Chapter Seven, Youth

It belongs to someone else; I made some changes to it

It was not yet evening when Yu Xiao came to visit, and she allowed Yu Xiao to come in, thinking it would be nice to go out and have some fun.

Because the Huadong branch is adjacent to the residential compound of the municipal government, which is planted with many trees such as yellow jasmine, loquat, and pomegranate. When the season arrives, Cheng Ran and his group love to run to the government compound to steal fruits

Cheng Ran lifted his head from the table, and distant memories flooded his mind. At that time, internet cafes were not yet called internet cafes; they were referred to as network stations, Intel tribes, E-tribe salons, and similar early names. The internet in this era was largely similar to that of his previous life, just beginning to take off, with a relatively small number of users. Apart from chat rooms and BBS, the only games that could be considered online games were text-based network games known as "mud". Naturally, these were mostly the domain of adult internet users, while students like Yu Xiao and the majority of people treated the computers in internet cafes as single-player game consoles. At that time, most people still played single-player and local area network games.

No, no... Is the poem above also written by you... What I mean is, did you create it yourself?

Yu Xiao discovered a newspaper in which Cheng Ran had practiced calligraphy, and then saw the brush characters written on it

He turned his head in disbelief, pointing at the beautiful handwriting, "Did you write this?"

Yu Xiao opened the door to Cheng Ran's room and peeked in, while outside stood the smiling Xu Lan. Xu Lan was also very enthusiastic about Yu Xiao's arrival, as they were both close friends of her son. Sometimes, she found these close friends a bit bothersome, always "wrapped" together and affecting their studies. However, on the other hand, seeing the children playing together made her feel that having normal social interactions was quite good.

Nostalgia is nostalgia, but for Cheng Ran, who is currently formulating a review plan, all of this must be postponed

However, upon reflection, Jiang Hongshao is truly a mysterious girl. In terms of her overall demeanor, she possesses a remarkable refinement that is not typical of ordinary girls. At that time, she resided in a standalone courtyard, which, if I am not mistaken, was referred to as "Red Gate Courtyard," a residence of very high status within the government.

Cheng Ran, Cheng Ran, I called you several times, but you didn't come out. Are you really studying? What are you doing? Stop pretending and go out to play! That Intel Tribe has added 'Tomb Raider: Shadow of the Tomb Raider'! It's really fun, you don't know!

On that occasion, they found a place in front of a row of independent villas within a government residential area, where there were loquat trees they had not previously noticed. The fruits were large and round, and surprisingly, they had not been picked by anyone else. The two would not miss this opportunity; Cheng Ran climbed to the top while Yu Xiao stood below to keep watch. Cheng Ran threw the loquats down as she picked them, and Yu Xiao, in her role as lookout, eventually stuffed her mouth full of food and became oblivious to her surroundings. It was then that they noticed a girl standing not far from the tree, very beautiful, quietly watching them. They had no idea how long she had been there, and at that moment, the two who were caught with their backsides in the air, stealing fruit from the tree, scrambled down, desperately wiping their mouths to eliminate the evidence, wishing they could find a hole to hide in.

In the internet café, there were basically a large number of people with shining eyes, engrossed in playing the blocky pixelated graphics that, to future generations, would seem utterly unbearable. At times, during intense gameplay, they would often be surrounded by a crowd of onlookers pointing and commenting.

"Old Ginger" has also become a common nickname they give to others

"Are you a bandit?" Cheng Ran replied without turning back, "Just take it yourself... By the way, you must return it! How many books have you 'borrowed' from me before?"

"What has disappeared? Are you out of your mind..." Yu Xiao shook her head and continued, "In addition to Jiang Hongshao, there are a few people from the government compound who want to come... like a stubborn plaster... uh... what you are doing, what you are doing..."

Cheng Ran squinted her eyes, and a girl who spoke standard and melodious Mandarin, making others feel ashamed of themselves in her presence, appeared in her mind

Yu Xiao had a puzzled expression as she rummaged through Cheng Ran's bookshelf, saying, "By the way, we're going to Liu Ying's house to hang out tomorrow night. I ran into her today, and she should call you soon. I heard she also invited Yang Xia and some people from the government compound next door." As Yu Xiao spoke, she paused for a moment and then casually added, "Also, that old Jiang, Hong Shao... you know, right..."

Affable, yet separated by a layer of distance. Just like her entire being, resembling the subtle shadows in an indigo ink painting

Yu Xiao felt somewhat uneasy, seemingly trying to conceal the unrest within. Stammering, she said, "That, the one we encountered while playing in the government compound... Jiang Hongshao..."

Jiang Hongshao is coming over too

Can I take this back to have a look at it

At this moment, Xu Lan appeared outside the door with a look of confusion, "What gamble?"

