18 Heart to Heart
By the time Yang Xiao arrived at the school gate, Zhou Qi had already been waiting there for a while. He was standing next to the security booth, chatting with the security guard. Yang Xiao felt that Zhou Qi seemed to be someone who wouldn't offend anyone. He could talk to anyone, but there was always a layer of glass between them.
Seeing her coming, Zhou Qi took out breakfast from his bag and handed it to her. Yang Xiao said thank you and took it. The buns and soy milk were still hot. She asked Zhou Qi if he had eaten. Zhou Qi nodded and asked her to go into the security room to eat, saying that it was easy to catch a cold outside. As soon as she finished speaking, the enthusiastic security uncle smiled and asked Yang Xiao to come in to eat.
The warm but somewhat cramped security room couldn't accommodate a third person, so Zhou Qi naturally stood outside, dressed in black. Yang Xiao's breakfast was bland; soy milk and steamed buns were her favorite. Now, she looked out the window of the security room. Zhou Qi stood alone outside, talking on the phone, his breath puffing with white air.
"That's your brother, isn't it?" The security guard held the thermos cup and blew into it.
"Yes, but we..." Yang Xiao drank the soy milk in big gulps, and the mellow aroma of soybeans kept swirling in her mouth.
"Oh, he was really tormenting me last night. He kept asking me to let him in, saying he needed to go see his sister and was worried he wouldn't be able to get leave the next day. He showed me his ID and then his student ID." The security guard took a sip of the tea in his cup. "It's nice to have a brother like him."
Yang Xiao nodded but didn't respond. Afraid that Zhou Qi would have to wait outside too long, she finished her steamed buns in two or three bites, wiped the table clean, and said goodbye to the security guard. As they left the security room, a gust of cold wind blew over them. Seeing his nose redden from the cold and his hands rubbing together from time to time, Yang Xiao was a little confused as to why he insisted on taking her out in the winter.
"Zhou Qi, how did you get leave today? Isn't your internship in the hospital very busy? It's so cold." Yang Xiao tried to make her voice sound calm, without revealing a trace of concern that crossed the line.
"If things aren't resolved, we'll have to find a solution. Let's go, I'll take you to play indoors." Zhou Qi said, then waved down a taxi that was about to speed by and got in the passenger seat. Yang Xiao followed, took off her backpack, placed it neatly on her lap, and closed the car door.
On smooth roads, Yang Xiao hardly ever suffered from motion sickness. She sat in the passenger seat, her back straight, gazing out the window at the desolate winter scenery. She had never been to the place Zhou Qi and the driver had mentioned, nor had she even heard of it, and she couldn't help but be curious all the way there.
After the car pulled over, Yang Xiao got out and saw this shop, leaning against an old tree but without any sign. Zhou Qi saw her staring at the door, so he walked closer and explained, "This is where I do some odd jobs. The owner is my senior. He should be very happy if we can take care of his business."
After saying that, he walked forward. Yang Xiao followed him, her curiosity surging. "So what kind of shop is this? It looks gorgeous." Zhou Qi laughed when she heard her adjective, and the slightly awkward atmosphere between them dissipated. Yang Xiao didn't understand why Zhou Qi laughed, but she always subconsciously laughed along with him when he laughed.
After laughing, Yang Xiao felt a little silly. Why did she laugh without knowing why or what was going on? Was Zhou Qi's laugh just too contagious? Yang Xiao felt that his smile always made people feel happy and comfortable.
Zhou Qi held the glass door open and said to her, "Save the compliments for your boss in person. Go in first." He then gave Yang Xiao a look to go in. Yang Xiao said "OK" and then stepped in with curiosity and timidity.
As soon as Yang Xiao entered, she was captivated by the fragrance of flowers. Then she saw a wall of wine bottles, neatly stacked layer upon layer. All around her were tall, lush plants. The plants' thick leaves overlapped, casting a shadow. Directly below the shadows, a winding path paved with white stones, with small, dim lights lit every few steps.
Yang Xiao turned around and looked at Zhou Qi behind her, whispering in surprise: "This is so beautiful!" Zhou Qi nodded and walked up to her: "Guess what kind of store this is?" Yang Xiao shook her head and said she couldn't answer, it felt like heaven. Before Zhou Qi revealed the answer, a burst of laughter came from behind them.
"Sister Yang Xiao, you're so sweet." Before she could finish her words, Yang Xiao saw a middle-aged man with a round face and a simple and honest look emerge from behind the leaves, holding a clean and small piece of bamboo in his hand. Without waiting for Zhou Qi to introduce it, the middle-aged man thrust the bamboo into Yang Xiao's hands, "A gift for meeting you, sister. Xiao, the bamboo of the arrow family, also means small bamboo."
Yang Xiao held the piece of bamboo and looked at Zhou Qi bewilderedly, her eyes filled with surprise and inquiry. Zhou Qi immediately spoke to comfort her, "Take it. He cut it from the back yesterday when he heard you were coming. It's a worthless little thing." Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man was displeased when he heard this and patted Zhou Qi's shoulder. "Hey, Zhou Qi, how are you talking to your senior brother like that?"
