Xu Xiaoxiao took the flyer, glanced at it casually, and said in disbelief: "Xiao Ze actually believed in this kind of thing? It's too funny to make up for his childhood."
"Ha-ha-" Erxin suddenly looked at Xu Xiaoxiao with a fierce look and stretched out his fat "flower arms" to fight, but was stopped in time by the shop owner.
Xu Xiaoxiao bent down and rubbed the fat cat's furry head. "Why does it seem like it understands human language?"
"Ha—" Er Xin stuck his neck out, still wanting to pick on Xu Xiaoxiao.
Lu Yao took a step back while holding the fat cat, and smiled apologetically: "Maybe he is hungry, he hasn't had dinner yet."
This is complete lies.
Pigs are not tigers, and they won't bite people when they are hungry.
Xu Xiaoxiao was not angry. She waved her hand and turned to leave.
Lu Yao stopped her and explained that the store currently provided free childhood testing services and she could try it.
Xu Xiaoxiao shook her head: "No, thank you. I have no regrets in my childhood, and I don't need any tutoring."
The system popped up: "This guest is obviously not our potential customer."
After being with the store owner for a long time, the system also learned some business terms and showed them off from time to time.
Lu Yao put his second thought aside and turned to get cat food for it. "If she wasn't interested, she wouldn't come to the store so many times. Many times, it takes courage to recognize your own heart. Just wait a little longer."
The system felt that the shopkeeper's words were unreasonable, but many times, the subsequent events proved that she was right. It couldn't help but ask: "How do you know which people need tutoring? I always find it strange that you seem to know everything, especially how to guess people's hearts."
There is no relevant experience recorded in the store owner's past resume.
Moreover, the system clearly felt that as more and more stores were opened in the other world, the minds of the store owners became more and more difficult to guess, and their personalities were different from the docile and obedient ones when they opened the first store.
Maybe it has something to do with lost memories
When they were bound, the owner was in a particularly bad condition, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.
Just completing the contract, she fell into a coma.
When she woke up again, the owner became soft and gentle. She forgot about binding it and also forgot the original intention of accepting it.
What kind of person was the store owner before he lost his memory
For some reason, the system suddenly became interested.
Unfortunately, due to the constraints of the rules, even it could not get a glimpse of the memory she had lost.
Lu Yao chuckled: "When you want to understand a person, you will naturally pay attention to everything related to him. This is not a very difficult skill. But I may have done some relevant homework before I lost my memory, because I have a familiar feeling."
Maybe he studied psychology specifically for the purpose of doing business.
Or maybe, there was someone in the past that she wanted to get to know.
Lu Yao continued, "Don't worry, I won't open a store that I'm not sure of. I want to know more than anyone what wishes I made in the past."
System: [… Hmm.]
-
Xiao Ze’s second tutoring session was on the weekend, and he started looking forward to it as soon as he got off work on Friday.
He woke up before six o'clock on Saturday morning.
I got up, washed, had breakfast, and cleaned the house, and finally it was eight o'clock.
Xiao Ze took a quick shower, changed into casual clothes, and came to the Childhood Tutorial Center with great anticipation.
There was a long line in front of the store, and Xiao Ze stood aside for a while.
Listening to the people in the queue chatting, it turned out that they were all guests who came here from other areas specially to take advantage of the weekend.
The bubble water and good mood glutinous rice balls from the cram school were spread on the Internet to be so miraculous that many people did not believe them at first and thought they were just advertisements.
But during this period, many people came to buy bubble water and glutinous rice dumplings, and then posted articles and videos online to share their experience of using and tasting the products, with almost no negative reviews.
With more and more tap water, this grand occasion has come into being.
Lu Yao saw Xiao Ze outside and asked him to wait in the cram school room.
The customers in the queue thought Xiao Ze was trying to cut in line and began to feel dissatisfied.
Lu Yao explained: "He is a cram school student and doesn't buy anything."
Someone asked, "Does your store have cram schools?"
Someone else looked at Xiao Ze and couldn't help asking, "This guy is an adult, right? What are you here for tutoring?"
Xiao Ze felt embarrassed, so he quickly squeezed into the door and strode towards the cram school room.
Lu Yao took the opportunity to take out the flyer that was covered in dust at the back of the shelf, "Our tutoring center specializes in tutoring children for those in need. If you are interested, please check it out."
Tutoring childhood
Can't understand.
There is a faint smell of deception and fraud.
But there are also many people who find it interesting and pick up a flyer when they leave after buying something.
When Lu Yao finished his work, it was almost nine o'clock.
She was worried that some customers might come over while she was tutoring Xiao Ze, so she sent a message to the work group in the shopping street, asking someone who was free to come and look after the store.
Two minutes later, Ji Feiming came over.
He had just finished delivering the goods and came here when he saw the message from the owner.
Lu Yao asked Erxin to accompany Ji Feiming, then turned and walked into the cram school room.
The time and space coordinates for Xiao Ze’s second tutoring session were the seventh day after his fifth birthday.
Mom suddenly appeared after disappearing for a long time.
When he was young, he only remembered that the joy of seeing his mother had not yet fully settled in his heart before it was crushed by a strange man who suddenly broke in.
