Chapter 20

The sign at the entrance gave the garden's area as eight hundred mu, with more than fifteen hundred species collected — the most comprehensive plant museum in the central plains.

Li Lan took in nothing after that. Once she'd read "more than fifteen hundred species" the rest was unreadable.

"Fifteen hundred. Fifteen hundred." She said the number to herself. If she could collect the lot, how many points would that be?

The thought alone was nearly enough to make her faint with happiness. It was more exciting than actual money — she certainly hadn't felt like this looking at the royalties in her account.

"It's not bad at all, this place. Free to get in." Li Quan had parked and come over to join them at the sign.

"Have a look round you. There's not a soul here. Charge for it and there'd be nobody at all." Chen Ying eyed the empty entrance.

"That's because we're too early," said Li Cheng.

Being only eight in the morning, there was nobody at the gate but the staff and the Li family.

"Come on, let's get in." Li Lan, thinking of the points about to land, was already ahead, and turned to call the rest of them, who were still standing about talking.

"Coming." Chen Ying answered loudly, told the others to follow, and the party went in behind Li Lan.

---

Host has scanned a plant. Account points +10.

Host has scanned a plant. Account points +10.

...

Host has scanned a plant. Account points +10.

Li Lan watched the notifications arriving in the corner of her vision, dismissed them in high satisfaction, and set off for the next house with plenty of energy.

"Lanlan, hang on — or you go on ahead. I need a sit down." Chen Ying dropped onto a bench in the shade.

It was August, but the garden's plants were flourishing under careful attention and it was a pleasant enough place; two hours of walking in full sun, however, is tiring however pleasant the view, and Chen Ying had had enough.

Li Lan had barely stopped since they came in — a light touch on a plant and on she went. None of the others noticed that; as far as they could see she was tearing about like something possessed, stopping and starting, tireless after two hours.

Li Cheng and Li Jingyu sat down as soon as their mother did. They'd been bored of the garden for some time. The views had been all right at first, flowers in every colour, but by now it was plants and more plants, and dull beyond words.

Li Lan looked back and found that apart from her father none of them wanted to move, which gave her pause — but the map showed the medicinal plants house next, and she didn't want to miss it.

"It's about time anyway. Your uncle's waiting on us for lunch — let's go, we've seen most of it," said Chen Ying, checking the time.

Today was registration day at Yu No. 1, and they'd arranged to have lunch with the relatives in the city first and register in the afternoon. It was nearly eleven, and with the drive it would be lunchtime by the time they arrived.

"Can I see one more place?" Li Lan thought about it. "Quickly. I'll go on my own, half an hour."

"You will not. What if you got lost? I'll rest a bit and we'll all go." Chen Ying wasn't having it. Somewhere none of them knew, and Li Lan without a phone — she wasn't letting the girl wander off alone.

"Then Li Cheng and Li Jingyu can come with me. You and Dad rest here and we'll come back for you."

"That's all right. Careful, the three of you, and don't get separated." She gave the other two a push. "Off you go. Your father and I will wait here."

Neither of them had any interest left in the garden and neither wanted to move — but catching Li Lan's eye, their own eyes travelled thoughtfully and both agreed at once. "Fine. Dad, Mum, we're off then. You two have a rest."

And they went with her towards the medicinal plants.

Chen Ying and Li Quan watched the three of them shoving each other and gradually running off, and smiled. "It's being young, that is."

---

It was half past eleven when they came out, and Chen Ying had a call from Chen Shanxing before she'd got in the car: the family were at his eldest son Chen Tiancheng's place, waiting only for them before going to the restaurant.

While she talked, the three in the back exchanged a look. "A restaurant. That's not going to be Mum and Dad paying, is it?" Li Jingyu muttered.

"Obviously it is. Li Lan came first in the city — Dad's already had Uncle and Auntie over at home, and Mum hasn't done her brothers and sisters yet," Li Cheng said, equally low.

"How much is that going to cost?" His small head couldn't produce a figure, but he could guess a restaurant in Yu city wasn't cheap, and there were a great many of them. Had his parents brought enough? He was worried.

Also, put like that, coming first didn't seem to have much going for it if your own family had to pay for dinner over it.

Li Lan listened to the pair of them with nothing to say. Also: she'd known her brother was a little tight-fisted, but apparently it showed this early.

"Mum, are we paying at the restaurant?" As soon as the call ended, Li Jingyu leant over the front seat.

"Of course. Your sisters got into a school in Yu city, and Li Lan came first — that's something to be proud of. We should be paying."

"Why? Something good happens and you have to buy dinner?" He genuinely didn't follow.

"Well—" Chen Ying was stumped. How did one explain it? It was simply how things were done.

"You'll understand when you're grown. We'll be buying dinner when you get married, too." Li Quan couldn't resist.

"I'm not buying anyone dinner. Think what it costs. And Dad, did you bring enough for today?" Li Jingyu said it sulkily.

"We did. Look." Chen Ying took the bag her husband always carried and opened it, red notes all the way down.

Li Cheng drew in a breath at the stack of hundreds. She'd never seen so much money.

"I dare say most of that will be gone by tonight," said Chen Ying, teasing them.

Between the money and that remark, Li Jingyu sank further, sat back in his seat and sighed heavily.

Li Lan watched the two of them being idiots with a cold eye, regretting only that phones had no video function yet.

At Chen Tiancheng's it was exactly as they'd guessed. Besides their own five, the flat held her eldest uncle's family — Chen Shanxing with his two sons and daughters-in-law — plus the second and third uncles, who'd come separately, her elder aunt, and her second aunt with the elder daughter who worked in Yu city and the younger who was at university. Ten-odd people, packed in.

And that was only the direct senior relatives; none of the younger generation had come. Li Lan remembered perfectly well that by the time she was at university there were ten-odd of her own generation alone, and any outing started at ten people.

Looking at the crowd, her parents couldn't help wincing inwardly at the bill, prepared for it though they were. But they'd said they were paying and there was no going back on it, so they consoled themselves that this was a happy occasion.

Fortunately everyone knew their situation and nobody suggested anywhere expensive. Chen Tiancheng recommended a decent, good-value place near his flat, and the whole party set off for it in procession.

With registration in the afternoon they didn't linger over the meal, and after sitting a while at Chen Tiancheng's, the family set off to take the girls to school.

This time it was a smaller party: "only" the three uncles and both aunts followed in another car, on the grounds — their words — that they wanted to see what the best high school in the province looked like.

Walking to the registration desk surrounded by adults, Li Lan didn't know where to put her hands or feet, and a glance at her sister found the same expression of resignation. The two of them silently picked up the pace and followed the signs.

Mercifully the sight wasn't especially unusual. On the way Li Lan saw four grandparents, and elsewhere two or even three adults, accompanying a single student.

Only her parents came in for the paperwork itself, which was a relief. In the queue Li Quan produced both girls' ID cards, exam passes and fee notices, and it went through without trouble — and the office rather stared at a man registering two children. When the girls were born the city was strict about family planning and two-child families were uncommon to begin with, let alone two getting into the same school; somebody even asked Chen Ying whether they were twins, the pair being somewhat alike.

After registration came the dormitory.

It was five in the afternoon before both girls were fully registered and moved in. Sorting out the dormitory, they ran into Zhao Xinxin's family, who had finished earlier — though next to Li Lan's tall, numerous, solidly built party, the four of them looked rather slight.

Comparing notes, the three girls found that none of them were in the same class, and their dormitories were spread across the second, third and fifth floors.