"There's also that shoebox," his mom said with gravity. "Tongtong, if you don't give it as a Christmas gift, you really won't be able to give it away. Let me count them for you: after Christmas comes New Year's Day. New Year's Day is a holiday, so you won't see each other. Then comes the Spring Festival, where you definitely won't see each other. After that, spring will be arriving, so what would be the point of gifting boots then?"
Zhang Shutong felt this made a lot of sense.
But Lu Qinglian insisted on splitting the cost even for renting a single wig, so gifting her a "present" was a task where the burden was heavy and the road was long.
His mom unwrapped that long box again, speaking as she did so:
"Qiumian is very polite too. I ran into her at the mall back then and asked her if she wanted to come over for dinner. She said she could, but she had to prepare some things for the class activity and might be a bit late. I went home to cook first, and yet she still used that little bit of time to prepare a gift... A scarf, it's really beautiful."
After putting it on, she spun around gleefully:
"How is it, how is it?"
Zhang Shutong said absently that it looked good, but his mom tapped his head with the box:
"Wrong. Come, let me teach you how to speak today. At a time like this, you should say: 'I remember you have a trench coat in your wardrobe, it might match perfectly, hurry up and go try it on.'"
Zhang Shutong applied what he learned:
"Oh, you have a trench coat in your wardrobe..."
But before he could finish speaking, he was tapped and glared at by his mom again:
"Who told you to use it on me? I'm telling you to learn it for the future. By the way, the return gift I mentioned earlier was for you to send something to her. Don't you dare send a return gift to her dad!"
"Of course," Zhang Shutong blanked out for a moment. "Why would I send one to her dad?"
"My distrust of you as a mother has reached its peak." His mom sighed repeatedly. "I'm afraid you, kid, will really happily carry some things over to Boss Gu and think that's called a proper exchange of courtesy."
Zhang Shutong's face darkened, knowing his mom was poking fun at him. He went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, squeezing out a bit of dish soap and scrubbing it into bubbles.
Humans are such strange creatures. Zhang Shutong looked at the bubbles in his palm. If it were normal times, he definitely wouldn't have any associations, but at this moment, he thought of the pom-pom on a Christmas hat.
Christmas hadn't arrived yet, but he was a person who liked to make preparations in advance for everything.
What would be a good gift to send?
Gifting his best friends was easy enough; Zhang Shutong knew each of their preferences well. But Gu Qiumian lacked nothing over on her end, which was truly a bit of a headache.
For one, he didn't know what to send; for the other, he didn't know how to send it.
Zhang Shutong stared blankly at the ceiling while the tap rushed noisily.
When he stepped out of the kitchen, his mom was crouching in front of the Christmas tree. She wrapped the included colored lights around the tree and plugged them in to try them out first. The lights actually had sound, and a familiar melody floated through the living room. Zhang Shutong listened closely; it was "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way."
By this time, the night had turned completely dark. The glass window was like a mirror, reflecting the multi-colored glow of the lights before they turned off. His mom stood up confidently:
"You are absolutely going to have a very busy Christmas."
Zhang Shutong remained noncommittal.
Alright.
Truly very busy.
This was Tuesday, December 18.
A thin morning mist drifted about. He squinted his eyes against the cold wind, the bicycle chain turning slowly.
Zhang Shutong was currently rushing toward Ruoping's house.
He had discussed it with Qing Yi and Du Kang. From now until Christmas, the three of them would take turns going to Ruoping's house to "escort" her to and from school.
Of course, they didn't plan to get into the car; they just needed to watch Ruoping get in safely. Meanwhile, they would keep an eye out for any unusual activity around them and ride their bicycles toward the school following the car.
He couldn't be blamed for being cautious. Since he knew what kind of bitter consequences would be brewed in the future, what was the harm in being cautious over and over again?
"Morning," Zhang Shutong said a moment later, letting out a yawn.
