Chapter 17: Heartbeat

The big yellow duck apron was destroyed by Lu Ze in time, preserving his cold image. However, the dishes cooked by Chef Lu tasted really good and were unanimously praised by everyone.

Lu Ze didn't ask Qiaoqiao to help with cooking, and she couldn't help, so she was embarrassed after the meal, so she helped Lu Ze clean up, but there was a dishwasher in the kitchen, and it didn't take a lot of labor.

Because it was impossible for the old people to wait until the clock counted down at twelve o'clock in the evening, they took the old man out to set off fireworks before the Spring Festival Gala started. There are wooden tables, chairs and benches in the flower garden at the entrance of the villa, which is just right for them to sit and watch the fireworks.

Lu Ze took the fireworks to the beach across the road to set them off, and Qiao Qiao accompanied the old man to wait at the flower garden.

Grandma looked at Lu Ze's long back regretfully, and couldn't help patting Qiao Qiao's hand, "Lu Ze, this child is so good, so well matched, he can even cook and cook so deliciously, Qiao Qiao, ,......"

Grandma's words couldn't come out, because Qiao Qiao directly hugged her coquettishly and covered her mouth, hugged her and asked her to concentrate on watching the fireworks blooming at night on the beach.

Grandpa Zhao looked at Lu Zeyi's figure of setting off fireworks one by one with a smile, "Go with the young people, it's useless for us to be reluctant, just be happy for themselves." In the past, every time the New Year was celebrated, they always felt that Lu Ze was a pitiful child, so they forced him to get together with everyone for the Spring Festival, but in fact, it was not as easy as watching him this time.

Fireworks with the night view of the sea, the warm sea breeze blowing, although there are few people, such a Spring Festival also makes people feel happy.

For a few days, Lu Ze and Qiao Qiao accompanied them from CCTV to David TV, and watched all the Spring Festival Galas and even opera parties that could be watched. Qiao Qiao watched it while searching for small jokes from the Internet and telling them as jokes, Lu Ze sat silently next to him and tinkered with his computer, and life passed quickly.

In the first few days, Jojo's interest was quite high, and he kept telling funny jokes. However, she slowly began to become more and more silent, and on the seventh day of the new year, she went out silently alone, and when she returned, she carried a large bag of wine and stuffed it into the refrigerator, along with a delicate birthday cake.

In fact, no one saw it when Qiaoqiao stuffed things into the refrigerator, and he was stuffy in the room alone at night and didn't come out. At half past eight o'clock in the evening, when the five people were making milk, my grandmother opened the refrigerator door and saw the birthday cake, and her tears couldn't stop flowing.

Grandpa's eyes were hot, and he patted his wife's back to comfort her, "Tomorrow will be the eighth day of the new year, hey, this child, after so many years, she never forgets her mother's birthday in the lunar calendar." ”

It's really been so many years, every year her mother's birthday and death day on the solar calendar, even if it's a lunar birthday, Qiaoqiao never forgets, so she always gets bored and falls to the bottom when the Spring Festival holiday is about to end.

Grandpa's heart was blocked, and he remembered a cruel sentence he had read in the newspaper, why is it pitiful to lose oneself, and he should be encouraged to have a second child? Because one died, and another. Over the years, there have been sons who live on the opposite side of the house, and they will heal much faster. But Jojo couldn't get out for a long time, maybe because she only had one mother.

caused a sad thing, and the old couple sat silently in the living room for a long time. Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao are also sympathetic, even if there is a child here, how can a white-haired person send a black-haired person, how can he not be sad? Sighing, they asked Lu Ze to send Qiaoqiao's grandparents upstairs to rest.

Before entering the door, my grandfather stopped at Qiaoqiao's door for a while, but in the end he didn't knock on her door, and said to Lu Ze, who sent them up, in a trembling voice: "If Qiaoqiao goes downstairs later, you let her let her go to bed early...... Ay. ”

Lu Ze nodded and agreed, but Lu Ze also lost sleep.

Just like when he met Qiao Qiao with insomnia, he didn't turn on the light, just sat silently on the ground by the floor-to-ceiling window, leaning against the wall, watching the waves crash and the night was quiet.

Only this time when he heard Jojo coming downstairs, he didn't call out Jojo. Jojo, who was depressed, didn't notice that he was still sitting on the floor by the floor-to-ceiling window, leaning against the blurred shadows, just like last time.

