Chapter 211 Evil Spirit 7
Jiang Chunmian climbed onto Zhang Yanhui's back. They both changed their wet and dirty clothes, rolled them up and stuffed them into a plastic bag, which they hung on the umbrella handle. Jiang Chunmian held it with one hand and supported Zhang Yanhui's shoulders with the other.
"Am I heavy?"
Zhang Yanhui's steps were steady, his hands gripping her thighs tense, seemingly out of his control. The touch he felt was like a flame piercing his brain, burning him unconscious. He blinked, staring at the black water stain, and shook his head, "Very light!"
He silently added in his heart that even if he ate a lot more, he could still carry it.
Jiang Chunmian smiled with his lips pursed.
She caught a whiff of a delicate fragrance, her eyes darting around. Seeing Zhang Yanhui didn't notice her thoughts, she quietly lowered her head and leaned closer to the back of his neck. Zhang Yanhui's head was lowered, his neck curved in a graceful arc. His delicate, fair skin was smooth and delicate, and a lingering, alluring fragrance emanated from it. She sniffed hard a few times, then looked away as if nothing had happened, not noticing that the boy's ears, hidden by his black hair, had stained a crimson.
“Wow—”
Zhang Yan turned around and stepped into the puddle, splashing water all over the two of them.
He apologized repeatedly: "Did it splash on you?"
Jiang Chunmian said it was okay. Her trouser legs were wet, and as she wavered with the umbrella, the heavy rain drenched them both again. She saw Zhang Yanhui's black hair sticking to his forehead, with raindrops falling along his hair onto his face. She couldn't help laughing, "It's wet again! I might as well not use this umbrella."
While she was talking, she sneezed.
The fingers holding Zhang Yanhui's shoulders tapped twice and said, "Zhang Yanhui, your home is nearby, right? I want to borrow your house to solve my current situation." She stretched out her arms in front of him and showed him her wet sleeves. "It's uncomfortable to wear like this."
Zhang Yan replied: "...No!"
His arms suddenly stiffened, and a heat source from his back was transmitted to his chest. The pounding heartbeat stopped for a moment. He stared at the arm across his face with a tense and helpless look. Water was dripping from his clothes soaked by the heavy rain. The sneeze rang in his ears. He was torn and tangled inside, but in the end, worry took over his mind.
Zhang Yanhui lowered his eyes, staring at the muddy water rippling on the ground. His eyelashes were completely wet, forming a thin mist in front of his vision. He said, "Okay... I, I'll take you there..."
Jiang Chunmian pouted and stared at the back of his head.
What?! She thought they were friends now. If she didn't consider him a friend, she wouldn't let him carry her on her back, let alone offer to clean up at his house. These were the trust and dependence unique to friends.
But she didn't expect Zhang Yanhui to refuse. His first refusal was so decisive, and even when he added something else afterwards, she could hear the reluctance in his words...
Jiang Chunmian: "If it's inconvenient, forget it. The bus stop is right up ahead. Drop me off and I'll take the bus home!"
"Don't..." Zhang Yanhui lowered his eyes and said a little embarrassedly, "I live nearby. If you don't take care of it in time, you will catch a cold. It's just that I didn't clean it because I was worried that you wouldn't be used to it there."
Jiang Chunmian grinned and said, "My house is not clean either. I don't mind. I want to thank you for providing me with a place to hide from the rain!"
Zhang Yanhui carried her on his back through a narrow alley. What came into view were compact and dilapidated buildings and trash cans lying randomly on the side of the street. All kinds of garbage were piled on the trash cans and overflowed outside the cans. The ground around the trash cans was as dirty as a quagmire.
Passing by a barber shop with colorful lights, a beautifully dressed young girl was leaning against the door. Water dripping from the eaves splashed on her chest, but she didn't care. She lifted her hair and smiled at Zhang Yanhui, saying, "Handsome boy, are you bringing your girlfriend home? Why don't you come in and get a haircut before you leave?"
Jiang Chunmian was shocked!
