Chapter 125
Chu Jiujiu looked at Chu Shao in shock.
Chu Shao: "...What's that look in your eyes?"
Chu Jiujiu was so moved that she wiped away her tears. "That's a look of relief, A'shao, you're finally not stingy anymore."
Chu Shao: “…”
"Speak properly!"
From time to time, Chu Jiujiu would imitate some local dialects. In the past, she liked to imitate the Northeastern dialect, the capital dialect, Wen Xiuwei's Zhejiang dialect, and the Cantonese from her birthplace. Any of them was much more normal than the one she was learning now.
When Chu Shao heard her speak in this tone, his back went numb. He didn't know that this was the legendary feeling of being struck by lightning.
It was truly bizarre, but also truly touching. Chu Shao had been saving money for eight years, almost nine. During these years, he didn't buy anything big, didn't spend money recklessly, and only spent on daily food. Every time he spent all his money, he had to find a way to make up for it, either by doing labor for others or making something to sell. After arriving in the capital and starting school, Chu Shao stopped doing this. However, they had also successfully reunited with Chu Liqiang, so Chu Shao no longer needed to pay out of his own small treasury.
Later, after graduating, Chu Shao got his first job. In the military camp, the internal base provided food and accommodation, so he had no chance to spend money, and he saved every penny of his allowance.
Although Chu Shao is good at saving money, he is not really stingy. He will occasionally buy snacks for Chu Jiujiu and take Wen Xiuwei out to a restaurant. He will still pay for these things.
But it was the first time in his life that he had to spend several thousand dollars at once.
Chu Jiujiu had suspected more than once that Chu Shao might be planning to take most of the remaining 6,000 yuan, not counting the small change, into his coffin.
Chu Shao wanted to buy her a TV. Chu Jiujiu didn't bother to be polite with him and didn't even try to argue. She started thinking about which brand would be better. In fact, there was not much to choose from. There were only two brands, both domestically produced and of excellent quality. There was no difference at all.
She didn't touch the food. Seeing that she was too excited, Chu Shao couldn't help but bend his fingers and knock on the table. "That's enough. It's just buying a TV. You look so happy. Hurry and eat. It will get cold if you don't eat now."
Not to mention urging her to eat, even if Chu Shao scolded her now, she would not have any objection. Treating the sponsor should be as warm as spring.
"Okay!" Chu Jiujiu responded happily and started to pick up food for herself.
Chu Shao: “…”
Silently watching Chu Jiujiu happily eating, Chu Shao shook his head: "You only grow older, not wiser."
Chu Jiujiu asked him puzzledly, "What do you mean?"
Chu Shao looked at her expressionlessly, "It means you are childish."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
She retorted unconvincedly: "How can I not be smart? Look around and see if there is anyone around who is smarter than me. Pull her out and let's go for a walk together."
Chu Shao looked at her with a complicated expression, "You even compared yourself to a donkey, is that what you call having a mind?"
Chu Jiujiu was momentarily stumped, then realized belatedly that she had said something that hurt the enemy by eight hundred and hurt herself by a thousand. After a moment's silence, Chu Jiujiu lowered her head and shoveled at the noodles in her bowl. "If you don't have any thoughts, then you don't have any thoughts. It's a good thing to have too many thoughts. They're like honeycomb coal, leaking everywhere. I think I'm pretty good the way I am. I'm heartless and don't feel tired when I live."
"You're quite open-minded."
Chu Jiujiu hummed a sound and nodded shamelessly, "Yes, I'm very open-minded. I don't have to worry about food and drink, my life is going according to plan, my three generations of grandparents and grandchildren are all doing well, and there are no worries at home. Aside from Baozhu, no one around me has better innate conditions than me, so of course I have to make good use of them and live a carefree life. If you think too much, your mind will be filled with too many things. If you don't think about anything, you will feel relaxed and live longer."
Chu Shao sneered, as if he was mocking her, but also as if it was a meaningless laugh.
It is indeed different.
