Back to Auntie’s School Days - Chapter 10

Tan Yanqing stood behind the door for about a minute before reaching out to switch on the living room lights.

The cold incandescent light dispersed the darkness. Tan Yanqing habitually cast her gaze downward for a few seconds to let her eyes adjust. She looked down, changed into her slippers, and placed her backpack on the sofa.

From start to finish, aside from the sound of her slippers brushing against the floor, there was no other noise. It was so quiet it felt as if a silence-eating beast were hiding in her home.

The reality was that she was the only one there.

Tan Yanqing went straight to the kitchen, washed her hands, and opened the tall refrigerator. From the crisper drawer, she pulled out a large bag of mantou (steamed buns) she had bought while passing the market at noon. She placed one on a plate and put it in the microwave along with some leftovers from lunch.

Setting the timer, Tan Yanqing walked out of the kitchen.

She grabbed her backpack and squatted in front of the coffee table, taking out today’s homework and review materials one by one, stacking them on one side. She was like this every day; she wouldn’t go to sleep until everything she took out was finished and packed back into her bag.

On the coffee table lay a schedule belonging to her. It detailed what time she woke up, what she would eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and exactly how much protein and energy she needed to consume. It wasn’t just a lifestyle schedule; it included her studies. It clearly marked which time slot was for which subject, how many worksheets to complete, and how many vocabulary words to memorize.

Since the tenth grade, Tan Yanqing had followed this plan without the slightest deviation, living her life step-by-step.

Participating in the sports meet was not on the schedule. Since she had missed her self-study period today, she would have to stay up thirty minutes later tonight to make up the time.

She would start studying right after eating.

Just then, a “ding” came from the kitchen. Tan Yanqing rose from the coffee table, went to the kitchen, and brought her dinner back to the table. Just as she was about to sit down and eat, the doorbell rang.

A flicker of confusion appeared in Tan Yanqing’s eyes.

In this house, aside from the occasional visit from the neighborhood administrator, no one ever knocked at night.

Alertness rose in her heart. She walked to the door but didn’t open it immediately. Through the door, she asked coldly, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, it’s me!”

The moment Jian Lai’s voice rang out, the coldness in Tan Yanqing’s eyes froze. She hesitated for a moment before turning the handle.

At the door stood Jian Hao, her face flushed red and her forehead matted with a layer of sweat. Even as she spoke, she was huffing and puffing for air:

“Tan… Tan Yanqing, I… I…”

Tan Yanqing thought she was in such a hurry because of some urgent matter.

But what Jian Hao actually said was: “I’m hungry.”

Jian Hao gripped the straps of her backpack with both hands, taking deep breaths to steady her erratic breathing from riding the bike too fast. Her eyes flickered as she intentionally acted cute, staring straight at Tan Yanqing. “Can I have dinner at your house?”

Never met someone like this.

Tan Yanqing was stunned for only a moment before making a move to close the door. “No.”

“Wait!” Jian Hao raised her left hand to block the door. “Why not?”

Tan Yanqing’s expression was icy. “I have nothing in the house to entertain you with.”

Jian Hao looked concerned. “Then what are you eating tonight?”

Seeing the genuine care in Jian Hao’s eyes, Tan Yanqing’s grip on the doorknob tightened slightly. She replied directly, “Mantou.”

Nobody likes eating just steamed buns.

She expected to see Jian Hao look taken abashed or turn away in disappointment, but instead, Jian Hao’s eyes lit up with surprise. “Mantou?! That’s my favorite! Do you have chili sauce?”

“…?”

Jian Hao squeezed her voice into a pleading, cutesy tone. “I’m so hungry I don’t even have the strength to ride my bike~ Just let me have dinner with you~ Pretty please?”

Tan Yanqing pursed her lips, hesitating. Her body didn’t move, still blocking the gap in the door.

“I don’t have chili sauce in the house,” she said.

Jian Hao waved it off. “That’s just a supporting character; having the lead is enough.”

She pressed her hands together in front of her chest, swaying them back and forth as she gazed at Tan Yanqing with those sparkling, pleading eyes.

“I’m honestly so hungry~ Please, please~~”

“…”

After changing into the slippers Tan Yanqing provided, Jian Hao looked around the room as she took off her backpack.

Aside from a few missing small items, the layout of the house was actually no different from how it would be in the future! The sofa was the same sofa, the bookshelf was still in that corner…

She hadn’t realized Auntie Tan was so nostalgic—how it looked now was exactly how it would look years later. However, this layout gave the time-traveling Jian Hao a sense of familiarity. Entering this house felt as if she were still in the year 2025.

It felt just like coming home.

Walking to the sofa, Jian Hao placed her bag next to Tan Yanqing’s and looked down at the buns and leftovers on the coffee table.

“How many buns can you eat?” Tan Yanqing asked.

“One.”

Tan Yanqing: “Mhm. Is stir-fried potato shreds okay?”

“No need to make more, isn’t there food right here?” Jian Hao pointed to the plate of leftovers.

Tan Yanqing looked over. It was the garlic moss and eggs she had stir-fried at noon. She had made enough for two meals, but now there was only one portion left; it definitely wouldn’t be enough for two people.

“Those are leftovers.”

As Tan Yanqing reached to pick up the plate, Jian Hao stopped her.

“Reheated garlic moss is the best! Besides, I’m fine just eating the bun; don’t bother making a new dish, I’d feel bad~”

She was all smiles, looking not even remotely like she felt bad.

“Just help me heat up one bun, that’s enough. Once I eat, I’ll have the strength to go home.”

Tan Yanqing glanced at her, her face cold and emotionless, but she didn’t try to take the plate away again.

As Tan Yanqing turned to walk toward the kitchen, Jian Hao followed close behind.

Before reaching the kitchen wall, Jian Hao stopped.

She had looked at that wall her entire life. Hanging there was not only a photo of Tan Yanqing’s family of three but also two black-and-white portraits framed separately.

Those were… the funeral portraits of Tan Yanqing’s parents.