"Morning, morning, morning, come on in and sit down." Ruoping's head poked out from the crack of the door.
The driver from Gu Qiumian's family hadn't arrived yet.
"Where's Auntie?" Zhang Shutong knew Feng's father was a teacher and stayed off the island from Monday to Friday.
"I told her that I'm going to school with Qiumian this week and let her sleep in a bit. Right now she's probably still washing up upstairs."
Zhang Shutong stepped inside and saw two fully stuffed plastic bags piled by the entrance:
"Trash? Shall I carry it out for you?"
"What trash? These are clothes packed for Qinglian."
"The amount is a bit exaggerated..."
"Just letting her try them out."
"How did you sleep last night?"
"Pretty good. You guys are just overthinking things," Ruoping poured him a glass of hot water. "If he can find his way to my house, then hiding like this wouldn't be of use anyway."
Zhang Shutong nodded and wandered around the living room. There was no need to be constrained; not to mention he had just helped them move five years later, he had also visited quite often during their current junior high school days.
The arrangement of many things hadn't changed much compared to the future. If there was anything extra... Zhang Shutong saw a tiny gift box tied to the birdcage.
"It celebrates Christmas too?" Zhang Shutong was startled.
"Out of boredom." Ruoping curled her lip. "Last night I even taught it to sing Christmas carols, but unfortunately it's too stupid and didn't learn."
Nowadays, even parrots celebrated Christmas.
"What do you think," Zhang Shutong asked suddenly, "would be a good gift to send for Christmas?"
"Ah, for me? But isn't it a bit too early to talk about this?" Ruoping was taken aback. "Also, why did you become so gentle after touching the fox? Is that really a Smiling Fox and not a Gentle Fox?"
No, it was a Mocking Fox.
Zhang Shutong listened speechlessly to Ruoping's complaints. She was just cracking a joke and burst out laughing after finishing.
Zhang Shutong, however, thought to himself that he was preparing to gift two people, but two might not be enough.
First of all, they were best friends, an inseparable quartet. There was no logic in gifting two girls for Christmas while ignoring Ruoping.
Simply because she was the only girl among them.
Additionally, if he gifted Ruoping, he would have to gift Du Kang and Qing Yi as well. How could he ignore his good brothers?
Furthermore, when asked about it afterward, it would certainly give rise to various rumors again, saying things like Zhang Shutong, oh Zhang Shutong, so your ambitions were actually this grand... Without even thinking, he knew it would be a rerun of the scratch paper incident. It was better to shut their mouths early.
In this way, the number of gifts to send suddenly surged, turning from two into five. Zhang Shutong thought with admiration that his mom indeed possessed great foresight.
But he was a person who didn't even send holiday blessing texts during festivals. Suddenly having five extra gifts to send—never mind his wallet, his brain cells couldn't take it either.
Zhang Shutong silently took a sip of water and simply asked Ruoping directly:
"What do you want?"
"Why did you suddenly think of sending things?" Ruoping asked suspiciously. "You've never given us gifts for past Christmases."
"It's the last year, so leave a memento?" Zhang Shutong truly thought so. "And... how come I remember sending them?"
"Apples don't count as gifts."
"They don't?"
Zhang Shutong swallowed the words is buying five apples okay back into his stomach.
"That's a Christmas Eve thing. If you want the other party to be safe and joyful, you absolutely must send it, so it doesn't count as a Christmas gift." As expected of a girl, Ruoping was full of arguments. "By the way, fish doesn't count either."
"Is that so? Sorry, sorry..." Zhang Shutong said weakly.
"Is that so? Sorry, sorry..." the parrot said cheerfully.
Zhang Shutong stared expressionlessly at the parrot, thinking to himself, how come you learned this phrase particularly quickly?
"So what do you want?"
"I just want to go out." Ruoping wailed. "If we catch that man, let's count that as the best Christmas gift, okay?"
