Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

Song Guanwen claimed that he was not a living Guanyin who saved all living beings, nor did he have the heart of a bodhisattva who saved people from suffering.

Because of the environment he grew up in, he understood early on that talking about interests is more important than talking about feelings.

It's like although Song's father didn't like him, when he achieved the top scorer in the grade and became the "other people's child" praised by the neighbors, the neighbors' words "Old Song, you are a good parent" could make this man who usually couldn't even afford to buy a popsicle suddenly become "a father with love as strong as a mountain."

The brand new pen, the extra meat and vegetables, these sudden "gifts" were all clearly marked with a price - that was his reward for flattering Song's father.

Hu Yun, who deliberately ignored him, was too lazy to even glance at him on weekdays. But as long as he was willing to stay up late to tutor the two of them, when the report cards came out, there would definitely be a bowl of egg custard steamed specially for him on the table.

The smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes, and her sudden "loving" concern, were as precise as paying a bill.

Therefore, growing up in such an environment, Song Guanwen naturally developed a cold-hearted character. As long as it did not concern him, he would just be a spectator who watched with indifference.

He has never been the kind of person who would repay a favor with a thousand times the gratitude. The only exception in his 19 years of life was when he was with Lin Xi.

Seeing that the county hospital couldn't save her, he still risked losing both his money and his life. He used all kinds of connections and spent almost half of his own money to get malted milk for her, which even money and tickets might not be available for purchase. He also risked being accused of being "retrograde and feudal" and took the risk to seek medical treatment and make medicine for her.

The reason why he did all this without asking for anything in return was simply because of a piece of peach cake that Lin Xi had given him when he was a child.

Song Guanwen could no longer remember the exact year and day, but he vaguely remembered that he was about ten years old at that time and had just started junior high school.

As the sun set and the school bell rang, Song Guanwen, walking alone, seemed a little out of place among the students who were walking home in groups of three or five, laughing and playing.

He was the last one to come, with a washed-out canvas backpack slung over one shoulder, walking slowly along the shadow of the wall. His cloth shoes were a bit tight, and the soles were worn thin, making them uncomfortable when he stepped on the gravel road.

When he was almost at the alley in front of his home, he saw several boys from his class from afar. They were chatting and laughing around a brand new bicycle, and bursts of happy laughter broke out from time to time. The fresh youthful atmosphere seemed to dispel the gradually enveloping dusk.

However, when Song Guanwen approached, the laughter of several people seemed to be paused, as if he was some kind of taboo.

Song Guanwen was already accustomed to this. He just glanced at them lightly, walked straight past them without stopping, and left the deliberately suppressed discussions behind him.

Turning into the alley, the noise gradually faded away. The lights in the houses on both sides of the alley gradually came on. The warm yellow light leaking from the cracks in the doors and windows stretched his shadow very long, blending it with the gradually enveloping dusk.

When he was a few steps away from the door of his house, Song Guanwen heard bursts of laughter coming from inside. The Song family had guests.

Realizing this, Song Guanwen paused. He didn't like having guests at home. To be more precise, none of the guests at home liked him.

It’s not that he is so disgusting or annoying. On the contrary, because of his excellent academic performance among his peers and his good looks inherited from his father and mother, Song Guanwen is not only not annoying, but also the kind of child that the elders like most.

If he could be as sweet-mouthed as the two children born to Hu Yun, he would undoubtedly be a very likable child.

But he is just too cold. He is polite but not enthusiastic enough to everyone. He looks at everyone as if they were an inanimate object, which makes people feel cold and naturally they don't want to stay with him for long.

Song Guanwen also knew that he was not popular, so when guests came to his house, he would just say hello and go back to his room, or simply hide outside and wait until the guests left before going back.

But now, Song Guanwen looked up at the darkening sky, pursed his lips, and stepped into the yard.

Just like at the alley entrance just now, the moment he stepped into the house, the living room that was originally full of laughter and chatter suddenly became quiet, and the people who were originally sitting around the table in the living room all looked up at him.

Although he had faced such scenes countless times, after seeing the mooncakes, dried fruits and other gifts on the table and realizing that tomorrow was Mid-Autumn Festival, a rare and indescribable loneliness welled up in his originally calm heart.

"Oh! This is... Guanwen, right?" The guest sitting at the table broke the silence first and spoke with a smile.

Song Guanwen collected his thoughts and then looked at the people in the room. He saw that the small living room was packed with eight or nine people. In addition to Song's father Hu Yun, and Song Xiaojuan and Song Jiabao, who were each holding a piece of peach cake with their mouths full of crumbs, there were five other people sitting near the table.

A middle-aged couple, obviously a married couple, and three children who looked very similar to them were crowded around a small table, and the one who had just greeted him was the wife of the couple.

"Aunt Lin, Uncle." Song Guanwen pulled up the shoulder strap of his schoolbag, lowered his eyes and greeted them softly.

"Hey! Is this you, just after school?" The woman he called Auntie Lin gave him a kind but polite smile, then looked him up and down before turning to Hu Yun beside her and saying, "Boys of this age really change every day. It's only been six months since I last saw him, and he seems to have grown quite a bit taller."

Hu Yun always treated all of her children equally in front of outsiders, so after hearing what Lin's mother said, she smiled and agreed, "That's right. I just made him some clothes two months ago, and look at them. The trouser legs are already a bit shorter."

Song Guanwen stood there, listening quietly to the two of them exchanging a few words with him, and then patiently nodded to the three children of the Lin family. Then he said, "You guys chat first, I still have homework to do," and turned and went into his room.

With the sound of the door closing, the laughter in the living room was mostly blocked out, and only some faint rustling sounds could be heard.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock on the door of the room. Song Guanwen put down the pen in his hand and opened the door. Unexpectedly, the person standing outside the door was not Hu Yun Song's father, nor Song Xiaojuan and Song Jiabao, but a somewhat thin girl.

"Brother Guanwen, my aunt asked me to ask you to come out for dinner."