They'd been keeping each other company for the past few days.
Today, things were a little clingy again, and Su Qing didn't react for a moment.
Even after entering the house, her face was still flushed.
As Su Rao placed the egg soup on the coffee table, she saw Su Qing's flushed face and thought she had a fever. She sat down on the sofa, reached out, and placed her cold palm on Su Qing's forehead, which brought Su Qing back to her senses.
"Qing Qing, do you have a fever? Mom's going to get you some medicine."
"No, Mom, I don't have a fever. I just ran back home and feel a little hot."
Su Qing wasn't good at lying, but thankfully, she'd always been this gentle and docile. She seemed incredibly well-behaved and gentle, and she never blushed or fluttered in her actions.
"Qing Qing, drink your egg soup."
Su Rao handed the egg soup to Su Qing. Seeing the girl's beautiful appearance, she felt both relieved and worried. Then, a thought struck her, and she asked Su Qing.
"Qing Qing, why did you ran and came back? Didn't we install streetlights here? I saw the guy installing them these past few days. He looks quite handsome, and he seems about your age."
Su Qing, sipping egg drop soup from a porcelain bowl, paused, set the bowl on the coffee table, and silenced her voice.
"About my age?"
The girl muttered to herself, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She seemed lost in thought, her expression slightly detached.
"Yes, about your age. Mum looked so pitiful. He didn't go to school at his age, and he went out to work. He even had lunch at our house today."
?!
"He was wearing all black. Oh, and he accidentally fell off from the utility pole when he finished installing it today."
Su Rao's words instantly reminded Su Qing of the time when she pressed against Jiang Sui's chest, the boy's soft sniffles and frown.
And there did seem to be some dirt on his black shirt.
He always seemed to like cleanliness...
"But having streetlights is a good thing. Every time you came home, Mom always thought it was a little dark. Since there aren't many people living here, never installed them. Now they're here."
Su Rao recounted the day's events, slowly and casually, not noticing the trembling of Su Qing's fingers as she sipped her bowl of chicken soup.
No wonder there weren't any streetlights here a few days ago.
Then, for a few days, they started appearing only under the sycamore tree, then in the alley, and finally outside her house.
Su Qing finished her egg drop soup, the warm broth flowing into her stomach, her heart pounding with the warmth.
She put down her bowl and casually asked Su Rao.
"Mom, when did the streetlights start being installed? How many days have they been installed?"
She was a little nervous, but Su Rao, who was busy cleaning up the dishes, didn't notice.
Without hesitation, she said, "It seems to have started the day after you came back from the English competition, so it's only been a week."
With that, she took the dishes away and told Su Qing to go and rest and shower.
The time was right, the clothes were right, and the wound...
Su Qing's eyelashes trembled. She wasn't that naive. There was only one house left at the end of this alley, so why would anyone install a streetlight?
Seven days? Just right, one streetlight per day.
So, when he said he was busy lately, was he installing streetlights?
Su Qing pinched her fingers, a wave of inexpressible emotions rising within her.