After I traveled through the book, I gained a humanoid pendant

The alleys were complicated and intertwined. Ni Yangzhou took a few steps to see what was going on, but the noise of the quarrel had disappeared.

strangeness.

The boy turned several alleys but didn't see anyone. Ni Yangzhou scratched his hair and looked carefully again. He couldn't even remember which intersection he came out of.

The houses in the old city were built early without much planning. They occupied whatever space they had, leaving only narrow passages. Looking around, there were only one- or two-story self-built small houses.

But overall, it is still much richer than the village where Meng Ting's family lives.

Ni Yangzhou asked a few passers-by and finally found his way out of the most complicated alley.

Recalling the detour he had just taken, Ni Yangzhou felt that he had walked in at least three figure-8 shapes sideways, and would have gotten lost even with the electronic navigation.

If you miss the entrance to an alley, you have to go around several turns and back to the original path before you can go out from the correct exit. There isn't even a clear road sign.

Ni Yangzhou drew a route map in his mind and sighed that it was fortunate that he had a good sense of direction, otherwise he would be trapped in this "alley magic circle".

As Ni Yangzhou walked, he saw an Internet cafe with exaggerated decoration.

Ni Yangzhou felt a tightness in his chest when he remembered that he wanted to dismantle the VCR yesterday and go to the Internet cafe to look for clues, but the VCR was taken away in the morning.

As a result, I had just taken a few steps to the door when I saw an acquaintance walking towards me from the opposite street.

That foul-mouthed Wan Xinrong.

Ni Yangzhou was carrying something and was not very close to him, but he could see that Wan Xinrong had a Band-Aid on the corner of his mouth. He was wearing a very fashionable open-collar shirt and had his hair combed back. He did not look at all like a cowardly student who would immediately beg for mercy after being beaten.

It was as if he was dressed up to do something.

Wan Xinrong saw Ni Yangzhou walking in the distance, but the other party seemed not to see him. Wan Xinrong shrank his neck, pretended to be indifferent, and walked quickly into the Internet cafe.

Ni Yangzhou ignored him and walked all the way to Meng Ting's village before it got completely dark.

By the familiar river, the same gloomy sky, but a different mood.

As Ni Yangzhou walked, he saw a blue and white figure in the distance. It was Meng Ting who was waiting there.

"Brother Meng, come and pick me up?" Ni Yangzhou asked jokingly.

"Well, I'll pick you up."

Meng Ting's tone was normal, but it made Ni Yangzhou feel uncomfortable.

I was originally going to have dinner with the original owner's father, and I don't know what time he would be able to come after dinner. If Meng Ting really waited here, he would definitely have to stand there for several hours in vain.

Who would do that, just because they are friends?

Meng Ting seemed to see the psychological burden on Ni Yangzhou.

"I didn't come here specially to pick you up. I just happened to run into you when I came out to buy something."

Ni Yangzhou looked at Meng Ting, who had nothing in his hands, with an indescribable expression on his face.

Meng Ting took out a box of ink from his pocket. It had a faint smell of old-fashioned ink. Ni Yangzhou took a look and then looked away.

Can the top student write calligraphy?

"Well, I bought some food. I wonder if it's enough for us and Auntie."

Ni Yangzhou looked up at Meng Ting's expression, but couldn't see anything.

"Have you eaten with Auntie? Shall we have dinner together?"

Meng Ting's expression did not change, and he said, "No, my mother doesn't need to eat."

"Huh?" Ni Yangzhou thought this statement was a bit strange.

"Let's eat. I haven't eaten either."

Ni Yangzhou scratched his head, stopped asking questions, and followed the boy into the yard. The gate was black, heavy and thick, but it was very smooth to push.

Ni Yangzhou noticed that when he entered the door, a child with a runny nose from the neighbor's house kept looking over here.

The sound of Meng Ting's shaking keys drew Ni Yangzhou's attention back.

The Meng family's yard was not much different from the yards of other rural families of the same era. There was a tap connected to the ground near the door of the brick house. In comparison, it was probably just cleaner in appearance, with no food piled up.

Therefore, the yard seems a little empty.

