mutual benefit [gl]

Ji Cixi has private work tonight, so she called Ji Xu after get off work.

Because of what happened yesterday afternoon, Ji Cixi dug out a mobile phone that he was no longer using that night and asked Ji Xu to take it with him, just in case.

She asked Ji Xu to order takeaway for dinner by himself, but he had to wait in the small shop downstairs for the delivery.

Ji Xu was still in Chen Yuanzhen's car when she received the call. When Chen Yuanzhen heard Ji Xu calling her mother, she raised her eyebrows slightly. She slowed down the speed of the car and paid attention to the conversation between the two.

The two talked for about 5 minutes, and Ji Xu hung up the phone after saying goodbye in a childish voice.Chen Yuanzhen glanced at him, then pretended to be careless and asked:

"Is it your mother's phone?"

Ji Xu nodded.

"What did she tell you?"

Without much thought, Ji Xu told Chen Yuanzhen what Ji Cixi had explained.

"Oh... Then it seems that your mother is quite busy with work." Chen Yuanzhen smiled.

"Then... How about I invite you to dinner?" She said, the corners of her mouth slightly curled up.

She was still a little worried that Ji Xu would reject her.

But fortunately, Ji Xu, who thought he was already getting along well with Chen Yuanzhen, did not reject her. Instead, he raised his face with excitement.

"Really? What are you eating?"

Chen Yuanzhen pursed his lips, and his brain, which was continuously working, suddenly froze.

Yes, what to eat?

She is not a person who studies food very much.The Chen family has a specially hired chef, and the craftsmanship is very good.So when she ate with Chen Zhishan and the others at the Chen family, the dishes she ate were first-class in terms of price and taste.

But for Chen Yuanzhen, no matter what they eat while sitting with them, it tastes like chewing wax.It is not so much eating as it is completing a difficult task.Every time, she just thinks about getting rid of the things on the plate quickly, and then hurrying away from that stuffy place.

As for the time when she is alone, she usually asks Zhou Ming or Liao Tezhu to bring her a sandwich and coffee set.

Now Ji Xu looked at her expectantly, which made her feel a little troubled.

"Well... what do you want to eat? You can eat anything you want, even expensive ones." She said.

She knew that Ji Ciwen was seriously ill, and the little money Ji Cixi earns every month after deducting hospital expenses, rent, water and electricity, the remaining money was barely enough for the two of them to eat and drink.

Thinking of this, Chen Yuanzhen's heart seemed to be scratched by a cat, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable.

It has become so difficult, and last time you threw yourself 100 yuan with a wave of your hand?

Is the so-called self-esteem really more important than survival in her eyes?

"I want to eat instant noodles!"

Just as Chen Yuanzhen was still immersed in his chaotic thoughts, Ji Xu suddenly said loudly happily.

Chen Yuanzhen was taken aback, she looked at Ji Xu with the eyes of an alien.

"What did you say?"

“Instant noodles!”

Chen Yuanzhen, who was sure that she heard correctly, had a bunch of black lines hanging behind her head. She took a while to clear her throat, and said with a smile:

"Ji Xu, you don't need to save money for your sister, she is very rich, so you can eat whatever you want."

She took it for granted that Ji Xu was afraid of spending money, so he said that he wanted to eat instant noodles the most.

The child is so pitiful, save the child.

Chen Yuanzhen almost wiped tears in his heart.

But before she could finish her distress,

"no,"

Ji Xu shook his head vigorously, denying it seriously.

"I mean, I want to eat the instant noodles cooked by my mother." As Ji Xu spoke, he began to imagine in his head that it was the first day he and Ji Cixi were alone at home after sending his mother away.At dinner, this aunt who always refused to talk to me cooked a pack of instant noodles for herself, and then went about her own business without saying a word.

Although there were only a few rape leaves and a poached egg in the bowl of noodles, Ji Xu liked it very much.

