Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Taking leave.
On Monday morning, Chen Lu didn't wait for Ji Maili at the school gate, and he didn't reply to the message he sent.
After the first class, Zhou Luyang told him that Ji Maili had asked for leave.
It was not skipping classes, but asking for leave. Ji Maili's family called the class teacher to ask for leave. The specific reason is not clear.
During the break, Chen Lu ran into Zhou Bingcheng in the corridor. Zhou Bingcheng had a bandage on his head and walked past Chen Lu in a domineering manner. "You're not going to avenge Ji Maili this time?"
Shen Lu had no intention of paying attention to him, but when he heard this, he stopped in his tracks.
Zhou Bingcheng smiled smugly, as if he had won a battle. "Why that expression? He apologized to me on your behalf and even took a beating for you. Don't you know that? Honestly, he's quite tough."
Chen Lu glanced at the wound on Zhou Bingcheng's head and asked, "It hurts a lot, doesn't it?"
Zhou Bingcheng's smile froze.
Shen Lu: "Be careful next time when you hit someone, don't get hurt yourself, otherwise it won't be convincing when you show off."
Zhou Bingcheng was furious, "You fucking——"
Shen Lu: "My mother is fine, thank you for your concern."
Tao Dacheng came out of the bathroom and saw Shen Lu and Zhou Bingcheng standing together. Zhou Bingcheng looked like he was looking for trouble. He walked over and asked, "Brother Lu, what are you doing?"
Shen Lu said: "Nothing, just discussing the issue of nerve sensitivity and greeting each other's parents."
Tao Dacheng didn’t understand the first half of the sentence, but he understood the second half. Are they cursing each other?
What a cultured person!
Tao Dacheng glanced at Zhou Bingcheng's head and secretly admired the brave man who had opened his head. "Are you done with your greetings?"
Shen Lu: "Almost."
Zhou Bingcheng had been punished for his crimes, and it would be disgraceful to get involved with someone like him. Tao Dacheng said, "Just leave after greeting you. Old Qian is still looking for you."
Zhou Bingben originally came here to provoke, but ended up being filled with anger, mainly because of Chen Lu's attitude. He had clearly avenged Ji Maili last time, but he pretended not to care. The pleasure he had felt from beating Ji Maili the night before was ruined by Chen Lu's two words.
As the two walked away, Tao Dacheng asked Shen Lu, "Are you okay?"
Shen Lu's face was not very good: "Please ask for leave for me."
Tao Dacheng was stunned. "No, what are you going to do? Even if Zhou Bingcheng graduates, he's still a scoundrel. He won't be able to leave this place. You still have two years before graduation. It's not worth it for you to force him."
Shen Lu said: "What are you thinking about? I asked for leave to go see Ji Maili, and this fool got beaten again."
"Fuck, why didn't you tell me earlier? You scared me." Tao Dacheng breathed a sigh of relief. After thinking for a while, he couldn't help but say, "No, why does he like fighting so much? Is he addicted to getting beaten?"
Chen Lu explained the facts, "It's not that I'm addicted, it's that I always feel I can win."
Tao Dacheng felt that this was worse than being addicted. "Is he out of his mind?"
Although this was the case, Shen Lu didn't like to hear others say this: "Shut up and ask for leave."
...
It would be strange if a piece of clothing was stuffed into the trash can without being discovered. The next day, Ji Huan took out the bloody clothes. Not only was Ji Maili scolded, but he was also taken to the hospital by Ji Huan to treat his wounds.
This whole ordeal almost killed him with pain.
Liang Lin knew that he had fought again, so she asked for leave for him and let him stay at home.
Ji Huan poked Ji Maili's head and said, "Stay home quietly. If you dare to run away, I'll cut off your pocket money."
Ji Maili curled up in the quilt and said nothing.
Liang Lin said to Ji Huan: "Okay, go to work now. I'll watch him and stop him from running around."
Ji Huan threatened Liang Lin, "Mom, don't spoil him anymore. If you continue like this, I'm afraid he will be beaten to death. If you don't want this son, just keep protecting him. Don't faint if something happens."
Ji Huan was too late for work, so he yelled a few words and left.
Liang Lin patted Ji Maili under the quilt and said, "Your sister is gone. Come out quickly and don't hold yourself back."
Ji Maili opened his eyes and looked at Liang Lin, "Mom, I'm not being beaten, I'm just outnumbered."
Liang Lin had lost a lot of weight over the past month and wasn't as energetic as before. He patted his son's head and said, "Yes, my son is really good at fighting. He's always outnumbered."
Ji Maili: “…”
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Ji Maili was frightened by Ji Huannian and covered herself with the quilt, "Such annoyance! My sister is back again!"
