Chapter 38 Goodbye to the Past
"I live on the second floor, so you can stay next to me." The man put his suitcase in the guest room on the second floor.
The girl looked up and realized that this was the same room she had stayed in the last time she came here.
Seeing the girl standing blankly at the door, staring at the room, the man asked, "Is there a problem? If there's anything you're not happy about, you can tell me."
The girl shook her head vigorously, as if afraid that if she shook her head too slowly, the man would find something to complain about.
She realized that although the man appeared gentle, refined, and polite, he was actually an extremely domineering person at heart.
"Pack your luggage first." After saying that, the man turned and left.
After the man disappeared, the girl skillfully arranged her luggage.
Considering she wouldn't be staying there for long, she didn't take out all her clothes, only some necessities.
Before the girl could finish tidying up, the man came into the room with several packs of ice packs and towels.
The man's well-defined fingers manipulated the ice pack, wrapping it in a towel as if it were a precious work of art, a sight to behold.
Seeing the girl standing there staring blankly at him, the man smiled gently, "Come here and let the swelling go down."
The girl's body seemed to move on its own; when the man called her over, her feet involuntarily moved toward him.
"Hiss," a stinging and cool sensation on her left cheek brought the girl back to her senses. Her already wet pupils instantly filled with tears, and Dan Anwen almost removed the ice pack she had painstakingly applied.
"Bear with it, the swelling will go down faster this way." The man's gentle voice surrounded the girl's ears, making the tips of her ears begin to burn.
The girl's curled eyelashes trembled slightly, swaying as her eyelids drooped, and the man could clearly feel her tension.
The man coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Little one, you can take the compress yourself. I'll go prepare dinner first."
The girl held an ice pack in her hand, watching the figure disappear quickly by the door, feeling that he was acting a little strange.
Fortunately, the ice packs brought by the train attendants have relieved the pain quite a bit. Now it just looks red and swollen and scary, but it doesn't hurt that much anymore.
Once the girl had finished applying the ice, she went downstairs.
Upon entering the living room, one sees the man sitting on the sofa, his fair and handsome face captivating in the bright light.
Hearing the girl's footsteps, the man slowly looked up, his indifferent and distant gaze quickly replaced by warmth. "Little girl, what would you like to eat? Uncle will order takeout."
After Dan Anwen fled in panic, she went downstairs and realized that the housekeeper wouldn't be back until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Since she couldn't cook, she had no choice but to order takeout.
"Uncle Dan, how about I cook from now on?" Gu Zhaodi said, pursing her lips, her eyes looking timidly at the man sitting on the sofa.
She didn't know how to repay Uncle Dan for taking her in, so cooking for him was a way of repaying him in some way.
Dan Anwen paused as she opened the food delivery page, her eyes glazed over, and sat there lost in thought.
After a while, I heard him say, "Let's skip it today. You've just arrived and need to rest. Let's start tomorrow."
The man understood the girl's subtle thoughts, and he chose to respect and understand them.
"Okay." The girl smiled slightly, and her tired eyes brightened a little.
After ordering takeout, Dan Anwen and Dan Anwen sat down at the table to eat together before returning to their respective rooms.
The girl took her pajamas into the bathroom, comfortably soaked her tired body in the bathtub, and drifted off to sleep.
The girl slept restlessly in the bathtub, her dreams filled with the mental oppression her mother had inflicted on her when she was a child, and the cold indifference of her father.
The girl only slowly got up and went back to bed when the icy bathwater woke her up.
The soft cotton quilt, warmed by the heater, gradually softened the girl's cold body, allowing her tense nerves to relax after a long day.
Hot tears slid down my cheeks without warning.
Only when most of the pillow was soaked with a slightly salty liquid did the girl haphazardly wipe it with the back of her hand, feeling no pain when she touched her swollen cheeks.
Silent weeping is often the most painful, with countless grievances and helplessness unspeakable in the heart, and physical pain unable to overcome the heaviness of a spasm in the heart.
