Day 3
The third day was normal. Ruan Xiyan was dazzled by the sunlight streaming in through the window.
He sat still on the bed, his mind not quite clear, thinking that he was almost used to the fact that he was sleeping in a bed that wasn't his own after getting up.
Ruan Xiyan slowly regained her composure, picked up her phone, got out of bed, and went to wash up.
The living room was empty, just like yesterday, except for a boy on the sofa, about the age of middle school, engrossed in playing on his phone. Ruan Xiyan guessed that this was Lu Er's cousin, Lu Mingyi.
When Lu Mingyi saw Ruan Xiyan come out, he didn't raise his head, but just shrugged and said, "Mom told you to go out and buy groceries today."
“…Oh.” Remembering Lu Er’s instructions, Ruan Xiyan didn’t bother to say anything more to him. He had seen Cui Feng’s text message about buying groceries.
With foam in his mouth, Ruan Xiyan put his toothbrush aside and glanced at his phone. Lu Er's WeChat was deserted; compared to his, a mere swipe of his finger was enough to access all his messages.
Aside from family members, everyone was saved with the same name in their contact list. The latest messages were Cui Feng's from last night, and the two of them chatting before bed last night.
Ruan Xiyan looked at it for a while, then put her phone back in her pocket. What kind of thing is it to spy on a girl's privacy? Besides, Lu Er, when he's with her, always seems to be separated by a layer of fog.
She walked through the fog, and anyone who looked at her had their eyes become blurred and indistinct.
After washing up, Ruan Xiyan ate a simple breakfast and went out. He had made an appointment with Lu Er to learn how to cook today.
On the other side of the road. Getting up was a little easier today because I finally didn't see that warm, wagging golden retriever.
She got out of bed to wash up, and at the same time, her phone kept beeping, which at first glance sounded like an alarm clock.
Lu Er glanced at the messages; they were from Ruan Xiyan's WeChat group and from someone sending him a private message. His social network was truly extensive; ever since Lu Er became Ruan Xiyan, he'd received several WeChat messages every few days, which was quite annoying.
She clicked on it, and the screen was filled with red dots and constantly scrolling through WeChat messages—it made her want to faint. Lu Er endured it for a while, and finally put her phone on silent. Now the world was at peace.
As for the private messages sent to Ruan Xiyan, Lu Er thought she should just let him reply to them later. She reasoned that getting involved too much might expose more clues.
Ruan Xiyan was on her way. Lu Er didn't want to sit and wait, so she went to the bus stop where he had landed to pick him up.
Most of the people taking this bus are local residents, and this area is a well-known old residential area, so the largest number of people waiting to board are elderly.
Ruan Xiyan usually takes the subway or rides a bicycle when he goes out. Buses have almost disappeared from his mode of transportation, but he still understands the specific procedures for taking buses in Huai'an City.
After scanning the bus pass, he found a private chair and sat down. He plugged in his earphones, and the street scenery was shrouded in greenery. The cheerful melody seemed to be stirring up dopamine in every cell of his body.
Ruan Xiyan has always been easily satisfied and quick to cheer up. Since he can't change the current situation, he might as well enjoy the present. He gently closed his eyes, and the bus stopped at one stop, where a new batch of people boarded.
The surrounding voices became a cacophony of noise. Ruan Xiyan opened her eyes and saw that the car was now full of people. An elderly man with a hunched back was leaning against the seat next to her.
Ruan Xiyan thought for a moment and offered her seat to the old man: "Sir, please sit here."
The old man was a little hard of hearing, so Ruan Xiyan raised her voice a bit for him to hear her. He turned around and saw that it was a young girl, and his wrinkles lit up with a smile: "Oh, thank you so much, young lady. Aren't you going to sit down?"
“I’ve just arrived at my stop. Besides, I’m a young man and I’m in good health. Please sit down if you have trouble walking.” Hearing the word “young girl,” Ruan Xiyan’s smile almost vanished.
This was exactly what happened when Lu Er met Ruan Xiyan. He waved goodbye to the people behind him and got out of the car through the back door.
The smile still lingered on his face, the morning light like shattered gold gilding his features, radiating a soft, vibrant life. It was a kind of vitality unique to Ruan Xiyan, yet it appeared on Lu Er.
Lu Er lowered her eyes slightly, and only after the person ran to her side did she say indifferently, "Let's go."
