between clouds and mud

Chapter 16 This Wind Changsha Clouds Old Habits ([-])
At the end of spring, a guest came to Zhou's villa.

Because the clothes were too shabby, he was stopped outside the gate by the security of the community as a suspicious person.

The security guard dialed the phone number of the villa, told the situation of the little girl who claimed to be Zhou Song's friend, and only opened the door after getting a good answer.

Zhang Fang carefully held the bag in her hand. She was bumpy and dusty all the way, but the things in the bag were in good condition.

She cautiously walked into this completely strange world.

The tiles on the ground, the green belts on the roadside, and the western-style villas all made her daunting.

It wasn't until she knocked on the door according to the house number that the middle-aged woman who opened the door looked her up and down before moving to let her in.

When Zhang Fang walked into the house, stepping on the smooth tiles with her tattered cloth shoes made her feel deeply inferior.

The first sight is the magnificent decoration, the wallpaper on the wall is beautiful, and the lavish crystal lamp is winding along the spiral staircase, which makes her eyes slightly red.

The middle-aged woman led her to the sofa in the side hall and poured a cup of tea politely.

Zhang Fang sat down, stood up at a loss, looked back at the luxurious leather, and then sat down slowly, this stool is so soft.

After receiving the tea, Zhang Fang said shyly, "Thank you, you are Xiao Liu's grandma."

Aunt Song replied politely: "I am the housekeeper here, just call me Aunt Song."

The butler here is also so decent.

Zhang Fang was a little cautious and restless. She handed some matsutake and eggs brought from her hometown to the housekeeper.

Aunt Song thoughtfully helped her arrange a bedroom for her to rest.

Zhang Fang walked into the room carrying her bag, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at the room, which was decorated with exquisite curtains and high-end furniture, Zhang Fang didn't dare to touch it.

Taking off her shoes, she felt the blisters she had worn out from traveling over mountains and mountains, and she found a needle in the drawer to carefully pierce it.

At this moment, Zhang Fang felt mixed emotions.She didn't even know how to face her friends, there was such a huge distance between them, it was a world of difference.

In the evening, Xiao Liu hadn't come home yet, but there were already some noises in the living room.Zhang Fang walked out of the room to say hello, Feng Yi looked at her, looked her up and down, then nodded and went upstairs.

The most enthusiastic person in the family is Zhou Li. He heard that he was a friend of his sister, so he took Zhang Fang to the room to see his toys and game consoles.

He graciously gave Zhang Fang his game console to play, but Zhang Fang looked stiff and didn't even dare to touch it.

This embarrassment was not relieved a little until Zhou Song went home.

The two girls who hadn't seen each other for a year hugged each other, and Zhou Song's tears fell down.

Sitting in Zhou Song's room, Zhang Fang explained her reasons.

Now elementary school teaching must have graduated from high school. Not long after she lost her job, her parents arranged a marriage for her because of a huge gift, but Zhang Fang was unwilling because she escaped from marriage.

Her savings from working for several years have been firmly controlled by his parents.

It was Uncle Six who paid her the travel expenses and told her Zhou Song's address before Zhang Fang could run out.

Zhou Song held Zhang Fang's hand: "Fannier, thank you, my father said in his letter that you often accompany them for me."

"What are your plans now, and is there anything I can do to help?"

Zhang Fang is already very grateful to Dade for having a temporary shelter: "I plan to find a job and settle down first."

"Your father also asked me to bring you eggs. Aunt Six said that you like to eat eggs most since childhood, and matsutake. Uncle Six picked them on the mountain and saved them for more than half a month."

The two of them forgot the time as soon as they chatted, and they didn't go downstairs until dinner was ready.

Facing the shiny sterling silver knife and fork on the table, Zhang Fang had no idea what to do.

Zhou Song's tone was displeased: "How do you eat Western food today?"

Aunt Song heard it in the back kitchen, and she put down her busy work: "Today is Monday, it's for Western food."

Zhou's family's meals are basically fixed, and they eat Western food on Mondays, because Zhou Li always clamors to eat.She specifically asked her wife before cooking, Feng Yi glanced upstairs, and lazily replied: "Just follow the previous recipe."

Zhou Song didn't eat anymore, she pulled Zhang Fang to stand up: "I don't like this, Aunt Song, please work hard, help me fry two dishes, let's make matsutake and eggs."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was very awkward because of an outsider who appeared suddenly. Zhang Fang looked at Feng Yi's sinking face, she pulled Zhou Song's sleeve in embarrassment, and whispered: "Xiao Liu, it's not good to waste."

Hearing this, Zhou Song also realized that he was wrong, and the reason lost because of anger came back.She went to the kitchen to get two pairs of chopsticks, gave one pair to Zhang Fang, and the two continued to sit down to eat.

She realized that her anger was meaningless and would only make Zhang Fang's situation more embarrassing.She was angry that her parents didn't respect her friends enough, and she had to bear with Zhang Fang's consideration.

