Chapter 8 Chapter 8 [Have you forgotten? I am deaf,...
Pei Lanqing thought about it and gave a few recommendations. Lin Qianyuan chose one at random, and then she sat down and waited for Pei Lanqing to finish buying the meal.
She chose a seat by the window.
Before leaving, Pei Lanqing wiped the table and the chair she was going to sit on with a napkin. After making sure that they were completely clean, he prepared to leave.
Lin Qianyuan reached out and grabbed his sleeve, then quickly let go. "I want some water."
Pei Lanqing nodded, ran to buy her a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap slightly, and handed it to her.
Lin Qianyuan took a sip and sat here quietly waiting for him.
The number marked "Hospital" rang again. She lowered her eyes to look, laughed suddenly, and then waited, as if waiting for the other party to hang up.
Since Lin Qianyuan didn't reply to their message, they could only remind him in this way.
[Not taking it?] Pei Lanqing placed the plate in front of her and sat down opposite her.
Lin Qianyuan raised his eyelids and asked seriously: [Did you forget? I'm deaf, how can I answer?]
Looking at the two words she called herself, Pei Lanqing couldn't help but frown. A bitter feeling filled his heart, like the smell of dust after a rainstorm. [Don't say that.]
Lin Qianyuan found it funny, [Isn't this the truth?]
Pei Lanqing looked at her without saying a word.
Lin Qianyuan looked back, her usually gentle eyebrows blending into the warm autumn sun. The emotions revealed in his eyes were clear, but she couldn't tell what they were. She had never seen them before, so she didn't know what they were, and instinctively grew thorns to defend herself.
Lin Qianyuan was the first to shift his gaze. [Put away those pitiful looks of yours. I don't need anyone's sympathy yet.]
【Aren’t those who can’t hear deaf? 】
Her words were full of hostility and defensiveness.
[That’s not what I meant,] Pei Lanqing tried to explain to her.
He definitely wasn't feeling pity or sympathy for her.
He just felt that she shouldn't use that word to refer to herself, even though, as she said, it was true.
Admittedly, they had not been together for a long time, but he could see that she was a very proud person and had the capital and ability to remain proud. Then she should always be like this instead of evaluating herself in a self-deprecating manner.
Lin Qianyuan glanced at him, then lowered his head and started eating.
If she doesn't want to keep her eyes on him, then no matter how much he tries to explain, it will be useless. As long as she closes her eyes, any rational communication will be invalid and impeccable.
The dinner ended in a stalemate. Lin Qianyuan took a few bites of food, but Pei Lanqing didn't touch a single bite.
In the afternoon, Pei Lanqing went to participate in a volunteer activity organized by the community to care for autistic children. The activity was held at the Rehabilitation Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Imperial Capital University.
"Are you worried about something?" Zhang Shurui jumped to his side, looking at him with a half-smile. "Tell me, tell me the truth. What is your relationship with that girl this morning?"
Pei Lan glanced at him and distributed snacks according to the seats. "Don't worry, and besides," he carried the box to another table, "she has a name. Her name is Lin Qianyuan."
Zhang Shurui went over to help him, "Don't evade the question, Master Pei. I've even asked, what's your relationship with her? Tell me! Confess and I'll give you leniency; resist and I'll punish you severely!"
Pei Lanqing was busy working and had no time to look up. "Friend."
Zhang Shurui seized the opportunity and asked, "Huh? Aren't you from the south? How come a northern friend suddenly appeared?"
He immediately straightened his expression and snorted coldly, "I'm telling you, I'm giving you one more chance. If you still don't tell the truth, you'll be crying in the dormitory court tonight!"
"..." Pei Lanqing didn't want to pay attention to him anymore and stopped struggling. "Then you can file a lawsuit. I'll wait for the court summons."
"No, Master Pei!" Zhang Shurui instantly became timid and begged humbly, "As a frontline scout, could you let me know some useful information in advance?"
Pei Lanqing stared at him briefly. He seemed quite clever, but if he wasn't, he wouldn't have made any connections. Pei Lanqing sighed and looked at him with an indescribable expression. "Do you remember what I did last weekend?"
"Aren't you going to be a tutor?"
Pei Lanqing remained silent and continued to look at him. Zhang Shurui suddenly understood, "This, this, this, she is the student you tutor?"
"No wonder you told us not to joke around. She's just an underage girl, and this is truly an unprovoked disaster."
He thought he could get the first-hand experience, but after all this time, this is all he got.
Pei Lanqing was speechless. "Even after I'm an adult, I can't do that, right?"
Zhang Shurui groaned, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "If she's an adult and not your girlfriend, would you let her get close to you?"
Pei Lanqing: “…”
“Thump, thump.”
Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door. Song Jue stood at the door and asked, "Are the things ready?"
She was looking at Pei Lanqing.
"Well," Pei Lanqing put the box in the corner and stood up, "You can bring them in."
"Okay," Song Jue lowered his head and sent a message.
Not long after, a group of people entered the room.
A volunteer in a red vest led an autistic child. A group of adults followed behind the long line. Their eyes remained fixed on the child in front, unwilling to let go, a mixture of worry and relief, a manifestation of love.
Pei Lanqing followed their gaze and looked forward. These children were called star children.
The room gradually became bustling. A classmate cleaning the reading room needed help. Pei Lanqing spoke to Zhang Shurui, packed up, and prepared to go. Zhang Shurui complained that he couldn't just take a break. He just smiled and said, "No way. Do you need anything?" Zhang Shurui waved his hand and said, "Then go ahead."
There were two other classmates in the reading room. They were a famous couple in the department. They had been dating since high school, and both parents knew about it.