"My mother's instant noodles are superb!" Ji Xu spared no effort to comfort his aunt to Chen Yuanzhen.

"But..." Chen Yuanzhen twitched the corners of his mouth, "Isn't your mother not at home tonight?"

"So, beautiful sister." Ji Xu rolled his eyes and showed a big smile.

"Can you wait for my mother with me?"

Looking at Ji Xu's face, Chen Yuanzhen felt complicated.

This child has already learned routines at only a few years old, and he doesn't know who he learned from.

She thought of Ji Xu's request to be friends with Ji Cixi, and felt a little funny in her heart.

This child seems determined to develop her and Ji Cixi into friends.

"Ji Xu..." Chen Yuanzhen drove the car around an intersection, and driving a few tens of meters ahead was Ji Cixi's community.

"Your mother... um... doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Eh?"

Chen Yuanzhen nodded and hummed to confirm, she stopped the car, turned to look at Ji Xu, and smiled apologetically.

"So, my sister is afraid that if you make your mother angry, she will teach you again at night. My sister still won't go."

"It's not like this!" Ji Xu became impatient when he heard the words, he suddenly grabbed Chen Yuanzhen's sleeve.

Chen Yuanzhen lowered his eyes and glanced at the thin and thin hands holding his clothes, which were trembling slightly at this moment.But then, the hand seemed to realize something, and quickly took it away.

Chen Yuanzhen raised his eyes to look at him, a trace of unnaturalness flashed across Ji Xu's face, avoiding Chen Yuanzhen's gaze, lowered his head and said timidly: "Yes, I'm sorry..."

sorry?

Chen Yuanzhen narrowed his eyes slightly.

What is the kid apologizing for?Is it because I couldn't help but grabbed my clothes just now?

Looking at Ji Xu's pitiful and helpless expression like a young bird that lost its nest, Chen Yuanzhen always felt that this expression was very familiar.

Familiar to dazzling.

"My mother just looks scary, she looks like this to everyone!" He looked up at Chen Yuanzhen again, and said earnestly.

Chen Yuanzhen said nothing.

"Beautiful sister," Ji Xu said more and more anxiously, his eye circles gradually turned red.

"Every time my mother goes to work, she doesn't come home until after eight o'clock in the evening. She tells me to order takeaway, and I don't eat when I go home..."

Chen Yuanzhen's heart skipped a beat.

It turned out that the little guy was afraid that Ji Cixi would be hungry.

"But if I'm the only one waiting for her hungry, she'll lose her temper...I can't let her lose her temper anymore."

Ji Xu's voice became smaller and smaller, his eyes fell down his cheeks and dripped on the car seat, leaving dark traces bit by bit.On the one hand, he was worried that Ji Cixi would go hungry if he didn't eat, and on the other hand, he was also afraid that if he provoked Ji Cixi again, she would really throw him away.

So now he had no choice but to grasp at the life-saving straw of Chen Yuanzhen.

Seeing Ji Xu crying pitifully, Chen Yuanzhen suddenly recalled how he was in his mother's arms that gradually lost the temperature, and the heart-piercing pain returned at that time.

"Then..." She hesitated for a moment, then took off her sunglasses.

"Okay, but... I can't guarantee that you won't be scolded."

"Yeah!" Ji Xu finally burst into laughter, wiped his face, happily unbuckled his seat belt, jumped out of the car, and ran away.

Looking at Ji Xu's joyful back, the light in Chen Yuanzhen's eyes gradually dimmed.

"Feel sorry……"

Her thick eyelashes drooped, the emotions flowing in her eyes were dark and unclear, and her voice was hoarse and deep.

"Sorry... Ji Xu."

Chen Yuanzhen followed Ji Xu through rows of old-fashioned well-shaped buildings, and finally stopped in front of a building.Before entering the building, Ji Xu trotted to a small shop next to the building. Chen Yuanzhen folded his arms and watched Ji Xu say something to the middle-aged woman in the small shop, and then he trotted back.

