Back to the dormitory after get off work, it was already half past twelve. I heard that the school turned off the lights on time at ten o'clock. When I went upstairs, there were still people walking in the corridor. When I walked lightly to the door of the dormitory, I found that the door had been locked. I knocked on the door cautiously, but no one paid any attention. After knocking for nearly a minute, the door suddenly opened. Ning Anan was wearing a nightgown, staring at me coldly: "Why are you knocking? Don't you have a key?"
"The door is locked."
She still had a cold face: "Didn't you hear that there was a rape case in this building last year? The door was not locked, what should you do if something happened? If you insist on playing until ten o'clock before returning to school, you can simply go to school the next day." Come back in the morning." I felt that I was wrong, and I didn't want to argue loudly in the middle of the night, so I had to tell the truth:
"I'm not playful. I just found a job, and I don't get off work until twelve o'clock." I felt aggrieved, and tears welled up in my eyes, but my face was still hard and my mouth was tight. Tightly, refusing to let her see it.
She was taken aback for a moment, then said "oh", pulled me in, and asked, "Isn't that enough money?"
I pursed my lips and didn't answer.
"Oh," she glanced at me and sighed, "Go to bed. I'll tell them not to lock it at night."
Afraid of making more noise, I didn't dare to wash my face or brush my teeth, so I quietly climbed to the upper bunk and got into the quilt. Can't sleep, because of the upcoming unknown expenses, because of the meager living expenses in the bankbook. Thankfully the cafe pays mid-month. I only have to work for another two weeks before I can get my first salary.
Early the next morning, I got up and went to the playground to run and recite words. I saw Feng Jinger was also on the playground, with a tall boy standing beside her.
When I ran past them, the boy said "Hi" to me. He was wearing a white vest, showing his strong chest muscles. He looked handsome and strong, like a sportsman.
"Xiaoqiu, are you going to the intensive reading class today?" Seeing me coming, Feng Jinger had nothing to say.
"go."
"What is your foreign language score in the college entrance examination?" She asked suddenly.
"Ninety-five," I said.
Her face changed slightly, and she looked at me suspiciously: "Really?"
"Um."
"I heard that your high school has exams every day. You have to deal with the college entrance examination from the first day of enrollment. There are no music classes, no drawing classes, and no physical education classes."
I can't help but dumbfounded.
——I often see this kind of person in my life. I don’t believe that there is anyone in this world who is smarter than her, only someone who is harder than her. Why bother? I had no choice but to nod: "Our high school is like this."
"My dad is in the English department," she said. "He doesn't teach intensive reading. In the fourth grade, you can take his 'Contemporary Britain'. He mainly teaches graduate courses."
"Really? Your dad is a professor?" I widened my eyes.
"Professor Feng is a PhD supervisor." The boy corrected.
"Just call him Mr. Feng."
"Okay."
"What does your father do?" She asked suddenly.
"My dad is also a teacher, teaching middle school." I said.
"This is Lu Jie. The road of the road, the shortcut of the shortcut."
"Hello. Which department are you from?"
"Department of National Economics."
"He is the champion of our high school's college entrance examination." Feng Jing'er looked at him sweetly, "He can go to Peking University, but he wants to come to Normal University. He doesn't take university seriously at all."
"Normal University's Department of National Economics is also very strong."
"When he was in his third year of high school, he scored 600 points in TOEFL."
"Oh!" I was in awe.
"I won't delay your morning exercise, see you in class!" Seeing my admiration, Feng Jinger smiled contentedly.
I took a total of five courses this semester, basically every day. Especially Tuesday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It's four o'clock after class. I had a quick dinner and made it to the cafe as fast as I could.
When Xiaotong saw me, he said quietly, "Don't mess with Xiaoye, she is in a bad mood."
"What's wrong?"
"Her sweetheart used to come every day at 5:30, but he didn't come today."
"It's not yet six o'clock."
"The man was very punctual. It was exactly five-thirty every time he came."
He was right. The young man in the suit didn't show up for the whole night. Xiaoye was absent-minded, so Xiaotong had to let her wipe the table, sweep the floor, and make coffee. I dare not ask her to serve drinks, let alone accept money. Xiaoye didn't mind, so she cleaned the tables mechanically from time to time, making all the tables shiny like mirrors.
In the next two weeks, the youth in the suit still did not show up. Xiaoye's mood gradually changed from distraught to restless. She became the main talking point of the children at night.
I gradually became a little worried, suspecting that the disappearance of the man had something to do with my accidentally spilling coffee on him. It is possible that because of my carelessness, he no longer likes this cafe. There are hundreds of coffee shops in Beijing, and there are more than a dozen of them near here, with more expensive prices and better service. He doesn't have to come here every time.
