Give Me Another Smile

ay tassel tied to one end, giving the bookmark a refined look.
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He didn't know if Yin Zhao-an would like it, but he liked it very much.
He was eager to share everything he liked with Yin Zhao-an, but…

Maybe next time…

…

The thought of keeping her distance from Yin Zhao-an was deeply ingrained in Tang Yu's heart, so she could wake up early, even without an alarm clock.
Then, she would hide in the bushes and wait for Yin Zhao-an and Yin Changcheng to jog past her hiding spot before happily going on her way to have milk oatmeal at the nearby breakfast shop.

Milk oatmeal was one of the surprising discoveries she made recently.
It happened a few days ago.
The breakfast shop's proprietress happened to open shop late that day, so the steamed buns were yet to be ready.
So, while she was waiting, the proprietress served her a bowl of milk oatmeal.
It was sweet and fragrant, and she instantly took a liking to it.

The proprietress was from the countryside, her Mandarin mixed with a heavy accent.
“Little girl, up so early again today? Your school won't even be open yet!”

“I can't sleep,” Tang Yu said while feeling the warmth coming from the bowl of oatmeal in her hands.

While deftly draining some vermicelli, the proprietress responded, “You're still a child, yet you already have insomnia? You best have your mother take you to the hospital to get a look.”

“I know~!”

The proprietress giggled at Tang Yu's spirited response, saying, “So you know how to act cute as well?”

Tang Yu smiled in embarrassment.
The proprietress was so overly friendly that she had forgotten to control her tone properly, making it look like she was acting cute.

At this time, beeping noises appeared as the electric steamer's timer went off.
After wiping her hands on her apron, the proprietress opened the steamer's lid with a damp rag.
Immediately, steaming heat surged upward, and a sweet fragrance filled the small shop.

After taking two steam baskets out of the steamer, the proprietress grabbed a steaming bun with a pair of tongs and offered it to Tang Yu, saying, “Here you go.
Will you be having it here or taking it with you?”

Tang Yu glanced at the sky outside and saw that it had already transformed from a dull gray into a piercing white, she said, “I'll take it with me.”

“Got it.”

The bun was a little hot to the touch but not unbearable.
However, when Tang Yu bit into it, the meat juices in it scalded her to the brink of tears.

“T-That… I think I'll finish it here before leaving,” Tang Yu weakly said, her eyes reddening a little and giving her a pitiful appearance.

“Have a seat, then! Don't worry, and take your time!”

Office workers and students started their day at almost the same time.
So, at a certain point in time, Tang Yu got to experience what it felt like to be a sardine.

After finishing her bun, Tang Yu picked up her schoolbag and headed out of the shop.
Before she left, though, she didn't forget to bid goodbye to the proprietress, saying, “Thank you, Auntie.
I'm off now.”

Despite being busy with work, the proprietress did not ignore Tang Yu's farewell.
Instead, she beamed a friendly smile at Tang Yu and said, “Okay, take care.”

Tang Yu finally got a breath of fresh air when she squeezed her way out of the crowded shop.
However, before she could make her way to school, she heard a “deadly” call coming from behind.

“Tang-Tang!”