In July, the scorching sun was roasting the ground, like a huge furnace. The flowers and plants on the street seemed to have been ravaged by someone. All of them had their heads lowered and seemed lifeless. During this humid season, even if one laid on the bed like a turtle without moving, one would be drenched in sweat in less than five minutes.
In a small old building, Jiang Ju stood by the window and looked at the construction site outside the window with a straight face. Two days ago, the workers at the construction site had broken her air conditioner. At that time, they said that they would compensate her with a new one, but she still didn't see any new air conditioner.
It was unknown who contracted this construction site, but the people at the construction site were all short-haired and wore dark work clothes. None of them were old. They were all in their thirties.
She had gone there yesterday and pretended to be calm as she questioned them. However, the person got impatient after she asked a few questions. He crossed his tanned and muscular arms in front of his chest and looked at her with an impassive expression. She was so frightened that she hurriedly ran home. Now, the cheapest air conditioner cost two thousand yuan. No matter how timid she was, she couldn't let this money go to waste.
When her parents passed away, she had just graduated from high school. The accident happened suddenly, and her parents only left this old house for her. The university she got into was out of town, and the tuition fees were expensive. She couldn't afford it, so she could only give up on studying in exchange for living in this house. Her parents had built this house a few years ago. It had a total of three floors and nine rooms. Each room was rented for four to five hundred yuan, and she could collect more than three thousand yuan every month. It was enough for her to live on her own.
The third floor was different from the lower two floors. There were only two slightly larger suites. She stayed in one of them herself. The other one was a few hundred yuan more expensive than the others, so no one had rented it. She had saved a few thousand yuan previously, but she had used it to buy a computer some time ago. It was only the middle of July, but she only had less than a thousand yuan left in savings.
It was noon now, and even the wind blowing from the small electric fan hanging by the bed was hot. She had already eaten two ice creams. If she ate any more, she was afraid that she would catch a cold and her stomach would hurt. There was someone selling watermelons in the alley, but he only sold them by the whole. A big watermelon weighed more than ten pounds and cost thirty to forty yuan. She couldn't finish it herself, nor could she afford to buy it.
Knock knock knock.
She was wondering if she should make a bowl of noodles for lunch when there was a knock on the door. The person outside was knocking on the door very heavily and loudly, startling Jiang Ju. She tiptoed to the door and looked out through the peephole.
The person outside was too tall. Even on her tiptoes, Jiang Ju could only see his chest, which was as sturdy as a wall. His abs were firm and glowing. She hesitated and didn't dare to open the door.
"Is there anyone in the room? I'm here to fix the air conditioner." Du Xi knocked on the door again. When he heard that there was still no movement in the room, he leaned against the door frame and lit a cigarette. He had been busy at the construction site all morning and was feeling dizzy from the sun. At this moment, his jacket was already drenched in sweat. It was uncomfortable to wear it, so he took it off and tied it around his waist.
He had seen the owner of the house on the first day he contracted the construction site. She was delicate, gentle, and endearing. She was as fair as the snow in his hometown. She was also petite, probably only reaching his shoulders. At that time, he was puzzled. What era was this? Were there still people who couldn't eat their fill?
The cigarette in his hand burned out, but the person inside still didn't move or make a sound. If he hadn't seen her standing at the window and looking at the construction site just now, he would have thought that there was no one in the room. There was no time to dawdle with her. He raised his hand and was about to knock on the door again.
Before his hand landed, there was sudden movement inside. The person inside tiptoed and opened the door a small crack. A pair of dark eyes were sizing him up from the crack. Du Xi frowned and clicked his tongue impatiently. He was too familiar with the other party's cautious gaze. His neighbor had a puppy before, and every time he saw him, he looked very wary.
"I'm from the construction site in front. I'm here to fix your air conditioner." He raised the toolbox in his hand and let her size him up.
Jiang Ju's face tensed up. The first thing she saw was a light scar from his left eyebrow to the middle of his temple. It was a stark contrast to his bronze skin. His deep eye sockets, broad eyebrows, straight nose, and plump lips. Coupled with his slightly impatient gaze, he looked indescribably intimidating. In short, anyone who saw him had to admit that he had a handsome appearance… but he only felt that he was very fierce.