School-Starting Gift Part 1

Yue Zhishi's earnest speech was ultimately met with Song Yu's large hand covering his face, smushing it.

“What are you doing?” He raised a hand to pull his brother's mischievous hand away, but he heard Song Yu say, “Your ability to read people still needs improvement.”

“Huh?” Yue Zhishi grabbed Song Yu's wrist with both hands, a little surprised.

“They all support me.” Song Yu's expression was blank as he tilted his head. “Just like you.”

After speaking, he gently patted Yue Zhishi's cheek twice, then turned and opened the door to Yue Zhishi's bedroom. “I'm leaving.”

Yue Zhishi felt like he had been a fool again, but thinking about how everyone supported Song Yu, he felt that being a little foolish was nothing. It was a happy ending for all. The university application was submitted as a matter of course, and on the day the acceptance letter arrived, the whole family was especially happy. With the eldest son accepted into university, it was only right and proper to treat their relatives to a meal.

At the dinner table, the eldest uncle expressed his dissatisfaction with Song Yu's choice of major several times.

“No prospects. All the high-scorers go to Beijing-Shanghai-Guangzhou. What's the point of staying local? And in such an obscure major, too. Young people nowadays are all studying high-tech stuff like IT, the money comes in fast.”

Yue Zhishi was very angry at this parental-style criticism, but he was in no position to talk back, so he could only place a piece of beef into Song Yu's bowl with his chopsticks.

“I'm not short on money.” Song Yu spoke very calmly. “The major you mentioned is very good, but I'm not interested.”

The eldest aunt smiled, as if trying to smooth things over. “Xiao Yu, your uncle is also thinking of you. Yes, interest is the most important thing, but this surveying and mapping major is just too obscure. Many people have never even heard of it. It must be hard to find a job, right?”

“Besides, W University is good, but with your score, you could have gotten into T University, right? What a shame. Even if it was for a slightly more ordinary major at T University. You're still too young. When you go out to find a job in the future, no matter the major, just saying you're from T University gives you face. People will look up to you.”

Lin Rong couldn't suppress her anger. “In that case, sister-in-law, why don't you go work in T University's cafeteria, instead of staying at a local school? It's not about making a living, it's about pride. Think of how much face you'd have telling people you work in T University's cafeteria.”

The eldest aunt was rebuked into silence. Yue Zhishi had a hard time holding back his laughter, even starting to shake his leg happily, only stopping when Song Yu pressed down on it with his hand under the table.

The atmosphere was not great. Song Jin said a few words. “Xiao Yu's score could indeed get him into those schools, but we weighed the pros and cons. If he went to T University for a major he doesn't like, and then got a job he doesn't like, the rest of his life would be spent being pushed along. We don't want that for him. Since he already has a life plan and wants to pursue research work in surveying and mapping, it's only natural to choose the top school for this major. Of course,” he looked at Song Yu, “your uncle and aunt's words are also the experience of people who've been there, you should listen to them all.”

Yue Zhishi thought to himself, 'They haven't even been to university, so they can't really be considered people who've been there. They're just finding an opportunity to boss people around in this matter.'

The eldest aunt sighed again. “That's right. For someone like Xiao Yu, whether he chooses something he doesn't like and regrets it later, or chooses something he likes and then regrets it, he has a safety net. If things really don't work out, he can still inherit your father's company. Your father works so hard in his business, isn't it all for you? To use a popular saying among young people, just by having your father, you're already a winner in life. You don't actually need to work that hard.”

On the surface, she was all smiles, but her words were laced with both overt and covert sarcasm. Song Yu couldn't be bothered to respond, sipping his soup with a nonchalant posture, completely ignoring every word spoken at the table.

But Song Jin, who was usually gentle-tempered, had a serious expression on his face. “Sister-in-law.”

Seeing him drop his smile, the eldest aunt was somewhat flustered. Before she could say more, she heard Song Jin speak.

“I work hard not so he can win at the starting line, but so that my son has the freedom to choose.”

Song Yu's hand also paused.

“What I can give him is the confidence to be himself.”

Yue Zhishi suddenly felt very moved. He had attended many such dinner parties since he was a child. He didn't understand when he was young, thinking everyone was harmonious and happy. Ever since the last visit to his grandfather, he had learned that his aunt's family was not what he had imagined, but every time they gathered, no one would tear away the superficial harmony.

Especially Uncle Song. He had never seen him lose his temper; he was always the one with a smile on his face, easing the atmosphere.

But this time, he stood up very seriously, shielded Song Yu, and defended his choice.

Yue Zhishi felt happy for Song Yu, and also a little envious.

