The crisp sounds of clinking dishes and rushing water came from the kitchen.
Ethan put down his teacup and looked toward the kitchen.
Through the half-open glass door, he could see Sarah standing in front of the sink with her sleeves rolled up, her slender fingers deftly handling the dishes.
Ashley took the washed tableware and placed it into the dish rack to dry.
"Sarah, Ashley, just leave it! Come out and drink tea with us!" Ethan called out.
"You guys drink first, we'll be done in a sec." Sarah responded without looking up.
The water rushed over the last glass, reflecting its crystal clarity under the light.
Ashley gently placed the dried tableware onto the rack, her movements skillful and gentle.
The moment the faucet was turned off, the kitchen suddenly became quiet.
Sarah shook the water drops off her hands and took the paper towel Ashley handed her.
The two of them walked out of the kitchen one after the other. Sarah's shirt cuffs were still slightly damp and glistened under the light.
Ethan lifted the teapot, and the amber tea drew a beautiful arc in the air as it slowly poured into their teacups.
In the rising steam, the fragrance of tea filled the living room.
"Come on, try this. This batch is from this year's harvest." Ethan handed the teacups to them respectively, his fingertips tapping on the edge of the cups.
He also picked up his own ceramic teacup and took a sip, the warm tea flowing between his lips and teeth.
"By the way!" Ethan put down his teacup, the porcelain making a crisp sound against the glass table. "Have you guys decided which universities you're planning to apply to?"
Ashley's fingertips holding the teacup tightened slightly, the warmth of the tea radiating through the cup wall.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I... actually don't have a school I'm particularly set on, but I want to go out of state. I just don't know if my mom will agree."
When Ethan heard this, an imperceptible smile flashed across his eyes.
He picked up his teacup and took another sip. The moment the tea entered his throat, he'd already thought to himself that she would agree, and he was also planning to invite her to New York.
Ethan tapped the teacup lightly with his fingertips and turned to Sarah. "Sarah, what about you?"
Sarah placed her teacup back on the table. She lowered her eyelashes to hide the thoughts flowing in her eyes. "I'm still thinking..." There was deliberate hesitation in her voice.
In truth, she already had the answer in her heart—wherever Ethan chose, that was where she wanted to go. This thought made the tips of her ears warm slightly, but she didn't dare say it out loud.
Of course, Ethan had no idea about these inner thoughts of hers.
She raised her eyes and looked at him intently. "Ethan, what about you? Have you made a decision?"
Ashley also looked over curiously.
Ethan smiled slightly, but his eyes were firm. "New York. NYU."
These simple words carried weight.
Sarah's eyes lit up instantly, like stars suddenly igniting in the night sky.
She pressed her lips together in a smile, two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks, and whispered softly, "Then... let's work hard together!"
Her fingertips unconsciously twisted the hem of her shirt, and her heartbeat was so fast it felt like it might jump out of her chest.
Ethan didn't quite catch what she said for a moment.
"Then I want to go to NYU too!" Ashley immediately chimed in from the side.
Sarah turned slightly, her hair swaying with the movement, and her eyes fell on Jack, who was lazily leaning back on the sofa. "Jack, what about you?"
Jack grinned when he heard this, sliding down a few more inches on the couch. His crossed leg swayed casually. "Well, I gotta stick with my boy Ethan, right?"
He raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, with a self-deprecating tone in his voice. "But forget about NYU though. With my grades? Even a dog would shake its head at me."
"I'll just see what my scores look like and pick one of the other universities in New York."
Ashley's crisp voice rang out, like wind chimes blown by an evening summer breeze, jingling to break the moment of silence. "Then let's all go to New York together!"
Her eyes were shining, and she'd already raised her teacup high. The tea in the cup glowed with fine golden light as it swayed, and she said happily, "Come on, let's toast with tea instead of wine!"
"Let's do it!" Jack was the first to respond, the whole guy bouncing off the sofa, raising his teacup so high he almost spilled the tea out.
Ethan and Sarah looked at each other and smiled.
Sarah's fingers gently brushed the rim of Ethan's cup, and the porcelain resonated with a clear ring when they touched.
The four cups met in the air, and the tea rippled, reflecting four young faces.
Sunlight streamed through the window screen, scattering fine spots of light on the surface of the tea.
This moment.
The tea reflected their young faces, along with an agreement about New York.
Without needing words, the sound of cups clinking was the best oath.
And so, the group held their warm teacups and chatted casually about one thing after another.
Topics drifted like spring cotton—interesting things in games, recently released movies, the newly opened boba shop on the corner, various subjects unfolding naturally.
But they tacitly avoided the word "studying." Everyone understood that tense nerves needed moments like these to stretch out. It was good to let the brain relax.
In the fragrance of tea, time passed quietly.
Half an hour later.
Ethan gently set down his teacup and stood up. "Alright, let's head to the library."
Everyone stood up one after another.
Jack stretched his arms, and his whole body almost slipped off the sofa, which startled him so much he yelped, "Holy crap!"
He rubbed his sore shoulders and groaned, "Man, I feel even more tired after resting for a bit!"
That was actually true.
After a person's body suddenly undergoes an overload of exercise, resting can make the whole person feel even more intense soreness.
It's like a tight string suddenly relaxing, and all the exhaustion surges up in that moment. (If you don't usually exercise much and then suddenly go hiking on the weekend, you'll know exactly what this feels like.)
Ethan reached out and pulled Jack up directly. "Yo! Isn't our Master Jack a self-proclaimed fitness expert who works out every day?"
"Why are you so—wrecked—now?"
Ethan bit down hard on the words "wrecked now," making it clear it was intentional.
"Damn it!"
"Who's wrecked?"
"I'm known as the 'stamina machine,' okay!"
Jack instantly exploded, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Ethan turned and walked toward his room, waving his hand without looking back. "Yeah, sure! Just you? Save that little 'stamina' of yours for pedaling your bicycle!"
The sound of rummaging through materials came from the room.
After a moment.
Ethan came out carrying a backpack, which contained review materials and scratch paper.
The sun was still brutally hot outside.
The four of them pushed their bicycles out of the gate.
Jack was still chattering away trying to defend his reputation, while Sarah and Ashley snickered behind him.
The wheels rolled over fallen leaves, making crisp crunching sounds as the group rode their bicycles toward the city library.
There are 20 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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