Chapter 15
After returning home, Sang Zhi immediately went to her room and grabbed a set of clean clothes to take a shower in the bathroom. She hadn’t even taken off her clothes when she suddenly remembered the skirt she had just dirtied and quickly ran back out.
Sang Zhi searched the living room and entrance area.
There was no sign of the bag.
She glanced at Sang Yan’s room; the door was open. However, there was activity in the kitchen, and she could hear him clattering around, making noises as if he was cooking something.
Haven’t we just returned from eating?
Sang Zhi silently muttered, “Such a glutton,” and then returned to her room. She immediately spotted the bag placed next to the desk.
She grabbed the bag and returned to the bathroom, using a basin to toss all the dirty clothes inside.
This was the first time Sang Zhi was doing her own laundry. She squeezed some laundry detergent, awkwardly and slowly rubbing the stained areas until everything was clean.
By the time Sang Zhi left the bathroom, almost an hour had passed.
She carried the basin and hurried to the balcony to hang the clothes. As Sang Zhi was about to go back to her room, at that moment, she heard Sang Yan’s voice.
He seemed to be on the phone, his tone slightly impatient, saying, “It’s cooked.”
”What has it got to do with me? I didn’t see her feeling unwell,” Sang Yan said, “Add what red dates and Chinese angelica? No, Mom, why didn’t you tell me earlier? How would I know?”
”Weren’t you coming back tomorrow? Deal with it yourselves when you get back. I’m exhausted. Your daughter, you take care of her yourselves, alright? I’ve taken care of her for two days, and that’s more than enough — Alright, just have her drink it.”
After a few seconds, it seemed like Sang Yan hung up the phone. Soon after, he came out holding a bowl. Upon seeing Sang Zhi, he showed no trace of guilt on his face and said coldly, “Come and drink it yourself.”
Sang Zhi approached him slowly and said, “Why do you treat me like this?”
”If I don’t treat you well,” Sang Yan clicked his tongue and said word by word, “You probably would’ve been beaten to death by me already.”
”…”
After saying that, Sang Yan couldn’t be bothered to pay any more attention to her and returned to his room.
Sang Zhi walked to the dining table and carefully picked up the bowl on it before going back to her room as well. She sat at her desk and took a sip from the bowl.
It was still hot.
She decided to leave it aside. Then, she noticed the Doraemon doll she had placed on her bed.
Sang Zhi walked over, picked up the doll, and placed it in the corner of the bed, next to the other doll that Duan Jiaxu had given her before. She lay on the bed, swinging her legs, and tapped the doll’s face with her fingertips.
Soon, she rolled over and lay on her back, gazing at the white ceiling.
Lost in thought.
Today seemed a bit embarrassing.
Yet inexplicably, it also felt a bit happy.
-
This sudden first period, apart from some mild abdominal pain and a sense of heaviness, didn’t cause too much discomfort for Sang Zhi. However, the next morning, she was awakened by pain, feeling like someone was pricking her abdomen with needles.
Li Ping and Sang Rong had already returned and prepared a bowl of millet porridge for Sang Zhi.
”Still feeling uncomfortable?” After she finished freshening up, Li Ping sat beside her and asked, “It’s good that it came. I heard from your aunt that after Xiao Bing started menstruating, she suddenly shot up to 1.7 meters tall.”
Sang Zhi sipped the porridge slowly. Upon hearing this, she thought for a moment and asked, “Xiao Bing, my little cousin?”
”Yeah.”
Sang Zhi looked skeptical and said, “Wasn’t she already around 1.6 meters tall before?”
Li Ping: “Yes, that’s right. So, you might suddenly grow to 1.6 meters as well.”
”1.6 meters…” Sang Zhi swallowed the porridge, shook her head, and said, “I want to be a bit taller, preferably 1.7 meters.”
”Then let’s just eat well.” Li Ping said gently, “You’ll gradually grow taller.”
After finishing breakfast, Sang Zhi felt uncomfortable and spent the day lying in bed, not wanting to do anything. But the thought of growing taller, the first symbol of growing up, made her feel like she was no longer just a child.
The pain seemed a bit easier to endure with this in mind.
-
The following Wednesday was Fu Zhengchu’s birthday.
Initially, Sang Zhi had decided not to go, as she wasn’t very familiar with the people in that circle, and Li Ping had also enrolled her in a summer painting class. However, because Yin Zhenru had successfully persuaded her with a series of relentless phone calls, she changed her mind.
Yin Zhenru’s house was nearby, and she had come to find Sang Zhi early to go together. Since the KTV venue was in another district, the two of them went to a nearby bus stop to catch a bus.
In August, the weather was still hot, and the ground temperature was scorching, emanating an earthy smell. The two girls were wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts, holding umbrellas while standing under a bus stop sign.
After waiting for a while, Sang Zhi started feeling restless from the heat. “Isn’t it supposed to be at one in the afternoon? Why did we come out so early?”
”I forgot to buy a gift…” Yin Zhenru apologized, sticking out her tongue. “Anyway, we’re going to Shang’an, so we can shop around there and then find Fu Zhengchu and the others after we buy the gift.”
”It’s only ten o’clock now.”
”It takes an hour to get there by bus.” Yin Zhenru checked her watch. “We should arrive there at eleven, then have lunch after shopping for the gift. Isn’t that perfect timing?”
Sang Zhi grumbled, “Can’t I just go straight to lunch?”
”No way! How can I go shopping alone!” Yin Zhenru added, “Also, didn’t you say that you and Fu Zhengchu have been in the same class for six years in primary school? Why do I feel like your relationship is not good?”
”It’s quite bad, actually.”
”…” Yin Zhenru couldn’t believe it, “No kidding! I thought Fu Zhengchu… You know what I mean.”
Sang Zhi frowned: “What? I don’t know.”
Yin Zhenru leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “He has a crush on you.”
”…”
The bus arrived just in time.
Without waiting for Sang Zhi to reply, Yin Zhenru immediately dragged her onto the bus.
The bus was quite empty, with only a few people, and there were still many empty seats available. They found seats in the back row and sat down.
Sang Zhi was still pondering over Yin Zhenru’s words, her expression slightly nuanced. “Who told you that?”
”You can tell just by looking.” Yin Zhenru said, “He keeps asking me to arrange meetings with you. Our classes were on different floors, with his class on the third floor and ours on the second floor, but he would often hang around outside our classroom.”
Sang Zhi asked again, “Then why don’t you say that he has a crush on you?”
”…”
Peek-Aboo 
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