Having been put in her place, the eldest aunt naturally changed the subject. After all, she didn't even know if her own young son could get into an undergraduate program, so dwelling too much on university applications would just be embarrassing for her. Although the meal was awkward, the magic of a Chinese-style family dinner is that no matter how tortuous or dramatic the process, it can always end with a standard 'happy family' ending, regardless of whether the feelings are real or fake.

During the last few days of summer vacation, Yue Zhishi also went to the library with Song Yu. The two of them would bike to the Provincial Library, buy a milk tea and a lemonade on the way, and could stay in the library for a whole day.

There were indeed no girls he had fantasized about in the library. The only person who actually sat opposite Song Yu, watching him quietly read and study, was Yue Zhishi himself.

The person he had looked up to as a role model since childhood was moving forward step by step toward his goal, becoming an increasingly outstanding adult.

As Peiya High School was about to start, Yue Zhishi finally stopped following Song Yu to the library. Instead, he locked himself in his room and stayed there for a whole week. Song Yu thought he was trying to squeeze in some last-minute fun before school started, like reading manga, since he was about to start high school and had to attend military training. But what he didn't expect was that during these few days, Yue Zhishi, cooped up in his bedroom, wasn't playing at all.

High school started a little earlier than university registration. The day before Yue Zhishi's school started, he sent Song Yu, who was still at the Provincial Library, a WeChat message.

[Yue Zhishi: I want to eat barbecue. Let's go for barbecue tonight, it just so happens that Auntie Rong and Uncle Song aren't coming home today.]

Song Yu naturally agreed.

They met at the small restaurant they had agreed on. Good barbecue places were usually old, hidden in old neighborhoods full of human warmth, with many small tables set up outside for a night market-style dining. Song Yu parked his bike and, as soon as he entered, saw Yue Zhishi sitting by the window, looking down at the menu.

Yue Zhishi had indeed grown up. His limbs were long and slender, and his skin was fair. He could be spotted in a crowd at a glance, not just because of his looks, but also because of that undeniable, pure, and clean youthful air about him.

Song Yu walked over and sat down opposite him. Yue Zhishi immediately looked up, his light-colored pupils brightening. “You're here. I've already ordered some things, see if you want to add anything?” After speaking, he used the menu to block his face and gave Song Yu a very quiet hint, “The table next to us ordered crab leg noodles, it looks so delicious.”

“You can't eat that,” Song Yu replied heartlessly, and took the menu from his hand.

Yue Zhishi was very dejected and poured himself a glass of iced plum juice. “Okay.” When he poured one for Song Yu, he suddenly noticed that Song Yu had put a checkmark next to the crab leg noodles.

“Didn't you say I couldn't eat it?”

“You can eat the crab claws.” The corners of Song Yu's mouth curved up slightly. He raised his hand and called the waiter over to ask, “Can the hot dry noodles in the crab leg noodles be replaced with wide rice noodles?”

“We can do that, but the rice noodles break more easily.”

Yue Zhishi was already very satisfied. “It's okay, rice noodles are fine too.”

Song Yu checked the food he had ordered again. There were no major issues, so he handed the checked menu to the waiter, took a sip of the plum juice Yue Zhishi had given him, and frowned.

“It's really sour, isn't it.” Yue Zhishi laughed. “I took a sip just now and it was so sour too.” His hair was still a soft, dark brown. It hadn't been cut for too long during the vacation and was starting to curl again, looking very soft and tousle-able.

“You need to get a haircut before school starts,” Song Yu reminded him.

Yue Zhishi nodded. While waiting for the food, he took a gift box out of his bag and passed it to Song Yu across the table.

“What's this?” Song Yu asked.

“Open it after you get back, you can't look at it now.” Before Song Yu could take the box, Yue Zhishi pulled his hand back, only letting go and giving it to him after he nodded in agreement. “I was originally going to buy one, but I saw that the ones for sale weren't very good.”

Yue Zhishi retracted his arm, his hand gripping the side of the plastic cup. “I saw online the other day that it's best for guys not to give handmade gifts, they have no value. Generally speaking, the person who receives it won't like it very much.” His fingers tightened, deforming the cup, and the plum juice inside almost spilled out. “And the people in the comments seemed to agree with this view.”

“But it's a bit late. I only saw that Weibo post last night, and this was already finished.” Yue Zhishi tried his best to hide his dejected expression, but it was still obvious. “So you should look at it when you get back. No, take this to school before you open it. Don't open it at home. I don't want to see your dissatisfied expression when you receive it.”

The expression on Song Yu's face changed, but this guy gave him no chance to speak at all.

Yue Zhishi looked up at him. “If you really don't like it, you can say so. If you had told me about this earlier, I wouldn't have kept making so many useless handmade things.”

