A few minutes later, the two finally arrived at the market.
As soon as Lin Qingle arrived, she switched into shopping mode. For the Sunday meal, she had been pinching pennies on food for the past week and had even gone hungry a few times.
But she felt it was worth it because today, she could buy a lot of meat.
Although Xu Tingbai was tall, he was a bit thin. He should eat more meat.
“We’ve bought this, let’s get some shrimp now. Do you still like eating shrimp?” After paying, Lin Qingle turned to look at the person standing next to her.
“Take it.”
“What?”
Lin Qingle looked down and saw that Xu Tingbai was holding cash.
“No need, I’ve already prepared money.”
Xu Tingbai: “You don’t need to pay.”
“But I want to treat you to a meal today.” Lin Qingle pushed his hand back. “If… if you feel embarrassed, then next time, you can treat me.”
Lin Qingle had learned from Aunt Jiang and Uncle Mi Xian that his father had been paying off debts and hadn’t finished yet. Xu Tingbai didn’t have much money and wasn’t living an easy life.
“Alright, let’s hurry up, the faster we finish shopping, the sooner we can go home.” Lin Qingle joked during his brief moment of silence and then pulled on his sleeve to move forward.
The surroundings were noisy and chaotic, but she kept holding onto his arm, a small person still doing her best to protect him.
People came and went around them, but she made sure he didn’t bump into anyone.
At first, when Xu Tingbai entered the market, he instinctively resisted because he couldn’t stand the crowds and noise. But now, listening to the girl next to him chatter about the ingredients, he found that the place wasn’t as unbearable as he thought.
“Boss, are these shrimp fresh?”
“Of course, little girl, look, they’re lively and jumping around.”
“How much are they per pound?”
…
She stopped in front of another vendor, still holding onto him tightly with one hand as she spoke to the seller.
Xu Tingbai lowered his gaze and finally put the cash back into his pocket.
Forget it, he thought. He would just wait for the next time.
“We’ve got all the meat, let’s just grab some vegetables now,” Lin Qingle said as she took a bag of shrimp and looked at Xu Tingbai.
He was standing right beside her, tall with long legs and a straight posture. In fact, if he just stood there, it wasn’t easy for people to tell that he was blind—only when he started walking, his vacant gaze and the obvious need for her to guide him would make it apparent.
Xu Tingbai: “It’s up to you.”
“How about cauliflower? I make great stir-fried cauliflower.”
“…Okay.”
“Then let’s go. Be careful, there’s a puddle ahead.”
Lin Qingle already had a clear idea of what they needed to buy, so they quickly finished gathering everything.
When they got home, it was still early.
Lin Qingle put all the ingredients in the kitchen and planned to start cooking dinner later. With the free time, she took out her test papers and books, treating his home like a library.
After working on her papers for a while, Lin Qingle looked up and glanced at the slightly ajar door of the room.
Xu Tingbai was inside, and there was no sound from him. She always thought his house was quieter than a library.
But then again, constant quiet didn’t really feel like a home.
“Xu Tingbai,” she called.
There was no answer, but after a while, she saw him walking to the door of the room.
She asked, “I want to watch TV, is that okay?”
Xu Tingbai: “It’s up to you.”
“Mm.”
Lin Qingle put down her pen and walked over to turn on the old television. She switched to the movie channel, and just then, an American film was playing.
He had previously mentioned that she could practice her language sense with these movies.
“Have you finished your homework?” he suddenly asked.
“Then turn it off and finish your homework first.”
But didn’t he say it was up to her? Why had he changed his mind so quickly?
“There are still a few translation questions I’m not sure about,” Lin Qingle hesitated and tentatively said, “How about… you help me?”
Xu Tingbai paused for a moment: “Figure it out yourself.”
“Please… you know I’m really bad at English.” Seeing him try to go back to his room, Lin Qingle hurried over and grabbed his sleeve. “Just for a bit, you can just give me a reference.”
Xu Tingbai, unable to get away from her persistent tugging, finally gave in and sat down at the dining table.
“What’s the translation?”
Lin Qingle quickly said, “This sentence—’With the belief that his efforts wouldn’t go to waste, he went through 起起伏伏’ and ultimately succeeded.’ How should I translate ‘起起伏伏”?”
“With the belief that his efforts would pay off, he achieved success in the end after going through ups and downs.”
“Ah…”
Xu Tingbai’s face was calm as he said, “The phrase ‘ups and downs’ translates to ‘起起伏伏’.”
“Oh… how did I not think of that?” Lin Qingle looked at him with sparkling eyes, and as she wrote, she sincerely said, “You’re so smart.”
Xu Tingbai paused for a moment: “You’re just too slow.”
“Mm, I know. I’m really bad at English,” Lin Qingle said with a sigh.
To him, who had mastered English since childhood, she was just a beginner when it came to this subject…
“Anything else?”
“What?”
Xu Tingbai furrowed his brows slightly: “Didn’t you say there were a few questions? Ask them all at once.”
“Okay, fine! This one, ‘In modern society, expressing oneself can…'”
The English movie was still playing on the TV, but Lin Qingle wasn’t really paying attention.
She watched Xu Tingbai translate her Chinese into English word by word and explain each term… Sometimes, perhaps because he thought a sentence was too simple, he was a bit surprised that she didn’t know how to translate it, and he would casually criticize her. But after saying that, he would still be patient.
Lin Qingle really liked the way he seriously worked through the problems. Watching him made her feel warm inside, and even English wasn’t bothering her anymore.
“You can at least do the composition by yourself, right?” Once the translation exercises were done, Xu Tingbai said.
