Chapter 28

After sending out red envelopes in the group, Xiao Qi stopped checking the messages.

She set the group to mute notifications.

Then she went to pour out the foot-washing water.

When she returned, she saw Brother Lin Min next door still reading a book. She had intended to go to sleep, but considering that the time for her memory and language skills buffs was limited, she thought it would be better to study more.

She took out the third volume of the New Concept English from her room and continued to delve into it.

Lin Min sat at his dining table studying, while Xiao Qi sat at the neighboring table studying.

She planned to study for an hour before going to sleep.

However, reading English books tended to make her easily drowsy, so she tried her best to read and look at the same time.

But she was a little worried about disturbing others, so she only read out softly.

Lin Min saw the girl next to him, holding an English book, sitting upright and quietly reading and writing.

Hmm, she even yawned occasionally.

"You should go to sleep if you're tired. Your efficiency will suffer," Lin Min spoke up.

Xiao Qi wanted to say something but ended up letting out a yawn. She opened her mouth wide, facing Lin Min...

"Okay," she sheepishly went back to her room and closed the door.

It would be better to go to sleep after all, feeling slightly embarrassed.

At this moment, she became somewhat awake.

In the bright light of the night, she realized that Lin Min next door was actually more handsome than the boys in her class. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, clean washed jeans, and sandals.

Recalling it, even when Lin Min was at home, he always dressed neatly, unlike her who often wandered around in pajamas.

During the time she had been eating at Auntie's place, she hadn't seen Lin Min looking particularly messy.

At most, his hair was slightly disheveled after taking a shower, but his clothes were always neatly worn.

Even his towels and such were neatly folded.

He was truly an oddity in this dim tunnel.

She remembered when she went to play at Lin Qingqing's house, she and Lin Min were in the same room, separated by curtains, and it felt like two different worlds.

Lin Qingqing's side was messy, well, it had a lively atmosphere.

But Lin Min's side, from the sheets to the towels, everything was immaculate, to the point where one would feel embarrassed to touch anything.

After the college entrance examination, she realized how vast the world was. It didn't matter which class she was in, which desk she sat at, or which boy was next to her.

It was also after the college entrance examination that she realized how small the world actually was.

It was about a book, a test paper, and an admission letter.

Su Xiaoqi's mind was in a jumble, gradually sinking into drowsiness.

She turned on her side, her breathing gradually becoming steady, when suddenly the mechanical voice rang in her ears again: "The host thanked someone for doing a good deed and affirmed their actions, bringing a bit of positive energy to the troubled young man. As a reward, your eyelashes lengthen once. Having long lashes will make your gaze more focused and your eyes more captivating."

Su Xiaoqi was startled.

She had forgotten to turn off the lights before falling asleep.

She opened her eyes.

She glanced at her watch.

It was 2:14 in the middle of the night.

What the heck?

Did Lin Min just fall asleep and receive her gratitude? His reaction was too slow.

She was dead tired and reached her hand to the mirror on the table next to her.

She took a look and found that her eyelashes were originally numerous and thick, but not long. They were short and she felt like she might accidentally poke her eyes if she closed them tightly. Unexpectedly, when she opened her eyes, her eyelashes were like tiny brushes.

She opened and closed her eyes, repeating this several times.

Afterwards, she put down the mirror and went back to sleep.

The night passed without any dreams.

She woke up early in the morning and glanced at her watch. It was a few minutes past six.

Her study habits from her third year of high school were still intact, so she usually woke up around this time.

Even though she had graduated and was on vacation, it felt like she was still wound up like a clockwork toy.

She rubbed her eyes and felt something different about her eyelashes... They felt a bit prickly, like a cat's paw.

She washed her face and brushed her teeth.

Then she returned and it was about ten past six.

She decided to spend an hour writing.

The early morning was especially quiet, and she felt clear-headed and physically well.

She opened the doors and windows for some fresh air, with curtains hanging and practiced calligraphy inside the house.

At 7:10, her alarm clock rang, and she finished writing.

When she went out, she saw Lin Min, who had just finished washing up. Su Xiaoqi greeted him cautiously, unable to help but take a careful look. She couldn't see anything strange about someone who had been gradually becoming villainous.

He looked neat and clean, and even smiled when they met.

