Chapter 202: Getting Acquainted

The next three days were exam time, and Lin Fang had a relaxed time. She made Rou Qiu memorize the review notes she had prepared. Compared to Lin Fang’s ease, Rou Qiu had a tough time, but he didn’t resist. After all, Lin Fang was doing it for his own good. He didn’t have to worry about his future job prospects, but scoring too poorly would be embarrassing, wouldn’t it?

Three days passed, and as usual, Rou Qiu folded the review notes that had tormented him into paper airplanes. Just as he was about to toss them into the sky out of habit, he suddenly remembered something and quickly unfolded them. With his chubby hands, he carefully smoothed them out and stored them away one by one. “Heh, who knows? Maybe someone will ask for them again someday, and I’ll have something to show.” A few days ago, Teacher Qiu had asked him where Lin Fang’s old outlines were, and thinking back to his reply, it had been downright shameful.

In the afternoon, Lin Fang left the exam hall half an hour early and waited near Chen Dong’s classroom to ask if she was going home and if she needed anything brought along. Even though the answer was always the same, Lin Fang insisted on doing this. Her mother had said it was to let Chen Dong know that someone cared about her, so her heart wouldn’t grow too cold.

Chen Dong probably understood Lin Fang’s intentions, but for some reason, she seemed to deliberately avoid her. Every Friday after school, she would leave early, and no one knew where she went. If Lin Fang was late leaving school, she wouldn’t be able to find her.

Lin Fang waited until the exam was over and almost all of Chen Dong’s classmates had left, but there was still no sign of Chen Dong. Gathering her courage, Lin Fang peeked into the classroom. Apart from the invigilator organizing the exam papers, there wasn’t a single student left. Lin Fang asked, “Teacher Zhou, I’ve been waiting outside the classroom. Why haven’t I seen Chen Dong from our village come out?”

“Oh, you might have come too late. Chen Dong handed in her paper early today—she left about halfway through the exam,” replied Teacher Zhou, who was also Chen Dong’s homeroom teacher.

Lin Fang was surprised. “That fast? Was the last exam math?”

Teacher Zhou smiled. “Yes.”

That explained it. Chen Dong struggled with other subjects but was sharp in math. Since childhood, she had competed with Lin Fang, and their math scores had always been neck and neck. If Lin Fang hadn’t repeated a grade, who knew which of them would have come out on top?

After bidding farewell to Teacher Zhou, Lin Fang went to Chen Dong’s dormitory. As expected, she wasn’t there. All she saw was a folded plastic bag placed neatly on the bed. It was the same bag Lin Fang had used to pack persimmon-flavored steamed buns for her, printed with the name of a certain garment factory—the same one where Lin Tuo had bought defective clothes for Lin Fang. Chen Dong was telling Lin Fang: “Take what you brought and leave. Don’t wait for me.”

Outside Lin Fang’s dormitory, Rou Qiu was straddling his motorcycle, legs dragging on the ground as he scooted forward and backward without revving the engine—just killing time. When he saw Lin Fang return, he immediately shouted, “Where’ve you been? I’ve been waiting forever!”

As she walked into the dormitory, Lin Fang replied, “You know exactly where I was. Don’t play dumb.”

Of course, Rou Qiu knew Lin Fang had gone looking for Chen Dong, but he didn’t understand her persistence. She knew Chen Dong wouldn’t go home, yet she still asked every time. Wasn’t that redundant? Besides, Rou Qiu wasn’t fond of Chen Dong. While he acknowledged her difficult life and pitied her, they had fought more than once. Despite his size being more than double hers, he wasn’t as agile or ruthless, so he always ended up worse off.

If they kept talking about this, they’d end up arguing. Not wanting to upset Lin Fang, Rou Qiu changed the subject. “The cafeteria made sugar pancakes today. I bought two for Yuan Yuan. The little guy will be thrilled. It’s been almost a month since I last saw him—I wonder if he still remembers me.”

Lin Fang said, “He’s so young. A few days apart, and he’ll get shy around strangers. He’s probably forgotten you. But Yuan Yuan can say ‘uncle’ now.”

Rou Qiu beamed. “Really? That’s great! Finally, someone calls me uncle!” The moment he said it, Lin Fang burst out laughing.

The Guo family was a large clan in Yiping Village, making up nearly half the population. Rou Qiu’s ancestors had been the wealthiest among them. Wealthy families married early and had children early, so generation after generation, compared to poorer families, people of the same age ended up with lower seniority. Unfortunately, Rou Qiu was the lowest in seniority. Even a newborn baby might be his “grandpa.” Now that little Yuan Yuan could call him “uncle,” he was overjoyed—even if Yuan Yuan’s surname was Lin.

After packing up, Lin Fang climbed onto the motorcycle and slapped Rou Qiu’s fleshy back. “Head to the Gu Shu Fan Xin Bookstore!”

Rou Qiu was confused. “Huh?”

Lin Fang explained, “Since we’re riding a motorcycle home, we’re faster than everyone else. Let’s use the time to stop by the bookstore. I want to finish the book I was reading last time, or it’ll keep nagging at me.”

Rou Qiu shook his head. “Man, the bookstore owner’s unlucky to have you eyeing his books—reading without buying.”

