Chi Xiaochi stood in front of Lou Ying's house.
Aunt Lou Ying and her uncle are not at home.
Across the window, he looked at the rolled up bedding on Lou Ying's bed from a distance, and his palm left a sweaty mark on the glass covered with the corpses of small flying insects.
In all fairness, Lou Ying's aunt's family has treated Lou Ying very well.
When Lou Ying first moved in, Aunt Lou Ying asked someone to build a thin wall in the house to separate the husband and wife's bed from Lou Ying's, and gave him a small independent house. In the tight hut, there are places for bookshelves and desks. Lou Ying eats and wears the best she can give, for fear of being talked about by the neighbors that she is an aunt and treats a motherless child harshly.
… but that’s all in the past.
Chi Xiaochi slowly slid along the door panel and sat on the ground with the back of his head pressed against the door panel, feeling the peace of mind that he had not seen for a long time.
These days, he sleeps an average of two hours a day, and as soon as he closes his eyes, he is enveloped in the smell of blood, the smell of men's heads, the smell of toasted asphalt, and the cold, icy grits of the morgue.
Only when he came back could he remember what it was like to be sleepy.
He leaned against the door panel and slept peacefully until dark, until he was woken up by someone vigorously shaking him.
Chi Xiaochi opened his eyes and saw Lou Ying's aunt and uncle.
He wanted to get up, but his feet were completely numb, and he felt as uncomfortable as tens of millions of ants biting together.
"Why did you run here to sleep again? Don't you have a home?" He heard Lou Ying's uncle say coldly, "You are not welcome here."
Chi Xiaochi slowly stood up.
After the incident, he tried to come to Lou Ying's house more than once to explain.
But every time, there was no one at home, or it was pretending that no one was there.
In Chi Xiaochi's view, Zhu Shoucheng was the culprit in this incident.
In the eyes of Chi Xiaochi's parents, Lou Ying was the culprit.
In the eyes of Lou Ying's relatives, Chi Xiaochi was the culprit.
Holding the door, Chi Xiaochi stood up slowly, lowered his head, and said in a soft voice, "Uncle, auntie, why do you... let it go to the police?"
Lou Ying's uncle frowned, looking like he wanted to say something nasty, but was stopped by Lou Ying's aunt.
Uncle pouted, pushed Chi Xiaochi aside, ready to take the key to open the door.
Chi Xiaochi reached out and covered the keyhole.
He didn't have the strength to speak loudly: "... If you don't care about him anymore, no one really cares about him."
Lou Ying's uncle looked left and right, and found that the neighbors were already probing their brains, looking happy to see gossip, his face changed slightly, he pulled Chi Xiaochi's hand away, opened the door, let his wife in first, and then stretched out his hand and pulled Chi Xiaochi in. .
After confirming that the door was closed, he roared in a low voice, "We won't pursue you, but you still came here? What the hell are you trying to do?"
Chi Xiaochi's feet were still numb, and he could not stand firmly.
He said softly, "I've asked. I'm not old enough to have a guardian to replace him, so I can't sue him. Uncle, aunt, you are Brother Lou's last relative. Please, please, don't leave him alone."
The uncle asked, "Who is it to sue?"
"Zhu Shoucheng." Chi Xiaochi raised his head, "He pushed Brother Lou down, I saw it with my own eyes."
Hearing this news, Lou Ying's aunt and uncle just looked at each other.
Lou Ying's uncle breathed a sigh of relief and made up his mind to solve this entanglement: "We already knew about this. Teacher Zhu came to the door and said that he accidentally pushed Lou Ying down. We apologized, we lost money, and the police came, but nothing came up. I discussed it with Lou Ying's aunt, and there is no need to make a big deal about it... let's go."
Chi Xiaochi opened his mouth.
… "Just like that".
A life, just like that.
With a hoarse voice, he played an emotional card that had no meaning: "Uncle, aunt, Brother Lou was brought up by you... You can't... "
Hearing this, Lou Ying's aunt turned her face away and let out a long sob.
