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twenty-first

1

Abu's greatest wish was to enroll in Imperial College of Medicine. Now, he could only study in another college's preparatory course before considering changing majors.

In the beginning, a few foreign students from China greeted him in the name of seniors and gave him some reminders. These people worked hard to integrate him into the local circle of international students. He had participated in several events. These people gathered together, ordered fast food, and played mahjong. Abu felt that it was a waste of time, so he left early.

The new environment, people of different races, the city's scenery, and the unique customs all made him feel novel. In the beginning, Abu was indeed very excited. He often went out to enjoy the city and met more people. But soon, these things became ordinary in his eyes. He had reverted to his nerd state and spent all day in the library. He knew that the professional vocabulary he had mastered was not enough to meet the needs of the class. Therefore, flipping through the second-hand medical dictionary had almost become a habit of his. Sometimes, he stayed in the library almost all night, reading and taking notes. In the eyes of the teachers, this Chinese kid was the most diligent student of his age. Other than that, the teacher had no other impression of him. After that, it took him a long time to overcome the language barrier and the weakness in writing. He was able to have academic discussions with the professor. Even so, he was well aware of the gap between him and the local students, so he did not relax in his studies.

In addition, he realized that the dormitory was not suitable for him. His roommates who played games, drank, and slept with girls all day affected his schedule. He hoped to move out as soon as possible, but he did not have enough money. Therefore, he found a Chinese restaurant near the school and prepared to negotiate with the boss.

"I can sleep in the kitchen." Abu said, staring at the burning pot.

The boss stood by the kitchen door with one hand on the wall, watching the chef throwing the pot in front of the stove.

The kitchen was noisy. Smoke and smoke rose from the stove, and the flames soared into the sky. The chef lifted the hot pot, scraped the surface of the pot, and pushed the dishes onto the plate. An Indian kid picked up the dishes and walked past them into the hall.

Abu and the boss stood on both sides of the kitchen door, turning their heads to look into the kitchen from time to time.

"Wipe the side of the plate. You f * cking make it so f * cking dirty every time.”The boss shouted at the chef.

The chef turned up the fire and poured the vegetables into the pot. The oil pot sizzled.

The boss turned his head and stared at Abu, who was standing at the side, and asked,""You want to sleep here?"

Abu nodded and looked at the iron pot that was being tossed around. He was in a daze.

The boss reached out and patted the Indian kid who had just returned, saying,"Who the f * ck told you to get lost so quickly? Have you wiped the dishes clean?"

"It's clean, boss." The kid said. He slipped into the kitchen and carried a stack of dishes.

"These idiots will be lazy if they don't stare for a second.”The boss turned sideways and said," You can sleep here. However, you have to be responsible for cleaning. The restaurant closed at 11 pm. These idiots were always sloppy. Come over at eleven o'clock and help clean up. In the morning, he should leave early. Don't disturb our morning market. Around six o'clock. How is it?"

Every time the Indian kid passed by, he would lower his head, afraid of being beaten up.

"That's it. I won't disturb you." Abu said.

"What else can you do?" The boss looked up at the gloomy sky outside the window and said," You can come over and help deliver the food. It would be even better if he could cook a few dishes. A few of them were slow. He really wanted to fire them. If you come over to deliver goods and cook vegetables, I can calculate your salary.”

"Delivery is fine. Stir-frying didn't work. Besides, I'm just doing a part-time job to earn some extra money, not to be a chef.”Abu said.

The boss smiled, revealing his yellow teeth stained with smoke. He coughed and spat into the trash can, saying," You brat. Foreigners were easy to fool, so they could just cook a meal.”

"You can get someone else to do it." Abu glanced at the Indian kid who came in and said.

"Alright then. When you're short of money, you'll naturally take the pot and spoon.”The boss said. He snapped his fingers and turned to leave.

In this way, Abu had to spend two hours a day cleaning in exchange for a night. Sometimes, he would fall asleep on the counter, still wearing that set of clothes. He barely touched the folding bench that the boss had prepared for him. For many days and nights, he was woken up by the sound of pots being thrown. The chef shook his spoon and smiled at him, as if he was just a fish on the chopping board. He got off the long table, glanced at the fire on the stove, and carried the thick book out of the kitchen. He went into the bathroom to wash up and then went straight to the academy. At noon, he put down his pen and rushed to the restaurant to deliver food to them. Then, he and the Indian kid squeezed into the corner of the kitchen to eat.