Liang Lin stood up and said, "Your sister has the key, why would she ring the doorbell?"
Ji Maili hid under the quilt, "Who knows, she's so annoying."
Their family now lives in a community not too far from the school. Chen Lu only knows that Ji Maili lives here but doesn't know which floor he lives on. He just met Ji Huan downstairs, and Ji Huan told him that their home is in 502.
Liang Lin hadn't seen Shen Lu for a long time. The kid who was as tall as Ji Maili two years ago suddenly grew so much taller that she didn't dare to recognize him at first glance. "Xiao Lu?"
"Hello, Auntie." Shen Lu asked, "Is Mai Mai home?"
Liang Lin quickly let him in. "Here, here, here. Oh my god, you kid, how come you've grown so tall in just two years?"
Shen Lu smiled and said, "Maybe it's due to overnutrition."
Liang Lin stared at his tall stature. "If that's the case, Mai Mai might have been abused by me. He hasn't grown since the second year of junior high school."
Shen Lu couldn't help but laugh, "It's a little longer too."
Liang Lin brought Chen Lu to Ji Maili's room. Ji Maili was still curled up in the quilt and refused to come out. "Maimai, look who's here?"
Ji Maili popped his head out and took a look, "...Fuck!"
Ji Maili sat up from the bed, but the movement was too big, which pulled the wound on his back and he fell back onto the bed. "Oh my god...it hurts."
Liang Lin gloated: "You deserve it, I'll let you jump."
Liang Lin pulled Shen Lu and said, "Xiao Lu, you don't know that Mai Mai has been talking about you every now and then these past two years. Every time he says he misses you, what should he do? He also asks me where you've been all day long and whether he pissed you off and left. It's so annoying. I don't even know if I gave birth to a son. He keeps nagging me all day long. He clearly wants to make peace with you but he can't bring himself to act arrogantly and goes against you."
"Mom!" Ji Maili was going crazy. He lay there begging Liang Lin, "Save some face for me."
Liang Lin laughed at him, "Why do you want to save face with Xiao Lu? People have come to see you, don't give me too much, just treat them well."
Ji Maili nodded quickly, "I know, I know, please get out of here. If you continue to expose my past, my wound will burst open."
Liang Lin didn't disturb them and closed the door as she went out.
Ji Maili crawled over to Chen Lu's side in a pupa-like state, muttering, "I've lost all my face."
Shen Lu looked at him and smiled: "I didn't know you missed me so much. If I had known, I would have reconciled with you sooner."
Ji Maili: "That's enough, you're still laughing!"
Shen Lu laughed enough and asked him, "Where's my birthday present?"
Ji Maili took out a box that was larger than a shoebox from under the bed and said, "I made this two years ago. You are not allowed to dislike it."
Shen Lu: "Well, I wouldn't mind even if you gave me an empty box."
Ji Maili pulled the quilt to make room for him and said, "Sit down."
Shen Lu sat over and Ji Maili placed the box in front of him. "Look for yourself."
Chen Lu opened the box and found a blue-burnt vase inside. It was not very big, but he remembered the blue-burnt pattern on the vase. It seemed to be a painting that Ji Maili had participated in a competition when he was in the second grade of junior high school.
Shen Lu took out the bottle and looked at it over and over again. "Is the pattern on it your painting?"
"You still remember?" Ji Maili said proudly, "I burned the bottles too. I broke quite a few of them."
Shen Lu looked at him, "It took a lot of effort, didn't it?"
Ji Maili was injured on his back and couldn't lie down. He held a pillow in his arms and lay on his stomach. "That's right. After firing, we have to glaze it. It took me two months to complete it."
The mouth of the bottle was a little crooked, but the painting on it was very delicate. Shen Lu said, "I remember this painting was the one you wanted to take to the competition."
Ji Maili smiled and said, "Yes, you said you liked this painting, so I didn't enter it in the competition. I wanted to give it to you, but then I felt that giving paintings was boring, so I made a bottle instead. Do you like it?"
"I like it very much." Chen Lu really liked it. Although the birthday gifts Ji Maili gave him before were also very unique, this one obviously took more thought.
Shen Lu asked, "You didn't use that painting in the competition, so what did you use to compete?"
Ji Maili said casually, "Then I just drew another one casually."
Shen Lu: "Did you get the award?"
Ji Maili glanced at him and said, "How could I possibly win a prize? You know how long I spent on that painting. I didn't have time to paint another one. I just painted it carelessly. Later, my dad found out and beat me up."
Chen Lu looked at the crooked-mouthed bottle in his hand and stroked the bottle gently. "It's really precious. You got it in exchange for being beaten."
