Chapter 9 He had never been coaxed like this before
“It’s hard to stay in a big city.”
She stood up holding Xu Jiaojiao, her hair a little messy. "The security in the night market is not good. We are new here. If we meet someone who is not easy to deal with, we should be patient and not get into trouble impulsively."
Xu Jiqing kicked the car cradle away and said "hmm" lightly.
This is how life is for poor people.
The adults in the family have limited attention, and making a living is already difficult. When there are more children, it is natural to pay more attention to the weaker ones. There is no question of favoritism.
Xu Jiqing didn't enjoy much happiness when he was a child. After Xu Jiaojiao was born, he gave all the good things in the bowl to his sister.
But some people are like this. Even if they are fed with only cold noodles, they can still develop a strong body that never gets sick.
The seventeen-year-old boy had broad shoulders, and even though he was a little thinner, he was still a support for both mother and daughter.
It was like he skipped puberty.
While his teenage peers were busy rebelling, Xu Jiqing became silent.
Lin Yuezhen couldn't remember when she last saw him smile.
The white school uniform that was spotless when he went to school at noon was now covered with splattered oil. Thanks to his handsome face, he didn't look too disheveled.
Lin Yuezhen looked at it several times, feeling more and more guilty. "Take off your coat when you get home, and Mom will wash it for you. From now on, I'll go to the stall myself. You and Jiaojiao should concentrate on doing your homework at home. I'll drink a few sips of water so we don't have to run so far to find the bathroom."
"We went out to the stall the day before just to check the situation. It's better to go back early. We are exhausted from moving these two days. We should rest early."
Xu Jiqing responded and turned off the light under the ceiling. "You and Xu Jiaojiao take the bus back. I'll ride my bike."
"Turn right at the intersection onto bus No. 23 and ride for six stops."
Lin Yuezhen was stunned for a moment, her eyes flicking to his arm. "Can you turn the handlebars? Didn't the doctor say before..."
"I don't feel anything anymore." Xu Jiqing interrupted her.
"Route 23 stopped operating early, so this is probably the last bus."
The woman opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end she walked away, looking back every few steps.
The lights in the night market were dim. Only when the mother and daughter disappeared at the end of the crowd did Xu Jiqing lower his head and roll up his school uniform sleeves.
It took too long, and the cloth had been firmly tugged at the blood blisters on the back of his hand. When he tore it off, it almost took off a piece of skin. The bright red wound was exposed in the night, which was very scary.
There was no faucet nearby, so he picked up a bucket of boiled water from under the snack stall, unscrewed the lid and poured the water down.
The water had been heated by the stove fire all night and was only a few degrees cooler than body temperature, but that was enough.
Having lived like this since childhood, Xu Jiqing didn't care whether he lived comfortably or not, nor did he plan to spend the 500 yuan he unexpectedly got on himself. It was just that burns were prone to infection, which made him feel troublesome.
What he hates most is trouble.
Cold water flowed down the wound, with a sticky smell of rust.
The little finger and ring finger, which were the most severely burned, were bent. Xu Jiqing stared at the two fingers and struggled hard.
I can't straighten it out, and I can't feel it.
Same thing yesterday.
Tomorrow will be the same.
Half a year ago, the police accompanied him to the hospital for a physical examination and found that he had a comminuted fracture of the ulna and nerve damage.
After being spliced with steel plates and screws, his little finger and ring finger on his right hand could no longer be straightened, and the rotation of his wrist joint was restricted. It was like wearing thick gloves that could not be taken off, and he could no longer feel heat or pain.
His right hand is the one he uses to write and work.
The main hand was permanently disabled, and the final injury report showed it was a second-degree minor injury, so the man was sentenced to three years.
People have two hands, isn't it for having replacements when they are worn out?
With his learning ability, it is only a matter of time before he can switch to using his left hand proficiently.
Just one hand can buy more than a thousand days of peace, allowing him to safely pass the college entrance examination and take Lin Yuezhen and Xu Jiaojiao to run further. He feels it is worth it.
It was as if God had opened a window for him. Xu Jiqing had an amazing ability to heal himself since childhood. Bruises healed quickly, and even wounds, no matter how deep, would scab over and heal on their own. After pouring a bucket of cold water, he screwed the lid back on and was about to leave when he heard the hurried footsteps of small leather shoes hitting the ground.