Lin Fang smacked him hard. “Let’s go! Stop shouting—you want the whole world to know or what?”

At the bookstore entrance, Rou Qiu went to park the motorcycle while Lin Fang went inside. The store was quiet and nearly empty. Lin Fang headed straight for the shelf with the book she’d been reading, found it, sat down, and flipped to the page where she’d left off.

“Child, is this book interesting?”

The voice was familiar. Looking up, Lin Fang saw the old man from last time sitting across from her. She smiled and greeted him, “Grandpa, you’re here to read too? What a coincidence.”

The old man chuckled. “Not a coincidence. This bookstore is mine. If you come, you’ll definitely run into me.”

“Ah? Oh…” Lin Fang didn’t know how to respond. He already recognized her, and her actions were obvious—she was clearly here to read for free. It felt like being caught red-handed, and she grew uneasy.

The old man noticed her discomfort and laughed. “Haha, worried I won’t let you read for free, eh?”

Lin Fang grinned sheepishly in admission.

The old man shook his head with a smile. “Don’t worry. I opened this bookstore so people could read. If no one reads, what’s the point? Might as well close up shop.”

Relieved, Lin Fang relaxed but remained curious. “But this is a bookstore, not a library. If people only read and don’t buy, won’t you lose money? Whether you own or rent this place, there are costs.”

The old man chuckled. “You’re an interesting kid, thinking so much. I didn’t open this place to make money. I have the original versions of all these books. I just thought it was a waste for me to read them alone. But I didn’t want to display the originals in case they got damaged or lost, so I printed copies to sell. Whether people read or buy them is up to fate. I don’t rely on these books for income—I have other ways to make money.”

Lin Fang was impressed. “Oh, I see. You’re really noble.”

The old man laughed. “As young folks these days say, I’m just a fool losing money for applause.”

They were chatting happily when Rou Qiu barged in and urged, “Lin Fang, did you find the book? Hurry up! The wind’s picking up. If we wait any longer, the weather might turn bad.”

His loud voice made Lin Fang self-conscious again. She glared at him. “Why are you shouting? You want everyone to know I’m reading for free?” Then she turned to the old man. “This is my friend. We came together.”

The old man’s expression turned odd, as if he were seeing Lin Fang for the first time. “Your name is Lin Fang?”

Lin Fang was puzzled. “Yes, my name is Lin Fang. Is that strange?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” the old man quickly shook his head. “I have a niece named Lin Fang too, so when your friend called your name, I was curious.”

Lin Fang smiled. “Oh, I see. It’s a common name—nothing strange about sharing it.”

The old man nodded. “True. Every child’s name carries their parents’ hopes. What’s the story behind yours?”

Lin Fang replied, “There is and isn’t one. My dad said before I was born, my mom picked several beautiful, unique names. But after I was born with congenital issues, she changed her mind and gave me this ordinary name, hoping I’d grow up healthy like any other girl. Names like ‘Fang,’ ‘Flower,’ or ‘Fragrance’ are pretty common for girls, haha.”

The old man’s expression turned serious. “You said you had congenital issues. What kind?”

Lin Fang touched her face self-consciously. “Congenital heart disease. See? Poor blood circulation—makes me look ugly.”

The old man studied her face closely and muttered, “It really does.”

Rou Qiu grew impatient. “Hey, are you gonna read or not? If not, let’s go. If the weather turns bad, riding the motorcycle will be miserable.”

He had a point. Though Lin Fang didn’t feel particularly weak now, she had been frail before. It was better to be careful—if something happened, her family would suffer. She quickly stood up. “Alright, let’s go home then. Goodbye, Grandpa.” She returned the book to the shelf and followed Rou Qiu out.

Just as they stepped outside, the old man rushed after them, holding the book Lin Fang had been reading. He handed it to her and said, “Lin Fang, if you like it, take it home. There’s my business card inside. If you need anything, you can contact me.”

Lin Fang shook her head. “I’ll come back to read it next time. I’m afraid I’ll damage it. Besides, aren’t you worried I won’t return it?”

The old man laughed. “If that happens, then I misjudged you.”

Rou Qiu took the book from the old man and shoved it into Lin Fang’s hands. “Come on, if the grandpa says take it, take it. You can exchange it for another when you’re done. Quit the back-and-forth—it’ll be dark soon.”

Lin Fang sighed. This guy had no shame—talking about exchanging books like they were his own ragged comic books.

At this point, further refusal would seem insincere. Lin Fang took the book gratefully. “Thank you, Grandpa. I’ll return it when I’m done.”

The old man gazed at her intently, making Lin Fang feel increasingly strange. Just as she was about to ask if something was wrong, he spoke. “I may look old, but I’m actually not even fifty yet. From now on, call me Uncle Cheng. My name is Lin Guicheng—same surname as you.”

Lin Guicheng? Why did that name sound familiar?

Before Lin Fang could think further, Rou Qiu urged her to hurry. She thanked the old man again and followed Rou Qiu to the motorcycle.

Behind them, the man who called himself Lin Guicheng wore a complex expression as he watched Lin Fang’s retreating figure. Even after she turned the corner and disappeared from sight, he remained rooted in place for a long time.