May 20, 1994, Friday. Guan Xuchen bounded towards school this morning, his mood as bright as the sunshine, for today was his birthday. Better yet, his parents had finally agreed to take him to McDonald's for a hamburger and fries this evening. The fast-food store had been open in Guangzhou for over a year, and he had been begging his parents to take him there countless times. But his mom always had an excuse, whether it was the expense or the unhealthiness of fried food. Every time he heard his classmates rave about the food at McDonald's or show off their cool toys, he'd feel a twinge of envy.
A few days ago, Mr. Guan "handed over" the 120 yuan he'd earned from his side hustle to Mrs. Guan. Then man cautiously suggested, "Dearie, Xuchen's birthday is coming up soon. Why don't we take him to McDonald's for a burger and some fries?" Initially hesitant, Mrs. Guan agreed when she saw the stack of 10-yuan notes.
Of course, Guan Xuchen was excited about going to McDonald's after school. But he was even more eager for the birthday present from Gao Xinglang.
"What will Lang give me? Will it be a toy? Or just a simple birthday card? But whatever it is, I'll love it, as long as it's from Lang." Guan Xuchen walked along, lost in happy thoughts.
Guan Xuchen returned to the classroom and sat down. Before long, Gao Xinglang came in. "Morning, Lang," Guan Xuchen greeted him with a smile.
"Morning, Soupy," Gao Xinglang returned the smile and then walked back to his seat.
"Why doesn't he even say happy birthday?" Guan Xuchen was a little disappointed. But then he thought, "Maybe Lang is saving the present for after the morning reading."
After the Chinese morning reading, the class monitor asked the students to pass up their homework. The subject representatives would collect them and give them to the teachers. When Guan Xuchen counted the English workbooks, he noticed one was missing. So he asked, "Who hasn't handed in their English homework?"
"Just a moment, I'm almost done," Gao Xinglang replied loudly from the back of the classroom, his pen furiously scribbling.
Guan Xuchen walked over and asked in a lower voice, "Lang, why are you doing your English homework now?"
"English is so hard," Gao Xinglang grinned. He then pointed to a question and asked, "Soupy, how do I do this?"
"The synonym for 'What can I do for you?' is 'Can I do something for you?'." Guan Xuchen answered a few more questions, and soon Gao Xinglang finished his English homework. Gathering up the English workbooks, Guan Xuchen hurried to the teachers' office and gave them to Miss Song before the first class started.
After the first class of maths, Guan Xuchen was packing up his textbook when he heard Gao Xinglang call his name.
He looked up with a smile. "What's up, Lang?"
Gao Xinglang was holding a cup. "Let's go get some water together," he said with a smile.
"Oh, okay," Guan Xuchen replied. But as they walked, Guan Xuchen couldn't shake off a feeling of disappointment. There was nothing else in Gao Xinglang's hand.
The two boys walked to the water fountain at the end of the corridor, filled their cups, and headed back to the classroom. Gao Xinglang chatted away about this and that, but he never mentioned the words "birthday" or "gift". A wave of disappointment washed over Guan Xuchen. Several times, he was on the verge of mentioning his birthday, but the words stuck in his throat.
After lunch in the canteen, they returned to the classroom. Gao Xinglang called Guan Xuchen over and pulled something out of his bag. "Soupy, guess what I got," he said with a grin, placing it on the desk.
YOU ARE READING
Love Me in Another Universe
General FictionIt was such a long time ago that you don't even remember why you fell for that person in the first place. You just remember stubbornly that you were once deeply in love with someone with that name... It's a story about the bond between two Chinese b...