"My mother usually asks me to wait in the small shop for my uncle who delivers food." He explained to Chen Yuanzhen.

Chen Yuanzhen nodded.She also observed the situation around the community along the way, this community is indeed remote, and the traffic is not too big, Ji Cixi's caution is not too much.

She followed Ji Xu into the building, and Ji Xu talked to Chen Yuanzhen about her floor while going upstairs.Chen Yuanzhen followed him up the stairs step by step. Seeing Ji Xu's small schoolbag bouncing on his thin shoulders, she felt a little awkward.So he planned to help Ji Xu hold the schoolbag, but who knew that as soon as her hand touched the strap of the schoolbag, Ji Xu turned around and stopped her.

"Beautiful sister, you don't need to help me get it." He said.

"Won't it be too heavy?" Chen Yuanzhen smiled.

Ji Xu nodded, and he said honestly: "It's a little heavy."

"Then why not?"

"But there will be heavier schoolbags for me to carry in the future." Ji Xu said seriously.

A heavier schoolbag?Chen Yuanzhen slowly retracted the outstretched hand.

"My mother said that sooner or later, I will have to carry a heavier schoolbag, the kind that no one can carry. If I don't want to be crushed, I have to start with this small schoolbag."

Chen Yuanzhen looked at Ji Xu's firm eyes, and after a while, she smiled.

"Is this what your mother told you?"

Ji Xu nodded.

Chen Yuanzhen pouted, she put her hands behind her back and shrugged her shoulders.

"She was right."

Ji Xu grinned and grinned, he turned around and prepared to continue going upstairs.

But before he could step out his legs, he felt light on his body.He turned around in surprise, and saw that his schoolbag was in Chen Yuanzhen's hands.

"Today I will teach you the second thing." Chen Yuanzhen picked up his schoolbag and raised it.

"It's heavy for you if I help you carry it, but it's okay for me. You are relaxed, and I can also keep fit. Do you know what this is called?"

Ji Xu shook his head.

Chen Yuanzhen smiled wryly, "This is called a win-win situation."

Ji Xu's home is on the fifth floor of this well-shaped building. Although the stairs are not complicated due to the structure of the building, they are enough to make Chen Yuanzhen, who is entering this kind of building for the first time, a little dizzy.

When he reached his door, Ji Xu unzipped his school uniform, took out a small key from the inner pocket of his school uniform, and opened the door.The inner pocket of the school uniform was sewed by Ji Cixi, Chen Yuanzhen glanced at it, his mouth was flattened, thinking that Ji Cixi's craftsmanship is not bad.

Ji Xu opened the door, and he stepped aside to let Chen Yuanzhen in. Ji Xu's house is not big, with two bedrooms, one living room and one bathroom, about sixty square meters.

After Ji Xu entered the door, he took the schoolbag from Chen Yuanzhen's hand. He put the schoolbag on the sofa in the living room, and then went to the kitchen to pour Chen Yuanzhen a glass of water.

Chen Yuanzhen entered the living room and looked around. There was no furniture in the house. There was a sofa, a TV, and a tea table in the middle.

Ji Xu brought the water to Chen Yuanzhen, and after Chen Yuanzhen took the cup and said thank you, he proposed to visit Ji Xu's room.

Come here, of course we have to see the living conditions of my nephew.

Ji Xu happily agreed, and he took Chen Yuanzhen to his room.Before opening the door, Chen Yuanzhen was already prepared to see a tattered scene.After all, she is well aware of Ji Cixi's precarious financial situation.

But when the door was really opened, Chen Yuanzhen did not see the poor scene imagined in his mind.

The room is not as big as expected, but it is clean and simple, and the windows are bright and clean.There is no wallpaper on the walls of the room, just ordinary white walls, and the floor should be a wooden floor prepared by the original owner.There is a desk in the room, directly above the desk is a bookshelf, and next to the desk is a bed, the bed sheets are a very common plaid pattern, and the beige floral quilt is neatly stacked on the front of the bed.