"...Wait, don't go yet! I have something for you."
The girl seemed to have run all the way here.
His fair face was flushed and his temples were wet with sweat. Because the things he was carrying were too heavy, he stopped to catch his breath for a long time.
Xu Jiqing didn't expect her to come back.
The bright red and hideous wound was exposed and pierced into Su Xia's eyes.
She gasped.
I wanted to take another closer look, but I was a little afraid.
Su Xia's eyelashes trembled, and she didn't know what she was thinking. She whispered, "...I should have asked for a thousand for you earlier."
Asking for money on behalf of others is similar to bargaining. It is uncomfortable if the other party doesn't agree, and it is even more uncomfortable if they agree.
He acted as if nothing had happened, and only then did she realize how badly he was injured. She felt that she was such an amateur of a hero, selling out Xu Jiqing for such a small amount of money.
She was carrying two of the largest plastic shopping bags in her hands, which were so bulging that her knuckles were red from tightening.
"I looked it up and it says you shouldn't use ice water on burns. It's not even autumn yet, so convenience stores don't usually stock room temperature water. I went to two stores and that's all they had."
Xu Jiqing looked up.
On the table were bottles of mineral water that she had taken out.
There were all kinds of brands, with colorful packaging, and even seven or eight bottles of Evian in glass bottles.
Whether it's expensive or not is another matter, but it's really heavy. I don't know where this delicate girl, who looks like she's never experienced hardship, gets the energy from.
Su Xia didn't know what he was thinking. She took out a bag from a nearby pharmacy from the plastic bag and explained carefully, "This is normal saline solution, used for sterilization. The aunt at the pharmacy said it would be very painful, so be gentle and don't use too much force."
"Wait until the wound dries a little, then apply the cream, then cover it with a dressing, and try not to get it wet."
The girl looked up at him from time to time, as if to make sure he was still listening.
From Xu Jiqing's perspective, her round cheeks were puffed up and her lips were rosy. When she said the word "pain", her brows were slightly frowned and her voice was incredibly soft, as if she was coaxing a child.
He had never been so coaxed before.
In fact, even when Lin Yuezhen coaxed Xu Jiaojiao to sleep, she never used such a soft tone.
This realization made Xu Jiqing feel uncomfortable all over.
The evening breeze was cool, carrying the girl's voice into his ears, like ants crawling, making him feel strangely itchy.
Xu Jiqing was like this in high school, and Su Xia didn't expect him to respond.
After introducing the contents of the small medicine bag and stuffing it back in, she rummaged through the bottom of the bag and pulled out a box of scar cream, the most expensive imported medicine in the store, effective for burns and cuts.
In her previous life, Xu Jiqing had a strange attitude towards the scars on her body. He clearly didn't seem to care, but she was just distracted when trying on the ring, and he never took off his gloves again.
She didn't want to owe him anything.
Now that she was here, even if she ended up in Xu Jiqing's hands and ended up in ashes, she had to make herself feel comfortable first.
There was also a pack of cat-head fruit-flavored gummy candies in the bag.
It's probably some kind of random brand. They look the same when they laugh or cry. Every kitten has a cold and indifferent expression, quite like him.
Su Xia took out the things and stuffed them in. "The candy is given as a gift when you buy medicine. If you feel that the wound cleaning is too painful, chew two to distract yourself. If you don't want to eat it, give it to your sister."
She ran around for more than half an hour, and Su Lijun also circled the road more than ten times to avoid a ticket. Seeing that Su Xia had almost finished chatting, he honked the horn twice to urge her.
Su Xia glanced at him again, her eyelashes raised. "You... rinse the water yourself and remember to use the medicine. If I don't go home, my uncle will complain. I'm leaving now."
Without waiting for the horn to sound again, she turned and trotted away.
Su Lijun got out of the car and opened the door for her.
The Bentley's shiny black door closed with a heavy, muffled sound.
The car sped away, and the place where Su Xia had just stood seemed to still have a sweet smell.
Smells good.
It could be the shampoo or shower gel a girl uses, or the fragrance on her skin.
Next to her was the bag of candy she had just squeezed.
Xu Jiqing stood there with his eyes downcast.
After a long time, his Adam's apple rolled and he took a sniff as if possessed.
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