"Food is ready," said Yu Wanrou's voice coming out of the kitchen.
After gently touching noses, Yin Zhao-an turned her head away and buried her face into the side of Tang Yu's neck. Then, she went quiet.
Tang Yu had long been confused by the abrupt ambiguous atmosphere. While keeping her head raised, she looked around in bewilderment. With the person resting on her shoulder keeping silent, the atmosphere quickly grew delicate.
"Old Tang, come and help me with the plates," Yu Wanrou called out to Tang Zhengyang from the kitchen.
Tang Zhengyang promptly put down the newspapers in his hands and jogged toward the kitchen, failing to notice the thought-provoking position the two girls were in.
As soon as Tang Zhengyang left, Tang Yu felt a warm and wet sensation coming from her shoulder. She was startled at first but quickly realized what was happening and helplessly sighed before carefully turning around. Noticing this, Yin Zhao-an hurriedly covered her face with her hands, her body trembling slightly.
Tang Yu did not ask Yin Zhao-an to lower her hands. Silently, she embraced the taller girl, who was seemingly as fragile as a thin sheet of ice at this moment.
She would not ask her for a reason. She also didn't wish to know the reason. All she needed to do in this delicate moment was to offer consolation as a friend and give her a place where she could cover her wounds.
After an unknown amount of time passed, Yin Zhao-an suddenly looked up from Tang Yu's embrace and smiled, her lips curled to resemble that of a kitten. Then, she said, "Hahaha, you got fooled, right, Tang-Tang?"
Tang Yu gently smiled and said, "Yes."
Yin Zhao-an climbed out of Tang Yu's embrace and put on her slippers. Then, while walking, she said, "Let's go wash our hands first before we eat."
"Okay."
Why are you forcing a smile when your eyes look like you've put on rouge…
…
At the dining table, Yu Wanrou noticed something amiss with Yin Zhao-an's mood and worriedly asked, "What's wrong, An-An?"
Shaking her head, Yin Zhao-an said, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just feeling a little down because Tang-Tang is ignoring me."
"I…" Tang Yu took a deep breath and kept herself from getting angry. Then, she narrowed her eyes on Yin Zhao-an and thought, You're really good at pushing blame, huh? Not bad.
Yu Wanrou didn't think too much over the matter, thinking that a small argument must have occurred between the two girls. As an adult, she felt that it was best if she didn't meddle too much in children's matters.
…
Tang Yu and Yin Zhao-an had long received the admission notice from Chong High. Unlike other children, the two of them had never worried about whether they could get into high school. If even they couldn't get into a high school, some backroom dealings must have occurred.
Chong High was different from the private school they previously attended. The private school's students were mostly children of the privileged caste or people with special jobs. Chong High, on the other hand, was a public school that accepted students from all social castes. Hence, most privileged children, such as Fang Ling, would choose to further their studies in prestigious private schools instead.
Chong High was rather distant from the military compound, a one-way trip taking easily over an hour. Because of this, both the Tang and Yin families unanimously decided to have their daughters board at school.
Yin Zhao-an spent nearly her entire summer break at Tang Yu's house. Oftentimes, Wang Zhen would find herself staring at her house's empty living room and wondering if she was the one who had given birth to Yin Zhao-an. After all, why was her daughter spending most of her time in someone else's house?
When it was nearly time to go to school, Wang Zhen bought a phone for Yin Zhao-an. It was a smartphone that could make and receive calls but not play games. After all was said and done, Wang Zhen still couldn't help but worry that her daughter might get distracted.
Yu Wanrou made an appointment with Wang Zhen to go to school together to help their daughters enroll. They also hoped they could get their daughters assigned to the same dormitory.
Yin Zhao-an was naturally overjoyed when she heard about this arrangement. Even before Yu Wanrou and Wang Zhen had made such an arrangement, Yin Zhao-an had already been thinking of how she could get herself assigned to the same dormitory as her Tang-Tang. However, she didn't think the two parents' opinions would coincide with hers. This would save her a lot of energy.
...
On Chong High's enrollment day, Yu Wanrou drove her car to the Yin family's house with Tang Yu in the back seat. Shortly after Yu Wanrou honked the car's horn, Wang Zhen came out of the house with Yin Zhao-an, the latter carrying bags of varying sizes in her hands and dragging a huge suitcase behind her.
"Is she bringing that many things?" Yu Wanrou asked Wang Zhen, who had gotten into the passenger seat, in surprise.
After fastening her seat belt, Wang Zhen glanced at her daughter, who was loading her luggage into the trunk, and said, "It's not much. I just prepared some snacks and daily necessities for An-An. Since this is going to be her first time staying in a dormitory, I'm worried she might not be used to it."
When Yu Wanrou heard Wang Zhen's words, she suddenly felt a little guilty. She had only prepared several sets of clothes and a first-aid kit for Tang Yu. She had completely forgotten to prepare other daily necessities for her daughter.
"How careless of me. If you hadn't reminded me, I would've completely forgotten to prepare these things. I'll have to find a supermarket near Little Yu's school later to buy these things."
"Sure. I'll go with you."
It took a lot of effort for Yin Zhao-an to stuff all of her belongings into the drunk. After finally arranging everything into proper order, Yin Zhao-an got into the back seat and complained, "Couldn't you have helped me out a little, Mom?"
Rolling her eyes, Wang Zhen said, "They're not my belongings. And how old are you already to still need your mother's help? Don't you feel ashamed?"
Yin Zhao-an gritted her teeth and punched the back of the passenger seat, albeit very gently.
After restarting the engine, Yu Wanrou saw Yin Zhao-an holding a phone in her hand through the rearview mirror. Then, she curiously asked, "You have a phone now, An-An?"
"That's right! But I can only use it to make calls. It can't play any games."
"Save my number into your contacts, then. Since Little Yu will be with you, it'll be more convenient for me to contact her."
"Sure."