Jiang Hongshao's emergence at that time undoubtedly shocked the entire circle of children in the courtyard. Even Yang Xia often privately mentioned that her favorite girl was Jiang Hongshao, who was beautiful, intelligent, and simply a top-tier goddess. During her time in junior high, although she was not part of the mainstream discussions, there were actually quite a few voices privately crowning her as the school belle. However, because she transferred in later and was very low-key, always maintaining a somewhat distant relationship with others, it is likely that many people's first reaction was to keep their distance from her.

It turns out... she hasn't disappeared after all... Cheng Ran murmured to himself. As for Jiang Hongshao, even if it felt like a lifetime ago, he could still recall the impact that beautiful girl had on the heart of a young boy. It is not his fault; perhaps no boy could remain indifferent to such a beautiful girl. She was stunning back then, and in the future, she would likely bring disaster to the nation. Unfortunately, she continued her studies at the high school division of No. 1 Middle School, while Cheng Ran was transferred to No. 4 Middle School. After that, how could he know any more about her?

This girl seems to be enveloped in mist, an existence that Cheng Ran had never deciphered during his youth

At that time, she was probably the unforgettable fleeting glimpse of a night-blooming cereus in the hearts of many young people, like Yu Xiao, who, even when mentioning her name, could not calm the turmoil within for a long time

Cheng Ran's life in two worlds, later when working, also specifically practiced calligraphy. Of course, at this time, he returned with the experience and knowledge from his previous life, not having lost his touch. However, Yu Xiao, who was accustomed to Cheng Ran's handwriting in the past, could only see the calligraphy that was countless times better than before, despite any flaws that an expert might identify. Yet, in Yu Xiao's eyes at that moment, combined with the mindset Cheng Ran had when he was just reborn, those strokes and turns, that imposing aura, those emotions that seemed ready to leap off the paper, were so simple yet powerfully struck him.

She moved here during her middle school years as a transfer student, and was a classmate of Liu Ying, who was also in the same class in their unit's compound. Liu Ying was an outgoing and confident girl, skilled at making friends. On her birthday that year, she invited her classmate Jiang Hongshao. At that time, Cheng Ran and Yu Xiaocai learned her name. Of course, the girl recognized the two of them as well; she paused for a moment, then greeted them with an open, sweet smile, just as she did with everyone else, waving her hand.

Old ginger? Cheng Ran was momentarily puzzled.

Later, I learned that the girl lived in a small detached house behind the red gate, and that tree was actually the fruit tree at her doorstep. The two of them were caught in front of the owner, which was incredibly awkward. What hurt their pride the most was that the girl did not pursue the matter further; instead, she went back into her house, brought out a bag of fruit, and handed it to them. At that moment, the sense of defeat they felt was akin to that of a clumsy thief being caught by a generous homeowner, who ultimately offered them some provisions, almost saying, "Here, take this, and be a good person in the future..." What hurt their pride the most was that the girl did not pursue the matter further; instead, she went back into her house, brought out a bag of fruit, and handed it to them. At that moment, the sense of defeat they felt was akin to that of a clumsy thief being caught by a generous homeowner, who ultimately offered them some provisions, almost saying, "Here, take this, and be a good person in the future..."

The pause just now from Yu Xiao, along with the fluctuations in his heart, was also perceived by Cheng Ran, who knew him better than anyone else. For the first time, he turned his head and looked at Yu Xiao

Later, they learned that the girl was from Class 1, Grade 1, named Jiang Hongshao and Tushuo. At first glance, this name might seem a bit rustic, but when paired with such a girl, the term rustic was simply irrelevant.

Cheng Ran waved his hand and said, "Alright, remember to return the book you borrowed from me next time!"

Cheng Ran glanced at Yu Xiao, who immediately laughed nervously and said, "It's nothing, Auntie, we were just talking about some jokes from class..." After a series of coaxing and deceiving, they managed to fool Xu Lan, whose curiosity was burning with gossip.

Today is Saturday. Besides Cheng Feiyang, who is uneasy about staying at the technology institute to work overtime, she is also at home. In the meantime, she went out to buy groceries and visited a department store. Upon returning, she discovered that Cheng Ran had indeed not left his room even once, as he had locked himself in to read and study. Yu Xiao has actually called several times today, all of which were rejected by Cheng Ran.

Yu Xiao tucked away the newspaper filled with calligraphy and forcibly borrowed a few comic books. Just as Cheng Ran was about to protest his taking away a rare edition of "Yu Yu Hakusho," he simply dashed away.

Xu Lan returned to the living room, and the sound of the television came through. Yu Xiao realized that it seemed impossible to persuade her stubborn friend, so she wore a disappointed expression while rummaging around in Cheng Ran's room. "Are there any new comics or good novels lately? Since you’re not going out to play, it’s no fun for me to go out alone. Can I borrow a few books to read tonight..."

Yu Xiao was quite surprised by Cheng Ran's change of character, "Hey, you are really studying... You took that bet seriously... I’m not joking, in the last month, can you really make a breakthrough? What a joke..." In front of Cheng Ran, Yu Xiao, who was very familiar with her, did not care at all about expressing her skepticism, nor was she concerned about Cheng Ran's expression at that moment.