A thought leads to the making of a devil, a thought leads to the making of a saint.
Emotions are not constant, and a sudden impulse can change a life forever.
Even Yue Qingqing had not expected Lu Zhu to change her mind suddenly and walk out of the school gate.
"Uncle Li." Lu Zhu greeted the sweet potato vendor, handing over three sweet potatoes, "I’ve troubled you again today."
She handed over a dime as well.
Uncle Li glanced at the peeling edges of the rubber shoes on Lu Zhu’s feet, "I won’t take your money, I cooked them for you on the side."
However, Lu Zhu insisted, "If you do that, I won’t dare to come to you anymore."
After a bit of back and forth, the uncle reluctantly accepted the money.
The delicious smell of roasted sweet potatoes attracted many people.
As autumn approached, although the weather at noon was still stifling, the evening breeze had started to cool down.
Many students liked to eat something warm before attending evening study sessions.
Lu Zhu helped the uncle collect money.
She was good at arithmetic, counting the money accurately and quickly.
Before leaving, the uncle insisted on giving Lu Zhu an extra sweet potato as a tip.
Lu Zhu declined, "I can’t eat that much."
"Give it to your friends then."
Lu Zhu thought for a moment, envisioning Yue Qingqing and Qu Ruorui.
She had always felt she didn’t need so-called friends, and even in social dealings, she preferred to keep accounts clear, never owing anyone anything.
Lu Zhu, with her head down, stared at the sweet potatoes, her face etched with deep agony as if tangled in some dilemma.
A moment later, she still took the sweet potatoes and headed back towards the school.
It’s not about being friends, just can’t eat them all—
Just then, a sharp, piercing screech of brakes nearly rang in her ears, quickly followed by the sound of an accelerating engine.
Lu Zhu, clutching the sweet potatoes, paused in her tracks.
At the school gate, an old lady lay on the ground, moaning in pain.
"It hurts, it hurts so much."
"I’m going to die, it’s killing me."
The old lady was lying not far from the school entrance, almost right in front of Lu Zhu.
Coincidentally, Zhou Xitong and Ye Chunxiao had just come out from the supermarket across the street two minutes earlier.
"Hey, isn’t that Lu Zhu?" Ye Chunxiao, sharp-eyed, immediately spotted Lu Zhu.
Lu Zhu, tall and thin, was very conspicuous.
Although the school issued uniforms, they were not mandatory, and most people didn’t like to wear the blue and white uniforms, thinking they weren’t attractive.
Lu Zhu was the only one who wore it every day, and it was washed to the point of fading.
Zhou Xitong rolled her eyes, feeling very annoyed with Lu Zhu, who had once tricked her out of money.
Ye Chunxiao was about to walk away with her when she suddenly froze.
She watched, dumbstruck, as a car drove by and knocked the old lady at the roadside to the ground.
Lu Zhu looked at the old lady ten meters away.
Reason told Lu Zhu not to meddle, but her hand clutching the plastic bag slowly tightened.
She remembered the scene before her father’s death.
Her mother was crying, asking him why he had chased after that criminal.
He wasn’t on duty since he was home visiting, he didn’t need to rush forward immediately.
The father, pale, answered her mother word by word.
"Whether I wear that uniform or not, I am always a servant of the people; it’s my duty, my mission, I cannot be a deserter."
Lu Zhu despised such sanctimonious words, yet they were the beliefs her father had defended with his life.
She clenched her teeth, feeling as if the blood in her veins was boiling.
Lu Zhu didn’t want to interfere, but her feet moved involuntarily towards the old woman.
Her soul seemed to float in the air, watching another self.
Lu Zhu gently helped the old lady up, asking if she was conscious, where she was hurt, and if she remembered any details about the vehicle.
She waited until an ambulance, called by someone unknown, arrived with a siren blaring, watching as the medical staff placed the old lady on a stretcher.
Only then did she feel as if she had finally fulfilled some mission on behalf of her father and prepared to leave.
However, at that moment, her sleeve was suddenly gripped tightly by the old lady.
"Don’t let her go, it was her! She’s the one who hit me!"