The rain outside continued to pour, splashing against the potted pine trees, swaying in the downpour. Despite it being broad daylight, all the lights inside were turned on.
In one corner of the room, an incense burner flickered, mixing the scent of tea with that of sandalwood, creating a unique olfactory sensation.
Zhang Yiyi gazed absently at a pair of siblings not far away. She had heard from her second uncle a long time ago that she had a half-brother and half-sister who were fraternal twins, but today was the first time she had met them.
By their appearance, they seemed to be in the second or third grade of elementary school. The boy was dressed in a child’s Zhongshan suit, and the girl wore a white dress with a collar adorned with pearls, topped with a hat like those often worn by princesses in fairy tales. The boy stood up straight behind his father, while the girl was sprawled on her mother’s lap, acting coquettishly like a happy and warm family.
It wasn’t exactly envy or jealousy, but Zhang Yiyi didn’t know why she still felt subtly unhappy, like the aggrieved white dog from an emoji pack, her mood starting to sink.
The meal officially began after a short while. The redwood round table in the living room could seat more than twenty people, so there was no need to split up.
Before long, the waiter brought a small portion of food on a wooden plate to Xu Qingfan. He didn’t really way of eating. He finished the dish in just a few bites and waited for the next round to be served.
However, the plum wine was quite delightful. Xu Qingfan took a sip and his eyes lit up, finding it cool and exceptionally sweet.
Through casual conversation, he also learned the reason for today’s meal. Zhang Chunxue’s elder brother was soon to be parachuted back to Hong Kong to take over as the top leader, thanks to his outstanding work in attracting investments at the end of last year.
Of course, it should have been quite difficult to orchestrate such a move with just the help of Zhang Chunxue alone, given that Hong Kong is the provincial capital. There must have been considerable efforts made by the two families behind the scenes.
Zhang Chunxue’s father turned 65 this year and didn’t make a further step up; last year, he had already retired to the second line. However, with her elder brother taking over, the Zhang family showed no sign of decline.
"This glass is for you, Brother Zhang. I wish you smooth sailing in your career ahead!" Midway through the meal, Zhang Yiyi’s biological father, Li Shansheng, raised his glass and spoke.
The crowd clapped and cheered, the atmosphere in the room instantly uplifted as everyone took turns offering their congratulations.
When it was Xu Qingfan’s turn, he stood up and said, "Then I’ll take this opportunity to wish that under my uncle’s wise leadership, Hong Kong will see three or more companies with a market capitalization exceeding one trillion, ranked among the global Fortune 500. Good Taste Takeout will be one of them!"
"Haha, good, I’ll take your auspicious words!" Zhang Junzheng obviously enjoyed the compliment and laughed heartily.
Those closest to the Zhang family knew about the boy’s uncanny ideas, including the duck neck, milk tea, and Good Taste Takeout, as well as last year’s disaster relief supplies. All these initiatives were successful because Zhang Chunxue acted on his advice and every project she touched turned out well.
Even the Li family and many distant relatives of the Zhang family were surprised. They didn’t understand why Zhang Junzheng was so delighted by the boy’s lofty talk. Even Zhang Youwen and his wife nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Despite their puzzlement, they couldn’t help but elevate Xu Qingfan’s status in their minds.
The meal ended amid laughter shortly after its peak, but the heavy rain that had been falling for over an hour continued, going on steadily.
The downpour had trapped them there, leaving no one able to leave.
Xu Qingfan had wanted to stay by Zhang Chunxue’s side to listen to their conversation, but a group of kids insisted on dragging him to play hide and seek, and he reluctantly agreed to oblige the little ones.
Just as he was about to take Zhang Yiyi and hide in the ladies’ room, the twin siblings he’d noticed earlier suddenly ran up to them.
"Wait for us!" said the girl.
"What do you want?" Xu Qingfan asked with an air of superiority, his attitude not kind, as he held Zhang Yiyi’s hand.
"None of your business!" The little girl stuck her tongue out at Xu Qingfan.
"Sis, you mustn’t be rude, remember what we just talked about!" The boy’s attitude was still decent, as he scolded her.
"You better not tell mom!" The little girl put her hands on her hips, then pointed at Zhang Yiyi and said, "You’re not my sister!"
Despite her childish voice, it carried a defiant tone.
"That’s impolite, everyone older than you is your older brother or sister!" Xu Qingfan lifted his hand and gave her a slap on the head, but he didn’t use much force.
Zhang Yiyi just blinked innocently, even if upset emotions existed, the young girl never let it show on her face.
"Wah~ Woo woo woo, you guys are mean!" The little girl choked and then burst into sobs.
"Brother Fan has spotted you!"
Xu Qingfan, seeing the ghosts responsible for tagging others afar, grabbed the still stunned Zhang Yiyi and started running along the corridor.
In the corridor, only the siblings were left. The little girl even forgot to cry, angrily telling her brother, "Mom even wants us to call her ’sister,’ I don’t want to!"
He and Zhang Yiyi were eventually caught. The game continued and after being eliminated, they had time to chat idly as they watched the drizzle.
"If you’re upset, you should tell me, don’t keep it to yourself," Xu Qingfan leaned against the bluestone wall with his left arm resting on her.
Zhang Yiyi lifted her head to look at him and shook it with a faint smile.
"There’s standing water," she pointed out the rainwater covering the grass.
Xu Qingfan just held her, saying nothing more.
The girl didn’t speak either, just quietly rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the unique warmth the boy in front of her offered.
Occasionally, a kapok flower would fall from the tree several meters high, splashing modestly sized water droplets.
The two stood outside the house for a long time, counting how often raindrops fell from the eaves, losing track of time.
They only exchanged a smile when Zhang Chunxue came to find them, saying it was time to go back.
After more than two hours, the heavy rain finally stopped, but the sky remained overcast. The puddles scattered on the ground and the drooping grasses told of the earlier downpour’s ferocity.
"Daddy, give me a piggyback, or my dress will get dirty!" When passing a completely waterlogged section of the road, the little girl from earlier pouted.
Watching as the man stooped to give his daughter a piggyback ride, Zhang Yiyi inexplicably felt a twinge of envy for the first time.
"What are you spacing out for? Come on up," Xu Qingfan said.
When Zhang Yiyi looked down, the familiar youth had already crouched down.
There was a light in the girl’s eyes at that moment, she nearly choked as she agreed, "Mhm!"
She gently laid on the youth’s broad shoulders; Xu Qingfan stood up steadily and firmly, carrying her over the muddy terrain.
Zhang Yiyi buried her head on his shoulder, her nose gently touching the boy’s fair neck, a scent that brought comfort.
People around them were teasing and making fun of them, but the girl didn’t hear a word.
At that moment, her world consisted solely of Xu Qingfan.
"Brother," Zhang Yiyi murmured softly.