Chapter 13

Chapter 13 The Little Frog

Mei Fang’s summer vacation became busy and fulfilling with Lin You Xi frequently visiting. They played many games on the computer together. Mei Fang could feel the immense potential within Lin You Xi’s small body. She adapted to games quickly and was soon playing them well.

Without Mei Fang guiding her, she would have had no chance to experience these things in her past life.

As he nurtured her, Mei Fang began to think about turning Lin You Xi into his own game development assistant.

He had some knowledge of coding in his previous life, but he gave up after realizing his talent was limited. Perhaps, if Lin You Xi fell in love with gaming, she might develop an interest in programming too. With her strong learning ability and their close relationship, they would likely avoid conflicts in development.

However, this idea was still far from becoming reality, perhaps a twenty-year plan.

For now, he could only say he intended to guide and cultivate her, and success or failure would depend on fate.

By mid-August, Xia Yuan returned from her grandmother’s house. On her first day back, she called Mei Fang and Lin You Xi to meet at the park in their neighborhood.

“Xia Yuan, you’ve gotten tanner,” Lin You Xi said bluntly, touching Xia Yuan’s slightly dark shoulder curiously. “You look like one of those wild Africans in nature documentaries.”

Xia Yuan didn’t seem upset by the comment. Instead, she wiped her nose and smiled, “Yes, I did! I was sad for a while, but Mom said it would naturally fade away. I just need to eat more fruits and get enough Vitamin C.”

Xia Yuan, who originally had very fair skin, was now a bit tanned. She loved wearing off-shoulder dresses in summer, which made the contrast between her tanned and un-tanned areas quite noticeable, giving off a strange charm.

Stay calm, Mei Fang! You can do this!

Lin You Xi and Xia Yuan didn’t notice Mei Fang’s self-deprecating behavior. After chatting for a while, Xia Yuan took out a big treasure from her schoolbag.

“Right, this is a gift I brought back from my grandmother’s house. I want you guys to see it.”

“Woah, it’s a frog!”

In Xia Yuan’s glass jar was a little green frog. Both girls showed a different kind of preference compared to other girls their age; they seemed to really like this little animal. Mei Fang was the first to be startled, “Don’t you girls fear such creatures?”

Xia Yuan frowned, “Mei Fang is so cowardly.”

“It’s no wonder you wet the bed,” Lin You Xi added.

“… You two girls.”

Mei Fang really wanted to go home and play games, but his dad had chased him out today.

Because Mei Lijun blamed Mei Fang for staying home all day since he bought the computer, and mentioned concerns like nearsightedness, forbidding him from returning home before five.

Of course, Mei Fang knew that was just an excuse for his dad to monopolize the computer.

Xia Yuan placed the frog jar on the table in the pavilion to observe it.

“Wouldn’t the little frog suffocate if we cover it?”

“No, look here, my grandma poked holes in the lid for air.”

“So that’s it… Frogs are so interesting, so much fun! Look at its cheeks, they’re so big! What does it eat? I remember it eats insects.”

“Yes, it eats mosquitoes and flies. Having a frog around means no more itchy bites,” Xia Yuan sighed suddenly. “But my mom said frogs are protected animals, so we have to release it tomorrow.”

Actually, Xia Yuan’s mom didn’t have such noble thoughts; she simply disliked frogs as much as Mei Fang did.

“Can’t we keep the frog for a few more days? It’s so interesting…”

Lin You Xi thought for a moment, “If your family can’t keep it, you can leave it with Mei Fang.”

“Why do you think my family can keep it…” Mei Fang tapped Lin You Xi’s head. “Besides, if you like frogs, why don’t you keep one yourself?”

“My dad said he used to eat frog meat and told me it was delicious. I’m afraid he’d cook the little frog if he saw it.”

“Then your dad is in trouble!” Xia Yuan looked incredulous. “Mom said frogs are second-class protected animals. If someone is caught eating them, they’ll be sent to prison.”

After hearing that, Lin You Xi panicked, holding Xia Yuan’s hand pitifully. “Can we not tell the police about this… My dad doesn’t eat them anymore. I’ve already lost my mother, I don’t want to lose my father too. Then I’d become an orphan.”

How typical of children… To casually talk about their misfortunes?

Speaking of which, Xia Yuan seemed to know from the beginning that Lin You Xi’s mother was gone. Maybe that was why she was so enthusiastic about playing the role of Lin You Xi’s mother in their pretend games.

“Since he isn’t eating frogs anymore, I don’t think the police will be that strict…”

Xia Yuan touched her ear and looked away, looking quite guilty.

Mei Fang calmly watched the two little actresses redefine their moral standards, then the girls’ gazes turned to him.

“So Mei Fang, you can keep it, right? We are such good friends…”

I don’t need to keep a frog just for fun.

“You can play with the frog alone at home whenever you want. How envious!” Lin You Xi whispered in Mei Fang’s ear.

“Give it up. No matter how cute you act or try to persuade me, I’m not a frog fan.”

Lin You Xi and Xia Yuan exchanged glances and reached a consensus—

They had to make Mei Fang understand the joy of having a frog!

“Can we take the frog out? If Mei Fang touches it, he might like it.”

“Yes, I’ve played with it before! But frogs are shy and slippery. Be careful when handling it.”

“Hey…”

Seeing the girls carefully unscrewing the lid, Mei Fang suddenly felt a sense of impending doom.

“Ah!”

Just as Xia Yuan placed the frog in Lin You Xi’s palm, it jumped up.

No way—

With Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi’s screams, the frog croaked loudly and jumped three feet high, landing on—

Mei Fang’s face!

“Ahhhhhhh!”

The city boy who hadn’t handled a frog much screamed wildly. The frog stayed on Mei Fang’s face for a moment, then jumped to his shoulder. Mei Fang tried to grab it, but the frog slipped down his collar and into his clothes.

At this moment, Mei Fang was like a dog chasing its tail, spinning around frantically, waving his arms. He even took off his T-shirt to search for the frog.

“Mei Fang, calm down! Don’t panic… Don’t move, I’ll help you…”

“Pfff, hahaha!”

Beside them, Lin You Xi laughed uncontrollably, probably engraving Mei Fang’s ridiculous scene deep in her memory. This would surely become a topic she would tease him with from time to time.

After the commotion, Mei Fang lay exhausted on the table with no shirt on.

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi searched the grass around the pavilion for a while, then returned disappointedly.

“The frog seems to have jumped into the pond…”

“Wah… little frog,” Lin You Xi sobbed.

“Do you guys care about me at all?”

“Who cares about you, you big oaf!”

Lin You Xi kept tapping Mei Fang’s head, “You lost the frog Xia Yuan’s grandma caught.”

“It’s fine, we were going to release it anyway,” Xia Yuan waved her hand indifferently. “This way, the little frog can return to nature sooner.”

“You can’t always indulge Mei Fang,” Lin You Xi said, hands on her hips. “Always letting him have his way has made him arrogant.”

“But we had fun!”

“Yeah, I guess so…”

Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi both smiled happily.

Today’s illustration is Xia Yuan’s summer special! Please, open the comments section soon!

(End of Chapter)