Chapter 865 The matter of offering oneself in marriage was settled.
Zhou Fang had someone from the restaurant pass on a message to Qiu He.
When Qiuhe received the news, she was stunned for a long time, her mind in turmoil.
She knew that Zhou Fang must have helped her again.
This time, she didn't stubbornly refuse.
The exhaustion and humiliation at the restaurant were still fresh in my mind, but the store of 땤茉莉衣 (Bao Li Clothing) sounded clean and respectable, and the hours were flexible.
She needed money, but even more so, she needed a job that wouldn't be so undignified.
She went to try out the job, and Bao Xiangxiang saw it for herself. It was indeed as Zhou Fang had said: she was pretty and pleasing to the eye, spoke softly but clearly, was not shy when entertaining guests, and learned about the products quickly.
So they kept her on the job and scheduled her for several half-day shifts each week.
I received my first week's wages. Although it wasn't much, it was still a real sum of money in my hand.
With the money in her pocket, Qiuhe mustered her courage and stopped Zhou Fang when he came to the vicinity of the store to run errands.
"Manager Zhou, this time... this time you absolutely have to let me treat you to a meal. It won't be expensive, just... just that little restaurant next door."
Zhou Fang looked at the small flame in her eyes and knew that refusing again would be too hurtful, so he smiled and nodded: "Okay, then let's just have something simple to eat."
The restaurant is indeed small, and the tables are all clean.
Zhou Fang rushed to order the dishes, but only ordered two: a plate of stir-fried pea shoots, a plate of home-style tofu, and two bowls of rice.
"Is this enough food?" Qiuhe asked cautiously.
Zhou Fang picked up her chopsticks and tasted it: "Hmm, it's cooked just right. That's enough. We'll have two."
Qiuhe ate her rice in small bites, occasionally stealing a glance at Zhou Fang.
Seeing that he ate with ease and did not show any disdain for the simple dishes, I felt a little relieved.
But when she thought about how she was treating her benefactor to a meal, she could only order two vegetarian dishes, without even a hint of meat.
Am I... too useless?
The moment this thought arose, all the pent-up fatigue and uncertainty about the future came together.
She lowered her head, her chopsticks unconsciously stirring the rice grains in the bowl, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Manager Zhou, isn't this... quite pathetic?"
Zhou Fang put down his chopsticks, looking at her lowered head and slightly trembling shoulders, his tone calm but firm: "What nonsense are you talking about? When you were this age, things were much worse for you. You often didn't have enough to eat, let alone dare to think about going to school. Now you're a proper college student. The national policies are good. After graduation, you'll be assigned a job or find your own opportunities. Your future is very bright. You'll get through this current difficulty. You're currently working part-time while studying and taking care of your family, which is already better than many of your peers. Don't rush, take it one step at a time."
Qiuhe's nose stung, and she quickly blinked hard to hold back her tears.
By the time we finished eating, it was already dark.
Seeing that it was getting late, Zhou Fang insisted on taking her home.
Deep in that narrow alley, the streetlights were dim.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Qiuhe thanked her softly and turned to go upstairs.
"Qiuhe." Zhou Fang called out to her, took a prepared envelope from his pocket, and handed it to her. "This month's wages, plus a little bonus, Manager Bao asked me to give it to you. Take it, buy something nice for your mother, and don't be too frugal with yourself."
Qiuhe looked at the envelope but did not accept it immediately.
She looked up at Zhou Fang's face, which appeared exceptionally calm and reliable in the dim light. At that moment, she was shattered by the simple concern in the envelope that was handed to her.
Qiu He suddenly took a step forward, her forehead trembling slightly as she leaned against Zhou Fang's shoulder.
The sobs that had been suppressed for so long could no longer be controlled and leaked out intermittently.
Zhou Fang stiffened slightly, raised his arm slightly, but ultimately just let it hang by his side without pushing it away or making any further moves.
He could feel the fabric on his shoulders being quickly soaked with warm dampness, and he could hear the suppressed yet still broken sobs.
The wind blowing through the alley carried a chill.
He stood quietly, like a silent tree, letting her lean on him and cry for a long time.
Only when the crying gradually subsided and turned into soft sobs did he gently pat her back with his other hand, his voice low and deep: "It's alright, it's alright now. Go upstairs and get some sleep."
Qiuhe seemed to wake up from a dream, and took a step back, her face covered in tears.
Her eyes were filled with panic and shame. She dared not look at Zhou Fang again, nodded haphazardly, grabbed the envelope he handed her, and turned and ran quickly up the narrow stairs.
Zhou Fang stood downstairs, listening to the hurried footsteps disappear above his head. He stood there for a while before slowly turning around and leaving.
The damp patch on my shoulder felt slightly cool in the night breeze.
After finishing his business in Haishi, Zhou Fang booked a train ticket back to Beijing for the next morning.
That evening, as he was unpacking his luggage in the guesthouse room, it suddenly started raining outside the window. At first, it was a light drizzle, but soon it became a downpour, tapping against the glass window.
A series of urgent knocks on the door interrupted his thoughts.
Who could it be so late?
He opened the door with a puzzled look, and a gust of cold, damp steam rushed in.
Standing outside the door was Qiu He, soaked to the bone, her clothes clinging tightly to her body, outlining the youthful, innocent features of the girl.
Her hair was wet and clung to her pale cheeks and neck, with raindrops dripping from the ends.
She didn't have an umbrella, but she was tightly clutching a dry cloth bag in her arms.
"Qiuhe? What happened to you..." Zhou Fang was taken aback and quickly stepped aside to let her in. "Why are you so soaked? Come in quickly!"
Qiuhe shrank into the house and stood in the center, a small puddle of water quickly spreading out from her feet.
She kept her head down and didn't speak, but simply placed the cloth bag on the chair next to her.
Inside was what appeared to be the coat that Zhou Fang had lent her to shield her from the wind, which she had washed and ironed.
Seeing that she was shivering slightly from the cold, Zhou Fang turned around and took a clean towel from the bathroom and handed it to her: "Quickly wipe yourself down, don't catch a cold."
His tone was reproachful, but more so, it was worried.
Qiuhe took the wool, but didn't wipe it; she just held it tightly in her hand.
She looked up, her eyes, washed clear by the rain, were also red, as if she had been crying, or as if she had made a great decision.
She looked at Zhou Fang, her lips moving slightly.
"Brother Fang..." she called him that for the first time, her voice trembling with a desperate gamble.
“I really don’t know how to repay you. You’ve helped me so much, but I have nothing to give you.”
Zhou's heart sank, sensing what she was about to say, and he immediately interrupted:
"Qiuhe, don't say that. I helped you voluntarily. I never thought about asking you to repay me. Studying hard and having a good life in the future is the best way to repay you."
“It’s different.” Qiu He shook her head, tears mingling with the still-wet raindrops as they slid down her cheeks.
She suddenly took a step forward, threw aside the hair, stretched out her cold, damp arms, and hugged Zhou Fang's waist without saying a word.
Her body trembled slightly, whether from the cold, excitement, or fear, she couldn't tell.
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