Chapter 113: Life
“Bye bye, welcome back next time.”
In the evening, the business of the milk tea shop was obviously getting slower with the gradually emptying streets. But the girl seemed to have an endless enthusiasm from beginning to end. She was wearing a pink apron and was standing on her tiptoes at the entrance of the shop, waving goodbye to the last customer. The bright and hazy sunset was as thick as a sweet and fragrant wine, and it was in the dimples that were raised on her cheeks.
Su Yu was counting the day’s earnings at the counter with his head down. Although the business on weekends was never bad, today was indeed particularly busy. If he had been alone in the shop, he probably wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
“Wow… I’m so tired today.”
Lin Keke turned over the “open” sign outside the shop, and her whole person was lying on the bamboo chair as if she had lost her bones. She was so casual that she didn’t care that there was another man in the shop.
“Is the shop always so busy? How do you manage it by yourself?”
“Of course it’s busy on weekends.” Su Yu lowered his head and moved his gaze from the girl’s not-so-elegant sitting posture. He continued to do the accounting with a pen in his hand. He suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a lot of boys in the high school uniforms of the nearby high school who were wandering at the entrance of the shop and were peeking inside. A smile appeared in his eyes. “Maybe it’s because our shop’s decoration has become more beautiful, and it’s more attractive to customers.”
“Then I’ve come at the right time.” Lin Keke glanced at the shop with its flamboyant decoration style. The walls were all painted with strange colors. She knew without thinking that it was her aunt’s favorite style.
She stood up from the rattan chair and jumped on the spot a few times to relieve her numb calves. She lay on the counter, and her big, dark eyes were fixed on Su Yu. “By the way, it’s just about dinner time. Do you want to have dinner together? There’s a food stall nearby that tastes pretty good. I don’t know if it’s still open.”
“This… how about next time?”
Su Yu looked up at Lin Keke’s rather serious look and gave an answer without much thought. He didn’t refuse too cruelly. “I still have to buy groceries and go home to cook.”
“Huh? How old are you?”
Lin Keke almost choked on her breath. Her eyes were wide. The person in front of her, with his sentence “I have to go home to cook,” had cruelly drawn a huge generation gap between the two of them, who had looked about the same age. “Shouldn’t you still be in school? A fourth-year student? Or a graduate student?”
Su Yu’s action of tidying up the counter was stagnant, and his expression was as usual, as if he were just talking about some ordinary little things.
“I’ve dropped out of school. I’m not in school. This is my job now.”
“I see. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Lin Keke lowered her head and sighed with some regret. Her bright eyes suddenly dimmed.
“I should go now. The shop is almost cleaned up. Remember to turn off the power when you leave. You should go home early too. Don’t let your family worry.”
Su Yu finished the work at hand, looked at the time, and it was late to get off work today. He was not willing to stay any longer. After a few instructions, he took off his overalls and was about to leave.
Lin Keke chased after him and shouted, “Bye. See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
Su Yu was already far away. He waved his hand, and his back quickly disappeared at the end of the street.
…
It was almost dark, and a string of light bulbs were hanging in the wet market. Not many of them were on, and it was so dark that it was hard to see the color of the vegetables. Su Yu touched the few wrinkled bills in his pocket. It was the end of the month, and even if he had been careful with his money for a whole month, there was not much left. But today was the weekend, and she rarely had a day off. The dishes on the dining table couldn’t be too shabby.
“I’ll take this piece of meat. I’ll take it all.”
Su Yu gestured to the butcher and asked for a piece of meat with a good mix of fat and lean. The girl was too weak, and she didn’t have a good impression of meat. When he held her in his arms, he was so tight that it was a little bony.
When he handed over the fifty-dollar bill, the boss even looked up at him, as if he had found something. Paper money was really getting rarer and rarer these days.
Su Yu’s heart was a little bitter when he took the meat. He was now no different from those old people who couldn’t play with their phones. He wandered around the wet market for a while, and he was really comparing prices. In the evening, he bought a fish that had just died, and he also added some vegetables. Then he carried a few bags of groceries and rushed home just before it got completely dark.
When he pushed open the door, the living room light was still on. The air was filled with a fragrance. Soup was being stewed in the kitchen, and the hot and steaming fragrance was alluring.
Su Yu carefully stuffed the groceries into the small refrigerator, which was less than half a meter high. He stayed in the kitchen and wanted to give Xia Qiange a hand. He secretly glanced at her. She was staring at the bubbling soup with no reaction. She was a little cold and strange. It was true that they were almost past the honeymoon phase of their relationship. It was not a bad thing to be plain and simple.
Xia Qiange quickly put the last of the soup ingredients into the pot and closed the lid. All that was left was to wait for the small fire to slowly simmer.
The blue and yellow flame on the gas stove was swaying, and it was reflecting her slightly pale face. She was not wearing any makeup, but she was naturally beautiful, and she was still beautiful without any makeup. After moving here for more than a month, although she couldn’t say that she knew everyone in the building, she had at least met all the neighbors. They were probably the youngest couple in this building.
Su Yu didn’t know any friends. Xia Qiange never asked about his social relationships, nor did she ever introduce him to her colleagues at work. She would never want to dominate his circle of friends just because they were in a relationship, let alone get angry because Su Yu didn’t give her a gift on a holiday that was fabricated by some businesses to promote love.
Xia Qiange didn’t seem to be interested in these things. But Su Yu could feel the love that was hidden in her actions. There was no sound, and it was not direct. But both of them knew it very well.
The knife was scraping the scales on the fish’s belly with a rustling sound. Through the ventilation window, he could see the lights of thousands of homes swaying in the darkness outside. He had once been very envious. It was very far away, and it was very warm.
Preparing dinner together was a very good experience. He often saw couples holding each other and buying groceries at the wet market. He suddenly regretted that he had bought the groceries for the whole weekend. He was a little greedy and wanted to go and buy groceries with her.
Xia Qiange was cutting vegetables on the cutting board. Su Yu gently hugged her from behind and whispered in her ear. His voice had a grainy texture, and it was light, low, and hoarse, as if he were thirsty.
“Let’s go and buy groceries together tomorrow. I’ll try to get off work early.”
“Don’t fool around. I’m cutting vegetables. My hands are not clean.”
Her soft and delicate body, which was in his arms, trembled. Her earlobes were visibly red. She stopped her movements and turned her head to look at Su Yu directly. Their noses were gently touching, and it was a little itchy. Their breaths were intertwined and inseparable. Her clear and simple eyes were looking at him timidly, like a small hook. He followed her without any resistance.
“Are you going?”
Su Yu got a little closer and asked again with some force.
Her gradually blushing skin was like a snow-white and smooth jade with a few strands of blood. She softly and gently compromised.
Yeah, “I’ll go with you.”
