After delivering the artwork to the company on time, Qiu Ting breathed a sigh of relief.
Today's tasks were successfully completed, making it another fulfilling day.
She closed the company gate, rode her bike out of Tsinghua Science Park, and saw a roadside food stall selling jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes). The air was filled with a delicious aroma, and she couldn't help but feel hungry.
However, when I looked at the price, the basic model without any extras cost five yuan, which is so expensive!
She thought about it and decided not to buy it; five yuan was enough for her to eat two meals in the school cafeteria.
But...it smells so good!
At that moment, hunger and poverty were fighting in her mind. She struggled for a long time, unable to decide whether to eat well or save money.
As the cold wind blew through the capital city at night, Qiu Ting shivered. She put her small hands to her mouth, breathed on them gently, and then quickly rubbed them together to warm them up.
Just as she was about to ride her bike back to her dorm in one go, her phone's QQ suddenly crackled to life with a cough.
She took out her phone and saw that the message was from Brother Su.
[Brother Su] Qiu Ting, has the manuscript been delivered?
Qiuting has arrived!
[Brother Su] I'm sorry to trouble you. Actually, you could have sent it tomorrow morning. There's no need to rush.
[Qiu Ting] No, no, no, there's something for tomorrow. Thank you for your support, Brother Su. I hope you won't miss any deadlines in the future, and that you'll maintain your momentum and keep up the good work!
Qiu Ting typed quickly. Ultimately, whether she could finish her work on time depended on whether Su Qing and Luo Peng submitted their drafts on time.
[Brother Su] Don't rush me...
[Qiu Ting] Smiling (jpg)
She smelled the aroma of jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes) in the air, and her stomach started growling again.
She swallowed hard, suddenly wanting to treat him to a jianbing (Chinese crepe). They say you're beholden to someone who gives you a gift, and you're beholden to someone who feeds you. That way, Brother Su wouldn't dare to miss deadlines in the future.
She looked up at the sky where snow was falling softly, took a deep breath, and slowly began to type.
[Qiu Ting] Brother Su, can you come out for a moment now?
◇
Seeing that Su Qing was changing her shoes so late, Jiang Xia couldn't help but ask, "Su's mother, where are you going?"
Su Qing pursed her lips and hesitated before saying, "I just finished the drawing and I'm going out for a walk."
"Are you sure? It was snowing lightly outside when I came back. I don't know if it's snowing heavily now," Jiang Xia said.
"Okay, I'll be back in a bit."
Su Qing realized that Qiu Ting probably didn't have an umbrella when she rode her bicycle, so she put on her own umbrella.
Stepping outside, the cold air made him shiver involuntarily. Under the streetlights, Su Qing looked up at the swirling snowflakes and gently exhaled a puff of white breath.
It really rained heavily.
He found the bicycle in the bike shed downstairs in the dormitory building, put on gloves, wiped off the thin layer of ice on the seat, and sat down, only to feel a chill.
He pressed down hard on the pedal, the wheel turned, and snowflakes fell from the chain. He rode his bicycle out of the school, leaving a deep tire track in the white snow, which was quickly covered by the snow.
Half an hour later, Su Qing found Qiu Ting squatting at the entrance of Tsinghua Science Park. The howling wind and snow kept pouring in. She was holding two jianbing guozi (Chinese savory crepes) in her arms, which were still a little warm.
"I bought it right on time, but I didn't expect it to get cold so quickly. It's only a little bit warm now," Qiu Ting said softly as she handed over the jianbing guozi she was holding.
Seeing Qiu Ting's face flushed red from the wind and snow, Su Qing said irritably, "Qiu Ting, you called me out so late at night just to buy me a jianbing guozi?"
She hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded emphatically. "I was hungry when I got here. The jianbing guozi that auntie was selling smelled so good that I couldn't move. And to thank Brother Su for taking care of me all this time, I wanted to treat you to one."
Qiu Ting scratched her head a little embarrassedly. Her hair was covered with snowflakes. She remembered thinking that it hadn't snowed this heavily just now.
Su Qing was both amused and exasperated. This girl was sometimes so naively silly that she didn't know what to say to her. Even though jianbing guozi was sold at school, she insisted on coming here to buy it.
However, he did not refuse Qiu Ting's kindness.
He took the jianbing guozi from her hand; it was still slightly warm to the touch. He took a bite and said, "It's cold, but it's still edible."
Qiu Ting was very annoyed. "I should have waited for Brother Su to come before I went to buy it."
As she spoke, she took a bite herself. Mmm, it smells so good, even when it's cold.
Su Qing looked at her hands, which were tucked into her sleeves, and knew without a doubt that they must be red and icy cold from the cold.
He took off his gloves and handed them over, saying, "Put these on quickly."
Then I looked around and saw an old lady selling dumpling soup pushing her cart, calling out her wares as she went. Needless to say, on such a snowy night, the dumpling soup must be selling very well.
"Qiu Ting, wait for me a moment."
“Hey, Su…”
Before Qiu Ting could call him back, he turned and ran over.
Qiu Ting stared blankly at the genuine leather gloves in her arms, lost in thought.
"Auntie, two bowls of dumpling soup, please."
The old lady saw that he was holding a cold jianbing guozi and laughed, "Alright, let me tell you, young man, the dumpling soup here is a recipe passed down for decades. After a bowl, I guarantee that your body will be warm and you won't feel cold or frostbite."
Su Qing smiled and paid the money.
Two minutes later, he returned carrying two disposable bowls.
"Qiu Ting, drink the soup and soak the jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) in it before eating," he said.
"Brother Su, you can drink it yourself, I'm not cold." Qiu Ting shook her head.
"We've already bought them, and now I can't finish both bowls by myself. Are you suggesting I throw one away? That would be a waste of food."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ting blushed and slowly took it from his hand.
She grew up in the mountains and hates wasting food.
Moreover, she had originally planned to treat Brother Su to jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes), but now it's turned out he's treating her to dumpling soup.
"Thank you, Brother Su."
"Don't do something so stupid next time."
Helpless, Su Qing and Qiu Ting squatted together under the awning of Tsinghua Science Park, eating a jianbing guozi and a sip of dumpling soup. Surprisingly, the combination tasted pretty good.
"My grandma also makes dumpling soup, but she usually doesn't put minced meat in it, and it doesn't taste as good," Qiu Ting suddenly said, thinking of her grandma. She was alone in the mountains, and she wondered if it would be cold on nights like this.
"But I still like my grandma's dumpling soup the most. Her dumplings are soft, mushy and sticky."
Su Qing sensed that her voice sounded strangely off. She looked up at her and saw large tears streaming down her cheeks.
He didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only say, "Qiu Ting, Grandma would be very happy to know that you miss her so much. She will always be watching over you from heaven."
Qiu Ting stopped crying, looked up at him with a resentful expression, and said, "Brother Su, my grandma is still alive."
Su Qing's expression froze.
(End of this chapter)
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