Chapter 168 Heading to the City
If we divide the four seasons by sense, the four seasons on the island are never evenly divided, and the longest season is summer.
Summer gradually begins in mid-April and autumn begins to take shape in mid-October. Summer on the island takes up nearly half of the year.
The long day was filled with the constant chirping of cicadas.
In my childhood memories, summer always gives me the illusion that time lasts forever.
After entering June, midsummer has also arrived.
Occasionally there will be heavy rain that lasts for a week, or one or two chaotic typhoons, but most of the time there is bright and warm sunshine and a clear blue sky.
It has been almost a year since Liu Zhiyi came to live on the island, and she has become a little tanned. This is a change that makes the girl happy. After all, if she gets a little tanned, others will no longer be able to tell at a glance that she is from a big city.
Liu Zhiyi feels that she is becoming more and more adapted to her current life. It's not just the change in skin color, the most important change is her mentality. She rarely feels like an outsider anymore.
Of course, the girl's skin was naturally fair, and even if the skin on her arms that was often exposed was a little tanned, if she only pulled her sleeves up a little, she could see the clearly defined and amazingly delicate white... This made her feel very embarrassed.
On the contrary, Cailing, who used to be tanned, has become a little whiter now. Perhaps it is the subtle changes brought about by hormone secretion in girls after entering puberty.
It may also be that she really gets less sun exposure than before. After all, she is a grown-up girl now that she has entered junior high school. Compared to when she was a child, she spends much less time running around in the sun. She usually stays in the classroom or at home to study. Even the training of the school track and field team is held in the evening after school.
She used to look like a tomboy, but now she looks more and more like a girl. Her hair has grown longer, her skin has become smoother, and even the cute curve of her chest has become more obvious...
As for her personality, however, there hasn't been much change. She is cheerful and youthful, looking cool and sassy. When she stands next to the quiet Liu Zhiyi, she gives people two completely different impressions.
……
As they grew through puberty and the seasons changed, the two girls also celebrated their fourteenth birthday together.
The two girls are not only good friends, but also happen to have the same birthday. This fate-filled thing makes them look forward to their birthdays this year particularly.
Fang Wei didn't hide anything anymore and told them about his birthday plans early on, which was to celebrate his birthday outside together!
"Celebrating your birthday outside?"
"Yes, June 16th happens to be a weekend, so let's set off early then!"
"Where are you going?"
"To the city!"
"In the city?! Are we just four? Is it okay without an adult?"
"There are only four of us. I'll take you there! If you're afraid, you can bring an adult with you..."
"No adults! No adults! Just us! Just us!"
When the two girls heard Fang Wei say that he was going to the city to celebrate his birthday, their eyes lit up.
Just thinking about going to such a faraway place with friends, not only will there be a sense of adventure and excitement, but Cai Ling will also be able to eat a birthday cake that she has never eaten before!
Although Liu Zhiyi had eaten the cake, she had never been to Xuanzhu City and was still very curious about the place. After all, she would definitely study in the city for high school. The most important thing was to go to such a faraway place with her friends. It was her first time to go to such a faraway place without an adult.
"So are we going to go secretly? Should we tell the adults?"
“…I definitely have to say it.”
"What if my dad and the others don't agree..."
"Just say I took you there."
"Qi! Are you so proud of yourself?!"
So Cailing, Asheng and the other two went home and told their parents.
As expected, the adults did not agree at first. They must be worried about me running so far to play alone.
But when he heard that the mature and reliable Fang Wei was also going, he thought about it and agreed, but still reminded him to be careful and so on.
All these nonsense are not important. What is important is that on their 14th birthday, they can go to the city to play with their good friends like adults! There is an inexplicable sense of growth!
……
On June 16th, the weekend, the four members of Pineapple Island set out together to Xuanzhu City to celebrate his birthday.
The four of them agreed to set off together at 6:40, just like they usually did when going to school, they rode their bicycles from Fang Wei's house, picked up Cailing, Asheng, and Zhiyi, and went to Baitan Pier to buy bus and ferry tickets.
[Bu——]
"Going to Xuanzhu City! The boat leaves at 7:30! Passengers going to Xuanzhu City, please pay attention! Tickets are being checked and we are boarding the boat..."
The ship's crew was holding a loud speaker and giving warnings at the dock.
"Let's go! Let's get on the boat, let's get on the boat!"
Xu Cailing, Liu Zhiyi and A Sheng looked very excited. They pushed their bicycles and followed Fang Wei to line up to get on the boat.
The four of them bought tickets for a bus or ferry, and also took their bicycles on board.
Each of them pushed their bicycles through the wide wooden board, and then placed the bicycles together in the designated position on the deck. They watched as the ship's crew pulled several long leather ropes to secure the bicycles and motorcycles on the deck.
"Hahaha, Zhiyi, have you ever been to the city?"
"No, it's my first time there! Cailing, have you been there before?"
Liu Zhiyi was a little nervous, but also a little excited. Since she moved back, she had never left the island except for going to school. This was the first time she and Fang Wei and the other two went to such a far place together, even though it was also an island...
"Of course I've been there, but very rarely, maybe only two or three times. Hehe, it was the first time I went without my parents."
"Me too." Ah Sheng also said excitedly.
"What should we do? We won't get lost in the city, right? Haha." Liu Zhiyi laughed. Even though there was a possibility of getting lost, for some reason, she was not nervous at all at this moment. Maybe it was because she was with everyone.
