Just in Time Chapter 27
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 27: Steamed Stuffed Bun
Chang Ziqi, dressed in a neat and straight red and white school uniform, every strand of hair was orderly, and could always be pulled to shoot a recruitment promotional video for No.1 High School.
He was a good half head taller than Yun Fang and Yi Chenliang, just standing there was very oppressive, “I have a question to ask you two.”
Yun Fang thought it was about being late, looked at him with a smile, “Do you want us to write a self-criticism for climbing over the wall?”
“No.” This proud son of heaven, didn’t know what he’s thinking, his face looked very bad, “What is the name of the boy who climbed over the wall with you that day?”
“I don’t know.” Yi Chenliang instinctively was very alert to Chang Ziqi, pulled Yun Fang and wanted to leave.
“What are you looking for him for?” Yun Fang asked before leaving.
Chang Ziqi said, “Personal issue.”
Yun Fang put his arm on Yi Chenliang’s shoulder, smiled slightly, “Oh, then I wish you good luck.”
Then he and Yi Chenliang went upstairs arm in arm.
Chang Ziqi inexplicably saw a sense of arrogance from his hugging figure.
“Do you know the one who climbed over the wall?” Yi Chenliang saw Yun Fang’s smile and couldn’t help but elbow him.
“Yeah.” Yun Fang held back a smile, “That person is called Qi Huo, he is the son of my mother’s best friend, and the half-brother of Song Cun, I met him at dinner that night.”
Yi Chenliang was upset when he heard the name Song Cun, thinking what a messy relationship this was, but he couldn’t suppress his curiosity, “Then why didn’t you tell Chang Ziqi?”
“I am kind-hearted.” Yun Fang pretended to sigh, “How can I betray a good brother who climbed over the wall with me?”
Yi Chenliang pushed his arm away with a force, expressionless, “Oh, you had a meal with him and climbed over a wall together and became good brothers?”
Yun Fang reached out and hooked his neck again, jokingly said, “After all, it could be considered as enjoying blessings and enduring misfortune together, right?”
“Get off.” Yi Chenliang pushed with force, hitting Yun Fang’s stomach, and then strode upstairs.
Yun Fang sucked in a breath from the pain, clutching his stomach and pointing at him incredulously, “Yi Chenliang! Are you asking for a beating!”
Yi Chenliang turned his head and glared at him, “Go find your good brother.”
Yun Fang followed Yi Chenliang into the classroom, and as soon as he entered the back door, he saw Yi Chenliang looking down at a test paper in his hand.
“What’s wrong?” Yun Fang saw that his expression was a bit off, and reached out to take the test paper.
It was the last math monthly exam mock paper that had just been handed out, and the bright red 150 on it was particularly eye-catching.
“Damn! Brother Yi, you got a perfect score!!” Ji Shumo, who loved to join in the fun, shouted out loud.
The noisy surroundings quieted for a moment, and then erupted into more heated discussion.
“Damn? Yi Chenliang?”
“Did he copy from Yun Fang?”
“The math teacher said that our class only got one full mark this time…”
“Is he that good? I almost forgot we had such a person in our class.”
“Real people don’t show their faces…”
Yi Chenliang almost had no presence in Class 10. He didn’t live on campus and was used to being alone. Before Yun Fang came, the only person he could talk to was Ji Shumo. His academic performance was neither outstanding nor hopeless, maintaining a middle level. He had almost zero communication with the teachers. Such a silent and unremarkable student would hardly attract anyone’s attention.
Last midterm exam, his score improved by eighty points, and he was only called over by Old Fang to be praised a few times, asking him to keep this score, and that was it.
He seemed to be very uncomfortable being noticed by others, and the fingers propped on the table turned slightly white due to excessive force.
Yun Fang held the test paper in his hand and showed him a brilliant smile, “Yi Chenliang, you are very impressive.”
Yi Chenliang stared at him blankly, the whispers and ambiguous glances around him suddenly dissipated, leaving only Yun Fang’s solemn and serious voice.
