Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

"Ha, how embarrassing~" "Mom, you don't have to be so sour at home, the virus isn't dead yet and I'm about to die." "Legs!" Yao Jiping glared at her son, lifting her head. Xu Qingfan sheepishly drew his legs up onto the chair, to make it easier for her to mop that area. When spring rivers warm the ducks know first; already in late December, rumors of an unknown virus spreading in Hong Kong were afoot. Although the place he lived was only a little over eighty kilometers away from the epicenter of the outbreak, Xu Qingfan remembered that there had been no confirmed cases in Li Cheng District that year, so he didn't take it to heart. Besides, he recalled that Hong Kong had effectively controlled the SARS virus by early April due to early use of traditional Chinese medicine— the ancient "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" really contained some wisdom. However, Xu's mother didn't see it the same way; she refused to wear the masks that should be worn, and bought useless iodized salt and white vinegar as if they were free. Fortunately, mopping the floor with salt water did have a disinfectant effect. If anyone dared spread rumors that boy's urine could kill the virus, Xu Qingfan would dig three feet into the ground if necessary to find that person and then throw rotten eggs at their house every day. "If you're just standing around, go tear down the couplets by the door!" Seeing Xu Aiguo still smoking on the balcony, Yao Jiping couldn't contain her anger, flinging the mop and bellowing with hands on her hips. If he kept sitting and watching TV, he would be the next to get scolded, so Xu Qingfan quietly turned off the TV, put on his shoes, and went out. Today was the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Little New Year, and the custom here in Hong Kong, "On the twenty-eighth, wash away the grime," meant that on this day homes should be cleaned up to welcome the God of Wealth, so that the following year would, "Dahuang, bark!" "Woof woof woof!!!" "Good dog!" Xu Qingfan patted the dog's head. This year, the twenty-ninth happened to be New Year's Eve, and from morning on, every household was bustling with activity. Cleaning tired you out, being tired made you grumpy, being grumpy made you want to hit someone, so the twenty-eighth also became the day when kids in Hong Kong got spanked the most. Xu Qingfan stood in the courtyard of the first floor, and from all around him came the heart-wrenching cries and yells of his peers. They were all simply short-sighted. In his previous life, Xu Qingfan had early on reached the exalted state of 'Be busy on the inside when there's nothing for the eye,' and each time Yao Jiping looked his way, he always found something to do—beatings were always a step behind him! After waiting downstairs for a moment, Xia Xiaoxiao arrived, later than expected. "Is your Uncle Xia not back yet?" Xu Qingfan asked as they walked. "He said he'll be back tomorrow," Xia Xiaoxiao replied with indifference. "Tomorrow, huh? There'll be nothing left to buy on Flower Street by then." "My mom said she'll go with you tonight, not waiting for him." There had been recent rumors of kidnappers on the streets, and not wanting to risk anything, Xu Qingfan left the house with Xia Xiaoxiao, each hand in hand with a menacing dog. The two of them, hand in hand, with a black and a white dog leading the way, turned heads one hundred percent of the time as they walked down the street. Xia Xiaoxiao said the kebabs last time were delicious and nagged Xu Qingfan for a long time, who then promised to take the little girl to eat them today. After about ten minutes of walking, they arrived at the same vendor as last time. Xu Qingfan tied the dogs in the corner, and when the two walked into the shop, last time's boss wasn't there, but unexpectedly, they ran into someone they knew. "Hello," Xu Qingfan waved his hand. The person across nodded in response. "Where's the lady who runs the kebab stand?" he asked, pointing to the stall. "My mom went to get the skewers; you guys wait a minute," the little girl replied succinctly. "Oh, oh, oh." Xu Qingfan, pulling Xia Xiaoxiao along, found a stool to sit on outside. Neither he nor Xia Xiaoxiao knew the girl inside, but they both knew each other's names. Xu Qingfan believed that the girl also