"Well...it looks pretty good." Chen Yuanzhen finally let go of her hanging heart, she turned around and asked with a smile: "Ji Xu, who cleaned up your room for you?"

Ji Xu puffed up his chest, and replied proudly: "Of course it's me. My mother said that the room is her own, and she won't care about me."

"Then you are very good?" Chen Yuanzhen smiled.

"Of course!" Ji Xu was talking, he suddenly remembered something, and scratched his head apologetically.

"My mother's room is usually locked, so I can't take my beautiful sister to see you."

Chen Yuanzhen waved her hand to indicate that it was okay, she walked out of Ji Xu's room, went back to the sofa in the living room and sat down.

She picked up the water glass and took a sip of water, pursed her lips and thought for a moment, then raised her head tentatively and asked:

"Ji Xu, how does your mother... treat you?"

Ji Xu was taken aback when he heard the words, he frowned, his face was tangled into a ball.

Although Ji Cixi doesn't like to talk, and seems lukewarm towards him and her mother, she will help herself solve troubles at school and go to the hospital to take care of her mother.

He didn't know how to describe his feelings for Ji Cixi.

Fear?A little.favorite?I am very sure of that.

"Well... I just hope, I hope she can smile more." He replied stammeringly.

"Then have you ever seen your mother smile?"

Ji Xu blinked his eyes, puffed up his mouth to think about it for a while, and suddenly said "Ah!".

"Have!"

"When?" Chen Yuanzhen was also very curious.

"When she received a call for a salary increase last month!" Ji Xu said excitedly, "It was the first time I saw her smiling so happily! Although, after hanging up the phone, she stopped smiling."

Chen Yuanzhen covered his face when he heard the words and almost laughed out loud.

Ji Cixi is a miser after fighting for a long time?

She secretly felt complacent.

She may not have other things, but when it comes to money, she has plenty.Since Ji Cixi is set up as a miser, why is she afraid of making a bad face to herself again?

She couldn't help imagining in her mind the scene of herself throwing a large stack of banknotes in front of Ji Cixi.

"Woman, this is 100 million, just smile at me!"

However, Chen Yuanzhen just fantasized about this scene and couldn't help shivering, feeling a chill all over his body.

Although very relieved, but forget it.

She shook her head to shake off the pile of inexplicable scenes in her head, then leaned forward and approached Ji Xu, and asked tentatively:

"Then...Ji Xu, my sister asks you. If, I mean if. Let you leave your mother and move to another place. There are many delicious and interesting things there, and there are big and beautiful rooms .Well...if you want, you can also go abroad to study and travel. Would you like to?" After she finished speaking, she looked at Ji Xu expectantly.

However, Ji Xu quickly replied almost without hesitation:

"I don't want to."

Chen Yuanzhen was taken aback, she didn't expect Ji Xu to answer so decisively.

"Why, why?"

Judging from Ji Xu's narration and her own impression of Ji Cixi, Ji Cixi probably didn't treat Ji Xu very affectionately, and Ji Xu's real mother, Ji Ciwen, is still lying in the hospital, so she felt that the relationship between Ji Xu and Ji Cixi was worthwhile. , nor will it be very deep.

Ji Xu blinked suspiciously, then tilted his head and asked:

"Beautiful sister, are you willing to leave your mother?"

Chen Yuanzhen's body froze.

Ji Xu's immature childish voice was like a heavy blow, hitting her heart.

She doesn't want to.

How could she be willing.

"No..." Chen Yuanzhen suddenly felt a little ashamed facing Ji Xu, she forced a shriveled smile, and said no with trembling lips.

"So beautiful sister, your question is so strange."

Is it strange?Chen Yuanzhen secretly clenched his fists.

Of course it's weird.If the same question were asked to his six-year-old self, Chen Yuanzhen knew that he would give the same answer.

