The first time in history

"Let me call my dad." The girl looked towards Qian Mingduo. Qian Mingduo turned around and found a phone on a small table beside the sofa where he was sitting. The phone was covered with an orange cloth crocheted with wool.

Qian Mingduo stood up and wanted the girl to sit over to make a call, but she didn't respond. She just smiled sheepishly and said, "The phone was installed yesterday. The installer said it would take 24 hours to work. I wonder if it can be used now?"

"Oh! What we installed yesterday may not work, but we can give it a try, just in case it works?" Qian Mingduo sat down again. "Do you know your father's phone number?" He took off the cloth on the phone. "You tell me the number and I'll dial it. If it works, you can talk. If you use the hands-free mode, you don't have to come over."

"Okay." The girl wanted to take something from the drawer under the coffee table, but she leaned forward and stopped. "Excuse me, can you help me get the phone book from the drawer? It's on your side."

"Okay, okay, I'll get it." Qian Mingduo opened the drawer and said to the girl, "If it's really broken, you'd better not move."

"......" Qian Mingduo followed the girl's instructions and found her father's phone number, but there was no sound on the line. Qian Mingduo hung up the phone, picked up the receiver and put it to his ear to listen, then turned to the girl and said, "I guess the call hasn't been connected yet, there's no sound at all."

"What time was it installed yesterday?" Qian Mingduo asked, "Has it been 24 hours?"

"I don't know what time it was installed." The girl wanted to put her feet on the sofa, but the huge pain made her give up the idea. "I went home from school yesterday and heard my mother tell me. I don't know the exact time it was installed."

"Do you want to put your feet on the sofa?" Qian Mingduo noticed the girl's action. "Can I help you?"

"Um... no," the girl smiled, "I'll just sit there."

"Didn't Grandma Li just tell you to go home and lie down?" Qian Mingduo squatted beside the girl. He carefully took off the slippers on the girl's feet. A pair of white and tender feet that made people want to kiss them appeared in front of him.

Qian Mingduo's heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked away. At that moment, his ears turned red. He gently placed the girl's feet on the soft sofa cushion, his hands trembling slightly, and his breathing became a little rapid.

"Your ankle is so swollen, yet you're still trying to be stubborn." Qian Mingduo's voice was low, with a hint of blame, but more of heartache.

The girl bit her lip, a blush appeared on her face, and her big watery eyes showed stubbornness. She wanted to retract her foot, but Qian Mingduo held her down.

"Don't move, I'll get you an ice pack." Qian Mingduo stood up and hurried towards the kitchen.

"The refrigerator at home hasn't been moved in yet!" the girl said behind Qian Mingduo, "Where are the ice packs?"

"There must be something in our refrigerator." Qian Mingduo sat back on the sofa. "It's a pity that I can't get into the house!"

"It's all my fault," the girl said shyly, "I made it so that you can't even get into the house."

"Oh no!" Qian Mingduo suddenly shouted, "My parents are not at home, and I don't know when they will be back." Qian Mingduo stood up anxiously and glanced at the girl, "How could I forget all this?"

Qian Mingduo's parents both work in a highly confidential national defense unit. Since Qian Mingduo started junior high school, his parents have been transferred to this unit. Since then, they sometimes return home once a month, sometimes once every two or three months, and sometimes they return home alone.

Moreover, no matter they came back alone or together, they would not stay at home for more than a few days before leaving again, leaving little Qian Mingduo alone at home.

"What's going on?" The girl asked in confusion, "Aren't uncle and aunt going home?" She frowned, thought for a moment and said, "In the past few days since we moved here, it seems like no one lives in your house. I can't hear any movement."

The girl smiled and said, "My mother also told me that I should learn from the girl next door and do everything quietly!"

"My parents both work in other places, and sometimes they come back once every few months. I live in the school dormitory after the school starts. Usually no one lives there, so it must be very quiet." Qian Mingduo sat back on the sofa heavily. "Sometimes I come back from school on weekends to water the flowers for my mother and feed the fish my father raises. Usually no one lives there."

"How are you going to get home later?" The girl asked with a self-blaming tone, and timidly asked, "Do you have a spare key?"

"No." Qian Mingduo sighed, shook his head and said, "I only have one key, no spare one."

"What should I do?" The girl whispered softly, "I made you unable to go home? I'm sorry!"

"It's okay!" Qian Mingduo pretended to be indifferent. "This has nothing to do with you. It was my own carelessness." He lowered his head and thought for a while. "If only there was a ladder, I could climb up and go in through the window. I remember the east window was open."

"Where can I find a ladder?" the girl asked. "I'm not familiar with this place either."

"Just stay at home!" Qian Mingduo laughed. "Your ankle is swollen like a big loaf of bread. Even if you are familiar with this place, how can you help me find a ladder?"

The girl smiled shyly, looked at Qian Mingduo, and hesitated to speak.

"Shall I use cold water to stimulate your ankle first?" Qian Mingduo said as he stood up. "It can shrink the capillaries in the swollen area and help with recovery. Is there a basin in your bathroom?"

"Yes." The girl said embarrassedly: "Don't bother you, I feel much better lying down."

"Oh, right." Qian Mingduo seemed to suddenly think of something. He walked quickly to the door, turned around and said to the girl, "Stay here and don't move. I'm going to Grandma Li's house to get some ice. The old lady likes to chew ice every day. They must have some at home."

Before the girl could stop Qian Mingduo, he opened the door and ran downstairs quickly. Half a minute later, he came back panting, holding a bowl with a white orchid pattern in his hand, which contained dozens of ice cubes the size of sugar cubes.

"Do you have any gauze at home?" Qian Mingduo said to the girl, "Wrap the ice cube with gauze and put it on your ankle."

"I don't know either!" The girl looked around. "We just moved here and haven't packed everything yet! It's basically my mom who's doing the packing. I don't know anything."