The life of internal and external troubles and having to be on guard against others all the time when they were young is far away from them. Chu Jiujiu has a good memory, but she is not a pessimistic person. She will not recall those bad things for no reason. So once things are over, Chu Jiujiu will subconsciously seal those things up and will not think about them easily unless there are special circumstances.
If she doesn't think about it, she won't be hurt again, and similarly, it won't affect her future.
The word "shadow" seems to have nothing to do with Chu Jiujiu's life.
She always felt she was incredibly lucky. In reality, her life was filled with sorrow. Her parents had passed away, she lived like an orphan, and she and Chu Shao struggled to survive in a dilapidated, drafty house. She worried about her family and herself. She'd experienced everything most children wouldn't encounter in their lives. Yet, she still felt incredibly lucky.
Some people say this is heartless, while others say this is living with clarity.
Chu Shao didn't think deeply about it. He just felt that there was nothing wrong with Chu Jiujiu being like this. It didn't matter if she was a little stupid. It didn't matter if she was even more stupid. Anyway, he was supporting her from behind.
Pushing the dishes that Chu Jiujiu liked in front of her, Chu Shao said with emotion: "It's okay if you don't grow some of your thoughts, but for some of them, I beg you, grow them as soon as possible."
Chu Jiujiu frowned, not understanding what he was saying. "Just say it directly if you have something to say. Don't beat around the bush."
Chu Shao brought up the incident after school again, "That guy came to you, do you know what he wants to do?"
Chu Jiujiu replied naturally, "I know."
"Then what does he want with you?"
Chu Jiujiu replied more naturally: "Please treat me to some rice candy!"
Chu Shao: “…”
Chu Jiujiu was still criticizing the boy. "Come on, I've never spoken to him in class. He used to turn around and walk away when he saw me, but now he suddenly wrote me a note saying he wants to treat me to some rice candy. Don't even mention that I don't like to eat rice candy. Even if I do, he's so abrupt. Who knows if he wants to ask me for something?"
Chu Shao was listening in a daze at first, but when he heard the last sentence, his eyes lit up.
It’s okay, it’s not hopeless, at least I can guess some clues.
Chu Shao quickly asked, "Then what do you think he wants to ask of you?"
Chu Jiujiu snorted and said with great certainty, "He definitely wants me to help him cheat. That boy is ranked in the bottom ten of our class. His grades are very dangerous. He basically can't get a diploma and will probably have to repeat the grade. I have good grades, so he found me."
At this point, Chu Jiujiu slammed the table and said righteously, "I grew up under the red flag and was a five-good student. I even have the Youth League badge on my chest! How could I possibly help someone cheat?"
Chu Shao: “…”
Chu Shao looked at her in silence. After Chu Jiujiu finished her impassioned speech, she smiled at him and said, "Well, I didn't bring shame to our family, did I?"
Chu Shao looked at her calmly, "I want to beat you."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
She looked incredulous, as if Chu Shao had said something unforgivable and was about to harm her, a young member with a good background. The look in her eyes made Chu Shao feel a pain in his chest and he was furious.
…
Chu Shao knocked on the table, feeling very disappointed. He didn't want to say it, but Chu Jiujiu's brain was really too much.
"I'm really impressed by you. They treated you to rice candy just to trick you into cheating? Do you think everyone in the world is like you, giving people gifts to bribe them? You're sixteen years old, after all, so you can't think about it that way. Even Sanbao understands these things now, so why don't you understand?"
Chu Jiujiu was stunned by what he said. After a while, she gradually realized what he meant. "You mean, he gave me candy because he wants to date me?"
Chu Shao: “…”
There is no need to say it so bluntly.
Looking around awkwardly, he realized that everyone else was eating seriously, no one paying attention to their small table. Chu Shao was silent for a moment, then hummed, "I understand now. Do you have any ideas?"
Chu Shao was helpless.