Ji Maili had never regretted being beaten that year, and now he had forgotten the pain. He smiled heartlessly, "It's a small matter, as long as you like it."
Ji Maili was very happy that he didn't dislike the crooked-mouthed bottle. It looked quite proper when it was made, but he didn't know how it became crooked later.
Chen Lu turned the bottle around and looked at it. "Why was this bottle made on the second day of the New Year a birthday gift from the year before last? Shouldn't it have been a gift for a certain festival the year before last?"
Ji Maili choked.
Shen Lu looked at him: "Hmm?"
Ji Maili bared his teeth: "You are such an annoying person! Yes, I did this to comfort you after you quarreled with me. Who the hell knew you would never come back? I can't send you away, can I?" Ji Maili muttered unhappily: "Can't you give me some face and pretend there is something wrong with last year's birthday present?"
Obviously very touched, Shen Lu couldn't help laughing after being yelled at by him, "Okay, no problem, thank you for the birthday present."
Shen Lu put the bottle back into the box, "This was my birthday gift two years ago, what about last year's?"
Ji Maili yelled, "Last year? I was lucky enough not to smash this bottle last year, and you still dare to ask me for a gift?"
Seeing him gritting his teeth, Shen Lu thought that he didn't want to smash the bottle last year, but wanted to smash the bottle on his head.
Shen Lu put the box away and glanced at his room. There were many things in the room, but nothing for painting: "You don't paint now?"
Ji Maili stretched his legs and said, "I haven't drawn any more."
Shen Lu felt it was a pity, "You should continue studying."
"My sister also told me to continue studying, but I don't want to." Ji Maili was reluctant to talk about this. He asked Chen Lu, "How did you know I lived here?"
Shen Lu: "Guess."
Ji Maili couldn't guess. When he moved in, the two hadn't reconciled yet, and after they reconciled, he wasn't allowed to come. He looked at Shen Lu: "I guess you're following me."
Shen Lu pressed his nose, "Beep! Correct answer."
Ji Maili slapped his hand away and asked in disbelief, "Are you really following me?"
Shen Lu said: "If I say it now, do you believe it?"
It was indeed stalking. Ji Maili walked back after crying all night in front of his former home. Shen Lu was right behind him at the time. Thinking of how distraught he looked as he walked back step by step that day, Shen Lu couldn't help but touch his head.
That day, he also wanted to touch him like this.
Ji Maili looked at the hand above his head and asked, "What are you doing?"
Shen Lu: "I feel sorry for you."
Before Ji Maili could feel disappointed, she heard Chen Lu say again, "I feel bad that you're always getting beaten."
Ji Maili pushed his hand away: "...Get out!"
Shen Lu smiled and retracted his hand: "Where are you hurt this time?"
Ji Maili lifted up her clothes to show him, "Damn it, if they weren't so many people and were playing dirty tricks, I would definitely beat them up!"
There was a bloody streak extending upwards from Ji Maili's lower back. It wasn't a cut, but more like a scratch.
Shen Lu didn't dare touch his wound. He gently scratched the wound with his fingertips and asked, "Have you applied the medicine?"
Ji Maili felt a little itchy when he touched her. He shrank back and said in a complaining tone, "Yes, I did. My sister caught me yesterday and took me straight to the hospital. The doctor was so cruel, it was like he wanted to kill me. It hurt so much."
Ji Huan, this woman, was even more cruel. Not only did she not save him, she also instigated the doctor, saying that he should feel pain, it would be better if he felt some pain, otherwise he would not learn his lesson.
Shen Lu helped him straighten his clothes, "Didn't you say your sister wanted to take you out to play? To the hospital?"
Ji Maili was annoyed that he always asked questions even though he knew the answer and didn't give him face. "You already know the answer, yet you still ask."
Shen Lu said to him, "What do I know? I know that you took the beating for me? Are you stupid?"
Ji Maili turned his head suddenly, "How did you know? Did that bastard Zhou Bingcheng come looking for you? Damn, I think I didn't hit him hard enough!"
Ji Maili was so angry that he jumped up and down. Shen Lu pushed him on the forehead and said, "Behave yourself. Stay away from him from now on. I will handle this matter."
"You handle it?" Ji Maili hunched his back, unable to straighten it, and clasped his hands together in a bow to him. "I beg you, please don't cause me any more trouble."
Shen Lu laughed angrily, "Who is causing trouble for whom?"
Ji Maili said: "Of course it was you who caused me trouble. If you hadn't locked him in the toilet, how could this have happened?"
Very good, he skipped all the preludes in one sentence.
Shen Lu admired his logic and nodded: "Okay, just think of it as me causing trouble for you, but Mai Mai, can we not fight in the future?"
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