Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts-Chapter 596 - 419. This eye mask is a bit weird_2

Hearing about Xu Qingfan's condition, Wu Lingyu's face was filled with a smile as she asked with concern, "Has Brother Fan not gotten up yet?"

"He went back to sleep!" Xia Xiaoxiao pouted.

"Maybe Brother Fan has been too busy with work these past few days..." Wu Lingyu said in a somewhat guilty way as she defended him.

Why Xu Qingfan was so tired, could she be any clearer about it? She knew it best, all right!

"That's true, from childhood to now, it's always been Brother Fan who took care of us. While people our age are still chasing celebrities and playing games, Brother Fan is already managing a company."

In her heart, Xiao Ruawen still admired Xu Qingfan very much.

"Because he is Brother Qing Fan, duh!" Lin Wanning said with a face full of pride, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Mhm!"

The five girls looked at each other and smiled.

...

Since Xu Qingfan was still sleeping, the plans for the five of them to go out naturally fell through, but thankfully, the villa was spacious enough that there were plenty of things to do at home.

"When you wake up, there's steamed buns, fried dough sticks, egg pancakes, dried vegetable porridge, dumplings, and also noodles, if you want to eat, grandma will cook them for you," said Lai Man Yao, who had woken up early. It wasn't because of their arrival; she usually got up at the crack of dawn, but such a lavish breakfast was indeed prepared for them.

"Thank you, Grandma!"

"We'll just have these, they all look so tasty, yah!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The five girls, beaming with joy, provided Lai Man Yao with a terrific emotional return.

"Good, treat this place like your own home, and tell Grandma whenever you want to eat something," Lai Man Yao nodded kindly.

"We love anything Grandma cooks!"

"Absolutely!"

"Grandma's cooking is even tastier than what the chefs make in a hotel!"

"Right!"

Lin Wanning and Xiao Ruawen spoke as Wu Lingyu, Xia Xiaoxiao, and Zhang Yiyi acted as cheerleaders, amusing the old lady to the point that she chuckled gleefully.

"I'll give you roasted goose for lunch, all grain-fed geese," said Lai Man Yao cheerfully as she left the kitchen, preparing to pick out a big fat goose from the chicken coop to slaughter.

Surrounded by an iron fence, mixing chickens, ducks, and geese together was very common in rural areas.

The five of them sat on the steps in the courtyard with their breakfast, the sun had not yet risen, and the morning temperature was pleasantly cool.

Looking up at the blue sky with white clouds overhead, and below their feet were the dried vegetables and longans that Grandma had laid out.

Wu Lingyu's eyes lit up as she stared at the dried longans on the winnowing basket—an excellent produce she planned to take with her when leaving.

[To make soup and brew tea for Brother Fan!]

"By the way, does anyone know what kind of vegetable the dried vegetables are made from? I often eat them, but we always buy them ready-made at home," Xiao Ruawen casually asked.

Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi exchanged glances; although they weren't entirely ignorant about grains and vegetables, they truly didn't know what kind of vegetable was used to make dried vegetables—such a detailed matter.

"Chinese cabbage."

"Baby bok choy."

Xia Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingyu answered one after the other. Realizing their matching answers, the two exchanged smiles.

"Oh, so it's baby bok choy," said Xiao Ruawen, imagining dried baby bok choy in her mind. "It seems quite similar; it just doesn't taste like bok choy anymore."

She was chewing on a piece of dried vegetable at the moment and was making a comment based on that.

The four had no idea how to respond to Xiao Ruawen's question, so they simply chose to remain silent.

Luckily, Xiao Ruawen had only asked casually, not really minding her own question, and then she continued, "Are we waiting for Brother Fan to wake up naturally, and what shall we do after breakfast?"

"Let Brother Qing Fan sleep a bit longer," Wanning, the considerate little cotton-padded jacket, immediately said.

"Yeah, Brother Fan is too tired," Wu Lingyu also nodded in agreement, after all, who knew better than her whether Xu Qingfan was tired or not.

Since both of them had said so, there was no need to discuss the matter any further.

"How about we continue playing hide and seek?" Xiao Ruawen suggested.

"Why not help Grandma with slaughtering the goose?" Zhang Yiyi raised her hand, pointing in the distance.

All four turned their heads to look; Lai Man Yao was returning, grabbing the wings of a large white goose.

The big white goose struggled desperately, and Grandma even gave the disobedient bird a couple of slaps.

Seeing this scene, all five burst into laughter, exclaiming in unison, "Okay!"

...

It was almost eleven in the morning and Xu Qingfan finally woke up naturally.

"Ha~"

He yawned as he got up from bed and looked around; the room that was full of girls was now empty.

Remembering how this morning the four of them had come for a surprise inspection, Xu Qingfan couldn't help but admire his own quick thinking.

