Chapter 9
Attentive Little Housekeeper
Chen Zhiyu's dark eyes lit up instantly when he saw Qiao Xi, his face beaming with joy. "Sister, you're back!"
Judging from his condition, he shouldn't have been affected by what happened downstairs. Josh, his voice hoarse, called out first, "Give me some water."
"Okay, sure." Chen Zhiyu jogged back to the living room.
Josh's legs were still weak. Once inside, she collapsed onto the sofa, motionless, waiting for Chen Zhiyu to serve her.
Looking at Chen Zhiyu's slightly busy back, Qiao Xi felt a surge of joy. She never imagined that she would one day live a life where food was served to her and clothes were put on her back. Thinking of this, she was overjoyed. However, when she took the water that the housekeeper had brought her, her mood immediately plummeted. Qiao Xi wondered, "Why is it lukewarm? I remember there was ice in the refrigerator."
The housekeeper said in a serious tone, "You just ran so fast, it's not suitable to drink ice water right away."
"You know quite a lot." Josh sat on the sofa, speechless. He finished his water in one gulp, handed it to him with a disgruntled gesture, and gestured with his chin to indicate that he should pour him another glass.
The housekeeper took the water glass but didn't touch it, looking at her expectantly. "I made breakfast, eat some first, there's millet porridge, don't just drink water and get full." After a while, she added, "Eat more later, I'm afraid you'll wake up hungry if you fall asleep."
They interfere a lot.
Josh finally gave in to his nagging and decided to eat breakfast first. There was already some cooled millet porridge on the table. Chen Zhiyu reached out and touched the rim of the bowl. It was still warm. "Drink it while it's hot. There's also an egg here."
Josh stopped Chen Zhiyu from peeling the egg for her and asked him curiously, "Have you already eaten?"
"Yes, I just finished eating."
Do you know what happened downstairs?
Chen Zhiyu: "I know, I heard about it when I went out."
Josh paused in peeling the egg, looked up at her, and asked, "What are you doing out so early in the morning?"
"I found a job." After thinking for a while, he answered honestly.
"What kind of job are you looking for? Just do your homework and stay home." There was nothing wrong before, but now that such a terrible incident has happened in the neighborhood, Josh doesn't want him to go out anymore.
"There isn't much homework."
"Then you should preview it. You missed some classes in June, but you'll definitely need it later. If you don't understand it then, it will affect your later courses."
"I'm studying." Chen Zhiyu paused for a moment, then said, "I can't study all day long."
Josh stared at him. She had seen this boy's stubbornness before, and finally relented, "Fine, if you want to do it, then do it. What kind of job is it?"
He was assigned to hand out flyers. Nobody wanted him for other jobs either.
"That's fine too. Just say something if you get bullied." As for handing out flyers, it's fine until you finish handing them out, and they're all in places where people gather, so Josh can feel a little more at ease.
Josh finished the last mouthful of millet porridge and then told him, "Take your phone with you and contact me if you need anything."
"By the way, I topped up your phone credit by 100 yuan in the middle of the night. Did you receive the notification?"
Chen Zhiyu was about to take Qiao Xi's bowl when he heard this, he paused, and said, "I received it."
“I’m full.” Josh pressed his hand down, remembering the unpleasant things downstairs, and gave him a final warning, “Don’t go out tonight unless you have to. Those kids are too unruly.”
"Remember to close the doors and windows before you go to bed. Aunt Li is going to her daughter's house. I'll send you the security office's phone number later. Call me if you need anything."
"good."
After finishing her meal, Josh relaxed and felt even sleepier. She forced herself to ask, "Are you going to work soon?"
"right."
Josh nodded, got up and headed to the bedroom, waving lazily at him, "Okay, I'm going to sleep, I'm sleepy."
"I'll be back this afternoon. What would you like to eat?" Chen Zhiyu asked as he caught up with him.
"Don't worry about me. I'm leaving at 5:30 today. They'll provide meals, so you can eat by yourself for the next few days." Then she added, "There's some change under the coffee table in the living room. Don't bother cooking for yourself; you'll be quite tired when you get back. Just buy whatever you want to eat."
There was no response from the other end.
"Did you hear me!" Josh stopped at the bedroom door, turned around and yelled at him.
"Yes, I heard you." Chen Zhiyu was startled and shrank back.
Seeing that he finally agreed, Josh felt relieved, muttering, "You're making things easier for me every day."
"Sister," Chen Zhiyu suddenly called out to her. Her job involved three shifts, and she would be on the afternoon shift in seven days, finishing at 11 p.m. "Won't it be dangerous for you to work?"
"It should be fine, that will be in a week." Josh didn't seem to care. "Maybe they'll arrest those people by then."
When that day finally came, they still hadn't caught the group of children.
*
That day was Josh's first time working the afternoon shift. Before leaving, she specifically told Chen Zhiyu, "I can get off work at 11 p.m. and get home around 11:30 p.m. Don't wait for me. If you're sleepy, just go to sleep. Just remember to leave the door open for me."
Josh witnessed once again that Chen Zhiyu really had his own stubborn streak in some aspects. He didn't say whether to wait or not, but directly changed the subject, "Sis, be careful."
"I understand." Josh still didn't think there was a big problem.
Two days ago, the victim, who had been in a coma, woke up. The police should be able to find the person who hurt him based on the sketch. I reckon those kids won't dare to come back.
But Aunt Li has been staying at her daughter's house and hasn't returned. Since the incident, the property management has been even more diligent, adding extra lights to the usually dark areas and increasing the number of security guards patrolling at irregular intervals.
Sometimes, with such a strong atmosphere, Josh would suddenly feel a little scared while walking down the street.
