The programmer and his woman

Time always slips through our fingers so inadvertently. In the blink of an eye, the sun has spread all over the earth, indicating that it is time for lunch. I can't help but feel a little worried. Today is Xiaoxia's first day at work. I don't know how she is doing and whether she has adapted to the new environment. I decided to take advantage of my lunch break to visit her at her workplace.

Xiaoxia's workplace is not far from my school, and it only takes a few minutes to walk there. I walked through the busy streets and came to the door of the store. As soon as I entered the door, I saw Xiaoxia standing behind the counter, with a smile on her face, looking very energetic.

"Xiaoxia, how are you working here?" I walked up to her and asked with concern.

As soon as Xiaoxia saw me, she came up to me happily. She took my hand and said, "Brother, you're here! I'm doing fine here. I mainly learned about the business from Sister Li this morning and got to know the products in the store. I even sold a few orders!"

Hearing her say that, I felt relieved. I looked around and found that the store was doing well, with customers coming in one after another. I asked again, "It's noon, how are you eating?"

Xiaoxia scratched her head and said in confusion: "I don't know either, Sister Li, how are we going to eat?"

After hearing this, Sister Li turned around and said to us, "We're all going to eat outside. Xiao Yang, go eat first, and come back later to take my place."

"Okay, Xiaoxia, let's go eat first." I suggested.

"Yeah, sure!" Xiaoxia nodded, and then she asked me curiously, "Brother, where do you usually go to eat?"

I smiled and said, "Sometimes I eat in the alleys nearby, and sometimes students bring me food from the school cafeteria. Today I will take you to the cafeteria in the university, which is across the street. Their cafeteria is open to the public."

"Wow, brother, the teaching building of this university is so beautiful!" Xiaoxia was attracted by the environment as soon as she entered the university campus.

We were walking and chatting. Suddenly, a student came over and greeted me: "Hello, Teacher Wang!"

I smiled and responded: "Hello, classmate."

Xiaoxia looked at me in surprise and asked, "Brother, are you teaching at the university?"

I shook my head and explained, "No, I teach at a training school. But we often come here to hold lectures on game courses, so the students here all know me."

After hearing this, Xiaoxia showed an expression of admiration on her face. She looked at me and said, "Brother, I really envy you educated people."

I patted her shoulder and consoled her: "Hey, even though I can teach them now, I haven't been to college. But I'm preparing to go to night school now, why don't you go with me tonight?"

Xiaoxia widened her eyes, looked at me in disbelief, and said, "Do I still have a chance to continue to go to college?"

I nodded and said affirmatively, "Of course! It's settled then. I'll find you tonight and take you to sign up."

After hearing this, Xiaoxia was so excited that she didn't know what to say. She followed me silently, with a gleam in her eyes.

In order to ease her mood, I deliberately changed the subject and asked, "Xiaoxia, what do you think of this university cafeteria?"

Xiaoxia came back to her senses, looked around carefully, and said, "Not bad! There are many dishes to choose from here, and the prices are very cheap. It's much more economical than buying food outside."

I smiled and said, "Then choose what you want to eat. When you're done, call me and I'll pay for you."

Xiaoxia began to carefully select from the dazzling array of dishes. After a while, she selected a few dishes, holding the money in her hand, and said to me a little embarrassedly: "Brother, let me pay for this meal."

I noticed the money in her hand, and was slightly stunned, then asked in surprise: "How come you have money right after you start working?"

Xiaoxia smiled gratefully and explained, "My boss knew that I was having difficulties in life, so he gave me some advance salary. I am really grateful to him and I am lucky to have met such a good boss."

I nodded, asked her to put the money away, and then said, "Well, I know what you mean, but you can't pay with cash here. I have already applied for a card here. After you choose the dishes, we can pay with this card together."

After hearing this, Xiaoxia smiled embarrassedly and nodded.

We went to pay the bill together, found a seat and sat down to eat. Xiaoxia said to me while eating: "Brother, the dishes here are really delicious! And the portions are big. I feel like if I keep eating like this, I'll get fat because of you."

I laughed and said, "That's good! You look too thin. You should eat more to be healthier."

After hearing this, Xiaoxia lowered her head shyly. I felt warm in my heart when I saw her shy look.

