Siheyuan: Sending Shazhu into the call center, Yi Gu is useless

A few days later, he saw Ran Qiuye again. This time, she was passing by the store with a few colleagues, and they were discussing something enthusiastically. Ran Qiuye walked at the end, occasionally looking up at the surrounding alleys, as if she was full of curiosity and appreciation for this ancient neighborhood. When she saw the store, she smiled slightly and nodded, as a greeting. Chen Rufeng also smiled in response, but he felt a little disappointed because she did not come in.

"I really want to find a chance to talk to her more." Chen Rufeng thought to himself, but he was not good at taking the initiative to talk, especially when facing a woman with a gentle temperament like Ran Qiuye. He always felt a little uncomfortable, afraid of saying the wrong thing and appearing abrupt or inappropriate.

However, opportunities always come unexpectedly. One Friday evening, the sky gradually darkened, the children had gone home from school, and the alley gradually became quiet. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the door: "Boss, do you have any new goods today? It was Ran Qiuye, who was standing alone at the door, holding a cloth bag in her hand, with a tired look on her face, but her eyes were still gentle. How come you have time to come today?" Chen Rufeng was delighted, and quickly put down his work and went to meet her.

"School was over early today, so I thought of coming to your place to see if you have any new snacks to recommend for the children." Ran Qiuye said with a smile, his tone relaxed.

"Yes, some of the new snacks are pretty good," Chen Rufeng said, walking to the shelf and taking out a few new snacks and handing them to her, "These potato chips and candies are quite popular, you can try them."

Ran Qiuye took the snacks, looked at the packaging carefully, and nodded: "These look good, the kids will definitely like them." She glanced around the store again, and seemed to be curious about the layout here.

"In fact, although the things in the canteen are simple, they can also make people feel a little bit of their childhood." Chen Rufeng suddenly said this, and he was a little surprised after he finished speaking, because he is not usually such a talkative person.

Ran Qiuye was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then he showed a warm smile: "Yes, when I was a child, there was such a store in our area. I always felt that the snacks when I was a child were particularly delicious, but now I can't find that taste. My heart couldn't help but soften a little. Although Ran Qiuye looks gentle and strong on the outside, she may also have some attachment and helplessness to the past in her heart.

The two chatted about the taste of snacks, their childhoods, and their current lives. Ran Qiuye told him that she was from another place and had just been transferred here. Although she was full of curiosity about this alley, she also felt a little lonely. Chen Rufeng told her that although life in this alley was slow, it was very real, and the friendship between neighbors was rare in the city.

"That's right. I pass by here every day on my way to and from get off work. When I see so many children playing in front of your store, I think this place is very lively." Ran Qiuye said, with a hint of yearning in his tone.

"Yes, the children have brought a lot of vitality to this alley, and my store has become a lot more lively because of them." Chen Rufeng nodded in agreement, but he felt a warm current surge in his heart, as if a feeling he had never experienced before was spreading in his chest.

That day, the two chatted for a long time, until it was completely dark and the lanterns in the alley were lit up, Ran Qiuye realized that it was already late. She smiled a little embarrassedly: "I'm so sorry to bother you for so long today."

"It's okay. I'm very happy that you can come and sit with me." Chen Rufeng said with a smile, but secretly hoped that she could come more often.

"Okay then, I'll come back next time when I'm free." Ran Qiuye nodded, then left the store with the snacks he had bought.

After watching Ran Qiuye leave, he couldn't calm down for a long time. He found that he seemed to have gotten used to looking forward to her appearance every day, looking forward to meeting her by chance, and looking forward to those short but warm conversations. Ran Qiuye seemed to gradually regard the store as a place to take a rest. She would occasionally take a detour after school to buy some snacks or daily necessities and chat with Chen Rufeng by the way. Every time she left, Chen Rufeng would always feel an inexplicable loss in his heart, but it would soon be filled with expectations. Chen Rufeng found that his feelings for Ran Qiuye had gone beyond ordinary friendship, but he didn't dare to express it easily. He knew clearly that he was an ordinary hutong shop owner with a simple and even ordinary life, while Ran Qiuye was a young teacher with a unique temperament and a future full of possibilities. He didn't know how to take that step, and he was even a little worried that if he expressed his feelings, he would lose even the simple friendship now.

However, whenever he saw her gentle smile and heard her softly talking to him, Chen Rufeng's feelings would be rekindled. He began to carefully look for opportunities to spend time with her, paying attention to her movements from time to time, but not daring to be too obvious. He even learned to pick out some more exquisite snacks and small gifts and put them in a conspicuous place, hoping to attract her attention.

As time went by, Chen Rufeng's store in the alley continued to operate as usual, and his relationship with the neighbors became closer and closer. Ran Qiuye became an indispensable part of his life. Although their communication was still limited to daily greetings and occasional small talk, Chen Rufeng knew in his heart that his feelings for her were no longer simple.

However, as his relationship with Ran Qiuye deepened, Chen Rufeng gradually felt some potential pressure. People in the alley began to notice their interactions, and some neighbors began to talk about them behind their backs. Some people thought that Chen Rufeng and Ran Qiuye were a good match, while others thought that the gap between them was too big and were not optimistic about this relationship. In response, Chen Rufeng remained calm on the surface, but he was secretly a little uneasy in his heart.

One autumn afternoon, the sun shone through the leaves onto the blue brick floor of the courtyard. He quietly watched the pedestrians coming and going on the street, and he couldn't help feeling anxious. He was worried that the gossip would affect Ran Qiuye. After all, she was a young teacher who had just arrived here, with her own career and life behind her, and he was just a small vendor in the alley. The two were destined to have different life trajectories. Every time he thought of this, Chen Rufeng would always feel an inexplicable sense of loss, and sometimes even doubted whether he really had the courage to pursue this relationship. Ran Qiuye finished her day's work as usual and prepared to go home. When she arrived at the door of the convenience store, she hesitated for a moment, but still pushed the door and walked in.