Su Baixue jerked her head around. She instinctively glanced at the clock: 11:30.
Who was it?
Was Grandma back?
Su Baixue looked through the peephole.
Ever since Su Cui had replaced the door, she had told Su Baixue to always check the peephole before opening the door. If no one was visible through the peephole, she was not to open the door no matter how hard someone knocked. Once, when Su Cui came back and Su Baixue forgot to look, she opened the door directly, and Su Cui had scolded her several times.
After that, she always checked the peephole before opening.
Outside was not Su Cui, but Li Guizhi—Grandma Li.
"Grandma Li, what brings you here?" Su Baixue opened the door in surprise.
Li Guizhi looked anxious. "Baixue! My faucet is broken and leaking badly. Last time, I heard Cuihua say you had a faucet repaired. Do you still have the number for that master?"
"Ah! Yes!" Su Baixue took out her phone and searched her contacts. "Don't worry. Master Qin lives nearby. I'll call and ask."
The phone rang twice and was answered.
"Hello, I'm looking for Master Qin... It's like this: my faucet is broken. Can Master Qin come today? Yes... I'm really sorry."
"Master Qin is out? The water valve... Okay, thank you." Su Baixue hung up.
The lights seemed to be broken tonight, making everything unusually dim. Su Baixue squinted uncomfortably and said to Li Guizhi, "Grandma Li, Master Qin is out. He said we should try to turn off the water valve ourselves."
Li Guizhi sighed. "I wanted to do that, but in this old neighborhood, all the water valves are rusted. I can't budge them!"
Su Baixue remembered the water valves downstairs. Most were indeed rusted shut. Last time they fixed the faucet, she and Master Qin couldn't move the valve—only Grandma had managed to turn it.
But Grandma wasn't here now...
Su Baixue dialed again.
This time, the phone was answered after one ring.
"I'm really sorry, but the water valves here are all rusted and we can't shut them off... Are you Master Qin's son? Last time Master Qin praised you. Are you free now..."
"Yes, it's late, and I'm sorry to bother you, I'm really sorry... Really? Thank you!" After hanging up, Su Baixue broke into a smile.
"Grandma Li, Master Qin's son is coming to fix it. They live nearby, so he should be here soon."
Li Guizhi smiled. "Really? That's great."
Fifteen minutes later, Su Baixue received a call.
Master Qin's son asked for directions on the phone: "Your neighborhood is a bit remote, and several streetlights are out tonight. I can't find my way."
"I'll come down and get you!" Su Baixue said quickly.
Su Baixue grabbed her coat and phone and went downstairs. Grandma Li's door downstairs was open. When she saw Su Baixue coming down, she asked, "Baixue, where are you going so late?"
"Grandma Li, the plumber Xiao Qin is here. I'm going to meet him!"
"Don't go too far!" The house was full of water. Li Guizhi wiped the sweat from her forehead, put down the mop, took out an umbrella, and handed it to Su Baixue. "Your grandma should be back soon. Take this umbrella."
"I see it's raining outside."
"Okay!"
Su Baixue rushed downstairs. Indeed, rain was falling from the sky, and the cold occasionally seeped into her neck, making her shiver.
Grandma should be home soon.
Su Baixue turned on her phone screen: 11:50.
It was so late.
Xiao Qin called again: "I asked someone for directions. Is it the alley next to the shop on the left that says 'Fried Noodles'?"
"Yes, yes. I'm coming down too. I'll be there soon." Su Baixue hung up and immediately walked toward the alley entrance. In the distance, she saw the dark figure of a young man. When they met,
"Are you Master Xiao Qin?" Su Baixue asked with a smile.
Xiao Qin was a medium-height young man with a sallow complexion and a forehead full of acne. He nodded, adjusting the strap of his tool bag. "This place is pretty hard to find."
"It is a bit remote. This way."
When they reached the building, Su Baixue said to Xiao Qin, "It's on the third floor. Just go straight up. The door is open."
"What about you?" Xiao Qin asked.
Su Baixue said, "I'll wait here for my grandma."
The rain intensified.
Su Baixue called her grandma.
"Grandma, are you almost home?"
"Baixue, not yet. I'm on my way. It's okay. You go to bed first. Grandma will be a little late." The hoarse voice on the phone was obviously panting.
"You didn't bring an umbrella, and it's raining..."
"It's fine. Grandma just picked up an umbrella! Hahaha... Go to bed early. Tomorrow, Grandma will make you scallion pancakes. I'll save the phone bill. Grandma is hanging up now!"
"...Okay."
The call ended.
Su Baixue knew she should go upstairs and go home.
But today, after so many things had happened, she really wanted to go back to the alley entrance one more time.
The time on her phone had turned to midnight.
As Su Baixue hesitated, a snowflake drifted before her eyes. Stunned, she stretched out her sleeve, and the snowflake landed on her red down jacket.
Su Baixue looked up.
"It's snowing," she murmured.
"This must be A City's first snow this year."
【Author's note】
The novel will enter V on October 11th. Please support me, thank you!
(1) Let me talk about the update schedule that readers are concerned about.
Because Jinjiang has ranking lists with different word count requirements, I need to control the word count so that my ranking doesn't suffer and my exposure isn't bad. So before V, I update according to the list.
After entering V, I will update daily. If something comes up, I will leave a note in the文案 and make up for it as soon as possible.
(2) About comments.
I basically don't reply to comments. I only read them when I'm tired from writing, to see the flowers and encouragement and give myself a boost to keep writing. (After I say this, I hope there won't be no comments in the future o(￣ε￣*) It's okay to drop by and say "keep going" sometimes, right?)
I personally think the comment section is mainly for readers to communicate with each other. The author's main duty is to write more. Whether the writing is good or bad, progress is what matters. There is no such thing as overnight success.
Some things related to the plot are hard to satisfy everyone, so it's really difficult to reply. So I will reply to comments after the novel is completed. Muah!
(3) Reading a story means the author's and reader's brainwaves are in sync, wanting to play together!
Not everyone will like the story. I believe everyone has the ability to think independently. Different tastes, but fate gathers us. Thank you to all readers who like this story, especially those willing to continue supporting the legitimate subscription and go along with me. Thank you, everyone! Bow.