Chapter 8: There is always a sunset as beautiful as a painting
The people we miss are always the ones we miss the most; the lost hairpins are always the most beautiful, just like the sunsets we cannot see in our memory are always the most romantic.
——Su Shaner
On the first day we went to the supermarket, the five of us went very early on purpose.
Finally, the supermarket personnel assigned us to different departments. Xu Chenxi was pretty and was responsible for collecting money at the cash register, Du Juan was lively and cute and was assigned to be a shopping guide, Ming Qinghe and Jiang Huai were assigned to the warehouse to replenish stocks, and I was a mobile staff member, so I had to be assigned to different departments based on the number of staff on duty each day.
On the first day, we were not very familiar with the supermarket’s work processes, so we asked senior employees to take us to familiarize ourselves with the environment and work content, and only on the second day did we take charge of our respective jobs.
The next day, the department manager asked me to take stock of the goods because business had been good recently and the shelves had to be kept fully stocked at all times.
I pulled the cart filled with mineral water and walked towards the beverage area.
Du Juan was assigned to be a shopping guide in the daily necessities area. When she saw me passing by, she secretly waved at me.
I smiled back at her and continued pushing the cart forward.
I found the shelf for mineral water, opened the bundles of mineral water on the cart, and put the bottles back one by one. However, as I kept putting the bottles back, I found that the shelf was getting higher and higher, until it was so high that I couldn't put the bottles back even if I stood on tiptoe.
"Haha, little apple." Ming Qinghe took the mineral water bottle from me, stretched out his arm, and easily put the bottle on the shelf, "It seems that you are also a dwarf."
"You are the short one." I retorted, "Girls are generally shorter than boys, okay!"
"Okay, okay, go restock the goods over there, I'll take care of this." Ming Qinghe pointed to a truck not far away and said, "The shelves over there are shorter."
"Thanks."
I waved my hand and walked towards the shelf over there.
He didn't lie to me. The shelves here are very low, unlike the mineral water shelves which are so high that I can't reach them.
I felt very relaxed at first, but after half a day, my arms were a little sore. It was probably the first day, and I was not used to it yet.
Finally it was time for lunch, I pushed the small truck into the warehouse, dragged Jiang Huai and Ming Qinghe directly to the supermarket restaurant. The restaurant was on the basement floor, and the lunch was very rich, with three dishes and one soup.
"Let me help you." Jiang Huai took the plate from my hand and helped me carry it to the seat that Du Juan had reserved for us early in the morning.
"How is it? Are you used to being alone?"
I asked Xu Chenxi, she was at the front desk in charge of the cashier. I rarely went to that area to restock goods, so I didn't see her for a long time.
"It's OK. It's very easy for me. You guys must be very tired to restock." Xu Chenxi said, his eyes swept from Jiang Huai's face, and finally landed on my face, "Shan'er, can you do it?"
"Of course you can do it." I said with a smile, "Everyone should work hard. Before going to your respective schools, wouldn't it be great to have such an experience to work together?"
"That's right!" Ming Qinghe said, "Maybe this is the only chance."
After dinner, we had a half-hour break, and we sat in the restaurant and chatted for half an hour. It was at this time that I realized that, without realizing it, all the cracks and barriers between us had disappeared.
Half an hour passed quickly and we returned to work. The supermarket's customer flow increased sharply in the afternoon, which required us to replenish the goods very quickly.
"Su Shan'er, go to the porcelain warehouse to pick up the goods. The tableware containers are selling well today." The foreman called my name, thought for a moment, and then said to Ming Qinghe, "You should go too. Porcelain is heavy and fragile, so be careful."
"OK."
Ming Qinghe responded and walked towards the porcelain warehouse with me.
The porcelain warehouse is a little far from the main warehouse. Because it is used to store porcelain, the warehouse facilities and environment are better than other warehouses.
Ming Qinghe and I walked into the warehouse and moved the porcelain to be replenished onto the cart according to the list.
