Chapter 45
“Click—”
The sound of the lock turning confirmed Yang Feitang’s premonition. The two of them turned their heads in unison and saw Qiao Xiaoxiao, with a bulging schoolbag on her back and a heavy plastic bag in her hand, storming in.
“Oh, you’re all home?” Qiao Xiaoxiao asked in a loud voice as she changed her shoes. “What do you want to eat tonight?”
If it were in the past, Chef Qiao Xiaoxiao would have definitely been met with an enthusiastic response. But at this moment, the two of them, who had just finished the “Foreman Qiao’s” devil’s special training, felt a shiver in their hearts, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on their backs.
Oh no.
The most feared thing is a capitalist’s sudden concern.
This was clearly the rhythm of fattening them up before slaughtering them.
Qiao Xiaoxiao nonchalantly threw her schoolbag on the table and shook out a large handful of red strings from the plastic bag to sort them. Although she was a “mobile” vendor who was chased by the city management every day, she still paid great attention to her reputation. Qiao Xiaoxiao squinted, holding each red string up to the light to examine it carefully. The qualified ones were wrapped around her wrist, and the unqualified ones were thrown directly into the waste basket.
Chu Xinrou and Yang Feitang stared blankly at the ever-increasing number of red strings, and in a daze felt that what Qiao Xiaoxiao was winding around was not thread, but their fragile cervical vertebrae.
Those bright red knots glowed strangely in the light, like red-banded snakes flicking their tongues.
Qiao Xiaoxiao looked up and saw the two of them staring at her. She frowned in confusion and raised her arm. “Want one?”
The two of them immediately shook their heads like spinning tops.
As night fell, a rich, fresh aroma wafted from the kitchen. Qiao Xiaoxiao had stewed a pot of fish. The fish was tender and smooth, and the tofu had absorbed the rich broth, bubbling in the pot, the aroma filling the air, making one’s mouth water.
But Sister Yang, for some reason, refused to stay for dinner. Even though her mouth was watering, she still waved her hand. “No, no, no. I have students waiting at home. I have to go back.”
Chu Xinrou looked at her angrily. Didn’t we agree to share blessings and hardships together?
What students are waiting? She’s clearly just afraid that Xiaoxiao will start assigning tasks tonight!
Qiao Xiaoxiao didn’t think too much about it. She thought that her Sister Yang really had to work and even considerately packed the fresh meat from the fish belly and some rice into an insulated container for her.
This made Yang Feitang beam with joy. Before she left, she even deliberately raised an eyebrow at the indignant Chu Xinrou and shook her head smugly.
Chu Xinrou nonchalantly stuck out her foot.
Qiao Xiaoxiao was scooping up tofu when she heard a “bang.” She was so scared she jumped. She turned to look and saw her Sister Yang lying on the ground with her limbs spread out, wailing in pain. And her usually gentle sister, who was beside her, didn’t even move.
Qiao Xiaoxiao: ???
Even after Yang Feitang had left, Qiao Xiaoxiao still hadn’t figured out what had happened. She even felt that Chu Xinrou was a little “strange.” When she looked at her, she always seemed to have something on her mind.
Qiao Xiaoxiao carefully picked out the fish head and put it on a small plate, handing it to Chu Xinrou.
When Chu Xinrou picked up her chopsticks, her hand trembled slightly.
Qiao Xiaoxiao looked at her and pressed her lips together. “Jiejie, does your hand hurt?”
Chu Xinrou nodded gently and looked at her with misty eyes. “Yes, it’s a little hard to even hold the chopsticks.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao nodded. “Yes, I was like that before. You just have to train repeatedly. You’ll get used to it. It will take at least ten days to half a month.”
Chu Xinrou: …
The fish was suddenly no longer fragrant.
She had even fantasized in her heart a big hand slapping Qiao Xiaoxiao’s face with a smack.
At the dinner table, Qiao Xiaoxiao ate with great satisfaction. Her careful observation these past few days had made her realize that not only was her sister no longer suffering from insomnia, but she was also sleeping more soundly than before, and her appetite had improved a lot. Her whole being was glowing with energy.
As the fish soup in the bowl gradually disappeared, Chu Xinrou’s nerves became more and more tense. As usual, Qiao Xiaoxiao should be starting to assign “tasks.”
She pressed her lips together and looked at Qiao Xiaoxiao, who was clearing the dishes, with a sincere gaze, her tone almost pleading. “Xiaoxiao, I’m really fine.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao’s movements paused, and she turned her head hesitantly. “…What?”
Chu Xinrou looked her straight in the eye, one word at a time, as if she were reading a solemn declaration. “Really. I’m not sad, I’m not heartbroken, I won’t have insomnia, and I definitely won’t be drinking and looking at the stars in the middle of the night.”
—She swallowed the last sentence.
“Please, let me go.”
As the night deepened, Qiao Xiaoxiao rested her head on her arms and couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the memory of Chu Xinrou’s pitiful expression.
