TopAppnovel Chapter 54 A Young Girl Growing Up
Chapter 54 A Young Girl Growing Up
To be honest, when Lu Yuan saw the troubled look on Ye Yixian's face, his heart clenched immediately, and he subconsciously worried that she had encountered some kind of trouble.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yuan stepped forward and asked softly.
She was full of concern, but dared not show it too directly, so she had to deliberately restrain her emotions, which was quite a test of her acting skills.
"Well……"
Ye Yixian's lips trembled, and after stammering for a long time, he couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
"I'd like to ask Yixian to come with me to the food street tomorrow," Wang Qingyu said with a smile, breaking the ice.
"A food street?"
Lu Yuan looked up at Ye Yixian, his gaze questioning, wanting to confirm if this was the case.
Meeting Lu Yuan's gaze, Ye Yixian secretly gave him a helpless look, her expression awkward and conflicted.
Lu Yuan understood instantly.
Wang Qingyu is simple-minded and comes from a wealthy family. Her parents have always been willing to spend money on her, and she has never truly experienced the difficulties of a frugal life.
She only knew that Ye Yixian came from an ordinary family, but she had no idea that this "ordinary" family background was already impoverished to the core.
In Wang Qingyu's mind, being from a poor family meant at most not being able to afford expensive ingredients like lobster, sea cucumber, and bird's nest.
She couldn't imagine that Ye Yixian had almost no pocket money.
For others, strolling through the food street is a pastime and amusement, but for Ye Yixian, it's nothing but torture.
A dazzling array of snacks, but you can only look and not buy, which only stirs up a strong craving in your heart.
The most awkward thing is that Wang Qingyu will definitely buy all kinds of snacks. While everyone else is enjoying themselves, is she just going to stand there and watch?
But if she ate with them, she would have no choice but to mooch off Wang Qingyu.
Ye Yixian's deep-seated pride made him resist such a scene from the bottom of his heart.
She wanted to refuse outright, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Wang Qingyu is the first same-sex friend she has had since entering high school, with whom she can go to and from get out of class together and go to the cafeteria together.
Having been lonely for far too long, she simply couldn't bear to lose this hard-won friendship.
"Yixian, do you already have other plans for tomorrow?" Wang Qingyu tilted her head, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"I……"
Ye Yixian remained speechless.
It's easy to make up a lie, but if it gets exposed one day, it will only make things more awkward for both of you and damage your relationship.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, she instinctively looked at Lu Yuan.
In moments of helplessness like these, Lu Yuan is always the person she instinctively wants to rely on, her eyes filled with helplessness and a hint of pleading for help.
Lu Yuan saw this and understood. He smiled gently and took the initiative to smooth things over: "It's no big deal, no problem. Gao Zhe and I were planning to go out to buy some things tomorrow anyway, so we can go together."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Wang Qingyu's eyes instantly lit up, and she almost jumped for joy. She turned to Gao Zhe excitedly, "Gao Zhe, you're coming too, right? Right? Right?"
"My brother Yuan has gone, how can I fall behind?" Gao Zhe was in a particularly good mood at this moment.
I just finished the exam and I feel like I did pretty well. It's the first time I've felt so relaxed and comfortable after an exam.
He still remembered the pocket notebook Wang Qingyu had given him, and immediately said generously, "That pocket notebook you gave me is really useful. I'll treat you to something to eat tomorrow as a proper thank you."
"You specially treated me to something to eat?" Wang Qingyu stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief, as if she were dreaming. Her tone was full of excitement, "Great! I know a place on the food street that sells super delicious candied hawthorns. I want two skewers... no, three skewers, is that okay?"
"No problem at all, eat whatever you want, we're all brothers!" Gao Zhe patted his chest and readily agreed.
He is straightforward by nature, and he considers anyone who has helped him a true friend.
In the past, it was always his male brothers who would go to great lengths for him. This was the first time a girl had taken the initiative to help him. Without realizing it, he had already categorized Wang Qingyu as one of his brothers.
"Haha, so I'm your buddy now?" Wang Qingyu was amused by his straightforward words and happily accepted the title.
