"The food was ready. When I saw no one came to pick it up, I brought it over."
"Thank you!" Ye Haoran showed a gentle smile.
Zheng Juan lowered her head and handed over the food in her hand. Maybe it was because she had less contact with people. The spring breeze-like smile made her feel a little uncomfortable.
This performance gives people a soft and weak feeling.
Ye Haoran reached out and took it.
The small basin was so big that Zheng Juan almost lost her grip when their fingertips touched each other.
"I...went back."
Zheng Juan, who didn't dare to raise her head, trotted home with her head lowered.
Opening the door and closing the door, he sat on the kang looking a little uneasy.
Erdan was always the one who came to get food, and she often heard him talk about his brother who lived with him. Zheng Juan thought that the brother Erdan mentioned was just like him, chubby.
When she saw it today, the huge contrast between before and after almost shocked her jaw.
Guangming tilted his ears slightly, and then asked: "Sister, are you back?"
"Oh, it's me. You're hungry. I'll serve you some food right now."
Although Guangming was blind, his ears were extremely sensitive and he could hear the tension in Zheng Juan's tone.
Being sensible, he didn't ask any more questions and just kept his doubts in his heart.
Zheng Juan put the food on the table thoughtfully, just as Zheng's mother also finished selling the goods and went home.
Putting down the things, she asked, "Juan'er, have you taken away all the neighbor's food?"
"Take it away, by the way, Mom, have you seen his brother?"
Zheng's mother washed her hands and shook her head: "I've never seen him before. Not to mention he's a scholar. I haven't seen him out of the house very often."
Of course Ye Haoran is not an otaku, it's just that he hasn't met each other when he went out.
Zheng Juan put aside the topic and served the food to the table.
Living conditions have changed a bit recently, and the smiles on the faces of the family are gradually increasing when they sit together.
After Ye Haoran finished eating, he brought over the empty basin that he had cleaned. It was Zheng's mother who opened the door.
"Who are you?"
Standing at the door, Zheng's mother looked at Ye Haoran doubtfully. Ye Haoran pointed to the yard next to her and said, "I live in the yard next door. I'll bring this back to you."
Mother Zheng took it with a smile.
After returning the bowls and basins, Ye Haoran did not go home immediately. Instead, he walked out smoking a cigarette in the alley.
After walking a long way, the food I just ate has almost been digested in my stomach.
I was about to turn around and go back when I suddenly saw a plaque not far away. I turned a corner and went straight in.
.
.
.
"Master! Take a bath!"
"Lie down, it's coming!"
Ye Haoran turned over and chose a comfortable position. After a while, the bath master came over with a towel in his hands.
Just as he was about to start, Ye Haoran said quickly: "Bring a new towel."
"New fifty cents."
"Okay, I want new ones."
The bath master came back with a new towel, slapped it on Ye Haoran's back and started rubbing it.
"Oh, the young man has practiced."
The strong and tight muscles feel different when rubbed.
Ye Haoran snorted comfortably and did not reply to the bath master's words. Seeing that Ye Haoran was ignoring anyone, the bath master stopped saying anything and started rubbing hard.
'Papa'
After patting Ye Haoran on the shoulder twice, the master scooped out a basin of warm water and poured it on Ye Haoran, and a few mud balls washed down.
"Okay!"
"Ah! Comfort!"
"That's right, our craftsmanship has nothing to say."
He stretched his muscles and bones and walked under the shower head to wash his body.
Although I didn't remove much, I still felt a lot more relaxed.
Although there are bathhouses in the steel rolling mill where people take baths, their skills are indeed a bit inferior.
I wiped the water off my body, put on my trousers and shirt and walked down the stairs to the second floor.
The second floor is the rest hall of the bath center. Rows of wooden single beds are neatly laid out. You can just find a place and lie down.
I have been staying at home for several days, sorting out the information every day. When I am almost too busy, it’s time to come out and relax.
Ye Haoran waved his hand near the bar.
The waiter came over immediately: "Hello, do you need anything?"
"Bring a pot of tea and call the cupping practitioner."
"OK, wait."
Ye Haoran suspected that the water for making tea needed to be boiled freshly, and the cupping master was on hand to do it immediately.
He is a slightly older uncle. Although his hands are a little thicker, he is very experienced.
He put Ye Haoran's towel on his back and started rubbing it with his hands.
Open your back first, then cupping will become easier after a while, and it will not be easy to pull out the bubbles.
