Chapter 8 Why did my ears get so hot when I wiped my hands?
Mu Tingyu's relationship with the children gradually improved.
Every day, she would choose a children's story to read to the children and then try to teach them to recognize words.
With the help of an interesting storyline, they finally became interested in listening to the lecture, but they still couldn't concentrate for long periods of time.
Mu Tingyu was already very satisfied with the results, and even Zhuang Ren was surprised.
This method of learning while playing was something Mu Tingyu personally experienced and practiced.
She had always suspected that she had ADHD. During her school years, she was almost never still; while she was still in her chair, her thoughts would have already circled the earth.
When she was little, she couldn't sit still and was always running up and down. Even a small hill made of old tires could become her base for exploration.
When I got a little older and couldn't leave the classroom, I would skip class every day, staring at the little birds outside the window, imagining that I would fly back to a hidden nest with them to feed their hungry chicks.
Or imagine the chalk in the teacher's hand sprouting wings and swooping down towards you, only to find that the chalk actually hits you on the forehead, and when you look up you meet the teacher's angry eyes.
Fortunately, she was quite clever and managed to get through elementary and middle school. Just when she thought she was a genius, she entered high school.
Especially in the senior year of high school, it was incredibly tough. Every day, I faced a mountain of test papers, and even my cleverness wasn't enough. So, I had to bring a few pieces of fruit candy with me to class and reward myself with one after finishing each test paper.
Later, she learned to imagine exams as the gate to a treasure trove, classes as a series of challenges, and teachers as raging, fire-breathing dragons. This way, the scenery outside the window wouldn't attract her attention. With her skillful self-deception, she got through the entire senior year of high school.
Mu Tingyu watched the chattering children leave the classroom one by one, smiling as she reminded them, "Don't forget the homework I gave you! Remember to bring a drawing you made next week!"
As usual, Zhuang Ren was wiping the blackboard when he casually asked her, "Teacher Mu, what are your plans for the weekend?"
"Hmm?" Mu Tingyu turned around. "Yes! Sister Xiaoping invited me to her house for dinner tomorrow, and then we'll go for a walk around town."
A hint of melancholy flashed in Zhuang Ren's eyes: "Okay."
Mu Tingyu helped arrange the desks and chairs in the classroom, then left humming a song.
.
Mu Tingyu parked her bicycle by the wall, picked up the puppy that was rubbing against her legs, hesitated for a moment, then leaned out of the window and called into the house, "I'm home!"
A moment later, Xing Ze appeared at the kitchen doorway: "Wash your hands and eat."
Mu Tingyu unconsciously stroked the puppy's head several times; it was fluffy and felt wonderful. She responded, "Coming."
She walked into the house, and before she even reached the kitchen, a fragrant aroma mixed with a slight smell of cooking oil wafted into her nose.
Xing Ze stood with his back to her by the stove, stirring the contents of the clay pot.
Mu Tingyu sniffed: "What are we having for dinner today?"
Seafood congee.
The congee was fresh and delicious, with chopped carrots and celery, and the prepared shrimp and scallops were flavorful and retained their freshness.
Mu Tingyu's appetite was whetted, and he munched on a shrimp, too delicious to speak.
She devoured a bowl in no time, then licked her lips with lingering satisfaction, reaching for the iron spoon in the clay pot beside her, wanting another bowl.
"It's hot." Xing Ze stopped her hand, took the bowl, and added porridge to her bowl.
Is it hot? Mu Tingyu recalled the spoon handle she had just touched; it didn't seem hot.
After spending a few days together, the two gradually became familiar with each other. Mu Tingyu didn't stand on ceremony with him and chuckled, "Thanks."
Xing Ze placed the full bowl in front of her.
He was tall and strong, and his imposing presence was palpable when he stood up.
Mu Tingyu tilted her head back and smiled, "Alright, I admit your porridge-cooking skills are better than mine. I was originally thinking of showing you my various recipes, but I'd better not humiliate myself."
Xing Ze sat down, and couldn't help but slightly twitch the corner of his mouth.
"—You smiled!" Mu Tingyu looked at him with surprise, as if she had discovered something new.
Xing Ze said calmly, "You've misjudged."
"You definitely smiled! I saw a pixel rise at the corner of your mouth!"
Xing Ze: "......"
What a strange description!
Mu Tingyu was about to give this old man with 2G internet a word explanation when he looked up and froze.
—He was genuinely smiling this time.
Although the smile is very faint, with only a slight curve at the corner of the mouth, the face becomes extremely impactful when the smile is brought to the face because of the extremely three-dimensional facial features.
This instantly brought back memories for Mu Tingyu of the day she saw him surfing at sea.
She held her breath immediately.
Mom, Mom.
So, people who don't usually smile can be this charming when they do laugh...?
She almost lost control of her expression, stammered, and quickly picked up a bite of cold wood ear mushroom salad to calm herself down.
When she looked up again, Xing Ze had returned to her usual expressionless face, as if everything that had just happened was a hallucination.
Sigh, I've seen at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, handsome men, and I've even seen plenty of nude models, so why am I still so lacking in self-control?
She silently berated herself, biting her chopsticks as she looked up and said, "I won't be eating lunch at home tomorrow."
Where to?
"I went to Sister Xiaoping's house; she invited me to have dinner there."
Xing Ze said "Okay," and then asked, "What about dinner?"
"Come back for dinner." Mu Tingyu mumbled, a shrimp dangling from her mouth.