Zhang Shutong let out a sigh, knowing Ruoping's words were more like a casual remark, but he also wanted to hurry up and resolve all this, and then have a good holiday.
Just then, a horn sounded outside; the car from Gu Qiumian's family had arrived.
Zhang Shutong saw Ruoping into the car, turned his head to look around. It was still early, and there were only a few students either riding bikes or walking. Figures of adults were hard to see.
He said goodbye and rode his bike toward the school in a hurry.
"Morning."
A moment later, Zhang Shutong continued.
Lu Qinglian was doing her morning reading. She never recited out loud during morning reading; if her lips weren't moving slightly, one would think she was just focused on reading.
Hearing this, Lu Qinglian flipped a page of her textbook, perhaps using this motion to indicate she heard, or perhaps because she didn't want to be disturbed.
Zhang Shutong was more or less used to it.
What he wasn't quite used to was Gu Qiumian. Zhang Shutong originally thought she would ask him how that scarf was, whether his mom had said anything, and so on, but she didn't say a word.
He sent a text of gratitude, and Gu Qiumian sent an emoji back—it was a sheep rolling its eyes.
"So ugly."
"I drew it!"
Consequently, during the lunch break, Zhang Shutong went directly to Class 2:
"Is your monitor around?"
"Monitor, someone's looking for you!"
Gu Qiumian, who was located at the back of the classroom, said without turning her head, "Let him wait... What are you here for?"
She tilted her chin up, looking very majestic.
She had just asked for his help yesterday, yet she turned over a new leaf and refused to recognize him today.
Zhang Shutong waved his hand:
"Got something to say."
Gu Qiumian then trotted out somewhat reluctantly, giving him a push:
"Oh, let's talk outside, don't block our class entrance."
The two walked a few steps, picking a spot with fewer people, and she asked crisply again:
"What is it?"
"Thanks for yesterday."
"I just felt it wasn't very polite to visit empty-handed," Gu Qiumian mumbled. "Why do you keep bringing this up?"
"What gift do you want for Christmas?" Zhang Shutong came straight to the point.
Gu Qiumian blinked her eyes as if she hadn't heard clearly.
Two seconds later, a flush colored her ears:
"Think of it yourself!"
She threw down a line in displeasure, then returned to the classroom.
Zhang Shutong was left bewildered. Fortunately, someone walked over:
"Hello, Senior, did you two bicker again?"
It was Xu Zhiruo.
She had presumably come to find Gu Qiumian to play, having gotten an elk hair accessory from somewhere to wear on her head, looking like a quirky large-antlered deer.
"It's about the Christmas gift, right?" the little secretary said.
"How did you know?"
"Your thoughts are very easy to guess."
"But when I was speaking to her, why did I see two antlers hiding behind the pillar?"
Xu Zhiruo stuck out her tongue:
"I just happened to run into you guys. Hey, I can act as an advisor for you. Are you going to listen or not?"
Zhang Shutong had just taken a step forward when he stopped again.
"First of all, things that are too ordinary cannot be gifted." The little secretary extended a finger.
Zhang Shutong indicated his understanding.
"Secondly, things that are too expensive should not be gifted. I mean your wallet cannot bear the weight." The little secretary extended a second finger.
Zhang Shutong indicated his agreement:
"And finally?"
"It must be unique and ingenious, and then remember to keep it a secret. Reveal it only at the very last moment. She's a girl who likes surprises. Alright, that's all for the friendly tips. I'm going to find Qiumian. Bye-bye."
Zhang Shutong felt the burden on his shoulders grow a bit heavier again.
He slowly exhaled a breath. Unique and ingenious—easy to say, but how could it be that simple?
And by the afternoon, all these messy thoughts were completely thrown to the back of his mind by him.
Proper business mattered most.
Or rather, proper business was about to arrive.
He had to maintain absolute focus.
