The three of them walked towards the library. Yu Jiayou was unaware that the two girls beside him were having a quarrel, and he talked to them as usual.
"I'm going to buy some juice and milk. You guys wait here for me." Jiang Shuyi said as they passed a small shop on the road.
Yu Jiayou: “Okay.”
Jiang Shuyi trotted over, leaving only two people standing by the road waiting.
It was winter now and the weather was a bit cold. A gust of wind blew and Lin Qingle shivered and zipped up his coat.
Yu Jiayou glanced at her and said carefully: "Are you cold? Let me give you some clothes to wear."
Lin Qingle quickly shook her head. Firstly, Yu Jiayou himself was also wearing thin clothes, and secondly, she felt it would be a bit strange to wear Yu Jiayou's clothes.
Seeing that she refused, Yu Jiayou did not insist, but just watched the lower part of her cheek keep getting into the raised collar. Her face was round, so it must be very soft, and the metal zipper head easily made a small dent in it.
Yu Jiayou found it funny and couldn't help laughing.
Lin Qingle looked at him suspiciously: "What's wrong?"
Yu Jiayou shook his head and said, "Qingle, I think you seem a little different."
"What?"
"He looked like a good and obedient student, but when he confronted Zhang Yikun that day..." Yu Jiayou thought for a moment, "He was quite fierce."
Lin Qingle was a little embarrassed by what he said, and said uncomfortably: "If I'm not aggressive... he might think I'm easy to bully."
"He won't bully you anymore. I warned him."
"no."
"Um?"
Lin Qingle said: "I mean, I'm afraid he will think Xu Tingbai is easy to bully."
Yu Jiayou paused and chuckled: "He is lucky to have a friend like you."
Are you lucky
But he had already encountered all the misfortunes.
"Jiayou, milk." Jiang Shuyi came back after buying it.
Yu Jiayou: "Give it to Qingle."
Jiang Shuyi: "She doesn't drink milk, so I bought her orange juice."
"so… "
Although they were feeling awkward, Jiang Shuyi still remembered her habits.
"Yours." Jiang Shuyi directly stuffed the orange juice into Lin Qingle's hand. Her unyielding attitude carried a tone of seeking reconciliation.
Lin Qingle lowered his eyes to look at the drink in his hand and said thank you.
"Why are you being so polite?" Jiang Shuyi coughed lightly and walked straight forward.
When the three of them arrived at the library, there weren't many people there. After finding a seat near the window, they sat down and quietly began to do their homework.
Lin Qingle originally planned to write for two hours and then say he had something to do and leave first, but later the three of them wrote a test paper and encountered several difficult questions, so they sat together to study them for a long time.
After she solved all the questions, she realized that it was almost five o'clock.
"I have to go first! You guys continue." Lin Qingle hurriedly put the test papers and books into his schoolbag and stood up.
Yu Jiayou glanced at his watch and said, "It's almost time. Let's call it a day."
Jiang Shuyi: “That’s fine.”
Yu Jiayou: "How about we have a meal together before going home?"
Jiang Shuyi: “Sure.”
After they finished speaking, they both looked at Lin Qingle.
Lin Qingle put on his schoolbag and said, "I'm sorry. You guys go eat today. I have something to do and have to go back first."
She had promised Xu Tingbai yesterday that she would go to his house, so it couldn't be too late.
After saying that, she smiled apologetically at the two of them and quickly walked out the door.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Jiang Shuyi had no choice but to ask, "Jiayou, what are we going to eat? Jiayou?"
"Ah?" Yu Jiayou turned his gaze away from Lin Qingle, "Oh, whatever, whatever you want to eat."
"Let me think about it..."
—
When not going to school, Xu Tingbai just stays at home.
He stayed in his room for a long time today, and later came to the living room, coming and going. Apart from eating and "reading" the textbooks distributed by the school, he just stared blankly.
He often daydreams and usually gets lost in his own world, but today he feels a little different.
Knock knock.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, there was a knock on the door. Xu Tingbai's emotions suddenly fluctuated, and he almost immediately stood up to open the door. He walked a little too fast and bumped into the cabinet in the dark, causing a dull pain in the bones of the front of his calf.
But he just frowned and endured it. When he opened the door, he kept his expression calm.
"you… "
"Xiaobai, have you eaten yet?"
It’s Grandma Jiang.
The heart that had floated to the top fell back instantly.
"have eaten."
The old man standing outside the door said, "I wanted to help you clean your house today, but I found that your key was not there, so I knocked on the door."
Xu Tingbai: "I put the key away earlier."
"Why did you put it away? Didn't I tell you? Don't be embarrassed. I'll help you clean it up when I'm free." Grandma Jiang said, "Put it back later. Do you hear me?"
Xu Tingbai thought of the person who had been pestering him to put his keys there, and nodded.
Grandma Jiang: "Then let me help you clean up."
"No need, Mrs. Jiang, I've already cleaned it up."
"You clean it up yourself? Then next time just don't move, I'll help you."
“… Yeah, thank you.”
Grandma Jiang was worried about him and stood at the door and talked to him for a few more words before leaving.
After the footsteps faded away, he closed the door.
At that moment, Xu Tingbai smiled almost in self-loathing.
What is he expecting.
It was just a casual remark she made yesterday; she didn't say that she would definitely come.