Zhou Huaiming knew it well, and after dinner, he specifically told Aunt Song not to cook Western food at home.If Zhou Li wants to eat, he can make it alone.

The portion of western food is very small. Zhang Fang woke up hungry in the middle of the night after a long day's journey.

She tossed and turned and disturbed Zhou Song in his sleep, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and heard the sound of his stomach.The two girls went downstairs together. Zhang Fang didn't know how to use the stove in the city, and Zhou Song had never been in the kitchen, but she had seen it a few times, so she fumbled a few times before turning off the stove.

Zhou Song opened the refrigerator, but he didn't see the eggs brought by Zhang Fang. They were packed with labeled eggs purchased from supermarkets.

"It doesn't matter, Xiao Liu can eat this." Zhang Fang finished cooking quickly.

Zhou Song washed the dishes, and she saw a bag of broken eggs in the corner of the kitchen waste.

The two looked at each other, Zhou Song picked up the intact matsutake and put it in the refrigerator.

At this moment, both of them were speechless.

The next day, after school, Zhou Song deliberately followed Jiang Lele to the street for a while.

Zhou Song said that she had a friend who was looking for a job, and the two little girls wandered around the street for a long time without a clue.

Seeing a cosmetics store recruiting a teller in the mall, Zhang Fang tried it, and was shocked.

People dislike the little girl for being too rustic, and she speaks poor Mandarin, with a strong dialect flavor.

Fortunately, Zhang Chengnian is usually a part-time work-study program, and he is familiar with this aspect.

After the interview, Zhang Fang got a job as a chef in a restaurant.Because the restaurant is also based on the face, I think this little girl is not enough to be iconic, and the local flavor is too strong, so I can only serve the dishes and wash the dishes in the back kitchen.

Zhang Fang is very satisfied with this job, and her salary is much higher than when she was a teacher. She can get 150 yuan a month. You must know that the teacher in Wutong Primary School was only paid 80 yuan a month at that time.

The distance from the restaurant to Zhou's house is still relatively long, and the journey takes an hour. Zhou Song left his bicycle for Zhang Fang to ride, but Zhang Fang refused to take it.

The girl who was greedy for an extra rice dumpling and candy when she was a child is also stubborn now.

"Xiao Liu, compared to when we were young, what kind of hard work is this?" Zhang Fang had already drawn a clear line in her heart, Fang Nier could have Xiao Liu's things, but Zhou Song's things could not.

After school, Zhou Song would ride to the restaurant to pick up Zhang Fang from get off work.

When she was sitting in the corner reading a book, she looked up and occasionally saw Zhang Fang and Zhang Chengnian talking. The relationship between them was still as close and natural as when they were children, but they deliberately kept a little distance from Zhou Song.

Zhou Song remembered that when Zhang Chengnian was in high school, she and her friends did the same. Everyone had already drawn a line in their hearts.

It turned out to be this feeling, her eyes were downcast, and she was not feeling well.

During this time, Zhang Fang has been sleeping with Zhou Song.

She wanted to go back to her room, but Zhou Song refused at first.

Then somehow Zhou Song figured it out again, and Zhang Fang moved downstairs.

Zhang Fang's room is next to Aunt Song's, and they are all dark rooms, without the large floor-to-ceiling windows and independent bathroom like Zhou Song's bedroom.

But this is much better than the conditions in Dengxinqiao Township. She calculated in her heart that she would save a little more money and rent a house as soon as possible.

Zhou Song also gradually got busy. She was preparing for the audition for the National English Speech Contest for Middle School Students. Thanks to Chen Fan, her spoken English is much better now than before.

Each class can only have one place to participate in the competition. Originally, Teacher Wen planned to recommend Chen Fan. He had already prepared for going abroad, and his oral English skills are good.

Chen Fan declined. The ranking in this competition can add points to the college entrance examination score. He didn't plan to take the college entrance examination, so it didn't help much.More importantly, he thought Zhou Song was also very good, so he took the initiative to recommend it to Teacher Wen and gave up the spot to Zhou Song.

Teacher Wen patted him on the shoulder. Compared with the test scores, the friendship between classmates who helped each other made her feel more valuable.

Smelling the smell of zongzi in the kitchen, Zhou Song realized that the Dragon Boat Festival is coming again.Mom and Dad are eating zongzi too, will you be willing to wrap meat stuffing this year?

Zhou Songduo took two zongzi and put them into the bicycle basket after struggling for a while.

She hadn't gone to Zhang Chengnian's school for a long time, and the classmates still recognized Zhou Song at a glance, and shouted to the classroom: "Zhang Chengnian, your sister is here."

Zhou Song looked at the boy who came out, threw the zongzi into his arms, turned around and rode away.

After turning around slowly a few times, the bicycle under my feet stopped moving.Zhou Song turned around, Zhang Chengnian held her back seat with one hand, she was stunned for a moment, pretending to be unhappy and asked: "What are you doing?"

