Zhu Yanyi nodded and agreed happily, "Yes, we are just missing one person."
"Hello, is this Dormitory 306?" A girl entered timidly. There was a hint of shyness between her brows, but mostly, she looked uneasy.
"Yes, we are from Dormitory 306. Are you our last roommate?" Gao Xia asked. She was graceful and warm, making people feel comfortable rather than annoyed.
A woman stepped out from behind the girl. Seeing the girl’s expression, she looked helpless but smiled at everyone. "Hello, classmates. This is my daughter, Wang Annie. Please take care of her. She is quite shy."
"It’s fine, Auntie. Please come in," Gao Xia urged quickly.
Annie’s mother entered and looked around the room. She nodded silently; at least the room was very clean. She glanced at the last bed, then went to fetch water. After tidying up and helping Annie put away her luggage, she prepared to leave. "Annie, get along well with your classmates. Mom will come to pick you up next Saturday."
Annie felt uneasy but nodded timidly. "Okay."
Annie’s mother turned to the other girls again. "Sorry to trouble you, little classmates. Annie is timid, so please look after her."
"Don't worry. I am brave. I will protect her," An Xiaoxiao said, patting her chest confidently.
Although Annie’s mother was still worried, she knew she couldn’t stay with her daughter all day. So, she left with a heavy heart.
It was already five o’clock in the afternoon. Zhu Yanyi checked the time and said, "I didn’t steam rice. What about you?"
"We didn’t either. We arrived late this afternoon and missed the meal," Gao Xia said.
Zhu Yanyi suggested, "Shall we go out to eat together? There are many delicious foods near the school gate. I ate there at noon."
"Good idea." Dinner still needed to be eaten. Since they couldn’t eat in the cafeteria, they had to go to the school gate.
All members of Dormitory 306 agreed with Zhu Yanyi’s suggestion. They tidied up, closed the door, and went out laughing and chatting.
They didn’t go far. They chose a clean-looking fast-food restaurant diagonally across from the gate. The oldest among them was thirteen, and the youngest, Zhu Yanyi, was eleven. It would be unsafe if they went too far.
They sat down, each ordered a dish, and shared the food together. As they ate and chatted, Gao Xia spoke up. "By the way, I think I am the oldest here. I am thirteen years old, born in the first lunar month."
Zhu Yanyi gave a thumbs-up. "I think so too. You must be the oldest."
Chen Fei also spoke up. "I was born in the fourth lunar month."
"I was born in the fourth lunar month too," Wang Yue’er said, taking a bite of rice. "I was born on the first day of the fourth month."
"Then you must be older than me. I was born on the thirteenth day of the fourth month," Chen Fei nodded.
"I was born on the twenty-ninth day of the tenth lunar month," An Xiaoxiao said. "Is anyone else born in the same month?"
"No," everyone looked at each other.
"Annie, what about you? Which month were you born in?" An Xiaoxiao asked Wang Annie, who seemed like an invisible person beside her.
"Eleventh day of the seventh lunar month," Annie said softly, but her voice was gentle.
An Xiaoxiao looked helpless. "Annie, don’t be so timid. Be brave. Everyone is easy to get along with. If there is a fight, I am here. You don’t need to be afraid." She looked heroic, as if she would cover for any trouble Annie caused.