Chapter 78 The Room Was Filled with Fragrance When he looked at her silently, what was in her heart...
The rain started falling before Zhu Liushuang got off the bus, but luckily she had the foresight to bring a folding umbrella with her.
The taxi crossed a large bridge, the driver made a U-turn at the intersection, and drove back. After about five or six minutes, the car entered a narrow concrete road and then stopped in an open area.
Realizing they had arrived at their destination, Zhu Liushuang wiped the white mist off the car window and looked out. The misty rain was even heavier than before.
"Hello, please be careful when getting off the bus. Please give me a good review." Seeing that she was hesitant to open the door, the driver politely urged her.
Zhu Liushuang nodded slightly apologetically and got out of the car.
The colorful umbrella opened in mid-air, and she used one hand to pull her sweater cardigan tighter.
As your gaze moves upward, three small buildings, each about four or five stories high, stand before you. At the very front, there is a slightly shorter building, presumably the reception hall.
Standing in front of the closed electric sliding gate, Zhu Liushuang looked around. The concrete parking lot marked with spaces was empty of cars; even the lights in the gatehouse were off.
The rain slanted down on her, soaking her sweater and cardigan. She hurried to the eaves outside the gatehouse and peered through the window to see if anyone was inside.
The windows were covered with blackout film, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. Zhu Liushuang glanced down at her white skirt, which was splattered with mud, and then knocked on the door of the reception desk.
"Knock knock knock—"
"Excuse me, is anyone there?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of rain.
The interior through the glass window remained dark, and the firmly closed wooden door stood motionless.
Her fingers paused on the door for two or three seconds before she knocked again.
"Knock knock—"
"Knock knock knock—"
The persistent knocking drowned out the clamor of the rain.
The security room suddenly lit up, casting a cold white light through the dark blue glass window. She instinctively lowered her hand, her reddened fingertips curling in her palm.
"Whoosh—" The glass window of the guardhouse was pushed open, and a gray-haired head poked out.
"Who is it? They won't even let people take a nap..." The person speaking frowned, their tone displeased.
Zhu Liushuang raised the umbrella slightly, revealing a pair of misty eyes.
"Excuse me, sir. I need to find someone. Could you please open the door for me?"
The gray-haired old man dismissed her impatiently, saying, "It's the holidays, what are you looking for! The person on duty left at noon, young lady, come back on the 8th..."
He unfurled his curled-up left hand and touched the wet insulated bag.
The osmanthus cake she made must be cold by now!
"Uncle, the person I found lives in the staff dormitory inside..." Zhu Liushuang refused to give up and hurriedly whispered before the old man closed the window, "His name is He Ming."
The glass window was still half-open. The old man picked up his teacup and said, "I've never heard of this name before... Young lady, why don't you call him and ask where he is?"
If the phone call could be made, why would she need to come here and wait for someone to come to her?
Zhu Liushuang pursed her lips helplessly, her teeth leaving several white marks on her lower lip.
Rainwater dripped continuously down the edge of the umbrella, accumulating into small puddles.
When the old man in the gatehouse opened the glass window for the third time, urging her to leave sooner, Zhu Liushuang stubbornly waited under the narrow eaves with her umbrella, her straight back never bending down.
The autumn wind, carrying the chill of rain, tousled the stray hairs on her forehead and dampened the hem of her ankle-length skirt. She seemed oblivious, her eyes fixed on the staff dormitory building.
Not far behind her, black leather shoes stepped across puddles, crunching through fallen ginkgo leaves as they slowly approached. The edge of a gray umbrella slowly rose, revealing a man's thin chin.
Footsteps pounded the water's surface, and the sound grew ever closer.
"Liu... Shuang?" He Ming's fingers loosened their grip on the plastic bag, almost causing the medicine box inside to fall to the ground.
A familiar voice drifted from behind her. Zhu Liushuang thought she was hallucinating, but she still turned around immediately.
"Senior!" The anxiety in his eyes turned into surprise.
He Ming's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly: "What are you doing here? How long have you been waiting?" He strode forward and used his umbrella to shield her from the wind.
Having been outside in the wind for a while, her fingers were cold and red. Zhu Liushuang awkwardly raised her phone, trying to keep her smile natural: "I sent you a message and called you. I thought you were probably busy, so I waited at the door for a bit. It wasn't long..."