If possible, he also wanted Chu Jiujiu to stay nine years old forever, never grow up, and always be innocent and cute. However, that was impossible. People must grow up, and then there are some things that they must understand, otherwise, they would suffer losses at any time.
Chu Jiujiu understood, but she poked at the noodles in her bowl, looking completely uninterested. "What can I think? I don't like him."
This answer was what Chu Shao expected, but in his imagination, Chu Jiujiu should have said this with a blushing face.
…
Chu Shao discovered with sorrow that he had thought too much.
Patiently, he asked again: "What kind do you like?"
Hearing this, Chu Jiujiu gave Chu Shao a strange look and said, "Are you sure you want to talk to me about this?"
Chu Shao nodded, "I also want to know what you are thinking."
He is not a chauvinistic old-fashioned man who refuses to talk about any female topics.
Moreover, since he confirmed his relationship with Wen Xiuwei, they have been chatting and writing letters more often in private. He is no longer so ignorant of what girls think. If Chu Jiujiu is willing to talk, maybe he can help look for one.
Chu Shao himself fell in love early, so he thought that there was nothing wrong in finding the right person earlier. He could establish a relationship first, then observe for a few years, and then get married at an appropriate age. This way, the probability of encountering a scammer would be reduced.
Chu Jiujiu didn't know what Chu Shao was thinking. She pursed her lips and looked at Chu Shao's expression. After pondering for a while, Chu Jiujiu suddenly smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll tell you."
Chu Jiujiu put down her chopsticks with her chin propped up, her expression becoming more yearning. "I like gentle ones, and they must be well-educated. My requirements are not high, as long as they can be at the level of Teacher Fang, that's enough!"
Chu Shao recalled Fang Weiping's level, and then his face darkened.
Chu Jiujiu continued, "As for looks, it has to be cool, handsome, with long legs and abdominal muscles. Abs are a must, this is very important! Hehehe~"
Chu Shao: "..." His face turned a little darker as Chu Jiujiu chuckled.
"As for future jobs, I haven't thought about it yet, but being a teacher or a doctor would be great. With such jobs, you have to go to get off work and get off work on time, and you have a lot of free time. When you're not busy, you can go traveling together."
Chu Shao lowered his eyes and thought, this is the only one that seems reliable.
Chu Jiujiu counted on her fingers, "I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't socialize, and I don't want to have too many complicated social relationships. I'm a simple person, so I hope the other person can be simple too. Oh, and it would be best if he likes antiques as much as I do, and has the same hobbies, so that we can have common topics to talk about."
Chu Shao asked her, "Are you done?"
Chu Jiujiu nodded, "Well, that's all I can think of for now."
Chu Shao laughed with an ambiguous tone.
Chu Jiujiu looked at him in confusion, "What's wrong? You don't like this?"
Chu Shao shook his head, "No, don't get me wrong. If I were a woman, I would definitely provide my own dowry for a man like this."
Chu Jiujiu: “…” Why does this sound so awkward?
She frowned and looked at Chu Shao: "Then why do you have that expression?"
Chu Shao laughed again, paused for a second, and then his expression changed. "The question is, do you think such people exist?! Putting aside other things, let me ask you, what does it mean to be cool and gentle, have abs, and have the academic level of Teacher Fang? Go out and find out, which intellectual can have abs? They still have hair, so just be content!"
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
She pouted, looking unhappy, but she didn't dare to shout in front of Chu Shao in this state, so she could only mutter softly, "You asked me, so I like it this way."
Chu Shao was speechless.
How realistic can you expect a sixteen-year-old girl to have ideals? It must be based on her own preferences. When she returned home, she heard Chu Shao say in distress that Chu Jiujiu was too ambitious. Wen Xiuwei asked about it and was immediately overjoyed.
"Ask her again in three months. It's sure to be different then. Jiujiu's thoughts change every day now. There's no point in asking such a question. No one knows what they'll like before they meet someone they like. Take me for example. I didn't think I'd end up liking you."