She kept looking back. Through the glass door, she could only see a chair inside. Looking further in, she saw a red cloth hanging down, obscuring the view from inside. Across from where the girl stood was a similar barbershop. A middle-aged woman was lying on a recliner, grinning and scolding, "That handsome young man from the Zhang family is going to college! Who wants to hang out with you? Don't mess with him, I can't stand it."
Jiang Chunmian twisted his body, not even noticing that the umbrella was tilted. Rainwater immediately poured down the tilted umbrella and onto Zhang Yanhui's neck. He shivered in the cold and said helplessly, "Don't look anymore."
"Ah," Jiang Chunmian came back to his senses and leaned close to his ear to ask, "They are..."
Zhang Yanhui felt his ears burning and turned his head slightly to avoid it. "It's just as you think. Don't look around, don't talk. We're just ahead. We..." As he spoke, his eyes suddenly went dark and Jiang Chunmian covered his eyes.
"Don't look either."
"Okay." Zhang Yanhui observed the road conditions through his fingers, suppressing a smile in his throat.
It wasn't until they passed the barber shop in front, adorned with colorful lights, that Jiang Chunmian took his hand away and whispered in his ear, "We're students! We must prioritize our studies. Although the surrounding environment is full of temptations, you must persevere and cultivate your willpower. Only those with self-discipline can ultimately achieve success, don't you understand?"
"Yeah." Zhang Yanhui carried her upstairs on his back. When he reached the door, he took out his key and opened it, blushing as he replied, "I didn't do anything wrong."
Turn on the light.
What caught my eye was a clean and tidy room. The furnishings in the room were clearly visible: a worn sofa, paint-chipped dining table and chairs, yellowed ceramic floors, an old TV, and a curtain hanging in the corner, with the foot of the bed visible underneath.
Jiang Chunmian was well prepared when she came. She knew that Zhang Yanhui's family conditions might be poor, and since he was a boy, the situation at home might be very messy, but she didn't expect it to be so different from what she imagined. It was very clean, and even the old and paint-chipped furniture showed that the people living here had carefully maintained it.
Jiang Chunmian patted his shoulder and said, "Put me down. Where is the toilet? I want to change my clothes."
Zhang Yanhui pointed to her, moved a stool into the toilet, wiped it clean in front of Jiang Chunmian, and explained with lowered eyes: "Your legs can't stand, so sit on the chair. Put your phone next to you, I'll give you my number, call me if you need anything, I'm going to buy clothes."
He took Jiang Chunmian's phone and entered the number. Jiang Chunmian stopped him and said, "Don't buy any more. I'll wear this one."
Zhang Yan replied: "Let's not do that. It's already dirty. Don't worry, I'll lock the door when I go out. No one will come in!"
He lifted the curtain, dragged out a wooden box from under the bed, took out an old cell phone, put it in his pocket and left.
Jiang Chunmian sat on the stool, pulling her hair with a troubled look on her face. She thought Zhang Yanhui was from an ordinary family, or at least lived alone in the house left by his elders like herself. But the house he lived in now was obviously old and dilapidated, and she actually bothered him to buy clothes twice!
...His tuition and living expenses are all earned from part-time jobs, right? How could he have extra money to buy her clothes? Should I return the money to him later? But what if he thinks she's deliberately drawing a line between them because she sees his family situation and feels sorry for him?
Jiang Chunmian sat there for a while with a headache. After waiting for a long time but Zhang Yan didn't come back, he simply cleaned himself up and put on his old clothes.
The phone beeped twice.
It's a text message.
Jiang Chunmian picked it up, and the unfamiliar number asked her: I have bought clothes, can I go in now?
Jiang Chunmian replied quickly.
There were two knocks on the door.
Jiang Chunmian shouted: "——I'm wearing clothes, come in!"
Zhang Yanhui, who was outside the door, blushed as she turned the doorknob. The moment she opened it, her brows furrowed. She looked at Jiang Chunmian with some disapproval and said solemnly, "You forgot to lock the door."
"Ah, you don't need it at home, do you?" Jiang Chunmian took the bag, pondered for a moment, and asked, "How much is it? I'll give it to you!"
