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"Where are we going together?" Nian Jinsi's voice suddenly interrupted. Zhuang Xiaodie and Shen Tuhai turned around at the same time. The table was already set, and Nian Jinsi was putting down the last plate of bacon and stir-fried sesame vegetables. "Dinner is ready!"
"Do you hope she finds out that this is not your home at all?" Shentu Hai asked softly, then smiled slightly, stood up and left.
Zhuang Xiaodie didn't move. Logically, this was a childish threat. If it had been yesterday, she could have just thrown in the towel and walked away. Even if she didn't die, she still had another life to choose from. But why now, when Nian Jinsi had discovered her predicament?
Nian Jinsi called again, and Zhuang Xiaodie stood up subconsciously. It was not convenient for her to go anywhere else this time, so she sat down at the dining table - it felt very strange. The last time they were going to have a meal together, Shentu Hai got angry and left with his bowl. After living together for so many days, today was the first time that the three of them sat at the same table.
There was a square dining table, three dishes and a soup. Except for the plate of vegetables, all the dishes, whether it was braised beef with potatoes, honey-glazed chicken wings or kelp and tofu soup, were all made together in the past. Now they were placed on the dining table. A strange underage girl and two old friends who were strangers to each other looked at each other. The lights in the living room were not on. In the dark house, there was only the chandelier above their heads. The warm yellow light swallowed up the subtle emotions on everyone's face, and the picture even looked very harmonious.
Shen Tu Hai was not polite at all. Before Zhuang Xiaodie even sat down, he had already picked up a chicken wing and was chewing on it. Nian Jinsi had a faint smile on his face and enthusiastically scooped soup for everyone. When he sat down and saw Zhuang Xiaodie still standing there in a daze, he asked, "Aren't you hungry?"
The afternoon chase flashed back to her mind, and Zhuang Xiaodie instinctively grabbed her chopsticks. By then, Shen Tuhai had already picked up the second chicken wing and was nibbling on it. Nian Jinsi asked her if it was delicious, and she not only nodded but also said it was much better than the one across from her—Zhuang Xiaodie was sitting across from her. After all, Zhuang Xiaodie had brought several meals of dumplings with her. Nian Jinsi smiled and, as usual, asked her to eat more.
Zhuang Xiaodie remained silent, looking down at the soup in the bowl. She stirred it with a spoon, and the kelp floated up, carrying a piece of white tofu that just fell into the spoon. She scooped it up and ate it.
Now she had a chance to get the car, but the money in her pocket was not enough for her to settle down in the new city. How could she escape? Shen Tu Hai suddenly said he wanted to leave early. Could it be that he really heard something that night?
The tofu crumbled into a ball in the mouth with just a slight squeeze, and was very tender and smooth. However, Zhuang Xiaodie found it as difficult as swallowing a stone. She felt a barrier in her heart. Nian Jinsi was a good cook, and the dishes on the table were all delicious, but she felt like she was tasting arsenic.
"You are good friends, why don't you go out and play together?" Shentu Hai asked.
Zhuang Xiaodie felt Nian Jinsi looking at her, and her gaze, together with Shentu Hai's, was like needles piercing her. In order to prevent the girl from noticing anything, she forced herself to look up, smiled first, and then looked into Nian Jinsi's eyes, as if they were still very good friends.
"I have to go to work," Zhuang Xiaodie said. "Besides, she's an adult now. Why does she need me to play with her anymore? Right?"
Nian Jinsi also smiled and nodded.
"Oh, I'm bored being alone, and I was thinking of taking me with you guys when you go out to play." Shentu Hai drank the soup, picked up a piece of sesame leaf with chopsticks, and started to nibble on it from the stem like a rabbit.
Zhuang Xiaodie's heart trembled, and this time neither she nor Nian Jinsi looked at each other.
"Didn't you grow up here? Do you still need us to take you out to play?" Zhuang Xiaodie also picked up a chicken wing and started to eat it.
"How would I know what you adults will play? It's new and exciting." After Shen Tu Hai said this, he raised his head and smiled at Zhuang Xiaodie.