The shrimp was too big to fit in her mouth whole, so she couldn't use her shrimp-peeling skills and had to use her hands.
She has always adhered to the principle of eating shrimp with her mouth rather than her hands, because peeling them with her hands would make them greasy and sticky, and she would have to wash her hands constantly, which was particularly troublesome.
As I peeled the shrimp, its juices indeed flowed quickly down the edge of my palm to my wrist.
She frowned, preparing to put down her chopsticks and grab a napkin.
Xing Ze suddenly reached out, grabbed a piece of paper from in front of her, and used it to wipe the soup that was almost dripping onto her forearm.
Mu Tingyu froze.
She watched helplessly as he naturally took her wrist and wiped it down her forearm to her hand, cleaning it thoroughly.
Finally, he said, "Don't drip it on your clothes."
"......"
Mu Tingyu subconsciously peeled off the last bit of the stubbornly resisting shrimp shell and stuffed the shrimp into her mouth.
After chewing a few times, he said, "I'm going to wash my hands," and then quickly got up.
She walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and then, as if to conceal herself, buried her head in the running water.
Why are my ears so hot?
She was mentally pounding herself while secretly fanning herself with her hand.
After the heat subsided a little, she turned off the tap, wiped her hands, and casually sat back down at the table. She casually took a sip of porridge and casually heard Xing Ze ask, "Why are you so thin?"
"......"
She looked up and saw Xing Ze frowning as he asked her, "Your wrist isn't even as big as a ping-pong ball. Do your parents starve you?"
Mu Tingyu poked the porridge with her spoon: "...It's not that exaggerated, I can support myself!"
Xing Ze recalled her post on WeChat Moments: "If my parents knew I was eating junk food at 2 a.m., I'd be doomed." He thought that she and her parents must have a good relationship, so they wouldn't stop her from eating.
Mu Tingyu said, "Maybe it's because I like to travel around. I also did part-time jobs during college, so I've never gained weight."
He knows he's always running around, but doing part-time work?
Why do you take on a part-time job?
"We can't just sit around and do nothing," Mu Tingyu said with a smile. "Besides, part-time jobs are really interesting; you can meet a lot of friends."
Upon hearing the phrase "living off one's savings," Xing Ze frowned: "Don't your parents give you money?"
Mu Tingyu paused for a moment: "...We can't keep using our parents' money forever."
Xing Ze looked at her with a disapproving gaze.
"And you?" she asked curiously. "Didn't you have any part-time jobs during college?"
Xing Ze replied indifferently, "No."
Mu Tingyu: "Hmm."
That makes sense. Given his personality, he'd probably get complaints if he took a part-time job, right?
He's the kind of person who won't tolerate difficult customers; in the end, he'll either be fired or have his wages docked.
But maybe some pretty girls would be willing to patronize his business? If that's the case, he should work at a male servant café, wearing cat ears and a cat tail, and then saying with a cold face, "Hello, I'm very unhappy to serve you."
Her thoughts wandered far, far away, and she chuckled to herself for a while before suddenly remembering that she hadn't asked about the important matter. She quickly cleared her throat and asked, "Um, are you free the day after tomorrow?"
Xing Ze glanced at her: "What's wrong?"
Mu Tingyu's voice was somewhat cheerful: "I told you before, I want to go to town. Do you have time?"
I wonder what Xing Ze is usually busy with; he doesn't seem to spend much time at home.
"have."
She swung her legs happily: "Shall we go by bicycle?"
"Um."
She gave an "OK" sign and quickly scooped out the last few mouthfuls of porridge from the bowl.
Seeing that she had finished eating, Xing Ze stood up and naturally took her bowl and chopsticks, stacked them together with his own, put them in the casserole, and carried them to the sink to start washing the dishes.
Mu Tingyu failed to get her hand to wash the dishes for the nth time, and gradually got used to it.
She was a little full, so she stood up and wandered around the kitchen a couple of times, feeling as if she had everything she needed.
What should I buy...?
She tinkered with the rice cooker for a while, then tilted her head and examined it, wondering if she should get him a new one, when Xing Ze's voice suddenly rang out: "Come upstairs."
Mu Tingyu responded and turned around. She saw Xing Ze standing behind her. He glanced at the rice cooker, then looked back at her face, his tone a little strange: "Are you very interested in the rice cooker?"
Mu Tingyu: "...If there's nothing else, I'll just take a look."
While Xing Ze was about to turn off the lights, she ran to the door first, picked up the puppy that didn't want to go into the cage, looked at it, and asked, "Xiaoyu, do you want a new toy?"
The puppy: "Woof!"
"You want it? Okay, no problem, I'll buy it for you!"
Xing Ze walked over to close the door and casually asked, "What are you buying?"
Mu Tingyu smiled and pointed at the puppy: "It says it wants a toy."
puppy: "Woof?"
Xing Ze glanced to the side and saw a person and a dog under the dim light in front of the door. Mu Tingyu smiled and looked very gentle and harmless, just like the innocent little dog in her arms, with bright and sparkling eyes.
Xing Ze moved his hand, and with a clang, the lock was fastened.
"Huh?" Mu Tingyu asked as he turned to leave, "Don't you need to insert the key anymore?"
Xing Ze: "...No need."
Mu Tingyu didn't pay any attention and lightly went up to the second floor.
As usual, she looked up at Xing Ze on the stairs and said, "Goodnight!"
Xing Ze watched her walk into the house and close the door without stopping. After a long while, he moved his throat, but the sound was almost imperceptible.
"...good evening."
A note from the author:
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