Chapter 41 Practice Makes Perfect
I arrived earlier than last time, and since it's the New Year's Day holiday, there were plenty of empty seats in the library.
The two found a reading table by the window in the library on the second floor.
This area is far from the study area where most people are, and next to it are several rows of tall bookshelves, which isolates their table, making it quiet and undisturbed, and also convenient for discussing problems.
Arriving early definitely helps you get a good spot, Jiang Wan thought.
She put down her backpack, and as soon as she unzipped it, she saw the insulated bag inside.
My mom packed breakfast for me before I left home this morning. I was planning to eat it on the way, but I haven't eaten it yet since I got here.
She opened the insulated bag and checked it; it was still warm.
Fortunately, there was no one else around in this spot, and it was close to the window, so there was no smell.
She peeled the hard-boiled egg, pinched both ends and split it in two. After eating one half of the egg white, she hesitated for a moment and then held the other half of the yolk up to Zhou Chong.
"Do you want some?"
Zhou Chong was stunned for a moment, then looked at her, puzzled.
Jiang Wan realized what she meant and quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. I just... don't like egg yolks, and if I throw them away, I feel..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Chong lowered his head, opened his mouth, and bit off the yolk, leaving only half of the egg white, which looked like a bowl.
Jiang Wan's hand was still raised in mid-air, her mouth agape. After a long while, she lowered her head and stuffed the remaining half of the egg white into her mouth.
She has never liked eating the yolks of boiled eggs since she was a child; she only likes eating the whites, always feeling that the yolks are too dry and hard to swallow.
In her past life, when she and Zhou Chong ate breakfast together after their marriage, she would habitually separate the yolks from the boiled eggs, and Zhou Chong would quietly eat them for her.
Initially, it was only because on the second day after her wedding, when she went back to her parents' home, she didn't want to eat egg yolks in front of her parents, but she didn't want to be scolded by her mother, so she asked him to do her a favor.
This solves the problem of her not liking egg yolks, avoids waste, and also allows her to appear to have a good relationship with her parents—a win-win situation.
After that, it gradually became a habit.
That's why she handed over the egg yolk without really thinking about it.
Zhou Chong must have been very confused at first. How could someone give away half of their food to someone else?
But surprisingly, he didn't ask any more questions and just helped her solve the problem.
Jiang Wan swallowed the egg white in her mouth, quietly raised her eyes, and pushed the milk beside her over, "Are you choking? Drink some milk, it's unopened."
Zhou Chong looked up at her, gently raised the corners of his lips, took the milk, tore open the plastic film of the straw packaging, poked open the milk carton and took a sip.
Seeing that he drank the milk calmly, Jiang Wan felt relieved, took out her pencil case and test paper, and began to do her homework.
Zhou Chong glanced at her, finished his milk, and then took out his test paper and started writing.
-
There was a lot of homework assigned during the three-day New Year's Day holiday, and the two of them didn't finish it until the afternoon.
Remembering her mother's instructions to go home early that evening, Jiang Wan didn't dare to delay. After the city library closed at 5 p.m., she prepared to go home.
Although she encountered any problems she didn't understand while doing her homework, she promptly sought Zhou Chong's help to solve them, and also took the opportunity to expand on some common mistakes by applying what she learned to other situations.
However, with only one or two hours left for actual review, there wasn't enough time to review much material.
Therefore, the two agreed to come to the city library together again tomorrow to continue their review.
Jiang Wan originally wanted to continue riding on the back of Zhou Chong's bicycle, but after they walked out of the library, Zhou Chong insisted on taking her to the bus stop.
"Why aren't you riding your bike?" Jiang Wan looked back every few steps. Zhou Chong's mountain bike was still parked in the bike shed. "I really wasn't cold this morning, and I'm not cold now either."
As if to prove something, she grabbed Zhou Chong's hand again and pressed it against her cheek.
Since we've already done it this morning, doing it again won't hurt.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
"Feel it, isn't my face hot? And my hands are hot too, right?" Jiang Wan tilted her head back and winked at him.
Once again, as she grabbed his wrist and touched his cheek, the strange feeling in Zhou Chong's heart lessened somewhat.
At least, I can tolerate the heat in my palms without feeling it burning.
"I'm not kidding you, am I not cold at all?"
Jiang Wan was telling the truth. Unlike at school, she was wearing a fluffy, soft down jacket today, which had excellent heat retention and wind protection, much better than her winter school uniform.
Moreover, the air conditioning and heating in the city library were very strong, much warmer than in the classroom. When she sat in the library, her cheeks and palms felt slightly warm.
So now that she's outside, she feels refreshed and invigorated by the fresh, cool air.
“It’s not cold. I’ll take the bus back with you.” Zhou Chong gently stroked her face, then restrained himself and lowered his hand. “It’s rush hour now, so riding a bike won’t get you much faster. Anyway, we’re not in a rush to get home.”
"Okay." Jiang Wan thought for a moment; taking the bus together wasn't a bad idea. "But what about your car?"
"Just leave it here, you'll come back tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, that's true."
Jiang Wan stopped looking back and walked side by side with Zhou Chong toward the bus stop.
Before long, bus number 21 arrived.
The two boarded the train together. The carriage was quite crowded, with only two empty seats left, one at the front and one at the back, separated by several rows of seats.
Jiang Wan hesitated, unsure which seat to take.
She didn't want to sit separately from Zhou Chong, nor did she want to stand all the way home. Besides, it would seem deliberate not to sit in an empty seat.
Just as she was struggling with her decision, Zhou Chong swiped his bus card, walked over, and pulled her to sit down in the empty seat at the front of the bus.
As soon as Jiang Wan sat down, she hurriedly glanced at the empty seat at the back of the car. "You... are you going to sit there?"
Zhou Chong didn't turn to look for an empty seat. Instead, he stood beside her and reached out to grab the overhead handrail. "I'm not sitting here."
Jiang Wan paused for a moment, then looked up at the tall young man beside her.
His figure was upright, like a tower or a mountain, and he stood very steadily in the swaying carriage.
Jiang Wan reached out and gently tugged at the hem of his clothes.
The fabric of the windbreaker was slippery, and after the next stop and start, a piece of the jacket slipped from my fingertips.
But Jiang Wan knew that she had indeed grasped something just now.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com