She had always thought that Chu Xinrou was gentle and understanding, giving people an absolute sense of security. She always had a kind of unattainable “distance” from her. But tonight, those eyes, which were filled with “please let me go,” had completely shattered this impression—it turned out that her sister was so cute and adorable.
It wasn’t just Qiao Xiaoxiao who was laughing so hard she couldn’t sleep.
On the other side, Chu Xinrou was lying on her back in bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
It’s incredible.
These past few days, she had never gone to bed so early.
The bed… how can it be so soft? How can the bedding be so comfortable? Why hadn’t she felt it before?
That night, Chu Xinrou slept exceptionally soundly. The fatigue of the past few days had finally found an outlet.
Qiao Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room while studying.
In her dream, she was half a head taller than Chu Xinrou and could look down on her sister. Qiao Xiaoxiao reached out and ruffled the top of Chu Xinrou’s head, her voice filled with a doting affection she herself hadn’t noticed. “You must be exhausted, right?”
Chu Xinrou tilted her head up and held out her red fingers aggrievedly. “They’re almost getting calluses.” As she spoke, she leaned over, her forehead rubbing against her shoulder, her drawn-out voice like a thread dipped in honey. “Xiaoxiao~ let me go~”
…
“No, what is this child so happy about?”
Yang Feitang, who had come over for a free meal early in the morning after hearing the news of “Foreman Qiao’s” dismissal, had been standing with her hands on her hips, her neck crooked, staring at Qiao Xiaoxiao for a long time.
Chu Xinrou’s heart ached for Xiaoxiao, who was tired from studying. “How about I cook you some noodles?”
Yang Feitang immediately shook her head, her refusal merciless. “No. The noodles you cook are like vomit.”
Chu Xinrou: …
…
After knowing that her sister’s heart knot had been untied, Qiao Xiaoxiao felt much more relaxed and her passion for studying and making money was rekindled.
Every day, as soon as the sky was light, she would get up to memorize English words. Chu Xinrou found that her spoken English was not improving, so she would watch original-language movies with her, analyzing the lines sentence by sentence, and making her memorize the classic dialogues until she knew them by heart. This method was much more effective than rote memorization. Qiao Xiaoxiao’s English level improved by leaps and bounds, as if she had suddenly opened up her Ren and Du meridians.
After school, she was no longer limited to her physical stall on Fumin Street and began to expand her business everywhere. Recently, she had even started to think about video promotion—in 2013, this was still a new term, but Qiao Xiaoxiao just felt that this would be the trend of the future.
“The real economy will definitely decline slowly in the future,” she said as she organized her goods and chatted with Chu Xinrou.
The current Chu Xinrou could already discuss things with her like a friend. “Why do you think so?”
“Jiejie, look,” Qiao Xiaoxiao counted on her fingers. “At the beginning of the semester, out of more than forty people in the class, less than half had a mobile phone. It’s only been half a year, and almost everyone has one. The internet is developing too fast.”
Yang Feitang, who was beside them, laughed. “Live streaming is good! Your little face is perfect for this job.”
This was not false. In half a year, Qiao Xiaoxiao was like a different person. She had grown to 1.65 meters and was almost as tall as Chu Xinrou with her shoes on. The clothes she had bought last year were all a size too small, and her pants were like fashionable cropped pants. The once-thin and small girl had now grown into a graceful young woman, and anyone who saw her would be impressed.
Yang Feitang, that gossip, had pulled Chu Xinrou aside more than once and whispered, “Do you think our brat, who’s so grown up and is about to be in her second year of high school, has never had a puppy love?”
Chu Xinrou rolled her eyes at her. “Can’t you hope for something good?”
“Oh my, look at how hard she’s working. Her youth is being wasted.”
Yang Feitang had always advocated for “living in the moment” and had always taught Qiao Xiaoxiao the same. Every time Qiao Xiaoxiao heard her, she would just stare blankly, thinking about making money and how to study, and never took it to heart.
In fact, Xiaoxiao was not completely uninterested in relationships.
After all, she was an adolescent, an age when hormones were flowing the fastest. Every young boy and girl had a heart that longed for a sincere and romantic relationship.
The current Qiao Xiaoxiao was no longer the person she was at the beginning. She had long since shed her low self-esteem and was “brand new.”
She was now a “famous person” at school. A student from Class 10, who could actually get into the top fifty in every weekly exam, not to mention that her track and field results were also steadily climbing. When she ran the 800 meters with the people in her class, she could directly lap them.
Such a dazzling person naturally received all kinds of confessions. Some were bold and would come up to her directly, some were more subtle and would write her love letters, and most would send text messages.
Yang Feitang had seen Qiao Xiaoxiao’s love letter, her eyes shining. “How is it, how is it?”
Is he handsome? Do you have a crush?
Qiao Xiaoxiao frowned. “His handwriting is not good. It’s even uglier than Nuonuo’s.”
Yang Feitang: “Who asked you about his handwriting? How does he look? Is he your type?”