Last night, he was so tired, but Xu Qingfan still forced himself to fight off sleep and reluctance, carrying Wu Lingyu back to his own room.

Thinking about the consequences if he hadn't done that, he couldn't help but break out in a sweat over such an outcome.

"Hehehe...."

Xu Qingfan leaned against the headboard and suddenly chuckled to himself inexplicably—a person with experience would know that he had scored.

Yep, vegetarian meat is still meat!

Taking advantage of the disturbance-free moment, he reviewed last night's rewards in his mind.

First off, of course, was Yu not minding his greed, even though the condition was that it was just among the five of them, but this was already enough to excite and thrill Qingfan.

[Using Yu as a breakthrough, is there a chance to persuade Wanning and Yiyi?]

[Feels unlikely.]

Xu Qingfan quickly shook his head, repeating the old saying—the Qing dynasty had been extinct for over a hundred years, and he wasn't an emperor; how could Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi possibly accept polygamy!

If Wu Lingyu hadn't said "Would Brother Fan stop wanting me?" last night, Xu Qingfan wouldn't have dared to take the gamble, because Wanning and Yiyi were not as direct and clear as Yu.

[It's still so difficult. Xia Xiaoxiao already has the issue with her dad; if I expose myself now, she might explode with fury. She might even go study abroad in advance!]

Xu Qingfan was a firm believer of fate, especially since such an unbelievable event as rebirth had happened to him; if he still claimed to be an atheist, then what would that make him if not a fool?

So all the more reason he couldn't let Xia Xiaoxiao go abroad for studies. It's better not to have such an action at all—not fearing the ten thousand, but the "what if."

"Xiao Xiao might as well be kept in the dark as long as possible; if it comes down to it, I'll just feed back to her what she told me in her previous life," Xu Qingfan muttered to himself softly.

But you really shouldn't say it!

If Xiao Xiao came to confess to him after their high school graduation, Qingfan could then say, "I don't plan to be in a relationship for all four years of college."

Just thinking about it was delightful!

[Had to pay some interest for how you messed with me in our past life, Xia Xiaoxiao!]

Once he made up his mind about Xia Xiaoxiao's matter, that left only Xiao Ruawen; so far, he hadn't made much progress with Xiao Ruawen.

But Qingfan wasn't worried—there was still a year of sharing a desk together; once in his bowl, it couldn't escape!

[Need to ask Yu how to handle the matter with Wanning and Yiyi.]

The smile on the scoundrel's face suddenly stiffened as a sense of unnamed guilt surged in his heart.

[Ah~ I'm really a dog!]

"Slap."

He gave himself a smack: "Can't even bear this bit of guilt, and talking about giving them a home!"

Human nature is so complicated, Xu Qingfan felt that having guilt wasn't a bad thing; it could always remind him: he owed those five women, and he shouldn't be too greedy—five is enough!

He suddenly remembered the "One Chance" from Goodbye Mr. Loser.

[Wonder if I could change it to 'Five Chances'?]

Five chances would be enough, I'll take you to see forever!

...

"Brother Qing Fan, you're awake!"

"Brother, good morning!"

"Brother Fan, there are still steamed buns!"

"You actually woke up."

"Haha, Brother Fan, you can really sleep!"

When Xu Qingfan came downstairs, he saw the five girls helping Lai Man Yao pick vegetables in the living room.

"So diligent, eh? My mother-in-law likes girls who are handy and nimble," Xu Qingfan said with a smile, waving at them.

"What time is it already? The girls have come back home with much difficulty, and you sleep until the sun is up your ass before you get up!" Lai Man Yao scolded.

"Cousin is so lazy! Cousin is so lazy!" Yao Zixin pointed at Lazy on the TV and yelled.

"What did you say Cousin is, say it again?" Xu Qingfan came over, pretending he was about to hit him, but Yao Zixin immediately hid in his grandmother's embrace.

"Lalalala~ Cousin is Grey Wolf!" Backed by Lai Man Yao, he taunted boldly.

"Then you're Tiger when he was little!" Xu Qingfan raised an eyebrow and walked away.

Yao Zixin was left dumbfounded; at his young age, he had never heard someone insulted in such a manner, and he burst into tears instantly: "Wahhh, Grandma, I'm not Tiger, I'm not!"

"No, no, Zixin is not," comforted Lai Man Yao, clueless about what 'Tiger' or 'fat cat' meant; her grandson was crying, so she had to spoil him.

"Really?"

"Fake, you are, Yao Zixin is Tiger when he was little!" Seeing his tears stop, Qingfan turned around and said again.

"Wahhh, Grandma, Cousin is bullying me!"

"Yao Zixin is....." Under Lai Man Yao's fierce glare, he retreated into the kitchen.

"Hahaha!"

...