The programmer and his woman

I sighed, thinking that Xiaoxia must still be angry, so I decided to give her some time to calm down. So I went downstairs and called her a few times, but no one answered the phone. I went upstairs and knocked on the door a few times, but still no response.

I feel so unlucky these past few days. If it was Xia Li's fault, she didn't do anything. Including this incident, I forgot to return the stockings to her.

The next day, I came to school early and saw Xia Li as soon as I entered the school. She saw me and asked with concern: "Teacher Wang, what's wrong with you? Didn't you sleep all night? You have big dark circles under your eyes."

I smiled bitterly and nodded, and replied helplessly: "It's all your fault."

Xia Li listened to what I said, and looked confused: "I caused it? What happened to me?"

I sighed and explained, "Well, this can't be entirely your fault. It was the pair of stockings you left yesterday that caused the trouble. I put them in my pocket and forgot to return them to you, and my girlfriend saw them, and she misunderstood the relationship between you and me."

After hearing what I said, Xia Li suddenly realized: "Oh, so it's because of that. Didn't I say you would return them to me after applying the medicine? Why did you take them away from me? If you like them, I can give you a new pair. Why did you steal someone else's things? I went home with bare legs yesterday, and my dad scolded me."

When Xia Li said this, her voice suddenly choked up and her eyes became red, as if she would burst into tears in the next second. She was obviously very emotional, and I couldn't help feeling guilty when I saw her like this.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. It was my carelessness that led to this misunderstanding. I really didn't mean it. Don't cry, I was wrong." I apologized eagerly, trying to calm her down.

Xia Li sniffed and tried to control her emotions. She looked up at me with a determined light in her eyes. "It's good that you know you're wrong. Then you have to come to my house with me today."

I was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion: "What?"

Xia Li explained: "Explain this to my dad. My dad thinks I am a bad student and I don't dare to say anything when I am bullied by a man."

My eyes widened and I exclaimed, “Huh?”

"What? Are you going or not?" Xia Li was a little anxious and her voice became a little louder.

Seeing that she was about to cry again, I had no choice but to compromise: "Hey, I'll go, don't cry."

After hearing my reply, Xia Li finally smiled: "Well, I won't cry if you go."

I smiled bitterly and shook my head, thinking that this young lady's tears came and went quickly. I sighed and prepared to accept this "difficult" task.

After get off work, Xia Li came to see me on time. She was wearing a simple dress and her face had regained its usual smile. We walked out of the school gate together and prepared to go to her home.

I had just walked a short distance when I met my master. He looked at me and Xia Li walking side by side, and a complicated expression appeared on his face. He patted my shoulder and teased me, "Oh, look, look, your eye circles are getting darker and darker. What did I say, my disciple, you will be drained of your body by alcohol and sex if you keep doing this."

I smiled awkwardly and explained, "What? Master, it's not what you think."

The master refused to give up and continued to ask, "Why, I heard that you and Xia Li are together again?"

I sighed helplessly and explained, "No, Master, you misunderstood. Xia Li and I are just friends, and I went to her house this time to explain a misunderstanding."

After listening to my explanation, the master showed a half-smile on his face: "Oh? Really? Then why did Teacher Li resign yesterday? She said she didn't want to associate with a scum like you, and she also said that you were shameless and stole her sweetheart, Xia Li."

"My disciple, you've gone too far," the master looked at me with a bit of teasing on his face, "You've still got your ex-girlfriend, haven't you? How come you've opened up a new piece of land here? I think you're getting more and more capable, a bit like me back then."

I smiled bitterly and waved my hands: "Master, things are already chaotic enough, please stop making trouble. Teacher Li asked for his resignation, but you didn't accept it, right?"

The master stroked his beard and said proudly, "I agreed. Why not?"

"Ah, how could you agree to it so carelessly? This was all just a misunderstanding. I'll just have the chance to explain it to him." I explained anxiously.

The master patted my shoulder and comforted me, "It's okay, apprentice, you can do whatever you want, and the master will be your strong support."

I sighed, smiled bitterly and shook my head: "Oh, how come I have a master like you? I have nothing to do with Xia Li."

The master looked at me with a half-smile: "Hmm? That's not right. I heard everything just now. Has it developed to the point where you have to meet the parents? And you still want to hide it from me?"