"Little Apple, come and help me take this." Ming Qinghe stood on a high place, holding a box of porcelain in his hand, "I need two boxes . After you take it, I will bring one down, so we don't have to climb so high."
"coming!"
I put the cup in my hand on the cart, walked forward, stood on tiptoe and took the box from Ming Qinghe's hand.
"It seems to be enough. Just get another box of large soup spoons." I crossed out the "two boxes of plates" on the list with a pen, leaving only "one box of soup spoons" uncrossed out on the list.
"Just stand there and don't move. I'll find the spoon." Ming Qinghe said.
I took a quick look around and saw the model I wanted in a pile of porcelain not far in front of me .
So I said, "Come down quickly, I found it."
"Not bad, Little Apple." Ming Qinghe said with a smile, walking down the ladder holding the box of plates.
We confirmed once again to make sure that all the goods we needed to replenish were on the truck, and then we prepared to push the truck out.
However, at this moment, there was a loud "clang", followed by a black screen in front of the eyes, and then sudden silence.
"What's going on?" I couldn't help but ask after I came to my senses from the shock , "Why is everything black?"
There was a rustling sound in the darkness, and Ming Qinghe said, "Shan'er, stand still. I'll feel around to see if the door of the warehouse can be opened. It seems like there's a power outage. I don't know if it's just here or if it's the entire supermarket."
"There's no way a place like this would have a power outage." I've never heard of such a thing. "It's so dark, I don't even dare to move. If I touch the porcelain and it breaks, I'm doomed."
"Something worse is happening." Ming Qinghe stopped walking. "The door can't be opened. It's an electric door. If there's a power outage, the door won't open."
"What should we do?" I panicked. "Are we going to be locked in this dark basement until the phone rings? And this is a sealed environment, the door is tightly shut, what if the oxygen here is exhausted?"
"Calm down." Ming Qinghe's footsteps sounded again, and I could vaguely hear them coming towards me. "It's not that exaggerated. Lack of oxygen only happens on TV and in novels. There aren't many places in real life where people can suffocate due to lack of oxygen."
"Huh..." I breathed a sigh of relief. "What should we do now? Is there any way to call for help? We don't have cell phones, and we don't know if there is an emergency exit here. It's pitch black everywhere, and we dare not move."
"Don't worry, you won't stay for too long. Besides, I'm here with you! Don't be afraid, little apple, I'm here." He said, and finally came to my side.
"I'm so tired." Standing here, I felt exhausted. I was busy all morning and was scared to death just now. "If there was a bed here, I would want to take a nap."
"Sit down, I observed when I came in just now, the ground is still quite clean." Ming Qinghe sat down directly on the ground. He pulled my arm and finally pulled me to sit on the ground, "Just take a rest."
Now it seems that this is the only way. Otherwise, I can't think of a better way. I can only hope that the power will come soon, or someone will notice that there is a power outage here.
"So even a large supermarket like this can have a power outage." I couldn't help but sigh, "I thought places like this would have 24-hour non-stop power generation."
"This is not a power plant, but most supermarkets have their own power generation systems. The power outage is probably because the lines are aging somewhere, so there is a power outage." Ming Qinghe is a top student, and he explained it to me. "Ah, but if the wires here are independent, it will be bad. A short circuit will only cut off the power in this series circuit."
"The liberal arts students have no idea what you're talking about." I was confused. "The point is, when can we get out of here?"
"Well, wait." Ming Qinghe said, " Someone noticed that we haven't been there, so they should come to the warehouse to look for us."
"It can only be the."
I began to pray, please find us and come find us soon!
"Little Apple, what did you fill in as your major? I'm a little curious." After waiting for an hour, no one came to rescue us and the electricity was not restored.
"As for me, I applied to Rongcheng University," I said, "mainly because it's close to home."
"You're in the same school as Jiang Huai." Ming Qinghe seemed a little surprised, but also seemed to be within his expectations. "That's great. Sometimes I really envy you guys."
