"Alright, we're here!" Qiangzi pulled the handbrake of the tricycle and shouted to Chen Er sitting behind him.
Chen Er unceremoniously flicked Qiangzi on the head. "What are you shouting for? Do you think I don't know this is my home?"
Qiangzi gave a silly laugh. He gathered up all the schoolbags and books in one go and ran into the alley. Chen Er shook her head speechlessly and quickly caught up. After all, those books were quite heavy. Qiangzi was so impulsive. If he didn't watch his step and fell, that would be bad.
It had been a month since Chen Er last came home, so there was a thick layer of dust on the furniture.
"Just put them here. I'll clean up later," Chen Er pointed in the direction of the coffee table, indicating for Qiangzi to leave the things there.
"Ahem." Qiangzi put the books down a bit too forcefully. The dust immediately wafted into his nose, making him cough continuously.
Chen Er glanced around, then resignedly walked into the kitchen, picked up a rag and started wiping things. Qiangzi had secretly inquired about Chen Er's family situation before and only knew that her parents and relatives were no longer alive. So seeing Chen Er cleaning so skillfully, he couldn't help but feel a bit more sympathy and pity for her in his heart.
"Leave these physical tasks to men!" Qiangzi forcefully snatched the rag from Chen Er's hand. Before Chen Er could say anything, he started to get busy.
Seeing this, Chen Er didn't decline Qiangzi's kindness. She opened the fridge, checked the supplies. There was still some meat and vegetables. Through the fridge door, she shouted to Qiangzi who was working, "What do you want to eat? I'll cook!"
Hearing this, Qiangzi was like he had discovered a new world. He clearly didn't expect that Chen Er could cook. He thought carefully for a while and then unceremoniously listed a bunch of dish names.
Chen Er subconsciously ignored the latter part of Qiangzi's list. She looked back and forth on the chopping board. She already had a preliminary idea of what to cook for dinner.
Previously, Jiang Cong had trained Chen Er. And during the Spring Festival, while Jiang Cong was cooking, Chen Er watched and learned. So she had indeed done some research on cooking.
An hour later, Qiangzi had cleaned the whole house. He was so exhausted that he didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
At this time, the fragrance of the food wafted out from the kitchen, making Qiangzi even hungrier. While Chen Er turned around and walked into the kitchen, he ran to the dining table. Without even picking up the chopsticks, he directly pinched some food with his hands and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Go wash your hands!" Chen Er slapped Qiangzi's hand hard as he was stealing food. She said in a bad mood, as if she wouldn't start dinner if Qiangzi didn't wash his hands.
Qiangzi was already starving. He dashed into the bathroom at full speed, washed his hands in a flash and then rushed back to the dining table. Rubbing his hands, he said with a silly smile, "Now can I eat, Master Chen?"
Chen Er nodded. After bringing out the porridge, she sat down and started to eat.
"Master Chen, you're amazing! I didn't expect you to have this skill. This bamboo shoot and meat dish is so chewy. Great, great!" Qiangzi stuffed food into his mouth while commenting in a slurred voice.
Chen Er ate the food absent - mindedly. She couldn't help but think of Jiang Cong.
Come to think of it, Jiang Cong had taught her how to make this bamboo shoot and meat dish. Under his patient guidance, she could cook it independently in good order.
Now hearing Qiangzi's praise for the dish she made, she felt a bit depressed.
Hadn't he come back yet after so many days?
Seeing Chen Er not saying a word, Qiangzi was curious. He waved his hand in front of Chen Er's dazed eyes. "Master Chen? Master Chen, are you okay?"
Hearing Qiangzi's call, Chen Er came to her senses. She shook her head. "I'm fine. I just spaced out for a while."
Qiangzi guessed that Chen Er might have thought of something unpleasant. Immediately, he changed the topic and tried his best to make Chen Er laugh.
Chen Er didn't want to talk to Qiangzi about her relationship with Jiang Cong. Seeing Qiangzi working hard to tell those interesting things, she curled her lips into a smile and cooperated with him.
Forget it. She would see him when it was time. Thinking too much was useless.
After dinner, seeing that Chen Er was in a low mood, Qiangzi volunteered to do the dishes. Chen Er sat alone on the sofa, looking at the only photo of her and Jiang Cong in the phone album.
The photo was taken on the night of the Spring Festival at midnight.
In the photo, Jiang Cong was wearing a gray knitted sweater, looking gentle and refined. Chen Er was wearing a big and fluffy pajamas. Her small face was hidden in the collar.
"Are you thinking of Jiang Cong?" Qiangzi came out after washing the dishes. He saw Chen Er sitting there motionless, staring at the phone screen. When he got closer, he found that it was a photo of Jiang Cong and Chen Er.
Chen Er turned off the screen and casually threw the phone aside. She said stubbornly, "I'm not. I just happened to flip to that page."
Qiangzi sighed and sat down opposite Chen Er. He forced her to turn her head and look at him.
"Chen Er," Qiangzi's tone was unprecedentedly serious. "You're too strong - willed. You like to handle everything alone. You don't actually have to make yourself so tired."
Chen Er didn't say a word. She half - lowered her eyes. Her curly eyelashes cast a shadow on her eye sockets.
Qiangzi continued, "Chen Er, you don't have to wrap yourself up so tightly with a hard shell. When others show any signs, you don't have to retreat and strengthen your psychological defenses."
In Qiangzi's eyes, Chen Er was perfect in every way. Even though his good brothers had said that Chen Er had a strange personality, Qiangzi never took it to heart.
Moreover, Qiangzi thought that Chen Er was always the kind of person who dared to love and hate, lived freely and could let go easily. She deserved to enjoy all the beauty in this world.
"Alright, stop giving me that motivational talk. Get out of here quickly!" Chen Er was awakened by Qiangzi's words. She unceremoniously issued an order to expel the guest and regained her usual high - spirited and quick - tongued self.
Seeing this, Qiangzi knew that Chen Er had figured things out. He got up to leave and took out the trash from the kitchen by the way.
"Should I call or not..." After Qiangzi left, Chen Er stared thoughtfully at Jiang Cong's name in the phone contacts, struggling whether to dial the phone number that she had long memorized.
After a long time, Chen Er threw the phone aside and covered her face. "Forget it. I'd better prepare for the college entrance examination first. Studying makes me happy. I'll think about men after the exam!"
In the dead of night, Chen Er was still lying on the desk, carefully doing the exercises. Occasionally, when she encountered something she didn't know, her small and delicate face would wrinkle as she thought about the tricks to solve the problems.