After Lin Wanning earnestly finished his lecture on health, the girl no longer snuck up on him at night, and Xu Qingfan was able to get some good sleep, finally no longer caught between Lin Wanning and Xia Xiaoxiao.
Unnoticed, the April of growing grass and flying orioles, of falling petals, quietly passed by.
By May, the temperature in Li City sped up like a coal-loaded train, setting new records every day, starting at thirty degrees, then thirty-two, thirty-five, thirty-six, showing no signs of decline.
People gradually adjusted to life under the scorching sun, and if they needed to step out even briefly, they would inevitably drench themselves with water mist. Cooling tea, which clears heat and dampness, had become an essential heat-relieving tool for every household.
On a hot summer afternoon, waking up from a nap and grabbing a bottle of chilled sea salt soda from the fridge, the opening pop sounded like the exclusive bubble melody of summer, and taking a sip refreshed him for the whole afternoon.
If this was an essential ritual of summer, then there was another activity that absolutely had to be done in the peak of summer, and that was swimming.
"Hurry up you, still dawdling there drinking your beverage!" Xia Xiaoxiao, having changed her shoes, came out from next door and couldn’t help but complain upon seeing Xu Qingfan still lazily leaning by the door drinking soda.
The breeze gently blew, lifting his bangs. He tossed the empty drink bottle to the girl, "What’s the rush? It’s just past three o’clock, definitely tea time first."
Wu Lingyu soon came out behind him. Today, the girl was dressed in a pristine white knee-length dress and wore a pair of Dior summer sandals, stepping out of the house like the girl-next-door from a Japanese anime.
The girl who once felt inferior because of her old clothes and ugly shoes now also had her own princess dress and glass slippers, and everyone’s lives were getting better day by day.
But deep in her heart, she would always be grateful to one person who pulled her and her parents out of the mud, thoughtfully bringing them clean water to help wash away their past.
Such feelings thus grew more and more passionate as they were buried day by day.
"Brother Fan." Wu Lingyu put her hands behind her back, tilting her body as she sweetly smiled at Xu Qingfan, who was sitting on the ground changing his shoes.
"Let’s go, hate to be the last to arrive when it’s so close." Xu Qingfan finished changing shoes, stood up, and kicked back his little brother who was trying to sneak out the door.
"It’s all because you drag your feet."
"Would we wake up this late if you hadn’t insisted on playing games at noon?" Xu Qingfan was in a good mood, so he was inclined to bicker a little with the girl in front of him.
"That’s because you overslept this morning and went grocery shopping so late..."
Wu Lingyu stood between them, just smiling as she watched them bicker over such trivial matters.
When they arrived at Gualv Square, sure enough, they were the last to get there.
"Brother Qing Fan!" Lin Wanning was the first to see them enter through the main gate, a milk tea in her hand, and she hurried over.
"Waited long? It’s all Xia Xiaoxiao’s fault for dawdling." Xu Qingfan said as he smiled and ruffled the girl’s hair, pushing her back as they continued walking forward.
"Hehe~ It’s okay, let’s all have milk tea." Lin Wanning handed the three milk teas she carried to them.
"It’s clearly your fault for dawdling. Thanks, Wanning." Xia Xiaoxiao looked at Xu Qingfan with disdain and pouted.
"Thank you, Wanning," Wu Lingyu also took the last cup of milk tea, which was mango milkshake.
After the six-person squad gathered, they took the elevator upstairs, as they came to buy swimsuits this time.
A year had passed, and besides growing taller, the five girls had also developed significantly in other areas, making last year’s swimsuits naturally unsuitable.
They soon arrived at the third floor’s Vandam specialty store, where the salesperson, impressed by their group of five girls and one boy, promptly approached them with enthusiasm and said, "We just received a new batch of swimsuits; take a look and see if you need anything."
"Mm," said the girls, all regulars here, and they began selecting swimsuits hand in hand after nodding their heads.
The six of them first came here to buy swimsuits when they were in sixth grade, and at that time, no adults accompanied them. Initially, the saleswoman wanted to shoo them away, since any swimsuit here could cost hundreds to thousands, and it was not a place for kids to play house.
Luckily, before she spoke, she recognized the Louis Vuitton backpacks carried by Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi. Then, the young boy among them paid for six swimsuits with a card, which amounted to three months of her salary.
Xu Qingfan’s choice of swimsuits was relatively simple; after all, they were just shorts. He genuinely could not see any difference between those costing four figures and those in double digits, so he casually picked the cheapest one and regarded it as a done deal.
There were many more varieties for girls’ swimsuits, from one-pieces to separates, from sukumizu to bikinis, which could make one’s head spin.
Previously, the selections made by the five girls were distinctive. Wu Lingyu, being shy, always chose the most conservative sukumizu one-pieces.
Lin Wanning wanted to show her Brother Fan the best look, so she chose a fresh-looking two-piece swimsuit with a little skirt.
Zhang Yiyi, under the coaxing of the former, chose the same style as Lin Wanning but in a different color.
As for Xia Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ruawen, both girls had similar conservative tastes, choosing one-piece swimsuit dresses.
Xu Qingfan’s gaze landed on Lin Wanning, who was surprisingly holding a skimpy three-piece swimsuit!
[Wearing this, Brother Fan would definitely like watching, right...]
Lin Wanning looked at the swimsuit in her hands, then down at her own small chest, and finally, she sneakily glanced at Xiao Ruawen and Xia Xiaoxiao next door, wondering something silently.
Before Xu Qingfan could come over for a ’snag the hair’ lesson, the girl put the swimsuit back and picked up another fresh-style swimsuit, whispering to Zhang Yiyi.
Wu Lingyu, as always, chose a blue sukumizu and already headed to the changing room to try it on first.
Soon, Xiao Ruawen and Xia Xiaoxiao also made their selections. Xia Xiaoxiao held a black one-piece swimsuit dress that reached her thighs, and Xiao Ruawen chose the same model in white.
Both were still outside, comparing the lengths of the swimsuits, but Xu Qingfan’s mind was already picturing the stunning look they would have when wearing them—the combination of black and white was simply unbeatable!
Finally, Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi made their choices as well, picking very conservative-looking but thinly fabricated two-piece swimsuits and skirts.
"Brother Fan, we’re done choosing."
"Brother Qingfan, which set looks better between these two?" Lin Wanning was still hesitating.
With a wave of his hand, Xu Qingfan declared, "Both sets look good. Buy both, and charge it to the card!"