Winter Returns

Chapter 227 Chain Reaction (Part 1)

12 month 27 day.

The new year is approaching.

Xu Zhiruo put on her furry gloves and strode forward on the winter morning.

At 7:20, there were only five minutes left before morning reading began. It takes at least ten minutes to walk from home to school, so it seems that even taking long strides won't be enough; I'll have to jog.

In the misty morning air, the girl's figure was like a nimble little deer. She ran out of the alley, onto the road, and past the street breakfast stalls, stopping in front of each steaming pot. Even as a deer, she looked like a hungry one.

"Auntie, how long will it take?"

When passing by an egg pancake stall, Xu Zhiruo couldn't help but ask.

"There are still five ahead of you, little girl." The auntie knew her well. "A student went to buy soy milk on the other side. Shall I let you cut in line?"

"Never mind, I'm going to be late. Thank you, Auntie." Xu Zhiruo turned around reluctantly, thinking to herself that it was a pity she only had five minutes left.

Breakfast stalls often cluster together, creating a veritable maze, while a hundred meters ahead lay an open road. She was about to steel herself and sprint out—

Good morning, Auntie.

Suddenly, a little kid said something.

Xu Zhiruo turned around and saw the little boy wearing a very long down jacket, with only his feet showing, and his little face was rosy.

"Xiaoman," she beckoned to her niece, "Where's your mother? Why are you all alone?"

“Mom gets up early,” the little girl answered obediently, clutching the strap of her schoolbag. “Grandma took me to school today; she’s queuing to buy breakfast.”

"Really?" Xu Zhiruo suddenly became alert. "Then you stay where you are and don't move. Good morning, Auntie."

The girl was almost bowing deeply.

"Why are you up so late?" Teacher Xu frowned. Her coat was gray today, faded from washing, reminiscent of a withered tree in winter.

"I was chatting with friends yesterday and stayed up a little late. I'll be more careful next time." Xu Zhiruo answered obediently, but in her heart she was thinking about how to get away. Every time her aunt caught her, she would get a lecture.

"Have you got a meal yet?"

Teacher Xu was carrying two bags of steamed buns.

This is the only one from which there is no escape!

As Xu Zhiruo wolfed down her third steamed bun, she followed behind her aunt, while her niece Xiaoman stood beside her. The three of them lined up in a row, but there were only two bags of steamed buns.

"Aunt, how do you want to eat?" Xu Zhiruo asked tentatively.

"Speak less while eating, so you don't catch a chill later." This was another stern reprimand.

Xu Zhiruo thought to herself, "Auntie, you're quite the proud one." Just then, Xiaoman tugged at her trouser leg and pointed longingly at the bun in her hand, indicating that she was craving it—her share was being carried by her grandmother and she would have to wait until she got to school to eat it.

Xu Zhiruo secretly pinched out a steamed bun and handed it to her. The little girl immediately beamed with joy and was about to thank her when Xu Zhiruo quickly shushed her and looked guiltily at what was in front of her.

Teacher Xu was slowly pushing a bicycle.

"Auntie, don't you usually cook at home? You said the meat filling in the steamed buns from the street isn't good?" Xu Zhiruo was a restless person. "Why did you bring Xiaoman out to eat today?"

"I have a bit of a cold and I overslept."

"Oh, please be careful then..."

Xiaoman whispered behind her back:

"Grandma went to the library to look for something after school yesterday and forgot to wear her coat."

"Ok?"

"There's a case at school recently, Auntie."

"What case?" She knew her niece liked watching Detective Conan, but she didn't take it seriously and just lazily kept her company.

"Don't tell you."

Xu Zhiruo was both amused and exasperated, but she was used to it. Since ancient times, detectives, regardless of age or gender, have all enjoyed keeping people in suspense.
"Fine, fine, I don't want to know anyway."

The little girl said earnestly:
"I'm not trying to keep you in suspense, it's just too dangerous. You'll have to wait until you grow up to find out."

Xu Zhiruo almost laughed in anger:
"Am I not grown up yet?"

"You're not considered grown up until your hair grows long," Xiaoman said, pointing to her short hair.

"Uh," Xu Zhiruo couldn't keep up with the child's train of thought either, "I've never always had this hairstyle, is this a new line I learned from an animated film?"

"For now, you can understand it this way." Xiaoman nodded mysteriously.

Xu Zhiruo was itching to snatch the steamed bun from her hand when Teacher Xu said:
"Zhiruo, are you very familiar with that student in my class named Zhang Shutong?"

Xu Zhiruo was taken aback, thinking to herself, "Auntie, you actually have a gossipy side now?" But she couldn't just say things like that; she might be happy to say it, but others might not.
"We're not that close, what happened to him?"

"Grandma suspects he's having a puppy love affair." Xiaoman truly has detective potential; every sentence she uttered was spot-on.

Xu Zhiruo blinked, almost wondering if she was hallucinating:

"Him? In a puppy love relationship?"

"Xiaoman."

"Okay." Xiaoman obediently shut up.

"What's Zhang Shutong like outside of school?" Teacher Xu asked. "I mean, his character."

"He's...he's doing alright, I guess." Heaven knows how Brother Wood is doing, Xu Zhiruo said cautiously, afraid of saying the wrong word.

Have you seen him getting very close to other girls?

