Chapter 68 Past Events (I)

The dirty alley is extremely dim. It just rained not long ago, and the smell emitted in the trash can at the entrance of the alley is disgusting.

I accidentally stepped on a puddle, and a lot of turbid water droplets splashed, some of which were even stained on my trouser legs.

The girl carrying her schoolbag looked down and saw that the clean school shoes she had washed were stained with dirty water. She frowned. It was rainy recently, and her other pair of school shoes had not yet dried.

The girl sighed and walked slowly through the alley with her huge schoolbag on her back. On the other end of the alley was a row of old-fashioned residential buildings.

It is time to get off work now. She stopped at the entrance of the alley and watched the people who were off work walking into the corridor. A young sister who looked familiar with her asked in confusion: "Zhiyue, why don't you go home after school?"

Li Zhiyue smiled at her sister, “I’ll go back soon.”

My sister just asked casually, and then continued to go upstairs after getting the answer. Li Zhiyue looked down at the tip of her shoes, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face.

The class has to pay the class fee, each person has 50 yuan, and all the classmates in the class have paid it, and she is the only one left. The class monitor asked her to take her over next Monday.

Li Zhiyue sighed and told her aunt later.

Li Zhiyue adjusted her emotions and walked into the residential building with her schoolbag on her back.

My aunt's home is on the top floor. When Li Zhiyue climbed the stairs and arrived at the door, she was already tired and sweating on her forehead. She was about to take out the key and found that the door at home was not locked.

She reached out her hand and tried to push open the door, and then she heard the sound of quarrels coming from inside.

"Money, why is that dead girl so expensive?

Her parents only paid a compensation amount. We have raised her for four years and don’t know how much it has been spent. Now the head teacher calls her to ask for money. I think it’s her that she asked her head teacher to call her to cheat money. This girl must have hidden a lot of money in her pocket.”

"Why are you angry?

The class teacher said it was the class pay, and the other students paid it."

“Ship pay?

We, Xiaojie, have never paid class fees when we go to school.

Lao Wang’s daughter downstairs went out to the factory to make money. She only made 2,000 yuan in just one month. I think she should not let her go to school. Why is she a girl studying so many books?"

"Now Zhiyue lives in our house, and so many relatives are watching. I don't know what to say behind our back then. She will give her fifty dollars when she comes back later. She has good grades, so she will be allowed to study."

"Okay, I won't pay the money. You can find a way to pay it for her. Anyway, you are her dear aunt!"

Li Zhiyue silently withdrew her hand, and she heard her aunt exhorting her uncle over there again.

Li Zhiyue waited outside for a while, and a quarrel started inside again.

She sighed, then went downstairs with her schoolbag on her back, intending to take a walk outside and come back.

There is a community entertainment area not far from the residential building. Every 7:30 pm, grandma and aunt dance there, and now there is no one there.

She could just go over and recite the book.

Li Zhiyue walked over and just found a place to sit down and take out the Chinese textbook when she heard the sound of a basketball hitting the ground.

She raised her head and stood under the basketball frame next to her, wearing private school uniforms. Li Zhiyue studied at this school when she was in elementary school. This school is quite far from here, and I don’t know why they played basketball, so why did they come here to play.

But it wasn't her business. Li Zhiyue lowered her head and silently recited the story. After a while, she heard footsteps coming towards her.

A little boy with an electronic watch walked to her with his clothes in his arms and said politely: "Hello sister, can you please help me see what I have?

We'll leave after a game."

Li Zhiyue glanced at him, wearing an elementary school uniform, but she was much taller than her peers.

A pair of bright and clear eyes looked at her seriously.

Li Zhiyue returned to her spirit and said, "At most half an hour."

The little boy immediately smiled and said politely: "Please trouble my sister. Now I'll come here at half past six, thank you sister."

It happened that the people on the basketball court were already calling him.

"Shen Xingqian, come and play ball soon."

Shen Xingqian said something loudly, and then ran over quickly.

Shen Xingqian.

Li Zhiyue lowered her head and turned over the pages of the book. The name sounded pretty good.

After playing the ball, it was only half past six. Shen Xingqian was sweating profusely. He walked over and picked up his clothes and bags. He looked at the person who was still memorizing the book and asked, "Sister, aren't you leaving yet?"

Li Zhiyue raised her head, closed the book and said, "I'm leaving."

Shen Xingqian nodded, suddenly thought of something. He unzipped his schoolbag and took out a chocolate from it. He placed it on Li Zhiyue's schoolbag, and then bent his eyes and said, "Thank you sister for helping me see things."

After saying that, he left with his own things. Li Zhiyue looked at the chocolate wrapped in gold foil on the schoolbag, exquisite and beautiful.

Li Zhiyue raised her head and looked at Shen Xingqian again, and Shen Xingqian had already walked away with her friends.

She reached out and put the chocolate into her school uniform pocket and whispered: "Thank you."

When they got home again, the aunt and uncle had no quarrel. The family of three sat happily at the dining table and had already started preparing for dinner.

When my aunt saw her coming back, she sang: "I'll have a meal and Zhiyue."

