I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 514. Be a man of responsibility.
After breakfast, Zhang Chunxue excused herself to rinse her mouth. When she returned, she had changed out of her pajamas into a casual sweater with a more homey style.

After Xu Qingfan quickly cleaned up the kitchen and put the dishes in the dishwasher, he came out to find that the auntie from Pajama Play was gone.

He showed no sign of disappointment. Xu Qingfan had always respected his aunt as his own mother and had no ulterior motives.

Zhang Chunxue leaned lazily against the back of her chair, her long legs casually crossed on the sofa. Zhang Yiyi rested her head on her mother's lap and waved to Xu Qingfan when she saw him come out.

“Let’s play games together, brother.” Zhang Yiyi pointed to his calves, indicating that he should lie down on them like he did.

The TV screen had somehow switched to Nintendo's Super Mario, with red, yellow, and pink Mario characters poised to launch from the starting line.

"It's not good for your stomach to lie down right after eating, and you too, Auntie, you'll complain of stomach pain again later."

Xu Qingfan walked over and pulled Zhang Yiyi up from the sofa. To Zhang Chunxue's surprise, he turned her from lying on her side into a proper sitting position.

Zhang Chunxue smiled as she stared into his eyes and said, "I told you it's not good to lie down, see? You got lectured by Xiao Fan."

"It was clearly my mother who pulled me to lie down." Zhang Yiyi, a mother who loves her child dearly, betrayed his mother without hesitation.

Xu Qingfan sat down between the two, took one of the handles from Zhang Yiyi's hand, and slapped each of them on the thigh.

"Stop shifting blame. Everyone's at fault. Whoever dies first will be punished with squats." He controlled his red Mario and charged out first.

"Heh~ I was playing Super Mario before you guys were even born!" Zhang Chunxue tossed her hair, gripped the controller, and began to play the game with complete concentration.

Zhang Yi smiled without saying a word, obediently following behind the two and lying down to win.

Seeing Xu Qingfan casually put his legs up on the coffee table, Zhang Yiyi and Zhang Chunxue followed suit and put their own legs up on the coffee table as well.

I don't usually use the coffee table for drinking tea; its main purpose is to provide a place to put my feet when I'm leaning against the sofa.

Xu Qingfan has a height advantage and the longest legs; Zhang Chunxue and Zhang Yiyi are similar in height and leg length.

However, because the aunt had applied "bulingbuling" nail polish to her feet, Xu Qingfan's peripheral vision was mostly focused on the aunt's beautiful feet.

When Zhang Yi entered the game, he probably chose the easiest difficulty. He would hardly encounter any danger in the game; the biggest danger was actually to be wary of his teammates.

Xu Qingfan was very skilled at the game and could still chat with Zhang Chunxue casually, "Auntie, I asked you yesterday if you wanted to go to a hot spring for New Year's Day, but you haven't replied yet."

"Oh, I was chatting with Yi Yi last night and forgot." Zhang Chunxue patted her forehead. "I'll make sure to schedule a time later."

"Oh~ Can Mom come too?" Zhang Yiyi was so excited that she accidentally dropped her character into the pit, but she didn't care anymore.

Zhang Chunxue turned her head and smiled slightly at her, nodding and saying, "Of course I'll come."

"How about January 2nd? Let's go for a day trip and come back on the 3rd," Xu Qingfan said after thinking for a moment.

“Okay, then I’ll make sure my time is free on January 2nd.” Zhang Chunxue nodded.

"Hehe, my brother said he learned SPA and will give everyone massages later!" The little dwarf in the game was being controlled by Zhang Yiyi to jump around and crash into things.

"I... I've only learned a little bit." Meeting Zhang Chunxue's gaze, Xu Qingfan felt that his little thoughts had been completely guessed.

"Then we'll try Xiao Fan's cooking skills."

While Xu Qingfan was distracted, Zhang Chunxue picked up his character from the game and casually tossed it onto the carnivorous plant that was emerging from the sewer pipe—a simple, easy thing to do.

"Hey, Auntie, what are you doing?!" Xu Qingfan was instantly dumbfounded.

"Hahahaha!" The mother and daughter burst into laughter.

"Brother's a noob!"

"Xiao Fan is a noob!"

"You want to hurt each other, huh? Don't run away!"

"Mommy, run!"

"Don't let Xiao Fan catch you."

Around 10 o'clock, Lin Wanning, who had just woken up, was brought over by Wen Wanqing.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the aunt left Lin Wanning alone to go to work at the factory.

Since Super Mario can't be played by four people, four people have opted to stay home and watch movies instead.

The movie ended, and the morning passed quickly.

There's a CR Vanguard supermarket downstairs. Since Lin Wanning has trouble going up and down the stairs, Zhang Yiyi stayed to take care of her, leaving the grocery shopping to Xu Qingfan and Zhang Chunxue.

