It was just a matter of going to the pharmacy and buying a box of digestive tablets.
"Really nothing?" Sheng Muxi sat on the sofa, hugging her piggy pillow. "But you said last time that you were feeling unwell."
Chai Qianning: "..."
After a few seconds, Chai Qianning knelt on one knee on the sofa, bent down and whispered in Sheng Muxi's ear, "Teacher Sheng, at that time, I really was feeling uncomfortable."
The other person's breath spread around her earlobe, making Sheng Muxi's ears itch. Her eyelids trembled under the light, as if she was just realizing what it meant, and she couldn't help but cough a few times.
She turned her head and looked up at Chai Qianning. The shadow that fell in front of her covered most of her face, and the ambiguous expression in her eyes lingered for a long time.
“I didn’t know at the time…” Sheng Muxi was halfway through her sentence when Chai Qianning raised her finger, pressed it to her lips, and rubbed it against them.
Only in such a quiet environment, where they could hear each other's breathing, could the sounds of the outside world be amplified infinitely. Chai Qianning heard a few muffled claps of thunder outside, not very loud. Yet, the electric current seemed to travel through the air, flowing through her entire body and reaching the very core of her heart.
"Sleep with me tonight?" Chai Qianning asked softly, her fingers seemingly casually hooking her chin.
"Hmm," Sheng Muxi uttered a single word.
The back-and-forth conversation filled the air with a palpable sense of passion, amplifying heartbeats to a deafening roar, like a volcano about to erupt at any moment, burning relentlessly in the rainy night.
Those bright, smiling eyes, curved into the shape of crescent moons, struck Sheng Muxi's heart, drawing her ever closer.
Chai Qianning suddenly smiled slyly: "This time, it won't be like last time, where we just sleep."
Chapter 41 Telepathy
In the early hours of the morning, the rain had not stopped, and people were still awake.
The leaves, wet with water droplets, fell heavily and stuck to the damp pavement.
As the autumn winds pass by, the temperature drops.
In contrast to the coolness outside, the bedroom was sweltering.
The sky was just beginning to lighten with the first rays of dawn.
It was too early in the morning, and the streets were eerily quiet.
The only sound was the cleaner sweeping fallen leaves, the bamboo broom rubbing against the cement pavement, the soft rustling sound was exceptionally clear.
After the temperature inside the blankets reached its peak, it gradually returned to normal. Worried that the other person might catch a cold, Chai Qianning found Sheng Muxi a change of pajamas and asked him to go into the bathroom to wash up.
After all that, the two of them were exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.
When Chai Qianning opened her eyes at noon, the other person had already left, leaving some breakfast on the table and telling her to remember to eat it.
Although it was past breakfast time, Chai Qianning still heated up the steamed buns and had them as a quick lunch.
After eating, Chai Qianning went into the room and glanced at the place that the other party had hastily tidied up before leaving, but she could still see traces of messiness.
She recalled how the two of them had gotten here last night, then here again, and finally to the bed. Then, how this thing and that thing had been knocked to the ground, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and a smile curved her lips.
——
White mist rose from a street stall, and chestnuts fell to the ground, rolling a distance.
"You dyed your hair again."
"Go ahead and dye it if you want."
Shi Manwen looked away from Qiu Jie's hair and glanced at Sheng Muxi: "The chestnut fell. Teacher Sheng, you look like you didn't sleep well last night? Why do you look so listless?"
Upon hearing this, Sheng Muxi snapped out of her daze: "Really?"
Shi Manwen's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then she nodded: "Your voice sounds a little hoarse, do you have a cold?"
"It's easy to catch a cold this time of year. The temperature difference between day and night is huge. I can wear short sleeves during the day without any problem, but it's a bit cold to wear a long-sleeved shirt at night," Qiu Jie said while peeling chestnuts.
"Wearing short sleeves? You're really something. You'll be in for a world of hurt when you end up in the hospital smelling disinfectant."
"I'm in great health, really, I haven't had a cold in a year."
The two of them looked at Sheng Muxi at the same time.
Sheng Muxi cleared her throat and coughed a few times. Facing the two people looking at her, she calmly said, "I guess I've caught a bit of a cold."
"Take care of your health," Shi Manwen said, then turned back to chat with Qiu Jie.
When we talked about her, she just said that she was completely oblivious to what was going on.
The sky was clear and bright at the end of October. The three of them sat on a gray and white mixed-style table and chairs under a parasol. This area was full of such locations; a little further in was a shopping center, and on the other side of the street were old shops and stalls.
A couple sat at a table and chairs to the side, their belongings on the table. The boy was feeding the girl. Sheng Muxi glanced at them briefly before looking away.
Shi Manwen and Qiu Jie had already discussed their plans for next year, and when asked, she simply said nothing would change. She had no idea what they talked about after that; her thoughts drifted back to last night, and the memory still made her heart race.
Last night, after returning home from the park, Sheng Muxi sat at her desk for a while. Around 11 or 12 o'clock, when she was about to go to sleep, she went to the window to draw the curtains and found that it was raining outside.
She remembered what Chai Qianning had said before, that she was afraid of thunder, and then she remembered what Chai Shuqing had relayed. As if possessed, she went downstairs.
During this period, Chai Qianning had a habit of sending her a goodnight message before going to bed at night, but she didn't this time, so she knew the other person wasn't asleep. As a result, what happened afterward seemed to happen quite naturally.
I still remember that last night she retorted with, "How about I do it?"
She was taking care of Chai Qianning, but Chai Qianning didn't accept her rebuttal and said with a smile, "I'll do it."
I recall the other person's smiling voice, and the words they said in the park: "The stream is flowing."
It was a perfectly normal statement, but in that context, it was incredibly embarrassing.