After finishing the meal, I asked Xiaoxia: "Can I take some food away? I want to take some food back for Sister Li."

Xiaoxia nodded and said, "Sure! I'll go help you pack."

I handed her the card and said, "Okay, take this card. I'll leave it with you after I'm done with it. Sometimes I have lunch with my students at noon so I won't come to see you. I'll pick you up after get off work."

Xiaoxia took the card and looked at me gratefully and said, "Thank you, brother!"

After get off work, I arrived at the agreed location and Xiaoxia was already waiting for me there. She sat on the back seat of the bicycle, patted my shoulder gently, and signaled me to set off.

"Brother, I have something to discuss with you." Xiaoxia's voice came through the breeze, sounding a little hesitant.

"What's the matter? Tell me." I rode the bike steadily, trying to make Xiaoxia more comfortable.

"I plan to buy a bicycle, too." Xiao Xia said, "You work hard all day, and if I have a bicycle, it will be much more convenient for me to go to and from get off work, and I won't have to bother you all the time."

I smiled and replied, "Silly girl, it's no trouble. I'm happy to pick you up. But if you want to buy a bicycle for easy travel, that's also a good idea. Why don't we go check it out now? I remember there's a store selling bicycles next to the supermarket."

"I don't want a new car. It's too expensive and easy to be stolen." Xiaoxia shook her head with a firm tone.

I nodded, agreeing with him. I had experienced new cars being stolen before, and although this old car was old and worn out, it was safe and no thief would want to steal it.

"Then let's buy second-hand bicycles." I suggested, "I remember there's a place under the bridge ahead that specializes in selling second-hand bicycles. Let's go see if there are any left."

Soon, we arrived under the bridge. As expected, there were several second-hand car dealers gathered here, each with several cars on display. I went up to ask about the price and found that it was basically between a hundred and two hundred.

While we were selecting cars, Xiaoxia suddenly pulled me aside and whispered to me, "Brother, why do they all have so many cars? Could it be that they stole them and put them here to sell? If we buy their cars, won't that encourage this evil trend?"

I was slightly startled. I didn't expect Xiaoxia to think of this. I looked at her approvingly and replied, "You are quite conscious. What you said is possible, but if you want to buy a used car, this may be the only way we can find it. Their cars are all bought, but it's hard to say where the people who sell them the cars got their cars from."

Just as we were hesitating, a car dealer came over and enthusiastically sold us: "Take a look at this one. It's very new and only costs 200 yuan. If you buy a new one, it won't cost less than 500 yuan. What are you hesitating about?"

Xiaoxia looked at the car, then looked at me, and asked, "Do you have the invoice for this car?"

The car dealer was stunned for a moment, then said impatiently: "Girl, are you kidding me? How can we provide you with an invoice when we sell a used car? Not to mention that we don't have one, even if we have one, we've thrown it away. Who would keep that thing? If you really want it, how about I give you a discount of twenty yuan?"

We looked at each other, feeling a little hesitant. It was indeed hard to buy a car without an invoice. But if we didn't buy the car here, we didn't know where else to find one.

While the bicycle dealer was bargaining with us, a middle-aged woman came over pushing a bicycle. Her face was filled with a warm smile, giving people a kind feeling.

"Wow, you can still sell cars here. Do you want to buy bicycles?" the middle-aged woman asked us enthusiastically.

"Well, yes, Auntie." I replied, and at the same time looked at Xiaoxia, as if asking for her opinion.

The middle-aged woman looked at the car in the dealer's hand, and then turned to us: "Hey, car dealer, let me ask you, how much do you sell a car like this for?"

"This one's 150 bucks." The car dealer answered without hesitation.

"What if you accept it?" the middle-aged woman asked again.

"Eighty if I charge." The car dealer seemed a little impatient.

The middle-aged woman laughed after hearing this: "You sell it for 150 yuan and charge 80 yuan. You are quite a ruthless person." Her ridicule made the car dealer feel embarrassed.

"Hey, sister, are you buying or selling? Don't interfere with my business." The car dealer retorted angrily.

The middle-aged woman turned to us and said, "You two kids, are you planning to buy a car?" Her tone was full of concern.