“Mm… I can.”
“What’s the topic?”
“It’s probably about Li Hua introducing his hometown to his pen pal, Peter, in the UK,” Lin Qingle said. “Once I finish, can I read it to you? You can check if there are any grammar mistakes.”
“Lin Qingle, do you really think I’m your teacher?”
“Well, you’re just as good as one.”
“…”
The girl’s blind trust and admiration made Xu Tingbai feel inexplicably moved. In fact, he hadn’t truly learned anything properly for many years. What she said about him being impressive was just a remnant of the little he had left from the past.
“Write it first, we’ll talk after,” Xu Tingbai said as he stood up and didn’t sit back down.
He knew that he didn’t actually mind being around her, but because he didn’t mind, he occasionally had some concerns.
Because some things, if you get too used to them, in the end… you’ll find it hard to let go.
Lin Qingle spent a long time on her short composition. Normally, it wouldn’t take so long, but since she planned to read it to Xu Tingbai later, she wanted to make it better.
But after finishing, it was already 4 PM. Thinking about needing to start preparing dinner, she didn’t immediately give Xu Tingbai her English composition.
She put down her pen and went to the kitchen, where she started cleaning some ingredients.
Lin Qingle was quite good at cooking. Her mother, Lin Yufen, occasionally came home late due to work, so she had to prepare dinner for the two of them.
It took her almost an hour to make three dishes and a soup, and when the last dish was ready, she happily pulled Xu Tingbai to the dining table.
But just as they were about to sit down to eat, the door was suddenly knocked on.
“Is it Jiang Po?” Lin Qingle asked. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Xu Tingbai was about to go open the door when Lin Qingle stopped him. “I’ll open it. You sit down.”
Lin Qingle quickly jogged to the door, opened it, expecting it to be Jiang Po. However, when the door opened, she was greeted by a pretty, graceful face.
The person standing outside froze for a moment when they saw her open the door. When they saw the table full of dishes and Xu Tingbai standing beside it, their expression quickly shifted to one of confusion.
“Lin Qingle, who is it?” Xu Tingbai asked when he saw she hadn’t said anything.
Lin Qingle nodded slightly at the person outside and replied to Xu Tingbai, “Dai Rong.”
Xu Tingbai showed no expression and walked over. “You go in first.”
“Ah? Okay…” Lin Qingle said, walking back to the dining table and sitting down slowly. The hot soup was steaming, and Lin Qingle rested her chin in her hand, staring at it, thinking to herself, “They probably won’t talk for long, right? Otherwise… the food will get cold and won’t taste as good.”
Outside the door, a man and a woman faced each other.
One with a cold expression, the other with a look of shock.
“Explain.” Yan Dai Rong’s voice was almost spat out from between her teeth as she glared at the person in front of her.
Xu Tingbai: “What?”
“I said explain. Why is Lin Qingle in your house? What are you two doing? Cooking?”
Xu Tingbai furrowed his brows slightly but smiled. “Why do I need to explain any of this to you?”
“Why not? Why is it okay for her to be here when you won’t let me stay at your place or come near you? Aren’t you so proud that you don’t let anyone help? What’s going on with her?” Yan Dai Rong’s pupils trembled, and as she grew more agitated, her voice got louder.
Xu Tingbai remained expressionless. “Are you done?”
“No!” Yan Dai Rong clenched her fists. “I’ve known you since we were born. We’re as close as anyone! Why are you pushing me away? Xu Tingbai, who do you think you are? Why her?”
“Are you close? Familiar?” Xu Tingbai’s voice turned cold, laced with mockery. “Weren’t you afraid people would find out you came to see me? Afraid others would know you’re in contact with me? Didn’t you think it would be embarrassing, Yan Dai Rong?”
…
Lin Qingle hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but the soundproofing of the door wasn’t great, and the girl outside could hardly hold back her shouting.
After a while, the noise outside quieted down, and then there was a knock on the door.
Lin Qingle immediately went to open it. Xu Tingbai walked in and sat down at the dining table.
“Has she left?”
“Mm.” Xu Tingbai replied, “Let’s eat.”
“…Okay.”
The meal was very quiet. Lin Qingle felt that Xu Tingbai might not be in a good mood, so she didn’t dare speak.
After they finished eating, Lin Qingle quietly got up to clean the dishes.
“Leave it, I’ll wash.” Xu Tingbai said.
“It’s fine, I’ll do it. You should rest.” Lin Qingle replied.
Xu Tingbai didn’t say anything but didn’t leave either. He helped clean up as much as he could.
Lin Qingle didn’t stop him, and since there weren’t many dishes, she quickly finished washing them after putting everything in the sink.
“Xu Tingbai, I’ll head home now.” She put on her backpack and waved him goodbye.
“Mm.”
“You…” Lin Qingle wanted to ask something or offer some comfort. Though she had overheard fragments of their conversation, she didn’t really understand what was going on between him and Yan Dai Rong. “Never mind, I’ll go now.”
She turned and started walking toward the door, feeling inexplicably down. Although she didn’t want to admit it, Yan Dai Rong’s appearance had affected what should have been a pleasant dinner.
“Lin Qingle.” Suddenly, the person behind her called her name.
She turned around to see Xu Tingbai standing in the middle of the small living room, facing her.
“I forgot to say earlier.”
Lin Qingle was momentarily stunned. “What?”
“Your cooking was really good.” Xu Tingbai’s voice was soft, unexpectedly gentle. “Thank you.”
**Author’s Note:**
Note: The translation exercises were taken from an online high school English exam paper.