Ni Yangzhou grew up in the city and had rarely lived in an old-style bungalow. He felt a little curious when he looked around, but was afraid that he would be impolite, so he kept his eyes to himself and only glanced a few more times inadvertently.

The gate to the yard was locked, and so was the brick house.

There are three rooms in a row, with a cross room in the middle, which is filled with tables, chairs and benches. It should be the place where people usually eat. It looks very old and has a simple style that is very sturdy and durable.

The door to the east side was painted red and also had a small lock on it. The door to the west side was open, and Ni Yangzhou saw the textbooks that Meng Ting often used in school.

Why is it still locked? Ni Yangzhou was a little puzzled.

Meng Ting's mother is more concerned about privacy. Is the son avoiding his mother when he grows up? Is the relationship between mother and son bad, so she locked the door and refused to let her son in? Or is she afraid of losing valuables?

Ni Yangzhou had a hundred thousand questions in his mind, but he didn't reveal a word. His hands kept moving, and he took out three servings of rice and put them on the wooden table. Meng Ting didn't hesitate to put away the disposable chopsticks and the pickled vegetables that Pan Dongxue had sent.

The two sat opposite each other and started eating.

The lean meat in the green pepper rice is cut neatly and beautifully along the direction of muscle growth, and the surface is covered with a layer of light golden and shiny sauce. The green peppers are green, and the combination exudes a salty and spicy aroma. The fungus in the fish-flavored pork shreds has a crisp taste. The secret bean paste should be added when cooking, which is fragrant but not too dark in color, and the red and green colors seduce people's appetite.

The Kung Pao Chicken was in Meng Ting's hand. Before Ni Yangzhou had a chance to appreciate it, the boy finished it in a few bites, not even leaving any rice. He was very frugal with food.

Ni Yangzhou ate the green pepper in his mouth and pushed the remaining fish-flavored pork shreds to the boy's hand. Meng Ting nodded and started eating the fish-flavored pork shreds again, pouring a glass of water for Ni Yangzhou. Ni Yangzhou picked up the cup and drank the water to relieve the slight spicy taste in his throat.

The meal was almost finished, and Ni Yangzhou suddenly slowed down the speed of chewing the last bite of rice.

After the meal, Ni Yangzhou felt that the series of actions between him and Meng Ting seemed very natural.

They did their own work naturally, but cooperated very smoothly without any verbal communication throughout the whole process.

It was so natural that it seemed like they had lived together for a long time.

Stop, stop imagining.

Ni Yangzhou restrained his divergent thoughts and asked tentatively:

"Brother Meng, did Auntie go out to work?"

Meng Ting finished his last bite of rice, not leaving a single grain, took a sip of water, and said to Ni Yangzhou:

"No, my mother is sick and at home."

Ni Yangzhou turned around and looked at the room with a small lock.

"That's the room."

"Why...", what I wanted to say next was "the door was locked", but I felt that we were just friends, so it would be a bit too much to ask such a question.

"Mental illness, can't open the door, might get lost."

Ni Yangzhou was speechless and nodded reluctantly.

Meng Ting spoke naturally, as if there was nothing much to be sad about. He was used to taking care of his mother, used to gossip, and used to being alone.

Ni Yangzhou looked at the person opposite him with his eyebrows lowered, and spoke alone:

“At least your mother is still here.

I don’t know if I’ll ever have the chance to see my mother again.”

Ni Yangzhou was talking about his own mother in the real world.

I was hospitalized due to a car accident and was unconscious the whole time. I don’t know how my mother managed to hold on alone. I wonder if she was terrified and in pain, but she had no one to talk to.

The first mission has not been completed yet. I don’t know when I can go back, or whether I can go back successfully.

Ni Yangzhou was as depressed as a balloon that was pushed off a cliff. Perhaps he would keep floating down slowly, or perhaps he would explode on a rock wall or a branch and never return to his hometown.

Meng Ting was called to the head teacher's office and told to pay attention to his deskmate. The English teacher, holding the hair by his ears at the time, told him earnestly, "Ni Yangzhou's mother remarried abroad and may not come back once a year." She hoped that Meng Ting could take the initiative to unite his classmates, get along well with Ni Yangzhou, and have some positive influence.

