under the tower

Being hit by his words, Ji Xi raised his eyes, and the sound of water splashed, he put the dinner plates under the water and rushed.

Yu Chengyuan snorted and said to himself: "Would you rather be hungry than eat my food? Then you are not hungry enough."

Ji Xi didn't speak, his hands became bloodshot after being washed by cold water, like two red radishes.

Yu Chengyuan ate on his own.

After a while, he put down the dishes and said, "If you are so picky, why do you still come to work here?"

Ji Xi didn't answer, but instead asked: "Since you are so poor, why do you still need to adopt those children?"

Yu Chengyuan said: "I have my reasons."

Ji Xi replied: "I have mine too."

"Ha." Yu Chengyuan made a nasal sound.

"Where did your money come from?" Ji Xi asked, "If you raise so many people by yourself, if you don't have a fixed source of income, you will have gone bankrupt long ago. But obviously there are no people patronizing your grocery store, let alone Made money."

Yu Chengyuan crossed his arms: "I have my channel, so don't worry about it if you're just a buddy. In short, the salary will be paid to you."

"You raise these children..." Ji Xi narrowed his eyes, "...you don't plan to sell them later, do you?"

"Hey, what's going on in your head." Yu Chengyuan had an exaggerated expression on his face, "Who do you think I am? I wouldn't do this kind of illegal thing, okay, you can ask the little one yourself Chi, didn't I sell him back then? Really."

"Then why did you adopt them?" Ji Xi said coldly, "Just doing good deeds? Chi Miao dares to believe this, but I don't."

Yu Chengyuan smiled mysteriously: "I can't tell you that."

"But if you have a chance..." He paused, "You might be able to feel it yourself."

"Anyway, get to work now, man. You've got too many questions."

Ji Xi thought about Yu Chengyuan's words, and went downstairs thoughtfully.

What does it mean to feel it yourself?What does this have to do with Yu Chengyuan adopting a child?

In the afternoon, the little ones on the second floor all took a nap, and Ji Xi was bored sitting on the first floor where Yu Chengyuan was yesterday, looking after the shop for him.

With Ji Xi, Yu Chengyuan went out in the afternoon, and he didn't tell Ji Xi where he was going, only that he would be back before he got off work.

There are too many secrets and things wrong with this person, and he probably knows it himself, so he just doesn't bother to hide it.

Ji Xi at least confirmed one thing, that is, Yu Chengyuan didn't force those children to live in this store, he didn't restrict the movement of these children, but these children would spontaneously stay obediently and do not leave. don't run.

But it makes sense when you think about it carefully. The skull cave is surrounded by ungoverned land and isolated cities for ten miles. Resources are extremely scarce, and there are homeless people everywhere. As Chi Miao said, if Brother Yu doesn’t take them in, they Already starved to death.

But what exactly?

Ji Xi was still puzzled.

Looking at the store is much easier than the previous job, because there are no customers coming, he just needs to sit there in a daze.

Ji Xi didn't dare to think about the fact that he had to clean up the "garbage" before leaving get off work.

The afternoon sun was warm, shining in through the glass door and falling on Ji Xi. Ji Xi propped his hands on the table, drowsy.

Just when Ji Xi was half asleep, a man and a woman walked in.

The man had a hawk-eyed face, with a very impatient expression, but he only wore a sweater in the winter, with the cuffs rolled up to reveal blue and black tattoos, while the woman held her arm, and she was wearing an unknown shirt. What kind of fur coat, long nails, a cheap perfume smell towards Ji Xi.

It looks like a couple, and the clothes don't look like the aborigines of Skull Cave.

Ji Xi woke up immediately, he stood up, remembering the business terms explained by Yu Chengyuan.

"...Welcome," he said. "What do I need?"

The two ignored him at all, and went straight to the shelf.

Ji Xi was not annoyed either, he yawned, and with his hands behind his back, he followed the two of them at a close distance.

These two people didn't know what they were looking for, and their expressions were a bit indescribable. After a while, the tattooed man turned his head and yelled at Ji Xi viciously: "Why are you always following us?"

Ji Xi's face didn't change: "Our shop is often broken into by thieves, and the boss will fine my salary if I lose something, please be considerate."

"I'm not a thief!" the man yelled, "Get out of here."

"Then what are you looking at?" Ji Xi said flatly, standing like a pine, without taking a step back, "I can find it for you."

The man glared at him, saw that Ji Xi didn't respond, then glared at the woman who was holding his arm, and complained: "You're the one who wanted to come..."

The woman poked his shoulder in a coquettish tone: "Honey, I'm afraid..."

Ji Xi:? ? ?

The man stomped his feet fiercely, then scratched his hair again, with a look that was really hard to say, and squeezed out a few words like squeezing toothpaste: "Do you...have a pregnancy test stick in this store?"

"What?" Ji Xi looked confused, the man's voice was too low, and the words were not clear, he really didn't understand.

The man went all out, and raised his voice and said loudly: "Test, pregnancy, great! Are you deaf!"

Ji Xi's brain froze for a second, quickly searched the product category he just memorized this morning, and finally realized what it was: "Oh, yes, come with me."

Ji Xi dug out a long white box from under the corner shelf of the fourth row of shelves, and handed it to them: "Is this it?"

The man snatched it away, the woman looked at it, and said with a charming smile, "That's it, thank you for your hard work, handsome boy."

"That's fine." Ji Xi said, he went to the counter to pay for them, "A total of 88 points, only cash, do you need anything else?"

"My day, 88, why don't you steal money from this shabby store!" the man said loudly, "No other, no other, can it be cheaper?"

