Dreams of Elementary School (1)

Elementary school students have no homework on Saturdays.

He heard that after moving up to middle school, not only do you have to go to school on Saturdays, but there is also a ton of homework. You come back very late at night, and you can't even go home from Monday to Friday.

Thinking about how he was already in the fourth grade, Shen Nian felt annoyed about the middle school life awaiting him in two years.

It was all that guy next door's fault. Why did he have to tell him all this out of nowhere? It completely ruined his mood to play.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and Shen Nian puffed out his cheeks.

His parents had gone out to work early in the morning, and his older sister was still studying at school. He was the only one home.

After finishing breakfast, Shen Nian returned to his room and pulled a small box out from under his bed.

Inside were his toys: an excavator, an off-road vehicle, a transparent Dragon Slaying Saber, and lots of building blocks.

Shen Nian took a look, then stuffed the toys back.

He was already a mature fourth-grade boy; he couldn't muster up any interest in these things.

He remembered the chat a few male classmates had at school the day before yesterday.

Internet cafe... playing on computers... playing games... CrossFire...

Hesitating, Shen Nian took a five-yuan bill out of his drawer...

As long as no one saw him, no one would know he sneaked off to the internet cafe in town to play games!

Five yuan could buy him an hour and forty minutes of playtime, hehe.

With this in mind, Shen Nian had just closed the front door when a familiar voice came from above.

"Hey!"

Shen Nian looked up toward the voice. "Hey what!"

Why was the annoying Xia Yanchun haunting him like a ghost, showing up on her balcony exactly when he was about to head out...

So annoying!

"Where are you going!" Xia Yanchun shouted at him, crouching by the railing.

Shen Nian thought her holding onto the railing made her look like a bad guy locked in a prison cell.

"None of your business!"

"Where are you going?!"

"I said it's none of your business!"

Sneaking off to an internet cafe was something that, if Xia Yanchun found out, would be the same as his parents finding out. He would be scolded and beaten.

Shen Nian would rather bite his tongue off than tell her.

Shen Nian stared at Xia Yanchun. Xia Yanchun pouted and shouted loudly, "Come up here, I have Copico potato chips at my house!"

"I don't want to eat them!"

"I'll share a whole tube with you, the kind that comes in a tall tube."

"..."

To actually use such a despicable trick... Xia Yanchun, you win.

After a fierce internal struggle, Shen Nian slipped into Xia Yanchun's unlocked house.

Hehe, once I finish your chips, I'll continue on my way to the internet cafe.

As soon as he entered, he saw Wen Zhining sitting inside the door, working on cross-stitch.

"Hello, Auntie Wen!"

"You've got your shoes on, where are you heading?"

"Um... I, I was bored at home, just wanted to go out for a walk."

Wen Zhining smiled.

She was right on the first floor, so naturally she had heard the two of them shouting just now, and knew Shen Nian was going upstairs to find her daughter.

"Is that so? Then make sure to watch the road later. Be careful when there are cars, and don't just run around recklessly."

"Got it."

Shen Nian nodded heavily and ran up to the third floor.

The third floor was a bit cool; Shen Nian felt that creepy might be a better word to describe it.

There was a rustling sound coming from the room. Shen Nian leaned in and saw Xia Yanchun holding two tubes of chips. His eyes instantly grew wide.

"Come here, little brother," Xia Yanchun waved at him from her desk.

Shen Nian didn't move an inch.

"Shen Nian, get back here."

"Oh."

Shen Nian walked over and stood next to her.

"So you won't come if I call you little brother, huh? How annoying."

"Hmph, I'm not your little brother anyway."

"Here, your chips."

Copico chips come in two types: a long tube and a short tube. The one Xia Yanchun gave Shen Nian was the long tube, longer than Shen Nian's head.

Shen Nian quickly took it.

But the moment he got his hands on it, he felt something was wrong. Looking at the top, it was actually already opened.

"You've already eaten from this!" Shen Nian opened the lid, saw that there were only a few chips and a pile of crumbs inside, and completely lost his mind.

"I never said I was giving you an unopened one," Xia Yanchun put her hands on her hips.

Shen Nian dared to be angry but didn't dare to speak.

No matter what, he had already come up here, making an extra trip. If he fell out with her now and Xia Yanchun snatched the chips back, he would have nothing to eat. Taking a step back would give him peace and some chips.

Being a mature boy, Shen Nian chose to endure it. He turned around and ate the chips.

Then he heard a little noise from Xia Yanchun. He turned his head and saw that this girl had pulled out a brand-new tube of chips from who-knows-where.

"..."

Xia Yanchun was too evil!

"Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms!" Shen Nian swiftly slapped Xia Yanchun on the back and bolted.

Then he was caught by Xia Yanchun at the corner of the stairs and dragged back to the third floor by force.

"You think you can run after hitting me?"

"Let me go!"

"You want to fight?" Xia Yanchun frowned.

"Let's fight, come on! You think I'm afraid of you?! I've recovered full energy today!"

"Be quiet. I was going to give you another tube of chips, but with you acting like this, I don't want to anymore."

"..."

Beat you to death, beat you to death, beat you to death! Take my Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, Kamehameha, and Vajra Finger!

After beating Xia Yanchun up in his mind, Shen Nian finally felt relieved.

For the sake of the chips, Shen Nian decided to forgive Xia Yanchun's rude behavior, just this once.

"Like I just said, I was going to give it to you, but you slapped me, so I can't give it to you. We can only eat it together."

"Okay," Shen Nian nodded.

Xia Yanchun made some room for him, and they squeezed together on the small chair in front of the desk.

Xia Yanchun had a cell phone, a hand-me-down from her parents. She could look at pictures and log into QQ on it. Shen Nian had nothing, so he could only eat while watching her play.

But it didn't matter. He wasn't envious or jealous, because he would be going to the internet cafe to play in a little while.

"Where were you trying to go just now?"

"To play at a classmate's house."

"Which classmate? A boy or a girl? Someone from our class?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I'm your older sister."

"No you're not."

"I am. Your sister said that when she's not around, I'm your sister, and you have to listen to me. If you don't tell me which classmate it is, I won't let you go."

"Bullshit, how come I don't know my sister ever said that." Shen Nian was half-doubtful.

"There are plenty of things you don't know."

"Fine then, I won't go later."

Shen Nian decided to trick her first.

He didn't believe Xia Yanchun could catch him leaving the house every single time. Besides, it would be a long time before his parents came back.

"That's more like it." Xia Yanchun pinched his ear.

The chips quickly reached the bottom.

Xia Yanchun took out two jelly cups and handed them to Shen Nian.

Just as Shen Nian reached out to take them, she pulled her hand back and hid them behind her back, her eyes curving into a smile. "You have to call me sister before I give them to you."

"Then I don't want them, bye!"

"Get back here!"

"I want to go out and play."

"You promised me you wouldn't go!"

"Then give me the jelly."

"Here, take it."

"..."

Shen Nian, who had only taken two steps, turned back and this time sat on Xia Yanchun's bed.

"Be careful not to spill juice on my bed, or I'll beat you up."

"Hehe, you can't beat me."

Xia Yanchun ignored him and just went to close the bedroom door.