"Sir." The Indian boy named Nick spoke Chinese with a nasal voice.

"Nick. You can call me Abu. I'm not a mister." Abu stuffed the lunchbox into the drawer, took out a cup, and poured a cup of hot tea.

"Everyone here is a teacher.”said Nick.

"How long have you been here?" Abu asked.

Nick stretched out his hand and shook three fingers without saying anything.

Abu nodded and re-examined this skinny boy who was a head shorter than him. He estimated his age.

"When we came here illegally, many people died and we couldn't find a job. The boss took me in.”said Nick.

"No wonder you speak Chinese so well.”Abu said. He took a sip of hot tea and looked at the rain outside the window.

"The weather here is worse than India. It's always raining.”said Nick.

"Nick, you can actually speak English.”Abu said.

Nick shook his head. There was nothing to say here. No one is listening outside."

Abu laughed.

Throughout the semester, Abu did not make many foreign friends. Instead, he became more and more familiar with the people in the restaurant.

2

During the Lunar New Year, Abu rejected the invitation of the international students and stayed in the Chinese restaurant to help.

After closing, they gathered in the restaurant. People kept coming in during non-business hours. He saw many unfamiliar faces. These people all called the boss Old Li, shook hands with him, and sat down.

"Hurry up. Everyone was here. Are you still fucking dawdling?" Old Li shouted at the people in the kitchen.

"It's always like this. At this time, he could not rest for the entire night.”said Nick. He shrugged his shoulders and left with his things.

The group of people busied themselves with their work. They could only sit down to eat at dawn. At that time, everyone was so tired that they could not open their eyes. Facing the entire table of dishes, they did not want to pick up their chopsticks.

The chef took off his oily work clothes, leaned against the door, and took out his phone. He was calling home. His voice was low. Meanwhile, Old Li was standing outside the window making a call. He spoke into the phone and occasionally smiled.

"The boss is on the phone with his family. He had a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter.”said Nick. He picked up a dish and placed it in his bowl." I've seen that photo. His wife and children were on it. They are in China."

Abu turned around and looked at Old Li, who was smoking in the snow. The smoke ring swayed in front of his eyes and dissipated. He coughed a few times, stood up, and stuffed his phone into his pocket.

"Why didn't you call home? Isn't this your Spring Festival?" Nick asked.

Abu didn't say anything. He placed the rice in his bowl and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Abu, sometimes, I feel that you are very strange.”said Nick." However, it has nothing to do with me.”

At this moment, a woman ran over from the roadside. Panting, she ran towards Old Li. Her pale face was flushed red as if it had been brushed by snow. Old Li threw away the cigarette butt, stepped on it, and supported the woman who was slightly unstable.

"That woman is here again." said Nick, lifting his chin. Sometimes, his Indian accent gave Abu the illusion that he was in India.

Abu looked at the two people standing in the snow and felt that their relationship was not ordinary. Although the two of them were standing a little distance away. However, outsiders could tell at a glance that they were familiar with each other.

"They said that she's the boss 'woman. Those people always say that in secret." said Nick.

"What do you think?" Abu asked.

"Of course not. The boss was a good person. He took me in. That woman was also a stowaway and had a child. Sometimes, she would come back and ask her boss for help. Boss was really good. Not only did he help her, but he also helped many people. Those people worked secretly, and many of them had no money. It's good that I can stay here." said Nick.

Nick, don't you want to go back?" Abu said.

"Go back? India? They couldn't eat there. I can wait here for legal status and have food to eat.”said Nick.

Old Li ran in and rummaged through the drawers. The woman stood by the door and stared at him, her trembling hands rubbing back and forth.

"What happened?" The chef put down his phone and asked.

"The child is sick." Old Li said. He stuffed the money into his pocket and raised his hand to take down the coat hanging on the wall.

"Take my car. Hurry up." The chef threw the key on the counter and nodded at Old Li. Old Li took the keys and left with the woman.

3

For a long time, Abu had lived a double life. Most of the time, he was a medical student. After hiding from the eyes of others, he became a restaurant employee. This kind of life made him feel tired. The rest time was also decreasing. Therefore, he reduced his working hours and reduced his burden. Even so, he still fell ill. A medical student getting sick was a joke in his eyes. However, he had to admit that he had indeed been defeated. Even Old Li waved his hand and ordered him not to go near the kitchen.