As expected, she heard it. Zhuang Xiaodie subconsciously thought so, but she was not sure how much she heard.
"Don't just talk about us." Nian Jinsi suddenly interrupted, "Actually, I've been curious since the day I arrived. What's your relationship? How come you two live together?"
Nian Jinsi had fallen asleep upon arrival, and after waking, she'd been in a daze for days. The three of them rarely chatted, and there had been no occasion for an introduction to Shentu Hai. Zhuang Xiaodie, restless and restless, had completely forgotten everything. She and Shentu Hai exchanged a glance. Nian Jinsi knew all of her relatives, so there was no way she could make excuses.
"Oh, she's the landlord's child." Zhuang Xiaodie pondered for a moment, thinking she could come up with a plausible case that might offer a chance of getting rid of Shen Tuhai. Before she could finish her words, Shen Tuhai kicked her under the table. She quickly stuffed a mouthful of food into her mouth, preventing her from screaming out.
"Landlord? But Xiaohai told me this is your house." Nian Jinsi paused slightly while picking up the dishes and looked left and right at the two of them.
Damn it, putting aside the question of whether it was an excuse or not, this kid just talked nonsense without even informing her first!
"Yes, this house is close to the school, so it's convenient for the child to go to school. My family had no choice but to sell this house, so I got a bargain." Zhuang Xiaodie said, "Her mother was worried about her schooling, so I said she could live with me and pay a little rent."
"You're quite good." Nian Jinsi said, "How much did you buy it for?"
"I bought it with a loan, so the rent can help pay off the loan."
Nian Jinsi looked a little strange: "Then how are you going to repay the loan now?"
Zhuang Xiaodie knew the other party was talking about the dumpling shop, so she laughed and said, "Just pay it back, what else can I do?"
The three of them hadn't had a proper meal for several days, so this meal was like a breath of fresh air after a long drought. They ate while talking and gobbled up the food. Zhuang Xiaodie didn't want to cause any more trouble, so as soon as the other two put down their chopsticks, she took the bowl and went into the kitchen, taking over the dishwashing job smoothly.
This meal probably brought them closer together; the two outside didn't leave immediately, but continued chatting at the table. Nian Jinsi took two cartons of yogurt from the refrigerator, one for each of them, turned on the TV, and scooped up the yogurt with a small spoon while chatting.
Zhuang Xiaodie deliberately delayed time in the kitchen, and from time to time she would secretly peek out to see if the two people outside had returned to their rooms. She didn't know if it was intentional, but they ate a small box of yogurt so slowly. The pots and pans were washed clean, the stove was wiped dry, and the rag was washed twice. Zhuang Xiaodie had nothing to do and had no choice but to go out.
Nian Jinsi told her there was still yogurt in the refrigerator, her portion. Zhuang Xiaodie wasn't in the mood to eat, so she said she'd go back later. She figured if the two of them didn't go back to the room, she'd go back anyway, so she walked past them and went back to her room to lie down.
The exchange between the two men exceeded her expectations. Shentu Hai had told Nian Jinsi without informing her, clearly trying to trick her. The door was ajar, and the sound of the television slipped in through the crack. Zhuang Xiaodie turned over and faced the crack.
She had underestimated Shen Tu Hai before. This girl was young, so she acted recklessly. She actually wanted to go to Wei Dahe's house. What if she ran into him? And Nian Jinsi heard about the rental tonight. She didn't know if it would be combined with what happened this afternoon. What should she do if she started to suspect something?
The room was dark. Zhuang Xiaodie sighed deeply and was about to close her eyes to rest. Suddenly, Shentu Hai pushed the door open and entered. The light from outside followed her in, illuminating the yogurt in her hand.
Zhuang Xiaodie quickly sat up, a little unhappy: "Why didn't you knock on the door?"
Shentu Hai said, "Put the yogurt here." She placed the yogurt on the bedside table and, while possessed, moved closer to Zhuang Xiaodie. "I have my final exam in a few days. I'll go the day after. Remember that."
After saying that, she turned and left, closing the door considerately.
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