Chen Lei stepped forward and was about to pull the girl up when he frightened her so much that she trembled.
"Don't be afraid, they're all gone." Chen Lei was originally very strong, and compared with the girl curled up on the ground, it formed a sharp contrast.
One is strong and the other is petite.
The more comparisons like this are made, the more pitiful this girl appears.
The girl looked up and saw that it was Chen Lei, and she felt a little relieved. However, she did not stand up immediately, but squatted in the corner, tidying up her messy hair and wrinkled clothes.
"Get up! Don't squat on the ground, it's covered in mud!" Chen Lei felt sorry for her and was terrified, so he didn't force her to get up. Instead, he stood up, took two steps back, and distanced himself from her.
The girl's vigilance gradually subsided. She slowly stood up, cleared her throat, and choked out, "Thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome!" said Chen Lei.
At this time, her body was already covered in mud and looked dirty.
This girl actually had a pretty face, big eyes, thick eyebrows, and small lips. Because she had just cried, her eyes were a little red and swollen.
"Go home quickly! I'm leaving!" Chen Lei said, then turned around and went back to the shop. However, just as he opened the door of the shop, he saw that the girl actually followed him.
Chen Lei looked at her and asked in confusion, "Why did you follow me here? Didn't I tell you to go home?"
"I have no home." The girl pinched the corners of her clothes with both hands, her head almost drooping to her toes, and her voice was almost inaudible.
Although Chen Lei couldn't hear clearly, he still heard it and asked curiously, "How can a person be without a home?"
"I don't dare to leave now." The girl finally raised her head and looked into Chen Lei's eyes.
This eye contact was nothing, but it made Chen Lei's heart feel like it was struck by something, and it seemed to miss a few beats for a moment. This girl's eyes seemed to speak, shining with a dazzling light. Coupled with her pitiful appearance, it really made people want to protect her.
Chen Lei scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He'd reached the age of twenty-five and had never been in a relationship. He'd been introduced to girls before, and even gotten engaged, but it had all ended in divorce.
Chen Lei had never experienced what love was like. He didn't even know what this feeling was called.
Growing up in the countryside in this relatively feudal era, he had only one idea in his mind, that is, for two people to live together, as long as they like each other, it's enough.
But what does it really mean to be in love? In Chen Lei's mind, as long as the girl is hardworking and capable, and not too ugly, that's enough.
"I have chased them all away. It's okay. You can just leave." Chen Lei seemed to be a little bit unsympathetic to women. The girl had been standing at the door for a long time, still looking so pitiful, and he didn't even bother to ask her to come in and sit down.
"I'm an orphan who begged my way to the provincial capital. A few days ago, I finally found a job selling clothes. The hooligans I met earlier took a fancy to me when they went to buy clothes and insisted that I become their wife. I didn't want to, so they started making trouble every day. The boss's wife was furious and took it out on me, beating and scolding me. Today, they even kicked me out. After they found out, they came looking for me and bullied me on the street. I ran all the way to get here..."
The girl said with a choked voice. Perhaps she really had nowhere else to go, so she followed Chen Lei to the door of the store.
She knew that if she left now, she might run into Ermao on that road again, and they would do the same thing to her again. Then, her life would be completely ruined.
Although the journey was tough and she suffered a lot, she had never encountered anything like this. Perhaps it was because she had always been dirty, so no one could be attracted to her.
However, when she cleaned herself up, she realized that people look better when they are clean.
She picked up her clothes from trash cans and washed her face in the nearby river, all in the hope of finding a job so she could stop begging and support herself properly.
Chen Lei felt a little distressed when he heard the girl's story. A girl had to endure so much hardship.
Chen Lei felt pity for her and let her into the house.
"Come in and sit for a while!"
The girl looked at Chen Lei with gratitude and followed him into the house. Her feet were covered in mud, and she had made the clean floor dirty. She looked at Chen Lei apologetically and said:
"I'm sorry, it's all dirty."
"It's okay, just sweep it." Chen Lei said, and went to get a broom to clean up the mud.
Nowadays, most floors are made of cement, but in rural areas, they are still made of dirt. They are also easy to clean.
The girl saw Chen Lei working and tried to grab it, but Chen Lei dodged and said to her, "Just sit down! Just sit there and don't move. If you come over here, you'll get it dirty."
The girl felt a little embarrassed for a moment, so she timidly sat down on a chair beside her.
A few people came into the store and then left.
A loud thunderclap sounded from the sky, followed by an unusually heavy downpour.
I'm afraid there won't be much business today. This street is not a busy street and the road is not easy to walk on. When it rains, many people are reluctant to come in.
Chen Lei and the girl sat face to face, both of them were silent. The atmosphere in the room was very awkward. The girl kept pinching the corner of her clothes and her head was drooping.
"Oh, I'm soaked!" Gao Shanshan's voice came, breaking the awkwardness in the room. She patted the wet rain on her body, and then noticed that there was a girl sitting in the store. She pointed at the girl, looked at Chen Lei with a puzzled look, and asked him with her eyes.
Before Chen Lei could say anything, Liu Ruonan and Zhuang Sheng came in. They were carrying large and small bags, most of which were bought for Gao Shanshan.
There are clothes, daily necessities, and bedding inside.
Gao Shanshan attended boarding school, and in those days, students had to bring their own bedding; the school only provided sheets and duvet covers. Liu Ruonan was worried that Gao Shanshan would get cold in the cool autumn weather, so he bought her thicker bedding with new, soft cotton that felt incredibly comfortable.
After school started, Gao Shanshan could only come back on weekends.
At this moment, Liu Ruonan also noticed the girl in front of him. He opened his umbrella, put it in a corner, looked at Chen Lei and said, "Brother, who is this..."
Chen Lei quickly stood up and told Liu Ruonan what had happened. Chen Lei always missed the point and the story was a bit long, so Liu Ruonan and Gao Shanshan also moved a stool to sit down and listen.
After going around in circles for a long time, I finally got to the point at the end.
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