After Hu Jiao saw clearly where it was, he suddenly squatted down and covered his mouth with his hands.
Lu Yao looked down at him.
The color on the boy's face had completely drained away, beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, his eyes were filled with disgust, and his voice was hoarse: "Lu Yao, I want to go back."
Lu Yao didn't expect that Jiao Jiao would react so strongly to this place, even experiencing severe physical discomfort.
She bent down to support him and prepared to go back and adjust it.
At this time, the elevator door at the end of the corridor opened and a family of three walked out of the elevator.
Pepper tilted his head to take a look, and the nausea that he had just suppressed could no longer be suppressed, and he vomited out.
The man who came out of the elevator was wearing a suit and tie, gold-rimmed glasses, and his hair was neatly combed back. He was holding a child who was wearing the same suit. The woman in a ginger dress was walking behind with a handbag, chatting and laughing with the person who came out with her.
Hearing the voice, everyone stopped and looked over, then frowned with disgust in their eyes.
Huo Jiao held Lu Yao's hands tightly, and he couldn't help shaking. He lowered his head and vomited again.
Lu Yao looked at the people over there still looking at them, and explained with a wry smile: "He has a stomachache, sorry. We will clean it up later."
A group of people walked past the two of them, and Lu Yao heard the woman's disgusted voice: "It's so dirty."
Huo Jiao closed her eyes and leaned against Lu Yao, holding her hand very tightly.
Lu Yao steadied him and tilted his head to look at the family. They stopped in front of door number 305. The child's delicate eyebrows were knitted together, as if he was worried or curious. He tried to tilt his head to look over, but was then pushed into the door by the man holding his arm.
The door opened and closed again, and Lu Yao vaguely saw a look of fear and despair flash across the child's face.
The man who was joking with them was from next door and entered room 306.
After a few minutes, Pepper recovered and stood up with the help of the railing, her face showing a look of defeat: "I'm afraid your tutoring will be of no use to me."
Lu Yao patted him on the back and said, "Go back first."
Back at the Childhood Tuition Center, Pepper immediately ran to the bathroom and lay on the toilet vomiting.
Lu Yao poured some warm water on the table and waited for him to come out.
When I first met Pepper, the boy had a hoarse voice.
She didn't think much about it at the time, but now she has roughly guessed the reason.
After Huo Jiao vomited out everything in his stomach, he rinsed his mouth and poured cold water on his face. He looked up at his pale and disheveled self in the mirror, and a gloomy and disgusted emotion seeped out from the depths of his eyes bit by bit.
"Pepper, are you feeling better?" Lu Yao's voice came from outside the door.
Pepper wiped his face, opened the door, glanced at her, and nodded slightly.
I just vomited, my throat hurts and I can't speak.
Lu Yao: "I've poured you some water and some lozenges. Come over here and drink some water, then eat the lozenges. I'll ask Xiao Ji to bring some more food over later. What do you want to eat? Order whatever you want. I have some great chefs at home who can cook any flavor. If you like seafood, that can be made for you, too. But you'd better not eat raw food for now. I have a dessert girl at home who cooks world-class seafood noodles. Do you want to try it?"
Hu Jiao stared at Lu Yao with a cold expression on his face. His voice was as hoarse as rough sandpaper scratching the surface of metal: "Are you sympathizing with me?"
The latest information has been spit out from the small silver ball. Lu Yao sorted it out and shook his head, saying, "The child has little experience. This is normal social care for the guests."
Pepper sat opposite, drank some water, and put some candy into his mouth. The cool taste was slightly sweet, and the discomfort and nausea in his throat were significantly relieved.
He picked up the candy wrapper on the table and unfolded it. It was a package he had never seen before.
Huo Jiao put the candy wrapper into his pocket and glanced at Lu Yao from time to time, "The first three people who walked out of the elevator were my parents and myself when I was a child."
Lu Yao was not surprised at all: "I can see. That child looks a lot like you."
Pepper supported his forehead with his hand and closed his eyes. The memory deep in his consciousness was stimulated and lingered in his mind: "The man in a suit is actually a violent maniac. He always looks elegant outside, but when he returns home, he will beat his wife and children non-stop, under the pretext of releasing pressure. But his superpower can cover up the wounds without leaving any evidence. The woman is cowardly and vain. To her, the child is just a prop to please her husband, compete for the limelight, and maintain face. Lu Yao, I don't want to go back to the past, nor do I want to change myself. I can't escape at all. Even if I escape from the abyss called "home", I can't live a good life. They are like two lingering shadows, chasing me every moment. I can't get rid of them. I'm tired. Last night, you didn't go out for some fresh air."
The boy's narration was filled with fatigue and powerlessness. The deep despair was like a hand reaching out from hell, dragging him into deeper darkness.