The uncle embraced the aunt, patted his shoulders to comfort his wife for a while, and when he faced Chi Xiaochi again, his only patience was exhausted.
"What are you talking about? Could it be that we can't be blamed for this? We have tried our best to feed him and make him live well. What do you want us to do? What else can we do? This was an accident. , Teacher Zhu also promised to tell the public that Lou Ying accidentally fell off when he went to his house for tutoring. What do you want to do? Completely discredit him in this building and discredit our family? Where did we come from then? Money to move, do you give it? Besides, Lou Ying is such a good boy. Ever since he hangs with you every day, his heart is broken, he does not do his right job all day, and runs around with you. We look at his grades for the sake of not bad. I didn't care about you, but now you are running to question us?"
Chi Xiaochi was very cold.
He defended in vain: "I..."
The uncle took all his depression for the past few days and vented it all on Chi Xiaochi: "How old are you? We don't care about him when you open your mouth! Do you know how much it will cost to fight a lawsuit? If you make a big deal out of it, in the end, Our family's reputation is ruined, and we may not be able to get so much compensation, what will you do with the two of us in the end?"
Lou Ying's aunt knew that her husband had said too much, and waved her hand to signal her uncle not to rush like that.
She is a woman with a very mild temper and a weak voice. She said in a low voice, "It's my fault, I didn't educate Xiaoying well, and I caused trouble for others. Teacher Zhu also paid us money, which is considered to be the best of humanity and righteousness."
"...A full eight thousand." Lou Ying's uncle interjected, "We're gone, we'll stalk Teacher Zhu again, won't we tell the rest of the building to see a joke? Saying that our family is greedy?"
"It's not like that. Brother Lou is right..." Chi Xiaochi gathered up his courage and planned to tell the story he'd told countless times, "It wasn't to save me, and he wouldn't..."
The scar gets used to tearing, and it becomes numb.
Who would have thought that Lou Ying's uncle didn't have the patience to listen to him any longer, and simply said, "Lou Ying has been cremated today, so what you say is useless."
Chi Xiaochi was stunned.
His voice was as light as his heartbeat at this moment: "What..."
He didn't even know about it.
Nobody told him.
He hasn't had time to see Brother Lou for the last time.
"In this summer, where can the body survive, it will stink if it is not burned." My uncle said, "It has been buried today. Beimang Cemetery."
A whirlpool formed in Chi Xiaochi's throat, wrapping up everything he wanted to say.
"Xiaochi, it's not that we don't care. I also suspected that Xiaoying is not such a person." The aunt said softly, "But we are all tired, and now I really don't have the heart or energy to deal with this matter."
As she said that, she raised her hand and touched her lower abdomen: "... You are also an older child, and auntie is not afraid of your jokes. I am pregnant. It was found during the physical examination organized by the factory, and the report issued yesterday. The child is almost two months old. ,very healthy."
Chi Xiaochi made a short syllable: "… Ah."
… He got it, got it.
Chi Xiaochi and Lou Ying have known each other for many years, and they both know everything about the other's family.
Lou Ying's aunt and uncle have been married for many years and have never had children. I heard that it was the man's problem. After many years of treatment, there was no improvement.
So they took care of Lou Ying and worked hard, and it was also for them to have something to depend on when they got old.
Well now, they finally have a baby.
To put it cruelly, Lou Ying, to this small family, is an outsider after all.
Thinking like this, Chi Xiaochi turned back to look at Lou Ying's room, thinking about how it looked like a baby room.
The uncle had been busy all day and was anxious to rest. His words already meant an order to evict guests: "Do you have anything else to do?"
Chi Xiaochi heard himself say, "Yes."
He stood up staggeringly, held the back of the chair with one hand, and knelt down slowly facing the two of them.
This kneeling stunned the two adults.
The aunt reached out to help him: "Oh, Xiaochi, what are you talking about? If you have something to say, don't kneel, get up."
Chi Xiaochi didn't move, and his voice was low and steady: "Uncle, aunt, I beg you one thing. Don't take Brother Lou's room away."
The uncle quit immediately: "This is our family's business, don't..."