He hadn't thought about it before because thinking about it was useless anyway. Since that man knew Ruoping's hairstyle and body shape, guessing that she was a student wasn't difficult. There were only so many children of the right age on the island, and they definitely had to attend classes during the day, so it was of little significance for them to wander around during the daytime. Only when school was dismissed did it become time for student activities.
The location was the tunnel.
Zhang Shutong felt the expandable baton in his pocket. He had brought a self-defense weapon out today. Although it might not be needed with Lu Qinglian around, it was still best to be careful in everything.
He endured with patience until the bell for the last period rang.
The surrounding students boiled over like a pot, clamoring into a racket. Nearing the holidays, everyone was just a bit more restless than usual. Zhang Shutong wasn't in a hurry to stand up, but glanced at his phone and said to Lu Qinglian:
"Ruoping left the clothes at the entrance to the rooftop."
"Mm."
"She also said..." Zhang Shutong hesitated for a moment, "she wanted to help dress you up on the side. Also, the clothes have all been washed."
In fact, Zhang Shutong knew Ruoping was a fangirl and just wanted to see what Student Lu looked like after changing outfits.
"Thank you." Lu Qinglian nodded her chin; she was still doing a test paper at this time. "Help me tell Student Feng Ruoping that it is safer to go home as soon as possible."
"She said it, you'd better raise your vigilance a bit more," Zhang Shutong typed.
"Alright, alright." Ruoping's disappointment could be felt right through the screen, and she sent another message, "Then remember to help me take two photos."
"...We'll see."
He waited in his seat for another brief moment. Once the people in the classroom had mostly cleared out, he raised his gaze to look out the window. Qing Yi and Du Kang were standing in front of a sedan, waving their hands toward the car window.
Zhang Shutong set his mind at ease.
This kind of plan couldn't involve them either.
At the same time, Lu Qinglian also put down the pen in her hand. Not only had she finished the test paper, but she had even found time to correct the answers.
She packed her things away and extended her hand again:
"The wig."
Zhang Shutong also fished a plastic bag out of his schoolbag and handed it to her.
The wig was kept with him because it wasn't very convenient for her to carry it up the mountain.
Zhang Shutong stood up. The corridor was dead quiet, and the people had mostly cleared out. The two of them exited the classroom and walked toward the rooftop.
Only that place was the most convenient; there was no need to worry about being discovered, and they could hide behind the stairwell at the top.
In fact, Zhang Shutong had wanted to set the location in the girls' restroom, but Lu Qinglian shook her head and vetoed it. After thinking it over, he estimated there were still some students on duty, so going to the restroom would easily give the game away. Zhang Shutong tucked away his joking mindset. Her doing this wasn't out of caring much about everyone's gaze, but because the island was too small. If she was discovered by someone today, it would spread through the entire grade by tomorrow, the entire school by the day after, and then outside the school...
If there was any personal reason aside from that, it might also be that the restroom was too dirty.
"The key is with you?"
They stepped into the stairwell, and Zhang Shutong asked from behind Lu Qinglian.
She gave a casual response, then inserted the key, unlocking the door with a click. Currently, this place wasn't Zhang Shutong's secret little nest anymore either; rather, ever since the lost key incident, he hadn't seen the key again.
Not having returned to the rooftop in a long time, the cold wind slammed into his face first. Zhang Shutong was just about to look around with a trace of nostalgia.
With a bang, the door was shut right in front of his nose. The wind froze, and the air froze.
"Uh..."
"Please wait outside for a moment," Lu Qinglian said faintly from behind the door.
Zhang Shutong shrugged.
After a few minutes, the door was pushed open a crack.
Before Zhang Shutong could speak, Lu Qinglian took the lead to open her mouth.
Through the crack of the door, facing the setting sun, Zhang Shutong saw her exquisite face, her brows slightly knit:
"Student Zhang Shutong, come in for a second."
Her tone sounded completely helpless:
"This wig seems very difficult to put on."