Yun Fang was praising him.
Yi Chenliang suppressed the corner of his mouth that was about to curl up, bypassed Yun Fang and calmly sat back in his seat, replaying Yun Fang’s words in his mind over and over again:
Yi Chenliang, you are very impressive.
You very impressive–very impressive–impressive–impressive–
“It’s just luck.” Yi Chenliang kept a straight face and calmly opened the book in front of him.
Just then, the class bell rang, and the math teacher walked into the classroom.
“Have the test papers been handed out?” The math teacher knocked on the blackboard, “There is less than a week left for the monthly exam, take a good look at how many points you scored!”
“This time, only one student in our class got a full score, which is Yi Chenliang. Yi Chenliang’s performance in the last midterm exam has greatly improved, and this time it gave this teacher a big surprise. Other students should learn from Yi Chenliang…” The math teacher started to use Yi Chenliang as an example and started the pre-exam mobilization meeting with heartfelt words.
Yi Chenliang awkwardly turned his head to look outside the window.
Yun Fang held back his laughter and watched him, tearing a piece of paper from the notebook, and drew a round-headed stick figure with a red pen, and specifically added a small crown, and drew a circle of little people clapping their hands with starry eyes, and then quietly pushed it to Yi Chenliang.
Yi Chenliang took it and looked at it for a while, drew a square-headed little man with glasses next to the crowned stick figure, standing tall and proud with hands on its waist, and pushed it back to Yun Fang.
Yun Fang stared at it and laughed for a while, and then casually tucked his masterpiece into the math book.
In order to let the students have a happy New Year’s Day holiday, the monthly exam results would be announced after the holiday - the caring head teacher, Old Fang, said so.
On the first day of the holiday, Yun Fang was dragged out of his sleep by Tang Yi.
“Sugar, wake up!” Tang Yi pinched his face and shook it.
Yun Fang waved his hand impatiently in his half-asleep state, “I’ll sleep a little longer.”
“The sun is shining on your butt, you can’t sleep anymore.” Tang Yi pulled him up, “Sugar, be good, dad steamed your favorite little buns this morning, if you don’t get up, I won’t leave you any.”
Yun Fang opened his eyes with difficulty, “You two go eat, don’t mind me.”
“What kind of talk is that.” Tang Yi slapped him, not knowing whether to laugh and a cry, “So rude.”
(TL: 没大没小-show no respect for one's elders)
“By the way, didn’t you say before that Xiao Yi doesn’t have winter clothes and asked me to bring back two sets? While you have time, you should hurry up and send them to him.” Tang Yi directly lifted his quilt.
Yun Fang finally yawned and crawled out of the bed.
Tang Yi looked at him with a mocking expression.
“…It’s not what you think.” Yun Fang said expressionlessly.
Tang Yi looked enlightened, “Oh, it wasn’t you who went shopping with him, it wasn’t you who sent him home, it wasn’t you who stayed at his house, and it wasn’t you who sent him clothes.”
Yun Fang: “…This question is very difficult for me to explain to you.”
“I also find this question very difficult to understand.” Tang Yi patted his head lovingly.
Yun Heyu came in from the bedroom door with a spatula, not knowing how long he had been eavesdropping outside, “Sugar, Dad still insists on the old principle, if there is a good object, we should take it first, it seems quite difficult for you to find an object in the future…that Xiao Yi–”
“Let’s just eat buns.” Yun Fang showed a tired smile.
On the last day of December, Yun Fang came to Yi Chenliang’s small courtyard with a big bag of things.
Yi Chenliang was wearing a thin gray sweatshirt, a pair of washed white jeans, a pair of flip-flops, a cigarette in his mouth, a head of hair that looked like a chicken coop from sleep, sweeping the yard in the biting cold wind.
The big iron gate was not locked, and the first thing Yun Fang saw when he pushed the door open was such a strange sight.
Yi Chenliang heard the sound and looked up, and in an instant, he and Yun Fang looked at each other, and the cigarette in his mouth dropped to the ground with a clatter.