The jars are bamboo jars, and they are buckled on the back one by one, which is called comfort.
After holding on for more than ten minutes, the cupping was removed. The rows of raised little fleshy pads were slightly red. The cupping master started to massage again. After the cupping was done, it became easier.
"The young man is in good health. There is no moisture at all. He doesn't work in the boiler room."
"My uncle is really good at joking. Is there anything wrong with working in the boiler room?"
Ye Haoran's body was fair and fair, and he knew at a glance that he couldn't be from the boiler room.
The master was not good at words. After pressing the button, he just smiled and left with the bamboo can.
At this time, the waiter came over with a porcelain pot of tea and placed it on the small cabinet next to the bed.
"The tea is brewing. Brother, do you want to find a pedicure man? Our pedicure masters are very good at it. Let's give it a try."
"Try? Just try it!"
Ye Haoran nodded, sat up and half leaned on the bed, and drank tea leisurely.
Many people closed their eyes and rested, and some chatted in low voices. There were loudspeakers playing songs in the lounge, but this song was not elegant at all.
However, this kind of leisure place is rare nowadays.
"Second brother-in-law?"
The voice came from in front of Ye Haoran. Turning his head to look over, Ye Haoran said 'hehe' twice: "Chunyan, why are you here?"
"I work here as a pedicure person."
"What a coincidence."
Ye Haoran was speechless.
Qiao Chunyan was not reserved at all. She sat on the small bench beside the bed and held Ye Haoran's feet over.
"Hey, no wonder the second sister likes you. With your figure, what girl wouldn't like you."
Qiao Chunyan seems careless, but with a few words she can close the distance between people.
This can be regarded as a skill.
They say people here can't speak without falling to the ground. It's true, they are all practiced at a young age.
Qiao Chunyan opened a piece of leather cloth and placed various pedicure knives inside. She looked at Ye Haoran's toes for a while, then selected two knives and clamped them in her hand.
Skillfully interchange the two knives. The flat and side surfaces have different angles, so the knives used are naturally different.
What's even more amazing is that she can also chat while getting a pedicure.
"Second sister came to see me yesterday. Guess what she said to me."
Ye Haoran took a sip of tea and said, "What did you say?"
"Hahaha, why did she ask me to pursue Brother Bingkun? Second brother-in-law, tell me, why is Brother Bingkun so stupid? Does he not like me at all?"
After taking a few glances at Qiao Chunyan, who was getting her pedicure done seriously, she looked a bit like a beauty, not exquisite but definitely not ugly.
His open personality is definitely very suitable for being friends, but not so much for being a lover.
It's not that she has a bad personality, but her personality makes people subconsciously regard her as a friend.
Ye Haoran put down the tea cup and said with a smile: "If you want to get along with Bingkun, you can't stick together every day. Only by keeping a distance can beauty come out."
"Hey, the second sister said the same thing. She told me that you two didn't meet each other at first, and you always wrote letters to each other. Is it true?"
"Of course it's true. There will be a day when we are together every day, so we have to keep it fresh."
Qiao Chunyan tilted her head and thought for a while, then nodded seriously: "Okay, then I'll give it a try. I won't go out with him anymore and talk less."
"And you have to be gentler. No man likes someone who is stronger than himself."
"Pfft" Qiao Chunyan laughed out loud: "Second sister said the same thing, no wonder you two can become a family."
Qiao Chunyan is quite smart, and she can tell everything at once.
After finishing the pedicure, I chatted with Ye Haoran for a while. Seeing that the time was almost up, Ye Haoran got up and prepared to go home.
Qiao Chunyan sent Ye Haoran to the bathroom door and waved goodbye enthusiastically when she left.
After coming out of the bath, Ye Haoran felt much lighter all over, and even his mood relaxed a lot.
After several days of intense mental work, even Ye Haoran felt a little depressed.
It's a good place, I can come here often in the future.
The next day.
Erdan and Jianjun were not at home, so Ye Haoran went to get the food himself.
Mother Zheng and Zheng Juan have almost developed a habit. After dinner, Mother Zheng goes to sell popsicles and Zheng Juan goes to buy vegetables.
Mother Zheng, who was pulling the car, arrived at the entrance of the cinema, still in her usual position.
At noon, young people in twos and threes began to go to the cinema, and those who had some spare money bought packets of melon seeds or popsicles.
Not everyone went to the vast world at this time, many young people who had nothing to do all day stayed in the city.