"No need." Zhang Yanhui didn't want to continue this topic. He turned and walked out, closing the bathroom door. The temperature on his face subsided. When Jiang Chunmian came out after changing his clothes, he lowered his head and said softly, "You still have to be careful. You can't judge a person's heart by his appearance. Even if it's with me, you have to lock the door."
"Okay, I got it!" Jiang Chunmian responded nonchalantly. He wiped his hair with a new towel and was still thinking about giving him the money.
She sat on the sofa, next to a mud-plastered wall covered with a curtain. Zhang Yanhui hurried to the bathroom for a shower. When she came out, she saw Jiang Chunmian staring at the wall in a daze. She took the initiative to explain, "This place and the house next door were originally one. After my mother passed away, I had someone build a wall in the middle of the living room and rented out the house next door."
Jiang Chunmian paused while wiping her hair. She had not expected Zhang Yanhui to speak so frankly and honestly about his family situation. She was struck by the sincerity and trust in the boy's eyes, and felt a slight heat in her chest.
"...You are quite smart." The boy who grew up alone is no longer at the age where he needs comfort. Jiang Chunmian stared at him blankly and uttered a compliment after a while.
Zhang Yanhui's lips curved up beautifully and he said, "Don't worry about giving me money. You've been helping me these past few days. I just bought some clothes, the most ordinary ones here, not worth much. I'm not as short of money as you think."
Jiang Chunmian quickly denied: "I don't think that!"
She took off the towel and said hopefully, "Even if we really don't have any money, as long as we work hard, we can't maintain the status quo forever! After the college entrance examination next year, when we leave here, we can seize many opportunities and we will definitely be able to change our destiny!"
…She was knowledgeable and fully capable of tutoring younger students during the summer. She wasn't idle during her summer in Qingcheng, working at a convenience store and distributing flyers at a shopping mall. Her cousin had also told her about the many part-time jobs available near the university town.
In short, supporting yourself is not a difficult thing.
Zhang Yanhui pursed her lips, revealing the deep dimples on her cheeks, "Hmm!"
He looked at Jiang Chunmian who was sitting on the sofa. The girl had a bright smile on her face. That smile seemed to have the ability to dispel the haze and illuminate the dark and shabby room in his eyes.
But this kind of place was ultimately too dirty and shabby. Staying here for a short time would be a blasphemy to her. Zhang Yanhui secretly made up his mind to study harder. Only studying was the only way to change his fate...
It is also his only hope to realize his delusion.
——Spring sleep, spring sleep.
He silently repeated her name in his heart, longing for the day when he could openly and affectionately call out her name.
…
Jiang Chunmian skipped classes yesterday, and when she arrived at school the next day, she was called to the office by the head teacher for a lecture as expected. Jiang Chunmian disliked all the teachers in the office, especially the math teacher Li De. She always felt that there was a cloudy malice in his eyes. She dealt with it perfunctorily, and when the head teacher asked her to write a self-criticism, Jiang Chunmian told him what happened last night.
And again, seek the teacher's help procedurally.
The head teacher tried to shirk responsibility, and in the end he showed signs of getting angry. Jiang Chunmian saw that the timing was not right and hurriedly left the office. The head teacher, who was on the verge of becoming angry, had long forgotten about asking Jiang Chunmian to write a self-criticism.
As for Zhang Yanhui, the other one who skipped class...
When the head teacher thought of the boy, he began to tremble for no reason, and even the air in the office seemed to become much colder.
…
Jiang Chunmian returned to the classroom. After returning home last night, she made her own pepper spray with pepper water. If Fang Zhengxiang came to cause trouble again, she would never let him take Zhang Yanhui out again.
During the break, she ran to Zhang Yan's desk to discuss the questions. The moment she sat down at the next table, a girl next to her suddenly grabbed her arm, covered her mouth and whispered, "Don't sit there!"
Jiang Chunmian was completely confused. "Why can't I sit?"
"Ouch! Ask someone else!"
During the short break between classes, information about Zhang Yanhui flooded in.
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