Luo Changfang adjusted the shawl on her shoulders, "Oh, it's Brother Zhi."
Jiang Zhi entered the courtyard.
"Second Aunt." He greeted with a cough, his attitude neither warm nor cold.
Luo Changfang greeted him with a smile, "You came at the right time. Your grandmother is arguing with Wei'er again. Can you go and mediate?"
The Wei'er mentioned by Luo Changfang was the youngest daughter of Old Lady Jiang. She was born late, only four years older than Jiang Zhi. With five children, the third son and the fourth daughter both passed away, making the fifth daughter extremely cherished. However, the mother and daughter never got along well.
From a distance, the sound of their argument could be heard.
"That circle is a mess. Why are you getting involved?"
"Why is it a mess? Isn't Brother Zhi part of that circle? If he can be involved, why can't I?"
Old Lady Jiang was furious, "You're a girl. How can you compare yourself to him!"
"My business is none of your concern."
Short hair, oval face, bearing a slight resemblance to the old lady. She wasn't tall and looked a bit like the clever, neighboring girl, but her personality was far from docile.
This was the fifth of the Jiang Family, Jiang Wei'er. Besides Jiang Zhi, she was the only one in the Jiang Family who dared to talk back to the old lady.
The old lady, in a fit of anger, smashed a cup.
Jiang Zhi pushed open the door, "What's gotten you so worked up again?"
Seeing her beloved grandson, the old lady's anger subsided a bit, "Brother Zhi, don't bother. Your Fifth Aunt is getting more and more unruly. If this continues, I don't know what kind of trouble she will cause."
Jiang Wei'er scoffed and got up from the chair, "I'm leaving."
She grabbed her bag and stormed out.
The old lady, furious, threw her cane, "You think you can just leave? Stand still!"
Jiang Wei'er ignored her and stormed out.
"You—"
Just as the old lady was about to erupt, Jiang Zhi started coughing.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
He coughed so hard that he could hardly catch his breath, his face turning red.
The old lady, feeling distressed, immediately stopped and went to her grandson's side, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?" She quickly called out, "Ah Gui, go get Dr. Qin."
"I'm on it."
In the courtyard, a poodle continued to bark. It wasn't familiar with people, and since Jiang Wei'er seldom visited, it barked incessantly at her.
"Winter is coming. I wonder if Brother Zhi's body can make it through?" Luo Changfang remarked and instructed a servant to bring some soup from the kitchen.
Jiang Wei'er stopped, replying, "Second Sister-in-law, don't worry. That little brat, Brother Zhi, will live forever to trouble everyone."
Luo Changfang smiled without a word.
Jiang Zhi stayed at the old house for two days, taking some herbal medicine, but it had little effect. The old lady then instructed the Gui Family to prepare medicinal meals for him, delivering them every few days.
That Thursday, there was a night scene.
At seven o'clock in the evening, Ah Wan went to pick up the employer. While waiting for the traffic light under Ba Yi Bridge, he saw a familiar face, "Mr. Jiang, the person installing the screen protector!"
Jiang Zhi, originally resting with his eyes closed, slightly opened his eyes, speaking indifferently, "Does she not have a name?"
Ah Wan pondered, "Zhou, Zhou," but couldn't remember, "Miss Zhou is installing screen protectors under the bridge."
With the window closed, Jiang Zhi looked through the glass at the scene under the bridge.
There were many stalls there. Curiously, he spotted her immediately, always dressed in black and wrapped up in a hat.
Clearly not sociable, yet working everywhere.
Strange person.
"She looks about the same age as my sister, who is still in college." Ah Wan sighed, "She installs screen protectors, works on film sets, and delivers food. Who knows what other jobs she does?"
Poor girl. Her family must be in dire straits, probably with a bunch of siblings to support... While thinking, Jiang Zhi kicked the driver's seat, "Watch the road."
The light turned green.
"Oh." Ah Wan hurriedly started the car.
Just past the intersection—
Jiang Zhi languidly instructed, "Pull over."
Today's employer was as enigmatic as always. Ah Wan pulled over.
The employer casually played with his cotton candy glass container, "Does your phone have a screen protector?"
The cotton candy in the glass container was newly stocked by Ah Wan this morning, the brand that the employer favored. That brand had already stopped production, and it took great effort for him to acquire the factory just to supply the employer.
Rich kids...
Ah Wan replied, "No, it doesn't."
Jiang Zhi opened the glass container, took out a piece of candy, and put it in his mouth, licking his lips, "Go down and get a screen protector."
"Huh?" Ah Wan didn't register.
"Go get a screen protector."
He hesitated, "Oh."
He unbuckled his seatbelt, just about to open the car door when another instruction came from behind, "And buy a phone case." He coughed again, the sweet taste of cotton candy lingering, "Your phone is ugly."
Ah Wan, "Oh."
Ah Wan went down, got a screen protector and a cool phone case, and returned to find Jiang Zhi lost in thought.
Ah Wan handed him the new phone case, "Mr. Jiang, I think you're quite nice to Miss Zhou." He knew how much Mr. Jiang disliked women, yet Miss Zhou was an exception. Mr. Jiang not only accepted her gift but also patronized her business.
Jiang Zhi didn't respond, his fingers playing with the cotton candy box pausing slightly, "Drive."
In the rearview mirror, Ah Wan saw the person in the back seat frowning, appearing puzzled, annoyed, and frustrated.
At eight o'clock in the evening, the moon was full. Zhou Xufang received a message in a group chat recruiting extras. She signed up, ate takeout at her desk, and had a can of milk at the side.
Her computer beeped, automatically turning on. SpongeBob filled the screen, and Shuangjiang's message came through, "A high school student offering fifty thousand for someone to do homework. Are you interested?"
These days, people still hired others to do homework. Zhou Xufang shook her head, not interested.
Shuangjiang typed, "Is the offer too low?"
Her chopsticks paused, and she fell silent for a long time, eyes drooping, "I don't know what grade I was in."
Shuangjiang sent a question mark.
Clack.
Zhou Xufang opened the can of milk, took a sip, her expression returning to normal, "I was caught and taken to a lab where they injected me with many drugs. I don't remember anything from before."
After numerous injections, she became abnormal. She had a tag on her neck with her name; everything else was blank, even her age unknown.
She pursed her lips, drank the milk in one go.
Shuangjiang didn't pry into her private matters, "I can do the homework. Will seventy-thirty work?"
"No need to share with me."
Pop.
She opened another can of milk. She never used to drink milk, but when she bought it for Jiang Zhi, she ordered an extra box and discovered it tasted exceptionally good.