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墨書 Inktalez
As the class bell rang, Zhao Guohong announced the end of class, and the students from Accommodation quickly shouldered their already packed bags. Most of them also carried a cardboard box filled with instant noodles or milk. The girls who struggled to carry their things sought help from the boys, making the entire classroom bustling like ants moving their home.
Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue had already taken their belongings home, and together they had no more than ten books. Zhang Qiu stuffed all of Jiang Xue's and his own items into a Camouflage Bag, zipped it up, and said, "All set."
"So where are we going?"
"Of course to White Day Fire." Zhang Qiu gently stroked Jiang Xue's pink cheek and said to Lan Ningshan beside them, "Sister Lan, you've worked hard these past few days. Come with us to the bar; it's on me."
"The bar is yours; do you really need to treat us? Haha," Lan Ningshan replied with a smile.
Zhang Qiu chuckled, "I'm just a steward."
"Zhang Qiu, stop chatting," Zhao Guohong shouted at Zhang Qiu, pointing at him. "If there's nothing else, tidy up the classroom. Arrange the desks and chairs neatly; the specific instructions are with the class monitor. You two are in charge; is that okay?"
"Don't worry, teacher. We'll complete the task," Zhang Qiu replied with a smile as he took on the responsibility and shouted, "Hall Society Brothers, let's get moving."
With Zhang Qiu's command, many students who had already shouldered their bags put them down and picked up brooms and mops instead. The sounds of pushing and pulling desks and chairs filled the air. Zhao Jibei stood at the podium and shouted, "Follow the order seven-eight-eight-seven; don't get it wrong! Li Fan, move the fourth table a bit to the left..."
Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue exchanged smiles and joined the labor force. Once the classroom was organized as required and everyone had tidied up, Zhang Qiu called Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, Wang Zhengxiang, and Yao Yu over to him. Zhang Qiu said, "This afternoon, if you have anything to do, go ahead—especially you, Yao Yu. Are you staying at school or looking for a hotel outside?"
Yao Yu replied, "Brother Qiu, I'm staying at school."
"Then it's simple. At noon twelve o'clock, let's meet at Dahe Hotpot. Before that time, feel free to move around and gather some supplies. Everyone definitely needs a flashlight; also ropes, candles, band-aids—are those okay?"
"No problem."
"Great! I won't waste any more of your time; see you tomorrow."
"Brother Qiu, I see you're eager to have some alone time with your sister-in-law."
Gao Zhi's loud voice echoed throughout the classroom, causing laughter to erupt. Jiang Xue shot a glare at Gao Zhi, her face flushed, while Zhang Qiu playfully punched Gao Zhi on the shoulder, saying, "What’s wrong? Are you envious?"
"Envious, envious."
"If you're envious, then find someone. It's not like you have no experience, right?"
Zhang Qiu winked at Gao Zhi, who immediately looked nervous, fearing that Zhang Qiu might accidentally reveal his secret from his first year in the ancient city.
Zhang Qiu laughed happily and glanced around the classroom before suddenly stopping to take out her phone. On the blackboard at the back of the classroom, it read 'Candidates, please pay attention to exam discipline.' Below it, someone had left a blue cloth wrap on a light orange chair. Zhang Qiu quickly snapped a photo, capturing this moment of youth.
Satisfied with the picture on her phone, Zhang Qiu showed it to Jiang Xue, who leaned over to take a look. Zhang Qiu handed her phone to Jiang Xue and then slung her camouflage bag over her shoulder, taking Jiang Xue's hand as they left the classroom. Lan Ningshan took a deep breath; this brief moment made her reminisce about her own student days. Everyone going through their student years complains, but only those who have passed through know that the best time is indeed during those years. Zhang Qiu later added that if it weren't for classes, high school would truly be the best time.
Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue got into the police car driven by Lan Ningshan to head back to White Day Fire. Zhang Qiu specifically reminded Lan Ningshan to park a bit farther away, preferably across at that kv place. Lan Ningshan found Zhang Qiu's suggestion amusing and parked far before running over.
As soon as they entered the gate, Zhang Qiu saw Rui Rui rushing towards her and stopped just before colliding with her. Rui Rui smiled and said, "Brother Qiu, you’re finally back from break!"
"Yes, I’m back from break; my high school days are officially over."
"Come with me."
Rui Rui grabbed Zhang Qiu's arm and pulled her outside. As they walked, Zhang Qiu asked, "Why are you pulling me out as soon as I return? Am I not welcome?"
"Hmph! You’ll find out soon enough. Sister Xue and this sister here should come along too."
Although Zhang Qiu didn’t know what Rui Rui was up to, seeing Rui Rui’s smiling face clearly indicated something good was happening. So she said, "Is Yang Yu around? Call him down too."
"How could we forget your good brother? Don’t worry; he’s already here."
"Here we are, where to?"
Rui Rui raised a finger to her lips and smiled, "It's a secret."
Zhang Qiu couldn't guess what Rui Rui was up to, so he had no choice but to follow her closely. Rui Rui led Zhang Qiu, Jiang Xue, and Lan Ningshan through a series of twists and turns into an area. Zhang Qiu looked around; from the appearance, this was probably one of the earliest districts in Beilan County. The exterior walls were bare red bricks, which had turned gray and dark over time, with some places even growing moss.
