The food was ready, and Sheng Muxi followed Ni Chujing into the kitchen to bring it out.
Chai Qianning was wearing a pair of light blue wide-leg jeans. She didn't bring a bag; her keys and phone were placed in the two pockets on either side of her pants.
When it was time to sit down for a meal, she felt uncomfortable having her keys in her pocket, so she took them out and put them on the table.
The dining table was a small wooden square table covered with a floral tablecloth. One side was against the wall, and the other three sides were just enough for the three of them to sit on.
Ni Chujing seemed to notice that both of them were wearing light yellow tops, and casually asked, "Did you two deliberately wear the same color clothes to my place?"
Sheng Muxi replied, "A coincidence."
Chai Qianning replied, "We are of one mind."
The two looked at each other.
Ni Chujing looked at them and smiled: "Coincidence is also a kind of telepathy."
Sheng Muxi lowered her eyes and ate.
Chai Qianning showed no intention of shutting up, and even chimed in, "Of course." Her tone was extremely smug.
If it weren't for Ni Chujing being there, she definitely would have pinched Chai Qianning's cheek.
Ni Chujing seemed to sense something, her meaningful gaze darting around before she chuckled and said, "You two are probably more than just friends, right?"
These words startled both of them.
Chai Qianning paused for a few seconds, her eyes filled with laughter. Just as she was about to speak, Sheng Muxi picked up a piece of tofu puff and stuffed it into her mouth, preventing her from speaking.
"Don't you love tofu puffs the most? Eat more."
Based on her experience with Chai Qianning, who was prone to making surprising statements as soon as she opened her mouth, she felt it was best not to let her answer at this moment.
“Still neighbors,” Sheng Muxi replied calmly.
Yu Guang glanced at Chai Qianning and saw that the person had bulging cheeks, was chewing on tofu puffs, and was looking at them with round eyes.
She licked her lips, realizing that the piece of tofu puff she had just given Chai Qianning seemed a bit too big.
Ni Chujing let out a few gentle laughs, and said "oh" knowingly but not saying anything.
She stood up gracefully: "I made some pickled radishes, but I forgot to bring them out for you. I'll go to the kitchen to get them."
Watching Ni Chujing's retreating figure as she went into the kitchen, Chai Qianning swallowed the tofu puff and said, "When did I ever say that I like tofu puffs the most?"
Sheng Muxi pursed her lips slightly, said nothing, and simply lowered her eyes to eat a bite of food.
Under the table, their legs accidentally bumped into each other.
This one action alone sparked a certain kind of emotional urge.
Chai Qianning stretched out her foot and hooked it around her ankle.
Feeling the touch of another person on her skin, Sheng Muxi was stunned for a moment. She then glared at Chai Qianning, but Chai Qianning pretended not to see it and even rubbed her ankle against Sheng Muxi's.
Sheng Muxi was wearing a beige long skirt. Chai Qianning hooked her foot, lifting the thin veil and clamping it around Sheng Muxi's calf. The force was light, but it contained a certain ambiguity.
These small actions made Sheng Muxi feel very guilty, and she kept glancing towards the kitchen out of the corner of her eye, afraid that Ni Chujing might accidentally see her.
She lowered her voice and winked at Chai Qianning: "Let go!"
“I won’t.” Chai Qianning’s eyes curved slightly.
Chapter 42 Profound Meaning
The sound of porcelain bowls clinking came from the kitchen, and at the same time, Ni Chujing came out carrying a plate of pickled radishes.
Chai Qianning then released her foot, and Sheng Muxi quickly pulled it back, shrinking back under the chair, her expression calm as if nothing had just happened.
"Try it." Ni Chujing placed the fish-tail-shaped shallow plate on the table: "I made it myself."
Chai Qianning picked up a piece with a toothpick, put it in her mouth, and said, "Mmm, it's delicious, sweet and sour."
Sheng Muxi glanced at her and then ate a piece.
After dinner, Sheng Muxi helped Ni Chujing clear the dishes. Chai Qianning also wanted to help, but Ni Chujing told her to go out and rest as a guest.
Chai Qianning pouted: "Teacher Ni, you don't treat Teacher Sheng like an outsider, so why do you treat me like one?"
“It’s not right to make you wash the dishes on your first day,” Ni Chujing said gently.
“Teacher Ni.” Chai Qianning pushed her shoulders to the living room and let her sit on the sofa to rest: “You should rest well. Leave the dishwashing to me and Teacher Sheng.”
Ni Chujing smiled and shook her head, having no choice but to give them the kitchen.
The kitchen window is a sliding type, facing the back door. There is a tree planted at the back door, with sparse leaves, so it is impossible to tell what kind it is.
The sink was gushing with water. Sheng Muxi washed the dishes with dish soap, and she rinsed them with clean water. There weren't many dishes for the three of them, so they were finished quickly.
After drying her hands, Chai Qianning glanced around casually and noticed a yellowed photo frame next to the TV cabinet.
The photo is very old and blurry, but you can still vaguely make out the people in it—two young women who look to be about the same age, wearing coarse cloth clothes and old canvas shoes, which gives it a very vintage feel.
On the other side, the picture frames were more modern; at least Chai Qianning could recognize that the taller one was Ni Chujing.
Back then, Ni Chujing's hair was still jet black, and her smile was as gentle as it is now. She was holding the hand of a pretty little girl who looked about eight or nine years old, with pigtails and a red scarf.
At first, Chai Qianning thought that the little girl was Ni Chujing's daughter or a relative.
