A few scattered stars hung in the sky.
Ellie heard some rustling noises at the door. She put down her book, looked up at the door, and through the gap at the bottom, she saw a sliver of white.
She always had the feeling of being watched, which was very uncomfortable.
She placed the book on the table, turned off the desk lamp, and then lay on the bed.
The rustling noise disappeared.
Without thinking, she knew who was at the door.
Early in the morning, Lavinia got up. She went to Ellie's door, and as she was about to knock, the door opened.
The two looked at each other. Ellie didn't speak but walked past her, still holding the cup and toothbrush she had taken into her room.
"Oh, you child, you're still on guard against me. What do you mean by bringing your cup and toothbrush into your room?"
Upon hearing this, Ellie just looked up at her and said in a light voice, "There are many bacteria in the mouth. If we use the same toothbrush, it's easy to cause oral infections with viruses, which is unhygienic."
"When I was young, I chewed food and fed your mom. Why didn't I see her get infected with any bacteria or viruses?"
Knowing she couldn't reason with her, Ellie simply stopped talking and went around Lavinia to brush her teeth in the bathroom.
Jennifer spoke up, "Mom, why say that? What era was that? Now it's the 21st century. Chewing food and feeding others is already unhygienic, not to mention sharing a toothbrush."
"But I raised you and your brother when you were young, and nothing happened, right?"
Jennifer replied, "Times have changed, Mom."
"You all just despise me for being old and not keeping up with the times."
Jennifer, a bit helpless, said, "Breakfast is ready. Let's eat first."
Ellie drank a glass of milk and ate a few steamed dumplings before putting down her chopsticks.
Jennifer asked, "Is Ellie full? Would you like to eat something else? There are also fried dough sticks and buns."
Ellie shook her head and said, "I'm full."
After speaking, she went back to her room.
She locked the door from the inside, put on earplugs, and started doing her homework.
After finishing two test papers, she stopped writing.
Hearing a knock on the door, she got up and opened it.
SuSan was standing at the door with a fruit plate, smiling, "Doing homework? Ellie."
"Yes."
"Have some fruit. It's freshly cut. I saw you didn't eat much in the morning."
Ellie took the fruit plate and said, "Thank you, SuSan."
SuSan smiled at her and said, "Alright, hurry up and get back inside."
"Okay."
...
Ellie heard the noise outside.
She opened the door.
Lavinia was pointing at SuSan's nose and scolding, "How do you do things? Can't even hold a plate steady. What's the use of hiring you for so much money? Are you here just to eat for free?"
"I just handed it to you, and I thought you caught it."
"What are you making excuses for? Clearly, you didn't hold it steady. Why didn't you put the fruit plate on the table? Why did you hand it to me? It's so heavy; how could I hold it steady with one hand?"
SuSan kept her head down and didn't say anything.
Ellie stepped out of her room, glanced at the fruit on the ground, and said, "It's just fallen; just pick it up. It's your fault for not holding it steady. Why are you blaming SuSan?"
Seeing Ellie taking sides, Lavinia was furious. She slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, I'm old and useless, a burden to everyone. For a servant, you can even speak to your own grandmother like this."
"When you were talking about me, you didn't treat me like your granddaughter."
Lavinia was speechless, choked by Ellie's words.
After a while, she shouted, "Jennifer, come out here. Come and see. This is the well-behaved daughter you've raised, speaking to her grandmother like this."
Jennifer, her makeup only half-done, came out after understanding the situation and said, "It's just a fruit plate. If it fell, just cut another one."
"Fruit doesn't grow on trees, does it? Does the plate cost nothing? Do they just blow in with the wind?"
Lavinia continued to complain, but Jennifer managed to persuade her and pull her back into the room.
Ellie said to SuSan, "Don't mind it."
SuSan replied, "I don't mind. It was my carelessness."
"It's not your fault."
SuSan felt a warmth in her heart, her eyes a little moist.
Ellie smiled at her and said, "I'm going to the bookstore later. Don't make lunch for me."
"Okay."
Ellie packed her things, grabbed her bag, and left. She said to SuSan, "I'm off."
"Do you have enough money?" SuSan took out some red bills from her pocket, trying to give them to Ellie.
Ellie pushed them back, saying, "I have money." She then said, "I'll be going now."
"Be careful on the road."
"Okay."
...
Ellie took the bus to a nearby bookstore.
She found a seat by the window and took out her homework.
By the time she finished, it was already noon.
She packed her things into her bag and took out her phone.
She saw a message from Daniel.
[Daniel]: Ellie, can I copy your homework when you're done?
Ellie reopened her bag, took pictures of the test papers, and sent them over.
Daniel replied quickly.
[Daniel]: Ellie, you're my god. You finished all the homework on the second day. That's amazing. Thank you!!
[Daniel]: Bowing.jpg
[Daniel]: Fancy thanks.jpg
Ellie replied with a "You're welcome," then went to a nearby place to eat.
William felt something step on him a few times. He emerged from his sleep and heard a few "meows."
He reached out and fumbled for a while before pulling out his phone from under the pillow. He checked the time; it was already noon.
He sat up and stared at Coco for a while, then said, "Are you hungry?"
Coco meowed a few times.
William raked his hair and opened a can, pouring it into its bowl, saying, "I forgot about you."
He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, feeling a bit more awake.
He checked his Instagram for those unread messages.
[Daniel]: William, Ellie is my god. She finished all her homework on the second day. It's amazing.
[Daniel]: William, do you want the answers? I can send you a copy.
The message was sent at half past ten.
Ellie, the little prude, got up and did her homework before half past ten during the holiday.
She's really obedient.
William stared at Daniel's message for a while, feeling inexplicably annoyed. He replied with a "No, thanks," and then sent a message to Ellie.
[William]: You're up early.
He was about to make some food, opened the fridge, and found it empty. He remembered he hadn't bought any groceries, so he decided to go out, buy a meal, and pick up some vegetables.
William looked at Coco and said, "I'm going downstairs to eat. Do you want to come?"
Coco meowed a few times and followed him.
William bought a bowl of covered rice, then went to the supermarket.
Passing the snack section, he bought a few packs of instant noodles. He glanced at the candy on the shelf.
Little prude seemed to like this flavor.
He casually grabbed a bag.
Coco stood in the seafood section and wouldn't leave, his eyes full of longing.
William stared at it for a while and said, "Didn't you just finish a can? You're such a greedy cat."
Calling it a greedy cat, William still bought a few small fish for it.
He heard his phone ding.
[Little Ungrateful]: ?