"Brother Qingfan, I want to eat roasted chicken wings!"

"And also braised shrimp and duck!"

"Okay, I'll buy it for you." Xu Qingfan turned around and gave Lin Wanning a doting look before walking out side by side with Zhang Chunxue.

When Xu Qingfan arrived downstairs, the female bodyguard he had met that morning was already standing guard not far away.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street in the dead of winter. Xu Qingfan looked around and only spotted two bodyguards who looked like the auntie. He didn't know where the rest of the people were hiding.

Xu Qingfan stretched out his arm and gestured with his eyes.

Zhang Chunxue smiled and readily took his arm.

"Has Xiao Fan grown taller again? He seems to have gotten quite a bit taller." Zhang Chunxue didn't wear high heels when she went out, so her height only reached Xu Qingfan's eyebrows.

"No, I didn't grow any taller in the second half of the year. I've stayed at 185cm. Maybe I've stopped growing."

"Oh, I see. Auntie was wearing casual shoes, so I look taller."

Zhang Chunxue reached out and patted his head, then said with a smile, "You haven't even turned 16 yet, how could you stop growing so soon? It just means you can't grow any taller anymore, and it's not convenient for Auntie to pat your head anymore."

"What's so difficult about that? I can just bend over."

Xu Qingfan had just bent his knees a little when Zhang Chunxue grabbed his clothes and lifted him up.

She said, "A real man can lose his head and bleed, but he cannot bend over, you know?"

Xu Qingfan thought to himself: The reason I can stand tall is because Auntie is there to protect me from the wind and rain.

“Why can’t I bend over? What’s wrong with me bending over for my mother?” he said matter-of-factly.

"Pfft, you're so cheeky!" Zhang Chunxue snapped in a second, giving his ear a playful tug.

As they approached the supermarket entrance, Xu Qingfan stopped his antics, picked up a shopping basket, and entered the supermarket with Zhang Chunxue.

"Let's choose the vegetables first, and buy the shrimp last, otherwise they'll die if we put them in the bag and take them home," he said.

"Hmm, I want to eat that leafy green with long stems, but you can't eat it," Zhang Chunxue said, counting on her fingers. "Long stems, but you can't eat it?" Xu Qingfan hesitated for a moment. "Auntie, do you mean sweet potato leaves?"

"It's not sweet potato leaves, the leaves aren't that big, it looks like... never mind, we'll find it later." Zhang Chunxue really couldn't remember what the vegetable was called, so she could only say.

Xu Qingfan found it quite amusing to see his aunt's troubled expression. His aunt, who was omnipotent in business, was completely clueless about life.

"Xiao Fan, this is it, it's called Emperor's Vegetable." After discovering the dish she wanted to eat, Zhang Chunxue pulled him over.

“Auntie, you can eat the leaf stalk. Just cut off the top.” Xu Qingfan looked at her speechlessly.

Zhang Chunxue pretended not to hear him and didn't look at him. After selecting a bunch of good-looking emperor vegetables, she pulled Xu Qingfan and continued walking forward.

The two quickly bought all the ingredients they needed for cooking and went home.

On the way back, Xu Qingfan muttered to himself, "Orleans-style baked chicken wings, emperor's vegetables in broth, braised prawns, and tomatoes."

"Oh, right, Xiao Fan," Zhang Chunxue suddenly interrupted him.

"Ok?"

"What's wrong, Auntie?" Xu Qingfan looked into Zhang Chunxue's eyes.

Zhang Chunxue withdrew her gaze and asked casually, "Didn't Xiaofan say in junior high that Wan Ning never grew up and always crawled into your bed? Now that you're in high school, does Wan Ning still crawl into your bed?"

"Uh..." Xu Qingfan never expected his aunt to do something like that, and his brain momentarily went blank.

"And Xiaoxiao, after you made up in junior high, did you have any more conflicts?" Zhang Chunxue continued to ask.

"Hehehe," Xu Qingfan chuckled awkwardly, organizing his thoughts as he replied, "We haven't argued anymore. After that incident in junior high, we probably all cherish our friendship even more, so we've been doing well ever since."

"Is it just friendship?" Zhang Chunxue turned her gaze back to him.

Without giving Xu Qingfan a chance to explain, she continued, "Xiao Fan, do you remember what I told you back then?"

"What did you say?" Xu Qingfan asked instinctively.

Zhang Chunxue pretended to think: "What did I say back then? That's right!"

"Xiao Fan, don't you think that now everyone's life revolves around you, besides studying? You're so smart, think about it carefully."

Zhang Chunxue recalled the tone of her voice at that time and recounted it.

"Oh, this is it. I've always remembered it. That's why everyone was randomly assigned to classes in high school. Now everyone has made new friends. When we were in school, we only had an hour for lunch break and a little over an hour to see each other after evening self-study. Everyone made friends, yeah."

