Xu Qingfan hadn’t finished speaking when Xia Xiaoxiao interrupted, "Instant noodles!!!"
"We need to go out to buy instant noodles, so get dressed and come with me," Xu Qingfan thought to himself that Xia Xiaoxiao didn’t even dare to take a bath by herself, and she was probably even more scared to be home alone.
"Okay!" Xia Xiaoxiao, excited, ran to the living room to put on her shoes.
It was the absence of adults that gave Xia Xiaoxiao her first taste of freedom.
After they put on their jackets and held hands, they went downstairs. Although it was past midnight, there were still many lights on in the Lianhua Courtyard.
The nightlife of Li City’s residents lasted until two or three in the morning, so going out at midnight was nothing unusual.
Of course, that was what Xu Qingfan thought.
It was Xia Xiaoxiao’s first time stepping out of Lianhua Courtyard in the dead of night without adults, feeling like a magical girl from an anime. By day, she was just an ordinary primary school student, but at night, when everything was quiet, she’d transform and save the world.
She naturally did not share such a childish thought with Xu Qingfan. Instead, she held tightly onto his hand, looking around excitedly.
The convenience store across from Lianhua Courtyard had not closed yet, dashing Xia Xiaoxiao’s adventurous dreams.
After Xu Qingfan chose a pack of Kangshuai Fu Braised Beef Noodles for himself, he gestured for Xia Xiaoxiao to pick one.
Xia Xiaoxiao selected a seafood flavor, and Xu Qingfan spent more to buy two starch sausages and two bottles of iced tea—it cost fifteen yuan in total, which could be considered a childhood luxury.
As a child, if one could have a meal of instant noodles + sausage + iced tea, it was unimaginable how happy one could be.
After paying, the two ran back home hand in hand.
Since Xu Qingfan had already boiled water before leaving, they could start making instant noodles as soon as they got home.
"I want to try yours!" Xia Xiaoxiao, seeing him enjoying his noodles, said hungrily.
"Mine’s a bit spicy," Xu Qingfan sipped his iced tea to cool down the heat and pushed his bowl of noodles toward her.
The Braised Beef Noodles were spicy when they first came out; the spiciness might be considered mild for Chuanyu people but was medium hot by Hong Kong standards.
But later on, the recipe for Hong Kong’s Braised Beef Noodles was changed to a non-spicy one, and Xu Qingfan never tasted that flavor again.
He would always remember the first time he tasted Braised Beef Noodles, like a revelation, and the last time when it made his throat nauseous.
It was the same pack of instant noodles, but after growing up, he couldn’t taste the same feelings of childhood.
"Mine’s not as good as yours, do you want to try mine?" Xia Xiaoxiao, after taking a bite, pushed her noodles toward him.
"I’ll finish yours in one bite," Xu Qingfan teased her.
"Whatever, if you finish it, you’ll have to go buy me another!"
Xu Qingfan casually took a bite, commenting, "All instant noodles taste the same."
"Not at all, mine is really tasty!" Xia Xiaoxiao argued while she flipped through the TV channels with the remote.
But many channels only showed colorful test patterns, and it seemed that the only programs still broadcasting were commercials.
"Xu Qingfan, what is this?" Xia Xiaoxiao pointed at the TV and asked.
"How would I know? When there’s no show, the TV station just displays this image. Stop searching; we don’t have a late-night segment here in Li City," he replied.
"Oh." Xia Xiaoxiao obediently turned off the TV.
As a child who usually went to bed punctually by ten-thirty, this was Xia Xiaoxiao’s first time realizing that there were no programs to watch on late-night TV.
After their late-night snack, both were quite excited and returned to the room to continue their Bubble Bobble battle.
Three in the morning.
Xu Qingfan finally couldn’t stay awake anymore, "I’m going to sleep, will you keep playing? If you want to play, you can play by yourself," he said before crawling into his blanket.
"I’m not playing anymore." Xia Xiaoxiao skilfully pressed Ctrl+U+U to shut down the computer.
"Turn off the light!"
"Xu Qingfan, I need a pillow and a blanket; go get them for me," Xia Xiaoxiao pushed Xu Qingfan, who was snuggled in his blanket after turning off the computer.
"They’re in my mom’s room, go get them yourself," Xu Qingfan, having undressed and gotten comfortable, was too lazy to move.
Xia Xiaoxiao glanced at the pitch-black living room. She was scared to bathe alone, let alone fetch a blanket, "I’m too scared to go by myself."
"Hey~" Seeing that Xu Qingfan ignored her again, Xia Xiaoxiao pushed him.
"I’ve already warmed up my blanket, and I don’t want to move. You should overcome your own fears. No matter what difficulties you face, don’t be afraid. Face them with a smile, the best way to eliminate fear is to face it. Go for it... Ollie gee," Xu Qingfan mumbled from under his blanket.
Xia Xiaoxiao clenched her hands tightly and took a deep breath, but still, she did not dare.
[I’ll squeeze you out!]
Without hesitation, Xia Xiaoxiao turned off the light and directly burrowed into Xu Qingfan’s warm blanket. It was as warm as being near a stove, and suddenly, she didn’t feel like moving anymore.
Xu Qingfan was slightly startled, thinking that if they were going to sleep together, it was fine since they were both still children.
After giving her a bit of pillow, Xu Qingfan turned his head to face Xia Xiaoxiao, cheek to cheek with her.
"Let’s sleep, and don’t steal my blanket."
"Okay." Xia Xiaoxiao felt her face burning hot, too frightened to move a muscle.
The room was pitch-black, and it seemed as if time had slowed down.
"Xu Qingfan?" After an indeterminate amount of time, Xia Xiaoxiao called out to him softly.
"What is it?" Xu Qingfan was almost asleep and responded groggily.
"What if my mom and dad get divorced?" Lying down seemed to bring on Xia Xiaoxiao’s worries, and she spoke sadly.
"I’ll take care of you; just go to sleep, and everything will be alright when you wake up," Xu Qingfan, feeling like he was in a dream, replied instinctively and pulled Xia Xiaoxiao into his arms.