Her back seat sank, and Zhang Chengnian sat up: "Go to the library."

The learning atmosphere in the university library is very good. At this time, I can only sit on the marble steps and cannot occupy a seat.

Zhang Chengnian casually took a test on Zhou Song's learning content during this period, and she basically answered it fluently.

Zhang Chengnian knew that she had grown up quickly, so he didn't have to worry about it anymore.

"Why no praise?"

"good."

Zhou Song's tone was a little cautious: "Then do you still find me annoying?"

Zhang Chengnian flipped through the book in his hand: "It's very annoying."

So the relationship between the two is still as lukewarm as before.

In the past few days, Feng Yi has been a little paranoid.She lowered her voice and said to Zhou Huaiming: "I feel a little strange recently?"

"The necklace you gave me on my last wedding anniversary is gone."

Zhou Huaiming glanced at her: "When will you change your forgetfulness."

"No." Feng Yi insisted: "I kept everything very well. I opened the drawer two days ago and it disappeared. There is only an outsider in the house. Don't you think it's suspicious?"

Zhou Huaiming directly rejected her: "Impossible."

Zhang Fang is only 19 years old this year, the age of a little girl.When Zhou Huaiming gives pocket money every week, he will prepare an extra copy.

But Zhang Fang never confiscated it. She said she had a job to support herself.

Zhou Huaiming asked her what kind of work she did?
Zhang Fang said with a shy face that she was washing dishes in the restaurant.

The man noticed that her hands had been soaked and turned white, and suggested that this was not a long-term solution after all. He knew friends from night school and could reserve a spot for Zhang Fang next semester.

Zhang Fang was obviously a little surprised, but she was also eager for it, so she asked about the tuition fee of the night school.

Zhou Huaiming wanted to hand it in for her directly.

Seeing the girl's reserved look, he casually told her a price, which he thought she should be able to afford.

Zhang Fang's brows slightly stretched, and she bowed to him specially to thank him.

Zhou Huaiming said, "Will such a girl have dirty hands and feet? Feng Yi, sometimes your heart is too narrow."

Feng Yi secretly asked Aunt Song to search Zhang Fang's room. There was indeed no necklace, and Zhang Fang didn't wear it either.But she frowned, dissatisfied with her husband's criticism of her.

The prejudice in the human heart is a mountain, and it is difficult to change easily.

When Zhang Fang returned to the room, she realized that her things had been touched, so she anxiously opened the lining of her clothes.Fortunately, there is not much money, she calculated that she must save enough tuition fees before the start of school.

Jiang Lele likes to stick to Zhou Song, and sometimes goes to restaurants with Zhou Song.

Zhou Song propped his head, his tone unhappy: "What are you looking at?"

"It's nothing." Jiang Lele looked at Zhang Chengnian intently.

"Jiang Lele." Zhou Song pulled her ponytail: "If you dare to like him, I won't be your friend."

"Why?" Jiang Lele didn't understand, and planned to give Zhou Song a good ideological education class: "Isn't that your brother?"

"I'm not talking about you Zhou Song. As the saying goes, good fat doesn't flow to outsiders' fields. If your sister-in-law is destined to be someone else, why can't your good friend do it?"

"He has a bad temper, no one can bear it." Zhou Song began to criticize his shortcomings.

"I'm willing to accept it." Jiang Lele replied.

"He has no money and is very poor. Marrying him can only eat sesame cakes."

"I'm not short on money."

"Jiang Lele!!!" Zhou Song gritted his teeth: "I don't agree."

Jiang Lele had a good idea: "Do you like him?"

Zhou Song stopped answering and continued reading.So Jiang Lele said that she was going to the bathroom, and accidentally ran into a chat with Zhang Chengnian, occasionally casting a glance at Zhou Song while talking.While talking, Jiang Lele even started to move his hands, and touched his little hands to wipe the oil on others.

When Zhou Song's eyes were spitting fire, Jiang Lele finally walked back unhurriedly.As soon as his butt sat down, he greeted him in the air, and Zhang Chengnian nodded in response.

"Jiang Lele, pay attention to your behavior." Zhou Song's eyes can kill people.

"You don't like him." Jiang Lele said indifferently: "Men are like clothes, and sisters are like brothers and sisters. I can't even play around."

"I like him." Zhou Song admitted.

Hehehe, Jiang Lele had an expression I knew: "Guess what we just said?"

"I said, hello classmate Zhang, my sister likes you, what do you think?"

"He definitely doesn't believe it." Zhou Song started to do his homework: "Also told me to study hard and improve every day."

Jiang Lele nodded, indeed: "Such a man is really boring, Zhou Song, I think you can change your target."

"My priority now is to study hard."

Jiang Lele gave her a disgusted look: "You fell, you were brainwashed by him."

"I fell too, I was brainwashed by you." Then he continued to shout: "Sure enough, he is the man standing at the top of the food chain."

(End of this chapter)