Chapter 105 Her eyes shone brightly. She moved closer to him, quietly taking half of...
Just now, Zhu Liushuang was so focused on talking to the old lady that she didn't notice He Ming had come out of the stall at some point. She squatted on the ground and quietly watched him help the old lady up, forgetting to get up for a moment.
The man's face was stern, his lips tightly pressed together, and his dark eyes were as deep as an icy pool. Out of his upbringing, he was willing to lend a helping hand to this unreasonable, tantrum-throwing old man. But this didn't mean he felt any sympathy for him; after all, to him, they were just strangers—strangers who had caused a ruckus at Zhu Liushuang's stall, nearly ruining business and creating trouble.
The old man barely managed to steady himself before He Ming withdrew his hand. He didn't care what the grandmother and granddaughter did next, where they went, or who they should seek compensation from for their losses. His gaze precisely locked onto a petite figure squatting on the ground. He took a few steps forward, bent down, and said in a gentle tone, "Liu Shuang, get up."
A huge shadow fell over her. Zhu Liushuang tilted her head slightly to meet his dark, bright eyes. The man's taut lips gradually relaxed, and as they parted, she heard his deep, pleasant voice again.
"Are your legs numb? Here—give me your hand."
At the same time, a long, powerful hand appeared in her line of sight.
Not long ago, this hand had gripped her wrist tightly, leaving several red marks. It had also carefully applied a cotton swab to treat the hives on her shoulder blade…
Amidst her swirling thoughts, she extended her hand, and a few seconds later, their palms met. The man used some strength to pull her up from the ground. Due to the momentum, her body leaned forward, and she fell into his arms.
Her head slammed into the hard chest, and Zhu Liushuang winced in pain, involuntarily taking a step back and straightening herself slightly. To hide her inner panic, she quickly raised her hand to touch her forehead.
"Sorry, I used a bit too much force," He Ming said.
Zhu Liushuang absentmindedly rubbed her forehead a few times, smiled shyly, and said, "It...it doesn't hurt that much! My legs are really numb, I can't even stand up straight..."
"Hmm." He Ming nodded in response, then asked her, "Are you still selling the remaining tiramisu?"
"Of course we'll sell!" Zhu Liushuang answered without hesitation. "Otherwise it would be such a waste... It's still early, let's set up the stall for another half hour."
"Okay." Seeing that her mood was not greatly affected by the farce just now, He Ming was relieved.
Half an hour later, the desserts in the freezer were almost sold out, with only a strawberry cake in an enamel bowl left. The customer who was supposed to pick up the order couldn't come because of something urgent. Since He Ming liked strawberries, Zhu Liushuang decided to take the cake back to Chunhua Lane for a late-night snack.
"Let's pack up and go!" she said happily, glancing at tonight's sales figures on her WeChat account.
"You're not selling this anymore?" the man asked, pointing to the freezer.
"Mmm." She nodded emphatically. "Let's eat this together at home! The strawberries I bought this morning are so sweet..." As soon as the words left her mouth, she began to wonder if she had been a little too proud of herself.
Let's eat together when we get home! It sounds so affectionate.
However, the man beside her didn't show any unusual reaction after hearing her words, and even replied gently, "Okay." Zhu Liushuang's "little tail" was practically wagging in the air. She covered her mouth and chuckled a few times, but then, afraid of being discovered by him, she forced herself to calm down.
"Senior, could you please pack up the string lights and the stool for me? I'll take these two packages to the uncle."
"Hmm, does the stool need to be folded?"
"Yes, it is necessary."
Zhu Liushuang picked up two insulated bags and walked briskly to the beef burger stand.
"Uncle, I'm about to pack up and go home! Please tell my aunt that if we're not eating tonight, we must put it in the refrigerator. Freezing will keep it for longer."
"Okay." The middle-aged man smiled憨厚ly as he fried a beef patty and asked, "Want to take a hamburger home?"
"Yes!" Zhu Liu's eyes sparkled.
"You haven't set up your stall for several months, have you been out dating?" The aroma of roasted pineapple wafted over, and the middle-aged man skillfully flipped the ingredients, his eyes frequently glancing to the side. "Young man, you're really handsome! You two are a perfect match."
