Chapter 6 Six-Tube Star Sleep, Good boy
Mr. Xu forced a sigh of relief and irritably pulled the blanket off his face.
The moment I opened my eyes, I was met with a pair of bright moons at dawn.
My anger has subsided considerably.
The supermarket's incandescent light cast crescent moons in his deep black eyes. He carried a backpack on one shoulder, one hand in his coat pocket, and the other holding his phone, having just paid.
The man's expression was icy, like water from a deep well, and he exuded a menacing aura, even making Xu Zhiyu wonder if she owed him money.
"The breakfast shop is across the street. Turn left after exiting the bakery. The sandwiches and milk are in the refrigerated section. We come here every morning, but they don't sell pancakes or hot lemonade."
The boy stood stubbornly in front of the cashier, seemingly ignoring her words and remaining completely still.
She was slightly annoyed at being woken up, and confronted the boy in front of her with dissatisfaction. Neither of them was willing to give in.
"I've already paid."
"Show me your payment code, I'll refund you." She took out her phone directly.
He said coldly, "No, I'm leaving."
The boy turned around, lowered his eyes, and swallowed a mouthful of sadness.
He moved his hand, which was holding the phone, to his abdomen again.
Xu Zhiyu: ...
"I'm really defeated by you. Let's go, let's go to the second floor."
She sighed deeply, left the summer blanket on the chair, stood up and walked ahead first. After taking two steps, she stopped and heard footsteps following behind her before continuing upstairs.
"Five pancakes and a glass of lemonade are not worth 50 dollars. Last time it was supposed to be my treat, but you paid too much. And now it's the same thing again."
As he walked up the stairs, Mr. Xu thought to himself that the other person was still a student, and there was no need for him to get angry.
Besides, he's a loyal customer who comes every day. He's just a bit awkward, but he comes every day and we see each other every day. We're already quite familiar with each other. Even friends can be accommodating, let alone a customer who patronizes the business every day.
“Your parents don’t earn money easily. I know you’re just being stubborn. After you finish this breakfast, go downstairs and get a few of your favorite sandwiches to take to school. I won’t bother to refund you the extra money.”
"Or do you not want the sandwich and want something else, or if you regret it and want my money back?"
If it were any other adult, a refund would be out of the question.
The stairs leading from the first floor to the second floor of the supermarket were very steep. Xu Zhiyu, who was still half asleep, got up and swayed from side to side.
As she spoke, the boy was immersed in the bitter scent of her shower gel.
He was quite addicted to the smell. He couldn't smell it when he paid at the self-service checkout machine. Today, she was wearing pajamas, and it was easy to tell that she had just moved from her bed to the supermarket, so the smell was clearer than ever before.
"Huh? I'm asking you a question. Why are you ignoring me?"
She suddenly stopped and turned around.
A look of panic flashed across the boy's face.
Ignore her?
Why does she always say that? I've never ignored her.
“I’d like a muffin,” he said matter-of-factly.
Mr. Xu gasped, his eyes widening in surprise.
well……
Has this kid switched from eating Hongfeng sandwiches to loving pancakes now?
But this isn't a breakfast shop, and pancakes aren't fast food. Does she expect her to make pancakes just for him every morning?
Just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm losing money terribly, losing a huge amount of money.
"No, this is the last time. If you come over to play occasionally when you're tired from studying, I can treat you to a milk tea or something, but I won't do making you breakfast like this every day. It's exhausting. This is my bottom line. If you're not happy about it and think I'm a bad person, then don't come next time."
He paused for a moment.
Xu Zhiyu didn't turn around, so she didn't see it.
She went behind the bar, looking tired, and started fiddling with things. She didn't see the boy pull out a chair in the corner and sit down, his head hanging low in dejection.
He looked at his hands, lost in thought.
"We're out of lemons, but how about I make you a cup of soy milk?"
No one responded to her.
She turned around in confusion and saw the person sitting in the dim light in the corner. The dim light cast a sense of grievance on the downy hair on the side of his face. Only then did Boss Xu realize that what she had just said might have been a bit harsh.
While watching a video, someone said that some quiet kids are sensitive, but she's very outgoing and says whatever comes to mind. What kind of boss in the world would be so stern and tell their customers not to come back to do business with her?
What's more, this is a sensitive customer who is particularly fond of coming to the supermarket every day.