After speaking, he tilted his head back and took a big gulp of plum juice, looking as if he were drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

In Song Yu's eyes, Yue Zhishi's self-pitying appearance was a little cute and a little pitiful, so he asked, “Then when should I have told you? Kindergarten?”

Yue Zhishi thought about it. It was true. The first gift he ever gave him was in kindergarten, a folded paper heart the teacher had taught them to make.

“Yeah,” Yue Zhishi said very seriously. “That's called cutting your losses in time.”

“It's not like I haven't refused before,” Song Yu raised an eyebrow.

That was also true. Yue Zhishi said again, “Then that means your refusal wasn't resolute enough.”

Song Yu let out a soft laugh. “Have you ever seen me accept a gift from anyone else?”

Yue Zhishi shook his head. “No. But you accept mine because you have no choice, right? Since I'm your younger brother.”

Song Yu's fingers gently tapped on the tabletop. “If that's what you want to think, there's nothing I can do.”

“Here it comes, here it comes,” Yue Zhishi propped his cheek up with his hand. “I've seen this line online too, a lot of people complain about it.”

Song Yu didn't understand what he was talking about and frowned.

“This line is on the list of things girls hate hearing their boyfriends say the most.” He even deliberately imitated an extremely perfunctory manner. “If that's what you want to think, there's nothing I can do. That's just how I am.” Yue Zhishi was getting into it, completely unaware that he was using a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship as an analogy, nor did he notice that when Song Yu had said it, his attitude was not perfunctory, but helpless.

“Excuse me, here are your grilled potato slices, meat skewers, green peppers, and crispy cartilage.” The waiter came up with the skewers, interrupting their conversation. Yue Zhishi said thank you, having somewhat forgotten what they were just talking about.

Only after the waiter left did Song Yu speak. “Get offline more.”

Yue Zhishi pouted but didn't retort, picking up a skewer of grilled potato slices to eat.

The crab leg dish without noodles was also served soon. The original crab leg noodles were actually prepared much like braised crayfish, just with crab claws as the main ingredient. The cooked crab claws were numbingly spicy, savory, and fragrant, with a rich sauce. Hot dry noodles were added and simmered for a while, allowing them to fully absorb the broth, making it a very popular late-night delicacy for the locals.

Unfortunately, Yue Zhishi couldn't eat noodles. The staple food was replaced with rice noodles. Although they didn't absorb the flavor as well as the noodles, the texture was smoother and more refreshing, and it still tasted good.

Yue Zhishi was a very easygoing person. If he couldn't eat something, he wouldn't be disappointed at all if it was prepared another way. It was the same with many things in life; he wouldn't think too much about things he was destined not to have.

Even for a crab claw he couldn't crack open, he would give up directly and pick the next one to eat.

Yue Zhishi always felt that he was probably the type of person who was least likely to force things.

After a hearty meal, they returned home. Cotton Candy was fussing to go downstairs, so Yue Zhishi went to walk the dog by himself.

Song Yu returned to his room and sat at his desk, observing the gift Yue Zhishi had given him. In the past, Yue Zhishi's packaging was also handmade, decorated with some drawings, but this time he seemed to have been truly affected, using a ready-made gift box he had found somewhere. It was exquisite and looked quite presentable.

But Song Yu still preferred the old packaging. He hadn't thrown away a single gift box from his childhood to now.

Yue Zhishi had said not to open it, and Song Yu did as he was told, placing the box directly into the suitcase he was about to take to university, closing it, buckling it, and pushing it into a corner of the room.

After staying in the corner for no more than four days, this small suitcase accompanied Song Yu to register at W University. The school was on the other side of the river, not too close to home. Song Yu insisted on going alone, but Song Jin and Lin Rong felt it was a major event in their son's life and insisted on seeing him off.

The school was nestled by mountains and a lake, its classical architecture and Western style blended by layers of greenery. It was very beautiful. The volunteers welcoming the new students were also very enthusiastic, helping the incoming freshmen as much as possible. They drove in, and the school was even bigger than they had imagined. Lin Rong wanted to follow Song Yu into the dormitory building but was directly refused by Song Yu.

Song Jin smoothed things over, “Xiao Yu is so grown up now. If you go up there and fuss, his roommates will laugh at him.”

Lin Rong didn't think much of it. “If it were Lele, he would definitely be happy to have me go up.”

“So you still have one more chance, no need for regrets,” Song Yu said.

Under Song Yu's repeated refusals, the two parents only wandered around for a bit before going home. After all, their work was also very busy, and since the school was in the same city, they could come whenever they wanted.