Li Zhiyue nodded obediently and entered her room first. Her room was actually a very small utility room in her aunt's house. She had a bed, a simple wardrobe and a table for her, and there was nothing else.

Li Zhiyue put her schoolbag on the desk and went to wash her hands and returned to the table. Lin Jie had finished eating. He bit the chicken legs and said to his father, "Dad, I want to buy a pair of sneakers, give me some money."

My uncle responded to his son's request. As soon as Lin Jie finished speaking, he had already taken out the money he had on him and took out two red tickets. Lin Jie said again: "It's cold, I still want to buy a piece of clothing."

My uncle took another one for him. Lin Jie smiled and took the money, stood up and said, "I'll make an appointment with my classmates tonight and come back later. Remember to leave a door for me."

After saying that, he ran away with the money, and his aunt called him several times but didn't respond.

Li Zhiyue ate the rice in the bowl silently. The uncle, who was sitting in the main seat, looked at her with an unhappy expression. He didn't like this niece, he didn't talk much at home, and it was also expensive.

My uncle put down the chopsticks and said, "Zhiyue."

Li Zhiyue looked up and said, "Uncle."

"Your teacher called your aunt. Why do your school ask students to pay every day?"

Li Zhiyue looked at her uncle's look and remembered the conversation she heard when she came back in the afternoon, and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing that she didn't speak for a long time, my uncle seemed a little angry. Seeing this, my aunt hurriedly said, "Aunt will give you the money later. You should take it over on Monday. By the way, your aunt Zhang just came to ask you to go to her store to help later."

Aunt Zhang is an aunt living downstairs. She opened a noodle restaurant on the road opposite the community. The business is good and the people are very good. Every time she goes to help, Aunt Zhang will secretly give her a few dollars and ask her to keep it herself.

Li Zhiyue nodded, responded quietly, and lowered her head and started to cook rice.

Seeing this, my aunt glared at my uncle. My uncle snorted and continued, "Zhiyue, our family is not a big family. You will have to spend a lot of money on your annual tuition and living expenses, and it is not easy for us."

My uncle said these words more than once or twice in the past four years. Every time he said this, Li Zhiyue felt ashamed of herself. She was a burden.

Since her parents passed away, she has been a burden to others.

But by now, she is already numb.

After dinner, my uncle and aunt had already gone out for a walk. Li Zhiyue washed the dishes and cleaned the house. After cleaning the sanitation, she put the fifty dollars that my aunt gave her before leaving, and took a hat and umbrella out.

It started to rain outside again. When Li Zhiyue walked to the noodle shop, there were still several customers in the shop. She walked to the kitchen and Aunt Zhang was cooking noodles. When she saw her coming, she arranged to say, "You can help me take out this bowl of noodles first, it is the uncle wearing a hat."

Li Zhiyue put the umbrella and hat aside, put on an apron, and helped her quickly. She was busy until ten o'clock.

She washed the dishes and said to Aunt Zhang. Aunt Zhang gave her another five dollars to ask her to go back and pay attention to An.

Li Zhiyue responded and was walking out of the kitchen when another man came outside, holding another little boy with one hand.

The boy wore a big fisherman's hat to cover it and was lowering his head.

Li Zhiyue thought this boy looked familiar.

The man who came in said, "Two bowls of beef noodles, hurry up."

Li Zhiyue responded. She just turned around and suddenly remembered that this boy seemed to be the one who asked her to see things this afternoon.

It seems to be called...Shen Xingqian.

Li Zhiyue looked back and saw that the jacket was what he wore when he was playing basketball this afternoon, and it was really Shen Xingqian.

After talking to Aunt Zhang, Li Zhiyue was about to leave. She stood behind the curtain and was about to lift the curtain to go home when she heard Shen Xingqian shouting: "I want to go home, you can send me home right away!"

The man looked at him coldly and said coldly: "When your parents send the money over, I will let you go home."

Li Zhiyue paused her hand, which lifted the curtain, and frowned.

It happened that the noodles were ready, and Aunt Zhang was busy cleaning the kitchen. Li Zhiyue thought about it, put down her things, turned around and picked up her face and walked towards them.

After getting closer, she realized that Shen Xingqian's clothes were dirty in several places at this time, and even Shen Xingqian's arms stretched out were green and purple.

When she walked over, Shen Xingqian had already taken off her hat, but the man said viciously: "Put it on, otherwise you will continue to beat you up."

Shen Xingqian sniffed and put on the hat again.

When Li Zhiyue saw that his face was still a little hurt, and combined with what she had heard on purpose just now, his situation was a bit unpleasant.

She withdrew her gaze, put her face silently in front of the man, and went into the kitchen again. She picked it up and thought about it, saying, "Aunt, I heard the uncle outside tell the child that he would let him go home when his parents send money, and the child still had injuries."

She actually wanted to ask Aunt Zhang to come forward and ask. Aunt Zhang is busy cleaning up now. When she heard what Li Zhiyue said, she just said to meddle in other people's business, so she continued to work.

Li Zhiyue pursed her lips and brought the last bowl of noodles out. The man was calling. When he saw Li Zhiyue carrying the noodles out, he got up and walked out to the door.
To be continued...