The next morning, as Qin Tian and his mother were having breakfast in the main hall, they saw Zhang Peng arrive outside with a backpack.
"Auntie, Tian Ge, eating!"
Before even entering the house, Zhang Peng greeted them with a hearty laugh.
"Have you eaten breakfast? Come sit and have some with us?"
Tang Xiu Xia invited with a gentle smile.
"No need, I just finished a big bowl of noodles. I'm full!"
Zhang Peng politely refused and walked into the house.
"Then sit for a while!"
Tang Xiu Xia didn't insist further.
The two boys had been good friends since the first year of high school, and Zhang Peng often visited their home, making him a familiar presence.
Zhang Peng sat on the empty chair beside them and took Qin Tian's phone to play a game called "Temple Run" while he finished his meal.
"Tian Ge, hurry up and eat. It's already 8:30, and we still need to go to the supermarket to buy some snacks and drinks!"
"Got it, it's still early. Don't rush me."
Qin Tian was unconcerned, continuing to eat at his own pace.
"Xiao Tian, be mindful at their place, especially when their parents aren't home. Don't touch anything you shouldn't, and since you're good at studying, help your classmates out a lot."
Tang Xiu Xia said with a smile.
Her son had briefly mentioned the study session when he returned yesterday.
"Mom, I know. Don't worry!"
Qin Tian nodded in agreement.
Tang Xiu Xia smiled with satisfaction.
Her son had changed a lot recently, and undoubtedly, he was becoming more responsible, easing her worries.
Especially in his studies, which made her feel proud and gratified.
A study session like this was unprecedented; usually, he would just go out and have fun during holidays.
After eating his fill, Qin Tian and Zhang Peng left to head to the nearby supermarket.
"Still playing? Give me back my phone."
Qin Tian glanced at Zhang Peng, who was walking and playing on his phone, and said with a hint of annoyance.
"Wait a moment, I'm just finishing this round."
Zhang Peng replied without looking up, completely engrossed in the game.
Qin Tian didn't give him the chance and reached out to snatch the phone, shutting down the game.
"Tian Ge, you're too cruel! What's the difference between this and suddenly unplugging someone's internet?"
Zhang Peng complained with a bitter expression.
Qin Tian gave him a sideways glance, too lazy to engage, and directly dialed Xia Nuannuan's number.
"Hello, Qin Tian."
The call was answered quickly, and Xia Nuannuan's soft voice came through.
"Have you left yet? Zhang Peng and I are on our way to the supermarket."
Qin Tian said directly.
"I just walked out of my apartment complex. Should I come find you then?"
Xia Nuannuan asked.
Qin Tian thought for a moment and suggested, "It's a bit far for you to come over. Why don't you go directly to the class monitor's house? Or call Liao Juan and the others to go together. Zhang Peng and I can handle buying snacks and drinks here."
"Okay, that works. I'll call Liao Juan and see where they are."
"Alright, is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll buy some extra!"
"I'm fine with anything!"
"Okay then, I'll just pick what I think is good. I'll hang up now!"
"Mhm, see you later!"
"Okay!"
With that, Qin Tian hung up the phone, ignoring Zhang Peng's hopeful gaze beside him, and put the phone back into his pocket.
Ever since Zhang Peng knew he had bought this new phone, he had been eager to play games on it whenever he had the chance.
Now, several popular mobile games had been downloaded onto his phone by this guy.
"Tsk, stingy!"
"I'm doing it for your own good, afraid you'll walk into a tree while looking down at your phone."
"Impossible, am I that foolish... Holy crap!"
Before Zhang Peng could finish speaking, he stumbled, almost falling flat on his face.
Fortunately, Qin Tian reacted quickly, grabbing his shoulder and steadying him.
They both looked around and saw a trash can by the roadside. Someone had carelessly left a banana peel outside, and Zhang Peng had stepped on it without noticing.
"Impossible?"
Qin Tian looked at him with a mocking expression.
"Cough cough..."
Zhang Peng cleared his throat awkwardly and said indignantly, "Who is so inconsiderate! Not even throwing their trash inside. It was an accident, purely an accident. It was a banana peel; if it were a big tree, I couldn't possibly miss it."
"What if it were a pile of dog poop?"
Qin Tian asked with a cold smile.
Zhang Peng's expression stiffened, and he rolled his eyes speechlessly, saying, "Tian Ge, why are you so disgusting!"
"Dad is teaching you to be a good person, you should listen, understand!"
"Get lost, believe it or not, I'll tell my old man."
"Then I'll become sworn brothers with Uncle Zhang and adopt you as my godson."
"Damn, you win!"
The two bantered as they arrived at the nearby supermarket, filling a shopping cart with all sorts of snacks and drinks.
At the checkout counter, Qin Tian took out his wallet and waited for the cashier to scan the items and print the receipt.
Zhang Peng, holding a scanned bag of snacks, stood beside him eating contentedly.
"Aren't you going to contribute?"
Qin Tian glanced at him, feigning annoyance.
"Godfather, your son is financially embarrassed!"
Zhang Peng put on a pitiful expression.
"As expected of you!"
Qin Tian gave him a thumbs-up, expressing his admiration.
The cashier auntie, who was scanning the items, couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.
The total came to a little over two hundred yuan, with two large shopping bags packed to the brim.
"Thank you."
Qin Tian took the change from the cashier auntie, put it in his pocket, and turned to walk away.
"Son, take the things."
"Huh?"
Zhang Peng was stunned.
"What? Your father asks you to exert a little effort, and you can't?"
Qin Tian looked back at him.
"Yes, I can!"
Zhang Peng nodded with a bitter expression, struggled to lift the two bags, and quickly followed.
"Tian Ge, slow down! Wait for me!"
"Call me Godfather!"
"Get lost!"
"Haha..."
The cashier auntie watched them leave the supermarket before she could no longer hold back her hearty laughter.
...
...
After leaving the supermarket, the two hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take them to the entrance of the class monitor's residential area.
"Qin Tian, Zhang Peng!"
As they got out of the car, they heard familiar calls.
Looking in the direction of the voices, they saw Xia Nuannuan and Liao Juan holding hands. The latter was also carrying a black plastic bag, which appeared to contain some ingredients.
"Why aren't you going in? Is anyone else here?"
Qin Tian asked in surprise.
"We were the earliest to arrive and waited for you. Cui Ying and Qiu Man should be on their way."
Xia Nuannuan replied with a sweet smile.
Qin Tian nodded and walked towards the two girls with Zhang Peng, who was carrying two large bags of snacks and drinks.
"Why did you buy so much?"
Liao Juan looked at the two bags in Zhang Peng's hands and said in surprise.
"It's fine, it's my treat!"
Qin Tian laughed heartily.
Liao Juan glanced at Zhang Peng, then at Qin Tian, who had his hands empty, and seemed to understand something.
"Zhang Peng, let me help you!"
Xia Nuannuan reached out to take one of the bags.
"No, it's a bit heavy!"
Qin Tian smiled and stopped her, patting Zhang Peng on the shoulder and saying, "This is my newly adopted godson; let him exert himself a bit!"
The two girls blinked in confusion at his words.
"Tian Ge, please act like a human!"
Zhang Peng gritted his teeth.