As she spoke, she dared not look him directly in the eye, instead focusing her gaze on his stubble-covered chin. For some reason, her eyes welled up with tears, stinging and threatening to spill over.
"Sorry, my phone died." The man pulled out his black-screened phone from his pocket, feeling helpless and guilty. "Next time, remember to tell me a day in advance if you need anything."
She forced back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Zhu Liushuang nodded obediently, "Okay, I will—"
The electric roller shutter door opened at that moment, and the old man in the gatehouse, holding a half-smoked cigarette, leaned out and said, "Oh, so you're here to see me! I thought you weren't coming back today..."
He Ming greeted her politely, then called back Zhu Liushuang, who was still in a daze: "Liushuang, come here. Let's go inside and take shelter from the rain for a while."
The dark green coat swayed in front of her. Zhu Liushuang stared at his strong and broad back, and suddenly remembered the rolling mountains outside the window when the high-speed train roared out of the dark tunnel.
She quickened her pace to catch up with him, leaving the old man at the door staring at her curiously behind.
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The staff dormitory room for two people is not large. Upon entering, there is a row of wooden wardrobes built into the wall. The bunk beds are placed against the wall, and a desk and an old-looking chair are placed in front of the window.
"Ahem—" He Ming coughed twice, covering his mouth, then pulled out a chair and said, "I live alone, and the conditions are simple. Please make do with this seat."
Zhu Liushuang said "Oh," and sat down on the wooden chair, clutching the insulated bag. She felt a little cold and unconsciously hugged her upper body.
He Ming turned around silently, rummaged through the drawer, and found an air conditioner panel that had not been used yet.
"drop--"
The monitor lit up, and a few dozen seconds later, an old humming sound came from the air conditioner vent.
After turning on the air conditioner, He Ming went to the bedside to charge his phone.
Zhu Liushuang's gaze, however, was drawn to the open plastic bag on the desk.
Chuanbei loquat syrup, Zhengchaihu decoction granules... Did he catch a cold?
"Senior, do you have a cold?"
"Visiting relatives in Yunxiang? Why aren't you dressed warmly enough?"
He had his back to her, and their voices met in the air.
Zhu Liushuang lowered her head guiltily, kicking the ground with her toes: "The weather was nice yesterday, I didn't expect it to rain suddenly today."
The man, who had his back to her, turned around with a complicated look in his eyes. He stared at the top of her head for a while before saying, "You'll catch a cold if you're exposed to the wind. Your skirt and hair are all damp. I'll go get you a dry towel to wipe them off."
She naturally had no idea what He Ming was thinking when he looked at her. Nor did she realize that some lies simply cannot withstand scrutiny and are easily exposed.
The weather forecast for Yunhe has been inaccurate these past few days. The app on my phone says it's sunny, but it's actually cloudy. And when it says it's cloudy, it rains in the afternoon.
The bathroom door opened and closed, and soon a clean, plain-colored towel was handed to her.
“There aren’t any spare towels, this is the one I use to dry my hair.” The man looked down at her. “If you mind…”
Before He Ming could finish speaking, Zhu Liushuang hurriedly interrupted, "It's not a problem, there's no need to go to so much trouble..."
She said that, but her hand hesitated to take it.
"What's in the bag?" He Ming glanced at the familiar insulated bag. She often used this bag when she brought him food before.
The zipper was unzipped, and the rich fragrance of osmanthus wafted out from between her fingers.
"Osmanthus cake, we made a lot at home..." Zhu Liushuang stammered, "We sent some to my aunt's house, and brought the rest over."
He Ming leaned over and took the insulated bag from her hand, then casually placed a dry towel on her lap. He didn't continue looking at her, but turned and walked towards the bedside.
He was tall and strong, and the double-decker iron bed seemed cramped for him; when he sat on it, it would creak and sway.
Zhu Liushuang absentmindedly dried her hair, her eyes constantly glancing at He Ming.
The insulated bag was open, and as the man's fingers picked up a piece of translucent osmanthus cake, his eyelashes cast dense shadows beneath his bluish eyes. She stared at the neatly folded checkered quilt on the narrow bed, and suddenly heard the sticky sound of teeth chewing glutinous rice.