Lu Yuan chuckled, turned to look at Ye Yixian who was standing awkwardly to the side, and said in a natural and gentle tone, "Perfect timing. You've helped me a lot these past few days, so I'll treat you to something to eat tomorrow as a way of thanking you."
He didn't point out Ye Yixian's financial difficulties, nor did he directly offer to lend her money. Instead, he subtly helped her out of her predicament through this natural exchange of favors.
He knew all too well that Ye Yixian was proud at this moment, and only this kind of equal exchange of favors would make her feel at ease.
Ye Yixian hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded slightly and whispered his thanks: "Then... thank you."
"Don't be so polite, we're all brothers." Lu Yuan laughed heartily, mimicking Gao Zhe's tone, which eased the awkwardness from before.
The atmosphere among the group instantly relaxed, and they chatted and laughed as they walked together toward the cafeteria.
Unbeknownst to them, Xu Lingjing and Jiang Yiqing were already standing quietly under the shade of a tree not far away, having witnessed the entire scene.
Xu Lingjing's expression was cold and stern, her aura radiating chill and an air of unapproachability. Jiang Yiqing frowned and spoke softly, "Lingjing, shall we go to the cafeteria for lunch too?"
"Eat, of course we'll eat." Xu Lingjing said casually as she walked towards the cafeteria, "We'll go to the food street tomorrow too."
"Huh? Didn't you always dislike those greasy street food snacks?"
Jiang Yiqing looked puzzled, but she knew perfectly well that Lu Yuan was the one who was after her.
Xu Lingjing's lips curled into a faint, cold smile: "If you're not going to eat, then go join the fun and watch a good show."
"A good show? What good show?" Jiang Yiqing looked blank, completely clueless.
Xu Lingjing only gave a forced smile, her tone meaningful: "It's nothing, you'll find out when the time comes, just wait and see."
……
The next day, the sky was overcast and gloomy, and a strong wind howled through the streets and alleys, filling the air with a sense of impending storm.
"Judging from the sky, it looks like it's going to rain," Gao Zhe murmured softly, looking up at the gray sky.
"Then we need to hurry and finish shopping as soon as possible. If we get caught in the rain on the way, we'll all be soaked to the bone."
Lu Yuan urged Gao Zhe to quicken his pace, and they walked together down to the girls' dormitory to pick up the girl.
Although the wind was strong, it was not bitingly cold.
Neither Wang Qingyu nor Ye Yixian wore coats, only simple long-sleeved T-shirts.
The dress Ye Yixian was wearing was the one Lu Yuan bought for her back then.
This was the first time she had taken off her large, heavy coat, revealing her clean and neat appearance to Lu Yuan.
Ye Yixian is tall, but too thin. If she were a little fuller, the T-shirt would definitely look even better on her.
Without the cover of her loose coat, Lu Yuan's gaze unconsciously fell on her, and he could clearly see the curves of her figure.
He suddenly remembered that at the convenience store, the owner had misunderstood Ye Yixian as stealing bread. It wasn't just because of her shabby clothes, but also because he felt that her front was bulging as if she was hiding something.
At that time, he was secretly curious about what kind of appearance would make someone suspect that he was hiding something.
Seeing it with my own eyes now, I know it truly lives up to its reputation.
Despite her slender and delicate figure, she possesses the full curves of a young, innocent girl in her early twenties, unaffected by her weight or body shape, with every curve present.
Lu Yuan was secretly surprised. He hadn't expected that Ye Yixian, who looked so aloof and slender, would have such an undeniable figure. A few wild thoughts began to cross his mind.
Ye Yixian keenly sensed that Lu Yuan's gaze was fixed on her. A hint of embarrassment and annoyance flashed through her heart at first, but when she met his calm eyes, that awkwardness inexplicably dissipated.
Instead of getting angry, her cheeks flushed, her heart started racing, and her ears turned a deep blush.
"Let's hurry up and get going! Let's finish our sightseeing and head back before the rain starts. Getting caught in the rain this time of year makes it easy to catch a cold."
Wang Qingyu carried an adorable bear backpack and wore large round-framed glasses, looking charming and lively.