"Listen to me." Chi Xiaochi raised his head slightly and looked directly into his uncle's eyes, although his body was shaking a little, there was a black and white emotion in his eyes, "Don't take Brother Lou's room, don't touch his things. You rent this room to me, okay?"
The uncle sneered: "You have to pay to rent a house."
Chi Xiaochi's hand slipped from the edge of the chair and hung by his side: "I'll pay."
Lou Ying's aunt and uncle stopped talking.
Chi Xiaochi put a blank face and said, "I have inquired. The price of renting a room in this place is 500 yuan a month for one room, one living room, one kitchen and one bathroom. The kitchen and toilet in our building are shared, and Brother Lou has There is only one small room, I rent it out for 200 yuan a month, and you won't suffer..."
Saying that, he looked at Lou Ying's aunt: "the child will need this money, right?"
The aunt didn't know what to do, so she turned to look at her husband.
This amount of money is not a small amount. My uncle has been looking around subconsciously, estimating where the crib should be placed outside the room. After being dragged by his wife twice, he regained his senses.
He asked, "Will your parents agree?"
"You don't need their consent, and please don't tell them." Chi Xiaochi said, "I can earn this money myself."
After reaching a preliminary agreement of no deposit, monthly payment, and the price will follow the market, Chi Xiaochi left Lou Ying's aunt's house.
He leaned against the wall and walked down the corridor step by step.
At this time, the residents of Tongzilou who were chatting at the booth had long since dispersed. There were snoring and insect noises in the corridor, but Chi Xiaochi's footsteps were so light that they could not make a sound.
He walked from the first floor to the second floor alone.
In the dark corridor, he was usually the most afraid of.
He walked up the stairs where the voice-activated light was broken, leaned against the wall, and whispered, "Brother Lou. Brother Lou."
Soon, he laughed silently at his antics.
He laughed as he walked, his shoulders trembling, he squatted down at the corner of the stairs, buried his face in his knees, and shrugged his shoulders, laughing until he almost suffocated.
The next day, Zhu Shoucheng's son and daughter-in-law received news that they had come to visit the "scared" father.
They carried big bags and small bags, and they were very well-dressed. I heard that they were doing business somewhere in the city and making a lot of money.
Chi Xiaochi stayed at home with his back against the wall, listening to the faint conversations coming from the other side of the wall.
"Dad, are you alright?"
"It's okay, it's okay, you see I'm fine."
"I heard that it is a burglar? The thief has dirty hands and feet, and his morals are corrupt. If he dies, he will die. Don't take it to heart."
"I know, I know."
"Dad, if something like this happens, is it appropriate for you to live here again? Or you should go to the city with us. Me and Mei have discussed it, and we will change the house after the year, from the second bedroom to the third bedroom. , to live in for you."
"No. Your dad is still too early to retire. He can work for a few more years. Those kids like me and can't live without me."
"Dad, let me change the doors and windows for you."
"Hey, okay. What do you want for lunch? I'll buy you some yellow croaker soup?"
"Dad, don't move, we all know where the market is. I'll go buy it with Mei later. Mei, go and bring that apple to Dad—"
"Then I'll put the garbage at the door, and remember to take it out later when you go down."
Chi Xiaochi stood up.
He didn't want to listen any more.
When he went out and walked to the door of Zhu Shoucheng's house, the door just came out from the inside, making a very sharp creak.
Zhu Shoucheng's face was revealed inside.
He was holding a half-shaved apple in his left hand and a bag of garbage in his right, looking at Chi Xiaochi through a screen door.
After a while, he suddenly showed a weird smile.
Zhu Shoucheng asked him, "...do you still want to eat mung bean popsicles?"
Chi Xiaochi ignored him, carrying his schoolbag, and strode away.
He escaped from Zhu Shoucheng, and also from the people downstairs who gathered in twos and threes to gossip.
Regarding Lou Ying's "stealing", Zhu Shoucheng did not go out and talk nonsense.
But the thing is, he didn't deny it either.
