Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 30 Eating Dumplings

"If you have time to visit my house someday, please let me know in advance."

"I can ask my parents to avoid me, hehe..."

The girl's playful laughter seemed to echo in my ears.

Ran Qing stood in front of the old iron door in a trance, staring at the dark green door for a long while.

When he actually arrived at this door, he actually had the urge to turn around and run away, not daring to face the girl's parents.

After hesitating for a while, Ran Qing finally mustered up the courage and knocked on the door.

dong dong dong -- dong dong dong --

The rhythmic knocks on the door echoed faintly in the dark corridor. Ran Qing's heartbeat could not help but quicken.

He didn't know whether Li Hongye's parents really knew him. If they did, would they scold him when he visited them today?
Thinking of that scene, Ran Qing felt a little panicked.

The door of 501 was also opened amid Ran Qing's anxiety.

A gentle-looking woman appeared in front of Ran Qing.

She was wearing a light yellow knitted top, a fitted tight skirt, and a thin silver chain around her neck. She looked as dignified and gentle as a school teacher.

Although she was about the same age as Sixth Aunt, the woman before him looked much younger. The vicissitudes of life seemed to have left no trace on her face, with no visible wrinkles. It was only the loss of elasticity in her skin, a silent reminder of her true age, that was beginning to show.

The woman looked at the boy in the No. 3 Middle School uniform in front of her in surprise and asked in amazement: "You are..."

"Hello, Auntie. My name is Ran Qing." When Ran Qing said his name, his heartbeat could not help but speed up, and he felt a little guilty for some reason: "I am Li Hongye's classmate."

After saying this, it seemed that all of Ran Qing's strength had been used up.

He stood nervously at the door, like a criminal waiting for the final judgment in court.

However, the expected scolding did not come.

Li Hongye's mother opened her eyes wide in surprise after hearing the boy's self-introduction.

"...You are Ran Qing? Come in, come in."

The woman was very happy and friendly and moved aside to let Ran Qing in.

Her joyful and friendly demeanor startled Ran Qing, who had been worried and apprehensive. At this moment, he felt unreal, as if he were dreaming.

Is Li Hongye's mother so kind to him?

Ran Qing walked into the house flattered.

At this time, a sickly dog ​​head popped out from behind Ran Qing.

Li Hongye's mother laughed in surprise and said, "What a cute little puppy! Did you raise it?"

Ran Qing was startled and a little frightened when he saw the old dog appear. After seeing that Li Hongye's mother was not angry, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly explained.

"It's a pet of an elder. I originally asked it to wait downstairs, but it followed me up secretly. I'll let it go downstairs now."

Ran Qing tried to drive the dog away.

The woman smiled and said, "No, no, I like cats and dogs very much. Let her come in."

Li Hongye's mother is extremely friendly, and her smiling face is full of intimacy.

She smiled happily and closed the door.

Locked.

"Ran Qing, you haven't had breakfast yet, right? Come sit down for a while, and I'll make dumplings for you."

Li Hongye's mother walked into the kitchen happily.

The woman's joyful expression and behavior made Ran Qingru feel like he was in a dream, and it was a dreamlike and beautiful dream.

"Don't bother, Auntie. I had already had breakfast when I came here," Ran Qing quickly stopped her.

The bedroom door next to the living room suddenly opened, and a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked out.

His eyes were very gentle as he said to Ran Qing, "Ran Qing, right? Come and sit down. Hongye has talked about you several times."

Li Hongye's father was surprisingly friendly. His gentle smile and elegant temperament reminded Ran Qing of the modest gentleman in the novel.

The two looked at each other, and Ran Qing actually felt a little ashamed of himself.

After sitting down on the sofa in the living room, Ran Qing unconsciously straightened his back.

This is an old residential building of about 80 square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room.

The floor was covered with clean tiles, there were several beautiful oil paintings hanging on the walls, the soft sofa smelled of clean fabric, and there seemed to be not a speck of dust in the air.

Ran Qing, who came from the countryside, rarely sat in such a clean and tidy house. The unfamiliar environment made him feel cramped.

Li Hongye's father smiled and brought a cup of hot tea, saying, "Don't be nervous, just sit anywhere and treat it like you're at home."

Li Hongye's parents' friendly attitude was beyond Ran Qing's expectations.

He originally thought that he would be scolded or blamed for his intrusive visit.

After all, his daughter had just disappeared not long ago, and the uninvited guest who had an unclear relationship with his daughter dared to come and disturb him. At this time, it was not surprising that Ran Qing was scolded.

Therefore, the harmonious atmosphere in the house and Li Hongye's father's concern for her made Ran Qing feel confused and at a loss.

He cared about Ran Qing's life and how Ran Qing got through it. He was clearly a gentle elder.

Soon, Li Hongye's mother came out with hot dumplings and asked Ran Qing to taste her cooking with a smile.

"I just made these last night. Try them and see how they taste," Li Hongye's mother smiled gently.

Compared with the playful and mischievous Li Hongye, her mother is simply a good wife and mother who came out of a book.

Although Ran Qing was already full, he couldn't refuse the hospitality and had to pick up the chopsticks.

He looked up at Li Hongye's parents. Under the light in the house, Li Hongye's parents' faces were full of smiles, and their gentle eyes made people feel warm.

In a corner not far away, the sick old dog actually had his own small iron basin, which contained a few steaming dumplings.

Li Hongye's mother even took care of the dog...

When Ran Qing saw this scene, he was a little stunned.

Is this really that extravagant? Meat dumplings are actually being fed to dogs...

After a moment's hesitation, Ran Qing saw that the sickly old dog had happily finished eating the dumplings in the small iron bowl and was licking the bowl happily.

But the tongue was small and short, not like a dog's tongue, but more like... a human's?

This association made Ran Qing stunned. He stood up subconsciously, feeling a little creepy.

Was he mistaken? Or was there something wrong with Aunt Six's dog?

Or maybe this dog wasn't the one that came with him?
Ran Qing's scalp suddenly went numb, and he tried to walk closer to the dog to get a better look.

The terrifying experiences of the past few days have made Ran Qing like a frightened bird, and he is extremely alert to all the unusual and sneaky things around him.

Aunt Liu said that there are a lot of sneaky things in the fog.

Maybe one of those things could disguise itself as a dog and follow us?
Ran Qing stared at the old dog and stood up.

But the moment he stood up, Li Hongye's mother suddenly grabbed him.

The two looked at each other. Ran Qing looked stunned, but Li Hongye's mother smiled very gently.

"Eat dumplings...hot dumplings, eat them while they're hot."

Li Hongye's mother grabbed Ran Qing's arm.

The moment their bodies touched, a chill rose from Ran Qing's back.

He looked at the woman in front of him in horror and was stunned for a moment.

This sudden chill... was exactly the same as when his classmate Ouyang Xue touched him before!
(End of this chapter)