Even if you don't stay by your mother's side, but just stay where she used to stay, by your mother's relatives, at least you can still feel your mother's breath, and you can deceive yourself that your mother is still around.

When she was deprived of all these back then, that was Ji Xu's current age.It's not like she doesn't understand the pain in her heart. Even now, 20 years later, she is often tortured by the heart-wrenching pain of that year.

But what is she doing now?

Looking at Ji Xu's innocent face, Chen Yuanzhen almost let his fingernails sink into the soft flesh of his palm.

"Hold, I'm sorry..." Chen Yuanzhen bit his lip hard and forced a smile.

"It's because I didn't think too much. I just thought that our kid Ji Xu was a snack, but I forgot that classmate Ji Xu is actually a good kid who loves his mother very much." Chen Yuanzhen smiled weakly.

The two talked for a while, and Chen Yuanzhen listened to Ji Xu tell him what happened in school, and watched a few episodes of cartoons with him.As night fell, Chen Yuanzhen lowered his head and glanced at his watch when the end credits appeared in the last episode of the cartoon that night.

08:30 in the evening.

When she was about to ask Ji Xu when Ji Cixi would arrive home, she suddenly heard the sound of the lock being unlocked, and then the door was opened by Ji Cixi, and a gust of cold air poured in instantly.

Ji Cixi raised her eyes and saw Chen Yuanzhen sitting on the sofa, and then glanced at Ji Xu who was dancing and dancing in front of the TV beside Chen Yuanzhen.

She was stunned for a few seconds before she understood the situation in front of her.She immediately turned her head a little irritatedly, and then turned her face to cast displeased eyes on Chen Yuanzhen.

When Ji Xu saw Ji Cixi coming home, he was so frightened that he quickly turned off the TV and shrank behind Chen Yuanzhen.

Chen Yuanzhen looked Ji Cixi up and down, probably because she came back home in a hurry, and even forgot to take off the gold-rimmed glasses that she only wore in class.Her long black hair was pulled up casually, the hair hanging around her ears drooped, and the curvy ends of her hair gently outlined her smooth jaw line. On her fair face, there was a little orange light from the voice-activated light outside the door, like It was the midday sun that was crushed and mixed into her cheeks, and her cold face seemed to soften a little.

Chen Yuanzhen squinted his eyes, looking like this, Ji Cixi really isn't ugly.

It's even...pretty pretty.

"Mom, Mom...you're back..."

Ji Cixi didn't even look at Ji Xu, she just slammed the door hard, then lowered her head to change her shoes.

"Miss Ji, how are you?" Chen Yuanzhen stood up and walked in front of Ji Cixi, this time she didn't reach out her hand out to make fun of herself.

After Ji Cixi changed her shoes, she brushed past Chen Yuanzhen. She took off her glasses, took off her black jacket and casually put it on her arm, and then glanced at Ji Xu who was panicking again.

She asked coldly, "Have you poured water for the guests?"

Ji Xu nodded repeatedly, but dared not make a sound.

Ji Cixi turned around and looked at Chen Yuanzhen, she raised her eyebrows.

"Miss Chen, you've also drank the water. Is there anything else you can do?"

This is an order to chase away guests, Chen Yuanzhen curled his lips.

"Ji Xu hasn't eaten yet, he wants me to stay here with him and have dinner with you when you come back." After she said that, she bent her lips, smiling like a sunny one.

"I have waited with your son until now, and I haven't eaten yet, so..." Chen Yuanzhen stretched out his two hands as a gesture of invitation.

"It's fine if you're willing to cook, but it doesn't matter if you don't. I drove over and I can treat you and Ji Xu to dinner."

Ji Cixi only felt that there was an unknown fire in her heart that could not come up or go down, she could not reprimand Ji Xu in front of outsiders, let alone make Mrs. Chen Yuanzhen unable to step down in front of Ji Xu.

She glanced at Chen Yuanzhen, who was smiling completely harmlessly.