With a cold face, Ji Xi recited his lines in an unwavering tone: "The products in this store are all clearly marked with prices, and we don't accept counter-offers. If you can't afford them, please go out and turn left, thank you."

"Damn!" The man cursed, but still took a few crumpled bills from his wallet and slapped them on the counter.

"Thank you for your patronage." Ji Xi took the money, put it in the currency detector and rolled it around, and continued to recite the instructions he just wrote down this morning, "Two lines represent pregnancy, and one line represents no pregnancy. After 5 minutes If there is no result, it is invalid and needs to be repurchased."

This thing, Ji Xi, is still fresh in his memory. There is no other reason. Due to the progress of the times and the decline in fertility, this thing, like many inventions of the last century, has reached the verge of being eliminated.

In fact, in Ji Xi's impression, all the fertile women in his family have difficulty conceiving naturally. They have to undergo a series of complicated hormone tests every short period of time, and then undergo artificial insemination in the laboratory. The trial steps, every physical index after artificial insemination, and the survival of the embryo in the body will be closely monitored in real time, so it is absolutely impossible for you to be pregnant without knowing it.

Even though they desperately wanted to have a baby, the Ji family still had only one child, Ji Xi.

So it is really hard for Ji Xi to imagine that there are still people in modern times who need to buy a pregnancy test stick.

"Damn, there are so many things, buy it again? Dreaming, I have no money." The man spat at the woman beside him, "You better not get pregnant, I can't afford it no matter what..."

Ji Xi interjected in a cold voice: "Back then I had the guts not to wear a condom, why don't I have the guts to keep it now?"

"What the fuck do you have a place for you to talk to?" The man said impatiently, "The matter between me and my wife is none of your business?"

Ji Xi shut up.

He still wanted to give this idiot a few words, but in the end he decided to forget it.

People are willing, why should he?

After collecting the money, Ji Xi said in a businesslike manner: "Walk slowly and don't send it away. Welcome to visit us next time."

The man pulled the woman away, and the woman turned her head and smiled at him, saying sweetly, "Thank you, handsome boy."

She didn't look unhappy or angry, or rather, she didn't have any emotions at all.

Ji Xi watched them go out.

When the sun was about to set, Ji Xi plucked up his courage and went up to the second floor.

After thinking for a long time, he decided to unpack a pair of disposable plastic gloves kept in the store, otherwise he was not sure if he would rub all the skin off his hands when he returned home today.

Standing at the door, he took a deep breath, held it back, and opened the door as if he was dying.

Those children were already awake, sitting on the bed, murmuring something, Ji Xi walked in with a numb face, picked up the spittoon jars on the ground one by one, and poured the filth inside into a basin Then stacked the remaining three together, slammed the door shut with a "bang dang", and rushed straight to the trash can in the yard downstairs with lightning speed.

After pouring the first pot, he squatted on the ground and retched uncontrollably, and it took a while to stand up with a pale face again.

After running back and forth six times like this, Ji Xi was drenched in sweat, and finally got over this horrific job.

In the evening, Ji Xi returned home wearily.

Yan's work hours are about the same as his. Today is also his first day on the job, but he seems to be in much better condition than Ji Xi.

"What's the matter?" Yan Yi asked while serving the dishes, "So sluggish? Are you being bullied?"

Ji Xi wrinkled his face, he hadn't eaten all day, his stomach hurt from hunger, but he felt a little nauseous, feeling the scorching stomach acid rolling in his throat, it was extremely uncomfortable.

As soon as he came up, he hugged Yan Yi, buried in his arms like a child, humming weakly: "...do you have porridge at home?"

"Yes, I'll serve it for you." Yan Yi touched his forehead, only feeling sticky sweat, "Are you sick?"

Ji Xi clung to him like a koala, shook his head, and murmured a little aggrievedly: "The food in the restaurant is terrible, I haven't eaten for a day, my stomach hurts."

Yan Yi rubbed his head comfortingly, and said in a broad voice, "Thanks for your hard work."

After eating the hot food at home, Ji Xi sniffed, lowered her head, smashed the rice grains in the bowl with chopsticks, and said in a low voice: "I must bring rice to work in the future, so I don't want to eat the pig food there."

"Okay." Yanyi agreed very readily, "I'll make it later in the evening, and I'll put it in your lunch box and take it with you. Do you have a microwave?"

Ji Xi nodded.

"That's fine. You can eat it when it's hot." Yan Yi said, "Fortunately, there is still some food left at home. Is there anything you want to eat? I'll buy it for you tomorrow."

Ji Xi thought for a while: "I want to eat braised bamboo shoots and seaweed soup. It would be better if there are meat dishes or scrambled eggs."

"I still have some eggs, I'll scramble them for you later. Can I make fish-flavored shredded pork?"

Ji Xi nodded, his expression finally changed from cloudy to cloudy.

So the next day, when Ji Xi took out the lunch box that Yan Yi had prepared for him in advance from his bag, Yu Chengyuan watched him intensely.

Yu Chengyuan's expression was indescribable, and he said sourly: "Come on, you kid came to work here to inspect the people's conditions? I have been here for so many years, and I have never seen anyone deliberately bring food because they think the food is not good. You come here, with such a tricky mouth, why don't you go to heaven?"

Ji Xi rolled his eyes, and he looked like he was spoiled and arrogant: "Someone is willing to cook for me, can you control it?"

Yu Chengyuan laughed angrily: "Okay, anyway, it's your own business, I wish I could save a meal."

Ji Xi smiled complacently, and deliberately put the brightly colored lunch box containing scrambled eggs with shallots and shredded fish-flavored pork in front of Yu Chengyuan. go.

Yu Chengyuan: Damn, I can't get through this day!