knew the two of them. "That's Wu Lingyu from the third class of the first grade, isn't it?" he whispered. "Mhm," Xia Xiaoxiao played with a bamboo skewer, having nothing better to do. "Quite a coincidence, never thought this shop was run by her family." "Mhm." "Can you say more than 'mhm'?" "Okay." "..." Seeing that Xia Xiaoxiao had no desire to speak, Xu Qingfan turned his gaze to the little girl sitting next to them. Wearing the Experimental Primary School's winter cotton coat uniform, she grasped a pen in her small hand and wrote furiously on the paper, looking as if she had been stumped by a math problem. [No wonder she can rank first alongside me, she's really diligent.] Xu Qingfan sighed inwardly. As for Xia Xiaoxiao, that was simply a gift from the heavens – naturally intelligent, beyond anyone's control. From a distance, Xu Qingfan saw the lady boss from last time walking towards them, holding a large rectangular box. Perhaps because the item was too heavy, the woman was staggering as she walked. Something's not right! Xu Qingfan became alert. The swaying grew more and more intense, and the next moment, the woman collapsed face forward. "Ah!" Xu Qingfan exclaimed in shock. Wu Lingyu, who was engrossed in solving problems, looked up at Xu Qingfan, then followed his gaze into the distance, "Mom!" The little girl got up unsteadily and ran out without regard for anything else. Since it was the 28th year of the festival, all the shops along the street were closed. After a moment's thought, Xu Qingfan got up and rushed toward the nearest convenience store. Without waiting for the clerk to greet him, he picked up the landline phone, gasping for breath, and dialed his home phone number. The call was quickly answered, "Who's this?" Xu Aiguo's voice came through the phone. "Dad, my classmate's mom has fainted at 83 Qinyuan Road, come quickly with your car, and remember to wear your mask!" Xu Qingfan shouted into the receiver, out of breath. "I'm on my way now, wait for me!" After the words were spoken, the phone was hung up on the other side by Xu's father. Xu Qingfan took out fifty cents from his pocket and handed it to the clerk before hurrying out again. Upon his return, several kind-hearted citizens had already helped the woman onto the steps, pressing her acupoint with their hands. Wu Lingyu stood by, anxious and distressed, as her mother showed no signs of waking up. "This won't do, we need to take her to the hospital." "Who has a phone, call 120 quickly." "Who can afford such a thing, hurry and look for a public phone booth!" The crowd was all talk, making Wu Lingyu start to cry. "I've already called, my dad is on his way, he has a car!" Xu Qingfan spoke up promptly. "Really? That's great, you have to keep warm in winter. I touched her hand; it's as cold as ice. Her body can't take that, little girl, this is your mom, right? You need to remind her," a kind elderly lady advised. With gratitude, Wu Lingyu gave Xu Qingfan a glance and continued to grip her mother's hand as tears fell. Xu Aiguo demonstrated the skill he had once acquired in the army as a motor transport soldier – just three minutes after the call, his car arrived at the scene. "Dad, here!" Xu Qingfan waved to signal. Xu Aiguo came running over in a hurry, "Where is the person, where is the person?" "Young man, here she is, thank you for your effort." Xu's father nodded and carried Wu Lingyu's mother on his shoulder. "Who of you is a family member, come with me." "I am!" Wu Lingyu wiped away her tears and spoke up. "No adults? Little girl, where's your dad?" Xu Aiguo asked. "My dad is sick," Wu Lingyu replied, crying so hard it drew the old lady's sympathy. "Girl, don't cry, Granny here has nothing on, I'll accompany you." She took out her handkerchief to wipe the tears from the corners of Wu Lingyu's eyes and got into the back seat of the taxi with her. "Go home early, Dad won't escort you back." The taxi sped off, its exhaust fumes drifting with Xu's father's voice towards Xu Qingfan. Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao each carried the corner of the fried skewers back into the shop. "Brother will show you some skill, my fried skewers are really tasty!" Xu Qingfan said with a smile. "Show-off." Xia Xiaoxiao stood beside him, looking at Xu Qingfan's focused profile as he fried skewers for her, feeling sweet inside.