Chapter 15
"You two work together. Here are the addresses. Measure this one first, and be back before you leave work." The person in charge of assigning tasks gathered the group of interns together and roughly divided them up.
They were divided into pairs, each with a notebook and an address sheet listing the detailed addresses of each project. The first step of the internship: measuring rooms.
Yoda looked at the tools in the bag and exchanged bewildered glances with the boys he had temporarily teamed up with. "Shall we go now?"
The address they were assigned wasn't far, but transportation was somewhat inconvenient. Even after the bus arrived, they still had to walk quite a distance to get there.
Panting heavily, they finally arrived, only to find there was no elevator. The two exchanged a helpless glance, then gritted their teeth and continued walking step by step.
The politeness that could be barely maintained due to unfamiliarity vanished completely upon arrival at the house.
Yoda had exhausted all his strength and could only find a rickety plastic chair in the messy house to sit down and catch his breath.
The other boys slumped on the cardboard. There was nothing they could do; the unfinished room was empty, and it was good enough that there was anyone to sit on.
Huffing and puffing, both of them were parched. The place was deserted, and there was definitely no water for them to drink. However, clear water was flowing from the tap.
Seeing that the other person was so thirsty that they wanted to bend down and drink from the tap, Yoda couldn't help but remind them, "This building is old, there's no elevator, and the pipes haven't been used for a long time, so there's a lot of dirt in them. Even if the water looks clear, it's definitely not clean. You can't drink it directly. Just bear with it, let's get the building measurements done, and then we'll go downstairs. On the way here, I saw a small shop at the entrance of the complex, so we can get water when we get downstairs."
Finding Yoda's words reasonable, the other person stopped what they were doing and turned off the water tap.
"My name is Zhou Liu, what's yours?"
"Lin Xiu".
We exchanged names, so we were acquainted. The two of us took measurements and wrote them down, checking all the dimensions in the room.
Finally, Yoda checked to make sure nothing was missed, and the two hurried downstairs. They were going to die if they didn't drink water soon.
After submitting the measurement data, Yoda's group was neither too early nor too late, since other people were just arriving when they left.
Yoda rubbed his legs, which hadn't walked for so long in a long time; they were a little sore. But he also felt a real sense of groundedness in being alive.
The first day was spent in a flurry of activity. I didn't even get to the company until the second day. As soon as I arrived at my workstation, the data I had measured the day before was thrown back at me.
"Your measurements are all wrong. What's going on? The total length inside the house is wider than the outside."
Yoda took a look and, sure enough, his cheeks flushed instantly. Yesterday, he had only been paying attention to whether anything had been missed, and he never expected to make a mistake in the most basic place.
"Go back and measure again. Today's task must also be completed."
As Yoda and his companion stepped out of the room, they heard voices of doubt from behind the non-soundproof door. "What's going on? They hired an intern this old. There are several designers this age already. She can't even measure a room properly."
"We can't just hire anyone. The company has become a dumping ground for garbage."
"It's just that the current situation is bad. Without these people, who would do these odd jobs? Anyway..."
As the two walked further away, the whispers behind them faded away, but Yoda still felt as if a pair of eyes were watching her from behind, making her feel uncomfortable about her mistake.
Zhou Liu scratched his head: "I must have been careless yesterday. Maybe I didn't measure something correctly. I'll just be more careful today. I don't care what others say."
Seeing that Yoda still felt somewhat guilty, he teased the person who had just spoken: "They dislike us, but they still want to hire us to work. They can't just dislike one person and then personally go to so many places; that would exhaust them."
Yoda was infected by his relaxed attitude. Yes, this is what they were hired to do. If they didn't do well this time, they can do better next time.
The two finished their tasks for the day first. Then they hurried back to the building from yesterday. This time, having learned from experience, they drank enough water downstairs before starting to climb the stairs.
The two were even more careful than before. To avoid mistakes, they checked every piece of data to ensure its accuracy before recording it.
Sure enough, the house space was normal; one piece of data had been recorded backwards yesterday. Having found the cause, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the location for today's mission was easily accessible, and the journey went smoothly. The two, working together seamlessly, gradually became familiar with each other.
Having resolved the issue, the two chatted casually on the way back. Zhou Liu couldn't help but ask, "Are you very old?" Zhou Liu felt the other person was about his age and wondered why he was being asked that.
Yoda opened his mouth, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Never mind if it's inconvenient, I was just asking." Zhou Liu shrugged.
Yoda thought about his experience and realized it wasn't anything shameful, so he briefly explained his situation. "Because I was in a coma for seven years, I only graduated this year."
Zhou Liu couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, you slept for seven years in a row, you must have developed a body that can withstand staying up all night, perfect for this line of work."
Good-natured banter made everyone feel much more relaxed, and having an easy-going work partner greatly reduced work stress.
Measuring rooms and inspecting projects, then returning to the company to submit data and report project progress to designers—these daily tasks filled all of Yoda's time.
When I got home, I was too tired to talk, but I still forced myself to finish the phone call with my parents and let them know I was safe.
When Yoda was finally able to lie peacefully in bed, he didn't want to move anymore.
Before going to sleep, thinking of my parents' and brothers' happy smiles eased some of the day's fatigue.
"I'm a little tired today, but I'll get used to it tomorrow, and it'll be even better the day after." Yoda thought to himself as the power suddenly went out, and he fell into a deep sleep.
"Next, today we'll ride this."
