Bai Fengjiu's home was in Luoshan District, quite a distance from school. It took twenty minutes by capsule train, then a five-hundred-meter walk into the residential complex. The class monitor, leading her two followers, rode a mobility scooter inside. Along the way, old people were exercising, and one could even see a woman walking a dog.
Wearing jeans and a red jacket, holding a leash, the woman's steps were slow, yet each stride covered a considerable distance. A brown Chihuahua trotted ahead, not frolicking. Just looking at her back, one could tell the woman seemed very leisurely.
In this day and age, very few people kept pets, mainly because of the high time cost. Those who did walk pets were mostly robots, but they weren't genuinely walking dogs for the sake of it. Instead, the robots would film the process and upload it online, allowing everyone to 'cloud walk' dogs.
It was rare to see a real person leading a pet, giving Simon a surreal, dreamlike sensation.
Bai Fengjiu turned the joystick, driving towards the woman walking the dog. Her posture suggested she was about to run over the little dog, especially with the class monitor's cold expression, not much different from a ruthless killer.
Zou Jiaqi nervously complained, "Wow, why do I feel like the class monitor is so scary? She's definitely going for the dog. Is she going to snatch it?"
Simon: "What nonsense are you talking about? This woman clearly lives in the complex. If she wanted to snatch it, she would have already."
While they were chatting idly, Bai Fengjiu slowed down beside the woman. The Chihuahua whimpered twice, jumping up to paw at Bai Fengjiu's white canvas shoes.
The woman didn't stop, continuing to walk, turning her head to talk to Bai Fengjiu. Simon and his companion slowed their scooters, trailing far behind without getting closer.
"Oh, so they know each other," Zou Jiaqi said regretfully.
Simon nodded, "Actually, if you think about it, it could only be someone she knows that she'd approach, right? She couldn't really be going for the dog."
They exchanged a smile.
No sooner had they spoken than Bai Fengjiu bent down and snatched the Chihuahua, then turned around and drove back.
Simon:???
Zou Jiaqi:???
The class monitor returned, holding the dog, while the woman had let go of the leash and was still strolling along, lost in her own thoughts.
Simon: "Who was that person?"
"My mother."
"I see." x2
Bai Fengjiu placed the dog on the mobility scooter's joystick. The Chihuahua obediently curled up, squatting on the steering wheel, well-behaved.
The three quickly passed the strolling woman, not even having time to say hello. Simon looked back and saw a lady with a sallow complexion. Her expressionless face truly made one not doubt her kinship with Bai Fengjiu.
After turning into a secluded part of the complex, the class monitor finally stopped. Her two little followers let out a sigh of relief.
Zou Jiaqi: "I thought we'd have to drive all the way to the ends of the earth."
Simon: "Though it's not funny, I still think you're right."
Bai Fengjiu: "Go, why are you standing there like an idiot?"
"Coming, coming." x2
Bai Fengjiu tossed the dog onto the ground. The Chihuahua whimpered and ran into the entrance of the residential building. The three little kids followed the dog into the building, feeling a strange sense of ancient hunting, with humans chasing a dog, a peculiar impulse etched into their genes.
The dog waited for them outside the elevator. Simon took the opportunity to examine the ground-floor lobby. Hmm, it was quite small, a bit old, a bit run-down. The yellowish wallpaper around the ceiling was damp and peeling, revealing dark green mold underneath. The air, however, had no strange odor; a careful sniff revealed only a faint smell of garbage.
The class monitor's home was on the sixth floor. The elevator ascended smoothly. Simon and Zou Jiaqi tried hard to liven the mood, but Bai Fengjiu seemed to have used up her conversation quota for the day, not uttering a single word. In the end, the most talkative one was the dog.
At her front door, Bai Fengjiu took out her phone and tapped it against the lock. The anti-theft door unlocked with a click that echoed in the hallway. By now, the glow of the setting sun had dimmed, with orange-red light still shooting up from the stairwell below. Simon and his companions stood in the shadows. Half of Zou Jiaqi's body was bathed in light. He squinted as the door opened, revealing a dark house, and surprisingly, no robot came to greet them.
Bai Fengjiu turned on the light in the entryway, changed into cotton slippers, and shuffled towards the living room. Simon quickly followed. Zou Jiaqi stood at the door, stunned for a long time. From there, he could see the window across the living room. The curtains were not drawn, and many small potted plants sat on the windowsill, looking shadowy and lush.
Simon asked, "Class monitor, don't you have a robot at home?"
"I do, but it's at my other home. Not here, this is Dad's house." Bai Fengjiu put her schoolbag on the dining table in the living room. "Let's do our homework here. Do you want to stay for dinner later?"
A dark figure flashed out of the kitchen—a tall, thin man. He immediately stood behind Bai Fengjiu, lowering his head and asking softly, "Who are they?"
The class monitor instinctively delivered an elbow strike. The man dodged but failed, and then Simon pinned him to the floor.
Bai Fengjiu screamed, Zou Jiaqi screamed, and Simon shouted, "I've got him! I've got him!"
The class monitor quickly calmed down, pushing Simon. "Get up, this is my dad."
Simon quickly helped the man, who had rolled his eyes from being pinned, to his feet. "I'm sorry, Uncle, I thought you were a bad guy. Are you okay? Should I give you a massage?"
The man's tired expression was replaced by pain and anger. His face flushed, veins bulged from his neck, and he hissed, "Who are you? Assault! Assault! I'm going to sue you!"
Simon gently placed his hand on the man's shoulder. He trembled, and his tense muscles immediately relaxed. "You... you, ah, yes, yes, yes, it hurts here, a little more to the right."
Under the horrified gazes of Bai Fengjiu and Zou Jiaqi, Simon handled the man as if he were a kitten. Soon, he was sleeping soundly with a look of bliss—on the cold floor.
The dog frolicked in the room, running to the man's side and licking his cheek, but only elicited a comfortable snore.
Bai Fengjiu whispered, "My dad has severe insomnia."
Zou Jiaqi: "I can tell."
Simon picked up the man, feeling how light he was, and settled him on the sofa first. Turning around, he spoke directly to the class monitor, "Actually, I wanted to invite you to join our rock band."
Zou Jiaqi: "When did we have a band... Oh, I get it, no need to explain."
"No," Bai Fengjiu's answer was as expected.
"Please help us, Class Monitor," Simon pleaded, hands clasped together.
"Why do you want to form a band?"
"To fulfill Great-Grandfather's wish. He used to be the guitarist for the Roma Qin Ri Wan Sui Band. Now the band members are either old or dead. He's all alone, and who knows when he'll end up in a nursing home. We want to hold a concert for him before that happens."
Zou Jiaqi: "Wow, I want to join too!" He thought the idea was awesome and immediately got excited.
Bai Fengjiu shook her head, "Why should I sacrifice my study time to help you, just because of an old man's wish?"
"..."
The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.
Simon was silent for a moment, then smiled, "It's okay, it doesn't matter if you don't agree. Shall we do our homework?"
Zou Jiaqi was a bit confused, "Class monitor, your grades are so good, it definitely wouldn't be a problem."
Bai Fengjiu just shook her head. At that moment, the man on the sofa sat up silently and said, "It's okay to help out, Jiu Jiu. You've studied drums for so many years, it's time to put them to use, isn't it?"
"I refuse."
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