Five-year-old Xiao Ze didn't know why he was so sad. He only remembered that he waited for a very long time, sitting under the ivy fence every day, thinking about his mother all the time.
Mom finally came back, but she was not what he expected.
On this day, Douding Xiaoze was once again overwhelmed by a huge feeling of powerlessness.
After staying in the daycare center for seven or eight days and returning to his familiar home, Douding Xiaoze should have been happy, but he was depressed.
The depressed emotional reaction is even stronger than what the little kid felt in the real past. This is the projection of the consciousness of the adult Xiao Ze.
He still cares very much about what happened that day.
After dinner, mother washed Xiao Ze early and coaxed him to sleep.
After mom made sure he was asleep, she turned off the lights and went out.
Alfred flew in through the window and heard suppressed sobs coming from under the covers.
He fell to the ground, and patted the bulging hillock with his short forelimbs with great effort, "Little bean, are you crying?"
When Xiao Ze heard the familiar voice, he immediately turned over the quilt, but the room was dark, so he asked tentatively: "Teacher Alfred?"
Before Alfred could speak, Xiao Ze stretched out his finger, and a faint light flashed at his fingertips, illuminating a small area in front of him.
When Xiao Ze saw the familiar short and thick claws, his face lit up with joy, and he hugged Alfred tightly in his arms, saying with full of grievance: "Teacher Xiao Panglong, I miss you so much."
Chubby Dragon...
Alfred was speechless, helpless as his claws and wings were tightly held by Douding Xiaoze, and he was unable to protest.
The little kid's chest felt soft, hot, and a little wet. He didn't know how long he had been crying.
Alfred waited for him to calm down, then gently broke free and flew out to get a tissue. "Here, your face is covered with snot and tears again. Did you wipe it on your pajamas just now?"
Xiao Ze was so sad that he didn't remember any of this and just shook his head in confusion.
Alfred sighed and walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. "Why are you crying so hard? Did something happen?"
Xiao Ze also moved to the bedside, next to Alfred, and told him word by word about the grievances he had suffered that day.
"Mom doesn't like me anymore."
This is Xiao Ze’s final conclusion.
These seven simple words reveal deep despair.
In the heart of five-year-old Xiao Ze, his mother is his universe.
Adults think that children are ignorant, but in fact they are not completely unaware.
Infancy is one of the most powerless periods in human life.
Young children are much more sensitive to danger than adults.
It's just that they don't know how to express it.
Most children who are troubled by similar feelings of anxiety will most likely react by crying and making a fuss.
Xiao Ze did not cry in front of the adults, but hid in the quilt and sobbed secretly, suppressing his grievances.
I'm afraid I've had bad experiences with crying loudly before.
Adults think that children's world is carefree, but they don't know that they are already learning how to adapt to the world and constantly correcting their behavior.
Douding Xiaoze learned patience and waiting through his repeated experiences of exploring the world.
This is the way he chooses to get along with the world after he is powerless to resist.
Alfred spread his wings and patted Xiao Ze's arm soothingly. His two stubby claws shook up and down, and he said slowly: "Little kid, 'waiting' and 'patience' may be easier ways to survive. But if you just wait blindly, many things that could have been changed may not be changed in the end."
Five-year-old Xiao Ze didn't understand, but there was still an adult consciousness sleeping in this young body.
Xiaoze was silent for a while, grabbed his pillow, rolled out of bed, stood on tiptoe to open the bedroom door, ran to his mother's bedroom door, knocked gently, and cried, "Mom, I'm scared."
After a long while, the door was opened from the inside, and warm light flowed out of the room, illuminating Xiao Ze's tear-stained face.
The mother paused, squatted down and picked him up, "Why are you crying like this?"
Douding Xiaoze hugged his mother's neck tightly, buried his face in her shoulder, and sobbed: "Mom, I'm scared."
The poor little girl cried so sadly that her mother felt a wet and hot sensation on her shoulder and she comforted her gently with concern.
**The man looked unhappy.
After Xiao Ze fell asleep, he was sent back to the children's room.
In the middle of the night, Xiao Ze woke up with a start and realized that he was in his room. Deep in his eyes, there was a heavy depression, and he murmured: "Teacher Alfred, the world is still so disgusting after trying hard. Tell me, what else can I do besides waiting and enduring?"
The adult Xiao Ze regained consciousness.
Alfred: "Where are your keys, little one?"
Xiao Ze was startled. He thought Alfred had left. He turned around and saw the little fat dragon squatting beside the pillow. His deep blue eyes were as deep as the starry sky, staring at him quietly.
This was the first time that the adult Xiao Ze saw the moving and talking Alfred clearly. He couldn't help but sit up and asked, "Are you still here?"
Alfred shrugged. “As your tutor, why would I leave early?”
Xiao Ze groaned, carefully stretched out his finger, and gently poked the bulging belly of the little fat dragon.
Just as I remembered.
Soft and warm.
Alfred endured it for a moment. This guy kept poking him. He tried to keep a straight face and said seriously, "… Stop playing. Where are the keys?"
Xiao Ze raised his right hand, revealing a key pendant hanging on a black bracelet.