Yoda was somewhat surprised to see Zhou Liu push out the electric scooter; he hadn't expected the other man to hand him the only helmet he had.
"With addresses all over the place, who can stand walking around every day? My legs were so sore last night that I was groaning."
Yoda wasn't being coy; she couldn't ride, but there were plenty of options available, and she could benefit from them too. She'd be doing a disservice to her worn-out shoes if she didn't hurry and hitch a ride.
The first half went smoothly; although the car was small, it was very agile in navigating the streets and alleys.
However, after inspecting the construction site of the last house, the previously clear sky suddenly changed, and a torrential rain began to fall.
Rainwater dripped from the eaves in a continuous stream. Yoda's back was pressed tightly against the corner of the wall, and in the distance, only a blurry shadow remained, obscured by the rain. The wind blew, and the rain poured down, inevitably soaking his feet.
Zhou Liu tried to fix the electric scooter that had broken down after getting wet in the rain, but after fiddling with it for a long time, he still couldn't get it working.
"Stop it, the rain is too heavy, you're all soaked. Just take it back and have the shop repair it." Yoda didn't want to catch a cold, so he carefully avoided the rain, only his lower body was a little wet.
Undeterred by his desire to fix the car, Zhou Liu remained crouched, completely soaked. Rainwater streamed down his trouser legs, mingling with the puddles on the street before disappearing in an instant.
Zhou Liu tried for a long time but still couldn't get through. He could only get up helplessly and look at his whole body, which was soaked. Except for his chest, which hadn't gotten wet because he had been bending over, it was no different from walking around in the rain.
Looking at the broken-down car, Zhou Liu explained helplessly, "This is a second-hand car I bought from a senior on campus, and it's long past its warranty period."
Yoda thought to himself, no wonder the helmet he took out was pink and the car had cute decorations on it. He had thought it was the latest trend.
Zhou Liu looked at the sky; it was gloomy, and the rain certainly wouldn't stop anytime soon.
Rain and cold wind blew in gusts, and Zhou Liu couldn't help but shiver slightly. His clothes, soaked through, had long lost their ability to keep him warm.
"I'm leaving. I'm soaked and freezing anyway. What about you?"
Seeing that Zhou Liu's expression wasn't good, Yoda quickly waved his hand, then lowered it slightly to avoid getting wet in the rain. "You should go now. I'll wait until the rain gets a little lighter. Do you want to leave your car here? I'll give it to you to take back to the company when the rain stops so you can go home?"
Zhou Liu shook his head. Even pushing an unusable electric scooter was inconvenient enough, let alone handling Yoda. Seeing Yoda huddled in the corner, looking much better than himself, Zhou Liu put on his helmet, picked up his scooter, and stepped into the rain.
Although the flow was slow, it soon blended into the rain and became invisible.
Yoda stared blankly at the incessant rain. The world seemed to have suddenly become quiet, with nothing but himself and the scattered cars parked along the street.
I rubbed my arms; although they weren't wet, the fine mist of water splashing in the air still made me feel cold.
There was no point in staying here, so Yoda simply walked back along the corner of the wall to the room where he had been measuring the room earlier, taking advantage of the rain to check how well the waterproofing on the balcony was done.
Although rainwater doesn't get into the house, the windows aren't installed yet because of the ongoing renovations. Moisture seeps in, mixed with the smells of various building materials, which isn't pleasant. Aside from a small leak in one corner of the exterior wall, everything else is fine.
Yoda jotted it down in his notebook and told the designer in charge of the project to reinforce the waterproofing in this corner during construction the next day.
By the time I came out of the building, the rain had subsided considerably.
Knock knock.
Shi Xing was interrupted by the knocking sound outside the window and realized that Yoda had his face pressed against the car window with a smile on his face.
The rain had lessened, but it hadn't stopped. Yoda used a plastic bag to barely cover himself, and as he was thinking about how to leave, he saw a car parked across the street that looked familiar.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Shi Xing.
"What luck! I was worried about how to get home, and then I saw you." As soon as Yoda got into the car, he quickly put away the plastic bag he was using to keep out the rain.
Shi Xing took out a prepared towel and gently patted and dried Yoda's slightly damp hair. Yoda, being used to it, turned to the side and bent down to make it easier for Shi Xing.
The first time Shi Xing helped Yoda dry her hair, he rubbed it repeatedly with a towel, just like he was drying his own head.
Startled, Yoda struggled to pull her head away from Shi Xing's grasp. Her already fluffy hair exploded when she was touched.
Later, Shi Xing learned that every time he dried Yoda's hair, he would wrap the hair strands and press them gently, then use a towel to absorb the excess water to prevent the hair from becoming frizzy.
No matter how long they've been asleep, this tacit understanding between the two of them will always be there without them having to deliberately seek it out.
After drying his hair, Shi Xing turned on the air conditioner and handed Yoda a thermos.
Yoda opened it and took a few sips. The slightly warm temperature was just right, not too hot to drink, and enough to dispel the chill from his body.
"What a coincidence. Even the water temperature is just right." Yoda wasn't surprised that Shi Xing knew he was here; he would send Shi Xing his destination every day before leaving the house. It's just that if it hadn't suddenly rained and he had already gone home, the two of them wouldn't have met.
“I’ve always been here.”
Yoda looked up, puzzled. If he had been there all along, why hadn't he said anything?
Shi Xing silently draped the prepared coat over Yoda, and in contrast to his meticulous care, he asked, "Yoda, do we still want to be together?"
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