Third watch

After entering June, the temperature in City S began to rise sharply.

The scorching sun was so strong that people couldn't open their eyes, and even the flower and bird market, which was always noisy as hell, seemed to be silenced by the sun. Occasionally, there were one or two birdsong, which was also weak, and one could almost imagine the bird. The bird looked like he was head-to-head.

Wang Xiaoming, who was sleeping on the cash register, was awakened by a loud noise. He looked up and saw a group of children running past the door, kicking a few small stones onto the glass door.

Seeing those flushed faces, Wang Xiaoming felt even hotter.

It's not time to get off work, and there are few pedestrians on the road. Wang Xiaoming's Guangming Stationery Store is as sluggish as the flower and bird market next door.

He and his grandfather came to S City three years ago and rented the two-story house. They opened a stationery store downstairs and sold some fancy Korean stationery. The grandfather and grandson usually live upstairs.

But now there is only Wang Xiaoming in the family.

His grandfather, Wang Dazhuang, has been away for a month and hasn't come back yet.

Normally, the stationery store would be closed when Wang Dazhuang went out, but Wang Xiaoming was a senior this year and didn’t have any classes. Most of his classmates had also started going out for internships, so Wang Xiaoming packed up and went home to visit the store.

There is a middle school next to the stationery store across the road. The exam is approaching recently, and the business in the store is pretty good. It is not often that it is so deserted after school like today.

Or close the door earlier and go upstairs to surf the Internet.

Wang Xiaoming looked at the sky and thought it might rain tonight. The sky darkened quickly, the sun was drawn into the clouds, and the air was sticky, making one feel like standing in steam.

The clock on the wall reads six o'clock.

Wang Xiaoming decided to close the door.

In fact, it is just after school, and there will be a wave of business after the students have finished their evening self-study.

But the bright stationery store will always close before the sun goes down.

This is the dead rule set by Wang Dazhuang.

Wang Xiaoming pulled down the shutter door, touched a box of instant noodles from behind the counter, and went upstairs to watch TV.

This two-story building is quite big, and two rooms can be separated on the second floor to make an extra toilet—in fact, there is also a toilet on the first floor, but Wang Dazhuang insisted on getting one on the second floor, saying that he was too lazy to go downstairs in the middle of the night.

Wang Xiaoming soaked noodles, opened a video and ate while watching, and even took time to video with his brothers in the dormitory.

Half of the people in his dormitory left City S to find a job, but there was one person who stayed in the dormitory firmly - he firmly disagreed with the statement that he couldn't find an internship.

The left-behind brother is called Lu Xiaolu, who is in the next bed to Wang Xiaoming. Right now, he is eating instant noodles, squatting shirtless on a chair and snoring.

"Happy at home? Eating instant noodles while blowing on the small air conditioner." Lu Xiaolu took a sip of the noodles: "It's not like me, squatting in this shabby dormitory, and even the fan is too old to turn."

"You put the fan on the computer, of course you're hot." Wang Xiaoming also sucked noodles: "Where are you going at night?"

"Where else can I go? Go to the library."

Wang Xiaoming let out a laugh.

Lu Xiaolu glared at him: "Why? Why don't I work harder?"

"Diligence?" Wang Xiaoming grinned, "You're here to see beautiful women, right?"

"That's the image I have in your heart?" Lu Xiaolu raised his voice: "Why do you want me to see beautiful women? I'm obviously going to blow on the air conditioner!"

Apart from the office building in the school, only the library building has air-conditioning. In summer nights, most of the homeboys who have nowhere to go choose to spend time in the library building with their computer cats in their arms.

"Then take a look at the beauties." Lu Xiaolu added, "Just by the way."

Wang Xiaoming said disdainfully: "You are still so naive, how can a beautiful woman go to the library? You have boyfriends, you might as well go to the lover's forest or the small rockery, take a whistle, and go wherever it is dark If you blow it loudly, it is guaranteed that half of the people who come out are beauties."

"What do you know? I saw one last night. You don't know, now that it's hot, those girls are wearing..."

Before Lu Xiaolu could finish his sentence, the computer went black with a snap.

Wang Xiaoming: "?!"

Not just the computer, but even the lights in the room went out.

Wang Xiaoming stupidly sat in the dark with instant noodles in his hands, unable to react.

power cut?

At this time the phone rang, and it was Lu Xiaolu calling.

"What's the matter with you?" Lu Xiaolu's loud voice came out as soon as it was connected.

"The computer went black all of a sudden." Wang Xiaoming put down the instant noodles: "Maybe there is a power outage."