"Yes." We answered in unison.

"Then come with me. I have a bike that I don't ride anymore and I plan to sell it. It's similar to the one I asked the dealer about." The middle-aged woman invited us enthusiastically.

We looked at the car dealer, then at the middle-aged woman, and were a little hesitant. But Xiaoxia suddenly asked me in a low voice: "What do you think?"

I nodded, thinking that this was good, at least I didn't have to worry about the car being stolen. So we decided to follow the middle-aged woman to take a look.

The middle-aged woman's home was not far away, and it took only ten minutes to walk there. She pointed to a bicycle parked in the corridor and said, "Look, this is the one parked in the corridor. Wait for me to push it out."

We leaned over to take a look and found that the car was basically the same as she described. Although it was a little old, it was still in good condition overall.

"Can you take a look?" the middle-aged woman asked us. "If yes, I'll go inside and find the invoice for you."

I tried riding it and it felt good, except that the brakes were not working properly. When I told the middle-aged woman, she immediately said, "It's okay that the brakes are not working properly. There is a mechanic in front. Check if there are any other problems. I will ask the mechanic to fix it for you."

We checked the car carefully again and confirmed that there were no other problems. Then the middle-aged woman went to find a mechanic to fix the brakes.

After a while, the middle-aged woman came back with a crumpled invoice in her hand: "Two kids, it's really good that the invoice was found. Is the car repaired?"

"It's fixed." The mechanic replied.

"Auntie, here's the money, thank you." I took the invoice and handed the money to the middle-aged woman.

"You're welcome. It's okay, I'll leave then." The middle-aged woman said with a smile.

"Xiaoxia, now you have your bicycle, try riding it." I pushed the bicycle in front of her.

Xiaoxia excitedly got on the saddle and tried the bike: "Well, it's quite comfortable to ride." A satisfied smile spread across her face.

"Hey, Xiaoxia, I didn't expect you to be able to ride a bicycle!" I said to Xiaoxia with some surprise and admiration while riding my bicycle. The sunlight shone on us through the gaps in the leaves, adding a bit of warmth to this leisurely afternoon.

After hearing this, Xiaoxia smiled proudly and shook her head gently, as if recalling something. "You know, when I was a kid, I often rode my classmates' bicycles in the village. Those bicycles had a beam, and I was still young at that time, so I would crawl under the beam and ride with my body bent. Every time I rode, I felt like I had grown up a lot." Her words were full of nostalgia and joy for that time.

I couldn't help laughing as I listened to her description. "You don't ride often, but it seems you're riding pretty well now." I praised her, trying to encourage her.

After hearing this, Xiaoxia smiled embarrassedly, then shook her head and said, "No, I'm actually very bad at riding a bike. You'd better talk less to me, otherwise I might crash." There was a hint of self-mockery in her words, but more of it was honesty and truthfulness.

However, just as she finished her words, she accidentally swerved the front of the car and hit the curb. I screamed, braked quickly, and turned to see her situation. I saw Xiaoxia had stopped the car. She was holding the bicycle, looking at me awkwardly, with a helpless smile on her face.

As night fell, the sky turned a deep blue-black, and stars began to dot the night sky, flashing a faint but firm light. The street lights gradually lit up, and the orange light illuminated the road ahead, adding a bit of warmth to us.

I rode my bike, feeling the cool breeze on my face, and a sense of peace and satisfaction welled up in my heart. Xiaoxia followed behind me, her wheels rolling gently, making a regular sound, like a beautiful melody. We rode side by side, without too many words, just the warmth and tacit understanding of each other's company.

Occasionally, pedestrians would pass by hurriedly on the road, some with their heads down, some taking a leisurely stroll, each with their own story and destination. We, on the other hand, were moving towards the night school together for our common dream and goal.

As we rode, the surrounding scenery kept changing. From bustling streets to quiet alleys, from noisy markets to peaceful campuses, each place exuded a different atmosphere and charm. We admired these beautiful views, felt the pulse and rhythm of the city, and seemed to be integrated into the life of the city.

Finally, we arrived at the entrance of the night school. I stopped the car and turned to look at Xiaoxia, who had a smile of satisfaction and expectation on her face. We walked into the campus together and started a new learning journey.