"Mom," Xiao Tong's voice faltered, clearly uneasy at the sight. She hesitated before saying, "I think it would be fine to just wear the uniform, but it feels like I should give something."

  "Gu Demei," Meng Zhu said, with difficulty, "doesn't her family have money?"

  "Yes, they're very wealthy!" Xiao Tong replied without thinking. "Their pce is so luxurious! A beautiful house, a floor-to-ceiling radio, a carpet, a piano—everything is so exquisite! Her father is the general manager of Taian Textile Company!"

  "Mm," Meng Zhu hummed as she moved the knife busily across the chopping board.

  "So, making friends with people whose living conditions are vastly different from ours is a big burden."

  "Mom, what are you saying?"

  "Oh, nothing." The rice was ready, so Meng Zhu lifted the pot, turned the stove down, and then thoughtfully gazed at Xiao Tong. Xiao Tong was still bent over picking vegetables, her short hair brushing against her forehead. From the front, all Meng Zhu could see was her daughter's slightly upturned nose and two long rows of eyeshes.

  A surge of deep affection for her daughter overwhelmed Meng Zhu's heart. She stopped chopping the vegetables and said, "Xiao Tong, let me think of a way. But..." She hesitated for a moment. "About this, it's better not to tell your father!"

  Xiao Tong looked up at her mother and smiled. The smile was as bright and clear as a sky with no clouds, bringing a sense of joy. She stood up, taking the vegetables to wash them under the tap, fully understanding that when her mother said "think of a way," it meant that she had agreed to her request. And she knew that Meng Zhu would definitely come up with a solution. Meng Zhu watched her daughter smiling while standing by the sink, but inside, she felt very unsettled. What kind of solution could she come up with? If only she had a magical pot, like in a fairy tale, that could turn one cent into many...

  The front door smmed, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps crossing two rooms, the thud of a schoolbag dropping to the floor, and the sharp bang of a basketball hitting the wall. Then, Xiao Bai burst into the kitchen, drenched in sweat, his white sports shirt clinging to his body, his khaki pants wet up to the waistband. As he ran in, he shouted, "Ugh, it's so hot! Give me some water!"

  Saying that, he squeezed past Meng Zhu, rushing to the tap, sticking his head under it as the water poured down. He tilted his head back and gulped the tap water straight from the spout, his throat making a gurgling sound. Xiao Tong was pushed out of the kitchen doorway. Meng Zhu shouted, "I've told you so many times, don't drink tap water! The cold boiled water bottle in the house is full, but you won't drink it! You insist on drinking tap water—how unsanitary!"

  Xiao Bai lifted his face, soaked with water, his sunburned skin gleaming, with water droplets hanging on his eyeshes, his eyes barely open. He smiled and patted his chest proudly. "The best body in the whole family? Guess why? Because I drink tap water!"

  "What nonsense!" Meng Zhu said, looking at her son, who had grown a full head taller than her. "What did you do? You're covered in sweat!"

  "I was pying basketball! Next semester, I'm definitely making the school team!"

  "Basketball?" Meng Zhu said disapprovingly. "All you know is basketball, but you never study!"

  Xiao Tong stood at the kitchen door and threw a towel at Xiao Bai, saying, "Dry your hair and go quickly. I've been washing these water spinach for so long, and now you've soaked them with water and dirtied everything!"

  Xiao Bai took the towel and stood at the door between the kitchen and the bedroom, rubbing his hair wildly with the towel. Meng Zhu frowned and called out:

  "Can't you go a little further away? The water from your hair is dripping into my vegetable pot! Why does everything you do annoy me?"

  Xiao Bai leaned against the kitchen door, peering into the sink where the vegetables were soaking. "What, more water spinach again? We're eating it every day!"

  "What do you want to eat, then?" Meng Zhu replied irritably. "If you were more hardworking, if you could pass the provincial entrance exam and not attend that ridiculously expensive private school, we wouldn't be so poor, eating water spinach every day. All the money goes to your tuition fees, and every few days there's a donation here and there... Water spinach! Everyone else stays quiet, and you’re the one compining!"

  "Xiao Bai, you should move away," Xiao Tong interrupted, winking at Xiao Bai. "Standing here is getting in the way of others. I heard the door; is Dad back?"

  "Alright, I'll move!" Xiao Bai said nonchantly, secretly making a face at Xiao Tong and exchanging a knowing smile.

  "Anyway, they all think I'm a nuisance. I might as well go watch the battle between the demon and the immortal beggar!" he added in a whispered tone.

  "What did he say he was going to do?" Meng Zhu didn't catch it and asked Xiao Tong.

  "Probably said he was going to study algebra," Xiao Tong replied, frowning slightly.

  "Hmph! Study algebra? He works that hard? Next year he′ll be in senior year, then it′s time for the college entrance exams. Let's see what he'll do for that!" Meng Zhu said angrily, busy putting vegetables into the pot. While stir-frying, she continued, "If Xiao Bai could be as diligent as you, that'd be great. He's grown so tall, yet all he knows is eating and pying. Your dad never cares about him, just spoils him."

  Xiao Tong didn't say anything, silently transferring the washed vegetables onto a pte and setting it on the table by the stove. She then arranged the bowls and chopsticks for the meal. She felt a slight dissatisfaction with her mother. It was always like this—Xiao Bai would be scolded every time he came back. He just liked to py a little more, which wasn't such a big deal. Failing the provincial entrance exam st year was enough to be scolded once. It happened a year ago, but she still had to be scolded every day. Fortunately, Xiao Bai didn't care about anything. If it were her, she couldn't tolerate it.

  The temperature in the kitchen was extremely high, and the stove with its blue fmes made the small kitchen feel like a steamer, with oil smoke filling the room. After a while, both mother and daughter were drenched in sweat. Meng Zhu gnced at Xiao Tong and said, "You go to the living room. I'll take care of things here. You go make Dad's tea."

  In the living room, Xiao Bai was lying on the tatami mat, his upper body naked, holding a martial arts novel in his hand, deeply absorbed in it. Xiao Tong quietly warned him, "Be careful, Mom will see, and you'll be scolded again!"

  "Shh! Keep it a secret!" Xiao Bai whispered. "Sis, you should try it; this novel is fantastic! It's a hundred times better than your 'Pride and Prejudice,' 'Little Women,' or 'Camille!' I guarantee that once you pick it up, you won't even want to eat! Look, the Poison Demon is about to face the Ironheart Princess. This will be an exciting battle! I can't wait to see who wins!"

  "Poison Demon? What, Princess?" Xiao Tong asked, confused. "Monsters and princesses—this is just like the Grimm's Fairy Tales, isn't it?"

  "What? Nonsense!" Xiao Bai gave his sister a contemptuous gnce, astonished at her ignorance. "Let me tell you, the Poison Demon is notorious for using poison. He can even control snakes and tame beasts. There's a snake called the 'Yixiang' that’s extremely poisonous. He hides it in his sleeve every day and secretly uses it to harm his enemies. Once, he ran into a sloppy schor…"

  "What schor?" Xiao Tong didn't catch it.

  "The sloppy schor. He has a set of strange martial arts skills and a rare talent. He can spit phlegm from two or three yards away to injure his opponents…"

  "Spit what?" Xiao Tong was getting more and more puzzled.

  "Phlegm. He spits phlegm at his enemies, and the phlegm goes straight through their internal organs, embedding itself into their bones. Whoever gets hit by his phlegm is sure to die, and even if they don't die, they′ll be severely injured…"