At seven o'clock on Saturday morning, Zhang Zinan and Tang Zuo had breakfast in the first canteen.
The two of them took meat buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and a bowl of plain noodles to share.
Zhang Zinan yawned, tears were about to come out, and glanced at the empty cafeteria. There were many aunties and uncles who were having breakfast but not yet getting their meals.
"Are you going somewhere today? Why are you up so early?" Tang Zuo asked her, sharing some of the bowl of noodles with her. Zhang Zinan usually slept in on weekends, so Tang Zuo would bring breakfast to the dormitory and put it on her desk.
“I didn’t go anywhere… I just haven’t eaten with you for a long time…” Zhang Zinan yawned again and wiped his eyes.
Tang Zuo smiled, took a small bite of the bun and sipped the soup.
"Are you going to tutor Shi Hai this afternoon?" Zhang Zinan ate a mouthful of noodles. "Or are you going to see Professor Shi?"
"Oh, the siblings should be here, as well as Shi Hai's childhood sweetheart."
"Pfft," Zhang Zinan choked, "Where did this little childhood sweetheart pop up from?"
"I just found out about it recently. She's the daughter of his mother's best friend. She's also in Nancheng now..." Tang Zuo gave a brief account.
"Hmm..." Zhang Zinan stopped delving into the question, "So Professor Shi accompanies me during every tutoring session, oh, no, he is always present?"
"..." Tang Zhuo hesitated for a moment. She hadn't told Zhang Zinan that the reason she agreed to tutor Shi Hai was because Shi Ci said she would be there. Later, it became her, Shi Hai, and Lu Mixue. There was no need to explain it too comprehensively now...
"Sometimes she is there, sometimes she is not. Now Michelle has joined and we all study together. I just help out on both sides," said Tang Zuo.
Zhang Zinan paused, tilted her head and thought about the scene, feeling that it was a bit strange. But this was not the reason why she got up early today.
"That's very strange. Professor Shi should be very busy. Besides, there is a huge age gap between you and her. Why would she stay with you?" Zhang Zinan said casually.
“…Is it a big difference?” Tang Zuo asked in surprise. It was the first time she thought of this question.
Zhang Zinan opened her eyes wide, "There's a big difference. Guess how old she is? She looks young, but she is definitely over 30!" For young girls like them who have just turned 20, turning 30 is already a very serious and important hurdle.
Tang Zhao suddenly didn't know what to say, "..." She took a sip of soy milk, "What does this have to do with age? She is Shi Hai's sister..."
"It's a bit strange no matter how you look at it. Doesn't she have her own circle of friends?" Zhang Zinan shook his shoulders. "Hey, I know a little gossip about her. Do you want to hear it?" Without waiting for Tang Zuo to answer, Zhang Zinan glanced left and right and said in a low voice: "Professor Shi doesn't seem to be interested in men."
“…” Tang Zuo stared at her.
"What I mean is that she seems to like women." Zhang Zinan further explained, lowering his voice.
Tang Zuo paused for a few seconds before saying, "Where did you get this news?"
Zhang Zinan said: "I'm not sure, there are just some rumors. It's strange that Professor Shi is still single despite her good conditions. She has rejected many men's pursuit..."
"Did she accept the woman's pursuit?" Tang Zuo asked.
"That's not the case..." Zhang Zinan choked, "I was just guessing... What kind of person would Professor Shi, who is so outstanding, like? She usually really takes care of girls..."
"That's just a guess!" said Tang Zuo.
Zhang Zinan felt that Tang Zhao's tone was very stiff and a little unhappy. She chuckled twice and said, "That's just me. I'm just gossiping."
Tang Zuo paused, then said sullenly, "I don't like gossiping about her behind her back."
"Oh oh oh, okay, okay, I won't say anything more." Zhang Zinan felt that something was wrong and stopped talking in time.
Neither of them spoke for a while. Tang Zuo lowered her eyes and ate silently, while Zhang Zinan slurped noodles while stealing glances at her.
"Even if she likes women, that's nothing." Tang Zuo raised his head and said, seeming to hold back before speaking.
Zhang Zinan blinked, "Of course it's nothing," she responded, "E on, I'm not homophobic, I'm not just gossiping..."
"You get up early in the morning to have breakfast with me just to talk about her, isn't it just gossip..." Tang Zuo looked at her disapprovingly.
"I..." Zhang Zinan's chest constricted.
God, isn't she worried about Tang Zuo? She originally wanted to say, "I see Shi Ci is so nice to you, is she interested in you? If you don't have that kind of interest in Shi Ci, then you should keep your distance from her."