She took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed her displeasure, and the corners of her mouth curled into an almost negligible arc.

"Ms. Chen has come to the house, so there is no reason for the host to invite guests to treat guests. It's just that I'm not very good at cooking, so I'm afraid I will wrong Ms. Chen." Although Ji Cixi said polite words, her tone was still stiff , I can't hear the meaning of "I'm afraid" and "grievance" in the words at all.

Chen Yuanzhen knew that Ji Cixi was holding back his unhappiness, and his playfulness came up, so he just continued to put on a perfect smile on his face and said, "Why, I heard Ji Xu said that Miss Ji is a master at cooking instant noodles. This is the first time I have heard of cooking instant noodles. What other unique skills can instant noodles do, I really want to see it.”

Ji Cixi gave Ji Xu a hard look, and Ji Xu shivered in fright.

"That's really unfortunate, there are no instant noodles at home..."

"It's okay." Before Ji Cixi finished speaking, Chen Yuanzhen bent down and picked up the coat that was on the sofa and put it on her body.

"I can go shopping with Ms. Ji, I see there is a small shop downstairs, isn't there?"

Ji Cixi gritted her teeth secretly, but still nodded and shrugged her shoulders.

"Since Ms. Chen doesn't dislike it, then I have no objection." After she finished speaking, she turned and opened the door, Chen Yuanzhen turned her head and winked at Ji Xu, and quickly followed Ji Cixi's footsteps while putting on her coat.

The two went downstairs together but were speechless the whole time. When they arrived at the small shop downstairs, Ji Cixi copied three packs of instant noodles from the shelf and went to pay the bill.She was about to take out her wallet, but Chen Yuanzhen grabbed a credit card with two fingers and handed it out.

"Swipe my card." She turned her face and said to Ji Cixi with a smile.

Ji Cixi glanced at her expressionlessly and said nothing, but the boss smiled awkwardly, scratched his head and said, "I'm sorry, our store... doesn't have this equipment."

Chen Yuanzhen's hand froze when handing the card, and the scene became very awkward for a while.

Ji Cixi suppressed her laughter. She rubbed the tip of her nose, cleared her throat, and said, "Miss Chen may be used to swiping credit cards. But you should have seen it along the way. Our community is an old community, and the residents are not only uncles but also aunts." This small shop is only open to the residents of the community, and grandpas and aunts don’t have the habit of swiping their cards.” She then took out 20 yuan from her wallet and handed it over.

Chen Yuanzhen could only put the card back with a smirk, and stood behind Ji Cixi with her arms crossed, watching her sort out the change that the boss handed back.

After Ji Cixi packed up the money, she walked out of the small shop directly. Her steps were fast, and she didn't care about Chen Yuanzhen who was still following behind her. Chen Yuanzhen followed her silently, holding her breath.

The voice-activated lights in this building don't seem to work very well. Every time Ji Cixi goes upstairs, she has to stomp her foot very hard, and every time she stomps Chen Yuanzhen is frightened and trembles. Chen Yuanzhen deeply suspects that this guy is on purpose.

Back home, Ji Cixi took off his jacket and went to wash his hands to cook noodles. Seeing this, Chen Yuanzhen hurriedly shouted for help, and followed Ji Cixi's footsteps into the kitchen.

However, as soon as she walked into the kitchen, Ji Cixi suddenly turned around and stretched her hand around her waist, and slammed the kitchen door behind her. Immediately afterwards, Ji Cixi stepped forward and approached her. banged on the door.

Chen Yuanzhen's eyes widened suddenly, looking in surprise at Ji Cixi who was no more than five inches away from his face.

This distance allowed her to clearly feel the other party's hot and humid breath overflowing her neck.

Ji Cixi stared at her expressionlessly, with a sharp light shining in her obsidian-like pupils, as if she wanted to see what she was thinking deep in her heart.

After a while, Chen Yuanzhen heard her lower her voice and squeeze out a sentence from the back of her throat.

"who are you?"