Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts

Mei Fang immediately told his father, Mei Lijun, about buying lottery tickets. Of course, he didn’t mention that the money came from Xia Yuan, but rather that he saved up his New Year’s money.

Although most of the children’s New Year’s money would be confiscated by their parents since they were young, parents would still symbolically give their children some pocket money.

Although Mei Lijun was surprised that his son dared to buy lottery tickets, he didn’t say anything. He just asked Mei Fang which four teams he bought, and when he heard that Mei Fang wanted to go claim the prize himself, Mei Lijun couldn’t help but laugh.

“What kind of ranking did you buy? How can you win with such random choices? What a waste of money. You should have asked your dad for guidance. Can a team like South Korea make it to the top four? Think about it.”

“Dad, don’t be so conceited. What if I win?”

“If you win, should I call you dad? Haha.” Mei Lijun patted Mei Fang’s head, teasing him.

“Dad, don’t be so childish.” Mei Fang pushed away Mei Lijun’s hand. “If I really win, just give me some money.”

“Why not ask for it all? This is the lottery ticket you bought with a large sum of money. If you win, it’s all yours.”

Mei Fang thought to himself, “I don’t believe you. If adults really took children’s promises seriously, valued their thoughts, and took care of their emotions, then why are there so many problems in families?”

Speaking of which, even if he really asked for the money, would they just use the excuse of saving it for him and forget about it later?

Mei Fang thought for a moment. “Then how about this… I want you to buy me something.”

“Okay, if you really win, I’ll buy you whatever you want!”

After a period of time, two weeks after Mei Fang’s rebirth, the most important event that happened during this period was the elimination of the national football team. This led to a period of depression everywhere, from home to the neighborhood.

Of course, the adjustment in kindergarten was quick. Without any national football programs to watch, the children returned to their usual excitement. It was also during this time that Mei Fang truly realized how terrifying children could be.

After disputes over toys, the children would slap each other and even bite each other’s faces. When the teacher arrived, the one who started the trouble would cry first, pretending to be innocent.

During mealtime, there would always be children who didn’t eat properly. Mischievous children would scoop meatballs from their classmates’ bowls and secretly sprinkle uneaten food on the ground.

Some children liked to stick tape on their faces and then pull it off, making monkey-like sounds with their teeth showing.

“Monkey Steals the Peach” was a despicable trick often used by boys during playtime, and sometimes Mei Fang, who innocently passed by, would be pranked by them.

This made Mei Fang feel extremely desperate.

How can he plan grand life goals while staying with this group of monsters and demons!

Similar with the picture of 【Human joys and sorrows are not the same. I just think they are noisy.jpg】^[1] with Mei Fang sitting in the middle.

And the most outstanding among them is the future academic overachiever, Lin Youxi.

She was the teacher’s focus of attention in kindergarten.

She liked to suddenly stand up when the teacher was teaching with their back turned, and then sit down when the teacher turned around;

When she was eating, she would suddenly raise her legs very high, as if practicing a split;

Everyone was preparing for nap time, but she was the only one playing with water by the sink;

“Lin Youxi, sit properly!”

“Lin Youxi, stop being mischievous!”

“Lin Youxi, behave!”

Such scolding was common in Mei Fang’s kindergarten life, and coupled with Lin Youxi’s lack of hygiene, she always had a runny nose, so there were very few children willing to play with her. Xia Yuan was almost the only girl willing to get close to her.

“Lin Youxi, remember to wipe your nose, Mom said every child should practice good hygiene.”

Mei Fang could always see Xia Yuan chasing after Lin Youxi, wiping her nose, stopping her from misbehaving, taking care of her in various ways, like a mother would.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence that they had the same name.

Or maybe his own rebirth had caused a butterfly effect, resulting in a parallel world?

If it weren’t for the slight resemblance, Mei Fang would no longer be able to associate Lin Youxi with the academic overachiever he knew in his previous life.

Of course, in Mei Fang’s opinion, Lin Youxi was just mischievous and active, not bullying other children or doing anything bad. Criticizing her once or twice was fine, but being caught by the teacher and criticized like this was a bit excessive.

She gave off a feeling of deliberately seeking attention.

Last time, Xia Yuan pulled her to apologize to Mei Fang, and since then, Lin Youxi had been deliberately avoiding him. When Mei Fang tried to talk to her, she would just nod or shake her head.

To be precise, it’s the same with other kids approaching Lin Youxi; only when Xia Yuan approaches her, she would mutter something or lean close to Xia Yuan’s ear to speak in hushed tones.

It was raining heavily that day, with lightning and thunder outside. The thunder scared many children and they couldn’t sleep well during nap time. The classroom was also gloomy, and the annoying boys always screamed along with the thunder, scaring the girls and making them cry, wishing to go home early.

The mature Mei Fang never got close to the children. Every day, he looked forward to growing up and making money. He thought that today the World Cup quarterfinals would be decided, and he couldn’t wait to see the bewildered expression on his father’s face after being proven wrong.

