Chapter 9: Having a warm breakfast together

Su Hexi watched his humble plea, remembering how he always brought her hot meals with sincerity. She also thought of her ongoing "business plan" and Zhou Lin's "investment." It didn't seem appropriate to break things off now. She needed time to accumulate capital, and Zhou Lin was undoubtedly free capital.

"Okay, we can hold onto this marriage for now." Su Hexi said in a businesslike tone, "The cooperation in opening a shop we discussed before still counts. As for the rest..."

She paused, her eyes sweeping across Zhou Lin's guilty and uneasy face. "We should still live separately. I'll sleep in the bunk, and you'll go back to the dormitory. To the outside world, we'll maintain the status quo for now. We're still husband and wife, but it's limited to cooperation and a nominal husband-and-wife relationship. Nothing else will be discussed."

Zhou Lin's heart sank. As expected...she still wanted to draw a line.

But compared to the hopeless misunderstanding before, now at least she was willing to "cooperate" with him, willing to temporarily maintain their "nominal" marriage. This was already... very good progress. He didn't dare to ask for more.

"Okay." He agreed hoarsely, his eyes filled with disappointment, but more of a cautious expression. "I'll do as you say. But you... must eat well. You can't starve yourself like this anymore. If your body breaks down, you won't be able to do anything."

Su Hexi didn't respond, which was considered as tacit agreement. This fainting did sound a wake-up call for her. You can't rush to lose weight. Your body is the capital of revolution. "Okay, I will take care of my body and won't let this happen again."

After the doctor confirmed that there was nothing wrong, Zhou Lin quietly went to handle the formalities and then quietly sent Su Hexi back to the tailor shop.

He helped Su Hexi clean the floor, and then bought some easy-to-eat food and put it on the table.

By the time he finished all this, it was already late at night. He stood at the door and whispered, "I...I'm going back to the dormitory first."

"Yeah." Su Hexi responded without looking at him.

Zhou Lin gave her one last deep look, turned around and left reluctantly, closing the door gently.

Su Hexi was the only one left in the shop. She looked at the food on the table, touched the still red and swollen wound on her forehead, and sighed with mixed feelings.

Now she can't get a divorce and can't lose weight.

The next morning, just as it was getting light, there was a gentle knock on the door of the tailor shop.

Su Hexi hadn't slept well that night. The injury on her forehead and the weakness from hypoglycemia had woken her early. She opened the door and saw Zhou Lin standing tall in the cool morning mist, holding a basket covered with a white cloth, with warm air curling through the cracks.

"I made this for you. Eat it while it's hot." He handed over the basket, his voice lower than usual, as if he was afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the early morning. His eyes quickly swept over her still pale face and the bruise on her forehead, and a trace of imperceptible heartache flashed across his eyes.

Su Hexi looked at the amount in the basket and it was obviously not enough for her to finish it by herself.

She hesitated. After what happened at the hospital yesterday, she knew her weight-loss regimen was indeed too radical. Her body was ruined, and everything she did was useless. She had to eat, but not as much as she had before. She had to eat in moderation.

She stepped aside and said, "Come in."

Zhou Lin was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect her to let him in. He stepped in hesitantly, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.

Su Hexi lifted the white cloth from the basket, revealing thick, fragrant millet porridge, two steamed buns, and a small dish of finely chopped pickles. It was simple, yet thoughtfully presented.

She took out two bowls, filled one with porridge, took a steamed bun, broke off a small half for herself, and then pushed the remaining half of the porridge, the whole steamed bun and the other half of the steamed bun in front of Zhou Lin.

"Let's eat together. I can't finish all this."

Zhou Lin looked at the bowl that was pushed in front of him, his pupils dilated slightly, as if he had seen something extremely incredible, and his whole body froze.

Eat together...?

This word was so unfamiliar to him that it was almost a luxury. In more than a year of marriage, she never allowed him to sit at the table and eat with her.

A huge, bitter ecstasy instantly rushed into his heart, making his throat tighten and his nose feel sore. She...she was willing to have dinner with him?

But the next moment, seeing that there was only a little porridge and a small piece of steamed bun in her bowl, that little joy was suppressed by a deep heartache. How could she eat so little when she was still so weak?

He immediately pushed the bowl back and said in an urgent tone: "No! You eat! Eat more! You are not in good health now and need nutrition! I... I have eaten and I am not hungry." He lied. He went to borrow food and money to take care of these things after work and didn't even have time to eat a bite.

Su Hexi raised her eyes, seeing the nervousness and concern that he couldn't hide in his eyes. A corner of her heart moved slightly, but her tone remained calm: "I can't eat so much even if I want to. It's shameful to waste food. If you don't eat, then I won't eat either."

As she spoke, she really put down the chopsticks in her hand and looked at the bowl of porridge, as if she meant what she said.

Zhou Lin panicked. He looked at her stubborn profile, then at the bowl of steaming porridge. His heart felt like it was filled with something, warm and swollen, with a slight pain like a needle prick.

He was happy because she was willing to eat at the same table with him, even if it was to avoid wasting food. He was sad because she ate too little and her health was so poor.

Finally, he gave in. He carefully sat down across from her, picked up the whole bun, and said in a choked voice, "I'll eat it. You...you should eat more too."

An extremely simple breakfast was held in a subtle and silent atmosphere.

Zhou Lin ate quickly, barely daring to look up at her, but every subtle chewing sound was filled with a cautious, cherished feeling. Su Hexi sipped the porridge, feeling the warmth in her stomach, and indeed felt much better.

After finishing his meal, Zhou Lin quickly cleaned up the dishes and prepared to leave for work.

Su Hexi stopped him: "Wait a moment."

Zhou Lin stopped and looked back in confusion.

Su Hexi looked him up and down. Zhou Lin was tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His muscles were smooth and firm. He had the typical hanger-like figure.

However, the work clothes he was wearing were washed white and had several patches on them. His elbows and shoulders were particularly worn out from carrying heavy objects for a long time, and even faint traces of blood could be seen in some places.

The inferior cloth she used for training was dark in color and rough in texture, just right for making men's clothing.

She made a work jacket or pants for Zhou Lin, which not only allowed her to practice and become familiar with making clothes, but also allowed her to repay him a little for his recent efforts, so that she wouldn't always owe him a favor and feel uncomfortable.

Anyway, Zhou Lin is on the construction site all day, so he can't wear any nice clothes.

"Stand still, I'll measure you." Su Hexi said, and went to find the old tape measure.

Zhou Lin seemed not to understand: "Measure the size?"

"Well," Su Hexi said calmly, "I just got some cloth and I'm going to make you some work clothes. The one you're wearing is almost torn to pieces and is unbearable to look at."