The more I thought about it, the more guilty I felt, so I simply heated up an extra slice of cheesecake.
She composed herself, carried the tray to his table, and made two breakfasts, one for him and one for herself.
To ease the tension, she took the initiative to say:
"Hehe, I'm a bit grumpy when I wake up. I was still sleepy and said some unpleasant things, so please don't take it to heart. Look, there are not only pancakes but also cheesecake. Hey—if you take a bite of the cheesecake, you can't keep nagging me in your mind, okay?"
Mr. Xu sat across from me, chattering away. The cheese was so delicious it brought tears to my eyes. He had been silently considering not coming tomorrow, but after eating this cake that was even better than a pancake, he decided to reconsider.
“I asked a high school student yesterday, and he said that senior students have to start their morning self-study at 6:50. You come at 6 o’clock every day, so you have plenty of time to sit down at a breakfast shop and have something hot.”
"I'm a sophomore in high school."
For once, this person was willing to chat with her, and Xu Zhiyu was pleasantly surprised, her eyes shining.
"So you're a sophomore in high school? You come here so early every day?"
"..."
Okay, she knew he didn't want to answer that question, so she asked another one.
"So you never eat at home either? What about your parents? Don't they get up and cook breakfast for you?"
"What parents?"
What kind of parents?
"They're your parents, your mom and dad."
"I have no parents."
Hmm.
Xu Zhiyu choked.
Hearing this, she felt even more guilty for what she had just said.
No wonder, no wonder...
His aloof and cold personality...
She watched him obediently finish all the food on his plate, neatly put away his knife and fork, and then drink the soy milk in his glass until it was empty.
A terrible, impulsive thought popped into my head, and I hesitated, trying to decide whether to say it aloud.
The boy usually comes to her supermarket once in the morning and once in the evening. In the morning, it's at six o'clock, and in the evening, it's usually between afternoon classes and evening self-study. Before Labor Day, he usually comes at six o'clock in the evening, and after Labor Day, it's between six-thirty and seven o'clock.
"What do you eat every night? Do you also buy bread and sandwiches from our supermarket?"
"Um."
The two were silent for a while, exchanging a few words. She picked at the bagels on her plate, feeling a mix of emotions, and had lost all appetite.
After much deliberation, the words that had been hesitating to be spoken were finally uttered.
"How about this? Since you come to our supermarket every day without fail to support our business, and you need to eat breakfast and dinner, so do I. From now on, I'll make an extra sandwich in the morning and an extra carton of milk for you. How about that?"
He didn't speak.
“I know you love that sandwich. You can’t eat that as a staple food for a long time. I’m doing this for your own good, but if you really don’t want to, I won’t force you. After all, it’s your own body. Even if I like to meddle, I can’t be that nosy.”
He didn't know why she had to say that harsh last sentence.
What does it mean to meddle in other people's business?
Am I just a nobody to her?
Who would want to eat the breakfast she makes?
Hmph, I don't want to.
“Okay,” he said.
I agreed.
Xu Zhiyu looked at him and smiled sweetly: "Good boy."
.
After the two finished breakfast together, Mr. Xu's drowsiness finally disappeared.
I estimate I won't feel sleepy again until around lunchtime in the afternoon.
She had more than half a bagel left on her plate and was about to take it away to throw it away when someone suddenly grabbed her clothes from behind.
"Don't throw it away." The boy looked at the bagels on the plate, his ears gradually turning red under Mr. Xu's questioning gaze.
"Oh? I've already eaten this. Do you want some?"
"Sell it to me."
She always called him "little devil," and when the two stood so close together, Xu Zhiyu realized that this kid was actually a head taller than her.
I estimate that in another two years he'll be taller than Li Jiajing.
But... why would he buy a bagel he hadn't finished eating?
"Why are you buying this leftovers?" she asked, puzzled.
The boy turned his face away, his gaze unfathomable.
"Feed the dog."
So that's how it is. He's a kind and well-behaved child.
She looked relaxed. There were many stray dogs and cats in Huainan Lane. Huainan Lane had a large flow of people, and the stray cats and dogs that dared to appear here were generally bold and unafraid of people. However, they were also fed to be fat by the kind-hearted shop owners or students in the school.
"You should have said so earlier. I could have just given you a leftover bagel instead of selling it. Wait here, I'll find a paper bag to pack it for you."
She walked away while saying this.
