Chapter 5 Five-Tube Star Sleep, You Get 100 Points
Li Jiajing gave Zhang Zhi a mysterious look, and his good brother immediately understood what he meant.
"Oh, I don't live here. I'll go outside to the main street and take a taxi home."
As Xu Zhiyu turned around and rode her bicycle, Zhang Zhi stood behind her, rolled his eyes at Li Jiajing, and with a single word, a lie came out of his mouth.
"Judging from your accent, you're not from around here, and you're dressed so fashionably. I thought you were a friend from out of town that Li Jiajing brought back from his business trip, and I wondered if you were staying at his house."
"No, I'm staying at a hotel that's far from here."
Yes, I am staying at his house temporarily, and what you think is completely correct.
“I’m not a local. Li Jiajing said his hometown is very beautiful, so I came with him to visit for a while.”
"Oh, so that's how it is." Xu Zhiyu put on the white helmet, then patted the back of her head.
“Then I’m going the same way as Li Jiajing. I always give him a ride after we finish playing mahjong. You can walk a few more steps from here to the street, where it’s easy to get a taxi.”
Li Jiajing suppressed his joy and calmly sat down in the back seat behind Xu Zhiyu.
Before leaving, he told Zhang Zhi, "Be careful not to get lost. When you get home... no, when you get to the hotel, let me know."
Zhang Zhi was speechless as he watched the two of them ride away on the small electric scooter, swaying precariously.
He complained the whole way.
"I'm speechless. We're staying in the same place but have to go back separately."
"Be careful not to get lost~ Let me know when you get to the hotel~" He mimicked Li Jiajing's sarcastic tone.
"Pah! Go to your mother's hotel! I don't know anyone here, and that dog Li Jia ran off with a girl! Let your dad take a taxi home by himself!"
The white pony had already run quite a distance when a melodious female voice drifted down from the alleyway:
"Zhang Zhi—come to my supermarket tomorrow if you're free—it's on me—"
The grumbling man perked up instantly upon hearing the invitation: "Okay!"
See, men are so easy to please.
.
Li Jiajing gripped the back seat bumper with both hands, leaving a two-fist distance between himself and the girl in front of him.
He's tall and has long legs, making him look out of place sitting on such a miniature electric vehicle.
At such close range, one can already smell the fresh fragrance emanating from Xu Zhiyu.
Like a summer morning, the faint fragrance carries a hint of bitterness from the plant stems and leaves.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he leaned back a little, afraid that the wheels might accidentally run over a stone, causing him to slip forward and tear the delicate paper window decoration, thus ending his chance to sit in the back of her car.
Her small figure moved about under the soft yellow light, and even though he couldn't see her smiling face, the strands of her hair that fell down and touched his face made him feel radiant.
Xu Zhiyu was the most radiant person he had ever met.
She was so pure, vibrant, and captivating.
Li Jiajing couldn't imagine that anyone in the world would dislike her.
"We're here. We've been playing so late again. I bet my dad will give me a hard time when we get back."
She stopped the car, muttering to herself, and waited for the people behind her to get off.
"Mr. Li, I'm so sorry to have troubled you again today."
"I suspect you didn't teach me the real skills at all, and you're holding back a trick to win money from me," he said seriously.
"How could that be! In your heart, I, Xu Zhiyu, am that kind of person?"
"Just kidding." Li Jiajing stood up, his hands in his pockets, his chestnut-brown short hair reflecting a romantic color under the streetlights.
"With Boss Xu's skills being so good, how could I possibly beat him?"
"Oh, alright, alright, come to my shop tomorrow, I'll treat you and your friend to milk tea." She waved her hand, feigning impatience.
"Honestly, so stingy, what a waste of such a handsome face."
puff.
Zhizhi said he was handsome.
She said, "A handsome face."
Li Jiajing was secretly delighted and stood by the roadside watching her turn into another alleyway home.
I held back for a long time, but finally asked:
"Is he really handsome? What score out of 100 would you give him?"
Before the car had gone far, Xu Zhiyu stopped again, tilted her head, and carefully compared the two.
An image of a grumpy guy involuntarily pops into my mind.
I thought about his eyes, nose, and mouth.
The final conclusion was: "Seventy or eighty."
"Yes!"
Her figure disappeared around the corner, and Li Jiajing walked alone in Huainan Alley, suddenly letting out a joyful cheer.
.
The neighborhood is a bit old, consisting of older buildings. The property management isn't very good, and the maintenance of the neighborhood's facilities is handled by Uncle Li, who is enthusiastic and has a lot of influence.
He would often organize meetings for the residents of the community to discuss issues related to public facilities.
For example, the road leading into the community used to be very dark with no streetlights. Many people coming home from night shifts would tremble with fear when they walked this road.
One day, a bright, huge light bulb appeared on this road. Its blazing white light illuminated the straight path as if it were daytime, so girls going home at night no longer had to grit their teeth and run across the road.
Speaking of this, Xu Zhiyu also had another advantage: he was bold.
She was never afraid.
The wheels rolled over memories from childhood to adulthood. She opened her mouth wide, swallowing all the light that came her way, pretending that her body was filled with light, gradually becoming transparent, and then simply rising into the sky to become the sun, warming every unhappy childhood in the world.
