to it…” Xia Yuan thought for a moment, “How about we go buy bikes together this weekend?”
“I have a bike at home, so I won’t buy one.”
Lin Youxi shook her head, “I can ride Aunt Liang’s bicycle.”
“I remember Aunt Liang’s bike is very old. Wouldn’t it be better to buy a new one?”
“Um… no need.” Lin Youxi shook her head, “I don’t want to waste money.”
After saving money to buy an electric scooter for her dad, Lin Youxi didn’t do much game boosting anymore. Most of the time, she was doing the maintenance and management for C Site, so she didn’t have as much pocket money as she did in her first year of middle school. But she was indeed more thrifty. Mei Fang knew her thoughts and chimed in, “Then I’ll ride my mom’s bike. She’s also using an electric scooter now, so the old bike is not being used.”
“So you two won’t be buying new bikes… Unfortunately, my family doesn’t have one I can ride.”
Xia Yuan seemed a bit disappointed as she scratched her head. “Then let me ask my mom if I can borrow one from one of her colleagues.”
“If you want to buy a new bike, just buy one, Yuan Yuan. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Mei Fang suggested.
“But then I’ll be different from everyone else.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being different…”
Mei Fang shook his head. “If riding an old bike becomes too difficult, maybe we’ll end up buying new ones too. And when that happens, we’ll need you to recommend bikes for us.”
“Okay, I’ll ask my dad to take me to buy one on Saturday, and we can practice riding together on Sunday afternoon!”
“We have tutoring at Teacher Li’s house on Sunday, so we can only learn to ride after 5 o’clock.”
“Oh, I forgot. We have something similar. Anyway, let’s go to the community park to practice riding as soon as our classes are over!”
On the weekend afternoon, after finishing their classes, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi rushed home. Mei Fang, who already knew how to ride a bicycle from his previous life, had ridden his bicycle directly to attend the tutoring session today.
“You really know how to ride a bicycle,” Mei Fang pushed his bike while Lin Youxi walked beside him. “I didn’t know when you learned.”
“I didn’t learn specifically. It’s just a talent.”
If it were the younger Lin Youxi, she might have already kicked Mei Fang and accused him of bragging. But now she had become more reserved. “Ah Fang does have a natural talent for sports. It was the same with roller skating before…”
“Ahaha.” Mei Fang scratched his head awkwardly. “It’s just a very ordinary talent, not comparable to your talent for coding and cooking.”
“I don’t think so. They’re all equally impressive.”
Lin Youxi looked at the darkening sky. “Ah Fang, why don’t you go back first? Maybe Yuan Yuan is already waiting for you.”
“I’ll go back with you. I can’t leave you here.”
Mei Fang noticed that Lin Youxi was occasionally glancing at the back seat of his bicycle, which piqued his interest.
“How about I give you a ride? I’m not bragging but my biking skills are really good!”
Lin Youxi looked up at Mei Fang, pursed her lips in thought, and then nodded gently.
“I want to ride.”
So Mei Fang got on the bicycle while Lin Youxi sat in the back seat. She seemed quite familiar with the scene. She hugged Mei Fang’s waist, and leaned her head against Mei Fang’s back, making Mei Fang feel slightly embarrassed.
“This is an old one, so you have to hold on tight.”
“I know.”
Then Lin Youxi held Mei Fang even tighter.
Mei Fang rode his bicycle leisurely, and the setting sun elongated their shadows as they moved through the streets. In the hustle and bustle of the small county town, the unique slow-paced atmosphere gradually unfolded.
Street vendors pushing their carts, aunties leisurely buying groceries, and the asphalt road they were riding on was bumpy and uneven. Mei Fang skillfully maneuvered to avoid small potholes, and apart from a short bump, the ride remained smooth for Lin Youxi.
Lin Youxi was drawn to the attention of two or three children playing with bamboo sticks on the street and couldn’t help but gently call Mei Fang’s name.
“Ah Fang.”
“What’s up?”
Mei Fang turned to look at Lin Youxi, who had been gazing at the scenery on the street. “Did you see something?”
“No.”
Lin Youxi got up from leaning on Mei Fang’s back and said, “I remembered when we were kids and playing outside. I accidentally tore a big hole in your pants with a stick. I was so afraid that you would tell Aunt Mei. Afraid that she wouldn’t like me anymore and wouldn’t let me play at your house again. I was so scared that time, walking and crying at the same time.”
“Oh… You’re talking about what happened in first grade, right?” Mei Fang pondered for a moment. “How did it end up being resolved?”
“In the end, I said I would apologize to you when we got back home. But then after we got back, you told Aunt Mei that you tore your pants yourself, which resulted in you getting spanked by Aunt Mei.”
“Why do you remember embarrassing things about me just like Yuan Yuan?” Mei Fang sighed. “Why do you keep those memories so vividly?”
“I don’t think it’s embarrassing,” Lin Youxi’s voice was gentle. “I just felt that you were so kind to me back then.”
“Are you saying I’m not kind to you now?”
“Well…”
Lin Youxi hesitated and didn’t respond, but instead leaned to Mei Fang’s back again and closed her eyes.
Mei Fang dropped Lin Youxi off at her house to get her own bicycle, then rode back home to drop off his backpack. As he was coming out with his bicycle, he happened to see Xia Yuan from a distance.
“Ah Fang, Ah Fang!”
Xia Yuan, wearing a sports cap, pushed her newly bought white bicycle to Mei Fang. “Why are you back so early? Did you finish class ahead of time?”
“No, we finished at the same time as you.”
“I see…”
Xia Yuan pondered for a moment, “So… you rode your bike to your tutoring class, right?”
“Yeah? Why…”
“So you rode back home with it as well?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, um… you…” Xia Yuan gulped, “You didn’t do a foolish thing like riding your bike back alone and leaving Youxi behind, right?”
“Ah? There’s no way.”
“Haha, I knew Ah Fang wouldn’t be that bad.”
Xia Yuan then proudly showed off her new bicycle to him. “How do you like my new bike?”
“It looks pretty, but this kind of bike doesn’t have gears, so it might not be easy to ride.”
“Why don’t you try it and see?”
“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
At Xia Yuan’s urging, Mei Fang got on her bicycle. But as soon as he sat down, Xia Yuan also sat on the back seat, not sitting sideways like Lin Youxi earlier, but straddling the sides of the bike, and pressing tightly against Mei Fang’s back.
Pressure and sensation filled the air.
“…”
“What’s wrong? You have to take someone with you to know if it’s easy to ride!” Xia Yuan pushed Mei Fang forward. “Go on, try it.”
“Okay, okay, stop pushing me!”
Mei Fang rode around the neighborhood with Xia Yuan on the back until Lin Youxi arrived.
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