After seeing the reply, Lu Chuqing was still a little puzzled, "How could there not be one?"
She typed quickly, "Wait a moment, I'll be right back."
Back in the cubicle, Lu Chuqing saw the man and woman's hands quickly separating, and with a helpless expression, she still went in to ask Lu Ying.
"Mom, where did our doormat go?"
Lu Ying didn't know why she asked about this, but she still answered truthfully, "This afternoon, a resident's pet dog peed on it, so I took it inside to clean it."
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Lu Chuqing recounted what had just happened, and Lu Ying took out her phone to check. Sure enough, there were three missed calls.
"I don't know when I accidentally turned the phone on silent and didn't hear it." She looked at Lu Chuqing, "So, are you going back with the keys now?"
"Yeah, my brother thought there were people at home, so he asked Uncle Wang to help carry the things upstairs and then let him go. He's still waiting at the door by himself now."
Lu Chuqing took the key and looked at Xi Jun across from her. "I'm sorry, Uncle Xi, I have to go now. We can have dinner together another day."
Xi Jun stood up to see her off, "It's alright, I'm just happy to see you. There are plenty of cars on the road right now, how about I give you a ride?"
"Thank you, Uncle Xi, but you can take care of my mother for me. I can manage on my own."
The man looked at Lu Ying, waiting for her to speak.
"It's okay, she can get home quickly by taxi, she can manage on her own."
Xi Jun was also worried that it wouldn't be good to leave Lu Ying alone here, and besides, Xi Qingxu was still on his way, so he didn't insist anymore, but still saw Lu Chuqing downstairs.
It's rush hour now, and there are many cars on the roadside. You can just flag down a taxi and it will stop.
After seeing the girl off, Xi Jun noted down the license plate number before returning to her compartment.
The man pulled Lu Yinggang to sit down, refilled the woman's empty orange juice, and the waiter led a young man to the door.
“Qingxu.” Xi Jun immediately stood up and welcomed the young man in.
Lu Ying also stood up and looked at the boy, whose height was almost as tall as Xi Jun's. "Hello, Qing Xu, may I call you that?"
When Xi Qingxu arrived at the door, she glanced inside and saw that it was just the two of them. She couldn't quite describe the feeling of loss.
He is emotionally deficient; he only knows what various emotions are trying to express, but he himself feels almost nothing.
When he didn't see Lu Chuqing, the first conclusion that came to his mind was...
Oh, maybe it's not her.
Hearing the woman's soft voice, he looked up and suddenly met a pair of almond-shaped eyes that were full of gentle waves.
It's so true.
He thought to himself.
Then he replied to the woman in a low voice, "Hello, you can call me whatever you want."
Seeing the boy's blank face and his sweat-soaked short-sleeved shirt, Lu Ying felt a pang of heartache. "Part-time work must be tiring, right? Sit down and rest."
Xi Jun gestured for Xi Qingxu to sit in the empty seat next to him. The young man saw that someone had sat down in the seat next to Lu Ying, but it was now empty. He stood up and bowed to Lu Ying, who was about to sit down.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
Lu Ying was startled by Xiao Xiao's behavior. Why did the father and son keep bowing at a 90-degree angle? It made her think she was about to be buried.
"It's not late, it's just that we started a little early. We should have waited for you to arrive..."
Xi Jun smiled and said, "It's my fault, it's my fault. I thought if I finished eating early, it wouldn't be too late to go back."
He initially thought that since Lu Chuqing was a girl, it wouldn't be safe for her and Lu Ying to go back too late, so he booked the hotel early.
Xi Qingxu didn't say much. He bowed to Lu Ying again and walked back to his seat.
Xi Jun pulled Lu Ying to sit down before he sat down himself.
The waiter quickly brought a new set of bowls and chopsticks. Lu Ying had added a few more dishes while Xi Jun was seeing Lu Chuqing off, and they were all served shortly afterward, all placed near Xi Qingxu's side.
When Xi Jun told her about it, she hadn't experienced it firsthand. Now that she actually saw Xi Qingxu, she didn't know what to say.
The child's condition was even more serious than Xi Jun had described; it wasn't that he had facial paralysis, but rather that his expression was truly wooden.
He seems completely unmoved by anything, and his eyes are empty when he looks at you.
It's like a person is talking to you, but it's more like a piece of wood is talking to you.
Xi Jun had gotten used to it over the years, and he was the first to break the silence.
"You said you just got on the bus, and you've arrived in less than twenty minutes. Are you in this area?"
Xi Qingxu had exhausted a lot of energy and was both thirsty and hungry. Once she started eating, she didn't hesitate and started stuffing the food facing her into her mouth.
Even so, the boy's eating manners were relatively refined, and upon closer inspection, they resembled those of Xi Jun.
He swallowed the food in his mouth and replied, "Yes, it's over on Jinchen Road."
Xi Jun thought of Lu Chuqing taking digital painting classes over there, and her face showed a hint of surprise. "That's quite a coincidence. Your Aunt Lu's daughter is learning digital painting over there."
"She came over right after class. If she had come a little later, you two might have run into each other."
Xi Qingxu recalled that one day after school before the holiday, he did hear Lu Chuqing tell Lu Linqi that she was going to learn digital painting during the summer vacation.
He hummed in agreement and asked directly, "What's her name?"
This time, Lu Ying spoke to him with a gentle smile, "She shares my surname, Lu, and her name is Chu Qing."
Oh, it really is her.
What a small world, and how wonderful fate can be.
Looking into the woman's eyes, Xi Qingxu thought again, "I can see right through her."
She looks just like her mother.
Xi Jun added, "She's two years younger than you; she's your younger sister."
Then, looking at the boy with a blank expression, he asked, "Qingxu is now an older brother. What are your thoughts?"
Lu Ying slapped his hand under the table, "What feelings? The child has suddenly become the older brother, and we haven't even had time to react yet."
As she spoke, she picked up the freshly ordered orange juice and poured a glass for the boy. "You're already working hard at your part-time job in Qingxu. Don't ask any irrelevant questions. Let the boy eat more vegetables to replenish his energy."
Xi Qingxu stood up, accepted the freshly squeezed orange juice with both hands, and bowed slightly to express her gratitude, "Thank you, Aunt Lu."
"You're welcome. Eat as much of the food you like. You're still growing at your age, so even if you have to work part-time, you can't neglect yourself."
Lu Ying truly cared for him.
His hair and short-sleeved shirt were visibly soaked with sweat. The bones and joints of the hand that had just reached out to take the orange juice were prominent, and the blue veins were visible through his slightly pale skin.
She looks really thin.
Thinking that she would make more nutritious soups for the child to nourish him as they spent more time together.
Too thin.
Afterwards, Xi Qingxu buried himself in his food, while Xi Jun and Lu Ying chatted occasionally, and he would answer when asked.
He also learned that Lu Chuqing had gone home early because of something, and left just before he arrived.
After finishing his meal, he just wanted to go back and take a shower. Xi Jun and Lu Ying wanted to stroll around a bit more as a short date. After saying goodbye, he took the bus back.
On the way back, his mind was blank, but one thought lingered in his mind.
She became my sister.
It feels... a bit strange.
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