In terms of work, Josh is becoming more and more adept at it. Apart from occasionally dealing with one or two customers who deliberately make things difficult for him, most customers are very friendly.
Sometimes when they're unsure, especially late at night, the kitchen staff will sit outside to encourage them.
The kitchen worker was tall and burly, with broad shoulders and a thick waist; no one would dare to mess with him.
The middle shift is relatively easier; Josh leaves work promptly at 11 PM. The shop is quite close to home, and if traffic is good, it only takes about fifteen minutes to get home.
Josh entered the residential area as usual, saw the guardhouse with its lights on, and greeted them inside.
Because of battery issues, the electric vehicle needs to be charged every other day. The community is also quite old, and there are not charging stations under every building. The charging places are all concentrated in one place.
Josh first charged the trolley, then walked home.
A sudden gust of wind picked up at night, rustling the treetops along the path and making the leaves whisper.
This community has a large elderly population, so at this time of day, most residents are asleep, and only a few lights are on in the surrounding buildings.
Josh walked through the long corridor, turned a corner, and walked to the narrow path between two buildings. This place was unlit and shady, so it was relatively dark.
It was only a dozen meters away, and the surroundings were very quiet. The distant footsteps mixed with the hollow sound of the wind wandered along the road.
Faintly, Josh seemed to catch the sound of footsteps, mingling with the sound of the wind, not far behind her.
The footsteps were slow and light, as if deliberately trying to match her pace.
Josh was on edge, afraid of being noticed by the people behind her, so she didn't dare to stop for a moment. She cautiously turned her head and saw a long dark shadow beside her out of the corner of her eye.
Someone was following behind her.
The elongated shadow was like a demon buried deep within, sprouting from the dark corner. Its twisted form was projected onto the wall, like a snake writhing and flicking its tongue at her.
Upon witnessing this scene, Josh's mind went blank for a moment. A deep fear gripped her, pulling her towards the abyss. Her back stiffened abruptly, her neck rigid, and she dared not turn back.
They didn't dare to stop.
With his sweat-dampened hands tucked into his pocket containing his phone, Josh hurried a few steps, jogged out of the narrow passage, and finally saw the bright lights in front of his apartment building's entrance.
Josh was initially delighted, but quickly calmed down. What would she do if this person kept following her?
Should we continue upstairs as originally planned?
Josh immediately broke out in a cold sweat, her heart leaped into her throat, and her trembling hands gripped the soft flesh of her waist tightly. She felt her heart rate double with every step she took.
The pounding of her heart disrupted her thoughts, and the wind blowing against her body seemed to become invisible hands, constantly pushing her.
Feeling the footsteps behind her suddenly quicken, an overwhelming sense of fear pressed down on her, and Josh panicked, stumbling slightly.
Just then, a blurry figure suddenly appeared in front of the doorway.
Before she could even see clearly, a familiar voice rang out. A childish voice, tinged with urgency, called out in her direction, "Sis, come quick! Dad bought some delicious fried skewers and is waiting for you!"
Hearing that voice, Josh felt a sense of relief. She tried to keep her voice relaxed, forced an awkward smile, and replied loudly, "Okay, did you buy the Coke?"
"I bought it."
Josh's eyes welled up with tears. Controlling his tense body, he pretended to act naturally. "Let's go home and have some barbecue."
After saying that, she immediately took off running, taking two or three steps into the doorway. She grabbed Chen Zhiyu's hand as if it were a lifeline, giving her the strength to survive. Her heart pounded like a frantic drumbeat. Neither of them dared to look back, and they ran together toward the stairwell.
Because of standing for long periods at work, her heels were sore and her legs were weak. Josh didn't care about that and ran forward with all her might. Suddenly, her right leg went weak and she was about to fall when a hand went around her back, caught her, and lifted her up.
The two continued running upstairs.
"Go to the sixth floor," Josh said in a low voice.
Josh lives on the fifth floor, but Aunt Li isn't home. If that person really catches up, there's no way to get help. She noticed on the way that a family on the sixth floor hadn't turned off their lights.
Josh held Chen Zhiyu's hand tightly, unable to tell whether it was from the heat or the fear. Their two sweaty hands were clasped together, and neither of them dared to look back or rest. They ran straight up to the sixth floor in one breath.
The motion-activated light on the sixth floor snapped on.
A sweaty hand touched the door of room 601. The cold touch made her shudder. Josh clenched her fist and pressed it against the door.
The stairwell was eerily quiet, save for the two people's hurried breathing. A motion-activated light illuminated Josh's pale face as she crouched down against the dirty wall, the door of a sixth-floor apartment beside her. Josh's eyes remained fixed on the ground below, her vigilance unwavering.
I don't know how long I waited, five minutes, ten minutes, or even longer.
Josh didn't dare blink. Fear made her face contort, and she gripped Chen Zhiyu's hand tightly, forgetting to let go.
Feeling Josh's trembling and strain, Chen Zhiyu grasped her hand in return, squatted down, and forced Josh to turn her head to look at him. Looking into her bloodshot eyes, his throat tightened, and he slowly covered her eyes with his other hand, gently comforting her, "It's alright, Josh, it's alright."
Each note was like a soothing melody, and Josh tried hard to suppress the urge to cry, resting her forehead on Chen Zhiyu's thin shoulder.
In the quiet stairwell, accompanied by soft sobs, the motion-activated lights went out and then came back on.
The hand covering Josh's eyes was warm, but it quickly became wet again. Chen Zhiyu seemed not to notice and stayed with her the whole time.
Josh closed her eyes to try and stop thinking about what had just happened, but the elongated shadow instantly transported her back to more than a decade ago.
On countless nights, on countless nights when I was brutally beaten by Qiao Dacheng while he was drunk.
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