She even deliberately stood close to Gao Zhe's line of sight, carefully dressed up, hoping to leave a better impression on him.
Unfortunately, Gao Zhe was too carefree and didn't notice her little scheme at all.
Taking advantage of the fact that the wind and rain had not yet intensified, the group left the school gate and headed straight for the bustling food street.
Even though everyone could see that heavy rain was coming, it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the street vendors to do business, nor could it stop the students with a sweet tooth from seeking out delicious food.
"I want those skewers, yes, the big ones!" As soon as she reached the candied hawthorn stall, Wang Qingyu excitedly pointed to her favorite skewers, looked up at Gao Zhe, and said, "I can't reach them, could you help me get them?"
"Little dwarf."
Gao Zhe made a casual joke, complaining on the surface, but his hands were quick to help her take down all the candied hawthorns.
Despite being bluntly teased about her short stature, Wang Qingyu wasn't annoyed at all; instead, she felt a sweet sense of being indulged.
She picked out four skewers in total, and Gao Zhe naturally paid the bill.
A string of these costs five yuan, which isn't exactly cheap.
"Gao Zhe, this is yours; Yi Xian, this is yours; and Lu Yuan, this is yours too." Wang Qingyu smiled as she distributed the candied hawthorns to everyone one by one.
Ye Yixian hesitated at first, feeling embarrassed to reach out and take it. Lu Yuan gave her a subtle look, indicating that she should accept it and not be so reserved.
She still had reservations; she felt indebted to others for their kindness but was unable to reciprocate, which left her feeling uneasy.
But considering the atmosphere and not wanting to spoil everyone's fun, he had no choice but to reach out and take it.
Currently, the variety of candied hawthorn skewers in Jiangcheng is limited to pure hawthorn, far from the diverse options that will emerge later, such as strawberry, apple, kiwi, and orange flavors.
Lu Yuan secretly thought that if he weren't focused on his studies, he could work with Gao Yuan to come up with some new ways to make candied hawthorns. With their novel designs, they might even be able to earn some pocket money.
Ye Yixian had never eaten candied hawthorn before, and his bite was somewhat clumsy and awkward.
Lu Yuan gently taught her how to eat it, and she gradually got used to it, no longer making a mess of her face covered in sugar stains.
The group strolled leisurely along the street, with Wang Qingyu and Gao Zhe taking turns buying various snacks and generously sharing them with everyone. They walked and stopped frequently, and just from the food the two of them bought, they were almost full.
As Ye Yixian walked, he suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on an ordinary steamed bun shop not far away. He stared blankly into space, a hint of melancholy rising in his eyes.
Lu Yuan followed her gaze and saw that it was just an ordinary steamed bun shop that could be found anywhere on the street, nothing special.
"Want some?" Lu Yuan softened his tone and asked softly.
Ye Yixian's expression was complicated, with a hint of nostalgia and unease in her eyes. She murmured softly, "My brother used to buy this for me. I remember it tasted just like this."
"Your brother..."
Lu Yuan suddenly realized that the scene had stirred up his emotions, and the sight of the object reminded him of the person.
He has never met Ye Yixian's family.
Without asking any further questions, Lu Yuan simply took out twenty yuan and handed it to her, saying gently, "Go buy it if you want to eat it."
Ye Yixian looked at the extra twenty yuan in her palm, then looked up at Lu Yuan. Her nose suddenly stung, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. She almost couldn't hold back her tears.
After a long while, she finally suppressed her surging emotions and said softly, "Wait here for me for a while, I'll buy it and we can eat together."
"Okay." Lu Yuan nodded gently and stood quietly in place to wait.
A faint smile appeared in Ye Yixian's eyes as she jogged lightly toward the steamed bun shop.
Lu Yuan watched her retreating figure quietly, a strange tenderness welling up in his heart.
Ye Yixian, who is usually aloof and taciturn and rarely smiles, has a particularly clean and charming smile with her eyes crinkling.
He was engrossed in watching when, in the next second, something unexpected happened.
A strange young man suddenly shoved Ye Yixian away violently, his tone harsh and sarcastic: "This money, you stole it again, didn't you?"