"You envy us? Why?" I asked in surprise. "No matter how you look at it, we should envy you for your excellent grades!"
"I envy you two for being able to stay together forever." Ming Qinghe said with a smile, "Isn't that enviable?"
"No, after entering junior high school, Jiang Huai and Chen Xi also went to high school elsewhere. We have only recently started playing together." I explained, "In fact, the time I spend with them is almost the same as the time I spend with you."
"Shan'er." Ming Qinghe suddenly called me, "Are we friends?"
"Hey!" I felt that Ming Qinghe was a little strange. "Did you take the wrong medicine? Why are you asking such a weird question? Of course we are friends, very friends."
"I'm actually a little scared, Little Apple ." He said, gently resting his head on my shoulder. "When the holiday is over, we will go our separate ways. Maybe there will never be another time like this again in this life. By that time, Shan'er, can you still say with such certainty, 'We are very good friends'?"
"Then Qinghe, let me ask you, if that is really the case, will you still remember me, Su Shan'er, as your friend?"
Ming Qinghe was silent for a while, and then I heard him say, "Maybe, I'm not sure. Because distance is really scary. Once the distance is far and time has passed, even the most beautiful memories will become blurred, and finally become indifferent until they disappear."
"Why are you suddenly so sad? This is not like you, Ming Qinghe." Ming Qinghe really looked strange. "Actually, if it is a natural forgetfulness, then I will be very happy, because that means you have met someone better than us. As a friend, of course I will be happy for you. So Qinghe, no matter what the future will be like, at least now, at least for a long time in the future, we are friends, very good friends, and this will not change."
"Haha." He laughed out loud, "Really? There is actually a day when Su Shaner will reason with me."
"Hahaha! Can't I, Su Shan'er, be reasonable?" In the dark, there was no need to see the other person's expression, so they could talk more unscrupulously. "By the way, Qinghe, I want to ask you a question."
"what is the problem?"
I thought of Du Juan's unclear feelings for Ming Qinghe, so I asked, "What kind of girl do you think Du Juan is?"
"Little Bird." Ming Qinghe's tone became cheerful just by mentioning this name, "A carefree female man."
"Do you like tomboys?" I asked casually.
"Yes." Ming Qinghe seemed to have given this answer without thinking at all, "I like little birds, little apples, Xu Chenxi, and I like you guys."
"I didn't mean..."
This is not the answer I want!
"It's great that my grandmother lives on Qingtang Street." Ming Qinghe interrupted me, his tone was so gentle, "It's great to meet you guys."
I couldn't say what I wanted to say anymore. Du Juan has always liked Ming Qinghe, beyond the kind of love between friends. I was afraid that she would be hurt, so I wanted to know what Ming Qinghe thought.
It’s such a pity, asking is the same as not asking at all, the answer is really laughable.
I don’t know how long I stayed in the darkness until I vaguely heard someone talking outside. It sounded vaguely like a cuckoo.
"Shan'er, Ming Qinghe, are you guys in there? If you are, let me know!"
I immediately perked up and shouted, "It's me. We are locked in. There is no electricity and the door cannot be opened. Is there electricity outside? Is there any way for us to get out?"
"Just wait, the engineering department is already repairing it, and the power will be restored in a while!" Du Juan said, "Don't be afraid, we are outside. Jiang Huai, Chen Xi and I are waiting for you outside the warehouse!"
"Okay! I'll wait!" Du Juan's words were like a shot of adrenaline, making me feel a lot more at ease.
We are all here, so there is nothing to be afraid of or worried about.
About half an hour after I heard the cuckoo's voice, the lights in the warehouse flickered once, and then lit up completely. I subconsciously covered my eyes. After staying in the dark for a long time, my eyes would ache when I suddenly saw the light.