"Don't worry, I'm here for you." Fang Wei said, patting his chest.
"You know your way around the city?"
"Anyway, I'm more familiar with it than you guys! I just brought you McDonald's from the city last time!"
Fang Wei was indeed familiar with the roads. It was no exaggeration to say that he was more familiar with the roads in the city than the adults at home. After all, he also studied in the city for three years in high school! The urban area on the island was not actually very big, so there was no place he had not been to.
With Fangwei as a human-shaped navigation device, friends can feel relieved.
In fact, it doesn’t matter even if no one knows the way. It is more in line with the adventurous mood!
"Where's the gift? Where's the gift? It's Zhiyi and I's birthday, and you two don't have any gifts?" Cai Ling stretched out her little hand to ask for a gift.
Fang Wei smiled and patted her palm: "Taking you out to play, isn't that also a gift?" "It counts as half!"
"Okay, okay, I'll buy it for you when we get to the city."
"Not sincere!" the two girls said in unison.
"…You're very sincere! I went all the way to the city just to buy you some presents!"
"How long will the boat take?"
"It'll take about two hours. After all, it's not a direct route and we'll have to pass a few small islands along the way. Let's go and find a seat in the cabin."
"You guys go and sit down, I'll sit here on the deck and enjoy the fresh air!" Cai Ling said.
"Me too!" Zhiyi said.
Okay, so the four of them stood together on the deck, leaning against the fence, enjoying the sea breeze and chatting.
……
Another whistle sounded, and the transport boat slowly sailed away from Baitan Wharf. The engine roared, the propeller stirred, the bow broke through the waves, and sailed steadily on the vast sea.
The sun penetrates the clouds, and the sea surface sparkles as if it were covered with broken silver. The salty sea breeze gently brushes across the cheeks, bringing a hint of coolness.
The two girls imitated the classic scene in the movie Titanic. The naughty Xu Cailing stood on the bow of the deck facing the wind with her arms outstretched, while Liu Zhiyi stood behind her and hugged her waist.
Perhaps her ticklish spot was tickled, Cailing giggled, so the two of them changed positions, with Zhiyi opening her arms and Cailing hugging her from behind. Unexpectedly, Zhiyi was even more ticklish, and the two girls laughed so hard.
The boat was not going very fast. As it sailed in the middle of the sea, the air had a stronger scent of the sea than on the shore.
After all, humans are a terrestrial species, unlike fish that can live in the sea forever. But the deeper we go into the ocean, the calmer and more peaceful we feel inside. Our worries seem to be left behind, and our state of mind becomes as broad and free as the ocean.
"Fang Wei~"
"Ok?"
"Are we going to Xuanzhu Island to attend high school in the future?"
"Yes, No. 1 Middle School, No. 2 Middle School and No. 3 Middle School are all on Xuanzhu Island, and No. 4 Middle School is on another island."
"We will definitely have to live in the school by then, right?"
"Of course, otherwise I would have to spend two or three hours commuting every day."
"Hee, I don't know what it's like to live in a dormitory with my classmates."
Xu Cailing thought about it and calculated, "Then I will have to live in school for the next five days and can only go home on weekends."
"correct."
"Zhiyi, you must also want to take the entrance exam for No. 1 Middle School, right?" Cailing asked.
"Uh-huh!"
"Asheng, what about you? Do you want to take the entrance exam to No. 1 Middle School together?"
"...Sister, do you want to listen to what you are saying?"
Just hearing the words "No. 1 Middle School" made Ah Sheng feel overwhelmed: "I'd be so lucky if there's any high school that lets me go there!"
"Then Ah Sheng, let's apply to Xuanzhu Island's high school together in the future."
Xu Cailing said: "Then we can go to school and go home together by boat!"
"Okay."
In fact, compared to going to school and going home together, Xu Cailing cares more about whether everyone can still be in the same school, and it would be even better if they can still be in the same class.
This way we don't have to wait until the weekend to meet each other...
"Fang Wei, do you know where No. 1 Middle School is?"
"I know."
"When we get to the city, shall we go to No. 1 Middle School?"
“I don’t know if I can get into the school.”
"It's okay! If we can't go in, let's just look outside!"
"Okay, then I'll take you to see what the high school you're going to apply to looks like."
Although they are still in the first grade of junior high school, the four of them are also thinking about going to high school in the future.
Fang Wei thought further ahead. If the family's mussel farming plan went smoothly, it would definitely be a considerable scale in two or three years. By then, the family would have some savings, and he also planned to let his father buy some real estate or stores in the city.
The housing prices in Xuanzhu City may not be as exaggerated as those in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, but the increase in recent years is also quite amazing. With such foresight, buying some real estate as fixed assets for the family is always the safest financial management strategy.
Fang Wei has never thought about becoming a wealthy man. In fact, when assets become huge enough, one will lose his freedom against his will. "Just right" is a state of mind as well as a science.
It’s a bit early to think about these things now, so it can be regarded as a rough plan for a rainy day.
……
The journey was a bit long, but it didn't feel boring at all.
Two hours later, as the transport boat docked at Xuanzhu Wharf, the terminal, Fang Wei and his four companions also arrived at their destination.
“Here we are~!”
"Let's go to Middle School~!"
"Hey, let's go to the cake shop first and buy a birthday cake!"
“There’s still cake to eat!!”
"Master Fang, you are so nice!"
The two girls were extremely excited.
(End of this chapter)