Gu Zhaodi drifted off to sleep in this drowsy state.
The moonlight outside the window could not penetrate the dark clouds to reach the girl's room, plunging the whole world into darkness, and the light could not illuminate the sleeping girl's heart.
next day
The girl's biological clock was not delayed because she went to bed late. The morning mist had not completely dissipated, and the thin fog on the French windows dissipated partly as the girl's fingertips slid across it.
The damp, icy sensation made the girl's fingertips tremble. The water vaporized into droplets and slid down with gravity, leaving streaks of water.
Four words were left on the French windows, slightly blurred by moisture, but upon closer inspection, one could discern that they read "Goodbye to the past".
After washing up, Gu Zhaodi quietly opened the door, trying not to make a sound and disturb the man next door.
The refrigerator was packed full of fresh food, which looked very fresh; even the bok choy looked like it had just been picked.
Uncle Dan's housekeeper went home for the Lunar New Year, so how come there are still ingredients?
She had originally planned to go to the morning market to buy something if there was nothing left in the refrigerator, but this saved her a lot of effort.
Little did she know that these ingredients were bought by Liu Lei at the man's behest the night before.
The girl took out a few eggs and a handful of green vegetables, preparing to make egg and vegetable porridge.
She roughly estimated the man's appetite and also prepared egg pancakes and a simplified version of fried dough sticks.
The girl in the kitchen was busy with her work, her movements skillful, and in no time, the fragrant breakfast was almost ready.
When Dan Anwen came downstairs, he followed the aroma of scallions from the egg pancakes to the kitchen and saw the girl wearing an apron, turning the golden egg pancakes in the pan with her back to him.
The girl was wearing a white cotton sweatshirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up. Her smooth, straight black hair was casually gathered behind her ears, almost reaching her slender waist.
"Little girl, you're awake so early?" A deep, sleepy voice came from behind the girl.
The man had planned to go out to buy breakfast, but he didn't expect the child to get up so early and make breakfast.
After the girl put the egg pancakes on a plate, she turned around. The man was wearing gray pajamas, his bangs casually hanging down his forehead, and he looked languid.
The gold-rimmed glasses on his nose were replaced with half-rimmed black-rimmed glasses, which made his refined and noble air undeniable.
She had never seen Uncle Dan in such a leisurely and carefree state before; he was always impeccably dressed in a suit and tie.
Gu Zhaodi's voice was clear and crisp. "Good morning, Uncle Dan. I don't get much sleep, so I got up early."
When she was little, she often had to get up with her father and others to work in the fields, usually getting up quite early.
She never changed this habit. Nan'an Middle School starts at eight in the morning, and she usually wakes up around five o'clock.
The man frowned as he looked at the spatula in the girl's hand, his gaze unreadable as he looked at her, and said in a flat tone, "Don't get up to make breakfast anymore."
The girl felt a little uneasy. Was it because the food she cooked didn't look good? Or was she making too much noise and disturbing Uncle Dan?
“It’s too early. The child should sleep more. I’ll get up and buy breakfast from now on.” The man poured himself a glass of warm water, took a sip, and said, “There’s no room for negotiation on this.”
The girl blinked. How did he know I wanted to try and win him over?
The man could see the girl's expression clearly; all her emotions were written on her face, as clean as a blank sheet of paper.
"Uncle Dan, we've had egg and vegetable porridge, egg pancakes, and fried dough sticks for breakfast. Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
The girl didn't know what men ate for breakfast either, so it was better to ask again just to be on the safe side.
Dan Anwen smiled and said, "Little friend, this is enough."
Men's requirements for food are high-quality and fresh ingredients; they don't care much about the taste.
Dan Anwen brought the breakfast the girl had prepared to the restaurant, while the girl ladled out the porridge from the pot.
Seeing the steaming porridge, the man stopped the girl from carrying it, saying, "Let me do it."
As he spoke, the man had already taken the porridge out of the kitchen, so the girl had no choice but to take the spoon and chopsticks out as well.
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