Chapter 44: Little Finger Hook
There was a burst of sparse applause in the main room.
"What the hell are you clapping for?" Li Rui said, not even raising his hand. He twirled the gel pen around his fingertips twice, looking matter-of-fact. "He's a student working part-time. He usually does hard labor like moving books in the library. He's used to serving others."
"He can travel for free because we paid for him, so he should do more work. Is this noble?"
Teacher Ding was standing far away from the threshold and gave them a stern glance.
Li Rui turned his head away with disdain and snorted.
The school board members remain permanent, but the teachers come and go.
This was not the first time that Teacher Ding had provoked him. Even though he was a special-grade teacher at a key high school, if he got humiliated in front of his classmates again, he would have to pack up and leave. He didn't believe that there was still someone in No. 1 Middle School who was so tough that his father couldn't suppress him.
Everyone in the room heard Li Rui's two words, but Xu Jiqing didn't care. He walked straight to the door, bent down and picked up the backpack on the ground.
His series of actions were so natural that the two adults didn't react.
Teacher Ding had a complicated expression on her face. "Are you not afraid of getting your clothes dirty?"
"Not yet."
Xu Jiqing carried the bamboo basket on his back. "Three or four melons aren't heavy. It's enough for me and Uncle Li."
"Then be careful and come back quickly."
In the evening at a farmer's house, the air is damp and filled with the smell of smoke from the wood stove.
The boy was still wearing the same school uniform he had worn in the afternoon, which was covered in mud and the hem was still wet.
Su Xia watched his back as he walked further and further away, and suddenly remembered the time they met during the National Day holiday, and her heart was in turmoil.
Others didn't change their clothes, maybe they really didn't care, or they didn't have time.
Xu Jiqing loves cleanliness so much, so there is only one possibility left:
His most respectable clothes were the two sets of school uniforms issued by the school, which he dared not change without washing them.
Su Xia sighed quietly.
It would be great if Xu Jiqing was a girl. She would have brought several sets of pajamas.
-
The guide's estimated time was very accurate.
Not long after the two of them left, plates of wild vegetables and braised mixed fish came out of the pot one after another.
The long-awaited stewed firewood chicken was placed in the center of the dining table. It was added with local spices and was bright and attractive. As soon as it was served, it caused a scramble among the crowd.
There were many children in the mountains, so the dining tables were large, enough to accommodate more than a dozen people. The boys gathered at two tables, the girls at one, and the three chickens they caught were just enough to share.
The students were willing to share, and Teacher Ding was willing to forget the rules set at the beginning and let them eat however they wanted.
All the boys at the table were like starving ghosts, eating up everything in a flash.
Su Xia took a few bites and glanced over there, sometimes hoping to see if anyone came to the door, and sometimes checking how much food was left on the table. He Miao could see that she was absent-minded.
He Miao thought she couldn't get used to the smoky smell, so he quietly pushed the fried bacon in front of her further away and pulled the tofu closer, "Eat this."
"My mother-in-law grinds it herself. It's delicious."
Su Xia nodded.
She would pick up whatever He Miao recommended and stuff it all into her mouth.
After chewing for a long time with his cheeks puffing up, he lowered his head and asked He Miao, "Miao Miao, do you think there are takeout boxes?"
He Miao was stunned. "...most likely not. This isn't a restaurant in the city where every plate on the table has a different pattern."
"I think so."
Su Xia was a little discouraged.
She lowered her head and stared at the leftover rice in her bowl for a while, then scraped it clean with all her strength. Then she bent over and ran to the kitchen to ask for a big bowl. She scooped two spoonfuls of rice into it and pressed it down hard with a wooden spoon.
I ran into Teacher Ding on my way back.
The other party was quite surprised, "Are you so hungry, Su Xia?"
Su Xia had something hidden in her heart, and she smiled with a red face, "I can finish it, it won't be wasted."
The atmosphere at the girls' table was completely different from that at the boys' table. No one ate the fattier braised pork with bamboo shoots, and after much shoveling of the stewed chicken, only a chicken leg was left at the bottom of the plate.
Su Xia took the small spoon, silently made a fortune, lowered his head and shoveled all the meat into his bowl, and filled the remaining gaps with vegetables, building up a bulging little hill.
Whenever someone asked, I would say I was hungry, occasionally picking up a few chopsticks to pretend to be hungry, and finally waited until someone appeared at the door -
The person she was waiting for came back.
The melons grown in the village were round and green, bigger than she had imagined. There was one in the guide's backpack, and the other two were on Xu Jiqing's back. They were very heavy when they landed on the ground.
The boys rushed into the yard and excitedly hugged the melons, touching and patting them.
"Oh my god, it's really ice cold!"
"Whose hand is that knife? Did they just cut vegetables? Don't let the smell get mixed up!"
It took 40 minutes to go back and forth on the mountain road. The bamboo basket dug deep into Xu Jiqing's thin shoulders, his wet clothes were full of wrinkles, and his trouser legs were covered with mud.
The squad leader was shy and said thank you for his hard work.
Xu Jiqing hummed, stood still, and glanced into the room lightly.
There were leftovers on the table, puddles of oil and soup in the empty plates, and chicken bones piled up in the corners.
He pursed his lips.
Su Xia looked around hard and finally saw Xu Jiqing, but he had already turned around and walked out of the gate.
The student council came to divide the melon, and the girls gathered around laughing.
Su Xia was anxious and quickly took a piece of thick red meat and put it on the rice bowl. While no one was paying attention to her, she grabbed a pair of new chopsticks and slipped out.
There was a small vegetable patch outside the courtyard gate. Xu Jiqing stood there holding a water pipe and watered his feet.
Su Xia took two steps closer holding the bowl and called him softly, "Xu Jiqing!"
Xu Jiqing turned around.
A light from the yard shone through, and Su Xia avoided the reflection of the puddles and trotted to him.
She wanted to have dinner with him.
There will be people gossiping in the room, and standing there is no solution.
Su Xia thought about it, took off her coat, spread it on a stone beside her, sat down first, patted the people around her, and asked him to come and sit down.
The nights in the countryside are so gentle.
Inside the wall, boys and girls were making a lot of noise, but outside the wall it was quiet with only the faint chirping of cicadas and croaking of frogs.
Xu Jiqing was wearing a summer school uniform with no sleeves to pull. Su Xia pulled his left little finger and said, "Don't be sad. I saved some food for you."
She had just changed her clothes, which were made of delicate and soft silk with a sweet fragrance.
The wind blows against her body, making her figure look plump and slender.
Xu Jiqing was pulled to sit beside her, and a porcelain bowl and a pair of wooden chopsticks with her body temperature were stuffed into his hands.
The edge of the bowl was still warm, with a layer of rice and meat, and a thick slice of watermelon on top.
The sky was dark blue, and there were a few dim lights at the stone intersection.
Su Xia leaned closer to him, her voice soft and gentle, "The chicken I stewed tonight was delicious with chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. I packed some chicken legs for you. The braised pork with bamboo shoots is also delicious, and the pork belly is roasted with the skin on, so soft and sticky..."
"If you feel sick of it, there are also small green vegetables. Teacher Ding said they are organic vegetables that have not been sprayed with pesticides. They are crispy and sweet. I ate half a plate of them."
She couldn't see Xu Jiqing's expression and talked to herself for a long time.
Seeing that he was holding the bowl but not eating, she thought he was still thinking about the watermelon. She leaned over with her palms supported by the stone, and her long hair unconsciously fell on Xu Jiqing's arm. "Walking on the mountain road must be tiring?"
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