Chapter 98: Call Her Sister, Moon Goddess
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
“I’m not, I’m just a tuoshi,” she replied.
“Tuoshi,” the self-designation of the people from Duofu, meaning “commoner.”
The girl’s eyes widened even further, a hint of delight in her gaze as she curiously asked, her curiosity unmasked, “Do you understand Duofu’s language?”
“A little.”
“Oh my god! You can actually speak our language!” The girl was thrilled, grabbing Jiang Fuyue’s hand as if she had encountered a fellow countryman.
“I’m really… so surprised! You know, people from the outside aren’t friendly towards Duofu at all, and they don’t want to learn our language. But our words are very pleasant, and we can sing many beautiful songs… only you, you’re an exception. I really like you!”
Jiang Fuyue smiled faintly, “I like you too.”
It really is similar… even their tones of speech are exactly the same as that person from her past.
“Are you also here for the informatics competition?” the girl asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m called Fanye, it means ‘lush and flourishing.’ And you?”
“Jiang Fuyue.”
Fanye pondered for a moment, “Does that mean ‘supporting the moon’?”
“The characters are the same, but the meaning is different.”
Fanye curiously blinked, “Then what does it mean?”
“…Rising straight up, seizing the moon in the ninth heaven.”
“Your name sounds very majestic. The person who gave you this name must be amazing!”
Amazing?
Han Yunru had always thought of herself as quite ordinary.
Twenty minutes later, the bus stopped in front of the hotel’s entrance.
Carrying their luggage, they went to the front desk to check-in, deliberately requesting adjacent rooms.
“We’re neighbors now!” Fanye exclaimed.
“Yes.” Jiang Fuyue smirked.
“Then I’ll take a shower first. I’ve been so uncomfortable these past couple of days, I feel like I’m starting to stink. How about we go have dinner together later?”
“Sure.”
Jiang Fuyue also returned to her room, took out her toiletries, placed them on the sink, and retrieved her coat from the suitcase. She shook it out and hung it in the wardrobe using a hanger.
After finishing, she took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and then heard the doorbell ring.
As the door opened, the first thing that caught her eye was a radiant smile.
The girl was a whole head shorter than Jiang Fuyue, with a delicate frame. She wore an oversized T-shirt, which made her appear even smaller.
Her skin had a healthy wheat complexion, and her hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing her full forehead. Her lively almond-shaped eyes were round and bright.
“I’m all ready!”
After washing away the dust and grime, a pleasant laundry detergent scent wafted from the girl.
Jiang Fuyue picked up her bag, “Let’s go.”
When the two of them reached the hotel lobby, the bus from No. 7 High School had just arrived, the students a bit late.
“How unlucky! The perfectly good bus actually broke down, and there’s no air conditioning. It’s so hot I almost fainted.”
“Don’t remind me, my clothes are so wet they could be wrung out.”
“I’m feeling a bit dizzy…”
“Hey! Are you okay? Could it be heatstroke?”
“Teacher, someone fainted—”
Chaos ensued, people flailing about like headless chickens.
Fanye passed by from the side, unable to contain her amusement as she suppressed a smile, “Serves them right!”
Jiang Fuyue glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.
The two of them went to a nearby stir-fry restaurant, where the environment was average and the food was decent.
During dinner, as they chatted, Jiang Fuyue learned that Fanye was only 14 years old. If she had been born in a regular area, she should have just graduated from middle school and be preparing to enter high school.
“Can I call you sister?” Fanye’s almond eyes revealed anticipation, “Sister Yue?”
Jiang Fuyue grinned, “Sure.”
“That’s great! And here you were saying you’re not Agata, but you are! Both of your names have ‘moon’ in them!”
“Just a coincidence.”
“It’s not a coincidence,” Fanye said earnestly, her tone serious, “it’s fate.”
Northern cuisine came in large portions, one dish equivalent to two dishes from the south, so one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one soup were enough to fill both of them.
Fanye wrapped the remaining sauce in the plate around a scoop of rice and put it in her mouth, letting out a satisfied sigh, “So delicious…”
Jiang Fuyue said, “If you’re not full, you can order more.”
“No need, no need,” she quickly waved her hand, “I’m already full, but my father says we shouldn’t waste. If we can finish it, we should. Even in prosperity, extravagance shouldn’t be an excuse.”
Jiang Fuyue pondered for a moment, “Your father is a wise person.”
“Really? All our people think so too!” Fanye’s entire face brightened at the mention of her father, “He’s different from most people in Duofu!”
“Oh? How is he different?” Jiang Fuyue seemed quite interested.
Fanye continued, “Although Duofu isn’t as sinister as it’s portrayed in the outside world, the living conditions are indeed difficult. Children in the tribe can’t go to school or read books. Every day, they learn basic skills like hunting, animal husbandry, and weaving. They don’t even know what the outside world looks like.”
“But my father is different. He knows a lot about the outside world and can speak various foreign languages. Since I was little, he taught me to keep clean, exercise diligently, and read a lot. Don’t you think he’s very wise?”
“He taught you… to keep clean, exercise diligently, and read a lot?” Jiang Fuyue raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, he said Agata taught him these things, and he wants to pass them on to me.”
Jiang Fuyue lowered her gaze slightly, her lips gently curving upwards.
After Fanye finished eating, she got up to pay the bill. However, she was stopped the next moment.
Fanye said, “This meal is on me. My father said that giving and receiving favors should be balanced. You treated me to the ride, so I’ll treat you to the meal.”
Saying so, she took out the money and handed it to the waiter.
The waiter returned with some change, which Fanye neatly sorted and stacked, carefully placing it into her small bag. She then patted it gently, saying, “Let’s go!”
The two of them returned to the hotel together.
Jiang Fuyue called Xu Jing and informed him that she hadn’t taken the bus and had already checked into the hotel. She thanked him for his kindness.
Xu Jing didn’t think too much of it and thought to himself that this girl was quite self-reliant.
After finishing the call, Jiang Fuyue immediately called Jiang Da and Han Yunru.
Little Brother Jiang was also in the shop, so the three of them put the phone on speaker, taking turns to speak.
“How’s the weather in the capital? Is it hot?”
“Did you get motion sickness? Are you used to the food?”
“What about money? Is it enough? Your dad transferred three thousand into your account just now.”
“Sis! Is the capital the same as our Linhuai? Are there skyscrapers with a hundred floors?”
Jiang Fuyue answered each question.
That night, she didn’t stay up late and went to sleep early.
…
The next day, after breakfast, the organizers arranged for the candidates to visit and familiarize themselves with the exam venue at Q University.
Five buses were parked outside the hotel. Jiang Fuyue and Fanye got on one of them, and by chance, they ended up on the same bus as the students from No. 7 High School.
“Why is it you guys again?” a girl sitting in the front row suddenly spoke, her expression displeased. “Are you sticking with us from No. 7 High School?”
Fanye frowned.
Jiang Fuyue remained expressionless.
“Out of five buses, couldn’t you have chosen any other one? You just had to come and join us. Isn’t that interesting?” another girl chimed in.
“Ah, and there’s this Duofu person, emitting that sour cabbage smell again as soon as she gets on…”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