So he went to the hospital to experience the medical system of the British Empire and met his first woman.

At that time, she was sitting at the side with a five-year-old blonde girl filling out a form. She looked up at Abu, smiled, and asked him in Chinese how to fill in one of the fields. Abu stared into her big eyes, lost in thought. When he came back to his senses, the form was already in his hands.

He filled out the form according to the little girl's condition and returned it to her. He lowered his head and secretly looked at her. The woman had a baby-like face, and when she smiled, her eyes curved. At that moment, Abu felt that there was only him and that woman left in this world.

As the woman stood up, Abu also stood up.

"Perhaps I can help you translate. I'm a medical student." Abu blurted out these two sentences, and then he was confused. He had forgotten that he was also a patient and was here to see a doctor.

Then, Abu followed them from the hospital to their home, or from their home to Hyde Park, and from Hyde Park to the Tower of London.

This nameless woman had brought him all over London. She made him notice that she was alive and in an incomparable place. Under her guidance, every part of this place shone brightly.

This young woman was taking care of a divorced professor's child and lived near the school. She never asked about Abu, nor did she reveal anything about herself. This almost drove Abu mad. He longed to know, to understand this woman, and not to be touched physically. Every time, his hands would tremble, not daring to touch it. The woman smiled, cupped his face with both hands, and said in a low voice," It didn't matter.

The weather in London was gloomy and rainy. They were holding a crooked black umbrella in the park. The others were in a hurry, cursing loudly. She led him and walked slowly, covering her mouth and laughing. At this moment, the black umbrella had already been blown askew by the wind. The rain fell on them.

"These broken umbrellas from London." She shook the umbrella in her hand and smiled.

At that moment, he really wanted to kiss her.

Then, he did so.

She was still smiling.

3

In the following period of time, Abu worked even harder. He had even reduced his study time in hopes of earning more money, so he planned to take her to the beach. He wanted her to see the beauty of the sea.

Old Li had just finished his meal. He bit his toothpick and said to him,"You've earned all the money you can. What do others earn?"

Abu didn't say anything. He took the envelope containing the money and held it in his hand.

"You don't look too good. If you need money, I can lend it to you. I won't compensate you if you collapse from working so hard.”Old Li said.

"I won't be doing it for the next few days." Abu said.

"You're not doing it? Is this money enough?" Old Li asked.

Abu smiled. The woman's face appeared in his mind, but he didn't say anything.

"Was it prepared for someone else? It's good to be young." Old Li said. He smiled knowingly. Abu hated Old Li's expression. It was as if he was laughing at him and thinking that he was doing something stupid.

After that, Abu brought her to the beach. They ran towards the sea, pulling each other, completely ignoring the strange gazes of others. Abu had arranged everything. They could see the sea from their room. The waves were pushing and shoving not far away, causing white foam to appear. The sound of the waves came from far and near, some gentle, some violent.

Abu watched as she pushed open the door and stared at her face. The gentle light shone on her face. That warm smile appeared. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes curved. At this moment, he really wanted to hug her, but he stopped. She sat near the window and looked at the sparkling sea. He heaved a sigh of relief and felt that his efforts were worth it.

At night, when he woke up, he found that the person in his arms had already left. He looked up and saw her sitting by the window, looking out at the sea. He stood up, naked, walked to her and hugged her.

"Why are you crying?" Abu asked.

The surface of the sea was cold and gloomy.

She wiped away her tears and did not speak. At this moment, Abu wanted to see her expression clearly and kept staring at her. She lowered her head and avoided it. He could only hug her tightly and clumsily kiss her tearful face.

"I love you." Abu kept repeating," I will marry you. We will be together and have a family.”

She laughed, almost as if she was laughing with her head raised. She reached out to touch his soft hair and said,""I'm too old. You should be with them.”

"You're not old. I like you. We will be together. When I graduate, I'll stay here and marry you. I can find a good job to support you.”Abu said.

"Don't be silly." She pinched his neck.

"I can marry you now, find a job, and support you.”Abu said.

"Thank you, Abu." she said.

This was the first time he heard her call his name, and his heart couldn't help but tremble.

"I don't need your thanks. As long as you promise to be with me.”Abu said.