The door of the warehouse opened from the outside, and Du Juan rushed in. She looked me up and down, and after making sure that I was okay, she breathed a sigh of relief: "I was scared to death. If Jiang Huai hadn't found out that you hadn't come back, I guess you would have been trapped here forever."
"Is there a power outage outside?" I asked.
"There is no power outage. The electrician said that there is a water leak in the air conditioner in this area, which caused a short circuit here. The warehouse here is too remote, and no one noticed that there was a power outage in this area." Xu Chenxi said, "Let's go, it's time to get off work, we can go home."
“We actually stayed here for the entire afternoon!”
I was shocked. Time passed so quickly. An entire afternoon just passed in the blink of an eye. I didn't know whether I should be thankful or cry.
"Let's go." Du Juan said, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me up. However, because I had been sitting cross-legged for too long, my legs were numb. When I was suddenly pulled up, the tingling sensation made my hair stand on end.
"What's wrong?" Xu Chenxi asked with concern when he saw that I looked strange.
"My legs are numb." I was very embarrassed. It was unbelievable that someone would have numb legs from sitting. The key point was that I was the one who did such a stupid thing.
"Come." Jiang Huai walked in front of me, bent down slightly, squatted down and said, "Come on, I'll carry you."
Ming Qinghe had already extended his hand to me, but when he heard Jiang Huai say that, he retracted his hand. I saw that Xu Chenxi seemed to be stunned for a moment. I knew that Xu Chenxi liked Jiang Huai, but it wasn't the first time that he carried me on his back!
Last time at the beach, when I almost drowned while trying to save Du Juan who had a leg cramp , wasn’t it Jiang Huai who rescued me to shore?
Du Juan didn't notice these details. She helped me onto Jiang Huai's back and said to Ming Qinghe, "Do we still need to move these porcelains over?"
"Of course, you guys go first, I'll put this on the shelf and then leave." Ming Qinghe pushed the cart forward a few steps.
Du Juan clasped her hands tightly, stepped forward and said, "Then let me help you. I'll go with you."
“No need!” Ming Qinghe suddenly raised his voice. He seemed to realize his own gaffe and said after a while, “Just let me go alone, please.”
I lay on Jiang Huai's back, not quite understanding why Ming Qinghe had such a big reaction just now. He was clearly afraid that we would forget him.
Along the way, Dujuan was very worried. Although she responded to everything we said, I could see that Dujuan was in a rather subtle mood and she was distracted the whole time.
"Jiang Huai." I patted Jiang Huai on the back and asked him, "Do you know what happened to Mingqing River?"
Jiang Huai shook his head and said, "Of course, you have to ask the person involved to find out about this kind of question."
"You really don't know?" I was a little unconvinced, because Ming Qinghe and Jiang Huai are definitely close brothers. Who would believe that he didn't know what was in Ming Qinghe's mind?
"Maybe I stayed in the dark for too long and my brain short-circuited." Jiang Huai gave me an answer that was not an answer at all.
Well, why should I ask JAC?
Jiang Huai carried me all the way onto the bus. People on the bus looked at me sideways, and some even offered me their seat.
Do I look so disabled? However, Jiang Huai put me in the seat that someone else had given up without hesitation. He stood beside me, holding the back of the seat with one hand and holding the ring on the bus with the other.
On this crowded bus, I unexpectedly felt safe, probably because JAC is right here.
A sweet feeling surged in my heart, and I couldn't help but smile. When I turned my head, I unexpectedly saw the look Xu Chenxi gave me.
Her eyes were very complicated, and I knew she must mind it, just like I used to mind her getting close to Jiang Huai.
The bus drove for more than half an hour and finally stopped at Qingtang Street. When I got off the bus, my legs had almost recovered. My legs were not sore or numb and felt particularly relaxed and comfortable. After we said goodbye to each other, we went back to our homes.
Dujuan went home with me, and she was indeed worried about something.
She sat on the sofa in my room, looking at me in confusion, and after a while she asked me, "Shan'er, what happened between you and Ming Qinghe in the warehouse?"