Lu Yao read ten lines at a glance, marking the important nodes on the information before looking up, "You don't need to change anything, because it's not your fault. Did you notice the little me just now? I was half-lifted and pulled by my father, walking sideways with difficulty. Others walked past us indifferently, but he was the only one who gave us a concerned look."
Pepper's face was stunned.
Lu Yao inserted the pen cap into the pen and reached out to Huo Jiao: "I have a suggestion. How about you personally rescue him and bring him out during this tutoring session?"
Pepper was puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Lu Yao: "Well, because this tutoring session is different from the previous ones, some adjustments need to be made. I can't explain it to you in detail for now, but you will know when the formal tutoring session starts in the afternoon."
Lu Yao used the mobile phone in the shopping street to send a message to Zhou Su and Ji Feiming, asking for a bowl of seafood noodles and asking Xiao Ji to deliver it to the Childhood Tutorial Center.
Then she picked up the little black dragon ornament on the table and walked into the laboratory.
About twenty minutes later, Xiao Ji brought a fresh and hot bowl of seafood noodles.
When Jiao Huo met Ji Feiming for the first time, he took three steps back when he saw the uncle in a high-end suit and a sophisticated slicked-back hair, as if he had seen something dirty.
Ji Feiming: “…”
Lu Yao came out of the research room and saw this scene. Seeing Xiao Ji's self-doubt, he explained, "This customer has some PTSD about suits. You go and do your work first."
Ji Feiming: "...Okay."
It turns out that people who come to tutor their childhood are all a little sick.
Seeing the elite man in a suit being so respectful to the store owner, Hu Jiao was puzzled: "Who is he?"
Lu Yao: "The deliveryman in the store."
Pepper: "...the delivery guy is dressed so formally?"
Lu Yao: "... Well, generally speaking, it is not necessary. This is his personal hobby, don't worry about it."
Pepper sat down and took a bite of seafood noodles, his eyes widened: "This!!! It's delicious! Can I live broadcast it?"
Lu Yao sat down opposite him: "It was such a big deal last night, and we still need to broadcast it live?"
Hu Jiao thought about it and shook his head unhappily: "Forget it, I have tutoring soon, so I really don't have the energy to do it. It's just that my occupational disease has come back."
Lu Yao: "By the way, will the Public Security Bureau come to look for you?"
Pepper acted like a rogue: "Come if you want, who's afraid of them?"
When he was a child, he called the police department to report the man's violence, but to no avail.
At first, no one responded, but he kept calling. Finally, two security guards came to his house to find out what happened, but they just asked a few questions and left.
The most serious incident was when he was nearly beaten to death, but the two security guards didn't notice anything.
The impact of last night's live broadcast was even greater than Lu Yao had expected. Before ten o'clock in the morning, three shelves in the store had been emptied and there were still many people queuing at the door.
Lu Yao asked Xiao Ji to restock the supplies and stay at the cram school to help out.
Xu Xiaoxiao was too busy loading goods and receiving customers by herself.
Near noon, Lu Yao received several guests who wanted to learn about their childhood. They all registered and arranged a time.
As a result, tutorial centers are in urgent need of tutors.
Lu Yao asked the system to post a new recruitment notice at the door.
After lunch, Lu Yao called Xu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Ji and told them to close the store and take a break after all the goods were sold out in the afternoon, without having to restock.
Then she pulled out her keys and began Pepper's childhood tutoring.
-
After the white light became brighter, Pepper opened his eyes and they were back in the dark and narrow corridor.
But Huo Jiao felt that something was wrong with his vision. The walls and railings became very high, and his vision became shorter and narrower.
Looking back and seeing a pair of long legs, he slowly raised his head, his eyes suddenly widened, "Lu Yao, what's going on?"
As soon as the words came out, Pepper immediately covered her mouth.
His voice also became tender and clear, like that of a child.
Huo realized that he had become smaller, and the Lu Yao in front of him was a little different from the one he knew.
She was wearing a long trench coat and high heels, her long hair was tied into a low bun, she was carrying a shiny leather handbag, and she was holding the handle of a large suitcase.
She looked much more mature than the original owner, except that she still wore the conspicuous golden lotus earring on her left ear.
Lu Yao freed his hands and gently rubbed the top of Pepper's head, "What Lu Yao? Call me mom!"
Hu Jiao covered his head and took a step back, looking confused: "..."
What kind of weird role playing is this
Lu Yao and Pepper moved into Room 306, next door to Little Pepper's house. The original neighbor had already moved away.
This apartment is not particularly big, about 90 square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room. Each bedroom has a bathroom, a study room, and a small kitchen.
Lu Yao’s character is a 30-year-old capable mother who has just moved to Orange City with her six-year-old son Lu Huajiao.
Because Lu Hu Jiao is already six years old and is about to go to elementary school.