"Oh, don't you trip the switch? Go and see if the fuse is blown, and hang up if you have nothing to do. Brother has gone to take a shower." Lu Xiaolu took another sip of instant noodles and hung up the phone.

Fuse blown?

Wang Xiaoming stood up.

Usually he lived in school, and only came back on weekends. Wang Dazhuang was responsible for the electricity and gas at home. Wang Xiaoming thought about it for a while, because the house was rented, so the electric switch seemed to be installed outside.

Wang Xiaoming hesitated for a moment, opened the window and looked out.

The street lights on the street were still on, and there was a little wind blowing, but it was not as hot as in the afternoon.

There seem to be flashlights in the store.There should be candles too.

Wang Xiaoming took his mobile phone to light up the light and went downstairs to look for a flashlight. It's probably going to be dark to take a shower tonight.

But what is depressing is that if the electricity is gone, there is no air conditioner to work, and even the fan cannot blow, and [-]% of them will be heated to death.

Wang Xiaoming went into the store and searched for a long time but couldn't find the flashlight, only two lighters.

Could it be that grandpa put it upstairs?

Wang Xiaoming turned around and walked back to the stairs to go upstairs, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Wang Xiaoming stopped in his tracks.

It was not the stationery store that was knocked, but the back door behind the stairs.

There is also a space behind the stairs, which used to be used as a kitchen. Later, neither Wang Dazhuang's grandparents knew how to cook, so Wang Dazhuang set up a set of tables, chairs and a few shelves to put some messy things.

There is also a door on the wall of the kitchen, which leads to a small alley behind the house. The back doors of several food stalls are also opened there. It is often dirty and wet, and there is no street light, so people who can walk in the alley are very difficult. Very little.

But now there was a knock at the door leading to the alley.

Wang Xiaoming stood motionless in the darkness and didn't make a sound.

The light on the phone screen gradually dimmed.

The knock on the door stopped for a while, and then it sounded again, neither slow nor fast, neither soft nor heavy, but it was very clear in the quiet darkness.

Wang Xiaoming remained silent and did not move.

He wondered if the door was locked.

He rarely came behind the stairs, and Wang Dazhuang didn't allow him to.

The doors are usually locked - during the day.

Because the evening business of Guangming Stationery Store comes in through the back door.

But the person doing business is Wang Dazhuang, and Wang Xiaoming must not open the door.

This is also the second dead rule set by Wang Dazhuang.

Wang Xiaoming was not allowed to see, listen to or touch the business at night.

So even though the knock on the door was getting louder now, Wang Xiaoming still didn't move.

He just stood quietly on the edge of the stairs, even breathing lightly, as if he wanted to pretend that no one was home—this was a bit ridiculous, because there was a power outage right now, and no one answered the door after knocking for so long, and the house was still dark Everyone will feel that the owner is not at home.

But those outside the door—whether they were guests or not—apparently didn't think so.

The other party seemed to know that Wang Xiaoming was standing behind the door, and the knocking on the door gradually became faster and louder, until at the end, it seemed like he was knocking on the door in a hysterical manner.

This door is a solid wood door, which is supposed to be very strong, but the loud banging sound still makes people worry whether the door will be smashed through, or whether the lock is strong enough.

Wang Xiaoming's feet were a little numb from standing, but the other party was relentless and kept pounding on the door as if he would not get tired.

At this time, a harsh music suddenly sounded.

Wang Xiaoming was taken aback.

It was his cell phone that rang.

Almost at the same time, the pounding on the door stopped immediately.

Wang Xiaoming stared at the quiet back door, feeling very uncomfortable.

It's as if the person who was knocking on the door now heard the ringing of the phone, stopped suddenly, and then - lay on the back door, with his ear pressed to the door, trying to eavesdrop on any movement in the house with all his concentration.

In such a quiet environment, the bell rang harshly.

Wang Xiaoming answered the phone.

"Hello?" Lu Xiaolu's loud voice remained the same: "What a pity, I forgot that today is Thursday, and the library is closed...I'm going to be so hot."

"Oh." Wang Xiaoming replied dryly, still staring at the lock of the back door.

"The dormitory is really too hot, it's still early, can you take the buddies in for a night? Let me also turn on the air conditioner, my legs are so hot that they curl up!"

Lu Xiaolu used to come to play with Wang Xiaoming occasionally on weekends, and set up a floor shop to blow up the air conditioner.

"Don't come!" Wang Xiaoming blurted out.

"what?"