On the weekend, Xiaoye took a day off due to a cold. When she took over the shift the next day, the people on the morning shift told her that they saw the young man in a suit in the morning.
He probably changed his schedule and stopped coming to the cafe at night. So Xiaoye changed shifts with the morning shift. On the night when she changed shifts, I saw that young man again.
He still wears a pure black suit, which is extremely well-made and cut; he still carries a black cane, and a brown leather bag that seems to have been used for a long time is slung across his back.
After seven o'clock is the busiest time of the cafe, there are seven or eight people queuing up to buy coffee. The young man in a suit didn't go straight to the seat by the window and sit down as usual, but lined up neatly at the end of the line. He knows when special service is due and when not. — He obviously didn't want to disturb us at such a busy time.
After standing for a few seconds, he suddenly walked towards another door.
Along the direction he was walking, I saw a hale and hearty old man with a red face outside the glass door, wearing a neat suit like him, walking towards the cafe. The young man in the suit rushed to the door in time and opened it for him.
"Li Chuan!" The old man smiled, walked in and shook hands with him.
"Mr. Gong." He looked very respectful.
"Long time no see. How is your father?"
"Good."
"What about you?" He looked at him kindly.
"Very good too. Can I have a cup of coffee?"
"OK."
"Do you need milk in your coffee?"
"Oh, no. Black coffee without sugar."
"Come this way, please.—I know a quiet spot by the window."
He led the old man to the seat by the window, put down his bag, and came back to line up again.
It turned out that his name was "Li Chuan".
He stood in line for about three minutes and finally came to me.
"Hello!" I said. His face shone like a ray of sunlight, and my voice trembled unconsciously.
"Hi. Could I have one venti ice skinnytte, hipped cream, it a touch of cinnamon on the top and one venti ck coffee, no sugar?" Cream, with a sprinkle of cinnamon? And a large black black coffee.)
Pure American English, I was dumbfounded.
There is a hint of teasing in his smile: "I thought you prefer me to speak English..." (Translation: I thought you would like me to speak English... )
"Nervous!" I thought to myself, just because I spilled coffee once, is it worth doing this to me
"Of Course. (Translation: Of course)" I remained calm, "lease have a seat. I'll bring the coffee to you. (Translation: Please sit down, I will bring the coffee to you.)"
"No need, take your time. I'll stay here aiting. (Translation: No need. Don't be busy, I can wait here.)" He persisted, he must see my embarrassment.
"A total of thirty-seven yuan." I finally changed to Chinese.
He handed me a hundred dollars. I gave him the change.
He returned a piece of money to me: "It's an extra ten dollars."
"sorry."
The little boy asked in a low voice, "What does he want?"
My mind went blank, and I blushed and said, "It's too complicated, I don't remember it for a while."
"Hat?!" the boy growled.
"I am sorry, hat's your order again? (Translation: Sorry, what do you want? Say it again?)"
He repeated it in a low voice, and I finally heard it clearly: "Got it, thanks." I turned my head and said to the little boy, "A large iced latte, topped with cream and a little cinnamon powder and a large black coffee without sugar."
Children with drinks are fast. I put the things he wanted on the tray, and he held the tray in one hand and leaned on a cane in the other, and walked straight to his place. I think he's limping more than usual, and I'm afraid he'll spill the coffee if he's halfway there. Serving a drink can be a dangerous move for people with weak legs. But he managed to bring the coffee safely to the table.
The two chatted quietly by the window for about thirty minutes, and the old man stood up and said goodbye. The young man named "Li Chuan" still accompanied him to the door, opened the door for him, and watched him go. Then I walked straight back to my seat, opened my laptop, and started working.
Throughout the night, he ate a tuna sandwich, a fruit salad, and two glasses of Latte, and until I got off work, he sat there motionless, typing away, as if he had a lot of work to do.
I suddenly realized why he liked it here. His life must be very lonely. A lonely person would like to stay in a place with people, especially a place like a cafe that seems crowded but has nothing to do with him.
When I got off work, I put away my work clothes, changed into an ordinary short-sleeved shirt, and walked out of the cafe.
The night in Beijing is cold and dry, but my hometown is warm and humid. People who face too many changes in their lives often ignore the changes in the climate. Just like today, Beijingers must remember to bring a coat, but I can only walk under the dim street lights with my arms tightly held.
Not far away is the station, the night bus runs every hour, and I missed the one at twelve o'clock, which means I have to wait for fifty minutes in this cold street before the next one. I was planning to buy a bicycle. Xiaotong warned me that for a girl like me, riding a bus late at night was far safer than riding a bicycle.