Pepper sat on the sofa in the living room, looking desperate: "Is this the special tutoring program? Let me go through elementary school, middle school and college again?"
Lu Yao nodded: "You can understand it that way."
Pepper: "What's the point of growing up again with those memories? Didn't you say it wasn't my fault? But in the end, you still want me to change."
Lu Yao sat opposite Huo Jiao, took out his phone, turned on the selfie mode, and handed it to Huo Jiao: "To be precise, you are not yourself now. You are my child, so you look a little different from before."
The Lu Hujiao pictured on the phone screen no longer looked like Little Hujiao, but a little boy who looked 50% like Lu Yao.
While Pepper was stunned, Lu Yao continued, "Normally, tutoring would seal the student's memory, and then Alfred would guide them. But your situation is a little special, so we decided to adopt a special tutoring method."
Pepper came back to his senses, "What about Alfred? He won't show up?"
He had no other thoughts. He felt depressed when he thought that other students could see Alfred, but he was the only one who had to face the owner every day.
Lu Yao shook his head: "Of course he will appear, he will still guide you as a child. But the circumstances this time are special, you know better than anyone that no one will save Little Pepper except yourself."
Pepper looked stern.
The owner can be blunt and cruel at times.
With just this one sentence, he could no longer refuse any of her arrangements.
Yes, he understands.
No one will save him except himself.
Pepper's shoulders slumped and she compromised. "What am I going to do?"
Lu Yao smiled gently: "Why don't you try calling me 'Mom' first?"
black pepper:"… "
Lu Yao stopped joking, got up and went to the kitchen to get a few boxes of cakes and gifts that had been prepared in advance. "We just moved to a new home, so of course we have to visit the neighbors. Pepper, go out with mom and lie down."
Pepper couldn't help but roll her eyes, slowly rolled down from the sofa, and walked to the entrance to put on her shoes.
Lu Yao stood at the door, waited patiently for him to put on his shoes, and extended his hand to him.
Pepper paused for a moment before walking over and holding that hand.
The woman's hands were a little thin, but soft and warm, different from the woman's hands in his memory.
Two people stood outside the door, and the sound of piano came from Room 305.
Lu Yao planned to go to a few nearby stores first to practice his sales pitch, and then go to Room 305.
But the piano music in Room 305 suddenly stopped. Jiao Huo paused, took two deep breaths, and looked up at Lu Yao, "It's about to start."
It was like this when I was a child. The woman always wanted him to make her proud, so she enrolled him in many tutoring classes, including piano, mathematics Olympiad, and calligraphy.
He is indeed talented and has made good progress in every subject.
To this end, his family bought him an expensive piano and he practiced for several hours every day.
But men's tempers are unpredictable. When they are happy, they will compliment you, but when they are upset, they will suddenly attack you without any warning.
This kind of situation where the piano sound suddenly stops is mostly when the man is in a bad mood.
Lu Yao pulled Huo Jiao and turned around, raised his hand and rang the doorbell of Room 305.
No one answered the door, so Lu Yao pressed it a few more times and raised his hand to knock on the door: "Excuse me, is anyone there?"
After about two or three minutes, the door opened from the inside, and a handsome man showed his face from behind the door: "Who are you?"
Lu Yao pushed the door open a little and handed out a snack box: "Hello, I'm Lu Yao, the new resident of Room 306 next door, and this is my son Huo Jiao."
The man took the snack, lowered his eyes to glance at the little carrot-head standing beside Lu Yao's legs, and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips: "You're welcome."
Huo Jiao was frightened by that smile and subconsciously hugged Lu Yao's legs and hid behind him.
Lu Yao bent down slightly to hold him, and smiled awkwardly: "This kid is usually very naughty, and he gets shy when he sees strangers. I heard from the neighbors that your family also has a child of similar age?"
The man nodded indifferently.
Lu Yao seemed to be oblivious to the man's impatience and continued the conversation: "I just heard the sound of a piano coming from your house. Was it the kid practicing?"
The man's eyebrows wrinkled a few times, and he turned around and called out, "Hu Qi, come out and say hello to your aunt and brother."
Pepper's real name is Huqi.
Little Hu Qi came out of the room with tears still on his face.
The man noticed Lu Yao's inquiring look, his shoulders and back stiffened, and he explained dryly: "He doesn't practice the piano seriously, and he always wants to eat snacks. I just told him about it."
Hu Jiao stood at Lu Yao's feet and met Xiao Hu Qi's eyes, feeling mixed emotions.
Hu Qi was confused and walked obediently to the man. He didn't react to his words and just said "Hello, Auntie" in a crisp voice.
Lu Yao took out a stuffed toy that looked like a little black dragon from behind and handed it over. "Hello, little Hu Qi. It's the first time we meet, so I'm giving you a little black dragon. His name is Alfred. You can talk to him about anything that's bothering you."