The boy lowered his hand, gently clenched it into a fist, and rubbed the lingering fragrance in his palm.
.
After seeing the brat off, Xu Zhiyu sat cross-legged in her little nest and reflected on her actions.
well.
From this perspective, everything becomes traceable.
Isn't it understandable that children who grow up without their parents might have eccentric personalities?
It's been several months, hasn't it?
Eating sandwiches in the morning and bread in the evening during a time of intense study, what nutritional value do these foods provide?
No wonder he's so skinny, poor little thing.
She shook her head, took out her phone, and browsed Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) for delicious recipes, planning to try making them that evening.
Before he left, Xu Zhiyu specifically instructed him not to tell his classmates that he could eat desserts on the second floor of the supermarket every day, because for Boss Xu, the most valuable thing was her labor. Running a supermarket was an easy job, but making desserts was hard work.
I just came back from a competitive big city a few months ago and haven't had enough rest yet. I'll consider opening a business on the second floor when I get bored later.
Around 10 a.m., Li Jiajing suddenly sent her a WeChat message.
Suddenly, I remembered my warm invitation to those two last night. They said they would bring Zhang Zhi over to play in the afternoon. But then I realized I was still in my pajamas. That wouldn't do. I'll ask Aunt Wang next door to watch the shop for me. She needs to go back and change.
.
At noon, the sky was clear and blue.
The blue curtains in the classroom kept the scorching heat out of the windows; the school had only started installing air conditioning in its classrooms last year.
It's just that we're reluctant to open them until it gets extremely hot.
Most of the day students live nearby and go home for lunch break.
The students who stayed in the dorms went back to their rooms, while a few others ate lunch in the cafeteria and then rested in the classroom.
The boy sat by the window, the books in the table and on the tabletop were neatly arranged, and he took off his denim jacket, revealing a simple white T-shirt underneath.
"Come on, let's eat." The guardian of the trash cans casually strolled over to his table and tapped it with his backhand.
"I'm not going."
"I'm eating alone again! You don't have any exams lately, why don't you go out and eat?"
The boy pondered for a moment, then said, "Then you buy it and I'll eat with you."
"Alright."
Fifteen minutes later.
Shang Qi brought up two fried rice dishes, pulled out the stool in front of her friend's desk and sat down, then pulled open the curtains to let the bright sunshine in.
The light was blinding, and the boy turned his head to the side.
"Aren't you hot? You've made so much dust in your food."
The boy across from him saw a cute paper bag on his friend's table, so he bent down and took a closer look.
"Ah, you come here every day again. Why do you eat her bread every day?" Shang Qi couldn't understand. He familiarly laid out the fried rice, then casually grabbed the cute paper bag, preparing to take out the bread inside and share it with the two of them.
"Don't move, put it down."
Shang Qi was caught off guard by his friend's cold attitude.
His eyes widened: "No, is it really necessary to make such a fuss over a piece of bread?"
Normally, even if this person buys bread and snatches it, he doesn't get this angry.
He said it wasn't that bad, but Shang Qi withdrew his hand and awkwardly touched his nose. Seeing how much his brother treasured the bread, he suddenly became curious about what delicious treat was inside.
But after seeing the other person take it out with their own eyes, I instantly lost the desire to eat it.
A hard, leftover piece of bread?
I don't understand him.
The boy looked down at the bagel on the table. There were uneven bite marks along one corner of the edge. Staring at the bite marks, he suddenly saw an image in his mind of her holding the bagel with both hands and biting it with her pink and tender little mouth.
She eats like a little hamster, always cramming food into her cheeks first, and only chewing it slowly, bit by bit, when her mouth is full.
She ate bread, drank milk tea, ate lollipops, and ate ice cream.
He has seen them all.
If he had the chance in the future, he would most like to get close to her and smell her breath when she eats sweets; it must smell sweet.
The boy tore off a small piece from the spot where she had bitten it, put it in his mouth, and waited for the dry bagel to be soaked in saliva and gradually melt.
There's just a damn voice on repeat in my ear:
A note from the author:
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The paragraph reviews are now open! Thank you to all the lovely people in the comments section for your comments and interactions! [Sprinkling flowers]
P.S. I was so happy to see all your comments on the new chapter! This story has a slow pace, so I suggest listening to some music while you read. I hope it can bring a little warmth to my dear readers in their busy lives. [shrug]
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