Fortunately, I can recite words. Apart from washing my face, brushing my teeth and going to the bathroom, I spent all my time memorizing words. Taking out the vocabulary book, under the half-bright light, I began to recite the words.
A few minutes later, a car suddenly stopped in front of me. A person poked his head out and said "Hi" to me. It was "Li Chuan".
"Hi." I replied.
"Get in the car, I'll give you a ride." He said, and the door opened.
I sat up in a strange way. So comfortable! Leather seats, the car is very spacious.
"Where do you live?"
"S Normal University dormitory."
"Put on your seat belt."
I tied it for a long time, but couldn't get it on, so I had to ask: "How to tie it?"
He opened the car door, jumped out of the car with his cane, came to the back seat and leaned over to help me find the buckle, fastened it with a snap, and then walked back to the driver's seat.
"Thank you." I whispered.
"You're welcome." He started the car and drove on the street.
With the handsome man by my side, I only have the strength to breathe. For five minutes, neither of us spoke.
"Are you from the English department?" he finally asked.
"If I answered your question, you will answer my question," I said, "Do you really want to know the answer?"
He gave me a surprised look and nodded.
"First-year English Department." I said, "It's my turn to ask. What's your name?"
He was taken aback: "I don't seem to have asked your age, why did you ask my name?"
"for equality."
"Wang Lichuan," he said, "where are you from?"
"I'm a foreigner. I don't like Beijingers."
He laughed.
"And you?"
"I'm not from Beijing."
"You speak Beijing dialect."
"My grandpa and grandma are both from Beijing. In other words, from Peking." He said, "Do you have any relatives or friends in Beijing?"
"No. None of the eight generations of ancestors."
"Then, is your family assured to let you live alone in other places?"
"I'm an adult and can choose my own life."
"Well, that sounds like something from an American."
I smiled happily: "You just asked me two questions, now it's my turn to ask you."
"Really? I asked two questions?"
"yes."
"All right."
"Do you like Beijing?"
"good."
"Why do you particularly like coming to this cafe?"
"Because..." He thought for a while, "Parking is very convenient."
I thought of the often empty handicapped parking space, and I couldn't help but look at his legs. It is true that his left leg is difficult to move when getting in and out of the car, but he seems to be used to it. Although a little clumsy, many actions are completed in an instant. "Do you have any questions?" He turned his head and looked at me strangely.
I couldn't look at his face, every look made me dizzy. He has a face that is both full of character and impeccable. Even the silhouette is so perfect it could be minted into gold coins.
"No more." I spread my hands.
"Is that all you are curious about strangers?"
"There's only so much. Sorry," I had to point out, "you've been speeding."
"Are you afraid of high speeds?"
"I'm afraid of the police."
He smiled and slowed down. After driving for less than ten minutes, we arrived at the gate of our school. There are guards at the gate, and no vehicles can enter.
"Thank you, just stop here." I said quickly.
"Do you live far from the door?"
"It's not far, just walk." I didn't want to bother him.
He found a place to park, then got out of the car, and said, "If you don't mind, can I take you to the door of the dormitory? It's too late, and it may not be safe even inside the school." Although he is courteous and contrived, he speaks sincerely and frankly, with a complete gentleman's demeanor.
"No, no, no... really, no need!" I had never been taken care of like this in my life, and I was so flattered that I waved my hands again and again.
"You know, if I send you here and you suddenly disappear while walking. From a legal point of view, I'm suspect number one."
I looked at him and smiled silently.
After walking a few steps, he said: "I may walk a little slowly, don't you mind? I know you will arrive soon after running. But this road looks very dark, with woods on both sides. I would rather Take your patience and walk slowly with me."
Why is this person always so polite? I said loudly, "Of course I don't mind."
He wasn't actually walking slowly, but it was clearly not his usual speed.
"Have you ever been here?" I asked.
"No."
"But you must have been to college, right?" I asked again.
"Why? Do I look very learned?"
"Well... not at all. Your English is very good."
"Books I read abroad."
"Oh. Then why did you come back? As far as I know, many people here are afraid that they cannot go abroad."
"Then I'm in the minority."
I have a lot of questions I want to ask, but none of them are appropriate for a first-time acquaintance. So I restrained my curiosity.
I hope the road is so long that we can go on and on. Unfortunately, the dormitory has already arrived.
"Thank you for sending me back." I sincerely thank you.
"Good night." He said flatly.
He watched me go through the door, then turned and left. I know that he will have to walk alone for at least half an hour before he can reach the school gate. I suddenly had an urge to walk back with him. But I restrained myself.