As if to cover up his guilty conscience, Xu Qingfan said a lot.

"But it seems like everyone is becoming more and more dependent on Xiao Fan. Like just now when we were leaving, Wan Ning grabbed your arm and wouldn't let you go."

Zhang Chunxue didn't really have any other thoughts; she just wanted to know how the children's relationship was progressing so she wouldn't accidentally become a grandmother herself.

Besides that, of course I also want to watch the drama unfold!

“Wan Ning, Wan Ning, she’s been like this since she was little, I’m used to it.” In the dead of winter, Xu Qingfan felt sweat beading on his forehead.

“But I think Yi Yi is also very dependent on Xiao Fan, and Xiao Yu is probably very dependent on Xiao Fan too.” Zhang Chunxue suddenly stopped and just looked at him quietly.

[Oh no, has my aunt discovered my secret?!]
Xu Qingfan didn't understand why Zhang Chunxue suddenly brought this up, so he could only respond to her question by saying, "Everyone is just used to relying on me. Actually, I can get things done even when I'm not around. It's just that they're used to relying on me when I'm around."

Zhang Chunxue tapped her forehead three times and said, "Xiao Fan is so smart, she clearly knows that I'm not talking about dependence."

After she finished speaking, she took Xu Qingfan's hand again and started walking. The dog-like man, who was a step behind, was drenched in sweat.

"Auntie, are you trying to say that they might like me?" Xu Qingfan asked tentatively.

"Yeah." Zhang Chunxue shrugged lazily. "I don't spend much time with you guys usually, but I can still tell that Wan Ning, Xiao Xiao, Xiao Yu, and Yi Yi all like Xiao Fan, right?"

"Ruan Wen probably also has feelings for Xiao Fan, don't you think?" The aunt bluntly stated.

Xu Qingfan's Adam's apple bobbed. What did he say?
What are you saying? Are you saying that if you get Ruan Wenzha, you'll achieve a pentakill?
"I can roughly sense that everyone likes me. Auntie, to be honest, I've always been troubled because no matter who I choose, I'm afraid it will ruin the friendship we've had since childhood."

Xu Qingfan didn't dare to mistake the aunt for Xiao Ruanwen and could only say something half-truthfully.

Zhang Chunxue cast an approving glance at Xu Qingfan's honesty, saying, "Although Xiaofan and I are not related by blood, I have always treated Xiaofan as my own child, just like Yiyi."

"From a mother's perspective, of course I hope that Xiaofan can be with Yiyi and hear Xiaofan call me 'Mom' in person."

"But as I just said, Xiaofan is also my aunt's child, so I still want to respect Xiaofan's own thoughts."

Xu Qingfan felt like he was about to pee his eyes; he was genuinely moved by Zhang Chunxue's sincere feelings.

[Damn it, I even considered being a jerk, I'm no human being!]
"Auntie, I'm sorry."

For a fleeting moment, Xu Qingfan really wanted to confess all the wrong things he had done. But his survival instinct stopped him.

"I don't really know who I like. I think I like Wan Ning, Yi Yi, Xiao Yu, Xiao Xiao, and Ruan Wen, but I can't tell whether my liking for everyone is the liking for family or the liking for a man and a woman."

"I know what I'm doing is wrong, but I don't know what to do."

Xu Qingfan laid out his innermost thoughts, anticipating Zhang Chunxue's reaction: she might be stunned, angry, or bewildered.

but.

What's with that ridiculous expression on his face?!
[Haha~ You finally admitted it, didn't you? I knew Xiao Fan had this thought in mind, otherwise there would have been no need for her to ask me back in middle school!]
[No wonder he joked last time that he wanted to marry five wives!]
"Auntie?" Xu Qingfan asked cautiously.

"Ahem. Well, people's emotions are beyond their control. Auntie can't give you any advice on this. Xiao Fan, your initial intention of not wanting to ruin everyone's friendship is correct, but..."

"But... never mind, let's go back and cook."

Zhang Chunxue couldn't very well encourage Xu Qingfan to be a scumbag, could she? She wanted to say some official words about being devoted to one another, but she was afraid that he would become hesitant and timid after hearing them, so she simply kept quiet.

"No, no, but what? Auntie, please tell me quickly!" Xu Qingfan chased after her and pestered her for an answer.

"Auntie~"

"mom!"

Zhang Chunxue, unable to bear his trembling any longer, had no choice but to stop, pat him on the shoulder, and say very seriously, "But, Xiao Fan, you have to be a man with a sense of responsibility, understand?"

Xu Qingfan was filled with respect and promised, "Auntie, I will definitely listen to you and be a responsible man."

Zhang Chunxue straightened his collar and nodded in satisfaction: "That's right. Let's go back and cook. Wan Ning and Yi Yi are getting impatient."

"okay!"

(End of this chapter)