Before she could say anything, Tang Zuo protected her.
If it was anyone else, she wouldn't bother to care.
“Forget it, just pretend I didn’t say anything.” Zhang Zinan sighed weakly.
She felt wronged, she was hurt, and she didn't want to talk anymore.
Tang Zhuo's mind was moved, and he said, "I think it's better not to talk about such groundless things..."
"Then go and verify it?" Zhang Zinan glanced at her.
Huh? Groundless speculation? Do you know how many people she asked and how many connections she used? It wasn't just the students who were passing it around, the teachers were also thinking the same thing.
"You can find out if you verify whether it is just hearsay or not! Aren't you two friends?" Zhang Zinan said.
“But I can’t either…” Tang Zuo was speechless.
Zhang Zinan stood up and pouted, "It's up to you, I've finished eating, I won't gossip anymore, I'm going back to the dormitory to take a nap!"
Hey... Zinan." Tang Zuo didn't have time to say anything to her before she left.
"Hey... Zinan." Before Tang Zuo could say anything to her, she left.
This was the first time that she and Zhang Zinan had an unpleasant argument, and Tang Zuo felt a little depressed the whole day.
This week's tutoring was at Shi Ci's house. Shi Hai and Michelle had finished their homework and were choosing a movie to watch.
Shi Ci was in the kitchen. When Tang Zuo walked in, she was making avocado sauce. She had her hair tied up and was wearing an apron, looking warm and homely. She turned her head and smiled at Tang Zuo, "Do you want to prepare your portion? Or do you want to eat fried chicken with them?"
Her hands kept moving. She cut the avocado along the core, tapped the blade of the knife lightly into the core, and with a flick of her slender white wrist, the core came out. She scooped out the flesh with a spoon. Her movements were orderly and pleasing to the eye.
Tang Zuo looked at her, "... uh, I..."
"They definitely won't eat this. I'll make some more for you to try." She cut another one open, mashed the flesh, added salt, and squeezed lemon juice into it. "Do you like cilantro?"
"Uh, food."
Shi Ci turned around and smiled again, "It just so happens that I want to eat it too." She chopped some coriander and threw it into the salad bowl, crushing it, "There is one last step, add yogurt."
"I've toasted the bread, and you can also use the chips to dip it in."
She placed something on the table. The skin on her hands was white and smooth, with tight and beautiful lines. The evening sun shone in a little, and her expression was extremely gentle. "What's wrong? Why are you so silent today?"
Shi Ci had gone out when they were having tutoring just now, and had just returned not long ago, so he had time to talk to her now.
Tang Zuo is a little confused now. Just now, she was thinking about what Zhang Zinan said to her, and remembered the scene she saw in "Little Rose" before, as well as the quarrel between Shi Ci and Shi Hai. It seemed that all of them were connected at once.
Tang Zuo felt that she understood her a little better, but also understood her less.
"Are you worried about something, huh?" The Monstera deliciosa tree next to the table reflected a dark green shadow. Shi Ci walked over with a concerned look in his eyes.
At the same time, Qiuqiu also walked among them, raised her little face, and made a "meow" sound unwilling to be lonely.
Shi Ci and Tang Zuo squatted down almost at the same time and reached out to touch Qiu Qiu at the same time.
Their fingertips touched each other accidentally.
Tang Zuo's eyes also met Shi Ci's.
"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Shi Ci asked, staring into her eyes.
Tang Zuo didn't know whether he should look into her eyes or pay attention to their touching fingertips.
"No, I slept well." Tang Zhuo paused. It seemed that she was not the one who didn't fall asleep. "Did you fall asleep later?"
"Hmm..." Shi Ci hummed softly.
The skin at Tang Zhao's fingertips was slightly itchy. It was Shi Ci who was caressing Qiu Qiu, or maybe Qiu Qiu's hair was itching her. This second seemed to be a vacuum, and she just stared at Shi Ci blankly.
She froze there, but how could her muscles or her mind allow a part of her body to freeze? Her fingers moved, and then her middle finger was pinched by Shi Ci's index and middle fingers.
Intentionally or unintentionally.
"Last night..." Shi Ci's voice sounded in her ears, and her breath permeated into this vacuum world and quickly surrounded her.
She just said "last night" and stopped there. Was she expressing something unsaid, or was she leaving something unspoken
Tang Zuo immediately remembered the "hug~" she had sent last night. She couldn't control her blushing, and the skin where her fingertips touched seemed to be getting hot.
