Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts
Chapter 15: Singing Dreams and Fantasies

At the Mei family’s family meeting, the false head of the family, Mei Lijun, carefully listened to Mei Fang’s demands.

“Hmm… Do you want to go to the audio-visual class?”

Mei Fang nodded, “The audio-visual class uses multimedia teaching, providing many opportunities to interact with computers. I want to learn more about computer knowledge and repay my parents’ upbringing when I grow up.”

“You kid, don’t use that on me. You’re always learning from TV speeches.”

Mei Lijun rubbed his chin and said, “You want to be in the same class as Xia Yuan, right? Her mother, Teacher Yu, is the homeroom teacher of the audio-visual class. She mentioned it to us when we met a while ago.”

“That’s part of the reason… Xia Yuan told me about it. Otherwise, how would I know?” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“That’s true, but I’m afraid your mind won’t be focused on studying.”

Mei Lijun looked at the real head of the family, Xiang Xiaoxia, and said, “Wife! I don’t have any major objections, it’s up to you.”

“If it’s really for learning, I don’t oppose you going to the audio-visual class.”

Xiao Xia saw her son studying computers. The textbooks he bought were genuine programming materials for children.

She saw Mei Fang annotating unfamiliar characters with pinyin^[1], showing genuine interest in this field.

Other children, like Xia Yuan, had enrolled in various painting, music, and martial arts classes when they were young. But before winning the lottery, the Mei family lived an average life, only taking care of Mei Fang’s basic needs. They didn’t invest much in cultivating their child.

So seeing Mei Fang’s enthusiasm for computer knowledge and his willingness to learn, Xiang Xiaoxia felt somewhat guilty.

“However, this child is getting too close to the family next door. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate…”

This was Xiang Xiaoxia’s only concern. She whispered to Mei Lijun, “Although the children are still young, if something were to happen…”

“Wife, although I often say that Mei Fang is a bit mischievous, they are just good friends. It won’t go beyond that. Besides, having a good relationship with that family and the homeroom teacher will definitely benefit Mei Fang in school.”

Mei Lijun appeared to be a loyal supporter of Xiang Xiaoxia, but in reality, he had already been corrupted by the red wine displayed on the liquor cabinet and became a staunch supporter of the Xia Yuan faction. Under his persuasion, Xiang Xiaoxia gradually loosened her stance.

“If that’s the case, then it’s fine…”

Elementary school is a six-year learning journey. Being familiar with the head teacher means being able to know about their son’s school situation at any time. If he has a good relationship with Xia Yuan, maybe he can even do homework directly at the homeroom teacher’s house in the future, saving them time on education.

“That’s settled then… but you have to promise that your grades won’t drop, and you have to maintain a certain rank in the class. Make a promise to your mom and dad, otherwise not only will you be transferred to a regular class, but your computer will also be confiscated.”

“Should I aim to be at the top for every midterm and final?”

Both Mei Lijun and Xiang Xiaoxia were stunned by their son’s confidence. Where did he get that from?

“You’re being too strict on yourself. Mom and Dad won’t make it difficult for you. Just aim to be in the top ten for every exam.”

“Alright then…” Mei Fang raised his head and asked his parents, “Can I tell Xia Yuan and Aunt Xia about this now? Oh, can I tell Teacher Yu?”

“Since you’ve already decided, you can tell them.”

Xiang Xiaoxia and Mei Lijun discussed the matter again. After Mei’s father finished speaking, he said to Mei Fang, “Your mom and I have something to do at the hospital. You can go play with Xia Yuan.”

“Okay.”

Come to think of it, why have Mom and Dad been going to the hospital so often lately?

Mei Fang’s parents in his previous life were always healthy, so it was unlikely that something happened to them suddenly after coming here.

Therefore, he didn’t think much about it and called Xia Yuan to go out together, sharing the good news with her.

“Your parents have agreed, that’s great!”

Xia Yuan happily held Mei Fang’s hand and jumped up and down. “So we can continue to be classmates in the future!”

“Let’s not talk about that for now… Are your parents at home?”

“My mom is at school now, and my dad is at work.”

“Well…” Mei Fang thought for a moment. “Has Uncle Xia been acting strange lately?”

“Strange… not really?” Xia Yuan looked puzzled. “Why are you asking about my dad?”

“Umm… it’s nothing.” Mei Fang thought for a moment. “It’s good if you don’t find anything strange.”

“If you want to know, he has lied to me three times in a row. He always says he will take me to the amusement park, but in the end, he says he’s too busy with work and doesn’t have time.”

Xia Yuan grumbled, “I’m starting to dislike my dad more and more. It’s true, he’s a big liar and a master of lies.”

“I see…”

After learning that Xia Yuan was the heroine of that tragedy, Mei Fang had been concerned about her parents’ situation.

