Zhenzhen and Xi Junjie stayed in the Imperial Capital Bookstore for an entire afternoon, and left the bookstore with a bag of books until the store closed. The days are long in the summer, and although it is already night, it is still bright. Zhenzhen looked at her watch and turned to look at Xi Junjie: "I'm going to take the bus home."
"Then let's go together." Xi Junjie walked to the left side of Zhenzhen very naturally and blocked the passing bicycles for her. The two of them had been browsing the bookstore together for most of the day and had lunch together. Now they were very familiar with each other. When they walked to the bus stop together, Xi Junjie looked down at Zhenzhen who was on his shoulder and asked her boldly: "Do you have a phone at home? If you want to go to the library or bookstore, we can go together." Zhenzhen looked up at him, and Xi Junjie smiled at her to hide his nervousness: "I think we can discuss the contents of the book together, or practice speaking."
Zhenzhen was a little moved to practice oral French together. After all, Xie Shurang was very busy with work, and it was already a big bother for him to go there once a week. It was impossible for a master of opera to accompany her to practice oral French all day. Xi Junjie learned oral French in France since he was a child, and his French pronunciation was the purest.
Zhenzhen thought for a moment and said to Xi Junjie, "I don't have a phone at home, but you also live in Houyang, so our two families should not be far away. If you are free, you can come to my house to find me."
"Go to your house to find you?" Xi Junjie's nose was sweating a little: "Will your family agree?"
Zhenzhen laughed heartily: "It's okay, we are classmates and study together, my parents won't say anything."
Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen's careless look and smiled helplessly: "I think it's too early to come now." Zhenzhen blinked, and before she could speak, Xi Junjie said: "I run around Houyang every morning at 5:30, and then read French for an hour. Do you want to join?"
Zhenzhen calculated the time and thought that half an hour would be enough to run around Houyang, and then study French for an hour and then go to Mr. Zhang's house to learn how to make medicinal food. Zhenzhen smiled and nodded: "Okay, then it's settled, see you at 5:30 tomorrow morning."
Xi Junjie smiled in great surprise. Zhenzhen was stunned again when she saw Xi Junjie's brilliant smile. Her mind was blank, and she was filled with comments: "Ah, so beautiful!" "I really want to lick it, what should I do?" "My idol, my idol, my idol, my idol..." "How can it be so beautiful? It's a foul!"
Seeing Zhenzhen staring at him blankly, Xi Junjie felt so adorable and innocent that he wanted to reach out and touch her head. However, remembering that they were just ordinary classmates, he had to suppress the urge patiently and silently blocked the pedestrians and vehicles for her.
"Ding ding..." The tram came, and the shrill horn finally brought Zhenzhen back to her senses. She realized that she was staring at the man in a trance. Zhenzhen quickly touched the corner of her mouth and found that she was not drooling, so she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The tram went five stops and they arrived home. When they entered the alley, they found that their homes were in the same direction and very close to each other. Xi Junjie pointed to a courtyard with a slightly open door and said softly, "This is my home. Welcome to visit."
Zhenzhen smiled and pointed to a big door nearby: "I live here."
Although Xi Junjie prayed all the way that his home could be closer to Zhenzhen's home, he really didn't expect that they could be so close, and even originally belonged to the same mansion. Zhenzhen's home was a four-courtyard house in the middle of the palace, while Xi Junjie's home was a four-courtyard house in the east, with a wall in the middle separating the two homes.
"What a coincidence." Zhen Zhen looked at Xi Junjie in surprise: "I didn't expect that our two families are neighbors. To be honest, you can just come visit me when you have time. Neighbors should visit each other often."
"Okay!" Xi Junjie did not refuse this time. He looked at Zhenzhen with a smile and said, "Then let's meet at the door at 5:30 tomorrow morning."
"Okay, see you tomorrow morning." Zhenzhen waved to Xi Junjie and walked into her home with her schoolbag on her back.
Xi Junjie watched Zhenzhen enter the house, then turned and went into his own yard. Just after walking two or three steps into the house, Xi Junjie saw his grandfather sitting behind the door with a sad face: "Where is my fan?"