Zhu Liushuang felt a little embarrassed and pursed her lips reservedly, without replying.
"He's willing to come out and help you set up your stall in this freezing weather, which proves he's a decent person." The man deftly folded the hamburgers and packed them into a cardboard box. "Little Zhu, you're so lucky!"
"Thank you." Zhu Liushuang took the box and said goodbye to the uncle selling hamburgers. "I hope we can be neighbors again next time I set up my stall."
"Eat the burger while it's hot. I put an extra beef patty in it for you."
She turned and walked back to her stall, and behind her, the man called out to her.
The freshly made beef burger smelled enticing, and its warmth wafted through the cardboard box to her palm. Zhu Liushuang walked back to her stall and said to He Ming with a smile, "Senior, would you like to try some? It's fresh out of the oven."
He Ming stared at the open cardboard box for a couple of seconds, then gladly accepted it.
"It tastes better when it's hot; it'll probably get cold by the time I get home."
Under her watchful gaze and urging, He Ming picked up the hamburger, took a big bite, and savored it earnestly.
"Is it good?" Because she was in a hurry to set up her stall, Zhu Liushuang hadn't eaten much for dinner. But the aroma made her a little hungry, and she couldn't help but swallow.
"Not bad, the meat patty is quite substantial." He Ming tilted his head and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry," Zhu Liushuang denied. Seeing that He Ming's gaze was still on her, she touched the tip of her nose and admitted shyly, "It's just... I'm a little hungry."
The man couldn't help but chuckle. He suppressed the urge to ruffle her hair and said, "How about I share half with you?"
“Okay!” Zhu Liushuang replied cheerfully without being polite.
Soon, a hamburger was broken in half. Each of them held half a piece of wax paper and ate it silently.
"Have you gone back yet?" He Ming ate quickly, finishing half of his meal before glancing at the person beside him.
One glance was all it took to fix my gaze on her face. She was taking small bites of her hamburger, her head tilted slightly to one side, completely absorbed in her meal. Her curled eyelashes fluttered gently, and with each chew, a small puff would appear on her porcelain-white cheek. With the rhythm of her chewing, the little mound shifted from side to side… the way she looked was undeniably… adorable.
A strange warmth rose from the bottom of his heart, and He Ming unconsciously looked away. He was very confused, unable to understand why he was attracted to Zhu Liushuang's eating habits and had become so engrossed in watching her.
Perhaps it's because she eats with such reverence that it makes people feel very hungry?
He found a plausible explanation for himself.
"Senior, are we going back?" Zhu Liushuang, who was enjoying her hamburger, was completely unaware of He Ming's subtle change. She looked up and asked him after eating half of her hamburger.
"Well, it's getting late, we still need to get back to Chunhua Lane." He Ming didn't look at her again. After tidying up some miscellaneous things, he got into the driver's seat first.
Zhu Liushuang belatedly realized that she no longer needed to work, and her heart warmed. With a smile, she got into the driver's seat.
On the way back, He Ming drove again, and she sat next to him.
The streets and alleys were deserted at night, the streetlights were dim, and only the howling north wind kept them company.
Her vision suddenly blurred. The road was clearly the same, but the scenery before her abruptly changed to the dead of winter last year. She had been pushing a simple handcart, alone on a street swept by the howling wind. Her steps were heavy, and her fingers ached slightly. The chill crept up from the soles of her feet, creeping upwards. The wheels crunched over the leaf-strewn pavement, the sound amplified in the empty street.
"Are you cold? If you are, move closer to me. It's gotten colder tonight." The man's deep voice carried on the wind, pulling her thoughts back to reality. When he spoke, he would turn his head slightly, his strong jawline appearing exceptionally soft in the dim light.
Zhu Liushuang suddenly felt like crying.
She moved closer to him, quietly pressing half her face against his clothes. She closed her eyes, feeling the fabric rubbing against her skin, the monotonous and noisy rumble of the tricycle becoming the most pleasant accompaniment in her ears.
So many people come and go in this world, she should be grateful that the person sitting next to her is him.
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A new week begins with a busy work schedule.
On Tuesday evening, He Ming got home earlier than usual.
When he opened the door, Zhu Liushuang was nestled on the sofa in the living room watching a folk music variety show. The singer was performing passionately on stage, and she was so engrossed that her eyes welled up with tears without her realizing it.