I sighed helplessly, knowing that the more I explained, the worse it would get, so I had to change the subject: "Oh, you heard wrong, it's not like that. Well, forget it, let me ask you something serious, the art teacher is gone, what about the art classes later?"

The master patted his chest and said proudly: "I contacted that former student, and he said he could come and teach. Disciple, I will help you clear all obstacles, and we can also save some tuition fees, which is a great thing."

I sighed, thinking that this master really loved to joke, but I couldn't say anything else, so I just went along with him: "Okay, thank you for your hard work. By the way, who are you contacting..."

"It's the sea." The master answered before I could finish.

After lunch, I actually met Dahai, an art student from my former studio. As soon as he saw me, he greeted me warmly: "Hey, Mr. Wang, long time no see."

I responded with a smile: "Yeah, it's been a long time since I saw the sea, you're here."

Dahai nodded. "Yes, Teacher Qi called me to come here and said that they needed an art teacher. How could I do that? This is really forcing me to do something I'm not good enough for."

I patted his shoulder and encouraged him, "Hey, Dahai, you are wrong. You have such a good foundation in art and you are familiar with our course system. You should be able to teach this course easily."

We chatted for a while, and I asked him about his life after leaving the studio: "Da Hai, where have you been doing since you left the studio last time?"

Dahai shrugged and said casually, "I didn't go anywhere. When I had nothing to do, I just painted at home. Teacher Wang, you know me. I can't stand being restricted, so I can't do it in the company."

I nodded and asked with concern: "So do you still have money to spend after not working for so long?"

Dahai scratched his head and said a little embarrassedly: "My parents usually give me some."

I sighed and advised, "Hey, you're almost 30, and your parents are old too. You can't always rely on them to give you money. Come to school and give a good lecture this time, and don't quit your job again."

Dahai nodded and said gratefully, "Okay, don't worry, Teacher Wang. By the way, Teacher Wang, do you have any money? Lend me some."

I was stunned for a moment, then I took out my wallet from my pocket and looked at it: "Wait, let me see, what is it for? There is only ten yuan."

Dahai took the money and said with a smile: "That's enough. I haven't eaten lunch yet. I'm going to have lunch."

Watching him leave, I shook my head helplessly, thinking that the sea really hasn't changed, it's still so casual. However, I was relieved to have him teach art class.

In a blink of an eye, the bell for the end of get off work rang. I took a deep breath, sorted out my thoughts, and prepared to go find Xia Li. According to our previous agreement, I would go to her house with her to help her explain to her father the misunderstanding caused by the pair of stockings yesterday.

"Xia Li, you live here!" I couldn't help but sigh when I arrived at the place Xia Li mentioned. This community is elegant and tree-lined, and you can tell at a glance that it is a high-end residential area. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous, after all, this was my first time to Xia Li's house, and I was here to explain a misunderstanding.

"Let's not go home. My dad has booked a restaurant. Let's talk outside." Xia Li seemed to see my nervousness and explained with a smile.

"Ah? Isn't it just to help you explain it? Why is it so complicated? We still have to go to eat?" I was a little surprised, but still followed Xia Li into the restaurant.

"Oh, you don't have to spend any money. Let's go in quickly. My parents are waiting inside." Xia Li said as she pulled me inside.

"Mom and Dad, this is Wang Dong." Xia Li introduced him to a middle-aged couple sitting at the dining table.

"Hello, uncle and aunt." I greeted them politely.

"Well, come and sit down, Xiao Wang." Xia Li's father invited me to sit down warmly.

"What would you like to eat, Xiao Wang?" the waiter came over and asked.

"I'm not hungry, uncle and aunt, I came here just to explain to Xia Li what happened yesterday. I'll be leaving after that and I won't eat." I waved my hands, trying to refuse.

"There's no rush for this. Let's talk slowly here." Xia Li's father said with a smile, "Xiao Wang, take a seat first."

Then the waiter began to ask us what we wanted to order. Xia Li's father said directly to the waiter: "Let's each have a steak first."

"How would you like it done, Xiao Wang?" the waiter asked me.

