Chapter 20 She Won't Leave
Muscle memory really matters.
I have clearly warned myself countless times not to act like a spoiled child in front of Xu Jiqing, but he doesn't buy it.
After just a few days of carefree girlhood, the bad habits that Su Xiaojuan had instilled in her returned.
Su Xia looked up and glanced at the side several times. Seeing Xu Jiqing's lips tightened, she quickly tried to make amends, "We are deskmates. You help me with my homework every day. I have to know if you have been doing well these days."
"I asked the squad leader, but he didn't know either. So I just wanted to come and see you and have a few words with you."
There is a sycamore avenue between the administrative building and the cafeteria. Bright light leaks through the gaps between the leaves and falls on the girls, who swim like little fish.
Xu Jiqing lowered his eyes and looked at her for a few seconds.
Even to someone like him, she seemed to have a lot to say.
Does your hand still hurt? Don’t touch it even if the blisters and skin are peeling.
How many people are there in Class S?
Is the teacher fierce in class?
Do you really have to check the timer every day to take exams?
I heard that the air conditioner in your class is new and it’s so cold that you have to wear a sweatshirt.
Besides that boy just now, have you made any other friends?
Will you come back to study at night in the future?
There are birds on the railing outside the windowsill these two days. If they don’t come soon, I won’t be able to see them anymore.
…
Along the way, Su Xia was the one asking questions most of the time, and Xu Jiqing occasionally answered.
It wasn't a long distance, but I walked twice as slow as usual.
We have arrived at the first floor of the cafeteria.
Xu Jiqing lifted the plastic curtain and heard the girl be silent for two seconds, then asked.
"Were you the one who swept the duty area outside our classroom on Tuesday, near the ping-pong table?"
"...Please don't misunderstand me. I didn't give you anything before because I wanted to do something for you. Even when I wanted to copy your homework, it was because I had no other choice. I didn't do it to ask you to repay me. You don't have to do my duty for me."
She has eyes that never lie.
As she said this, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the light in her eyes fluttered.
The previous questions are just preparations.
Xu Jiqing immediately understood why she came today.
"no."
He was silent for two seconds, "Are you done now?"
"What are you talking about?"
Su Xia didn't react.
Xu Jiqing turned around, his voice flat, "I didn't misunderstand, you can go."
Even with cold water, the difference between room temperature and ice is obvious.
Su Xia's eyes were blank, and it took a long time before she said "Oh".
Did she say anything harsh?
He was fine on the way here, why is he ignoring me again?
Su Xia couldn't understand.
This was the first time she left early after deciding to become a three-good student. She came specifically to repair the relationship, and she couldn't just let it go like this.
...She won't leave.
So, in the next ten minutes, even if Xu Jiqing ignored her, Su Xia kept following him like a little tail that couldn't be shaken off.
Xu Jiqing went to get the free seaweed egg drop soup, and she also got some.
Xu Jiqing was getting his meal at the window for poor students, so she lined up and got the same one.
A three-dollar charity meal includes fried cabbage with tofu, roasted radish, and two taels of rice.
There are meat scraps in the radish, and the price is very reasonable.
Perhaps because he didn't want to get too close to her, Xu Jiqing picked a table full of people and ate quickly.
Su Xia was sitting across a long table, peeking out, glancing over at him after taking a few bites, and then chasing after him to collect the plates.
She didn't notice it when she was next to him just now, but when the boy completely ignored her, she realized how fast Xu Jiqing usually walked.
After finishing his meal, he did not leave, but went up the spiral staircase outside to the teachers' restaurant on the third floor.
When Su Xia finally caught up with him, there was already a long queue in front of the window at the entrance of the stairs on the third floor. She searched for a long time before she found the person in the corner of the back row.
Two elderly teachers had just left with the children, and their plates were knocked over. The remains of gnawed pork ribs were scattered all over the table, and oil and soup were dripping down, making a mess.
Xu Jiqing had his back to her, bending over and wiping.
Su Xia then remembered that there were part-time jobs to support students at No. 1 Middle School.
The breaks after lunch and dinner add up to an hour and a half of work, and the monthly salary is 600 yuan.
The printing room is relatively easy, mainly helping teachers copy papers. The cafeteria is a little dirty and tiring, and it pays two hundred yuan more.
Xu Jiqing is the latter.
He seemed to be used to doing this kind of work.
His movements were very quick and efficient, even when he was scrubbing the rag. Even though his ring finger and little finger on his right hand were completely unable to move, there was no sign of anything unusual.
This floor is full of faculty and staff. Apart from people like Xu Jiqing, there are not many students coming up here.
Su Xia was wearing a school uniform skirt, cream-colored lace socks, shiny leather shoes, and an expensive platinum five-color bracelet on her wrist, which stood out like a bright pearl.
The teachers' glances occasionally swept over her, not as bluntly as those of her peers, but they also made her feel a little uncomfortable.
She lowered her head and took two steps towards Xu Jiqing, still thinking about the sentence "No misunderstanding" in her mind. While she was preparing her speech, she accidentally bumped into the aunt who was pushing the food tray cart and quickly apologized.
Her voice was soft and gentle.
But Xu Jiqing still turned back.
He seemed to be completely caught off guard by her presence. He frowned slightly, picked up the rag with his bony hands, and went to another table farther away.
A middle-aged man who looked like a leader took a seat while answering the phone. He pointed at Xu Jiqing and waved casually twice, "The student over there, yes, you, come over and wipe the water over here."
Xu Jiqing turned back in response.
He didn't look in Su Xia's direction again, but bent down and wiped the very subtle water stain that the other party pointed to.
The man held the tray, his pinky finger raised, "Did you clean these two tables and the one at the back?"
Xu Jiqing looked over and said, "It's me."
He held his back straight and spoke in a deep voice.
Because he is tall, he looks down on people without any fear or panic that boys of his age would show.
"You seem quite proud. Which class are you from? Who introduced you here?"
The man was irritated, his eyebrows raised, and he clicked his tongue impatiently. "I've been managing the cafeteria for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen a student worker so lazy as to wring out the rag."
"Work-study programs require a work-study attitude. The school provides you with opportunities, so you should work hard. Don't think that the whole world owes you just because your family is not well off."
"The principal will be coming to eat in a while. The table is all wet. How is he going to sit? I'm going to take a look in the back. If it's still like this when I come back, don't come here anymore."
He twisted it, though it wasn't very dry.
But summer has not yet passed, and the fan on the ceiling of the cafeteria is turning non-stop, and the little water marks will soon dissipate.
But Xu Jiqing didn't argue anymore.
The bucket was on the table behind him. He turned around and soaked the oily rag in the water. The girl who had been watching nearby ran over.
The mopping lady had just passed by and the floor was wet with a strange smell of detergent and food.
Su Xia squatted there nonchalantly. The clean hem of her skirt touched the ground, and she quickly pulled it up and tucked it between her knees.
At noon, by the window, her two arms, as tender as lotus roots, were dazzlingly white. She reached into the muddy water and rubbed them clumsily twice.
It was obvious that the delicate girl had never done housework before. When she wrung out the rag, her hands were clenched tightly, her fingertips were red, as if she was using all her strength.
The rough and frayed rag lay wrinkled in the girl's palm.
"for you."
Su Xia stood up and stretched out her hand to show Xu Jiqing her two sweet dimples. "It's not wet at all."
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