Chu Shao: “…”
He remained silent. Wen Xiuwei laughed to herself for a while, then sat down next to him and asked him, "Why did you suddenly think of asking Jiujiu these questions?"
Chu Shao was silent for a long time before he managed to come up with an answer, "I just wanted to ask."
"What else?"
"Also..." Chu Shao scratched his hair and said uncomfortably, "I haven't talked to her for a long time."
Wen Xiuwei snorted, "If you want to care, then do it. Don't steal my work. Topics like these are what Jiujiu and I usually talk about. You should just focus on your studies and life as before."
Chu Shao fell even more silent. He didn't speak, and Wen Xiuwei ignored him. They just waited. Finally, Chu Shao spoke again, sounding somewhat puzzled. "Han Shengyi and I are just like each other. Why do they always have something to talk about?"
Wen Xiuwei turned her head to look at him and didn't say anything for a moment, but in her heart, she had already let out a long "oh".
She finally found the reason for Chu Shao's abnormal behavior. At that time, she thought Chu Shao didn't care, but it turned out that he was just pretending not to care.
Thinking of this, Wen Xiuwei suddenly wanted to laugh again. She coughed twice to hold back her laughter. After thinking about it seriously, Wen Xiuwei explained for him: "Shengyi's age and gender are the same as yours, but Shengyi's personality is different from yours. You see, when you talk to Jiujiu, you always scold her. She regards you as an elder and a big brother, so she certainly doesn't dare to say anything too intimate to you. But Shengyi has always been considerate to Jiujiu. Jiujiu has no psychological burden in front of him, so she is naturally willing to tell him some of her inner thoughts."
Chu Shao looked at her and said, "Didn't you say that Chu Jiujiu has been particularly obedient to him recently?"
"Yes," Wen Xiuwei nodded, "but Shengyi doesn't discipline her. Even if he does, he does it in secret, the kind that's hard for people to notice."
At this point, she laughed, "Jiujiu, don't you know? At home, her brain is always slow. Shengyi can control her with just a little trick."
There was something wrong with what he said, and Chu Shao didn't feel very happy after hearing it.
Wen Xiuwei realized it belatedly. She was silent for a second, then quickly added, "Fortunately, Shengyi didn't have any bad intentions towards Jiujiu, otherwise, Jiujiu would be in trouble."
Chu Shao: “…”
Wen Xiuwei: “…”
Why is it getting weirder the more you talk about it?
They both fell into deep thought. Wen Xiuwei thought she had made a slip of the tongue, and Chu Shao thought she just hadn't found the right adjective. But neither of them had ever thought that what they blurted out at the moment was their true subconscious thought.
This is the fact. Fortunately, Han Shengyi has no evil intentions towards Chu Jiujiu, otherwise, Chu Jiujiu would have been sold out by him long ago.
When she was a child, Chu Jiujiu had no one to protect her. She was like a little hedgehog. She would prick anyone who pricked her. But later, as more and more people cared for her, the thorns on Chu Jiujiu's body slowly fell off. She no longer had to work so hard to protect herself, and naturally, her vigilance towards the outside world decreased.
Maybe she would still be alert and on guard against strangers, but she really had no guard at all against her family members.
I don’t know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing.
Chu Jiujiu in the next room was sleeping soundly at this moment. She could buy a color TV tomorrow. Even when she was dreaming, she had a big smile on her face.
At the age of sixteen, when the personality of ordinary people is finally formed, Chu Jiujiu is still the kind-hearted girl whose mind has not been polluted in any way. She has chosen her own path and decided to move closer to the direction of scholar and researcher. She feels that her future is bright, but she does not know that there is a vicious wolf lurking for a long time beside her.
The wolf had just grown up and already had sharp claws and terrifying teeth. She was just a little white rabbit who liked history. If she really fell into its mouth, she would definitely be eaten without leaving any residue.
The little white rabbit is in the stage of personality formation, and the evil wolf is also in the stage of personality formation. Good and evil are just a thought away. As for the future direction, at least so far, there is no real sign.
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