The police came and asked Lou Ying's reputation and the semiconductor incident that had happened to Lou Ying. For those imaginative people in the building, they could naturally piece together a set of "truths" they wanted. .
Chi Xiaochi didn't want to stay in this place any longer, not even for a moment.
Fortunately, he has an appointment today.
Yesterday, Ziyu asked Chi Xiaochi out for a light meal.
She likes this stubborn and stubborn teenager very much, but the bad thing is that she can't help him at all.
Ziyu couldn't do anything except add vegetables to his bowl while he was eating.
She concealed her frustration, and put a chopstick of mutton into his bowl: "Eat more. Look at you, I've lost a lot of weight in the past few days."
Chi Xiaochi put the dish in his mouth: "Sister Zi, do you have something to do with me?"
Before Ziyu could speak, Chi Xiaochi had already guessed: "...the case is closed?"
Ziyu took another lotus root slice from the hot pot, and didn't want to talk about it more: "Well."
In small places, there are many headless koans, which happen in confusion and end in confusion.
Chi Xiaochi blew the dishes in the bowl and rolled the lotus root slices in the sesame sauce: "Hmm."
Ziyu: "I'm sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for." Chi Xiaochi said, "It's not that you are sorry for me."
Ziyu really didn't want Chi Xiaochi to indulge her emotions too much.
So she opened the topic: "What are you doing recently?"
Chi Xiaochi replied, "Wash the dishes."
"… Ok?"
"For the time being, I won't make much money." Chi Xiaochi poached his mouth. "Real models are popular in the clothing street recently. I heard that the salary is quite high, but there are more women and less men in this industry. I plan to Go and try."
"But you're only fourteen..."
"I don't look like that." Chi Xiaochi raised his head from the bowl and blinked, "Sister Zi, if you come across me on a street tour or something, don't expose me."
The little playfulness of the young man that he showed from time to time in his demeanor always made Ziyu feel sour.
Ziyu persuaded him: "You are still so young, don't rush to make money. It is serious to read books well."
Chi Xiaochi said briefly, "I will."
Ziyu thought that he didn't take it to heart, and his tone was a little anxious: "Listen to Sister Zi, get your grades right, and go out from here in an upright manner, don't stay in this place. You can fly farther, but it's really not here. Suitable for-"
"...Sister Zi."
Chi Xiaochi put down his chopsticks: "Thank you."
Ziyu felt a little embarrassed and grabbed her hat: "Don't say thank you, sister didn't help you. Sister has already bought the bill, and there are a lot of things to do in the office. You can eat here slowly, don't worry."
At the end, she added a little distressedly: "...don't be too sad."
Chi Xiaochi smiled: "I'm fine. I can bear it."
After Ziyu left, Chi Xiaochi took out a mobile phone, buried his face under the table, and typed words on it.
While packing Lou Ying's belongings, he found two second-hand mobile phones.
In this day and age, a mobile phone is definitely a rarity.
One belongs to Lou Ying, and the other is a gift that hasn't been given yet.
The phone was tied with a small ribbon and placed in a gift box. When Chi Xiaochi charged it and turned it on, he realized that Lou Ying had modified the root file of the phone without knowing what tool he used.
The boot screen is a firework, and the scattered smoke finally gathers into a line of words.
… Happy fifteenth birthday to Koike.
Chi Xiaochi's 14th birthday has just passed a few months, and his 15th birthday is still a long time away, but Lou Ying has prepared gifts for him.
But now, Chi Xiaochi put his head against the table and sent Lou Ying a text message with the birthday present that Lou Ying originally planned to give him.
He said, "Brother Lou, Sister Zi invited me to dinner. The hot pot is delicious."
After sending it successfully, he stuffed the mobile phone into his pocket, and stuffed the full bowl of food that Sister Zi gave him into his mouth without interruption until his mouth was full.
He chewed the food like a squirrel, chewing out a sour taste.
He held the bowl, tears fell drop by drop, but did not cry even a single sound.
After dinner, he still has work.
He wants to keep the last trace of Brother Lou in this world, so he can't spend the money that Brother Lou has saved to pay the rent, because those are also one of the evidences that Brother Lou once existed.