Qiao Xiaoxiao: “No. He doesn’t look smart. He can’t make a lot of money.”
Yang Feitang looked up at the sky and gave up on “treating” the brat. She could see that Xiaoxiao hadn’t opened that “door” yet and was still too young and naive.
Oh my, I wonder who this tender sprout of hers will end up with?
There were quite a few couples holding hands in the class. Qiao Xiaoxiao had seen several of them being called to the teacher’s office with their parents.
Recently, Wang Tiantian, whose high jump results were getting better and better, had “visited” the track and field team during her free time and had also asked Qiao Xiaoxiao, “What kind of boys do you like?”
Qiao Xiaoxiao glanced at her. “How many meters did you jump today?”
Wang Tiantian: …
She’s really a cold and emotionless machine.
The captain, Chu Ge, who was chewing gum, walked over. She had just finished her run and was feeling refreshed. “Why does it have to be a boy?”
She had been openly out in the team for three years, very open about it, and hadn’t hidden it from anyone. Everyone from the team members to the coach knew.
Hearing this, Qiao Xiaoxiao was stunned. She stared at Chu Ge in a daze. If it’s not a boy, what else can it be? Her relationship experience was like a blank sheet of paper. She didn’t know anything. After coming to the city, she had been focused on studying, training, and making money. How could she have thought about so many things? Can a girl be in a relationship with someone who’s not a boy?
The moment the topic of relationships came up, the team members all gathered around, their chattering much more heated than the atmosphere during training.
“That’s right. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, as long as you like them, it’s fine.”
In the world of sports, it was not uncommon for people to come out, especially abroad.
“Yes, you have to have feelings. My mom said that at our age, relationships are the purest and most sincere. When you enter society, it won’t be like this anymore. So, she supports me in having a puppy love.”
“Oh, I’m so envious. My parents are not okay with it. They stare at me like hawks all day. I’ve been with Lao Wang for half a year, and it’s like we’re in the underground party.”
“What does it feel like?”
“What can it feel like?”
“Have you kissed?”
“Oh my…”
The girl was embarrassed to be asked, her face a little red. “I have, but… why does it feel different from what’s in TV dramas and novels? There’s no feeling of electricity running through my body?”
The straight-as-an-arrow Wang Tiantian spoke up again, acting like an adult. “Then it’s definitely not enough love. If it’s true love, you can’t even stand it when the other person touches you! What’s it called… um, your mouth can lie, but sex can’t lie!”
…
Qiao Xiaoxiao shook her head. She felt that what everyone was talking about was too far from her, too unrealistic.
Someone she likes?
Is that more fragrant than making money?
She had only experienced two families in her life, one where the husband beat his wife, and one where the wife scolded her husband for a lifetime.
Men? Marriage? It was not reliable at all, and even more so, not worth it.
She felt that she was fine just the way she was, working hard to make money, curing Nuonuo’s throat, and then repaying her sister well in the future, protecting her, and seeing her happy.
As for the “shameful” topics about sex that everyone would occasionally discuss, she was even less interested. What a mess.
Reality can never be predicted.
Qiao Xiaoxiao could never have imagined that the first “sex education” class of her life would be “personally taught” by Sister Yang, and it would come so quickly and unexpectedly.
These past few days, Qiao Xiaoxiao had felt that something was off with her Sister Yang. Every time it was about to be a holiday, Yang Feitang would be like this, walking with her legs clamped together all day, her face sallow, her spirits low, not as lively as before, not as playful as before.
At dinner, she had given Yang Feitang a piece of braised pork and asked worriedly, “Sister, what’s wrong with you?”
Yang Feitang looked at her in annoyance. “Kids, don’t ask so many questions.”
Qiao Xiaoxiao pouted. Chu Xinrou smiled and poured her some lemonade. “Your Sister Yang got ‘beaten.'”
Yang Feitang glared at Chu Xinrou fiercely. What kind of person is she, talking so openly in front of a child, making dirty jokes.
In fact, making dirty jokes was a good thing. It was just that she was afraid of the real thing.
It was a drizzly afternoon. Qiao Xiaoxiao rarely went out to run around. She had cooked a pot of crystal-clear white fungus soup, the sweet fragrance filling the entire kitchen. Chu Xinrou took a sip, and her eyes lit up. “This skill is good enough to set up a stall.”
Xiaoxiao was thinking of bringing some to that little glutton Sister Yang, so she put it directly into an insulated container, held it in her arms, and went out with an umbrella.
Some things just need the right time, the right place, and the right people.
If Yang Feitang hadn’t been too lazy to give Qiao Xiaoxiao the key to the music room;
If the rain hadn’t been so heavy that day, so that Xiaoxiao couldn’t hear the strange sounds coming from inside the room;
If they had called ahead to say something.
…
Perhaps, Qiao Xiaoxiao would never have seen this scene.
When she pushed open the door, the words “Sister Yang” were still on her lips, but her smile suddenly froze on her face, and her eyes widened abruptly.
