Good People
When Tong Xiaolai came back in the evening, Shao Linyin was not at home. He was squatting on the public balcony outside in a daze. There was a faint smell of smoke in the air.
Including the day I ate fish, this has happened for five consecutive days, and the worst was the second day.
When he came back that day, the lights in the room were not on.
Shao Linyin was lying on the bed with her clothes on, facing inwards with her back to him. Her clothes were still her work clothes, but they looked clean and dust-free.
He prepared the meal, but Shao Linyin didn't move.
The only movement was that when he thought the other person was asleep and turned off the lights, Shao Linyin got up and turned on the lights again, without even looking at him when she passed by.
Avoid him like the snakes and scorpions.
When he thought he had done something wrong and offended someone, the other person spoke again, reminding him to drink milk, brush his teeth, go to bed early, and not turn off the lights.
He sighed softly. Shao Linyin's face showed everything, but she said nothing. It was hard to guess what was going on, which made people feel distressed and helpless.
He didn't go to the balcony to disturb Shao Linyin, but went straight into the room and went to the kitchen to cook first.
He was already familiar with Shao Liyin's taste. She couldn't eat spicy food but liked a little bit of it. She hated vinegar and soy sauce.
I like all unhealthy fried crispy foods, and hate all the so-called healthy foods that are soft, sticky, and chewy.
I hate all kinds of meat, animal liver, carrots, wood ear mushrooms, celery, spinach, and some other things that pop up from time to time. Seafood is the only thing I can really say I like, and my obsession is steamed sea bass. I can eat it for days in a row and never get tired of it.
I like eggs, only the egg whites. I didn’t want to waste them before, so I would eat the yolks slowly but always finish them. After I had him, the yolks are basically all his.
He had never seen such a picky eater. He concluded that Shao Linyin's picky eating could be summarized as hating to eat, a bit like a rich young master!
While I was thinking, a meal was ready.
The books on the table were neatly arranged, and it looked like they hadn't been read today.
He put away the book, brought out the food, opened the door and went to the balcony.
"Brother Li, it's time to eat."
Shao Liyin then turned around and saw Tong Xiaolai, and smiled: "When did you come back? Why didn't you call me?"
Then he picked up the three cigarette butts on the ground, thinking he was very discreet, stood up, went into the house and threw them into the trash can.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw a plate of fried clams and a plate of fried lotus root boxes on the table, both of which were his favorites.
Shao Liyin held the bowl, ate two clams and two slices of lotus root, and put down his chopsticks after two mouthfuls of rice. Then, like a ghost still breathing, he watched Tong Xiaolai eat slowly.
It wasn't until Tong Xiaolai finished two bowls of rice, cleared the dishes, and went to the kitchen, turning on the faucet, that the sound of running water seemed to bring him back to life. He stood up and went to the balcony, leaning against the kitchen door frame, watching Tong Xiaolai washing the dishes.
After looking at me for a long time, he asked, "Xiao Lai, what kind of person do you think I am?"
Tong Xiaolai paused while washing the dishes and said, "Good man."
Shao Linyin laughed, and then started coughing again.
Tong Xiaolai didn't look back, picked up the dishes and drained them: "Don't smoke anymore."
"No, it's not like someone else gave it to me, so I can't refuse it."
"No one will come to your house to watch you smoke."
"...You little bastard! You're getting more and more eager to climb over my head."
Tong Xiaolai didn't say anything. Shao Linyin just watched his busy back and listened to the sound of dishes colliding. After the stove was cleaned up, Tong Xiaolai turned around and said, "How long do you want to watch me? You watch me while I eat. Do you still want to watch me when I go in to take a shower?"
Shao Liyin was stunned for a moment, then patted his head: "What are you thinking about? It's not like I haven't rubbed mud for you before!"
Tong Xiaolai's face suddenly turned red, and she bit her lip and said nothing.
Seeing him like this, Shao Liyin urged him to take off his clothes: "Hurry up and take off your clothes and get in the shower! You stink!"
After pushing the man in, he left the balcony and washed the clothes he had taken off.
He wiped the floor in the room and spread the quilt. When Tong Xiaolai came out, he opened the book next to him.
The new textbooks for the exam have arrived. There are indeed big changes compared to the old textbooks, but Shao Linyin has always read them in conjunction with the latest norms and standards, so the past few days of reading have not been in vain.
Tong Xiaolai lay on the floor and looked at Shao Linyin hunched over the table: "Are you staying up late tonight too?"