The aroma of osmanthus flowers tempted her hungry stomach, and Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but swallow.
"Isn't it too sweet?" She deliberately avoided looking at him, bending down to wipe the wet hem of her skirt. "It might be a bit hard to bite into when it's cold."
"No, it's still warm." With that, He Ming went to the coffee table to pour water.
Noticing the movement, Zhu Liushuang quickly looked up, her gaze sweeping over the spot where he had just been sitting. The gray pillow was curled up at one edge, revealing a section of glittering aluminum foil in the lifted folds.
She rose, following the glimmer of light, and took a step. By the time she realized she had overstepped her bounds, the cut-up medicine plaster was already in her hand.
She counted the small round dents on the aluminum foil; two out of ten pills remained. She focused her gaze to identify the name of the pills: estazolam tablets… A thin needle embedded in her heart, weaving a dense tapestry of pain.
She recognized the medicine; her mother had been suffering from joint pain, insomnia, and anxiety for a while, and the doctor prescribed this same medicine.
"Drink some hot water to warm yourself up." A white paper cup was handed to her, and He Ming took the medicine sachet from her hand.
"Senior..." The rising steam from the paper cup blurred his face, "You..."
He Ming turned his head and coughed a few times, his tone frank: "I've been having some insomnia, so I got some medicine from the doctor. It's nothing serious."
"Oh, oh..." She simply asked the question he had just ignored, "I see you bought cold medicine, is it the flu or something else? Do you have a fever?"
"I caught a cold, but I don't have a fever."
Apart from the dark circles under his eyes and the short stubble on his chin, he didn't look haggard, which put Zhu Liushuang at ease. Just as she was about to reply, her stomach rumbled in protest.
"Didn't you have lunch?" He Ming stood opposite her, lowered his head slightly, and his clear gaze captured her eyes.
The hot water in the paper cup swayed gently. Zhu Liushuang hid her restless left hand behind her back: "I ate breakfast late, so I combined the two meals into one." She habitually made excuses for herself in front of him, not knowing whether he believed her or not.
“The canteen here is closed during the holiday, and the restaurants nearby cook heavily seasoned food; they even put chili peppers in stir-fried vegetables…” He Ming asked her, holding a blue porcelain cup, “It’s raining heavily, so ordering takeout might take an hour or two. If you’re not picky, I have some noodles here.”
"I'll just have a piece of osmanthus cake." Zhu Liushuang touched the ground with her toes and looked around, but couldn't see a place to cook.
"There's a communal kitchen at the end of the corridor. Go there to cook; it's no trouble." Raindrops strung together like a curtain on the eaves, the sound of water pattering and breaking his deep voice.
When he looked at her without saying a word, she felt inexplicably scared.
After a few seconds of silent stalemate, Zhu Liushuang nodded in agreement.
"Sit on the chair and wait a moment." He Ming took out eggs and noodles from the small refrigerator in the corner, opened the door, and went out.
The moment the door closed, Zhu Liushuang couldn't sit still. She tiptoed to the door and quietly opened it a crack. His dark green coat suited his figure perfectly, and he walked with an elegant air.
She closed the door slightly and stood in the hallway watching him from a distance.
The communal kitchen was filled with pots and pans, indicating that the residents here often cook for themselves.
The hot pan sizzled, and the aroma of fried eggs wafted towards her. The pot of boiling water bubbled and steamed, noodles floating on the surface, and she saw him add cold water twice.
Just as the noodles were about to be cooked, Zhu Liushuang hurriedly returned inside.
The warm air from the air conditioner chased away the chill, and she pretended to be bored, scrolling through her phone while quietly waiting for his arrival.
Her leather shoes stomped rhythmically on the floor, and the wooden door creaked open, letting in a cool breeze that ruffled the hem of her skirt hanging at her feet.
"We've finished the vegetables, so we'll just have this." A large white porcelain bowl was placed on the desk in front of me. The clear broth contained two slightly cracked fried eggs and a few chopped scallions, filling the room with a delicious aroma.
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Author's note: [Shrug] Shuangshuang, have you ever thought that Senior He just didn't expose your clumsy excuses?
So, the question for you, senior: why do you tolerate Shuangshuang's repeated attempts to get closer to you and treat her so gently? [Milk Tea]
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