"Teacher Xiao Ai, are you unhappy working here? Or where we don't take care of it. "I sat with Lu Bo at a stone table under the gazebo in the courtyard, and he asked me with reading glasses and a calculator.

"No, no, it's my personal reasons and it has nothing to do with you." I hastened to deny that after being here for so long, Lu Bo still took good care of me, and he was very kind.

"Since you came, the old lady's face has appeared on her face that has disappeared for a long time, and I was thinking at the time, you must have a good relationship with this side, who knew that you were going to leave now." Lubo sighed, then shook his head again.

I looked down and played with my nails, not knowing what to say. In all fairness, Mrs. Zou is really good to me, and I have found a certain sense of belonging here, but I can't accept Zou Jialiang's words yesterday no matter what. Although my current situation is very poor, I don't want to abandon some of the things I once insisted on at this time, such as the self-esteem and self-love that a woman should have.

At this time, Lu Bo's phone rang, he picked it up and answered, "Hey, Mr. Zou, okay good ......" I don't know what Zou Jialiang said to Lu Bo on the phone, when he nodded again and again, his eyes involuntarily looked at me.

After he hung up the phone, he continued to crackle and type the numbers on the calculator, "Come on, Mr. Xiao Ai, it's okay, let's sign it." He shoved a piece of paper in front of me.

After I picked it up, I saw that "Ai Xiaoya's salary is 20,000 yuan" written on the paper, and my heart seemed to have been shocked, "Lu Bo, this is not right, why is the salary so high?" I hurriedly asked Lu Bo.

"Oh, that's what Mr. Zou meant." Luber took off his reading glasses and smiled at me.

"I can't take this money, I only take my part." I pushed the paper back in front of Luber.

Lu Bo looked embarrassed and spread his hands to me, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Xiao Ai, this is what Mr. Zou explained, I only have the right to execute, if you have any objections, you have to explain it to him yourself." ”

I looked at the piece of paper, pondered for a moment, and then stood up, "Okay, I'll go and make it clear to him now." Luber nodded approvingly at me.

I returned to the villa, walked along the spiral staircase to the door of the study, and was about to knock on the door, when a conversation between Zou Jialiang and the old lady came from inside.

"Jialiang, what did you say to Xiaoya?" This is Mrs. Zou, "I really don't understand, what did you say to make her so resolute?" ”

"Mom, you don't care......" Zou Jialiang may have been a little annoyed by his mother's nagging.

"Huh? What kind of attitude do you have, I think you just don't know what's wrong, for so many years, I have always been very accurate in looking at people, Xiaoya is a good boy, she has been in our house for so long, she hasn't touched a single grass or tree here, she does her own thing every day, chats with me, and looks beautiful, but you make her angry, aren't you angry with me? ”

"Mom, don't be angry...... Zou Jialiang is really filial, and has been persuading Mrs. Zou with kind words.

"I don't care about you, if you don't keep Xiaoya, you will wait for me......" There were footsteps inside, I quickly dodged from the door, flashed behind the statue next to the study, the study door opened, Mrs. Zou walked out, she didn't see me, and went downstairs angrily.

I knocked on the study door again, "Please come in!" Zou Jialiang's voice was a little tired. When I pushed the door in, Zou Jialiang was sitting in the boss's chair behind the desk, rubbing his temples with his eyes closed.

"Mr. Zou." I called him softly, and he suddenly opened his eyes, and his body immediately sat up straight, "Teacher Xiao Ai, you ......" He stared at me, as if trying to catch something from my face.

"That's it," I said, walking over to my desk and shoving the blank piece of paper with my salary number in front of him, "this is not my paycheck." ”

He glanced at the piece of paper, then looked up at me again, "What's extra is the bonus I gave you." He pushed the blank sheet of paper back to me.

"You can't take this, Mr. Zou, I know you mean well, but I definitely can't accept it." I pushed the paper back again.

He stared at me with burning eyes, and I looked at him steadfastly, and we were again caught in a motionless gaze. I even felt like I was "crackling" with sparks all around me because of my eye contact with him.

"Okay, I see." He nodded, withdrew his gaze, and picked up the blank sheet of paper and placed it in the shredder on his desk.

"Hey, Lu Bo, you pay Teacher Xiao Ai according to the normal situation, yes, yes." After putting down the phone, he immediately looked at me again, "Go find Lu Bo, I've arranged it." ”

"Mr. Zou, thank you for taking care of you during this period of time." I bowed to Zou Jialiang shallowly, and then turned to leave, and a deep sigh came from behind Zou Jialiang, Zou Jialiang, it's a good thing that you have money, but I'm not a chess piece you can play at will.