Shao Liyin didn't look back: "Yeah. The exam is in three weeks."
"Can you see in?"
“…” Shao Linyin was stunned and put down the pen.
The small plastic stool was too low. When I sat on it, my knees were at chest level. My arms were resting on my knees, my back was raised a little, but my head drooped even lower.
"Brother Li..." Tong Xiaolai felt that he couldn't continue like this, otherwise something bad would happen. "Can't you tell me what happened?"
Shao Linyin was silent for a while.
"Brother Li, if it's because of me, tell me. As long as it doesn't make me leave, I can change anything else."
Shao Linyin still didn't speak.
"Brother Li, I didn't ask you to stay with me to make your life worse. I..."
"If..." Shao Linyin interrupted him, "If..."
But he didn't go down after all. He stood up from the stool and leaned against the bed: "Xiao Lai, I'm not a good person."
The ten-square-meter hut fell into a brief silence, with only an old fan squeaking.
"Brother Li, do you know why I only grabbed your cake when there were so many people in the village that day?"
Shao Liyin raised his head, looked at him for a while, and then smiled: "I just have bad luck!"
"No." Tong laughed and said, "Because it was you, I dared to rob you."
Shao Liyin: ...So, I have the face of a sucker?
Tong Xiaolai looked at Shao Liyin: "Brother Li, that was not the first time we met. I said that I used to wash dishes and serve food in a small restaurant.
The other day you were eating in the restaurant, and when I was serving food to a table, I broke a plate. The boss asked me to pay for it and threatened to kick me out if I didn't pay him.
You came over and compensated the boss for the dish I broke, along with the price, and gave your own dish to that table of customers.
Shao Linyin's face was full of confusion: "You, remembered the wrong person?"
Tong Xiaolai laughed: "You never remember these things. Have you forgotten that a month ago at the bus stop at the village entrance, I always put my breakfast in front of a little beggar sleeping by the wall: a bun, a tea egg and a cup of soy milk."
This was because there was indeed a period of time, about ten days, when Shao Liyin had some impression of the little beggar, but he did not expect that the little beggar would be Xiaolai. He suddenly remembered the buns Xiaolai gave him the morning after he met him.
That day, Xiaolai took out a bun and gave him the rest of the bag. I think he thought he only bought that portion and was worried that he would not have any left. While he was still thinking, Xiaolai said it.
"Then I found out you only bought that one portion, and after giving it to me, you hadn't even had breakfast, so I changed places."
"You kid, are you stupid? If someone gives you something, just take it. Why bother with others..."
"There's no one else but you."
Shao Linyin: “…”
"Brother Li, I felt like I might die if I didn't eat something that day. Then you showed up with a cake in your hand.
I stole your cake because I was sure you wouldn't catch me. If it were anyone else, I'd be afraid I'd be beaten to death before I starved to death.
You didn’t arrest me, and you watched me finish your birthday cake, and then you brought me back and gave me food.”
Tong Xiaolai lowered his head and was silent for a moment before raising it again, eyes full of apology: "Brother Li, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was your birthday until you told me your password..."
Shao Liyin didn't know there were so many twists and turns in this. He was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "What birthday or not? It's just a cake. If you want to eat it, you can buy it next time."
"Brother Li, you are a good person. I don't care what others say, the Shao Liyin I see is a good person."
Shao Linyin fell silent again, his whole body exhausted. He half-lay on the bed, picked up the book on the bedside table and started flipping through it. "If you knew the real me, you would know that it's all just an appearance, fake."
Tong Xiao looked at him, feeling somewhat helpless, not knowing what else to say. Perhaps he really knew too little about Shao Linyin, so he had no way to comfort her.
"Go to sleep." Shao Linyin said to him.
He lay down on his side on the ground, his back facing Shao Linyin who was lying on the bed.
Time passed by minute by minute. Shao Liyin looked at Tong Xiaolai lying quietly on the ground and whispered, "If you knew that when I was twelve years old, I pulled out the tubes from my mother's body with my own hands, would you still think I was a good person?"
Tong Xiaolai, who was lying on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes, but dared not move.
Shao Linyin sighed, picked up the book on the bedside table, and slowly flipped through it: "Xiaolai, I am still the same as before. At critical moments, I always think more about myself. I was like this to mom back then, and now I am the same to you..."
His voice suddenly stopped, and the movement of turning the pages of the book also stopped. Then, after a few rustling turns, the world fell into silence again. In the silence, there was only a dull sob that was almost inaudible under the quilt.
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