“No.” I tried to recall it, but I didn’t find anything wrong. “There was a sudden power outage and we were trapped inside. Then you came over, the power came back on, the door opened, and we got out.”
"That's it?" Du Juan asked subconsciously, "But he suddenly behaved like that, it's so strange."
"By the way, Dujuan, I asked him what he thought of you." I thought about it and decided to tell Dujuan about it. "He told me that he likes you, Chenxi, Shan'er, and Jianghuai, and he likes being with us. Dujuan, is it because we are about to separate that he feels sad and that's why he is like that?"
"Did he ask anything else?" Dujuan asked, "There must be something else."
"Ah, I remember now. At first he asked me what school I filled in on my application form." I recalled the first question Ming Qinghe asked me when darkness fell. I said as I recalled, "After I told him that I filled in Rongcheng University, he immediately became very depressed. He seemed to be afraid that we would forget him."
"Actually, he's just afraid that you'll forget him!" Dujuan suddenly said.
"Me?" I waved my hand and said, "Why do you say that? He means everyone."
"Didn't you notice?" Du Juan looked at me and said, "That big idiot Ming Qinghe seems to like ."
"I know, but he also likes you, likes Xu Chenxi." I didn't quite understand what Du Juan meant.
"It's not that kind of love." Du Juan murmured, "I don't mean the kind of love between friends."
"What?" This time I finally understood, "This is impossible! Ming Qinghe would never like me no matter who he likes, and the way he talks to you seems the most natural."
"Because he treats me as a friend, but not you." Du Juan said, "So he is most natural when facing me, but when facing you, it is obviously different from when facing me."
"But even if you say so..."
I don't know what to say.
I know Du Juan's feelings for Ming Qinghe better than anyone else. How sad must she be when she said these words to me? And in my opinion, Ming Qinghe must like Du Juan.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore." Du Juan smiled, "See you tomorrow, I'm going home."
"Okay." I waved to Dujuan.
After I watched her disappear through the door, I stood up and walked to the corridor to sit down. Grape ran over and jumped up and down in front of me.
I reached out and picked up Grape and held it in my arms. Grape stuck out its tongue and licked my palm, which felt warm.
I don't know why, but I'm a little afraid of tomorrow. If what Du Juan said is true, how can I face Du Juan? Moreover, Xu Chenxi seemed to mind when she saw me and Jiang Huai getting a little closer.
"I don't want to think about it anymore. I ...'m so upset."
I shook my head, trying to get rid of these worries.
But because of Du Juan's words, I secretly observed Ming Qinghe in the following days. I observed the difference between how he treated me and how he treated others. I don't know if I was not careful enough, but in my opinion, the difference was very slight.
Maybe it’s because Dujuan likes Mingqing River, so she is more sensitive than me in some things, just like I found that Xu Chenxi’s eyes were becoming more and more complicated when he looked at me these days.
Finally, on an evening when the sky was blazing like a sea, Xu Chenxi dragged me outside the supermarket. She and I stood in an empty corner on the busy street.
I seemed to know why Xu Chenxi called me out, and I was waiting for her to speak.
After a while, she took a deep breath and slowly said, "Shan'er, I thought about it for a long time and decided to confess to Jiang Huai. I don't know why, this idea suddenly appeared in my mind, and this idea is getting stronger and stronger."
I smiled and said, "Then follow your heart! What's wrong with doing something crazy this summer?"
"Huh?" Xu Chenxi looked at me in surprise, "You don't blame me?"
"Why should I blame you?" I smiled again and said, "Chenxi, everyone has the right to like someone else, and you are no exception. It's just that the person you like happens to be Jiang Huai, whom I know. Go do what you want to do, don't worry about the outcome, be brave like Du Juan."
"Shan'er..." She said with tears in her eyes, "Thank you."
"Don't thank me, because we are competing fairly." I winked at her, "It's just that I chose to let you tell Jiang Huai about your feelings first."