"Yan Xiaofei, do you think I should, like our eldest sister, apply for graduate school?" Xu Xiaoyan sat on the makeshift swing that Yan Fei had just created, leisurely swaying back and forth, her sense of ease was indescribable.
Sitting in a chair, gazing at the stars scattered in the night sky, and unconsciously rubbing his feet on a dog, Yan Fei heard his wife’s question and casually replied, "If you want to study, go ahead, and if you don’t, that’s up to you. Just make sure you think it through!"
"If you ask me, it’s better to go for it. After all, you two aren’t short on money, and with just a college degree, you two can’t get married. Might as well keep studying for three more years while waiting for him. By the time he comes here for college, you two could still spend two years in school together!" Xu Laoda chimed in.
"Why can’t they get married? There are plenty of seventeen or eighteen year-olds in our family who are married, and some of our classmates who didn’t go to college already have kids in elementary school!" Xu Yue retorted from the side. "Besides, look at those two now, with or without marriage, what’s the difference..."
"Second sister, what are you talking about?" Xu Xiaoyan protested, relieved that there was only one light bulb by the door in the courtyard, which made the area dim enough to hide her blushing face.
"Second, watch your words!" Xu Laoda glanced at Yan Fei and reprimanded Xu Yue.
"Okay, okay, I’ll stop talking about it," Xu Yue laughed and conceded. "Boss Yan, you’re a big boss now, building such a magnificent house, but you can’t even bring yourself to get a little car? You just got a bicycle for my sister, and it’s not even inflated..."
Yan Fei stopped the movement of his feet, "Okay, Yanfei, do you want a car or not? Why don’t I go home and get you a driver’s license, and buy you a car?"
"I don’t want it! What’s the point of driving to school?" Xu Xiaoyan’s response was exactly what Yan Fei had anticipated. "Didn’t you see I don’t even ride my bike? It’s better to walk more to stay fit. Do you think I’m that delicate?"
The bicycle that Xu Yue mentioned was actually Yan Fei’s old one, which he now kept at the new house. But the girl didn’t ride it either, she relied on her long legs to get around, and the bike tires had deflated over time from disuse.
As they were talking, footsteps came from beyond the wall. The dog next to Yan Fei suddenly stood up, but Yan Fei pressed it down with his hand, "Stay put. You couldn’t recognize the footsteps of the guest who just left; I might just starve you for a day tomorrow to teach you a lesson."
Then, he kicked the other dog in front of him, "And you, calm down!"
This dog had been enjoying the foot massage, but when Yan Fei stopped, it waited patiently before trying to taste his feet. It was kicked in the mouth and whined with a flick of its tail, expressing an adorably pitiful look.
Xu Yue found it amusing to watch, "How are you feeding these dogs? They seem quite clever. Boss Yan, you are truly capable of anything!"
Yan Fei just chuckled without replying, as the sound of the gate opening was heard. Then Bai Xiaobin walked in, "What are you guys talking about? I just called my friend, he’s going to drive over to pick us up later."
The few people in the courtyard didn’t know what to say. It was clear to everyone that this guy was purely a child raised in a honey pot, acting childishly despite his age. Probably feeling upstaged by Yan Fei’s house, and since it was getting late after dinner – too late to catch the last bus – he said he’d go ask a friend to drive them back. That’s what he had been doing when he stepped out to make a call.
Xu Laoda, more forgiving, was the one who best understood Bai Xiaobin. She vaguely explained, "We were just talking about dogs!"
At that moment, Laoer Xu Yue also chimed in, "Actually, we were discussing cars!"
Laoda was trying to save her younger boyfriend’s face, while Laoer thrived on chaos. Bai Xiaobin had just mentioned going to get a friend to drive them home, which although a bit of showing off, also meant they could all get a ride directly to the school. Nonetheless, she had previously been egging Yan Fei to buy a car, and now bringing it up again was purely to make a joke out of her future brother-in-law.
But Bai Xiaobin fell for it, taking Xu Yue’s comment as a cue, "What were you saying about a car?"
Anxious to pre-empt Xu Laoda, Xu Yue quickly responded, "Yan Fei just said he’d buy Xiao Xing a car, and she absolutely refused. We were trying to convince her!"
Xu Laoda was seething inside; during the afternoon’s shopping trip, Bai Xiaobin had paid for most of it. Of the three sisters, Xu Yue’s clothes were the most expensive. The money was wasted on her; she wasn’t grateful at all.
Fortunately, being a bit clueless sometimes is an advantage. Bai Xiaobin didn’t catch the instigating tone in Xu Yue’s words. He was quite savvy about these matters; to him, acquiring a house like that in Provincial City meant buying a car was no big deal. He approached Yan Fei with genuine interest, "Boss Yan, what kind of car are you planning on buying?"
"Brother Xiaobin, just call me Xiao Fei. We’re going to be family, no need for formalities like Boss Yan!" Yan Fei said, and he didn’t forget to give a pat and a kick to the two dogs that had started to bare their teeth. "Don’t listen to what Laoer says. At home, I just ride the scooter back and forth. Xiao Xing doesn’t need a car for school here; we’re not planning on buying one!"
This guy had been calling him Boss Yan ever since he saw the house. Xu Yue called Yan Fei ’Boss Yan’ in jest, but Bai Xiaobin did so out of a slight stiffness and uncertainty about how to address him. Now that dinner was done, and everyone was more or less acquainted, Yan Fei took the opportunity to suggest a change in how he was addressed.