He looked at the door of Jojola's refrigerator, watched her take the cake and wine, and then watched her go out, Lu Ze raised his wrist and looked at the time through the dim street lamp outside, it was almost twelve o'clock in the morning. Jojo didn't actually go anywhere, she just went to the beach at the door, sat there, lit a birthday candle, and drank alcohol.

Lu Ze, who was insomnia, sat in the shadows, silently through the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at Qiaoqiao sitting on the beach drinking one can after another. There were two bags at her feet, the left bag was full of wine, and the empty cans were put into the right bag. So the bag on the right grew taller and the bag on the left lower.

Qiao Qiao looked at the sea in silence, and Lu Ze looked at Qiao Qiao's back in silence, until he came back to his senses and looked at his watch, it was already three o'clock in the morning, and Qiao Qiao was still drinking.

At such a moment, he didn't want to disturb Qiaoqiao's private feelings, but in the middle of the night, it was really dangerous for a girl to drink outside. Lu Ze got up silently and pushed the door out.

When Qiaoqiao, who was sitting on the beach, heard footsteps behind him, he didn't look back for the first time, but reflexively held the whistle hanging on his chest with his left hand, and held the anti-wolf spray that was placed close to his side with his right hand.

Seeing Qiao Qiao's vigilant movements, Lu Ze couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips slightly, feeling quite relieved.

"Jojo, it's me." Lu Ze called her name in a low voice.

Hearing the voice of an acquaintance, Qiao Qiao suddenly relaxed, let go of his hands, and quickly wiped his face with the back of his hand. She quickly sorted out her feelings, and when she turned around, she was already able to give Lu Ze a polite smile and a normal tone, "What's wrong?" ”

"It's too late, I'm afraid you're in danger."

Jojo paused, "Thank you." I'm fine. ”

Lu Ze obviously couldn't rest assured, and walked over and sat down beside her.

Qiao Qiao saw Lu Ze sitting down on her left, and immediately remembered to carefully move the bag containing the wine from the left to the right, trying to keep it away from Lu Ze, for fear that the matter of alcoholism would cause discomfort or painful memories to the other party.

Then she smiled back and said, "I'm really fine." This is the city's seaside residential area, not a wild beach, behind are residents of the seaside villas, I carry anti-wolf spray, I have a whistle on my body, my mobile phone is at hand, the quick dial is the police number. I am fine. ”

"There's no guarantee when you're drunk." Lu Ze said in a low voice, he had already noticed her move to remove the wine, "You can drink if you want, don't worry about me, I'll take you back when you've drunk enough." ”

This time Qiao Qiao really smiled, and her eyes sparkled when she looked at Lu Ze.

"I don't get drunk, and I don't drink too much to say I'm not drunk." Qiao Qiao lowered his head and pulled the bag of wine at his feet, "After graduating and getting a job, I knew that even if I didn't like to drink in business, I would have to drink in the future." I shut myself up in a rented house and tried all the wine. I know how much beer, how much white wine, how much red wine, how much mixed wine, how much I can drink. ”

Qiao Qiao looked up at Lu Ze, "So you go back, I'm fine." I just want to be alone for a while, and after two days, I'll be fine. ”

Lu Ze's ink-colored eyes, which were as bright as stars in the dark night, seemed to have a lot of feelings to express, and stared at Qiao Qiao intently. She is really a girl who doesn't need to be taken care of or protected by others, and she can live well by herself. She didn't even need the coat he had brought out, because she knew that it was cold at night on the beach, so she remembered to add clothes before coming out.

Lu Ze no longer spoke or persuaded her, just quietly accompanied her on the beach at night, no matter how Qiao Qiao said that he was okay alone, he still stubbornly sat beside her, accompanied her to look at the waves at night, blocking the sea breeze from her left.

Qiao Qiao smiled helplessly, helpless in the face of such a stubborn Lu Ze. She reached out and gently flicked the cake candle that had been extinguished for a long time at her feet, and whispered: "I used to dare not come to the beach for a long time, because my mother always wanted to see the sea, but she saved money and refused to travel, and I didn't have the money to bring her. But by the time I had the money to bring her, she was gone. ”

Qiao Qiao's voice when she said this was getting softer and softer, so light that in the end, her tail note was almost scattered in the sea breeze, but Lu Ze heard it.