Xi Junjie quickly took off his schoolbag, took out five or six books from it, and then took out the fan from the bottom of the bag and handed it to Old Man Ling.
When Old Man Ling saw what his grandson did, he was so distressed that he almost fainted. He quickly snatched the fan, opened it carefully, and checked it carefully. Seeing that there were no creases or stains on it, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"You treasure your fan so much, why did you leave it at my house last night?" Xi Junjie stuffed the book back into his schoolbag and put it on his shoulder again.
Old Man Ling jumped up and tapped Xi Junjie on the forehead with his hand: "You heartless little bastard, didn't I drink too much yesterday? Let me ask you, where did you send the fan you gave me today?"
Xi Junjie tilted his head to avoid Old Man Chen's finger and walked forward as if nothing had happened: "I went to the bookstore to buy books."
"Buying books?" Old Man Ling followed Xi Junjie closely, holding a folding fan in his hand, and looked at him questioningly: "Have you finished reading all the books on the bookshelves in your house?"
"I've finished reading it." Xi Junjie walked through the corridor to his room. Old Man Ling quickly ran over and stood in front of his grandson: "Do you think your grandpa is so easy to fool?" Old Man Ling sneered: "I heard everything at the door just now." Looking at Xi Junjie's instantly alert face, Old Man Ling winked at him with a gossipy look on his face: "Is it the girl who lives next door? Is she pretty?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." Xi Junjie pushed open the door and put his schoolbag on the desk in front of the window, then took out the books one by one.
"You're such a good pretender!" Old Man Ling sat in front of the tea table and plugged in the electric kettle to boil water for tea: "I can hear your laughter through the door." Old Man Ling curled his lips: "You didn't laugh like that when you saw me!"
Xi Junjie looked at him expressionlessly, sat on the chair on the other side, and poured himself a cup of tea: "Don't tell my parents about her for now."
"Why?" Old Man Ling looked at Xi Junjie with interest: "Is it because that girl doesn't like you?"
Xi Junjie lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea: "Let's talk about it after graduation."
Old Man Ling gave him a meaningful look and said, "Oh, you are going there to get married."
"Nonsense!" Xi Junjie glanced at Old Man Ling and said, "Any relationship that is not for the purpose of marriage is just hooliganism."
***
When Zhenzhen returned home, she heard lively laughter in the house as soon as she entered the hanging flower gate. She first went to the west wing to put down her schoolbag, washed her hands and face, and drank a jar of water before going to the main house.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw a family sitting in the main living room. There was a small black and white TV on the cabinet with two antennas extending towards the sky, one on the left and one on the right. An old movie was playing on the TV.
Old lady Li wearing a pair of reading glasses sat in the front row with Li Muwu and Wang Sufen. Mingnan and Meng Xiaoxi sat on the left with sesame cakes and dumplings, Mingbei and Wang Xinwen sat on the right with noodles, Mingxi and Xie Yanan sat to the side with Yuanxiao and ate fruit, looking back at the TV from time to time.
As soon as Zhenzhen entered the house, before she could say anything, Old Lady Li turned around and waved at her excitedly: "Zhenzhen, come here quickly, your uncle sent us a TV. Look, it's just like the movies shown in the cinema, except it's smaller."
I'm used to watching 40-50 inch TVs, so I'm a little uncomfortable with this 10-inch TV. But Zhenzhen hasn't watched TV for 17 years, so it still feels very fresh.
Old Mrs. Li squeezed closer to Li Muwu's chair, cleared a space, and patted the stool: "Zhenzhen, come sit next to grandma, grandma will hug you and watch TV."
Zhenzhen walked over and sat down with a smile: "This TV is really lively. You will have something to do in the future. It will be fun to watch it at home every day."
Old Mrs. Li nodded with a smile, and sighed as she watched the TV: "You said that life is so good now. In the past, we couldn't even have enough food to eat. All we wanted to do all day was to work harder and harvest more food so as not to starve to death. Look at me now. Not only do we have enough food to eat every day, but we can also watch TV at home and live in such a big house. I couldn't even imagine it before."
