Du Xi looked at her and said with a chuckle, "You're young, but you're quite stubborn. Alright, I'll listen to you." He accepted the money and raised his chin slightly towards the sofa in the living room. "The kitchen is dirty, so sit outside."
With that, he turned around and lowered his head to wash the dishes. He was still in her home, so Jiang Ju was too embarrassed to return to the bedroom. She sat on the sofa with her back straight, like she was in class.
The sound of running water and the slight collision of bowls and chopsticks came from the kitchen. Jiang Ju's ears twitched and she couldn't help but turn back to look. Ever since she was young, she had only seen her mother busy in the kitchen. Her father was very conservative and upheld the traditional roles of husband and wife.
Jiang Ju hadn't interacted with many members of the opposite sex. Other than her father, she had only interacted with male classmates from school. After she stopped attending school, Du Xi was the only man.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Du Xi came out. When he saw Jiang Ju staring at him with her big and dazed eyes, he took out a cigarette and held it in his mouth as he walked towards Jiang Ju. He had already walked in front of her, but she was still in a daze. Du Xi wondered what she was thinking about that made her so engrossed.
Du Xi bent down and poked her face with his finger. The soft touch was exactly as he had imagined. Suddenly, When Jiang Ju came back to her senses, she realized that Du Xi was very close to her.
A masculine scent surged into her nose. It wasn't unpleasant, but it made her feel a little dizzy. She subconsciously leaned back and turned her face to the side to avoid looking at Du Xi. "I'm going to the construction site now. Remember to cook for yourself tonight." His tone was very intimate, as if the two of them had been dating for a long time. Jiang Ju glanced at him and saw that he was waiting for her answer, so she slowly responded.
Although she didn't speak, the fact that she responded to him was already a good start. Du Xi smiled and stroked her hair before leaving the room. After the door was closed, Jiang Ju, who was sitting stiffly on the sofa, slowly raised her head and stared at the closed door for a full minute before she came back to her senses.
The hair on her head was still warm from his touch. Her face was so flushed that she couldn't take it anymore, so she planned to go to the bathroom to wash her face. She kept exhaling, but she couldn't calm her racing heart. She trembled slightly as she turned on the tap.
Crack! Swoosh!
Amidst her nervousness, she used all her strength to turn the tap. The tap, which had been on the verge of breaking down half a year ago, finally completed its final mission gloriously on this scorching afternoon. It was completely broken.
Jiang Ju, who was instantly drenched, was caught off guard and froze for two seconds. Then, she hurriedly took a towel to block the tap. She finally blocked the water, but her clothes were completely drenched. The tap was still dripping with water. She found a wash basin and placed it under the tap to catch it. Then, she went to change into dry clothes.
She couldn't be bothered to blow dry her drenched hair. She only used a towel to wiped it. After it stopped dripping, she let it dry naturally. The tap was completely useless now, so she had to buy a new one as soon as possible. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to wash her face.
The money in her pocket was also drenched. She took them out and carefully laid them on the table one by one. Then, she returned to her room and took out a new bill. Before she went out, she walked to the window and looked out. The sun was very strong outside, making the entire space seem distorted. When she opened the window a crack, she immediately felt a wave of heat. She quickly closed the window and decided to go out to buy a tap after the sun went down.
Despite liking quietude, she felt unaccustomed to the silence when sitting on the sofa. She suddenly felt that the house was quite lonesome. It was as if ever since that domineering man barged in, this room started to seem very empty. Although she was young, it wasn't that she didn't understand the world. When she sensed that her peaceful life, which had lasted for four to five years, might be disrupted by that man, she was enveloped by a sense of helplessness and confusion.
Jiang Ju curled up on the sofa with her arms around her knees and her head buried in her legs. She didn't know what to do. When her parents were around, they made decisions for her, big and small. Even the clothes and shoes she wore were all chosen by her parents.
Renting out the house her parents had left behind was the first decision she had made alone after her parents left. This seemed like a simple decision, but she had hesitated for two years. She originally thought that she would spend the next few decades without any unexpected incidents. Although she was lonely, she had a sense of freedom. However, she didn't expect that someone would appear halfway and ruin her original plan.