After Qiao Qiao said this, Lu Ze didn't reply for a long time. Jojo couldn't help but chuckle, feeling that he had made the scene very embarrassing. Unable to stand the long silence and silence, she turned her head to look at Lu Ze, who was sitting beside her like a sculpture, and said, "Let me tell you a story." ”

"Okay." Lu Ze's voice was low and hoarse, and he looked at her with deep eyes. A story, probably Qiaoqiao's past. If she needs to talk, then he listens.

But when Jojo opened his mouth, the story he told was beyond his expectations.

She said in a calm tone: "When I was a child, I liked to read books, and I read a lot of story books, and my favorites are two fairy tales. ”

"The first one is the story of two monkeys. Once upon a time, there were two wounded monkeys. One of them silently sewed up his injured stomach, and slowly the wound scabbed over, and it lived well. On the other one, a little rabbit passed by, and the little monkey turned out his wound for comfort, little rabbit, little rabbit, you see I'm hurt. The little rabbit poked his head over to look at the wound, oops, so pitiful, touched. Then the little rabbit jumped down the hill in search of food. Then the elephant passed by, and the little monkey turned out his wound again and begged for comfort, Elephant Elephant, you see I'm hurt. The elephant looked at the wound, ah, so pitiful, hug. Then the elephant shook its nose and looked for water to drink. Then the puppy passed by, and the little monkey turned his wound out again for comfort...... Then, the little monkey died because of the wound infection. ”

"The second one is the story of a little snail. Once upon a time, there was a little snail that wanted to play with its friends, but the shell on its back was so heavy that it climbed so slowly and slowly, so it was very aggrieved and aggrieved to find its mother. Mom, Mom, why doesn't the earthworm brother have to carry the shell on his back? Mother touched the little snail's head, because the earthworm brother can get into the ground if he is injured, and there is earth to protect it. The little snail said very aggrievedly, but Sister Butterfly doesn't have to carry the shell? Mother patted the little snail on the back, because Sister Butterfly can fly to the sky when she is in danger, and there is a sky to protect it. The little snail is hurt, so why don't the earth and the sky protect me? Mom smiled and said, "So we have shells." ”

Lu Ze looked sideways at the mist on Qiao Qiao's long eyelashes, looking at the fine starlight sprinkled in her eyes, he even thought about listening to a sad past, and thought about lending her shoulder to cry.

But she didn't cry, she just smiled and told him two fairy tales.

A fairy tale that doesn't always tear open the wound for comfort, it will heal.

A fairy tale where we have no one to protect us, but we have a shell.

She kept emphasizing, Lu Ze, I'm fine, I don't need comfort. You leave me alone for a while, and I'll be fine.

Lu Ze finally got up and left, Qiao Qiao thought that Lu Ze was finally willing to give her back a space to vent herself, but after half a can of wine, Lu Ze's footsteps sounded behind her again.

"It's already four o'clock in the morning, and I have insomnia all night, blowing the sea breeze, and drinking too much, which is not good for my health." Lu Ze handed over the hot milk in the thermos cup, and he remembered that he had said that Qiaoqiao had rich experience in insomnia and had a good doctor for a long time, and now it seems that this is indeed the case.

Jojo smiled helplessly, and finally took the hot milk. She thought that maybe Lu Ze still didn't like other people's alcoholism, so forget it, just drink milk.

Then she took a few sips of hot milk slowly, and she didn't know if it was because she was excited and the wine was more likely to get up, so she really began to feel sleepy.

Lu Ze bent down and hugged Qiao Qiao, who was sleeping lightly, Qiao Qiao shrank in his arms and adjusted his position slightly, rubbed his face against his heart, and fell asleep obediently until he felt that there was no longer a sea breeze blowing. Lu Ze carried her in the direction of the villa, walking slowly and steadily, afraid of waking up the girl in his arms.

Illuminated by the warm yellow light on the side of the road, Lu Ze looked down at the side face of Qiaoqiao sleeping in his arms, obviously the louder in his ears was the sound of the waves crashing on the shore at night, but he seemed to only hear the quiet breathing of Qiaoqiao in his chest.

Lu Ze felt that this breath seemed to knock on his shell.