Suddenly, Zhang Qiu remembered that Rui Rui had mentioned renting a place nearby and asked, "Rui Rui, you’re not taking us to your home, are you?"
"Ah, I didn't expect you to guess it," Rui Rui said with a hint of disappointment, but her pace didn't slow down.
The area was small, with only three rows of buildings in front and back. Rui Rui's home was in the second row. As they got closer, they saw a blue sign nailed beside the building; from the blurred letters, it was vaguely identifiable as the Fertilizer Factory residential building. Perhaps noticing everyone's curious gazes, Rui Rui explained generously, "This is an old district. It used to be the workers' housing for the Fertilizer Factory. Later on, when the factory went out of business due to poor performance, the buildings remained, and now they still house some of the old employees. The place I rented was said to be a wedding house, but the couple moved away for work, so it has been left vacant. It's very cheap; renting it for a year costs only six thousand."
As Zhang Qiu listened to Rui Rui's introduction while surveying the building, he noticed that every household had flower pots on their balconies, with colorful leaves cascading down beautifully. When he heard that this was a wedding house, Zhang Qiu felt a jolt in his heart—how could they rent out a wedding house? If it wasn't needed, was there really a need to do this?
"Come in; this is it."
Arriving at the entrance of the building, Rui Rui opened the door and invited everyone inside. The security door's lock had long since disappeared; it could be opened with just a pull. In the narrow space beside the stairs were seven bicycles parked haphazardly, some covered in dust and looking like they hadn't been ridden in ages. Rui Rui led the way while Zhang Qiu turned back to hold Jiang Xue's hand; Jiang Xue also reached out to grab Lan Ningshan's hand. At the back of the group, Lan Ningshan suddenly exclaimed, "This place feels so eerie."
Rui Rui laughed and said, "It is quite eerie; the house is too old and damp. The first floor is pretty miserable; luckily for me, I rented on the third floor. When I first moved here, I was scared too, but there was no choice—I didn't have money at that time. This place was cheap and close by; I got used to it later on. Now that I can afford to rent a better place, it doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore."
Zhang Qiu followed Rui Rui up to the third floor; this was a common layout for worker housing—three units per floor with two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. The unit that Rui Rui rented faced west and had a brand-new security door that contrasted sharply with the iron bars on the doors of the other two units. Rui Rui unlocked the door with her key; after Zhang Qiu entered and looked around, he found that indeed it was well-decorated and clean—it truly resembled a wedding house.
"Please take a seat," Rui Rui said with a smile.
"Hey, where's Yang Yu?" Rui Rui asked. Yang Yu had already arrived but Zhang Qiu hadn't seen him in either of the two rooms.
The sliding door of the kitchen creaked open as Yang Yu poked his head out holding a spatula in one hand and smiled, "Brother Qiu, are you looking for me?"
Zhang Qiu coughed from the spicy aroma coming from the kitchen and exclaimed, "Are you cooking?"
"Of course, Sichuan Boiled Pork Slices. Just watch, Brother Qiu."
"You can cook? I never knew that."
"I learned from you, being humble, being humble."
Rui Rui said, "Yang Yu, once this dish is done, I'll take care of the rest. You go keep Brother Qiu company."
"Sure, no problem."
Rui Rui took out a few cups and filled them with water, then sat down and smiled, "Brother Qiu, the reason I called you over today is to wish you good luck on your college entrance exams. Yang Yu and I were thinking about where to eat, but then I thought, why not cook for you myself? Your brother also wants to make a dish for you. Besides this Sichuan Boiled Pork Slices, the rest will be mine. However, I haven't cooked in a long time, so if it doesn't turn out well, please don't hold it against me, Brother Qiu."
In the end, Rui Rui seemed shy like a child as she scratched her head. Zhang Qiu laughed and said, "With your intentions, how could I possibly complain? I'm eager to taste your cooking."
"Really, Brother Qiu?"
"Of course! What about you two? Do you want to eat?"
"Yes!" Jiang Xue and Lan Ningshan replied in unison with laughter.
Knock knock knock! A knock at the door sounded. Jiang Xue, closest to the door, stood up and smiled, "I'll get it. Rui Rui, did you invite someone else?"
Rui Rui shook her head in confusion, "No one else."
"Ah!" Jiang Xue quickly covered her mouth and turned around before diving into Zhang Qiu's arms.
Zhang Qiu noticed the unusual fear in Jiang Xue's eyes and comforted her repeatedly, saying, "Xue'er, what happened?"
"There's an old lady outside the door!"
Jiang Xue's voice trembled, as if she were exposed to the freezing cold.
"What about the old lady?"
Zhang Qiu had already stood up, but Jiang Xue held onto him tightly, not letting him move.
"I'll go take a look."
Lan Ningshan stood up and walked toward the door. She first observed through the peephole for a moment, then opened the door to look outside, but there was no one there. Lan Ningshan turned back and said, "There's no one outside."
"That's impossible! There was definitely an old lady standing outside."
Seeing Jiang Xue's certainty and having heard the knocking sound herself, Lan Ningshan suddenly thought that perhaps an old lady had gone to the wrong floor. With this in mind, she ran up two flights of stairs but saw no one. How fast could an old lady be? If she had gone upstairs, Lan Ningshan would surely have encountered her. She then ran back down to the ground floor but still saw no one. Stepping out of the building and looking around, there were indeed old ladies outside, but there were too many of them; most were holding children, clearly just having picked them up from school.
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