I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 224. Were the flowers not for me?
For the next two days, since his parents weren't home, Xu Qingfan simply didn't bother cooking and took Xia Xiaoxiao and Lin Jing out to eat for two days.

Yao Jinping called home several times along the way, not only to let him know she was safe, but also to tell him that she and her husband wouldn't be coming back for the New Year, and that Xu Qingfan should take a bus back to Chuxi Village for dinner on New Year's Eve.

New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye. Last year at this time, Xu Aiguo gave Lin Jing and Xia Xiaoxiao a ride home, but this year it was obviously impossible.

After their lunch break, the three of them went to Guagreen Square to wait for the bus.

Perhaps because the next day is Valentine's Day, the square was still bustling even though today is Lunar New Year's Eve.

There were over a hundred vendors selling roses at the street stalls.

If you're socially adept enough, you can hear hundreds of "handsome guy, pretty girl" shouts from one end of the street to the other.

"Handsome, your girlfriend is really beautiful. Buy her a bouquet of flowers!"

"Handsome guy, are you buying flowers or not? They're so beautiful!"

Xia Xiaoxiao walked to Xu Qingfan's right, looking at the roses on the stall with some anticipation. Although it was just a very ordinary red rose, the girl would still be happy to accept it if someone was willing to give it to her.

"Hey handsome, buy a bouquet of flowers. I won't accept your expensive ones. This huge bouquet is only 88!"

Xu Qingfan glanced at the person who was shouting and thought to himself, "You practically have the word 'profiteer' written all over your face. You dare to sell a dozen roses for eighty-eight yuan."

Xia Xiaoxiao clearly wanted it, but she wouldn't stoop to let that stinky dog ​​deliver it.

[Take it or leave it!]
Just as they were about to reach the bus stop, Xia Xiaoxiao thought Xu Qingfan wouldn't buy flowers, but he suddenly stopped in a small corner where flowers were being sold.

"How much is this, boss?" Xu Qingfan asked, pointing to a bunch of pink roses.

"Brother, this flower costs 58 yuan," a little girl said loudly.

Seeing that Xu Qingfan was squatting on the ground and did not reply immediately, the girl thought he thought it was too expensive and did not want to buy it, so she immediately helped him bargain, saying: "Brother, if you think it's too expensive, 55 or 50 yuan is fine too, and I'll even give you a rose!"

Xia Xiaoxiao was secretly delighted. She loved pink flowers the most, and the stinky dog ​​must have bought them for her. As for why he didn't buy any earlier, it was because they only sold red roses there!

[Red roses are so ugly, they're not pretty at all. Pink ones are much prettier!]
"Who is Xiaofan going to buy flowers for?" Lin Jing glanced at her daughter and asked meaningfully.

Xia Xiaoxiao maintained perfect control over her expression, keeping a blank face and not saying a word.

But her silence actually betrayed her; normally, a girl in this situation would say something to complain about Xu Qingfan.

"58 it is, I'll take this rose." He patted the little girl's head and took out a fifty-yuan note and a ten-yuan note from his wallet.

"No, it's fifty, brother, it's your money!" The little girl just took the fifty-yuan note and left the ten-yuan note behind.

"Then can I buy something else?" He put ten yuan on the stall, took the flowers, and then picked up two red roses from the side and left.

The little girl was stunned for a moment, and by the time she came to her senses, the three of them had already walked seven or eight meters away.

"Brother, there's another one for you!" The little girl ran out after taking the rose.

"That one is for you." Xu Qingfan waved his hand without turning around, his back to her.

Xia Xiaoxiao turned around and saw the little girl, who was only eight or nine years old, standing there blankly. She couldn't help but feel annoyed.

[All he does is flirt with young girls!]
However, upon thinking that Xu Qingfan was going to give her pink roses, the girl put her unpleasantness out of her mind again.

"Ahem~ Who are you buying flowers for?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked him casually after the three of them arrived at the bus stop.

"Who else could it be? Of course it is."

"I don't want your flowers!" Xia Xiaoxiao interrupted Xu Qingfan before he could finish speaking, speaking in a haughty tone.

"Why would I send you flowers for no reason? Of course, they're for your aunt! Pink roses symbolize gentleness and elegance. I wish you, Aunt, will be treated gently by time and stay young forever." "What!"

"Huh? It's for me?"

Both mother and daughter were filled with astonishment, but Xia Xiaoxiao's expression was a mixture of anger and disbelief, while Lin Jing's was a mixture of surprise and emotion.

"Of course it's for you, Auntie, to thank you for taking care of me all these years. My mom is so unreliable, if it weren't for you, would I have grown into such a handsome and dashing man?"

"Shameless." Xia Xiaoxiao pouted and muttered softly.

"Hehehe~ Thank you for the flowers, Xiao Fan, Auntie." Lin Jing was obviously very happy. She accepted the roses Xu Qingfan gave her with a bright smile and even took a sniff.

The bus arrived shortly afterward, and the three boarded and sat down in the empty seats at the back.

These old-fashioned buses have a female conductor who comes on board to collect money and buy tickets. The seats are peeling soft cushions, with yellow foam peeking out from the corners, probably because some scoundrel pulled out a small piece. They're a bit uncomfortable to sit on.

Xia Xiaoxiao sat by the window, turning her head away unhappily to look at the scenery outside. Through the fully open car window, the wind lashed against the girl's face.

Lin Jing sat down between them, holding the roses Xu Qingfan had just given her, beaming with joy.

Not long after the flight attendant came up to collect the money, Lin Jing asked curiously, "Xiao Fan, why did you think of buying flowers there?"

“Oh, you mean this? Her parents are probably both deaf and mute. I’ve been observing them for a while now. The little girl had cochlear implant surgery and is the only one in their family who can speak.” Xu Qingfan then told the two of them about how he noticed they were communicating in sign language.

Xia Xiaoxiao glanced back at the stinky dog, clearly surprised that he could observe so carefully.

[So you bought the flowers out of sympathy for her, but that's no excuse for only sending flowers to Mom and not me!]
"I didn't even notice until you pointed it out. No wonder only that little girl was talking when we were buying flowers. I should have bought more." Lin Jing suddenly felt a little sorry for the other girl's situation.

"Just be true to yourself. Licheng is undergoing land acquisition and demolition everywhere. Maybe that little girl's house will be demolished in a few years, and she'll be richer than you, Auntie."

"Hehehe~ That's good too."

"Hmph~" Xia Xiaoxiao turned her head to look out the window again.

[All he does is chat with his mom. He has two roses in his hand, but he won't give me a single one!!]
The girl had clearly forgotten that she had just said the red roses were terribly ugly.

To be honest, holding two roses in his hand was quite inconvenient. After thinking for a moment, he handed them to Xia Xiaoxiao: "Here you go. I don't know what the meaning of red roses is. I wish you happiness every day and success in your studies."

"Tch~ I could easily get plenty of roses for myself." Xia Xiaoxiao nonchalantly accepted the two roses.

"Auntie, did you hear that? Xia Xiaoxiao has a tendency to fall in love too early!"

"You stinking Xu Qingfan, stop spouting nonsense!"

"Oh dear, oh dear~ I've made it sound like I'm slandering you again."

"Every single one of those flowers that people put in my drawer ends up in the trash!"

"Who knows?"

"you!"

Lin Jing covered her mouth and chuckled silently in the middle, while adding fuel to the fire by saying, "Xiao Fan, what else do you know? Tell Auntie everything."

"There are many!"

"You're not allowed to tell!"

"Hahaha"

(End of this chapter)