He looked quite handsome when he smiled. "Good morning, Brother Lin Min."

"Morning."

Lin Min would pass by Su Xiaoqi's door on his way to wash up in the morning. Through the thin half-curtain, he couldn't see the specifics inside, but he could still see someone sitting at the table writing, and a pair of bare feet in slippers.

He hadn't paid much attention to Su Xiaoqi before. He only knew that she was from Yizhong High School and they would often come and go in a hurry. Now that it was the vacation, and she was living in this area, he discovered that she was actually such a hardworking person, studying diligently from morning till night, with a very strict routine.

He couldn't help but admire her. He was also a hardworking person himself, knowing that his family background was not good, and attending Erzhong High School was just average. He had to work many times harder than most people to achieve success.

In his view, society was unfair. Their starting point was too low, so in order to obtain what they wanted, they had to put in several times more effort than others.

He knew that Su Xiaoqi had actually passed the entrance exam for a private university called Enhua, but couldn't help feeling sorry for her. These past few days, he had watched her efforts, and her English was really good, not obtained easily. While his own sister was busy playing with her phone, Su Xiaoqi was either studying from books or going out to study, or going to the library.

But even with all her efforts, she still made mistakes on the college entrance exam.

Lin Min thought it was a pity.

However, seeing her still smiling and being positive, radiating sunshine early in the morning, Lin Min couldn't help but be infected by her mood.

Xiao Qi greeted him and went to buy breakfast, then called her aunt to come back and eat.

She had made an agreement with her aunt that if she was around, she would take care of breakfast.

Her aunt must have been busy last night. When she went to call her aunt to eat, her aunt was still sleeping on a bed in an empty ward. It was so late and she hadn't gotten up yet, so she must have had the day off today.

"I had an emergency in the middle of the night. There was a patient with severe bleeding, so I had to get up and clean up. It took a long time and I didn't sleep at all," Su Simei yawned and said, "Xiao Qi, you have to study hard. Don't end up like your aunt, working so hard but not earning much money."

Xiao Qi looked at Auntie, her face flushed with blood vessels. Auntie had a huge figure and weighed over 150 kilograms. She had a heavy workload and ate a lot. Although she appeared cheerful and filled the hospital room with her laughter, deep down she was quite pessimistic.

That's why her weight kept skyrocketing.

Third Granny had three daughters and one son. Su Simei was the eldest daughter and had always done a lot of work since she was young.

Xiao Qi had also met the other two aunts before. They both worked in government institutions, had good looks, and dressed appropriately, like typical city dwellers.

However, Auntie had probably had the worst time.

Xiao Qi believed that her aunt's excessive weight gain was due to her depression after her divorce. It was just that her way of coping was to eat voraciously and work hard, laughing heartily.

"Auntie, are you resting today? Is there anything you need?" Xiao Qi asked.

"Well, there's nothing much. What could I possibly have? I can't even find clothes in my size when I go shopping. Feifei is on vacation, so I called her and she said she's practicing swimming during her break, but she hasn't come over."

"Then Auntie, I'm also going to the gym to learn swimming this afternoon. Will you come with me?" Su Xiaoqi pondered and asked.

As Auntie continued to gain weight and sink deeper into depression, it became a vicious cycle. The other caregivers were all together with their families, but once Xiao Qi went to college, Auntie would be alone. She should encourage Auntie to develop some other hobbies.

Yesterday, in a fit of impulsiveness, she bought so many swimming lessons, which might not be used up within a month. She could let Auntie go as well. Perhaps a change of environment would be beneficial.

"Swimming? I'm so fat, I won't go, I'll just be laughed at by others," Su Simei said, her mouth full of big buns, shaking her head continuously.

"Auntie, you should go. Feifei is learning how to swim, and if you learn too, you can swim with her in the future. I've already signed up, and you can come along without spending extra money."

Indeed, Auntie was moved by this statement. Being able to swim with her daughter was her biggest regret.

"Then can I go with you?"

Xiao Qi smiled and nodded.

"Sure, I'll go to the library in the morning, come back for lunch, and go out with you in the afternoon."

"Okay, you go study, I'll buy some groceries and make a delicious meal for lunch." Auntie's face was filled with a beaming smile. Her rosy face was brimming with joy in that moment.