16
A large order came in at noon, and Xiao Qi was still finishing up when Ji Shengsheng waited for her at the door.
Before seeing Xiao Qi, Ji Shengsheng was still caught up in the emotions of what had just happened.
She felt as if she had never truly known Xu Yu.
In her memory, Xu Yu was always polite and self-restrained to the point that he often seemed distant and cold.
He was always indifferent to emotions and didn't care about anyone or anything.
But after this reunion, she always felt that Xu Yu was very strange, in every sense of the word.
Just then, Ji Shengsheng saw Xiao Qi walk out of the shop and wave to her.
Setting aside all distractions, Ji Shengsheng quickly went to greet her.
The museum and market are not far from here, about a five-minute walk. On this way, Ji Shengsheng learned about Xiao Qi's maternal grandmother's situation.
I fell down at the end of last year.
“She was in good health before that, and she often pushed her cart to collect recyclables.” Xiao Qi’s mood became a little down when she mentioned her grandmother. “If only we hadn’t let her go out that day, she wouldn’t have fallen and would have been fine.”
Ji Shengsheng patted her shoulder to comfort her.
Since that incident, Xiao Qi's grandmother has been bedridden. She constantly coughs and has back pain. A hospital visit revealed pulmonary edema and a tumor. Even after the fluid was drained, her condition did not improve.
“My aunt came back this month to take care of her. I was thinking of going out to work to earn some money, and I need to go to the hospital for another check-up later.”
Neither her uncle nor aunt was willing to contribute money, but fortunately her aunt was willing to contribute her labor, which gave Xiao Qi time to earn money.
"But there is good news." Xiao Qi cheered up. "The doctor said it would take at most six months, but now it's been eight or nine months, which means the situation is improving."
Ji Shengsheng's decision to sponsor Xiao Qi was also due to her maternal grandmother.
At that time, she found Xiao Qi's information online, and the contact person was her maternal grandmother. She called the number, and the other party was a staff member of the local village committee.
After several days of negotiation, the phone call finally reached Xiao Qi's maternal grandmother after going through several transfers.
Xiao Qi's mother died of postpartum depression, and her father and grandmother's family soon abandoned her.
She was sent from the city to her maternal grandmother's house. Her uncle and aunt were unwilling to adopt her, so her maternal grandmother became her mother.
My grandmother sold her house, which wasn't worth much but the proceeds were enough to raise her safely, and then moved her into a large courtyard in the village that was prepared for low-income families.
During the years when she needed constant care, her grandmother used this money to raise her. When she was old enough to attend kindergarten in the village, her grandmother went back to collecting recyclables.
“I can carry a little over 100 pounds a day at most,” Xiao Qi’s grandmother told her over the phone.
During the time when they are able to support themselves, they will not maliciously take away the money of their benefactors.
She is able to support her child on her own, and the reason she seeks external assistance through the village committee is because she is afraid that when she gets old, she will not be able to support Xiao Qi until he graduates from high school.
Considering the other party's needs and dignity, Ji Shengsheng only gave 5,000 yuan the first time, and also bought a tricycle for Xiao Qi's grandmother at his own expense.
Later, they started sending living expenses and buying daily necessities to Xiao Qi and her grandmother on a regular monthly basis, which continued for several years.
Originally, Ji Shengsheng had made plans based on Xiao Qi's return home time. She intended to go back with Xiao Qi next time to see if the elderly woman's health allowed it, and then go to the city hospital for examination and treatment.
She knew that as people get older, parting becomes something that cannot be prepared for in time. But if they were willing, she could do something to extend the time they could spend together.
“I have a suggestion for you to reconsider. Do you want to go back and spend some time with your grandmother first?” Ji Shengsheng pondered for a moment. “The money for medical treatment and schooling is not a problem. If you feel burdened, you can study hard and work hard in the future. When you are able, you can think about what to do.”
“Now, if you can, spend more time with your grandma. You're working away from home and can't contact her often, so she must be worried about you just as much as you worry about her.”
"Thank you, Sister Sheng Sheng."
...
Xiao Qi hugged her and cried for a long time, until Ji Shengsheng's shoulder was wet.
After adjusting his mood, Ji Shengsheng took Xiao Qi to visit the museum and the market. At the market, they picked out a few gifts for her grandmother before sending Xiao Qi back to her dormitory to put her things away.
As Ji Shengsheng returned to the car, Xu Yu almost immediately noticed the wrinkles on her shoulders and her misaligned neckline.
She's so thin that she can make an ordinary top look baggy.
Do you need a jacket?
Xu Yu took the coat from the back seat and handed it to her.
"Thank you." Ji Shengsheng glanced at Xu Yu's face, then immediately remembered what had just happened, and quickly looked away.
The car had barely started moving when Cheng Yu replied to my WeChat message.
Just before getting into the car, she had a sudden thought to ask Cheng Yu about the situation. Now, seeing the long message Cheng Yu sent, Ji Shengsheng didn't dare to open it and planned to talk about it when she got back to the hotel.
The two remained silent on the way back to the hotel, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Where is the 'Registration Guide'?" After getting off the elevator, Xu Yu looked at Ji Shengsheng.
"It's with me." Xiao Qi gave it to her that afternoon.
Yunlan has issued an official college entrance examination registration guide, which includes the score lines and registration information for various schools over the years. She also has a good understanding of Xiao Qi's personal major preferences and college entrance examination scores.
However... she hadn't planned to start working on this matter immediately after returning.
She wanted to go back and check the message Cheng Yu had sent.