Have you seen me? Xu Zhiruo was stumped by the question, thinking to herself, I've seen you more than just once, I see you practically every day!
But my aunt doesn't teach Qiu Mian's class, so why would she care about this?

"It's with an older girl in my class," Xiaoman whispered again. "Grandma was saying last night that she was going to change their seats..." "Xiaoman!"

Xiaoman turned around and went to eat her steamed buns. Xu Zhiruo suddenly realized:

"Don't worry, he would never date a girl in his class."

Once she knew what had happened, she relaxed and specifically emphasized the word "class".

"Speak clearly."

“Zhang is a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to puppy love, and as far as I know,” she assured him, “he’s getting close to a girl from another class, so you don’t have to worry.”

Teacher Xu frowned but didn't say anything more.

When the three of them arrived at the school gate, Teacher Xu remained silent. She glanced at the time, and Xu Zhiruo hurriedly said:
"Aunt, you have a cold, so please go upstairs first. I'll take Xiaoman over there."

The junior high school is right next to the elementary school.

"I'll watch her finish breakfast outside the classroom." Actually, she'd already eaten on the way. "But could you please ask my homeroom teacher for a leave of absence?"

"You silly girl." Teacher Xu shook her head, pushed the bike into the bike shed, and said, "Come back quickly."

Xu Zhiruo held Xiaoman's hand:

"What else would you like to eat? I'll take you across the street to buy it..."

"Wow, Sister Sheep!" Xiaoman suddenly pointed to a car, and a pair of boots stepped out of the car.

"What did you just call me?" The boots approached quickly, Gu Qiumian glared at them, and went up to pinch her little face.

"Well, my aunt told me to call him that..."

"No."

Xu Zhiruo turned and ran.

After playing around for a while, they led the little girl toward the neighboring primary school. There was a connecting path between the middle school and the primary school, paved with red bricks. The fog was so thick that even the boots they were wearing were barely visible. They walked slowly, and the crisp sound of their heels was also hidden in the fog.

Gu Qiumian said slowly and deliberately:
"You're not allowed to learn from your aunt anymore, do you hear me?"

"I heard you." Xiaoman nodded, secretly glancing at her schoolbag, where there was a delicious chocolate hidden.

"No." Gu Qiumian deliberately wrinkled her nose. "Who told you to always call me Sister Sheep?"

"Auntie Sheep!"

Gu Qiu Mian moved her lips, then finally pulled out a bag of biscuits, sighed, and rubbed her forehead.

“By the way, Qiu Mian,” Xu Zhiruo said, “my aunt just asked me about my senior.”

"What's wrong with him now?"

"I guess you're going to cause trouble for him. I just had a misunderstanding at Christmas, and you almost misunderstood, so I definitely have to say a few good words for him."

"Really?" Gu Qiumian casually asked, rummaging through the chocolates in her backpack. "So, you covered for him?"

"Of course!" Xu Zhiruo had intended to say, but the words caught in her throat, and she smiled mysteriously.
"You can understand it this way for now."

……

"What's this?" Mom asked, pointing to the universal charger on the wall.

"Batteries."

"Your phone doesn't seem to have this kind of battery, does it?"

"Oh, I filled it for Lu Qinglian," Zhang Shutong said casually.

"Has it already become a friendship where we help each other recharge?" Mom clapped her hands in praise.

What kind of weird metaphor is this?

Zhang Shutong was still thinking about this problem on her way to school.

It was another day of walking to school.

Breakfast was an egg pancake. After telling the vendor, he went to buy soy milk on the other side. He had just gotten the milk when he returned and quickly finished it on the way. The fog was thick today, and when he arrived at the school gate, Zhang Shutong seemed to see Gu Qiumian's back.

However, he was just seeing things in the elementary school.

The visibility was too low today, so Zhang Shutong didn't run to school and didn't break a sweat, so his deskmate probably wouldn't mind.

But that's not right either.

As Zhang Shutong stepped onto the stairs, he thought that starting today, he would have a new deskmate.

Yesterday's incident was eventually resolved through negotiation, but the homeroom teacher insisted on separating the two of them. Zhang Shutong didn't have much of a reaction to this, but he felt that discussing certain matters wouldn't be as convenient as before.

I had no choice but to move around more during breaks.

I went home right after dinner last night and didn't stay out for long. My senior asked someone to contact the alumni of that year's photography club. But then another question arose: photos from five years later proved that the man in the basement was still investigating the clay figure and had made new progress. But where was he then?

Before going to bed, he flipped through some documents and chatted with Qingyi for a while. He went to bed late and got up late as well. When Zhang Shutong went up to the fourth floor, he did not hear the orderly morning reading.

The homeroom teacher was holding a morning meeting in the classroom. He listened for a while and realized they were indeed talking about puppy love. Fortunately, he wasn't singled out as an example, but the teacher's words carried a warning tone:
"...A few classmates in our class are showing signs of early romantic relationships. I won't name names here, but some people shouldn't think I don't know..."

This is a typical "cast a wide net" tactic, and I wonder how many people are feeling uneasy about it.

He arrived at just the right time, just as Teacher Xu finished her meeting and the sound of morning reading began. Some people took the opportunity to get a drink of water or go to the restroom. Amidst the noise, Zhang Shutong walked to his seat, ready to see who his new deskmate was:

"Uh……

Zhang Shutong put down his schoolbag:
"Good morning, Lu Qinglian."

(End of this chapter)