Wang Xiaoming withdrew his gaze: "It's useless for you to come tonight. The power is out in this area, not to mention the air conditioner, and there is no fan."

"Damn it, can't you?!"

"real."

"Did it trip? Have you read it?"

"I checked, it's not a trip, it's a power outage."

"Is there really a power outage?"

"Why lie to you?" Wang Xiaoming said casually, "You can come if you don't mind the heat."

"No, I'll stay in the dormitory and smooth my legs, that's fine, hang up." Lu Xiaolu always spoke in a hurry, Wang Xiaoming only had time to say goodbye to the phone before hanging up.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Xiaoming looked at the back door for a while, and then went upstairs quietly.

The street light outside the window was still on, Wang Xiaoming closed the window, thought for a while, hung a small gourd on the window sill, then stopped looking for the flashlight, took a shower in the dark, found a cattail fan in Wang Dazhuang's room, and slowly fanned it. fell asleep.

Wang Xiaoming was afraid of both the cold and the heat. He tossed and turned all night and didn't sleep well. He woke up the next day sweating and had two dark circles under his eyes.

When the shop opened at dawn, Wang Xiaoming found that the electricity was suddenly on again.

He asked the neighbors next door, and they all said that there was no power outage last night.

Wang Xiaoming thought for a while, afraid that the computer would be black again tonight, so he asked an electrician to check it out, but he didn't have the mood to open the shop anymore, so he hung up the sign that it was closed today, and took the bus to the school to find Lu Xiaolu to play with.

Lu Xiaolu was busy in the workshop, when he saw Wang Xiaoming throwing himself into the trap, he dragged him out to help.

Burning the stove to melt sludge on a hot day was a torture. Wang Xiaoming, sweating all over his face, helped Lu Xiaolu make a model together.

Although Lu Xiaolu couldn't find an internship, it doesn't mean that this person has no merits.

In fact, Lu Xiaolu's professional class is the first in the grade, and he often makes some pirated models by himself to amaze everyone.

Lu Xiaolu’s most famous achievement was when he took a model class when he was a sophomore. The homework required him to make a one-to-one simulated mobile phone model with plaster. The homework of everyone in his dormitory was sent back.

So the loyal Lu Xiaolu volunteered to help his brothers tide over the difficulties, and he even chose the most advanced mobile phone on the market at that time.

As a result, the model was taken away on the way to hand in homework to the teacher.

Afterwards, according to Lu Xiaolu’s confession, while waiting for the bus, the teacher called and asked him where he was. He hung up the phone and checked whether there were enough mobile phone models in the Adivon’s packaging bag. As a result, the Adivon’s bag got off the bus It's gone.

It is estimated that the thief's dog's eyes will light up when he counts the high-end mobile phones one by one. I don't know what expression that man will have when he finds that they are all plaster when he gets them.

However, from the side of this incident, it can be reflected that Lu Xiaolu's craftsmanship is indeed quite good.

This time Lu Xiaolu has great ambitions and plans to build a flying house where balloons fly all over the world in the movie.

Wang Xiaoming, who originally planned to go to the library with Lu Xiaolu to see beautiful women at night, saw the situation, let alone the library, this person might stay in the workshop tonight, so when Lu Xiaolu was concentrating on polishing, Wang Xiaoming withdrew .

Lu Xiaolu was the only one left in the dormitory, and Wang Xiaoming didn't feel like staying there. Seeing that it was still early, he decided to go home.

Unexpectedly, there was a torrential rain on the way, and the bus was blocked for almost half an hour. After Wang Xiaoming got off the bus, the rain became lighter, but it was almost dark.

Wang Xiaoming didn't bring an umbrella, and was drenched in the rain as soon as he got out of the car.

He secretly felt unlucky, and when he jumped onto the platform in a hurry and was about to go home, he stopped suddenly.

Wang Xiaoming turned his head to look at the bus. He just felt that someone was staring at his back.

But the window glass of the bus was a little blurred by the wiper, and with the air conditioner in the car, it looked even more hazy, and I couldn't see anything clearly.

Wang Xiaoming frowned, and was about to take a closer look, but the bus drove away.

Maybe he's getting a little nervous.

His grandfather still didn't come home today.Wang Dazhuang used to travel far when he was living at school, but his grandfather was at home most of the time when Wang Xiaoming was home.

And now he has been running a shop and looking after the house alone for almost a month, but his grandfather still hasn't come back.

This is a bit unusual.

Wang Xiaoming felt that nothing would happen to his grandfather, but it didn't feel good that he was the only one at home.

And he didn't know if there would be another knock on the back door of the store tonight.