After saying this, the middle-aged man wiped his hands on the apron tied around his waist and then gestured to Yang Xiao to shake hands. "Sister Yang Xiao, I'm Zhou Qi's senior, Fang Qiu. Fang means square, and Qiu means hill. Being a doctor is too hard, so I sold everything I had to open a dessert shop. In the evening, we occasionally sell a little wine." He pointed to the wall of wine with his other hand. Yang Xiao quickly reached out to shake Fang Qiu's hand, then quickly let go.
Yang Xiao felt a little uncomfortable. Before she met Fang Qiu, no one had ever greeted her like this. It seemed a bit too formal to her. After all, she had only seen celebrities shaking hands like this on TV when they first met to discuss collaborations. Zhou Qi, noticing Yang Xiao's blushing face, told Fang Qiu to stop teasing her and took her to a sofa to sit down.
Seeing that the two fake siblings seemed to have something to say, Fang Qiu served a pot of scented tea and then hid in the kitchen.
Yang Xiao sat against the wall, perfectly positioned to survey most of the shop. After Fang Qiu left, she surveyed the shop with even greater curiosity. "With so many plants in here, there must be a lot of insects. Will summer affect business?" Zhou Qi smiled, shook his head, and said, "Maybe we won't decorate like this in the summer. Want some cake? Senior Brother, the cakes here are delicious. You can try some."
Yang Xiao looked hesitant. She wanted to try it, but she had just finished breakfast, so she felt a bit embarrassed. Zhou Qi poured her a cup of scented tea and added, "I bought technology shares from him. The cakes are half price. If you can't finish them, you can take them home and enjoy them later." Yang Xiao took the scented tea and gently placed it on the table. "What do you mean by technology shares? Does it mean you provide the technology, but you can also be a shareholder? So what technology did you provide?"
"I used to work as a handyman, developing new cakes and dishes for him. The home-cooked dishes I learned from my dad are also served here."
Yang Xiao couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!" again, and said she wanted to try the persimmon cake on the menu. Zhou Qi got up and went to the kitchen. Not long after, he brought her a golden slice, covered in a thick layer of persimmon jam and garnished with slices of persimmon flesh. It was very delicate and beautiful.
Yang Xiao's eyes lit up. It was the first time she'd seen such a beautifully designed cake, completely different from the traditional, old-fashioned cake decorating styles in town. Zhou Qi then handed her a small silver spoon, motioning for her to try it. Yang Xiao carefully scooped a spoonful into her mouth, feeling like fireworks exploding in her mouth. Her taste buds first received a sweet signal, followed by a slightly sour, refreshing lemon aroma.
"Is it delicious? I heard from my senior brother that it's new. While you're having your cake, I want to talk to you again." Zhou Qi crossed his arms and looked at Yang Xiao, who was happily eating across from him, with a serious expression. Yang Xiao pursed her lips and put down her spoon: "Okay, let's talk."
"You said last night that you wanted to be me. Is that why you study so hard in class?" Zhou Qi couldn't help but recall her crying last night, and the words "I want to be him" with a sobbing and trembling voice. Yang Xiao looked down at the table, then up at Zhou Qi and nodded.
"But Yang Xiao, studying and resting don't conflict. You don't have to look up to me or become like me. I'm just an ordinary person. You also need rest to continue learning. Similarly, there are many things in this world besides studying that are worth experiencing. For example, build good relationships with high school classmates."
"Did Teacher Ji call you? I understand the logic, but I'm desperate to succeed and I'm trying to reduce my anxiety. The moment I slack off, I lose sleep. I worry about wasting time. As for my classmates, Ruopeng and I are close, just like cats and dogs. But the other students, maybe because I don't socialize much, they call me a nerd behind my back."
"I know that it's very arrogant of me to tell you not to be anxious from the perspective of someone who has been through it. But if possible, when you can't sleep, you can call me, or call me every week to talk. I think if your emotions have a certain outlet, it may relieve your anxiety and insomnia. As for the relationship with your classmates, they don't respect you enough, so don't pay attention to it. I also want to vent this anger for you, but before that, I want to ask for your opinion. Do you need my help?" Zhou Qi was a little worried when he heard about Yang Xiao's situation.
"Okay, but most of the time I have insomnia, I'm in the dorm. Everyone's asleep and I can't make a sound, so this suggestion might not work. I'll handle it myself with my classmates." Yang Xiao smiled, picking up the spoon handle and stroking it repeatedly. Zhou Qi observed the small movements of her hand and continued, "I bought you a cell phone. When you have insomnia, you can send me messages without disturbing your roommates. I've also explained to Teacher Ji in advance whether it will affect school discipline. No problem, just don't bring it to the classroom."
After saying that, he pulled out two square boxes from his backpack and handed them to Yang Xiao: "Open them both and take a look. I was originally planning to take you to choose, but it's too cold out and you'd easily catch a cold if you kept walking around. I've picked out two pretty good ones for you, but I'm not sure which one you like better. Pick one and I'll return the rest."
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