Liu Changqing quickened his pace instead of stopping, ignoring the voice calling out behind him.
Soon enough, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps chasing after him.
He stopped and turned around.
“Anyone would misunderstand seeing soone hiding there and sneakily eating snacks. I was just being considerate of the shop owner and didn’t want a kid your age heading down the wrong path,” Liu Changqing said.
“Then why did you grab my hand?”
The girl in the baseball cap stopped in front of him, hands on her hips, panting from the effort of catching up. Her lack of fitness was evident.
Liu Changqing’s face twisted into an expression of exasperation. “When did I grab your hand?”
“Just now, you used it as an excuse to hold my hand!”
“Stop making stuff up! This is broad daylight in a lawful society—everything needs evidence!”
“My hand is the evidence!”
She lifted her hand and sniffed it dramatically, then made a face of disgust.
“It slls gross.”
“Are you kidding ? I just washed my hands with soap before leaving ho. There’s no way they sll!”
“Well, now my hand feels dirty!”
“That’s not my problem! Stop spouting nonsense.”
“You’re going to hit !”
Her voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of passersby.
Liu Changqing stared at her, his expression darkening.
It was clear this girl was just looking for trouble.
Refusing to engage further, he turned and walked away.
“Hey! Don’t leave!”
The girl quickly caught up, walking beside him with her head tilted, hands clasped behind her back.
“I was just joking. You’re not mad, are you?”
“…”
“I was just ssing around earlier. Your hand doesn’t actually sll bad!” she said, lifting her hand to sniff again. “See, no sll at all!”
“…”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“…”
“Uncle?”
Liu Changqing stayed silent, not even sparing her a glance, and continued walking.
Seeing he wasn’t in the mood to talk, the girl finally stopped speaking, trailing quietly beside him.
When they reached a red light, Liu Changqing paused at the crosswalk, watching the countdown on the signal.
He felt sothing in his hand and looked down.
The girl was pressing a packet of snacks into his palm.
“What are you doing?” he asked, glancing back at her.
“You spoke!”
The girl’s face lit up with excitent. “I thought you were going to ignore forever!”
“What do you want?”
“Here, take this. It’s tasty.” She pulled another packet from her pocket and offered it to him.
“I don’t want it,” Liu Changqing said, his expression impassive.
“Don’t be mad. I won’t joke around like that anymore,” she said, her tone soft and almost pleading.
Liu Changqing’s stern face cracked slightly, a hint of frustration showing.
“I don’t understand you kids these days. If it was a misunderstanding, and it’s resolved, then why not go back to your supermarket and keep snacking? Why are you still following ?”
“You’re absolutely right!” she replied cheerfully, her face breaking into a smile.
“Then take this snack.”
“I don’t eat snacks.”
“It’s really good—sweet and tangy!”
“I don’t like sour or sweet things.”
“Just try it…”
Her hopeful gaze made Liu Changqing feel strangely uncomfortable. After a mont’s hesitation, he reluctantly took one packet.
“Fine, just one.”
“Okay!”
“Now can you go ho?”
“Sure!” She nodded enthusiastically, her smile radiant.
Liu Changqing gave her a complex look. There was sothing off about this girl.
When the light turned green, he crossed the street.
Halfway across the crosswalk, her voice rang out behind him.
“Uncle! Tell your son I’ll settle the score with him soday!”
“…”
Liu Changqing ignored her, finishing his crossing before turning to glance back.
The girl stood at the other end, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at him in mock indignation.
Her pose jogged his mory.
Wasn’t she the sa girl who had blocked his son’s path on their way ho after the parent-teacher eting?
He stared for a mont, then shook his head and continued ho.
When Liu Changqing entered the house, he imdiately spotted Liu Zhiyue sprawled on the sofa.
He tossed the snack packet onto his son’s chest, hitting the mark perfectly.
Sitting up, Liu Zhiyue grabbed the packet, his face puzzled. “What’s this?”
“So girl asked to give it to you.”
“A girl?”
“You don’t rember? The one wearing a cap who stopped you after the parent-teacher eting.”
“Huh?”
“What do you an ‘huh’? She specifically told to give this to you and said she’ll co for you eventually.”
“I don’t even know her!”
“Really? She seed pretty adamant about it.”
Still baffled, Liu Zhiyue examined the snack while trying to recall anything about the girl.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t place her.
“Stop overthinking. Co hold the ladder for ,” Liu Changqing instructed, dragging the ladder back to the faulty light fixture.
Grumbling, Liu Zhiyue got up, holding the ladder steady as his father climbed to replace the bulb.
Once the bulb was in place and the cover reattached, Liu Changqing flipped the circuit breaker back on.
The light ca on, blindingly bright.
Father and son stood in stunned silence, staring at the glaring bulb.
After a long pause, Liu Zhiyue squinted and turned to his father. “Did we buy the wrong bulb?”
“Looks like it…”
The next morning, as dawn broke, Liu Changqing and his son left their house, their figures disappearing around a corner.
Near the old junk pile where the ladder had been taken, the ladder reappeared.
Later, Old Li stepped outside for his morning stroll and froze when he spotted the ladder.
Blinking in disbelief, he rubbed his eyes.
“Did the ladder really grow legs and co back?”
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