Forced into a romantic relationship

Outside, the rain fell like a curtain, and large raindrops pounded on the bluestone slabs, splashing up transparent water droplets.

The distant barking of dogs was broken up by the sound of rain and dissolved into the damp night. The earthy and grassy smell fermented in the rain, becoming increasingly strong.

"Speaking of which, there have been quite a lot of rainy days lately..."

Han Zhou leaned against the door frame, gazing absently at the continuous curtain of rain under the eaves.

He remembered hearing Uncle Xia say yesterday that this place hadn't had a heavy rain in a long time, but it rained like this on his second day here. Could it be that he also has the potential to be a "rain god"?

He had already followed Xiao Wang Lengqiu back to the other party's house. He thought he would see Grandpa Wang, but when he entered the house, he found out that the latter was not at home. No wonder he did not go to school to pick up his granddaughter this afternoon.

After some subtle questioning, he confirmed that at this point in time, Xiao Wang Lengqiu had just transferred here.

According to the information he knew, Xiao Wang Lengqiu transferred schools because she was bullied at her previous school. When Grandpa Wang went to the school to demand an explanation, he was retaliated against by the parents of the bullies who found out about the incident, which forced him to transfer schools with his granddaughter.

Throughout the entire process, Xiao Wang Lengqiu's parents did nothing, instead blaming their daughter for being immature and otherwise causing trouble.

Han Zhou looked outside and saw only scattered lights in the distance, like fireflies dampened by rain, telling the story of the house's remoteness.

Normally, people wouldn't choose such an environment to transfer schools unless the conditions don't allow it—he guessed that this transfer might just be a unilateral decision by Grandpa Wang and Xiao Wang Lengqiu, which the irresponsible parents didn't support, or even opposed, so Grandpa Wang had no choice but to bring his granddaughter to this kind of place to study.

Han Zhou hates two kinds of people the most in his life: gambling addicts and irresponsible bastards. Xiao Wang Leng Qiu's parents obviously belong to the latter.

As a left-behind child, especially one who is almost completely left to his own devices, Xiao Wang Lengqiu is already capable of doing many things at a young age. As soon as he gets home, he starts cooking, changes his wet clothes and washes them, and then begins to do his homework.

As a newcomer to the area, Han Zhou didn't feel comfortable asking for help, so he could only watch the girl bustling around. She even offered to wash his coat, but he refused.

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu was very focused when doing her homework, and Han Zhou didn't want to disturb her, so he would come to the door to watch the rain alone, and occasionally go to the kitchen to take a look at the meat soup in the pot.

It was called meat soup, but there were hardly any pieces of meat in it. If it weren't for the fact that he was being entertained as an "alien" today, he suspected that Xiao Wang Lengqiu might not have put any meat in at all, just a few cabbage leaves would have been enough.

Han Zhou took out his phone. It was 8 p.m. and the rain showed no signs of letting up. It might continue until tomorrow.

Unfortunately, his phone from the future can't connect to the internet in this era, and he can't even check the weather forecast.

"time to eat."

Just then, Xiao Wang Lengqiu's voice rang out from behind her. She knew that this stick figure must be starving, otherwise he wouldn't keep sneaking into the kitchen.

"understood."

Just as Han Zhou was about to put his phone away, the girl suddenly looked over with some curiosity: "Is this an alien communicator?"

"I guess so," Han Zhou smiled.

Smartphones already exist in this era, but many functions are naturally not as perfect as they will be in the future, so saying that this phone comes from outer space is not too exaggerated.

Does it have any special functions?

"Well... we can't connect to the internet on Earth right now, so many functions are unusable."

Han Zhou hadn't studied this couple's phone much, and after thinking for a long time, he couldn't think of any special functions. He could only cough and say, "If I had to say what special functions it has... it takes clearer photos, and... it can play some games you haven't played before."

Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu nodded, their expressions revealing neither disappointment nor curiosity.

Han Zhou was indeed starving. He went to the kitchen to wash his hands and then came to the dining table to eat. Xiao Wang Leng Qiu seemed worried that he wouldn't have enough to eat, so she specially brought him a large bowl, only adding a small bowl of rice to herself, and stuffing almost all the remaining rice into the large bowl.

Han Zhou's lips twitched slightly. He thought to himself that only a guzheng player would use such a big bowl. Seeing that there was very little rice in the other person's bowl, he couldn't help but ask, "Is this really enough for you?"

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu hummed in agreement, ladled a spoonful of soup into the bowl, and gently blew on it. Besides the cabbage and pork soup, there was also a small bowl of sausage and cured meat on the table. It was clear that this girl had gathered all the meat she could find in the house.

Is that really enough?
Han Zhou expressed his doubts. Although he knew Wang Lengqiu's appetite to some extent, like many parents who love their children, he was also afraid that his child would not have enough to eat.

Hmm... This child is practically handing me the pot, but I feel like I'm the one who's her child?

Looking at the girl across from him, Han Zhou suddenly felt a little dazed. The last time he ate alone with her seemed to be when they went to feed the pigeons together. At that time, the girl specially prepared two discount coupons for a deluxe buffet and kept putting food into his bowl while eating, while she hardly ate anything herself.

"what happened to you?"

The girl's still-childish voice rang in his ears, pulling him back to reality.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things from the past." He smiled, concealing the emotions in his eyes.

"You are just like a human."

Xiao Wang Leng Qiu looked at his hands and seemed to find it a little strange, "Even the way he holds chopsticks is exactly the same as a human's."

"It's quite similar."

Han Zhou didn't explain, but suddenly asked, "What happened with those people this afternoon? Why did they stop you?"

"I don't know." The girl shook her head.

There was no confusion in her eyes, and it was unclear whether she was indifferent or had long been accustomed to such things.

Do they often bully you?

The girl picked up her rice bowl and shook her head.

"It seems that it was just a misunderstanding."

Although Han Zhou said this, he had already decided in his heart that he would stake out the school gate for the next few days. If those guys didn't learn their lesson, he would have to give them an unforgettable one.

He tried asking a few more questions, which Xiao Wang Leng Qiu answered patiently. Suddenly, he asked curiously, "Are you very concerned about my affairs?"

“Yes.” Han Zhou said frankly, “Actually, I’ve always wanted to find a human to be my friend, and you are a very suitable candidate.”

"Be friends with me?"

Xiao Wang and Leng Qiu seemed even more puzzled. "Why?"

Han Zhou smiled mysteriously and said in a meaningful tone, "There aren't that many 'whys' in this world; many things don't need a reason."

"Is it because you can't make it up?"

The girl tilted her head and mercilessly exposed his words.

Han Zhou's expression froze, and before he could speak, he heard the other person continue, "I'm sorry, I can't be friends with you."

"why?"

Han Zhou was stunned. If he couldn't even be a friend, how could he be this child's mentor?
Xiao Wang Leng Qiu thought for a moment, perhaps unsure how to explain, and then mimicked his previous tone, saying, "There aren't that many 'whys' in this world. Many things don't need a reason. I'm sorry."

She stood up, tiptoed to collect the empty bowls from the table, carefully wiped the table with a cloth, and then carried the bowls into the kitchen.

(End of this chapter)