Chapter 044: Two Mischievous Girls

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“Zhou Bing, if you want to fight, wait for me after school in the woods behind the campus. I don’t have time right now!” Yang Tian strode up to Zhou Bing, tossed out these words, and turned to leave. In truth, with his current skills, he could settle Zhou Bing and his gang within five minutes.

But right now, the halls and grounds were teeming with students hurrying to their classes. He didn’t want to brawl in front of so many people and alert the school; if that happened, the school would surely inform his parents. Yang Tian didn’t want to disappoint the Yang Bao couple.

“Brother Tian, happy birthday!” Before Yang Tian could take a few steps, Zhou Bing’s voice rang out behind him, startling him.

“Brother Tian, happy birthday!” Zhou Bing’s underlings chorused, drawing the attention of all the children nearby, who stopped to watch.

“Zhou Bing, what are you playing at?” Yang Tian demanded sharply.

“Brother Tian, don’t be angry! I went to a lot of trouble to find out that today’s your birthday, so I brought them here to celebrate with you! Here, this is for you—do you like it?” Zhou Bing removed his sunglasses, sidled up to Yang Tian like a little eunuch, and respectfully handed him a nearly-new military stiletto about twenty centimeters long, clearly seasoned yet in good shape.

“Are you trying to get me killed? Brandishing this thing at the school gate!” Yang Tian scolded, but he quickly accepted it; after all, a military stiletto was a fine weapon for close combat.

“Thank you for accepting, Brother Tian. We’ll leave now so as not to cause you any trouble! Oh, and Brother Tian, I heard Sun Hui is recruiting street thugs to go against you. If you run into trouble, let us know—we’ll handle it for you!” Zhou Bing grinned, delighted that Yang Tian had taken the stiletto, and leaned in to whisper a warning.

“Got it! And if you really call me your brother, behave yourselves at school from now on. Even if you’re not good at your studies, you should at least learn to be decent people! All right, I’m off to morning reading. Don’t come looking for me at school unless it’s important!” Yang Tian patted Zhou Bing’s shoulder and headed for his classroom.

Children at this age are mischievous, fond of forming cliques and acting tough, but it doesn’t mean they’re bad. Not only are they still young, but there’s also a certain spiritedness in their bones.

So Yang Tian didn’t dislike them, nor did he draw a pretentious line between himself and them. As for the street thugs, that was another matter entirely.

Seeing Yang Tian return to his classroom, Zhou Bing and his crew quickly dispersed. Bao Yuehong noticed the commotion, but seeing that nothing serious had happened, she didn’t make a fuss—she simply gave Yang Tian a brief warning.

As night fell, Huang Juan and Yang Xueling skipped evening self-study and slipped into the small woods behind the sports field. They lit candles and celebrated Yang Tian’s birthday.

Besides Huang Juan and Yang Xueling, Zhang Xinyu, Chen Ming, and An Qi also came. Zhang Xinyu gave Yang Tian a handsome leather belt, Chen Ming brought a New Rural brand fountain pen, and An Qi gifted a bottle of ink.

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The gifts were simple, but joy stirred in Yang Tian’s heart. Despite his mature mindset, having so many people excitedly celebrate his birthday made him genuinely happy.

“I’ll sing for you! I just learned a new song,” Zhang Xinyu said sweetly. They were eating the cake Huang Juan and Yang Xueling had ordered—a small cake, so everyone got only a tiny slice, but the atmosphere was lively, and everyone enjoyed the celebration.

“Great! We’ll clap along to the rhythm!” Huang Juan and An Qi started clapping, and Yang Tian and Chen Ming joined in. Only Yang Xueling sat quietly, refusing to clap and looking somewhat disgruntled.

“Let’s row our double oars, the little boat pushes through the waves. The lake reflects the beautiful white pagoda, surrounded by green trees and red walls. The little boat floats gently on the water…” Zhang Xinyu’s voice was clear and crisp; she swayed her little head as she sang, and the others clapped along.

“Brother, did you try on the underwear? Does it fit?” As Zhang Xinyu finished singing and everyone prepared for the next activity, Yang Xueling suddenly approached Yang Tian, laughing as she asked.

“Underwear?” Chen Ming and An Qi were surprised, while Huang Juan blushed deeply. Only the innocent Yang Xueling and Zhang Xinyu laughed without reservation.

“I haven’t worn them yet!” Yang Tian felt awkward. It didn’t matter when they were young, but now that they were older, it was inappropriate—after all, they weren’t siblings by blood.

“Try them on when you get home! Sister Juan and I told the shop owner—if the size doesn’t fit, you can exchange them!” Yang Xueling laughed openly, unconcerned.

“Sister Juan?” Chen Ming and An Qi looked at Huang Juan, realizing for the first time that it wasn’t only Yang Tian’s sister who bought him underwear—Huang Juan had helped too.

Seeing Chen Ming and An Qi snickering, Huang Juan lowered her head, her cheeks flushed. Of course, at this age, the children were innocent; they knew the difference between boys and girls but had none of the sordid thoughts adults might have.

“He’s grown so tall, we didn’t know what size would fit…” Huang Juan tried to explain, but as soon as she said it, she regretted it—such words could easily be misunderstood.

“How do you know he’s grown tall? Did you peek while he was bathing?” Chen Ming and An Qi had become quite the comic duo.

“No, Xueling said so!” Huang Juan grew more embarrassed and nervous, quickly shifting the blame to Yang Xueling.

“Sister Juan is lying—when we bought the underwear, she told the shop owner herself. I didn’t say anything!” Yang Xueling grinned mischievously.

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“You little rascal, I’ll teach you a lesson!” Huang Juan was even more embarrassed and stood up to chase after Yang Xueling.

“Brother, help! Sister-in-law is hitting me!” Yang Xueling didn’t run, but instead threw herself into Yang Tian’s arms, shouting loudly, making Huang Juan stamp her feet in frustration.

Chen Ming and the others burst into laughter at Yang Xueling’s antics.

“Sister-in-law!” Before Huang Juan could calm down, Zhang Xinyu joined in, calling out sweetly.

Chen Ming and An Qi laughed harder—Chen Ming clutching his stomach, An Qi half-leaning on his shoulder, her right hand slapping his back.

“You little troublemaker, you’re incorrigible!” Huang Juan, exasperated, started chasing Zhang Xinyu.

“Xinyu, come here!” For the first time, Yang Xueling and Zhang Xinyu stood together, hand in hand, both hiding in Yang Tian’s arms.

“These two naughty girls… Xiaotian, aren’t you going to do something?” Huang Juan, out of options, appealed to Yang Tian.

“You’re putting him in a tough spot—his wife and sister are fighting, how’s he supposed to intervene?” Before Yang Tian could reply, Chen Ming chimed in, laughing even harder.

“Rascals, boys are all rascals. Juan, don’t pay them any mind!” An Qi suddenly said. The thoughts of girls are strange—upon hearing Chen Ming’s words, An Qi immediately stopped siding with him and began supporting Huang Juan.

As the group continued to frolic and tease each other, Yang Tian simply watched quietly, feeling a tranquil sweetness ripple through his heart.

[Second update delivered on time, seeking recommendation votes!]