Zhenzhen hugged Old Lady Li's arm and said coquettishly, "The days ahead will be even better. Just live a down-to-earth life. I'll take you on a plane to see the sea, eat seafood, and even go abroad to play."
Old Lady Li thought about it and shook her head: "No, that plane is shot from the sky, I dare not sit on it."
Zhenzhen burst out laughing: "Grandma, you are so funny, you must be on a plane that is specially designed to carry people."
Old Mrs. Li couldn't imagine what a "plane that specifically transports people" looked like, but she still smiled and touched Zhenzhen's head: "Okay, when the time comes, grandma will be waiting for you to take me and your parents to play around."
Zhenzhen hugged Old Lady Li with one hand and held Wang Sufen with the other, smiling happily: "Just wait and enjoy the good life with me in the future."
Because of the new TV, the whole family gathered around to watch the show and didn't even have the energy to cook. When Meng Xiaoxi went to get a jar to drink water, she looked up and saw the clock on the wall. She quickly stuffed the child into Mingnan's arms and said, "Oh, it's time to eat. I have to go cook."
Wang Xinwen also stood up, and Xie Yanan pushed them both down on the chairs: "You all watch TV, today I will show you my cooking skills, so you can also have a taste of my cooking skills."
Wang Xinwen smiled and said, "The family is having dinner together. We'll help you."
The three sisters-in-law went to the kitchen hand in hand. Old Mrs. Li was reluctant to part with the movie on TV, so she discussed with Wang Sufen: "When it's time to eat, let's move the TV and the table to the yard. We can eat while watching TV and enjoy the cool air."
Seeing how enthusiastic Old Lady Li was, the family hurriedly moved tables and pulled electrical wires. The meal was not ready yet, but the family was already sitting in the yard.
After dinner, Zhenzhen went to her space to take a hot bath. Before going to bed, she set the alarm to 5:10, sat on the bed, turned on the desk lamp, read a book for a while before lying down to sleep.
Zhenzhen has always had a good sleep and can fall asleep as soon as she lies down. She hasn't had anything to do recently, so she lets her body fall into a deep sleep and does not let her consciousness leave her body to go somewhere else.
After a sleepless night, Zhenzhen woke up in the morning, changed into a comfortable short-sleeved shirt and shorts, washed her face with cold water, simply tied her hair into a ponytail and went out.
Xi Junjie had been waiting at the door early. As soon as the door of Old Li's house opened, he turned around impatiently and waved to Zhenzhen who had just taken a step, and gave her a particularly bright smile: "Good morning." Zhenzhen looked at Xi Junjie's smiling face and immediately felt that it was worth getting up so early just for this pleasing face.
After greeting Xi Junjie, Zhenzhen looked him up and down. She saw that Xi Junjie was dressed in professional sportswear from head to toe. It was a well-known foreign sports brand that is not available in China. Zhenzhen was used to seeing Xi Junjie in shirts and trousers at school. When she saw him dressed casually, she immediately felt that appearance was indeed important. As long as you have a good-looking face, you will look handsome in anything.
The two ran side by side from the door to the lake. Running requires the coordination of breathing, so the two did not talk. Xi Junjie was a little distracted while running. He listened to Zhenzhen's footsteps that were in sync with his own, and smelled the faint fragrance on her body, which almost made him lose his breath.
Taking a deep breath, Xi Junjie realized that they had already run half a circle, but Zhenzhen still maintained a steady breathing. Turning his head to look at Zhenzhen in surprise, Xi Junjie quickened his pace. Zhenzhen immediately caught up with him and smiled brightly at him: "There is still a little half a circle to go, how about we run faster and see who is the first to reach the big tree outside the house."
Xi Junjie looked at her with a smile: "Will it be too much to bully you?"
Zhenzhen stretched out her index finger and shook it at him: "When I was going up the mountain and down the river, you were probably still eating candy in kindergarten. If you don't believe me, let's compare."