When I don’t have a job, I wander around, and when I don’t get any pocket money from home, I think of some crooked ways.
"Hey, why haven't I seen that little girl selling popsicles recently? Why is this old lady the only one who comes?"
"Who knows, my brother may still want to have sex."
"Just you? It's better to forget about your pockmarked face. Why don't you let me do it by myself?"
"Why should I let you come? Otherwise, we would take turns. That girl is so long, heh~"
"Hahaha, let's go, the movie is about to start."
Several young people who spoke freely walked in from the door of the cinema.
She heard everything she passed by Zheng's mother, but Zheng's mother didn't say anything, and she knew it in her heart.
The reason why she didn't want Zheng Juan to follow her was because she was afraid that Zheng Juan would be seduced by these bad guys. She couldn't tell when she was a child. The girl became more and more conspicuous, and she became worried.
Zheng Juan, who had just finished shopping for groceries and was about to go home, happened to be not far from the cinema and wanted to stop by.
Carrying the cloth bag carrying vegetables, I came to the entrance of the cinema. I saw Zheng's mother taking a nap. She stepped forward and shouted with a smile: "Mom! Go home when you are tired. I will sell it."
"Juan'er, why are you here!"
Seeing Zheng Juan coming over, Zheng's mother was startled and asked quickly.
Zheng Juan shook the cloth bag in her hand: "I just finished buying vegetables. The price of pork has increased. I don't have enough money for tomorrow's vegetables. Remember to ask for money when you go back."
"Okay, okay, go home quickly. I'll go back when I'm done selling."
Mother Zheng still remembered what those people said just now, and she wanted to let Zheng Juan leave immediately.
But the more you worry about something, the more it will happen.
The few young people who had just spoken dirty words felt that the movie was not interesting, so they came out early to go hiking.
Just after leaving the cinema door, one of them grabbed his companion and pointed to the place where Zheng's mother sells popsicles.
"Hey, look."
"Hey, come up with whatever you want, just go over and have a look."
Five young people gathered around with frivolous smiles on their faces. When Zheng's mother saw this, she immediately pulled Zheng Juan behind her.
Zheng Juan also noticed the malice in the eyes of several people and subconsciously turned her head away from looking at each other.
"Do you guys want to buy popsicles?"
"Buy some popsicles. I haven't seen my girl in a while. It's strange that I came over to say hello. Why can't I say a word?"
The person who came was not good, and Zheng's mother and Zheng Juan were a little scared.
"Hey, sister, what have you been doing these past two days? You guys miss you so much, but you don't even say hello when we meet?"
"That's right, call me brother quickly."
"I'm going to go hiking in a while. Sister, do you want to come with me?"
Seeing Zheng's mother protecting Zheng Juan and dodging, several people became more and more aggressive and wanted to reach out to pull Zheng Juan behind Zheng's mother.
"stop!"
An angry shout sounded not far away, and a man wearing a pair of workers' gloves ran over and pushed away the man who was trying to pull Zheng Juan away.
"What are you doing! Bullying a woman, right? Get away!"
"Who are you trying to ride on? You're nosy, aren't you?"
"If you don't know me, go ask around! When Nine Tigers and Thirteen Eagles were sneaking around the street, you were riding horses and playing in the mud. Get out of here!"
The momentum is sufficient, but one person is not enough to scare several young people.
One of them pushed him with his hand and said with a smile: "Oh, it turns out he is a has-been old gangster. Why are you pretending to be a hero? Why are you acting like a breeze?"
"Never mind you, don't delay my date, or I'll lose my virginity to you too!"
Seeing the eyes on both sides getting wider and wider, Mother Zheng felt anxious.
She waved her hands to pull on both sides, but was almost pushed over by one of the young men. Zheng Juan quickly went up to help Zheng's mother.
A group of idle young people are about to get together with the person who will tear up the bar later, and it will be a matter of time to start.
Just when Zheng Juan squatted down to help Zheng's mother, a shadow covered the heads of the mother and daughter.
"Haha, it's quite lively."
An unfamiliar voice intervened. Zheng Juan looked up and exclaimed, "It's you!"
It was none other than Ye Haoran.
Ye Haoran has not been particularly busy recently, and his work has entered a slow-paced investigation stage, so he just came out to relax.
There was only this movie theater nearby. When I passed by, I thought I would buy two tickets and take Zhou Rong over to watch a movie in the evening for a night out or something.