Finally, after enduring until the end of school, the sound of thunder and rain shows no sign of stopping. The teacher’s phone keeps ringing, and the parents of the children are arriving late to pick them up. One by one, the children are being taken away, leaving only Xia Yuan, Mei Fang, and Lin Youxi.

“Come on, let’s play house again. This time I’ll be the dad, Lin Youxi will be the mom, and Mei Fang will be the baby… Mei Fang, hold onto your doll, what are you doing…”

Mei Fang pointed to the window and said, “Your mom is here to pick you up.”

“Mom!”

Xia Yuan was still playing happily, but as soon as she saw her mom coming with an umbrella, she rushed towards her and muttered a few complaints:

“Why are you so late?”

“There was something that delayed me at the school… Mom will make cola chicken for you when we get home, okay?”

“Okay!”

Xia Yuan said, waving her hand, “Mei Fang, Lin Youxi, I’m going home now! Let’s play again tomorrow.”

“Goodbye, Auntie.”

When Xia Yuan’s mom saw Mei Fang, she smiled and said, “Mei Fang, hasn’t your family come to pick you up yet? Do you want to go home with us? Xia Yuan’s dad is coming by car, so he can give you a ride.”

“Then bring Lin Youxi too, and come to my house to eat cola chicken wings!”

Xia Yuan really wanted her friends to come to her house, but her mom seemed hesitant and unprepared to entertain guests. Just then, Lin Youxi vigorously shook her head to indicate refusal, and Mei Fang thought it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to go alone, so he said:

“Thank you, Auntie, but I’ll wait for my dad to come. He should be here soon.”

“Then see you tomorrow!”

Xia Yuan was the important bond between the three of them, and once she left, Mei Fang and Lin Youxi instantly lost interest in continuing to play.

Lin Youxi leaned on the table and looked out the window for a while, then leaned against the door to look outside. The teacher, who was reading a sentimental article in “Reader’s Digest,” was moved to tears but was immediately annoyed by Lin Youxi’s disturbance:

“Lin Youxi, don’t open the door. The rain is blowing in.”

She closed the magazine and looked out the window boredly.

“Why haven’t your parents come yet? It’s so hard to wait…”

By now, the sky was already very dark, and Lin Youxi, who had been eagerly looking at the rainy scene outside, hung her head and sat down, like a sleepy little animal waiting for its prey for a long time.

She had never been this quiet before.

After a while, the sound of a motorcycle came from outside the classroom. Lin Youxi, like a little rabbit with its ears perked up, immediately jumped up and looked outside, but after a while, she sat down again, disappointed.

It was Mei Fang’s dad, Mei Lijun, who had arrived.

“Damn… the rain is really heavy today. Teacher Li, sorry to trouble you. Mei Fang didn’t get lost, did he?”

Teacher Li finally had the opportunity to vent his dissatisfaction: “I mean, you parents really should come earlier next time to pick up your children. It’s almost time for the evening news.”

“You can still go back to watch it.”

“It’s too late, there’s still one more…”

Teacher Li quickly walked up to Lin Youxi, “I just called your dad again and no one answered. Why don’t you come home with me first?”

This Teacher Li was never gentle in class, and he criticized Lin Youxi the most. Lin Youxi didn’t even want to go to Xia Yuan’s house, let alone hers.

“What do you suggest then? I can’t just keep waiting here with you, right?”

The teacher’s words carried a hint of impatience, which was very sensitive to the children, especially to a child like Lin Youxi.

At this moment, Mei Fang noticed that Lin Youxi’s eyes were already slightly red.

…

Mei Fang stopped Mei Lijun, who was about to take him home, “Dad, Lin Youxi’s dad didn’t come. Can we take her home with us?”

“You little rascal…”

Mei Lijun glanced at Lin Youxi, who was lying on the table, and then sighed, “I don’t mind, but Teacher Li, what do you think?”

“If Lin Youxi is willing to go with you, I have no objections. Just let her dad contact you proactively.”

So the key is Lin Youxi…

Lin Youxi was already shaking her head frantically even before finishing their words.

At this moment, Mei Fang took the initiative to persuade Lin Youxi, “The kindergarten is about to close, and there’s thunder outside. If you don’t want to go home with us to my house, then you’ll have to go home with Teacher Li.”

Mei Fang presented Lin Youxi with a choice. Compared to going home with Teacher Li, who always scolded her, he believed that Lin Youxi would at least be closer to him.

However, Lin Youxi didn’t immediately respond, she just lowered her head and remained silent.

“If you don’t want to, then I’ll go home first, okay?”

As soon as Mei Fang turned around, Lin Youxi tightly grabbed onto the corner of his clothes.

With her head lowered, Lin Youxi spoke in a pitiful and weak voice.

“I don’t mind! I… I’ll go with you, to… to your house.”

Translator’s Notes:

1. A Chinese meme. You can search it on google images: “人类的悲欢并不相同，我只觉得他们吵闹” ↩︎