Bai Lu knocked on the door diagonally opposite and found that the little guy was still awake, sitting at his desk doing his homework, with his new schoolbag placed neatly in the middle of the table.
"You haven't finished writing yet, poor kid." She gave him a very sympathetic look.
Xiao Wei rolled his eyes at her: "Why didn't my brother tie you to the bed and let you run around at night?"
When Xiao Wei said "tied up," he meant the proper way to tie someone up.
Bai Lu recalled the scene from earlier, and her fingertips suddenly felt hot. She coughed awkwardly.
Did you apply the liniment?
"It's wiped off."
"Let me see."
Bai Lu stepped into the room.
When she knocked on the door last night, Xiao Wei was almost asleep and hadn't even applied the liniment. She had to watch him apply it before leaving, even though the little guy looked very reluctant.
Xiao Wei's room was small, containing only a wooden bed, a small old wooden wardrobe, and a burlap sack in the corner filled with unknown contents.
Bai Lu walked a few steps to the desk, leaned against the edge, stared at Xiao Wei's shoulders and neck, and said lightly, "Do you want me to look, or your brother to look?"
The little guy was wearing a dark brown knitted sweater with the collar around his neck, so you couldn't tell whether he had wiped it or not.
Even with the strong smell of liniment, she couldn't detect it at all; she definitely wouldn't believe she had applied it.
Even if she didn't believe it, Xiao Wei would instinctively react immediately upon hearing anything related to his brother, putting down his pencil, opening a drawer, and taking out some liniment.
"I'll wipe it myself."
Bai Lu watched him unscrew the cap and pour out only a tiny bit, feeling helpless and speechless: "If you pour so little, the bruise won't disperse. You need to pour more and massage it in."
"Are you so reluctant to part with it? Are you saving it for your brother?"
Xiao Wei paused in his massage of the shoulders and neck, his uncomfortable little face showing a mixture of embarrassment and anger, and a hint of dejection.
"My brother doesn't need it."
Bai Lu chuckled: "Yes, yes, he's tough and doesn't need it. He'll be fine after a couple of days of drying."
Xiao Wei glared at her unhappily: "What are you doing here?"
Seeing that he had poured two more drops of liniment onto his hands, Bai Lu stopped teasing him.
Do you still have your notebook?
Xiao Wei looked at him suspiciously: "What are you here for?"
Bai Lu pursed her lips and revealed a big win smile: "Your brother wants it."
Without saying a word, Xiao Wei immediately pulled open the drawer next to him, took out a brand new large exercise book and a brand new, unused black ballpoint pen for her.
"Take it."
The small voice still carried a hint of excitement and joy.
Bai Lu took the item and couldn't help but tease him again: "Second graders use pencils, and third graders don't start using ballpoint pens. Why did you buy ballpoint pens so early? You... you didn't prepare this especially for your brother, did you?"
Xiao Wei seemed to have something on his mind, huffed angrily and turned his head away, "None of your business."
"Can't I buy it for the third graders in advance?"
"Sure, why not? Absolutely perfect!"
Bai Lu is a very kind person; she doesn't expose the child's awkwardness or the excuses he's making to pretend to be calm.
But you should raise your hand and touch your head.
Xiao Wei seemed to have anticipated this, and immediately turned his head away as soon as she raised her hand.
"Don't touch my head." A fierce tone.
"Why can't I touch it?" Bai Lu asked, confused.
Xiao Wei didn't want to talk to her, but he was afraid she would complain, so he said with a cold face, "You won't grow tall."
"oh……"
"So that's how it is..."
Bai Lu sighed with regret, "What a pity, I just touched your brother."
Xiao Wei: "..."
In the end, I let her touch me.
Women are such a hassle!
Bai Lu returned to her room and closed the door. Xiao Cheng was still sitting in the same bossy posture as before she left, leisurely leaning back in his chair, except that he had an unlit cigarette in his hand.
His long, slender fingers danced back and forth, like butterflies fluttering around his fingers, beautiful yet dangerous.
Bai Lu knew he was probably having a craving for cigarettes; he had been spending a lot of time at home these past few days and hadn't smoked at all.
She smiled, turned the notebook to the first page, placed it on the table, and uncapped the ballpoint pen.
She presented the bill to the boss with both hands: "Do you remember how much you bought, when you bought it, and from whom you bought it? If you do, write it all down. It will be clearer and more detailed that way. When you finish the project, settle all the payments and give this bill to Aunt Wu."
Over the years of collecting debts, Xiao Cheng has seen all sorts of amounts, let alone this small sum.
He tucked the cigarette behind his ear, took the ballpoint pen from the soft, boneless hand in front of him, and began to write quickly.
His calligraphy is beautiful, grand and powerful, forming a unique style that surpasses all others.
Bai Lu remembered that Xiao Cheng's grades were also quite good; he was one of the top students in the school.
If it weren't for Xiao Wei's mother interfering, he would have had a bright future and would have avoided so much suffering.
Bai Lu sighed softly.
When he came to his senses, Xiao Cheng had already written it down, listing all the details of the materials used, the amount of expenditure, the date, the purchaser, and the address and name of the seller.
Bai Lu carefully put the new notebook and the ledger away, placing them at the very back of the drawer, and even used the new notebook to weigh down the ledger.
With a beaming smile, she invited the big shot back to bed.
The moment a person touches the bed, they immediately roll up the blanket and wrap themselves up like a dumpling, as if that would make them safer... and also warmer.
Xiao Cheng glanced at her with a half-smile, pulled the cord to turn off the light, lay down on the bed, and spread the blanket up to his waist.
Perhaps it was the slow pace of life here, the fulfilling pace, the lack of the hustle and bustle of big cities, or perhaps she had grown accustomed to the presence of the man beside her, feeling safe enough to relax her mind and body. Bai Lu fell asleep quickly after lying in bed.
The shallow breathing gradually became steady and long.
She soon fell into a deep sleep, unaware of whether the man beside her was asleep or when he went out and came back.
The next morning, when Bailu got up, the spot next to her was empty, and the blankets were neatly folded.
She got up, folded the blankets, and went to the kitchen. Usually, Xiao Cheng would be in the kitchen making breakfast at this time.
Sometimes she would get up early and make breakfast, and sometimes Xiao Cheng would get up early and make breakfast. In short, Xiao Wei always had breakfast before going to school, and this had become an unspoken understanding.
However, these past few days, Xiao Cheng has been getting up earlier than usual, and Bai Lu went to the kitchen but didn't see him.
Xiao Wei was brushing his teeth and washing his face by the well.
Bai Lu was about to make breakfast before washing up when Xiao Cheng returned from outside, bringing wontons with him.
That handsome, aloof face was different from before.
After washing up, the three of them sat down at the table to eat wontons in an eerie silence.
Xiao Wei didn't dare to make a sound, silently finished his meal, and went to school, remembering to take his trash with him.
After finishing her meal, Bailu tidied up the table, boiled an egg, peeled it while it was still hot, went back to her room, found a thin cloth in the corner of the wardrobe, tore off a piece, and wrapped the egg with it.
Then, she went back to the kitchen and dragged Xiao Cheng, who still had two wontons left, back to his room by force.
Seeing that she looked unwell while eating breakfast, Xiao Cheng knew he was in the wrong and didn't resist.
He remained silent as he was pulled back into the room and forced to sit in a chair.
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