The air after a heavy rain is scented with moist earth, which feels cool and comfortable on your face.
Cao Xiaoyu and I walked down the mountain together. When we were almost at the foot of the mountain, she suddenly said to me: "Brother, I don't want to go to the inn anymore, can you take me home?"
"where?"
"My own home."
"good."
I nodded and didn't say anything more. I guessed that she was not used to the kind of life in our inn. She could never integrate into it.
After leaving Yunxia Mountain, I took a taxi and headed to Anxi County, where her family lived.
She was silent all the way and glanced out the car window. I couldn't see her expression clearly, let alone what she was thinking at this time.
I like to see into other people's thoughts, but Cao Xiaoyu is the only person I can't see through. She seems to be very simple, but also very complicated, sometimes very mature, sometimes very immature.
If possible, I really wish I had never met her on Yunxia Mountain that day.
The phone suddenly rang, it was An Lan calling.
"Hey, have you found anyone?"
"Well, I found it. Where are you? Have you returned to the inn?"
"I'm back. It rained heavily just now. Didn't you get wet?"
"No, there is a place to take shelter from the rain."
"Well, when will you come back?"
"She'll be back in a while. I'll take her back now."
After An Lan responded, he hung up the phone.
Cao Xiaoyu was still looking out the car window, still in a state of confusion.
After I sent her to the community where her home was located, paid the fare and got off the bus, I continued to lead her into the community.
I haven't been to her house yet, but after entering the community, I asked her: "Xiaoyu, which building do you live in?"
"You come with me."
I have to send her home because now I'm not sure if she will do anything stupid again.
I followed her into one of the buildings and took the elevator to the 13th floor.
When I arrived at the door, I found that there were couplets posted on her door. The first couplet was: Harmony between heaven and earth brings wealth to the family; the second couplet was: Peace and happiness, people are blessed; the horizontal couplet: Peace in all seasons.
There is also an upside-down word "福" on the door. Only people who want their families to be harmonious would bother to post couplets and the word "福".
It can be thought that their family was once very happy, but now it doesn't feel like home.
After Cao Xiaoyu opened the door, there was a somewhat unpleasant smell in the room. Drink bottles were everywhere on the floor, buckets of instant noodles were everywhere, and flies had already taken over the room.
It was really dirtier than the rental house, and the unpleasant temperature even made me nauseous.
I stared at the mess on the ground and asked Cao Xiaoyu, "Isn't your dad at home?"
"I don't know, he wouldn't clean it up even at home."
As Cao Xiaoyu said this, he found a garbage bag and picked up all the garbage on the ground into the garbage bag.
I said to her: "I'm afraid this is impossible. You'd better not come back and go to the inn with me."
She continued to pick it up and said while picking it up: "It's okay, this is my home, no matter how dirty or messy it is, it is still my home."
I didn't know what to say, so I had to help her pick it up together.
Soon, five bags were filled one bag after another. The garbage on the ground was finally cleaned up, but there was still a strong sour smell in the house.
The ashtray was filled with cigarette butts, and there were three or two boxes of uneaten self-heating rice on the coffee table. It was moldy and infested with maggots. It looked really disgusting.
Cao Xiaoyu didn't dislike it at all. He cleaned the coffee table and found a rag to wipe it clean.
It seemed that no one had lived there for a long time, and it seemed that her father had not been back for a long time.
Cao Xiaoyu suddenly said to me: "Brother Chen, please go back, I'm fine."
"Well, are you sure you won't do stupid things again?"
"No, you have already saved me once. If I do something stupid again, how can I be worthy of you risking your life to save me?"
I smiled and said: "As long as you don't do stupid things anymore, it will be fine, but I still want to advise you, are you sure you want to live at home?"
"Well, it's okay. Just clean it up."
"Okay then! You take your time to clean up, and I'll go back first. If you need anything, call me."
As soon as I turned around, she suddenly stopped me again: "Brother Chen, can I add my sister-in-law's WeChat account?"
I was stunned for a moment, and Cao Xiaoyu said again: "Nothing else, I just want to get to know my sister-in-law."
I smiled and said, "Okay, what's the problem with that?"
With that said, I took out my phone and pushed An Lan's WeChat ID to her.
And I also sent a message to An Lan, telling her that Cao Xiaoyu added her and asking her to confirm.
Soon, Cao Xiaoyu said to me: "Okay, it has been added."
"Well, then you adjust your mood and clean up slowly, I will leave first."
"Brother Chen." She suddenly stopped me again.
"Anything else?"
She looked at me and smiled, then walked to the water dispenser with a water glass, took a glass of water, and brought it to me.
"Drink some water."
"No, I'm not thirsty."
"Drink something. You come to my house and you don't even have to drink a sip of water. I feel very uncomfortable."
Seeing that her condition was obviously getting better, I smiled and said, "What's the big deal, as long as you're doing well."
"Take a sip. This water is clean. If you don't believe me, I'll drink it and show it to you."
With that said, she took a sip herself.
It’s not that I dislike the fact that the water is not clean, I’m really not thirsty, but she insists on asking me to drink it, so I’ll drink it to avoid making her feel bad.
I stretched out my hand to her and said, "Okay, let me take a sip."
After taking the water glass, I drank all the water in the glass in one gulp. She smiled and asked me, "Do you want more?"
I waved my hand, put down the water glass and said, "No, actually Xiaoyu, you don't have to feel guilty, it's really fine."
"I feel quite guilty. Brother Chen, can you keep what happened today a secret for me?"
I nodded and said, "Sure, I won't tell anyone else."
"Well, just wait a little longer, I have a gift for you."
"A gift, what gift?"
"Sit down and wait for a while. You will know in a while."
With that said, she returned to the bedroom with a smile on her face.
I sat on the sofa outside and waited, not knowing what gift she wanted to give me, let alone why she wanted to give it to me.
After waiting for almost a minute, she still hasn't come out. I feel a little hot, probably because it just rained and the air is still a bit stuffy.
I called her: "Xiaoyu, are you okay?"
"It's almost time. Wait a minute, Brother Chen."
I feel hotter and hotter, something is wrong! It was obviously cool just now, why do I feel so hot all of a sudden?
And this kind of heat came from the inside out. It felt like my internal organs were being roasted on a fire.
I loosened the buttons on my collar and wanted to get a glass of water. As soon as I stood up, my legs suddenly went weak, my vision went dark, and I fell to the ground...