As a result, a good show happened.
"Who are you riding on the horse?"
A young man suddenly became angry when he saw that Zheng Juan knew this person. He had a pockmarked face and the most despised thing was this kind of pretty boy.
It is said that jealousy changes a person beyond recognition, and the facial features of a pockmarked face are indeed a little distorted.
Even the man who came to help and called himself Nine Tigers and Thirteen Eagles released his grip on the other person's collar and looked over.
Ye Haoran turned his head and looked sideways at the pockmarked face, and asked with a chuckle: "You are not good at it. It is not good for you to tuck your pants when you go out. I will give you a chance to reorganize your language."
"You ride on the horse..."
Just as his pockmarked face was about to curse, another person traveling with him covered his mouth, smiled apologetically at Ye Haoran and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, brother!"
Ye Haoran nodded with satisfaction: "Get out!"
The voice was not loud, it could even be said to be gentle, but it scared a few people and ran away.
It wasn't because of anything else, but because several of them, including the pockmarked face, saw a handful of big black stars pinned under Ye Haoran's lifted clothes.
It's so fast that I can't wait to use both hands and feet to change from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive.
Zheng's mother and Zheng Juan both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the troublemakers get away.
Zheng's mother was helped up from the ground by Zheng Juan. Just as she was about to say thank you, the man who called himself Nine Tigers and Thirteen Eagles smiled and turned around and asked with concern: "Are you okay? My name is Tu Zhiqiang. I am quite famous here. What can I do? Just mention my name."
As he spoke, he patted his chest, acting quite generous.
"You get out too!"
"Well...."
Ye Haoran looked at Tu Zhiqiang and gestured lightly.
Tu Zhiqiang wanted to get close, but he glanced at Ye Haoran's armed belt and finally chose to shut up.
He laughed awkwardly and turned around to leave.
Zheng's mother originally wanted to say thank you, but was turned away by Ye Haoran with just one word, so she had to turn around and thank Ye Haoran.
"Thank you, thank you, we orphans and widowed mothers..."
"Don't thank me, aunt. We are all neighbors and we should help each other. Also, they are not good people. If they dare to trouble you again, remember to tell me."
Ye Haoran smiled and replied a few words, then turned around and wanted to buy the movie tickets first.
As soon as she turned around, Zheng Juan shouted: "Hey, wait!"
"Huh? Is there anything else?"
"Um...the money I gave you for buying groceries is gone..."
The two looked at each other and blinked together. Ye Haoran laughed: "Sorry, I forgot."
He quickly counted ten old people's heads from his pocket and handed them to Zheng Juan.
Zheng Juan has never seen so much money in her whole life, so she quickly waved her hand: "I can't use it, I can't use this much."
"Take it, I won't let you work in vain. Thirty is the salary for cooking, and the rest is for buying vegetables."
"This...this is not good."
Ye Haoran pulled up Zheng Juan's sleeve, put the money into Zheng Juan's hand, and patted Zheng Juan's hand when he was done.
"There's nothing wrong with it. Just be careful when cooking and don't fool me. It doesn't matter if you add more meat. That's it."
After saying that, he turned around and left coolly.
Ye Haoran entered the cinema and could not see Zheng Juan, whose face was already turning red.
For the first time outside her brother Guangming, a boy held her hand like this. The feeling was like an electric shock. It was hard to describe, but it was profound.
With a red face, he started to freeze unconsciously.
"Juan'er! Juan'er?"
"Hey, Mom, what's wrong!"
"Hurry up and put the money away. If you hold the money like this on the street, you won't be afraid of others snatching it!"
"Oh!?" Zheng Juan hurriedly stuffed the money into her pocket.
Zheng Juan's panic was seen by Zheng's mother, but she just smiled and said nothing.
Mother Zheng believes in Buddhism, and all the suffering and troubles in life will not be attributed to her.
Some people have a miserable life and are full of complaints about this and that, while some people will not complain about anything and will only find sweetness in the bitterness and try their best to live a better life every day. good.
By the time Ye Haoran came out of the cinema after buying the tickets, Zheng Juan and her daughter had already left.
With a huge sum of money, I didn't dare to stay outside for long, so I closed my stall early and went back.
Holding two movie tickets, Ye Haoran rushed to Zhou's house, preparing to make an appointment with Zhou Rong. By the way, he told about his encounter with Qiao Chunyan last night.