"Teacher Xiao Ai, are you really not working here?" Luber shoved the recalculated payroll accounts in front of me.

I smiled and nodded, and saw that the salary on the paper was written "Ai Xiaoya's salary is 4,500 yuan".

Well, this is the actual salary, which is the same as my own calculation in private, took the pen in Lu Bo's hand, and signed his name on the paper without hesitation, "Lu Bo, thank you very much." ”

"I'm sure your salary will hit your account by tomorrow." Lu Bo stood up, "I'll send you." ”

"No, Luber, you're busy." After I finished speaking, I walked to the gate, and my heart was full of comfort, as if I woke up in the morning, and my whole body was full of comfort.

"Xiaoya!" I followed the sound and turned around and saw Mrs. Zou.

"Aunt Zou." I stopped and stepped forward.

"Xiaoya, I don't know what's wrong with Jialiang, but I beg you to stay." Mrs. Zou held my hand tightly.

"Auntie, I'm sorry, I really can't." I quickly withdrew my hand from his, "Don't worry, I'll definitely come to see you more often in the future." I waved at her and walked out the door.

"You have to come." The voice of Mrs. Zou came from behind, and my heart instantly softened again, like ice cream being sunburned under the sun, in fact, the time of working here is not short, and I have already had a certain sense of belonging to this side in my heart, Mrs. Zou really cares for me, sometimes I can even see the shadow of my mother in her, but I am really helpless to decide to leave now.

I searched the bus for directions to Creative Space magazine. The route is quite smooth, but you need to reverse the train halfway.

The phone vibrated suddenly, and I opened it to see that it was Zou Jialiang's new text message, "Xiaoya, I was wrong, can you continue to work here." ”

I think I can feel the sincerity in this text message, but there is no turning back, and I don't want to lose something I hold on to because of a job. Even though the existing axiom in this society is "laughing at the poor and not laughing at the prostitute", I still insist that I am different.

Leaning my head against the car window, looking out at the scenery outside the window, the afternoon sun shining through the glass, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth and comfort that God had bestowed upon me. The car turned one turn after another, passed through one street after another, passed by one hurried person after another, all with their own hearts, or joy, or sadness, or expressionless or anxious, but in any case, everyone was running for one purpose again, that is, livelihood.

In order to make a living, some people may be able to do things that go against their original intentions or even their conscience. I admit that when Zou Jialiang proposed to me the condition of letting me be his lover, I was not unmoved. If I had been his lover and had the unlimited credit card he gave, my life would definitely be much easier than it is now. But this kind of comfort is not the kind of down-to-earth comfort, it is a kind of inner emptiness that is completely attached to others.

I was raised to a certain height by him, but under this height was not the peace of mind that I walked up step by step, but an ethereal pavilion in the air that he built for me. The bus carried me forward, and the sun gently crept up on my face, and I secretly made up my mind that I would try to smile, live hard, and put all my previous worries behind.

The car stopped outside an idyllic building, and I looked at the address on my phone to check it. Oh, yes, there's nothing wrong with this. This is not a downtown area, there are no huge office buildings that towering into the sky, but a transparent glass house studio full of pastoral taste.

I corrected the house number on the message, "Yes, that's right." ”

Pushed the door and walked in, "Hey? Is anyone there? I shouted cautiously. When I looked around, there was no one in the house.

"Hello and welcome!" A strange voice rang in my ears, "Huh? "I was taken aback, why did it sound strange? It's like the voice of a eunuch in an ancient palace. I looked around, but I still couldn't find the object that was making the sound.

"Welcome!" Again, this strange call, and the sound of birds flapping their wings. I turned my head to the side and saw a macaw. It was standing on a mini swing, staring at me with two small bulging eyes, looking me up and down, its head tilted. Wow, its feathers are so colorful, it's so beautiful.

"Huh? Are you really talking to me? "I reached out and couldn't help but caress its feathers.

"Oops!" It turned its head and peked at the back of my hand, and although it was not very heavy, its mouth was sharp, and I was still pecked.

"You're so annoying." I pointed at it a little angrily, thinking to myself, this beast is really a beast, and I can't even feel the friendliness of others.

"You hate ghosts, you hate ghosts...... "It even dared to scold me, hey, I said you flat-haired brute, you are still lawless, I think I have to educate it well, so I rolled up my sleeves.