I was stunned for a moment, thinking that I had never been to such a western restaurant and had no idea about the doneness of steak. I had only heard of the term, but I didn't know if they really ate raw meat. Eating raw meat? Wouldn't that make me upset? I was a little hesitant, but I didn't want to appear too ignorant in front of Xia Li's family, so I tentatively said, "Ah, I don't eat raw meat, I eat well-done."

The waiter nodded and said to the kitchen, "Two medium rare, one medium rare, and one well done."

After a while, the waiter brought four portions of fried beef. I looked at the well-done steak in front of me, feeling a little nervous. I secretly observed how Xia Li's family skillfully used knife and fork to cut the beef, thinking to myself: This seems to have been shown in a TV series, but I forgot which hand used the knife and which hand used the fork? Oh, let me see how they use it first.

I watched Xia Li and her family skillfully use the knife and fork, holding the beef steadily with the fork in the left hand and cutting it gently with the knife in the right hand. After watching for a while, I thought I had mastered the essentials, so I followed their example, holding the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand, and began to try to cut my steak. However, the reality was very different from what I imagined.

My piece of beef seemed particularly tough. Whether it was because the knife was not sharp enough or my method was wrong, I couldn't cut it after a long time. What was even more embarrassing was that every time the knife rubbed against the plate, it made a harsh sound, which gave me goose bumps and made me feel uncomfortable.

I thought, forget it, I have never eaten this kind of Western food, and I am not used to this way of eating, so I won’t pretend. So I looked up and shouted to the waiter, "Waiter, come here, please help me get a pair of chopsticks."

The waiter politely responded: "Sorry sir, this is a Western restaurant and we don't have chopsticks."

I smiled awkwardly, thinking that I had no choice but to use the fork. I tried to lift the beef up a little with my hands, and then used the fork to push it hard. However, the beef seemed to be against me, and I couldn't push it up. I finally got it up with a lot of effort, and I tasted a bite of the beef with the fork.

I couldn't help but frown when I tasted it. The beef tasted terrible and I couldn't chew it no matter how hard I tried. I recalled the price Xia Li mentioned before, more than 100 yuan per serving, and I couldn't help but mutter in my heart: "How dare they sell this broken thing for more than 100 yuan? Aren't these swindlers just trying to rob me?" I thought to myself, this is not as delicious as the fried steak made from the beef that Xiaoxia and I bought for 5 yuan.

At this time, Xia Li's parents looked at each other and shook their heads, probably because they were disappointed with my actions. I felt a little embarrassed, but I thought that I was not here for a blind date, so I just had to finish my meal and help Xia Li explain, and then I could leave quickly.

Xia Li's mother began to ask me some personal questions: "Xiao Wang, how old are you this year?" I was still chewing the piece of meat in my mouth. Although I had been chewing it for a while, I really couldn't chew it. I hesitated for a moment, thinking that I couldn't answer so impolitely, so I made up my mind and swallowed the piece of meat directly. Then I answered a little embarrassedly: "I will be 22 soon."

Then, Xia Li's mother asked me about my education, family situation, etc. I answered my own situation truthfully and tried to bring the topic back to what happened yesterday: "Uncle and aunt, let me explain to Xia Li what happened that day."

However, Xia Li's mother seemed dissatisfied with my answer. She continued to ask, "Has Xiao Wang ever had a girlfriend before?" I was stunned, thinking, how can this be a blind date? I answered, "Auntie, I have a girlfriend now."

Xia Li's mother seemed a little surprised: "Are you talking about you and our Xia Li?" I quickly explained: "No, Xia Li and I are just colleagues. I already have a girlfriend."

At this time, Xia Li's father suddenly slammed the table and scolded: "Xiao Li, you are really fooling around, come home with us." Xia Li anxiously explained: "Hey, uncle and aunt, you are leaving now, I haven't made things clear to you yet." However, Xia Li's parents had already decided to leave.

I looked at their backs, feeling a little confused. At this moment, I suddenly remembered that the bill had not been paid. I quickly called the waiter to ask, "Waiter, has the bill been paid?" The waiter smiled and replied, "Hello, sir, it has been paid." Hearing this, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, I looked at the piece of beef left on my plate. Although it didn't taste good, I decided not to waste it after thinking about how much money I spent. So, I stuffed the piece of beef into my mouth. Although it didn't taste good, I still chewed it and swallowed it.