Are you worried that your mother who is abroad will never come back?

Meng Ting was speechless. He felt that he was tongue-tied and couldn't say anything touching. He just reached out and pinched Ni Yangzhou's shoulder.

Neither of them was the type to dwell on pain, so they didn't mention it anymore. Ni Yangzhou also stopped asking about Meng Ting's mother, and only wanted to collect more information if the other party took the initiative to ask.

It was getting late, and Ni Yangzhou was lying on Meng Ting's wooden table doing his homework.

Meng Ting had completed his study tasks long ago. He went to the east room without making any noise, then returned to the west room and started rummaging through the sheets and bedding in the cabinets.

Fortunately, although the family was poor, we still had basic bedding for changing.

"Shall we sleep in the same bed tonight?"

Ni Yangzhou held the tip of a pen in his mouth and looked at Meng Ting who was making the bed.

The boy looked back at him and said, "There are no other rooms. Do you want to sleep in the cross room?"

Ni Yangzhou originally had a carefree personality and when he was in college, he lived in his own world. He had no problem taking a naked bath with his roommates in the bathhouse of Northern University.

He didn't know if it was because of what happened to Yan Jin in this world, but he suddenly felt a little embarrassed about sleeping in the same bed with someone else.

The feeling of hugging the protagonist's thighs and carrying him to the bed...

I feel like the label for this book is going off the track.

Meng Ting spread out the bed sheets and put a set of quilts on top. Because it was a rural earthen kang and it was not yet the cold season when the kang needed to be heated, the padding was not very thick and the clothes at home were enough.

Ni Yangzhou looked at the spacious earthen kang and the two quilts on it with a tiny gap between them, and felt much more at ease.

"No, I want to sleep with you. I want to sleep on the kang."

Ni Yangzhou smiled.

Meng Ting listened and pointed at the homework in front of Ni Yangzhou, "Is it finished?"

The boy lowered his head and stopped smiling. “Right away, right away.”

Meng Ting watched the boy finish his homework with a grin on his face. As soon as Meng Ting explained some unfamiliar questions, Ni Yangzhou immediately recalled them.

Not hopeless. Meng Ting thought, he had a strong ability to comprehend and draw inferences from one instance. He was not very familiar with some knowledge, but he could memorize it very quickly. Although his handwriting was wild, it was barely elegant and beautiful.

How come the score on the test was so low?

"Yangzhou," Ni Yangzhou bit the pen and looked up at Meng Ting who had sat down next to him at some point. This was the first time he heard the other person call him directly, and he was a little uncomfortable.

"This monthly exam, let's get into the top 100 in the grade."

……

?

Ni Yangzhou was surprised and said, "Me? Top 100 in the grade?

Brother, do you know that there are more than 433 people in the grade, and my last test score was ?"

Meng Ting nodded, "I think you can pass the exam."

"I don't think I can do it," Ni Yangzhou was worried. If the task progress increased by 40 or 50 points a day, he might not be able to stay until the next monthly exam.

But it’s better to leave early, fast forward the task, and give yourself a good start.

"No," Ni Yangzhou realized that this sentence was ambiguous, and immediately retorted, "A man cannot say that he is not good enough."

Meng Ting seemed to be looking at him as if he were a fool. After a while, he continued, "Yes, I know. You are very good."

Ni Yangzhou remained silent, lowered his head and continued to work on his math problems, shouting in his heart, "Protagonist, do you know what you are talking about? I accidentally said something dirty, don't respond to that, OK?"

A cat meowed, and Ni Yangzhou looked up and secretly glanced outside. The "supervisor" Teacher Xiao Meng used his long hand to gently press the boy's head and reminded him:

"Don't look at the cat, do the questions."

Ni Yangzhou did not give up. He blinked his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a thick shadow under his eyelids, and asked:

"Your pet?"

Meng Ting also turned his head and looked at the two green spots on the distant tree through the inky moonlight, and said in a slow tone:

"Born and raised, a wild cat."