"This is the bravest moment of my life, you standing before me from the ends of the earth..." The young man's hoarse and affectionate voice echoed in the living room. As she sang this line, a certain illusory figure, layered upon layered in her mind, broke free from the barriers of space and suddenly appeared.
Her gaze fell upon the door as it closed, and the warm yellow light in the entryway illuminated He Ming's face.
"Senior...you're back?" She blinked, quietly forcing away the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
"Okay, no need to work overtime tonight." He Ming bent down to change into slippers, then turned around and picked up something that was placed in the corner.
Zhu Liushuang naturally noticed his movements, and her gaze was instantly drawn to the bright red "little lantern." She exclaimed in surprise, "Luan tree branch! Where did it come from?"
He Ming paused, glanced down at the branch in his arms, and casually said, "I picked it up by the roadside in the neighborhood. You said you liked this last time..."
His tongue unconsciously pressed against the roof of his mouth; only he knew that this was a sign of discomfort.
As for why he felt uneasy, it was probably because he had concealed the true origin of the goldenrain tree branches.
The bunch of red branches in front of him, as smooth as silk, wasn't something he picked up casually by the roadside; he had specifically asked a landscaping worker to trim them. From morning till night, the branches had been sitting in the trunk all day.
"Is the property management pruning the trees? I didn't see it when I went downstairs to throw out the trash this evening..." Zhu Liushuang muttered to herself, a hint of confusion on her face. But soon, joy filled her mind.
She didn't dwell on it, but jumped off the sofa excitedly, saying, "It's so beautiful! I'll go to the storage room and get a vase..."
Her petite figure darted into the storage room and reappeared in the living room a couple of minutes later.
Zhu Liushuang excitedly took the Chinese tallow tree branch from He Ming's hand, trimmed it slightly with scissors, and then inserted it into a transparent glass vase.
She was stumped about where to put the vase.
So, over the next five or six minutes, she carried the vase to several different places.
Kitchen countertops, living room cabinets, dining table... Suffering from decision paralysis, she decided to ask He Ming for his opinion.
"Senior, where do you think it would look best to put it?"
He Ming crossed his arms and leaned against the sofa, his gaze inadvertently falling on Zhu Liushuang's unadorned face. Her genuine joy made her eyes sparkle, even outshining the vibrant goldenrain tree branches in the glass vase.
The tip of my tongue pressed against the roof of my mouth again, and memories poured out like water from a burst dam.
It was a spring day many years ago when my father brought home a bunch of tulips. My mother was overjoyed and, holding the vase, asked him, who was doing his homework at his desk, "Ming, where do you think it would look best?"
So much time has passed that the colors of the tulips have long faded from his memory, but his mother's every smile and gesture remains unforgettable to this day.
Where do you think it would look best to put it?
The woman's pink lips parted and closed, memories and reality slowly overlapping. He Ming finally heard her voice clearly and realized that the person standing in his living room was not his mother, but Zhu Liushuang. A smile spread across her serene face, like a clear spring lake, shimmering with light.
He couldn't help but have the illusion that what he had brought home was not an ordinary branch of the goldenrain tree, but some extraordinary and rare treasure.
"Let's put it in the living room," He Ming said, his lips curving into a smile, infected by her bright smile.
Zhu Liushuang hummed in agreement, then reached out and turned the vase around, choosing the most flattering angle for it to face her. She stood in front of the cabinet, looking at it from left to right, utterly satisfied.
Slowly sliding down, He Ming relaxed and leaned back on the sofa. His gaze was fixed on the backs of Luan Shuzhi and Zhu Liushuang, and a crack silently appeared in a hard, lonely corner of his heart. Gentle sunlight seeped in through the crack, gradually enveloping the darkness.
He couldn't help but think: the house used to be so monotonous; just a single branch of goldenrain tree made the living room so much more lively. Perhaps he should make use of all the unused vases in the storage room and put a bouquet of flowers in the dining room. Hmm, the kitchen needs some too.
What should he display? He had to ask Zhu Liushuang.
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The author says: "This is the bravest moment of my life, you standing before me from the ends of the earth." — Prism Band, "This is the Bravest Moment of My Life"
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