"Lan Qing," the boy handed him a rag, "the bookcase over there hasn't been wiped yet."
"I understand," Pei Lanqing took it with a smile.
"Then she and I will go clean the other activity area."
"good."
A few minutes later, Pei Lanqing overheard the two of them chatting. The girl spoke first, "I heard that many of these children have been like this since birth. Just imagine how heartbroken it must be for a parent."
"Anyway, it's hard for me to imagine what would happen if my child was born with a physical defect? I wouldn't regret giving birth to her, would I?"
The boy smiled and comforted her, "No, no, our child will definitely be healthy."
“Who can guarantee this?”
The boy choked at this, but still said in a gentle voice, "Although there's no guarantee, it's likely healthy. And even if it's not healthy, with modern medicine being so advanced, how could it not be cured?"
"What if," the girl said, her emotions taking over. "What if it can't be cured, like being born deaf and dumb, or having a heart disease, or something else..."
As she spoke, she put down the rag and looked like she was about to cry. The boy had obviously already developed a set of methods to deal with such problems. He hugged her shoulders and whispered to her, "How is it possible? This situation will not happen. Let's not think too much about it now. Don't think too much."
Pei Lanqing, who had been silent all this time, paused for a moment.
Is it because you can’t be cured that you don’t want to answer the phone?
He was stunned for a moment, his eyelashes drooping. She was so resistant to other people's sympathy. How did she survive after the sudden accident?
The warmth of autumn midday is often fleeting, and the temperature drops, which may not be freezing, but can still hurt people.
The driver looked at the back seat through the rearview mirror, and Lin Qianyuan met his eyes through the mirror, as calm as usual, even more indifferent.
The uncle quickly turned his eyes away, coughed unnaturally, and looked straight ahead.
Lin Qianyuan lowered the window.
The driver: “…”
The air pressure in the car is so low, the heater doesn't work at all, and you still want to open the window?
He was assigned by General Manager Lin to be specifically responsible for serving Miss Song and Miss Lin, and this assignment lasted for more than ten years.
The first time I met Lin Qianyuan, the little girl had a blank expression on her face. She was unwilling to say a word to anyone, and she still didn't want to say it now.
Only this morning, he could see other expressions on her face, just like the little witch in his family was introducing him to some idol she was chasing.
He was wrong.
The driver didn't dare look at her any longer and focused on driving.
When Lin Qianyuan returned home, Wu Ma was not there. Perhaps she had gone out to buy groceries. She kicked her shoes aside and went upstairs in her socks without changing into slippers.
After taking a shower, Lin Qianyuan changed into home clothes and went to the special studio on the second floor.
There was nothing in the studio, it was completely empty. All that could be seen was the transparent plastic spread on the floor and the easel and paints standing by the window.
Locking the door, Lin Qianyuan used a rubber band to tie up her hair. The strands of hair on both sides fell along the side of her face, adding a touch of laziness to her nonchalant look. Lin Qianyuan ignored them, as long as they didn't get in the way.
When Aunt Wu came back, she saw the leather shoes at the entrance. She put down the basket and went to the attic with the slippers.
The wind chimes in the attic swayed as the door opened and closed.
She didn't see anyone, so she went down one floor. Lin Qianyuan's bedroom door was not closed. Aunt Wu walked in and looked around. "Where's the person?"
She came out of the bathroom muttering to herself, and accidentally saw the jewelry on the dressing table. She walked over and touched it with her hand. After touching it, she immediately withdrew her hand.
This child is different from Song Wenci.
She could no longer do stupid things like stealing, even if she needed money urgently.
Whenever she thought about this, her conscience would only condemn her over and over again. Moreover, the money was only used to pay off the debts of her unworthy brother. Her family was patriarchal, and since she would never get married in her lifetime, she only received contempt.
After Song Wenci helped her to separate her household registration, it was like she was selling herself.
Wu Ma suddenly thought of where Lin Qianyuan would be.
She walked out of the room and tried to open the door to the adjacent room, but after trying several times, she confirmed that it was locked from the inside.
Mother Wu bent down and put her slippers at the door. After going downstairs, she returned to the backyard and cooked dinner for herself.
Lin Qianyuan will not come out tonight.
As Wu Ma fed her sister, she murmured, "Why would the young lady be willing to bring you back?"
The younger sister was busy chewing cat food. Seeing how happily she ate, Aunt Wu couldn't help but reach out her hand to touch her head. As soon as she touched it, the younger sister immediately breathed on her.
Wu Ma glared at it and retracted her hand, "Okay, okay, I won't touch you anymore, okay?"
She sighed, "You are lucky."
My sister didn't understand and just kept eating.
The next morning, Wu Ma went to the studio. The door was open and there was no one inside. The plastic film on the floor was stained with a lot of paint, which was scattered and seemed to be blood-colored.
Wu Ma looked up and saw that the painting on the canvas was either black or red, the two colors entangled together and unable to be separated.
It's hard to tell what the painting depicts. The face doesn't resemble a human face, with no distinct features, just a blur. Skulls of all sizes are painted on the other side. There are as many skulls as there are faces. Only through the intact skulls does the viewer suddenly realize there are no ears.
Even in the early morning, it was still creepy and I couldn't muster up the courage to watch it again.
Wu Ma was afraid of touching the painting and couldn't find anything to temporarily cover it.
She knelt on the ground with her head bowed, diligently wiping away the marks on the thick plastic film, her hands shaking unconsciously. She didn't waste time on the areas she couldn't clean, and could only wait for Lin Qianyuan to take down the painting and replace it all with new ones.
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When a future lawyer who prefers rational communication meets a temporarily hearing-impaired person who likes to close his eyes...
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