"Okay then." Xi Junjie stopped and quickly adjusted his breathing. He stood in a line with Zhenzhen. He turned his head and smiled at Zhenzhen: "Don't cry if you lose."
"I've never cried in my life." Zhenzhen sat in a position ready to start running, urging Xi Junjie: "You start."
Looking at Zhenzhen's unprofessional starting posture, Xi Junjie shook his head helplessly, his voice so gentle that water could drip out. He used the same starting posture as Zhenzhen, and when he saw that Zhenzhen was ready, he shouted, "Ready—go!"
In an instant, Zhenzhen shot out like an arrow from a bow. Xi Junjie was shocked by her speed. In a flash, Zhenzhen had already run more than ten meters away. Xi Junjie did not dare to be careless anymore and quickly sped up to catch up. However, when he really started running, he found that Zhenzhen's speed was even faster than he thought.
Zhenzhen has had good physical strength since she was young. She doesn't feel tired even after running in the mountains for a whole day, not to mention that she has supernatural powers and can run as fast as she wants.
The game between the two was not a serious competition, so Zhenzhen did not use her full strength. She was always observing Xi Junjie behind her so that she could adjust her pace at any time.
Xi Junjie didn't know that Zhenzhen could see his every move clearly. At this moment, he was trying his best to catch up, and his forehead and cheeks were covered with sweat, which made Xi Junjie's already good-looking face even more handsome.
Zhenzhen looked at his strong and tight thighs and powerful arms, and swallowed silently: This was the first time in her two lifetimes that she had seen such a handsome and good-looking man. What was rare was that he seemed to like her. It would be a pity to let such a great man go.
Zhenzhen was so busy looking at the handsome man behind her that she ran even faster without realizing it. Xi Junjie helplessly watched the beautiful figure in front of him run to the agreed finish line but still did not stop, instead it seemed that she was running farther and farther.
At the same time, Zhenzhen found that Xi Junjie was getting farther and farther away from her. Then she realized that she had run too far. She turned around and ran back silently. The two met head-on. Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen and sighed: "I really lost to you. I feel so embarrassed."
Zhen Zhen laughed and patted Xi Junjie on the shoulder, then took out a clean handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him: "Here's your handkerchief, wipe the sweat off your head."
Xi Junjie took the handkerchief and smelled a faint floral scent as soon as he brought it to his face, exactly the same as the scent on Zhenzhen. Xi Junjie paused for a moment, folded the handkerchief carefully and put it in his pocket, then took out a new handkerchief from another pocket to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
Xi Junjie's clothes were already half wet. Although it was summer in the capital, there was still a cool breeze in the morning. Zhen Zhen was afraid that he would get sick from the wind, so she quickly said, "I have to go home to drink some water, and you change your clothes. Let's meet on the bench by the lake in ten minutes. I have some French questions to ask you."
Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen, whose face was still clear, and could naturally feel her painstaking efforts. Xi Junjie felt warm in his heart: "Okay, see you later."
The sun gradually rose from the east, and the horizon was reflected by the morning sun. Zhenzhen and Xi Junjie sat side by side on a bench by the river, and the two exchanged their thoughts and experiences of a book in French. Since Zhenzhen's French was not very good, she often couldn't say what she wanted to say. Xi Junjie didn't rush her, but just smiled at her gently, and reminded her one or two words from time to time. After Zhenzhen successfully expressed her ideas, Xi Junjie would immediately give her a thumbs up, followed by a lot of praise as if it was free, and Zhenzhen smiled like a flower with her hands on her face.
Old man Chen, who never stayed overnight at his daughter and son-in-law's house, refused to leave last night. When he woke up in the morning, he saw that his grandson's door was wide open and he had already run away. Old man Chen went out through the gate and saw his grandson as soon as he reached the lake. He looked at the girl tenderly with an unstoppable smile in his eyes. He sighed and said, "The pig I have raised for nearly 20 years is finally going to run away with someone else's cabbage!"
