The courtyard: the atmosphere of human life

I don’t know if it’s because her relationship with Darong’s mother has eased, but Xiao Ling was in a good mood today. After waking up Sibei, the two of them went out together.

"It's already this late, where can you find breakfast? You have too many things to do, why don't you just eat some buns at home?"

After walking around, almost all the breakfast shops were closed. Sibei complained to Xiao Ling with an unhappy look on his face.

"You like to eat fruit, right? My mom gave me a few dollars yesterday and wanted to treat you to some. And you're still scolding me."

Xiao Ling was not angry. She walked briskly with her arm around Sibei'er, looking very happy.

"Oh, let's go home and eat something. I'm starving." Sibei said and prepared to turn around and go home.

"Wait a minute, I'll take you to eat ramen. The ramen restaurant closed early, but is it still closed?" Xiao Ling held Sibei'er's arm with both hands and pulled him towards the ramen restaurant.

"Wow, I can't see anyone in front of me, why are you pushing so hard?"

Xiao Ling held Sibei'er's arm and was so focused on the cold dishes in the bowl that she accidentally squeezed onto the person in front of her.

"Oh, I didn't mean it. Are you being pretentious?"

Xiao Ling is really not someone who likes to get along with others. It was obvious that she had pushed someone else and she could have just said "sorry" and that was it. But she refused to do so and just stuck her neck out and pushed back.

"You're pushing people and you think you're right?"

It just so happened that the girl in front was not someone to be trifled with. Seeing that Xiao Ling not only refused to apologize but also maintained such a tough attitude, she did not hide her anger at all.

The two girls were arguing back and forth, neither of them showing any intention of giving in. Sibei became a little impatient and shook off Xiao Ling's hand, then went to sit on the side.

Although Sibei was also a mischievous person, he rarely had arguments with girls, unless it was Xiao Ling who provoked him.

At this moment, seeing the two girls arguing with each other, a man lifted the curtain and entered the ramen restaurant.

"What's going on?" The man's brows were twisted into a knot when he saw the two girls quarreling.

The two of them looked at the man, and unexpectedly spoke to him in the same tone of complaining.

After saying only one sentence, they both stopped, looked at each other, and then turned to look at the man behind them at the same time.

"Who is she?" they asked in unison.

Sibei looked at Brother Xiao Ling in front of him with a smile on his face, also waiting for his reply.

“This is my partner.”

Xiao Ling stared at her elder brother Xiao Bing with wide eyes. It turned out that he had not yet had time to tell his family about his love affair.

"This is my sister."

Xiao Bing ignored Xiao Ling, but turned around with an embarrassed look on his face and introduced Xiao Ling to the girl.

Originally, Xiao Ling wanted to treat four generations to noodles, but in the end, Xiao Bing treated three people to noodles.

"My brother has no taste. What did he like about that woman? She's ugly and so pretentious."

After coming out of the ramen restaurant, Xiao Ling pouted and looked unhappy.

"Who can be more pretentious than you?" Sibei gave a wicked smile and teased Xiao Ling.

"Who are you calling pretentious? When have I ever been pretentious?"

Xiao Ling retorted to Sibeier unhappily.

After thinking for a while, he seemed to have come to an understanding of his own character, and then he added, "When have I ever been hypocritical with you?"

There is nothing wrong with what he said. Xiao Ling's accommodation of Sibei'er is something that not everyone can do.

After finishing this meal of ramen, which was neither morning nor afternoon, Sibei'er and Xiaoling didn't know where to go. After walking on the street for a while, they returned to the Nanjian dormitory. However, they did not go home, but went to the house in the front row.

"Sister, you should get some sleep. I can bake some buns for myself at noon."

Xiaoying looked at Darong, whose eyelids were already drooping with sleepiness, and took the empty bowl from her hand.

"Okay, I'll take a nap." Darong was indeed sleepy. She felt the most exhausted after coming back from the night shift.

Darong didn't know when she fell asleep or how long she slept. She just seemed to hear Lao San's voice in a daze, but she was too sleepy, so she turned over and went back to sleep.

Darong slept until the evening. The days are short in winter, and although it was only 4 o'clock in the afternoon, it was already getting dark outside.

"Sister, you're awake."

As soon as Darong came out from the inner room, Lao San greeted her enthusiastically. Darong looked at him with some confusion.

"You're in trouble again?"

Seeing the third brother's expression, Da Rong was almost certain of the answer.

"Sister, I told you, don't be angry." The third brother smiled awkwardly.

"Go ahead."

"I lost your car." After saying that, the third brother rubbed his hands a little awkwardly and looked at Darong's face carefully.

Darong hadn't ridden her new bike for two days when the third brother lost it after just riding it for one lap. It would be a lie to say that I didn't feel sad, but since it's already lost, there's no point in complaining any more.

"Sister, I'm sorry..."

"It's lost, so it's lost." Darong said with some regret.

"If you're angry, just scold me or hit me."

"It's okay, it's already lost. Beating you won't solve the problem. No one wants to lose things. Just don't talk back if our mom says something to you when she comes back." Darong instructed the third child.

"Well, I see"

After Darong's mother came back that day, she didn't say much. Although she complained a few times that the third child was lazy and rode his bike there, she knew in her heart that he didn't do it on purpose. After all, losing a bicycle was a very common thing at that time.

After Darong lost her bicycle, she had to walk to and from get off work. Before she had a bicycle, she didn’t feel tired walking, but after getting used to riding a bicycle to work, she now found that the commute to and from get off work had become so far away when she switched back to walking.

Walking back and forth in the cold wind in the middle of winter, both Darong and Xizi were shivering with cold. Darong didn't know how many times she cursed the damn car thief in her heart.

"Rong, take Xiaoying to your workplace tomorrow to take a shower, and take off your cotton-padded jacket and wash it, so you can make it before the New Year."

"Well, okay."

At that time, there were no homes with 80-hour hot water, but there were company bathhouses with boiler rooms. Workers often brought their families to the company's employee bathhouses to take a bath. Many northern children born in the s also grew up in their parents' company bathhouses.

"Sister, look, that's the same car you lost."

As Darong and Xiaoying entered the factory gate, a man on a bicycle passed them from behind. ?

Xiaoying only saw a resemblance, but Darong recognized it at a glance. The bike was the one she had lost. She had once fallen off her bike on a rock, leaving a dent on the chain.

Darong took two quick steps and grabbed the back seat of the bicycle.