All she knew was that she had been tormented by the other party for quite a long time, to the point that she was still feeling exhausted and had a slight ache in her lower back.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but bite a chestnut, interrupting her thoughts from further contemplation.
In the evening, Chai Qianning sent her a message asking if she would come to her house for dinner that night.
The meaning of this invitation couldn't be clearer; it's probably more than just a meal, even though they clearly did *that* last night.
She couldn't help but wonder if the other person had just the best stamina. She felt that the other person's stamina shouldn't be that good.
Sheng Muxi didn't want to be bedridden for work the next day, so she replied: "I need to rest early tonight; I have to go to work tomorrow."
Chai Qianning: [It's just a meal, Professor Sheng, what are you thinking?]
Upon seeing this message, Sheng Muxi felt a surge of heat in her ears and replied with an emoji.
Chai Qianning: [However, if you'd like, I'll put in the extra effort tonight...]
Sheng Muxi immediately sent a "shut up" emoji.
Chai Qianning replied with a "covering mouth and laughing" emoji.
【Teacher Sheng, please get some rest and come back another day.】
Staring at the words, Sheng Muxi licked her lips. The phrase "I'll write it again another day" actually made her heart flutter.
On Monday, after finishing his class, Sheng Muxi returned to his office. He first went to the sink to wash the chalk dust off his hands. When he returned to his seat, he found a handful of red-wrapped wedding candies on his desk.
She glanced around and saw that the other teachers' desks also had wedding candies on them.
Sitting opposite her was a talkative intern teacher. As soon as Sheng Muxi returned, the intern teacher said to her, "Teacher Sheng, Teacher Lin from our office got married. These are all wedding candies she gave us."
Sheng Muxi nodded, and then saw Teacher Lin walk in from outside the office with a beaming smile, followed by several students.
Perhaps because of her recent marriage, Ms. Lin was in a particularly good mood. She barely scolded the students who hadn't handed in their homework and even gave them a bag of wedding candy to take back and distribute to the rest of the class.
Sheng Muxi wished her a happy marriage, and then sat down to grade homework.
The phone vibrated at that moment, and Ni Chujing asked her when she would be free and could bring the girl from last time to her house for a meal.
She wondered if Ni Chujing had figured something out.
Ni Chujing had met her friends before, including Shi Manwen. But she never specifically asked her to bring any friends over. This time, however, she explicitly said she should bring Chai Qianning over for a meal.
Ni Chujing had only met Chai Qianning once.
Surely you can't possibly see through their relationship?
——
On Saturday, the day Chai Qianning went to Ni Chujing's house with Sheng Muxi, she wore a light yellow long-sleeved top. When they met, she was surprised to find that it matched the color of Sheng Muxi's clothes.
This excited Chai Qianning the whole way.
After parking the car near Tongwan Alley, Chai Qianning got out and immediately approached Sheng Muxi, beaming with pride: "Teacher Sheng, we're wearing the same color scheme today!"
She looked down at her own clothes, then at Sheng Muxi's pale yellow top, and stretched out her arm to compare: "They're exactly the same yellow, there's not even a color difference."
Sheng Muxi: "..."
"Matching outfits!"
".."
They entered from the alleyway. On one side were the walls of residential houses, and on the other side was a dilapidated low wall. The azure sky was like a huge curtain, dotted with a few pure white clouds. Two pale yellow figures blended into the autumn hymn, a dazzling and vibrant color of youth.
The local residents have a habit of keeping cats and dogs. Sheng Muxi has come here many times, and the big yellow dog that roams the alley all year round recognizes her and starts wagging its tail when it sees her.
"Oh, rhubarb is yellow too." Chai Qianning turned to look at Sheng Muxi with surprise and delight: "It recognizes me too."
The dog obediently lay down, tilting its head back and grinning so hard its pockmarks were showing.
Sheng Muxi stared at her radiant smile for a few seconds, lost in thought. It seemed that the other person could always find joy in life and find happiness in it.
For example, they wore clothes of the same color today, and the dog they met in the alley wagged its tail at them.
"We should go now; Teacher Ni is waiting for us at home."
Sheng Muxi pulled her away from the dog, afraid that Chai Qianning would develop feelings for the dog and they would end up wearing matching outfits.
Once you step out of the alley, the houses come into view, arranged in neat rows, none of them tall, at most four stories, but very close together. If Grandma Zhang next door loses her reading glasses, or if the child next door is crying, or if someone is cooking, or if someone's bowl breaks on the ground, or if someone is singing in the east while someone else is singing in the west, then within three minutes, almost everyone in the neighborhood knows what's going on.
Most of the residents here are elderly people and children. Occasionally, you might see a few young people, either sketching or taking photos, or visiting relatives. Chai Qianning has been here many times, but she usually goes to Aunt Jiang's house, which is located at the entrance of the alley. So she hasn't really gone inside, only occasionally glancing at it when passing by, catching glimpses of the everyday life tucked away in the corner.
Ni Chujing's place is not big, with two floors in total. Downstairs there is a living room, kitchen and a small courtyard, while upstairs there is a bedroom and a balcony.
The two rang the doorbell after arriving at the gate. Ni Chujing came out to open the door for them, with a gentle smile on her face: "Xiao Liu and Xiao Ning are here. Come in and sit down."
Upon entering the living room, Ni Chujing told them to make themselves at home. Sheng Muxi often came here, so she practically considered it her second home and felt no need to be reserved. However, Ni Chujing was worried that Chai Qianning might feel awkward, since it was her first time here.
However, Chai Qianning wasn't shy, and she had met Ni Chujing once before. Therefore, this meeting was exceptionally warm, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for many years, and she chatted with Ni Chujing at length.
Ni Chujing's smile never faded; she was clearly overjoyed.