"Ring, ring, ring..." The alarm in the space rang. Zhenzhen looked at the watch on her wrist and saw that it was already 6:50. She turned off the alarm in the space with her mind, stood up and looked at Xi Junjie apologetically: "Sorry, I have an appointment with a gentleman at 7 o'clock, I have to go now."
Xi Junjie also stood up and looked at Zhenzhen with some surprise: "So early? How are you going to get there? How about I ride my bike and take you there?"
"No need." Zhenzhen said with a smile: "My husband's home is in the alley next to the bus stop. Today I plan to start learning how to make medicinal food with him."
"Medicinal food?" Xi Junjie thought for a moment: "Is it to help my family members recuperate?"
"Not entirely." Zhen Zhen stroked her hair a little embarrassedly, her cheeks flushed a little: "It's mainly because I like to eat it. Many dishes in medicinal diet are both healthy and delicious, so I want to learn it so that I can cook it whenever I want to eat it."
"That's a good idea." Xi Junjie nodded with a smile: "I just want to go there to buy some breakfast, and I'll take you there by the way."
Zhenzhen nodded, and the two walked outside along the bluestone path. Xi Junjie turned his head to look at the top of Zhenzhen's head and asked her curiously, "What kind of food do you like to eat?"
"That's a lot." Zhenzhen couldn't stop talking when it came to food: "I grew up in Heilongjiang Province, and my family lives in a small town in the forest area. I learned hunting from my brother when I was young. I could easily catch hares, pheasants, and roe deer. We eat more hares and pheasants at home. They are more delicious when braised. I also like to roast them. Brushing them with honey makes them even more delicious." Zhenzhen licked her lips and continued to count on her fingers, saying: "In addition to meat, I like fish, shrimp, and crabs. They are delicious no matter how they are steamed, braised, or spicy. I also like to eat vegetables and fruits, but they have to be the freshest. By the way, I have a lot of vegetables, persimmons, and cucumbers planted in my garden. They taste great. I'll pick some for you later."
"Thank you!" Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen with a smile in his eyes, thinking about what new things he could give her: "My family doesn't grow vegetables, but there are many flowers in the garden, and there are some wild ducks in the pond. Do you like to eat wild ducks? I'll catch two for you."
"That's not good." Zhen Zhen shook her head hesitantly: "Wild ducks are also quite rare."
"It's okay." Xi Junjie said quickly, "My parents don't like eating ducks, and I have a lot of them at home, more than a dozen, and each one weighs three or four pounds. If I keep raising them any longer, they won't be cooked through."
"Okay then." Zhen Zhen nodded: "What kind of flowers do you like? I'll trade with you."
Xi Junjie looked at her with a dumb smile: "Why are you like a kid in the nursery, asking for everything in exchange? Can't you just let me give it to you?"
"No." Zhen Zhen said sincerely, "No merit, no reward. If I accept your duck for no reason, I won't be able to eat it with peace of mind."
"Okay." Xi Junjie looked at her in frustration: "Any flowers are fine, whatever you give me is fine."
Although Xi Junjie didn't say it, this did not pose a problem for Zhenzhen. She scanned the Xi family's garden with her consciousness and saw fat wild ducks paddling across the lake. There was a separate area for growing flowers in the garden. Although there were many species, it could be seen that the ones that were carefully cared for were basically orchids.
Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Then I'll give you a pot of orchids."
That afternoon, Mother Xi brought a bag of bread crumbs to the waterside pavilion in the garden to feed the wild ducks she had carefully raised. Mother Xi was a dancer in the cultural troupe when she was young, and now she has been transferred to a sinecure as she is old. The Xi family is loving and their son is also excellent. There is nothing for her to worry about at home, from the old to the young. Her only hobby is to grow flowers and birds, and to raise some wild ducks in the lake. She comes to see them every morning and evening, and watching the wild ducks hunt is also a wild pleasure.
I sprinkled a handful of bread crumbs on the lake. The wild ducks, accustomed to being fed, swam over one by one and ate the bread on the lake.
Mother Xi looked for a long time and always felt something was wrong. It was not until she left the garden that she realized: why were the two fattest wild ducks missing
The author has something to say: I will still update first and then find typos!