Cen Yi got home early and went up to look for Qiao Lingxiang. He knocked on Qiao Lingxiang's door for a long time but no one answered.
Cen Yi walked down and went back home. He asked his grandma, "Grandma, do you have Qiao Lingxiang's number? The young lady who lives above."
"Xiangxiang?"
Cen Yi's grandma was sitting in a rocking chair in front of a floor-to-ceiling window and knitting a sweater. She was wearing a pair of presbyopic glasses. When she heard his question, she replied to him, "Look for a phone book in the cabinet in front of the bed. I think I recorded her number inside."
"Okay."
He hurriedly entered his grandma's room and found her phone book. Old people still were in the habit of recording phone numbers in a book. They didn't trust the phone.
Cen Yi flipped to a page with Xiangxiang's name written on it. He looked at the number and found it to look a little familiar. But he didn't think too much about it and dialed the number directly.
The person on the other end picked up the call quickly. Before Cen Yi could speak, Qiao Lingxiang's voice came from the phone.
"I've already accepted the mission."
Cen Yi: ???
He looked at the familiar number again then checked his messages.
He asked, "Master of living skills?"
Qiao Lingxiang paused for a moment. She recognized this person's voice as the person who wanted to form a team with her.
She asked, "Senior Brother Cen Yi?"
"Wait, you…"
Cen Yi was shocked. Just as he was about to ask how Qiao Lingxiang became the "master of living skills", his grandma walked into the bedroom wearing a coral fleece nightgown and a huge scarf around her shoulders.
His grandma asked him, "Did you manage to call her? Let me ask Xiangxiang why she doesn't come out to play anymore when she's finished school."
Cen Yi held the phone and waved at his grandma. He was busy with official matters. Just as he was about to talk to Qiao Lingxiang, his grandma snatched his phone away.
"Why aren't you willing to ask? Go away. I'll ask myself."
His grandma rolled her eyes at him and walked out with Cen Yi's phone. Her tone was amiable as she said, "Xiangxiang…"
Cen Yi knew that his grandparents liked Qiao Lingxiang from a long time ago. Qiao Lingxiang was probably the only 16-year-old who could interact well with the seniors in the district.
She had a good personality. Normally, people wouldn't want to listen to old people's chattering but if Qiao Lingxiang would listen attentively even when the seniors got tired of talking.
So, when Cen Yi's grandma spoke to Qiao Lingxiang, she didn't bring up anything important. In summary, she asked Qiao Lingxiang why she didn't come out to dance anymore even when she wasn't living atschool now. She also told Qiao Lingxiang that the scarf she was knitting was about to be done soon…
These things could've been explained in a few minutes but she spoke for 15 minutes. Then Qiao Lingxiang told her that she was going to the Cold Snake Tower to look for energy stones with Cen Yi and this started another round of conversation. Cen Yi's grandma got very excited and started chatting with Qiao Lingxiang continuously.
They spoke for two hours.
Cen Yi wanted to snatch his phone back a few times. At first, he didn't want to take Qiao Lingxiang out because he and his friends were planning to trample over mountains and through ravines. He wasn't looking down on Qiao Lingxiang or think that she was too fat; he just felt that it wasn't right for ladies to have to suffer so much on the outside.
However, his grandma was having a good time talking to Qiao Lingxiang. She didn't give his phone back to him and even took his phone and ran to the bathroom. She locked the bathroom door and kept Cen Yi outside.
Cen Yi felt helpless. He stood in the living room and used the phone in the room to call Lu Zhengqing. He told Lu Zhengqing that the master of living skills was Qiao Lingxiang.
Lu Zhengqing remained silent for some time. Then he said casually, "Let's bring her along then. Cheng Tian is a vicious fellow. If we leave Sister Xiangxiang alone in Xiang City, she might get into more danger."
"Oh my god, can you not call her that?"
Cen Yi held the phone and lay flat on the sofa. He propped up his long legs on the coffee table and continued, "Whenever you call her Xiangxiang, I think of my grandma."
"Yes, my dear grandson."
Lu Zhengqing knew how to play along with Cen Yi. The next second, just as Lu Zhengqing expected, Cen Yi hung up the phone.
Lu Zhengqing was a classic example of a rich second generation from the north. He had a glib tongue and never seemed serious. He also looked playful and didn't care what happened to others as long as he wasn't affected.
Normally, he cleaned himself up so properly that he looked like a male demon. Whenever he was with Cen Yi, a straightforward and honest young man from the south, he loved to take advantage of Cen Yi verbally.
No one knew how they became good friends.
Lu Zhengqing said he didn't mind going to the Cold Snake Tower with Qiao Lingxiang. Cen Yi thought for a moment. He was the one who wanted to join the master of living skills at first. Since Qiao Lingxiang was the master of living skills and she wanted to partake in this mission, he shouldn't look down on her just because she was a lady. She had already accepted the mission too.
Also, Cheng Tian was indeed vicious. Since he wanted to take care of Qiao Lingxiang, he should take care of her completely. If he left Qiao Lingxiang in Xiang City, she might encounter Cheng Tian again.
Cen Yi contemplated it for some time then decided to form a team with Qiao Lingxiang.
He saw his grandma still hiding in the bathroom on the phone, so he could only return to his own room and pack his luggage.
He didn't have much to pack. The north was warmer than the south so he left most of his winter clothes in his old home in the south. All the winter clothes he currently had were all bought here.
He picked a few sportswear pieces and stuffed them into his backpack. He used the remaining space to pack some snacks from home.
He pondered it for a while and opened the cabinet at the foot of his bed. He took out a box from the drawer and carefully opened a velvet box. He took out a garrison martyr badge.
This belonged to his deceased father. He held it in his palm and clenched his fist. He placed his fist beside his lips and kissed it.
This was a small ceremony. He was bidding farewell to his father.
After he put away the badge, someone knocked on the door. Cen Yi answered.
"The door isn't locked."
The next second, his grandma walked in. She returned his phone to him and sat on the bed. She patted the space beside her.
"Come, Ah Yi. Grandma has some things to tell you."
Cen Yi sat down instantly beside his grandma. He placed his hand behind his head and lay down on the bed.
"Okay."
"You didn't tell your grandpa and me that you will be going to such a faraway place."
His grandma sighed. She had a happy conversation with Qiao Lingxiang earlier and finally remembered to worry about her grandson. She saw Cen Yi lying beside her so she slapped Cen Yi's leg and scolded him, "You deserve a beating. Why didn't you tell me about it?"