Chapter 36: Xixia’s Bread

Before he knew it, Lin You had been an elementary school student for almost a week.

Today was Friday.

According to the teachers, elementary school students got a two-day break on the weekend.

Hearing this news, the classroom of Grade One, Class Two erupted in cheers.

“Finally, a holiday! I’m going to have my mom take me to the zoo.”

“School is so tiring. I wish every day was a holiday.”

“My mom said she’s going to buy me the newest Magical Girl toy as a reward.”

…

During the break, the group of little brats chattered on, expressing their longing for the holiday.

Lin You did not join the class-wide discussion.

He just sat quietly in his seat, reading a book or sharpening his pencils, seeming out of place among the large group of noisy students.

In his eyes, most of the students in the class emitted a gray light, a signal of dislike.

Others didn’t like him, and Lin You had no desire to shamelessly curry favor with them.

Of course, there were also a few special exceptions in the class.

For example, Zhong Yuxiu. She was a friendly green, and the color had grown deeper over time.

The two were good friends, and Lin You felt content having just one such friend in the class.

In addition, Lin You’s deskmate, Zhao Xixia, was also very special.

She was also one of the few greens.

But what Lin You couldn’t understand was that Zhao Xixia was usually so harsh with her words, so willful, and would often tease him for no reason.

Why was she still a friendly green, and like Yuxiu, why had it never faded?

“Hey, hey, Lin You, I can’t finish my bread. Hurry up and get rid of it for me.”

Zhao Xixia hadn’t left her seat during the break either and was eating a cream bun.

Halfway through, perhaps because she was tired of it, or perhaps because she genuinely wanted Lin You to eat her saliva, she forcefully handed the cream bun over with her small hand.

“If you can’t finish it, you can save it for later.”

The rich aroma of the bread tickled Lin You’s nose, and he subconsciously refused.

“Xixia, I happen to be hungry. Why don’t you let me help you eat it?”

A chubby girl in the back seat saw this, her eyes lit up, and she volunteered.

“None for you. Don’t interrupt.”

Zhao Xixia shot a cold glance over, scaring the girl in the back seat so much that she shrank her neck back.

In Class Two, Zhao Xixia had no friends, but no one dared to offend her.

Because whether it was her appearance, her personality, or the superior material conditions she displayed, the girl made her peers shrink back.

There had been children who had taken the initiative to play with her, but they had all been rebuffed.

Over time, Zhao Xixia became another outcast in the class.

“Hurry up and eat. It’ll go bad if you wait any longer.”

After warning the girl in the back, she once again focused her gaze on the boy, her tone leaving no room for refusal.

“Alright then.”

Under his deskmate’s pressing, the boy had no choice but to agree.

He took the half-eaten cream bun and took small bites from the side Xixia hadn’t touched.

‘So delicious…’

Lin You, who came from a poor family, had never enjoyed such a delicacy.

The stunning taste of the sweet treat made him unconsciously quicken his pace of eating.

“Hmph.”

Zhao Xixia, like a little adult, crossed her arms over her chest and watched the boy eat, letting out a cryptic little snort.

“Eat it all. No wasting.”

Afraid the boy wouldn’t eat the part she had bitten, she added another demand.

“Okay.”

Lin You felt it was a little unhygienic, but for six-year-olds, sharing half-eaten snacks was actually a common phenomenon.

He had tried it with Yuting and Yuxiu before.

Soon, the palm-sized half-bun was finished by Lin You.

“Thank you, Classmate Zhao!”

As the saying goes, one’s mouth is softened by what one eats. Although she had forced him to eat it, Lin You had indeed enjoyed a taste of a rich kid’s food. He wiped the cake crumbs from the corner of his mouth and sincerely thanked his deskmate.

“You ate my saliva and you’re thanking me? You really are an idiot.”

Hearing this, Zhao Xixia immediately shifted her body, turning her pretty face to a side where she couldn’t see the boy, and did her best to make her words sound sarcastic.

It was absolutely, definitely not because she saw how thin and weak Lin You was, as if he were malnourished, that she had tried to find a way to feed him.

“I think many classmates would want to eat your saliva but don’t get the chance.”

Lin You was referring to classmates like the one in the back seat. After all, elementary school students generally loved to eat and play.

He believed many would be thrilled to have a deskmate like Zhao Xixia who was willing to share snacks.

“So annoying. You, the one who likes to eat saliva, just shut up.”

Zhao Xixia’s foot under the desk began to stir up trouble again. It came straight under the boy’s desk and gave his foot a few light kicks.

“Mhm.”

Lin You was used to his deskmate’s reactions. She always liked to bully people with her delicate little feet, but the damage she inflicted was negligible.

“Hmph, on Sunday, I’m having my driver take me to the mall to buy lots and lots of toys, and then I’m going to a restaurant to eat…”

After telling Lin You to shut up, Zhao Xixia’s own little mouth couldn’t stay idle, and she began to show off her plans for Sunday.

“Mhm, mhm.”

Lin You nodded his chin slightly, indicating that he was listening.

If he ignored Zhao Xixia, she would either kick him with her foot or poke his arm with her finger.

‘I don’t want to know what you’re doing on the weekend.’

The little tsundere was beating around the bush, yet also blatantly hinting.

She was curious what Lin You would be doing on the weekend, but asking directly would make it seem like she cared.

“On my days off, after I finish my homework, I’ll go collect bottles with my grandma!”

Having spent a long time with her, Lin You understood that sometimes her words had to be interpreted in the opposite way.

“Collect bottles? What bottles?”

Zhao Xixia, who had grown up with a silver spoon, couldn’t understand the boy’s meaning for a moment.

“You know, the empty bottles that people throw on the ground or in the trash can after they finish their drinks.”

Lin You patiently explained it to her, not feeling at all ashamed of his actions.

“Collecting… trash, right?”

Zhao Xixia seemed to be in thought, finally understanding the boy’s meaning.

“Something like that!”

Since starting school, Lin You hadn’t been able to accompany his grandmother to scavenge much. The thought of being able to return to his old life on the weekend made him very happy.

“Collecting trash, isn’t that embarrassing?”

Zhao Xixia noticed that Lin You seemed to be looking forward to it and couldn’t understand this mentality.

The thought of picking up bottles from the ground or rummaging through smelly trash cans under the gaze of others—she would rather die.

“I’m just like my grandma. I don’t think it’s embarrassing!”

Lin You had depended on his grandmother since he was little. In his world, his grandmother had raised him through hardship; she was the greatest person.

He had never felt ashamed to scavenge with her; on the contrary, he felt a sense of honor in participating.

“Idiot, acting so happy about collecting trash. Serves you right for being a trash collector.”

The girl muttered under her breath, her eyes changing again and again. It wasn’t disdain, but a subtle kind of sympathy.