Aunt Gao's gravy was a bit salty, and Xu Keke only glanced at the iron basin containing the noodles before Qi Chang got up and went outside to fetch a bowl of noodle soup. Xu Keke didn't even ask if it was for her; she just picked it up and poured some into her bowl. She was always polite to everyone, but she didn't even say thank you.
Everyone was engrossed in eating their meals, except for Gao Jiale, who was sitting opposite Xu Keke and watching her every move. He noticed this scene.
Sitting next to Gao Jiale, Aunt Gao noticed that he hadn't touched his chopsticks for a while and gave him a puzzled look. "What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, go check if your dad has finished his work. Don't let him get drunk at Manager Lin's house again."
"I'm not going," Gao Jiale retorted irritably. He shoveled half a bowl of noodles into his mouth in two bites, threw down the bowl, got up, and went inside.
Aunt Gao was a little embarrassed and gave Qi Chang an awkward smile, "Look at this child, he's getting more and more unruly as he gets older. It's all because his grandma spoiled him since he was little."
You can say whatever you want about your own child, but outsiders shouldn't agree with those who say bad things about their own child. Qi Chang understood this principle, and knew that he should refute them, as that's how a guest should behave.
"I guess Jiale must have had something unpleasant happen today. He usually seems like a very kind-hearted kid. Boys mature later, he'll naturally be fine in a couple of years."
"That's true!" Qi Chang's words gave Aunt Gao a way out. She then glanced at Gao Lan, who was sitting on the other side, and said, "Lanzi, eat quickly. Go and see your dad later."
"Me??" Gao Lan didn't want to move anymore; it was so far. She pouted unhappily, "If my dad drinks too much, how am I supposed to bring him back? It's better to let him sleep at Uncle Lin's house for a while."
The two children were disobedient, and Aunt Gao got anxious. "He's drunk. What's he doing sleeping in other people's houses? What kind of behavior is that?"
She couldn't tell Gao Jiaqing, but she had no qualms about telling Gao Lan. However, she still wanted to say something. Suddenly, Gao Jiale opened the door and came out again, saying, "I'm going to pick up my dad."
Without even looking at the crowd, he rushed out with his head down.
Xu Keke and Qi Chang exchanged a glance, both understanding that Qi Chang's words had probably provoked him. Fifteen or sixteen-year-old boys dislike being told they are immature.
In the afternoon, a group of people gathered in the courtyard.
Gao Cheng indeed drank too much at Manager Lin's house, and in the end, it was Manager Lin and Gao Jiale who carried him back.
When they entered the courtyard, Wei Jie and the others had also returned. Qi Chang was dismantling the bed in the room with him.
Knowing that Xu Keke was moving to Qi Chang's room, Manager Lin understood the young girl's determination to go to university. He even held her in higher regard.
"Qi Chang doesn't need to move, he can stay here. We'll just open the door to this house when we have time." Gao Cheng, drunk, sat on a small stool in the yard to sober up. He would occasionally look up and say a few words. Hearing Xu Keke's words, he lowered his head, raised one hand and waved it haphazardly in the air, as if trying to drive away his discomfort, while still muttering to himself.
Manager Lin's eyes lit up when he heard this. "That's right. If Comrade Qi has no objections, we can find some time to change the window facing the courtyard into a door."
"If that doesn't work, let Qi Chang marry you. You can marry him and become a family, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Gao Cheng, drunk, slurred those words, instantly silencing the courtyard.
Just as Gao Jiale was about to go back inside, he sensed something and hurriedly turned back to look for Xu Keke in the yard, wanting to see her expression.
"You rascal, what nonsense are you talking about? Qi Chang has a fiancée. Besides, how old is Da Mei? She'll start talking nonsense after a few drinks."
Aunt Gao pulled and dragged Gao Cheng towards the house, saying, "Go back to your room and go to sleep. Stop talking nonsense here."
Aunt Gao's loud voice was like a switch; the people in the yard seemed not to hear anything and continued doing their own things.
"Why are you spacing out all day? Hurry up and help your dad inside."
Gao Jiale didn't retort. He put his father's arm on his shoulder and used his other hand to pull Gao Cheng's body towards him.
Suddenly feeling lighter, Aunt Gao looked at the opposite side in surprise.
Gao Jiale stared blankly ahead. His mind was filled with the image of Xu Keke calmly looking at Qi Chang, who was carrying planks into the house, as he glanced at her. That one look they exchanged... just like the word Qi Chang had used: 'mature'.
It was a meeting of minds between two adults. They didn't need to say anything; with just a glance, they knew what the other was thinking and what the other wanted to say.
Even though she was only a year older than him, Gao Jiale couldn't figure out when it started, but he began to make her act like a child. The way she looked at him always held a sense of acceptance. And it wasn't just her gaze that made him feel like a child.
And then there's her way of speaking and acting. Ever since her mother died, she's always known what she wants; she has her own standards for doing things. Yes, standards. She knows what's right, she knows when to say what, and what attitude to use towards whom.
She has a standard she doesn't have. She also has a goal she doesn't have.
She wants to go to university. What about me? What will I do after my senior year of high school? What will I do in the future? Like her parents said, go to work in a factory? What if I also go to university? Will I become like her?
Gao Jiale's mind went blank. He was shocked to find that he had unknowingly taken Xu Keke as his role model. But was she really that outstanding? As far as he knew, she wasn't the best student in her class; even his aunt said her chances of getting into university were slim. What was so outstanding about her? Her grades were average, and as for sports, she was thin and small, except for her strong arms. What else? How could she become his role model?
Gao Jiale escorted his father back to his room, then went back to the room he shared with Jiaqing, closed the door, and went to reflect on his actions. He didn't come out until dinner that evening.
In the courtyard, the sunlight had shifted from the Gao family's house to the Qi family's house, and a gentle breeze was blowing. A leaky faucet dripped a drop of water every now and then, which landed on the enamel basin below with a soft plop.
After showing concern for Xu Keke, Manager Lin was sitting warmly with Aunt Jiaqing under the eaves of the Gao family's house, chatting about the importance of studying for future work. Aunt Gao, who had settled Gao Cheng to bed, brought Manager Lin a glass of water. She then went back inside, moved a chair, and sat down, listening to their conversation while unraveling the children's cotton-padded coats.
In the inner room of Qi Chang's house, Wei Jie held the bed frame against the wall, waiting for Qi Chang to align and press the other side in place. Then the bed board could be placed.
Gao Lan followed behind Xu Keke, helping her take the clothes out of the bundle one by one and put them into the closet.
The two little ones had already run off to play in the street.
In the days that followed, each of them would think back to that day, because it held different meanings for each of them.
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