Alfred stretched out his paw and tapped the key lightly.
The lines that had been gathered into the shape of a key instantly spread out, extending in different directions one by one, glowing in the darkness.
"Your heart key starts from your birth and extends into countless lines. They extend infinitely in different directions. Do you know what this means?"
It was the first time that Xiao Ze saw the true appearance of the Soul Key. It turned out that those thread-like patterns were really threads, and the small beads on the threads were not ordinary beads, but... his life trajectory.
A look of realization appeared on Xiao Ze's young face.
Countless lines, countless possibilities, countless futures.
And for many years, he was stuck in the same predicament and never got out.
As a child, he didn't know what to do.
As he grew up, he lost the courage to change.
After a long silence, Xiao Ze let out a long breath, "I understand, Teacher Alfred."
Alfred nodded in satisfaction. "You little kid is not stupid. It's late. It's time to go to bed."
Xiao Ze pulled up the quilt and lay down. After a while, he whispered to Alfred, "Can I hold the teacher while I sleep?"
Alfred held his short and thick forelimbs to his chest, hesitated for a moment, and said modestly: "At most, I can lend you my tail to hold for a while."
Xiao Ze lay on his side, holding the tip of teacher Alfred's short, fat tail in his hand, and closed his eyes.
After a while, the quilt rose and fell gently.
The little kid fell into a deep sleep.
Alfred said softly, "Good night, No. 1 tutor Xiao Ze."
The second tutorial session is over.
-
After leaving the Childhood Tutorial Center, Xiao Ze went to the supermarket to buy fresh meat and vegetables, intending to cook for himself.
After returning home, Xiao Ze changed into loose clothes, washed his hands, and started to prepare the ingredients.
The doorbell rang and he went to the living room to open the door.
Xu Xiaoxiao stood outside the door, her nose flaring slightly, her eyes sparkling: "It smells so good, are you cooking?"
Xiao Ze nodded in response and stepped aside to let her in.
Xu Xiaoxiao was also wearing home clothes. She walked straight to the kitchen after entering the door. She was a little surprised to see the chopped vegetables and steaks on the cooking table.
"It still looks like a delicious dish. I'm blessed today."
Xiao Ze didn't say anything. He silently picked and washed the onion leaves, peeled the ginger and garlic, cut the small ingredients, and prepared to start cooking.
Xu Xiaoxiao has become accustomed to Xiao Ze's coldness and aloofness. She doesn't feel bored leaning against the door frame and watching him cook.
He is such a quiet person, but he is a completely different person when he sleeps.
This was the first time they had eaten together at home, and Xu Xiaoxiao seemed to be getting to know Xiao Ze all over again.
In the past, when they were out, he was almost always the one buying her food.
It's rare for two people to sit face to face and eat together like this.
He ate in a very polite manner and the dishes he cooked were more delicious than I expected.
After dinner, Xiao Ze washed the dishes.
Xu Xiaoxiao was sitting in the living room, browsing on her phone. From time to time, she looked up at Xiao Ze's back and was in an inexplicably good mood.
After washing the dishes, Xiao Ze went back to the bedroom and changed into clean clothes.
The smell of cooking fumes is so strong that it covers your clothes and body.
He wanted to take a shower, but then decided to wait until he finished his business.
Xu Xiaoxiao looked up and saw Xiao Ze standing by the bedroom door with a strange look on his face.
He seemed inexplicably emotional today.
She stood up and walked towards him.
Xiao Ze stepped out first: "Xu Xiaoxiao, I have something to say."
Xu Xiaoxiao paused, feeling a premonition.
The next second, Xiao Ze said, "I think it's over."
Xu Xiaoxiao lowered her head and felt a little strange.
It was clearly agreed in the beginning that when one party wants to end it, they can bring it up.
He's just a playmate, why do you feel uncomfortable
I've never felt this way before.
She adjusted her mood and said calmly: "Okay, I understand."
Xu Xiaoxiao turned around and walked to the entrance. When she was putting on her shoes, she suddenly looked up and asked, "Have you met someone you like?"
Xiao Ze smiled and shook his head: "I just met Teacher Alfred."
Xu Xiaoxiao couldn't help asking, "Who is he?"
Xiao Ze lowered his head and raised his hand to scratch his ear. "Teacher from the cram school. I'm sorry. I was so muddle-headed before that I thought anything would work. I was just waiting aimlessly, and then you came."
“… Sorry.” Xiao Ze realized that he had said the wrong thing, but he didn’t know how to save the situation.
The two people had the most intimate contact, but never tried to understand each other.
Perhaps at the beginning, they did think about absorbing each other's warmth, but they soon discovered that each other's bodies were equally cold.
"No need to say more." Xu Xiaoxiao turned around, opened the door, and ran out quickly.
-
Childhood Tuition Center.
Seeing that there were few customers, Lu Yao prepared to close the shop.
When Xu Xiaoxiao appeared, her cheeks were flushed. She held the glass door of the cram school with one hand and an empty wine bottle with the other. She called out loudly, "Owner, where is Alfred? Call him out. Don't hide him."
Lu Yao: “…”