It wasn't until the car was safely parked downstairs that I remembered I hadn't eaten a single bite of the dinner my mom had brought me that evening.
Even though I won money, my stomach is still growling.
She took out a stainless steel lunchbox, carried it to the stairwell, and sat down on the first floor. When she opened it, the food was still slightly warm.
The fragrance gradually filled the hallway, gently enveloping her like a summer blanket named "Love".
My mom's pickled chicken feet are the most flavorful because she knows Xu Zhiyu's taste. She always carefully removes the nails from the chicken feet, cooks them until they are soft and tender, and pickles them until they are spicy and cold. When you eat them, the lemon aroma is refreshing.
Looking at the elaborately arranged dishes and the rice that had been pressed down hard in the lunchbox.
Xu Zhiyu smiled and began to wolf down her food, never again craving the taste of takeout.
Five years ago, she was still in high school.
My mom always pressed down the rice when serving her rice, giving her the amount of rice that should be two bowls' worth.
Because Ah Yu only eats one bowl of food per meal, and she will never scoop out a second bowl of food, no matter what kind of dish it is.
Seeing the rice served with obvious signs of being pressed down, she angrily retorted, "Why are you pressing it down? One bowl is enough for me. Mom, are you trying to stuff me to death?"
“I know your appetite. You have such long classes in the afternoon, you'll be hungry very early if you don't eat a full meal.”
She completely disregarded her mother's explanation, stubbornly shoving away most of the rice, rummaging through several dishes, eating a few bites hastily, and then rushing off to school after throwing down her bowl.
My classmates and I chipped in to buy a fried chicken combo from the shop outside. This newly opened fried chicken shop is so delicious!
Xu Zhiyu vowed that when she grows up and starts working, she will definitely order fried chicken takeout every day!
Later, after she started working, she easily achieved this wish, but she didn't feel happy at all.
Many of my colleagues who live in big cities are seniors who are already married and have children. They bring lunch boxes prepared by their families for lunch. The food inside doesn't look as good as her takeout, but it smells like takeout that you can never smell.
I felt so envious I wanted to cry.
Now I understand, that's the taste of love.
Because my mom doesn't like climbing stairs, they bought a house on the first floor.
She devoured the not-too-hot food, like a starving wolf; if the box hadn't been made of stainless steel, she would have almost eaten it whole.
She tiptoed to open the security door, and had to be extremely careful when closing it, otherwise, she'd be in big trouble if she woke up her dad.
She dared not turn on the light. She fumbled to turn on her phone's flashlight, bent down to change her shoes, and almost fainted on the spot from the stench of her father's worn-out leather shoes.
My mom said that summer is the most miserable time for chefs because in the sweltering heat, my dad would be sweating profusely while stir-frying in the kitchen, and his feet would feel like they were soaking in a water tank, which is why his feet always smell so bad.
He soaks his feet in foot bath powder every night when he comes home, and sometimes he also uses vinegar.
Dad didn't say it, but Ayu knew that soaking his feet was the happiest thing for him every day.
What makes Mom happiest every day? She's never said, and Ah Yu hasn't figured it out either.
But she knew that her mother liked to go out and have fun.
She was carrying slippers when she saw that her parents' bedroom door was open. She couldn't resist tiptoeing in to peek in—and saw her mother hunched over to one side, and her father snoring with his head tilted back.
He was a little chubby; there weren't many skinny people in their chef circle. It was normal for him to snore while sleeping; it just varied in volume. Xu Zhiyu thought her dad was fine because she couldn't hear him from her room.
Seeing that they were both sound asleep, she not only breathed a sigh of relief, but also slowly smiled.
Throw the greasy lunchbox into the kitchen to soak in water. Whoever has time to see it tomorrow morning will wash it. Xu Zhiyu definitely won't have time, because she has to wash up and go to bed quickly. It's almost two o'clock now. If she dawdles any longer, she'll have to get up and open the door for that kid before she's even warmed up in bed.
After quickly showering and drying her hair, she realized she didn't have time for skincare today, and she happily snuggled into her soft, cozy bed.
As he mentally counted the mahjong tiles, his breathing gradually steadied.
I'm very satisfied with today.
Shh, goodnight.
.
In late May, dawn broke earlier and earlier each day.
I only get three or four hours of sleep, and I feel like I don't even have enough dreams.
She picked up her phone to check the time, her eyes dry and sore. She lay on the bed and rubbed her face with her hands. Then, Ah Yu made a major decision.
She got out of bed with a frown, wearing a dark green ruffled nightgown. She grabbed the strawberry-patterned blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself. She hurriedly grabbed her phone and keys, and without even changing her shoes, rushed straight into the store.
The alarm clock rang three times, and it wasn't until the third time that it woke her up.
It's 5:45. If I get up immediately and go to the store, I can still get there before that kid.
She was panting, having even lost her slippers while running, and hurriedly opened the shop door. Seeing that the brat wasn't standing there, she was secretly pleased. Then, she plopped down in her foam chair, tilted her head back, and covered her face with a blanket.
Just as I closed my eyes, in that half-dreaming, half-awake state, a familiar voice rang in my ears:
"Five muffins and a cup of hot lemonade."
As soon as the words were spoken, the supermarket announced:
[52 yuan received via Alipay.]
A note from the author:
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