Therefore, when Ni Chujing told her that the little girl was Sheng Muxi, she was extremely surprised.
In the stairwell leading to the second-floor bedroom, there was a dusty red bamboo dragonfly on an old box on the wall. Chai Qianning looked up at it for a while.
Seeing her curious look, Ni Chujing took the initiative to speak: "I bought that for Xiaoliu when she was in elementary school. It broke later, but Xiaoliu couldn't bear to throw it away, so I kept it as a souvenir."
Seeing traces of Sheng Muxi's childhood life at Ni Chujing's house, Chai Qianning felt a subtle, indescribable feeling.
On the way back, Chai Qianning asked a question that was not convenient to ask at Ni Chujing's house: "Teacher Sheng, you said that Teacher Ni has always lived alone. Doesn't she have any children or other relatives?"
Sheng Muxi shook her head: "It seems she has never been married. When I met her in elementary school and she was my homeroom teacher, she was already living alone."
“She seemed to have mentioned to me before that she wasn’t a local, but just came here to teach. As for relatives, I’ve never seen any of them come. In the early years, some of her former students would come to visit her, but that’s become less and less frequent, and now it’s basically just me who comes. However, when I was in elementary school, Ms. Ni’s family had a dog. But that dog got old and passed away, and she lived there alone.”
After listening to Sheng Muxi's words, Chai Qianning tilted her head thoughtfully: "You lived here when you were a child?"
"Well, during elementary school, I basically lived at Teacher Ni's house. She had no children, and my mother was busy, so she took care of me like her own daughter. After I started junior high school, I would also come here to stay for a while during winter and summer vacations."
"No wonder." Chai Qianning nodded.
Sheng Muxi glanced at her sideways and asked, "No wonder what?"
"I saw your childhood photos, you were so cute." Chai Qianning looked at her with a smile.
Sheng Muxi stared into her eyes, paused for a moment, then turned her face away, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Back in the residential complex, Sheng Muxi followed Chai Qianning out of the elevator.
Chai Qianning paused for a moment: "Teacher Sheng, would you like to come to my house?"
Before Sheng Muxi could answer, Chai Qianning excitedly said, "Okay!"
Sheng Muxi raised an eyebrow; she wanted to see how Chai Qianning would open the door.
During the meal, Chai Qianning took her key out of her pocket and put it on the table. She forgot to take it when she left, but Sheng Muxi found it when she got her bag and put her key in her own bag.
When she reached her front door, Chai Qianning took out her keys from her pocket, only to find that she didn't have them.
Sheng Muxi crossed his arms and watched her quietly.
“Um…” Chai Qianning scratched her head: “I think I left my key at Teacher Ni’s house.”
Seeing that Sheng Muxi was standing still, she added, "How about I trouble you, Teacher Sheng, to drive me there?"
The other person just looked at her meaningfully. Chai Qianning gritted her teeth and said, "I don't have a key to get in. If you won't take me to get it, then I'll stay at your house."
"Can't we just take a taxi there?" Sheng Muxi said casually.
"I won't take a taxi, I'll stay at your place." Chai Qianning winked mischievously.
Sheng Muxi smiled, then slowly took out a set of keys from her bag: "Here."
"How come it's here with you... So you did that on purpose just now!"
"I'm going to teach you a lesson. Don't keep losing your keys. This is the second time you've left your keys with me."
"It's alright, we can just change the lock if we lose the key." Chai Qianning picked out a key to open the door, seemingly not caring at all.
Sheng Muxi looked her door over and said, "If you're going to keep changing the lock every time you lose a key, your door can't withstand that kind of abuse. I'm afraid we'll have to replace the door itself eventually."
The door was already open, and Chai Qianning stood in the entryway, half of her body behind the door: "Teacher Sheng, would you like to come in and sit down?"
"Another day." Sheng Muxi turned away from the wall she was leaning against.
Chai Qianning pouted: "When is 'another day'?"
Sheng Muxi asked thoughtfully, "Which 'zuozuo' are you referring to?"
A sly smile flickered in Chai Qianning's eyes as she raised an eyebrow, the meaning of which was self-evident.
——
To apologize for standing up her teammates during the last game, Chai Qianning invited them out for dinner when everyone was free, so they could get together.
The location was near Shangyang Plaza, where Chai Qianning knew a lot about food, drinks, and entertainment. She chose a restaurant she had eaten at before and thought the food was good.
"A-Ning, you have no heart."
Upon meeting, Jelly immediately confronted Chai Qianning, "complaining" about her last-minute cancellation.
Chai Qianning clutched her chest: "Ah, my heart is still beating."
Su Ye: "We agreed to play games together last time, and you even said you'd carry us, but then you suddenly showed up, saying you had something important to do?"
Chai Qianning lowered her eyes shyly: "Isn't it inappropriate to talk about this kind of thing in broad daylight?"
The other three people were so impressed by Chai Qianning's performance that they all exclaimed "Eh!" in unison.
The four chatted as they walked toward the restaurant. When Chai Qianning heard that they had lost more than ten games in a row last time, she shook her head helplessly: "As expected, they can't do without me."
With some time before the food was served, the four of them sat down and started a game. Chai Qianning confidently declared that she would lead them to victory, and sure enough, she easily finished the game in less than ten minutes.
Su Ye: "Why are the opponents so bad this time?"
Jelly: "They're worried we'll uninstall the game because they saw we've lost so many, so they're letting us win a round?"