"Sister, Tang Zuo, the fried chicken is here." Shi Hai's voice came from the living room.
Shi Ci smiled first and took back her hand first. Tang Zuo picked up Qiu Qiu and scratched its chin.
They came to the living room and started eating: golden fried chicken, shiny hamburgers, and iced cola.
"Can we watch a horror movie?" Shi Hai and Michelle have been getting along peacefully lately. They can even sit close to each other without fighting. Michelle took a big bite of her burger and spoke incoherently, "I haven't even watched the latest Alien movie because I'm preparing for the exam."
"Which one? The one with Fassbender?" Shi Hai also said while eating.
"Here, it's Alien/Covenant. I just downloaded it."
"I've seen it, but I could watch it again. It's a Ridley Scott movie."
"That's fine." Lu Mixue said excitedly.
Seeing that Shi Ci and Tang Zuo did not express any opinions, the two turned on the projector and started the movie.
"Have you seen this movie?" Shi Ci held a salad bowl of avocado jam, dipped it on the freshly baked bread, and took a bite, making a crisp, crunchy sound.
She eats in a cute, childish way.
Doesn't look like she's in her 30s at all.
30 years old isn't that old...
Tang Zhao then realized that she subconsciously refused to acknowledge the big age gap between them. It's not like only people of the same age can be friends, and sexual orientation is not important at all.
The volume of the movie was turned up very loud, or maybe because of some other reason, Tang Zhao didn't hear what Shi Ci said. She was lost in her own thoughts.
The sofa was large, Shi Hai and Mi Xue sat close together at one end, Tang Zhao sat in the middle, and Shi Ci sat on the other side. The seat next to him sank, and Shi Ci sat over, moving the salad bowl closer, "Want to eat this?"
"Oh..." Tang Zuo passively picked up a small piece of bread, dipped it in butter sauce, lowered his head and bit it into his mouth.
The taste is very rich, the caramelized bread slices are paired with the fresh and refreshing avocado jam, which is very delicious.
"Is it tasty?"
"Yeah, it's delicious." Tang Zuo replied without even looking at her.
Shi Ci didn't say anything. She put the salad bowl between them, leaned back on the sofa, and started watching the movie.
The movie starts off slow, with them discovering a new Earth and the crew debating whether to go down and check it out.
"If you encounter such a situation in a horror movie, it's best not to go." Shi Hai explained with a smile.
"Yes, yes, yes, don't go, don't open the door, don't look back, and then the movie will end." Michelle laughed.
"Curiosity is an unstoppable impulse of human beings, and the charm of the unknown is amazing." Shi Haiwen said solemnly.
"Oh my, so artistic! You're willing to take this journey even if it means you'll die?"
Shi Hai shrugged, "People always have to have a spirit of adventure."
"Shh, shh, shh, here it comes, it appears!" Michelle said nervously and excitedly.
Shi Hai chuckled, turned around and asked Tang Zuo: "Are you afraid?"
Tang Zuo hasn't answered yet.
"If you're scared..." Shi Hai was about to sit over, and Michelle immediately moved closer to him, "Oh, I'm scared!"
Shi Hai: "... You are not afraid of anything. You can eat pasta in the Saw series, and it tastes like tomato meat sauce."
Michelle hugged his neck, "Woo, woo ...
Shi Hai: "Go away! You are blocking me! How can I see!"
Michelle: "Hahahaha... Wow! What is that smoke? How did it get into my ears?"
"Yes, this is how they enter the human body..."
Tang Zhao looked at them speechlessly. The two of them looked more like they were acting in a movie. She had watched the Alien series, but she had avoided the key scenes. She was the type of person who was very curious but not brave enough.
She took a breath and secretly grabbed the pillow behind her.
The author has something to say: I have written my fourth book, and only today did I realize the importance of the author’s collection. If you like my work, please help me collect it. Xoxo.
Continue on Friday. Thank you to the little angels who cast their votes or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who cast [deep-water torpedo]: 36560182 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast [shallow water bombs]: lc, Feihua Lage Qingli 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast [bazooka]: Linghan 2; Lin Xiaozong, Di Diao Jun, Yi Yi, Xiao Bu Yu, g, Jixia Academy 1;
Thanks to the little angels who threw [hand grenades]: 3 Wuzuigou; Feihua Lage Qingli, Tideng Zhaoyebai, Keyu, Gu Jijij, 35695028, Yuanxing Jingxiong, Yitou Xiaoyugan, Paopao Teapot, and 1 Chen Jieyi;
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Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
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Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!