"Want to go to your place, or stay with me?" Xu Yu asked her when they arrived at the hotel room.
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
...What difference does it make?
"So, here?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Yu opened the door and gestured for her to enter.
When she sat down to study the guide, she realized that going to her place and going to Xu Yu's place were not just different, they were vastly different.
Because—Xu Yu went to take a shower.
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
The sound of dripping water was barely noticeable, but she couldn't focus on it at all. Soon, Xu Yu came out of the bathroom.
Ji Shengsheng quickly flipped through a few more pages, afraid that Xu Yu would notice and misunderstand something.
After drying her hair behind her, Xu Yu pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. Then he turned on his computer to check the relevant policies for Yunlan's college entrance examination registration.
As Ji Shengsheng looked at the computer screen, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Xu Yu's open collar.
Almost the instant her gaze touched Xu Yu's skin, Xu Yu's eyes fell on her face. Ji Shengsheng quickly looked away and continued looking at the computer screen.
"Want to study medicine?" Xu Yu looked at the major Xiao Qi had written down next to the "Guide" and confirmed with Ji Shengsheng.
"Yes, she can accept any major, such as clinical medicine, imaging, laboratory medicine, nursing, or biology and pharmacy."
In the afternoon, Ji Shengsheng talked to Xiao Qi about this and learned that she had always wanted to be a doctor. Clinical medicine was too difficult for her due to the high required scores, so she was willing to accept any major related to medicine.
She had anticipated that studying medicine would be very tough.
"In clinical practice, you need to improve your score by at least 50 points to be on the safe side."
If the goal is to find a job in a local hospital in Yunlan, then it would be best to attend a medical university that is well-regarded in Yunlan. Yunlan is known for having a large pool of applicants but few schools, so even though Xiao Qi's grades are quite good, the competition will be fierce.
After comparing the professional rankings of several schools and comparing Xiao Qi's grades with the admission scores of medical majors over the years, a few suitable options were identified.
Xu Yu was responsible for confirming the professional rankings and employment prospects, while Ji Shengsheng was responsible for researching the surrounding environment of the school and the school's academic atmosphere.
Xiao Qi lives alone, and in this situation, she should go to a safer urban area.
After discussing for more than an hour, they finally reached a relatively consistent suggestion, and made sure to include as many advantages and disadvantages as possible for Xiao Qi to refer to.
Xu Yu stood up to get a water glass, then leaned against the table and looked at her.
"Ji Shengsheng, the book is here." Xu Yu gently tapped the guide in front of her.
Ji Shengsheng immediately raised her hand to cover her eyes: "...Sorry, it's an occupational hazard."
She wasn't talking nonsense.
She loved to observe the wrinkles in clothes the most.
Unfortunately, the folds in Xu Yu's collar were right next to her.
What else do you like to watch?
Ji Shengsheng: "There are also finger joints, limb connections, protrusions, skin texture, and various scars and marks..."
Ji Shengsheng counted them carefully.
"...A bump, a mark?" Xu Yu raised an eyebrow, his expression intriguing. "For example?"
Ji Shengsheng scratched his head and pointed to Xu Yu's bent knees: "Like here."
"Um?"
Ji Shengsheng's gaze quickly swept away places she shouldn't have looked at, pointing to the tie of Xu Yu's bathrobe: "Like here..."
"Um?"
Ji Shengsheng shifted her gaze upwards, glancing at Xu Yu's prominent collarbone: "...And here."
After speaking, he did not immediately look away.
"besides?"
“…That’s all, that’s all.” Ji Shengsheng immediately looked away and waved her hand to indicate her innocence.
An eerie silence filled the air.
Why wasn't it like this before?
Ji Shengsheng knew what Xu Yu meant by "before".
They had absolutely no experience that time.
She felt nervous and scared when Xu Yu approached, and dared not open her eyes to look at him for almost the entire time.
Ji Shengsheng scratched his arm helplessly: "...I did break through some bottlenecks abroad."
She and her Japanese classmate also spent a lot of time reading comics and studying drawing techniques.
"for example?"
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
She couldn't very well take out those little comics and let Xu Yu "enjoy them."
Realizing that he had been answering Xu Yu's questions incessantly out of guilt, Ji Shengsheng chose to shut up.
Xu Yu stopped speaking, but his gaze remained fixed on her face, never looking away.
Ji Shengsheng could only change the subject: "...Why can't you tell me what happened that day?"
"Did you ask Chengyu?"
“…Yes.” Ji Shengsheng said in surprise, “…How did you know?”
"He came to ask me."
Ji Shengsheng lowered her head: "Okay."
"Then can you tell me?" Ji Shengsheng asked softly, "...I really want to know."
Xu Yu put down her water glass and tapped the table in front of her lightly with the knuckle of her middle finger, which Ji Shengsheng had just pointed at: "Didn't you say you wanted to 'bury the hatchet'?"
Ji Shengsheng: "..."
That's because she always thought that Xu Yu had wronged her more in the past, so she didn't want to dwell on or argue about those things.
However, it seems there are still some things she has misunderstood.
If she misunderstood Xu Yu back then, it was because she hadn't handled things well. And then, again, she caused a huge misunderstanding that led to a complete breakdown in their relationship...
Ji Shengsheng looked at Xu Yu.
If she made a mistake, she didn't know how to face the other person.
"If I owe you a lot, you don't want to hold it against me." Xu Yu understood what she meant. "But what if you owe me even more? What are you going to do then?"
“Ji Shengsheng, I’m not a kind creditor like you.”
What you owe me, you have to pay back.
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