Chapter 32

The lights in the community are dim. The winding floor lamps on the small garden path not far ahead are like strings of candles, and autumn leaves are cut out from the street lights.

Jiang Qihuai paused against the light and noticed Tao Zhi's expression when he raised his head and saw her expression clearly.

The little girl squatted at the door with her arms in her arms. Her dark eyes were wet and moist in the light, her eyelids were a little red, but her eyes were staring at him with a clear light.

The boy appeared a little surprised. Tao Zhi looked at him and obviously didn't react too much: "Why are you here?"

Her voice was a little dumb.

Jiang Qihuai raised his chin in the direction of the single-family house inside: "My tutor is here."

Tao Zhi reacted half a beat and said "Oh" with a "stop".

When I saw him at the convenience store at the door last time, he seemed to have said that he was a tutor here, but he didn't expect it to be a community.

She raised her hand and looked at her watch: "It's almost ten o'clock, why are you over the get out of class so late?"

"During the holiday, parents added another class," said Jiang Qihuai.

Tao Zhi nodded again, and his reaction was a little dull.

Jiang Qihuai didn't say anything again and didn't leave.

One of the two people didn't say anything, the other didn't ask, and just squatted at the gate of the yard to breathe in, and no one spoke for a while.

Tao Zhi suddenly felt that there was actually some tacit understanding between her and Jiang Qihuai.

For example, Tao Zhi also encountered many things, and she would not ask.

Neither will he.

For Jiang Qihuai, these things may not be anything, but in Tao Zhi's opinion, this is probably a moment of embarrassment between each other.

It is a completely different side from being in school.

And only each other knows these moments.

This perception made Tao Zhi feel a little bad from the moment he entered the house.

The emotions just now calmed down bit by bit, and Tao Zhi began to feel a little cold after realizing it. She sniffed: "Then have you eaten?"

"Not yet," Jiang Qihuai looked at her, "Can't find home?"

Tao Zhi raised his hand and pointed behind him.

Jiang Qihuai glanced back and said half-truely: "I thought you were lost at the door of your house when you went out for a night." He looked at her and paused, "I'm not wearing a coat yet, and I have a good physique."

Tao Zhi curled his lips: "Your Highness, don't be so poisonous. I was going to invite you in for dinner just now."

Jiang Qihuai nodded: "Now."

"Now," Tao Zhi took a deep breath and stood up. She squatted for too long and her legs were a little numb. She leaned against the iron gate and supported her knees with one hand and rubbed her numb calves, "Are you coming?"

Jiang Qihuai took out his cell phone and took a look at the time.

Nearly ten o'clock.

"No," he stood up, lowered his eyes, "Have some food later."

Tao Zhi thought about how he could eat casually, probably just went to a convenience store to buy a boxed rice ball or something like last time.

"Okay," she jumped on the spot twice, "wait for me."

She turned around and pushed open the yard door and ran in, ran into the house quickly, pulled a coat from the entrance door, and ran out again.

Jiang Qihuai didn't leave, stood at the door with his hands hanging down, waiting for her with his eyebrows and eyes lowered, looking a little obedient.

She walked over and he raised his eyes.

Tao Zhi raised his hand and pointed forward, and walked in front of him with great strides: "Let's go, I'm in a bad mood today, so I'll treat you to dinner."

-

It was said it was supper, but most restaurants have stopped picking up customers at this point.

But Tao Zhi is a night owl. He often runs out to eat and drink with Song Jiang and the others in the middle of the night, and he will be familiar with what delicious restaurants will be closed.

After leaving the community gate, I walked along the street for about ten minutes, turned into a small alley, and passed through the alley, and there was an old residential building.

Jiang Qihuai followed her around like this. The light in the old residential area was very dim. Street lights sounded from time to time. The vermilion walls were mottled and scrapped bicycles were piled up by the walls.

The cat lay in the worn cardboard box, heard the sound, raised his head lazily, and squinted his eyes and looked over.

Tao Zhi walked next to Jiang Qihuai, pointed to the innermost old house next to him and said, "I used to live in this building, but later I sold it and moved to where I live now. When I was a child, Ji Fan and I played hide-and-seek in the bicycle shed downstairs, fighting with the children of our neighbors. No one could beat us."

"If those kids lose, they will only go home and cry, and then the neighbor aunt will run to our house to find my mother," Tao Zhi continued, "My mother never scolds me, and the neighbor aunt will not care about these things with girls. Anyway, no matter what trouble you cause, it is Ji Fan's fault."

Until later, Tao Xiuping and Ji Jin were about to part. Tao Zhi went to bed early that night and woke up until midnight. She felt hungry and wanted to go downstairs to see if there was something to eat.

She walked out of the room lightly. When she passed by the master bedroom, she heard Tao Xiuping and Ji Jin talking.

"Zhizhi has always been sensible, and you don't have to worry about your grades or anything else. I feel relieved to take care of her." Ji Jin said gently.