In this summer vacation, Chi Xiaochi has done a lot of work.
However, there are too many jobs that require an ID card, and too little income from running errands, washing dishes, etc., which is barely enough for now, but not as much once he starts school.
Finally, he came to the clothing street and successfully applied for a job in a men's clothing store run by a woman.
In a short period of time, Chi Xiaochi, who has always been sensitive and thin-skinned, quickly learned to pose and pose in the crowded clothing street. He ran all over the street and distributed flyers, helped the proprietress to carry goods, and dealt with male and female guests, benevolent or malicious. The ridicule, and the little ruffian who helped the proprietress cook and came to make trouble and collect money.
Chi Xiaochi's appearance is very outgoing, and he has long legs and long hands. He is a natural clothes hanger. He looks like a young man with a little dress up. Even if the quality and shape of the clothes fall on him, he can also wear them. Come out with a unique taste.
Because of him, the proprietress has many repeat customers.
Chi Xiaochi lied that he was in high school, that he had something to do at home and needed money urgently. The proprietress didn’t doubt it and told him that if he could commute, he would be offered a salary of 600 yuan per month. Day has to come here to report and give him 250 yuan a month.
At the end of the summer vacation, Chi Xiaochi filled a basin of water, immersed the foot with the tattoo stickers in the water, and wiped off the tattoo little by little with a steel ball that brushed the bowl.
Everyone said that Chi Xiaochi had changed.
Since the end of the summer vacation, his grades have started to improve by leaps and bounds.
Usually, teachers always use "So-and-so is very smart, but just don't like to read" to teach, but they also know in their hearts that most students with poor grades have nothing to do with intelligence at all, and they can't say it directly, so they can only use "just". I don’t like reading” to give general encouragement and respect.
Chi Xiaochi is different.
He really does not like to read, but he is really smart enough.
Under everyone's jaw-dropping gaze, Chi Xiaochi's grades rose like a rocket within a year, and he was admitted to the high school where Lou Ying was before his death.
The funny thing is, when Chi Xiaochi didn't want anything from anyone, Ji Yun found him.
A professional model manager, when accompanying his wife and sister-in-law to the clothing street shopping for goods, saw Chi Xiaochi acting as a model in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Later, Chi Xiaochi ended his career as a model in the fashion street for a whole year, bid farewell to the proprietress, and left with the manager.
Prices are rising, rental prices are rising, and it's time for him to find a new job.
When filling out the model card, the manager asked him if he was in such a good condition, would he consider a full-time job.
Chi Xiaochi already spoke in an adult's tone: "It's unnecessary."
The manager also knew that his grades were not bad. It was a bit of a waste to drop out of school to do this, so he just mentioned it.
Chi Xiaochi's pen stopped in the "English name" column.
The manager said: "This is more fashionable recently. With an English name, it is fashionable to say it out. But if you have it, fill it in, if you don't, forget it."
Chi Xiaochi said, "I have."
Saying that, he filled in his English name in this column.
…July Chi.
The manager was curious: "July? You were born in July?"
Chi Xiaochi tilted his head slightly and replied, "No, I died in July."
The manager was at a loss, and thought he had heard it wrong.
For good-looking people, it doesn't really matter that the character and behavior are eccentric.
The manager knows that Chi Xiaochi has many quirks. At a young age, he can smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. He is like a perpetual motion machine that never needs rest and sleep. He knows how to listen to people's arrangements and understand the world, but he doesn't love much. When talking, he often went to a public high school and waited for others.
The manager thought, maybe his little girlfriend is studying here.
The manager lives near the public middle school. He drove to get off work several times, and he could see Chi Xiaochi wandering nearby after his evening self-study.
The boy in a white shirt leaned against the mottled white railing, carrying a heavy schoolbag and holding a cigarette in his hand, looking at the public middle school across the road with a light expression, not sure what he was thinking.
After two puffs of cigarettes, he lowered his head and pressed the exercise book on the railing with one hand to do the questions, making it difficult to distinguish whether he was a gangster or a good student.