—
Ruan Tang went to her friend's house early in the morning. There weren't many people in the house, which was perfect for the two of them to stay.
Ruan Xiyan's soul had been away for three days, and now that he was back home, he was so moved that he wanted to hug every piece of furniture and ask how they were doing. Of course, out of pride, he wouldn't actually do that.
"Is Mao Mao not here today?"
Ruan Xiyan looked around and met Lu Er's strange gaze. She explained, "Oh, Mao Mao is the name of that golden retriever. Its name is Man Mao Mao, a male dog."
Lu Er thought to herself, "Ruan Xiyan's WeChat name." She replied, "She was taken away by your cousin."
"Hmm." Ruan Xiyan thought it was normal. Remembering what Cui Feng had told her, she casually told her, "Your second aunt asked me to go out and buy groceries. I need to buy tomatoes, potatoes, and cabbage. We still have eggs at home, so she said we don't need to buy any more."
Lu Er said she understood. She had just checked the refrigerator and there were only cabbages and green peppers. It was clear that the people in this family didn't cook much.
"Let me teach you how to cook first." Lu Er put down her hand that was pinching her eyebrows, and pointed her raised chin at the cabbage. "Wash one."
It's not that they're truly pampered princesses who can't even wash vegetables. After washing them thoroughly inside and out, Lu Er inspected them and then turned her gaze away: "Do you know how to turn on the gas?"
"...Left twist, right?" Ruan Xiyan looked at her cautiously, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw her nod. What was this feeling, like facing that vulture-like headmaster?
Vulture was the worst-tempered grade director at No. 3 Middle School. He had a shiny hood and a black line on his face. His methods of punishment were so cruel that even the most brutal torture methods of the Qing Dynasty would have to avoid them.
Ahem, I've digressed. The sizzling sound of oil splashing as the fire started cooking made Ruan Xiyan close one eye, while the other kept trying to back away.
Lu Er went to the restroom. He muttered to himself, "Stir-fry, stir-fry." A drop of hot oil landed on her wrist; Ruan Xiyan trembled, but didn't let go.
"You can turn the heat down a bit." Lu Er returned at some point. She crossed her arms and stared at Ruan Xiyan, sighing silently in her heart. "I'll do it. You go and wash your wounds."
Ruan Xiyan handed the spatula to her with slight embarrassment. While rinsing the dish, Lu Er told him that the heat was too high and the food would burn easily.
The dishes arrived, and Lu Er was in charge of the latter half, so everything seemed fine. However, after taking a bite, Lu Er fell silent: "...Didn't you put any salt in?"
Meeting Ruan Xiyan's utterly innocent gaze, Lu Er ultimately said nothing: "Never mind, go cook the green peppers."
"Green peppers are usually not stir-fried alone; they're usually paired with ham or pork. Now that you know how to cook green peppers, you can buy some and stir-fry them with potatoes."
With Lu Er supervising the entire process and intervening promptly, the stir-fried green peppers went relatively smoothly.
The taste was acceptable. Having received Lu Er's verbal approval, Ruan Xiyan unconsciously smiled, her dimples seeming to glow. Lu Er stared intently for two seconds before looking away.
After lunch, it was afternoon. Lu Er saw Ruan Xiyan off, who was still pondering. She knew how to cook green peppers, but how did she cook potatoes and green peppers together?
He lagged behind, lost in thought. Lu Er stopped, and he suddenly bumped into her back.
Lu Er's back is so stiff. Ruan Xiyan rubbed her aching forehead and looked up. The boy's back was tall and silent, like a sapling growing.
Girls are indeed quite different in height from boys. Ruan Xiyan glanced at Lu Er's body and thought silently.
Lu Er swept his hands around and said, "You haven't forgotten, have you? There's also the matter of tutoring."
—
The two appeared together in front of Jiang Yanyan's house again. Jiang Yanyan opened the door and saw Lu Er and Ruan Xiyan appear together, which was already quite normal: "Sister Lu, Brother Xiyan." He thought to himself, they must be a couple. Aren't couples always sticking together and inseparable?
Jiang Yanyan became even more determined in her mind.
"Hi." One greeted with a smile, the other calmly. After entering the house, Aunt Jiang was still at the hospital taking care of her grandmother, and only Jiang Yanyan was at home.