If that tragedy hadn’t happened, Xia Yuan might have become a top student like Lin Youxi, or perhaps a famous beauty in a certain class. She would pass by the corridor where Mei Fang was, or become Mei Fang’s high school classmate, leaving a deep impression as a moonlight in Mei Fang’s youthful years in her previous life.

But in elementary, she lost all her future.

Also lost all possibilities.

This time Mei Fang will not let it happen.

Of course, it’s still a bit too early to say this…

“Now that you have settled here, let’s ask Lin Youxi about the situation on her side when she comes.”

“Well…”

As a single-parent family, her father has been working on construction sites all year round, and Lin Youxi’s family conditions were not good to begin with, so this expense is not small.

The final result was not unexpected by Mei Fang. After Lin Youxi arrived, she brought bad news.

“You guys are still together in elementary school, but I can’t play with you guys anymore in the future…”

Lin Youxi’s voice became very soft, as if with a hint of crying.

“Don’t say that…”

After a brief moment of sadness, Xia Yuan held Lin Youxi’s hand again.

“It’s okay, Lin Youxi…”

Xia Yuan gently wiped Lin Youxi’s tears, “Even if we are not in the same class, we will still be good friends.”

“Do you still want to be friends with me?”

Lin Youxi raised her head, and her runny nose followed, she quickly sniffed it back, while Xia Yuan skillfully took out a tissue from her bag to wipe Lin Youxi’s nose.

“Of course, our families are so close, you are welcome to come and play at our house anytime.”

“Then… what about Mei Fang?”

Lin Youxi looked at Mei Fang with hopeful eyes, “Do you still want to play with me?”

“…”

Looking at her pitiful appearance, it was really impossible to associate her with the super aloof female top student several years later.

Initially, Mei Fang did have ulterior motives for getting along with Xia Yuan, but becoming close with Lin Youxi was purely an unexpected encounter.

But there is no doubt that she has also become Mei Fang’s childhood playmate.

Although she was always Xia Yuan’s little follower when the three of them were together, she was willing to show her lively and cheerful side when she was with Mei Fang, and the two of them had a common language in terms of games.

The relationship between the two of them has become very good.

Or perhaps, it can be said that they formed a small group of friends of three…

“Of course I want to! Besides, my mom likes you so much,” Mei Fang smiled and answered.

“But, if you could be a bit more hygienic and clean, maybe she would like you even more.”

“Mei Fang is right, we are going to be elementary students, we can’t be so mischievous at school.”

At this time, Lin Youxi was still very short, standing in the middle of Mei Fang and Xia Yuan like a little bean, facing the joint guidance of the two, she could only nod obediently and agree.

“By the way, I heard that the Mei family bought a computer. You must not get addicted to games! Mom said that electronic games are like a fierce torrent, once you get addicted, you can’t stop.”

“Ah, about this…”

Lin Youxi pulled on Mei Fang’s clothes and nodded with a smile to Xia Yuan, “No! We didn’t play!”

“Mhmm, that’s good.”

Lin Youxi seemed unwilling to do anything that would make Xia Yuan unhappy, giving the impression that she was trying to please her good friend.

But now, they also had a secret that they couldn’t tell Xia Yuan…

After playing in the park for a while, Mei Fang and his companions returned home. By this time, his parents had already come back. They sat on the sofa, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Mei Fang couldn’t stand seeing this and was about to sneak back to his room to study the computer. However, Xiang Xiaoxia and Mei Lijun both called him back at the same time.

“Mei Fang, Mom and Dad have something to tell you.”

…

Mei Fang obediently sat down, unprepared, waiting for his parents to tell him what they wanted to say.

“So, here’s the thing…”

“You’re going to be a big brother soon!”

“Huh?!”

……

【By the side of the pond, cicadas are chirping in the summer】

That childhood nursery rhyme that was once sung all over the country, after many changes and replacements over the summers, gradually got replaced by a new song, along with the popularity of a children’s TV show.

【Happy Little Immortal】

【Wind, Thunder, Rain, Snow, Electricity】

【Happy Little Youth】

【Singing Dreams and Fantasies——】

Three years had quietly passed.

And they had become fourth-grade elementary students.

Author’s Note: The creative idea behind this work is the major events that happen in the lives of childhood friends, from when they first meet to the present. So the story doesn’t progress year by year, but rather jumps from one significant moment to another. The further it goes, the more detailed it becomes, making it easier for everyone to quickly immerse themselves in the traditional “after high school graduation” moment. It’s a small attempt at a childhood friends + rebirth era story, and I hope you all like it!

Translator’s Notes:

1. Pinyin is a system for representing the sounds of the Chinese language using the Latin alphabet. ↩︎

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