How could he start looking forward to something so soon
The pain in the area where his calf was hit was sharp, but after he stood there for a while, it gradually faded. Xu Tingbai returned to the room, took out the key, and put it in the hidden place outside the door...
Five o'clock in the afternoon, dinner time.
Xu Tingbai had no appetite and didn't know what to eat. Later, he went to the kitchen and took out the box of instant noodles that were placed aside.
Instant noodles are quick and easy. After pouring the hot water, he stood quietly, time ticking in his mind.
Five minutes passed quickly, he opened the lid and smelled the smell. At this time, there was another knock on the door.
Xu Tingbai put down the plastic fork and turned around to open the door.
"Mrs. Jiang, I've already put the key away." He said to the outside.
"Really?! Then can I use it later?"
Not the voice of old age.
The voice in his ear was clear and soft, like a little girl, and it gently touched his heart like a small claw.
Xu Tingbai was stunned for a moment. He was so surprised that he didn't react for a while.
"It smells so good, did you cook instant noodles?" The girl opened the door and walked past him, "Are you just about to start eating?"
The quiet house was filled with sounds, and the unwarranted disappointment of the whole day suddenly dissipated like the gas in a burst balloon.
He closed the door, his heart beating wildly. He took two steps towards the sound and asked, "What are you doing here so late?"
Lin Qingle was surprised and said, "I said yesterday that I would come today."
"I mean, why now?" He blurted out, perhaps because he had been worried about it for a day. After he finished speaking, Xu Tingbai immediately regretted it, looking a little embarrassed.
"Ah... I'm sorry. I met some classmates today, and then went to the library to write a few test papers. One of them was too difficult, and I thought about it for a long time. When I finished writing, I realized that it was a little late." Lin Qingle looked at him and asked tentatively, "Are you waiting for me?"
Xu Tingbai naturally would not admit that he had been absent-minded the whole day because of what she said yesterday.
“… Overthinking.”
"oh."
Xu Tingbai walked to the kitchen counter and looked for the bowl of noodles.
"I'll do it." Lin Qingle hurried forward to help him carry it, "Be careful not to get burned."
If you can boil water and cook noodles by yourself, why would you worry about getting scalded
Xu Tingbai thought so in his mind, but when he heard her anxious tone, he did not refuse and let her go.
After he sat down at the dining table, he heard people around him move away, and she sat next to him. At this time, she didn't do her homework or eat, so she could only sit here and look at him.
When Xu Tingbai thought of this scene, he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable: "Have you eaten?"
Lin Qingle's stomach growled with hunger: "No, I just came back from the library."
Xu Tingbai paused with the fork in his hand and said calmly, "There's more over there. If you want to eat it, cook it yourself."
"May I?"
"casual."
Lin Qingle immediately got up happily and made a bowl of instant noodles. After a while, she brought it over to eat. She sat next to Xu Tingbai, lifted up the noodles, and blew on them twice.
"Instant noodles are delicious." Lin Qingle was telling the truth. Children of their age had no resistance to instant noodles. "But it's not good to eat them all the time. Let's cook for them next weekend."
Xu Tingbai paused again. She said "we" so easily.
Lin Qingle: "I can go buy groceries and cook at your house. My cooking skills are average, but... but it's edible. My mom sometimes says it's quite delicious."
Xu Tingbai took a mouthful of noodles slowly, feeling that such daily conversations were very unfamiliar to him.
"I'll go get some water." He didn't know what to say in response, and subconsciously stood up to avoid the familiarity of the moment.
"Let me help you." Lin Qingle was worried that he couldn't see, so he stood up and followed him.
"Need not."
"Let me help you."
She held the handle of the kettle and half of her palm pressed on his hand. Her hand was warm and soft as always.
"Let go." Xu Tingbai felt the back of his hand numbed by her soft warmth, but he didn't dare to pull it away for fear that she would lose her grip and spill the hot water.
Lin Qingle: "Let me go and pour it."
The strange temperature seemed to climb up his arms without his sight and burn his meridians.
Xu Tingbai: "I told you to let go, can't I do this?"
Lin Qingle's hand was repelled by his raised voice. She glanced at him, thinking that she was helping to hurt his self-esteem.
"Ah, I didn't say you couldn't do it..."
Lin Qingle's voice suddenly weakened. Xu Tingbai pursed his lips, knowing that he had spoken too loudly. He didn't know why he was so loud, he just felt that her hand was too hot, pressing on his... It was inappropriate.
He took a deep breath, took the cup beside him and poured two glasses of water.
"Are you angry?" Lin Qingle asked.
"No."
"But you look angry."
“… I’m not angry.”
"If you're angry, just say it. Maybe, sometimes you misunderstood what I meant."
Xu Tingbai pushed the poured cup in front of her, then took his own and walked to the dining table: "I'm not angry."
Lin Qingle quickly brought the cup of water and followed him happily: "But—"
"Okay, be quiet and eat your noodles."
"oh… "
Xu Tingbai sat down, picked up the fork again and took a bite of noodles.
"Xu Tingbai—"
"I'm really not angry, stop imagining things," he interrupted.
"No... I'm not talking about that." Lin Qingle stared at the fork she had held on his lips and the bowl of instant noodles she had eaten and bitten off, and said awkwardly: "That noodle is mine..."