"Hmm. Today we learned about the 'chicken and rabbit in the same cage' problem. About 1,500 years ago, the ancient Chinese mathematical classic 'Sunzi Suanjing' recorded a mathematical problem that said, 'There are pheasants and rabbits in the same cage. There are 35 heads above and 94 feet below. How many pheasants and rabbits are there?' This means that there are a number of chickens and rabbits in the cage. Counting from above, there are 35 heads; counting from below, there are 94 feet. How many chickens and rabbits are there?' This is the famous 'chicken and rabbit in the same cage' problem."
After dawdling over the question, Ruan Xiyan reluctantly got to the point: "Then look at this question first. There is a cage in Grandpa Li's yard. The cage contains rabbits and chickens. There are 33 heads in total. There are 108 rabbits. How many chickens and rabbits are there?"
Damn it, the problem that trapped him in elementary school has now been put on Ruan Xiyan's head again.
Jiang Yanyan asked curiously, "How many legs does a rabbit have? Can its front arms be considered legs too?"
"Rabbits are four-legged animals; the front ones can only be considered forelegs. They walk on all four legs."
"Oh." Jiang Yanyan drafted a calculation, wrote out an equation, and got the result. "Sister Lu, is that right?"
Just as Ruan Xiyan was about to nod in agreement, Lu Er gave him a suggestive elbow. Ruan Xiyan then said knowingly, "Yes, you used an algorithm called the equation method, and you did a great job. But competitions often allow you to use one or two more algorithms. What else can you use?"
"..." Jiang Yanyan scribbled on the paper for a while, then frowned in distress, "Is there a second algorithm?"
His human-computer interaction process was finally complete. Ruan Xiyan let out a long sigh of relief and hurriedly pushed the person behind her forward: "This time it's up to your brother Xiyan. He's the best at solving these kinds of problems; he was a pro in the math Olympiad back in the day..."
"There are five algorithms for this type of problem." Lu Er automatically ignored Ruan Xiyan's boasting. "I'll teach you two that are easier to understand. The first is the assumption method..."
With nothing else to do, Ruan Xiyan picked up her phone and replied to her friends' messages for a while.
Two and a half hours passed, and Ruan Xiyan and Lu Er took the elevator downstairs.
"Is there really no way for us to turn back?" Ruan Xiyan murmured, feeling as if he could see the days to come, long and utterly without light.
Lu Er had a headache: "...I don't know."
"Do you think we should go see a feng shui master?" Ruan Xiyan stroked her chin, deep in thought. "Or maybe a fortune teller or something?"
Lu Er commented, "The good ones can wipe out the whole gang of swindlers, the bad ones can be sent to a mental hospital." She pressed her hand to her forehead to calm herself for a moment, "Let's go buy groceries first. Don't we still need to buy groceries to take back?"
There's an art to buying groceries.
Supermarket. Lu Er carefully selected the potatoes, then turned to see where Ruan Xiyan was, only to see him happily carrying a bag of greens: "I've bought the cabbage."
"How much did you buy?" Lu Er glanced at it casually, then her face froze. "...This is iceberg lettuce."
"Ah!" Ruan Xiyan exclaimed in disbelief, "This isn't cabbage!"
"Isn't it written on the label?" Lu Er walked back to the vegetable section. For some reason, the supermarket staff had carelessly put the two kinds of vegetables together. Some people also easily confuse cabbage and iceberg lettuce. Lu Er explained the difference to him: "Cabbage is more compact, while iceberg lettuce is more loose. You can feel it and tell the difference."
"...So that's how it is."
Seeing his expression, Lu Er was still worried about leaving him to cook dinner, so she sighed and said, "I'll go back with you and cook."
But this isn't a long-term solution. What if we cook today, but what about tomorrow or the day after? What about tutoring? What about private tutoring?
Both of them were feeling frustrated.
While cautiously cooking a haphazard meal, trying to avoid being discovered, Lu Er glanced out the window. Dark clouds rushed in like sharks, getting lower and lower, threatening to pour down. It was about to rain.
"It's getting late, I'm going back. It'll be difficult to travel in the rain."
Ruan Xiyan was wiping her sweat with a tissue when she heard the voice and called out, "Do you want me to take you there, or get you an umbrella?"
Lu Er shook her head: "No need."
"Okay then, see you tomorrow."
"Hmm." I really hope I don't see this tomorrow.
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