Tao Xiuping was silent for a while before saying hoarsely: "Zhizhi is a girl. Following her mother, she will be taken care of more carefully. I can't take care of people. And she likes you more than my father who hasn't seen him a few times a year. She is old now, and I think we should ask her, Xiaofan, and respect their opinions."

Ji Jin sighed: "But Xiaofan is different from Zhizhi. He has been a worry-free person since he was a child. I can't help but not watch him personally. I must take him with me."

Tao Zhi stood at the door that night for a long time.

Later, Ji Jin and Tao Xiuping said something, but she could no longer listen or remember it. She kept standing, listening to their communication sounds slowly stopped, and the whole house fell into silence again.

She returned to the room, closed the door, lay on the bed, stared at the ceiling in a daze, and did not cry.

Ji Jin worked very hard to do a good job. She had two children. She had been sharing her love with them for ten years, and did not make any child feel that she was not loved.

Tao Zhi didn't know if it was because of naughty children, but it was not until then that she realized that even if you wanted to do many things, you always had a scale in your heart. It was very clear and cruel, marking everyone his status and weight in your heart.

And this weight can only be fooled by you when facing parting.

-

Tao Zhi told Jiang Qihuai a lot of things about her childhood. She seemed to have memories in every corner of the wall she passed by. Jiang Qihuai didn't talk much, so she just listened quietly and answered occasionally.

They walked through the community and walked to the street. The road ahead lit up. There were small shops on both sides, each with lights on, most of them for food. Snacks were one after another along the street, so crowded that there was almost no place to pass.

The night is dark, but the whole street is as bright as daytime.

Jiang Qihuai followed Tao Zhi through the crowd and walked to a barbecue restaurant at the end.

The store is not big and the business is very good. There is only the small table inside that is empty. The boss walks between diners and jokes with them from time to time, and it looks familiar.

As soon as Tao Zhi entered the door, the boss saw her and waved his hand at her: "Xiao Tao Zhi is here, I haven't seen you for a long time." He glanced at Jiang Qihuai who came in behind Tao Zhi, "Where are friends? Where is Xiao Song? Why didn't he come today?"

"I didn't ask him to take my friend to have something to eat." Tao Zhi walked in with a smile, sat down at the innermost table, and Jiang Qihuai sat opposite her.

Tao Zhi took the menu from the boss and handed it to Jiang Qihuai. Without reading the one he had, he just clicked a bunch of them with his fingers.

After ordering, she turned around and said, "Do you want staple food? Their fried Niuhe is very delicious."

Jiang Qihuai nodded and looked at the shop owner: "Let's ask for a fried rice."

Tao Zhi: "..."

Tao Zhi rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.

The shop owner laughed: "This guy is quite interesting. Don't worry, my fried rice is also delicious. You can sit and wait a while."

Tao Zhi turned around, took two bottles of beer from the beer box behind him, and handed over a bottle: "Barbecue means serving beer."

Jiang Qihuai took it, put it on the table and pushed it forward: "There will be a tutor tomorrow."

Tao Zhi opened his bottle: "There will be tomorrow? Then isn't this class going tonight?"

“I have an English language in the morning.”

"It's really a synchronous teaching of nine subjects," Tao Zhi pulled an empty glass and poured out a glass of beer, "How many tutors do you have to go to?"

"Those two," said Jiang Qihuai, "there will be extra class hours during the holidays."

Tao Zhi took a sip of beer, raised her head and looked at him: "Your Highness, why are you so short of money?"

"Don't ask this question why not eat meat," Jiang Qihuai also looked at her, "Why don't you wear a coat to run at night?"

There are only one or two cities like Jiangqihuai, and all schools are rushing to get it. It is estimated that the tuition fee is waived without applying for scholarships. In addition, the experiment is rich and powerful, and the amount of scholarships at the top is not low. He usually studies teaching materials and even basic living expenses.

Even if the family is not in a very good condition, he won't have to work so hard.

Unless there is any other reason.

Tao Zhi didn't ask any more. The subtle and indifferent wall of tacit understanding between the two people was pushed and swayed for a few times, and then continued to stand steadily.

The food came up quickly, and the Taozhi skewers and Jiang Qihuai ate fried rice. He seemed to be less interested in meat and prefer roasted vegetables.

The two bottles of beer that Tao Zhi brought into her stomach. She drank much faster than usual today. By the time she realized it, she had already started to get into it.

She held her chin and looked at the person opposite her and began to talk to him: "Jiang Qihuai, do you regret turning to the experiment?"

Jiang Qihuai held the spoon: "Why."

Tao Zhi tilted his head and thought for a while and said, "For example, the teaching quality of the experiment is indeed a little worse than that of the affiliated high school."

"It doesn't matter, you can take the exam anywhere." Jiang Qihuai's tone was plain.
To be continued...