"You're just like a child." She smiled and bit his ear without saying anything.

On the way back, she kept turning her head to look at the scenery outside the car window. Abu kept looking at her and smiled contentedly.

4

After this journey, the time they spent together had decreased significantly. Abu always felt that she was avoiding him, so he became annoyed. Abu began to make some small mistakes at work. His longing for her kept increasing, and he often lingered at her door.

He saw her quickly draw the curtains and stand beside the street lamp in confusion, waiting like the red mailbox. He saw the professor. A man in his fifties wearing glasses. The professor entered the door and looked back at the people on the street. He inadvertently glanced at Abu. Abu turned around and looked to the other side. The door opened, and the little girl rushed out and wrapped her arms around the professor's leg. The professor picked her up. At this moment, she appeared, wearing an apron. At this moment, he couldn't help but turn around and stare at her with a dazed look. He saw the Professor's hand pinch her bottom, and his thoughts became confused. He was still standing by the street, waiting. The scene just now kept flashing in his mind. Every moment, his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.

He continued to wait across the street until she went out alone and walked in front. He had been following behind her without saying a word. She began to run quickly and ran faster and faster, turning several streets in a row. He chased after her and tried to hold her hand.

"Silly girl, do you know? If you do this, I'll lose my job.”She flung his hand away.

"So be it. I'll support you." Abu said.

"What a child." She smiled.

"Are you reluctant?" Abu said. He approached her and wanted to kiss her, but she pushed him away.

"I saw it. He was pinching your butt.”Abu said.

"You're mistaken." She shook her head with a cold expression.

"It better be so. If he touches you again. I'll beat him up." Abu said.

She turned around and ignored him as she continued walking forward.

Abu walked up to her and turned to look at her.

"You need to calm down, child. Let's calm down for a while. Let's split up for a while." she said.

"Don't call me child. I'm not a child." Abu said," Why do we have to separate? I don't want to be separated. I love you. There's no need to calm down."

She stopped and turned to look at him with a smile."Don't talk about this. Go back and study.”

Abu leaned forward and was about to kiss her when she pushed him away again. He said,"I won't go to that place again. I won't disturb your work, okay?”

She reached out and touched his face. She glanced at the people passing by and said,"Let's split up first."

Abu shook his head, his eyes brimming with tears.

"This is the best way." She smiled, turned around, and continued walking.

In the following days, Abu followed behind her and hid in the dark. Then, that stupid thing happened. Everything happened so quickly that he had yet to react to how he had done it. Perhaps, this thought had already taken root in his mind. Once it encountered suitable soil, it would grow.

Now, he was sitting in the police station, facing the expressionless police without saying a word.

She came in, looked at him, and waited for the police to leave.

"Didn't I tell you to calm down first?”she asked.

"I can't calm down." Abu looked up at her and said," Let's make up. You quit your job and work in a Chinese restaurant. We can be together."

"Don't be silly. I won't quit this job." She smiled contemptuously. This was the first time he had seen such a smile. It could almost shatter his heart.

Abu turned around and saw the professor and the girl standing outside the door. He said,""Do you want to follow this man?"

"He will marry me." she said.

"I can do it too." Abu said.

"You're too young." she said.

"He won't give you a status. He's lying to you. He will always lie to you. I won't. After some time, I can give you whatever he can give you.”Abu said.

"You're too young. You don't understand. The gap between us is too big." she said.

"I love you. Don't go." Abu said. He tried to hold back his tears. Even if they flowed out, he held them back.

"Abu, I love you too, even more than you can see. It's just that I can't, can't go on like this. Goodbye, don't come looking for me." After saying that, she stood up. She silently returned to the professor's side and left with the girl. Throughout the whole process, she kept her head down and did not look at Abu again.

Watching them leave, Abu felt time freeze. Tears kept flowing down. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to forget what had just happened. However, those things were like his only memory, appearing again and again. After Old Li came in, he was moved by his expression and sat down.

"Trespassing. You're quite bold, kid." Old Li said," Fortunately, that person said it was a misunderstanding. Otherwise, we'll be in big trouble."

Abu turned his face away and avoided his gaze. He looked like a stubborn child.

"That family of three left a long time ago. Why are you still here? Are you waiting to go to jail?" Old Li stood up and patted his back." Hurry up. The night market is about to open. You'll be busy."”

This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]

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