Whoever saw her would mock her, "Oh? Did you practice wrestling with Accountant Lü again last night?"
"Wrestle your mom’s fart! Off to work with you!"
It didn’t take long for the whole village to learn that Li Wangfu, who walked the night roads too often, had been beaten up!
After that incident, Li Wangfu tried his best to avoid walking at night.
An Ping also felt rather proud of the matter for a while.
Before long, it was late spring, with summer just around the corner.
The weather gradually heated up, and many of An Ping’s clothes had become too small, no longer fitting him.
An Shuchao’s legs and feet were still not very nimble, preventing him from walking long distances, so as his sister, An Hao felt responsible and obligated to take care of An Ping.
Taking advantage of the market day in town, An Hao left school at noon to accompany An Ping and buy him a few summer outfits.
The siblings were strolling through the market when they soon ran into Erzhuzi and Liu Xiaolian.
Seeing An Hao, Erzhuzi and Liu Xiaolian immediately remembered the delicious beef noodles with a lingering aftertaste. The money their parents had given them had all been squandered on popsicles, and seeing An Hao, the two thick-skinned guys cheerfully made their way over to her.
"Sister, we haven’t seen you in so long. How are you? Nobody’s been causing you trouble, right? If anyone does, just tell us, and we’ll take care of it for you."
An Hao smiled and said, "Thank you guys! I’m doing well, and I really appreciate your help last time!"
Erzhuzi scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "Sister, you’re being too polite! You even gave us money last time! We’ve had those beef noodles several times!"
"Yeah! Those noodles were so delicious! Now when I think about that flavor... it’s truly... amazing!" Liu Xiaolian said, his tongue could not help but lick his lips, looking absolutely greedy.
An Hao knew just by looking at the pair that they were craving again.
Turning to see An Ping with his eyes practically shining, she saw he was drooling over the thought too. During this period, his tastes had become rather indulgent under her care.
Yet, upon reflection, she had simply been resourceful with what was available, preparing dishes like wild vegetables for him, and he hadn’t eaten much that was rich and savory.
Seeing the three of them longing to have beef noodles again, An Hao laughed, shook her head, and pulled out five yuan from her pocket, handing it to them, "Go on. Have some beef noodles!"
Erzhuzi, who had been impatient, was the first to extend his hand and take the money, "Thank you, Sister An Hao!"
"Hey, do you two have no shame?" An Ping stepped forward to scold the two greedy guys, "You helped move once and faked a fight once, and you still want to eat beef noodles every day? Has my sister turned into your own mint? You come to her whenever you’re short on cash?"
"Don’t make it sound so bad! An Ping, we’re all pals here! Next time, I’ll treat you to the beef noodles, okay?"
"Okay!" An Ping agreed.
"Next time I’ll treat you to soda!" Liu Xiaolian added.
"It’s a deal! Let’s head to the beef noodle shop!" An Ping gestured, and the three of them hopped and skipped their way toward the noodle shop.
An Hao watched them amused and shook her head before taking An Ping’s newly bought clothes back to school.
An Ping and his two friends reached the entrance of the beef noodle shop, and before they could enter, they saw a group of people surrounding them. The leader had a fruit knife in hand, and it did not look like they came with good intentions.
"What’s going on?" An Ping looked left and right at his two friends, "Is it you two they’re after?"
"No, not at all!" Both friends responded in unison.
An Ping felt that something was amiss and whispered, "Let’s beat it!"