Chapter 31 Is this man really that nice?

Upon hearing the word "apple," the other female workers' expressions turned slightly strange, and their eyes involuntarily glanced at Li Jianzhi. At this moment, the atmosphere in the restaurant became very tense, and no one spoke except for the sound of the chef grilling squid, with a spark exploding with a bang.

The female workers all knew that the apples were a gift from Li's organization, or perhaps they were there to find out what was going on. They knew the couple had a good relationship, and it wasn't his place to be a stepfather.

But Xiao Qin ate the apple!

Actually, it's fine to just eat it; it doesn't really matter. When someone gives you an apple, they're expressing their blessings and wishing you happiness, so there's no need to return it.

But if her husband finds out about this, won't he misunderstand?

Li Jianzhi sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere around him and asked, "What apple? Where did the apple come from?"

A female worker replied, "These were sent by Xiao Li from the office. He went on a blind date with Xiao Qin several years ago, so they have some connection. I heard that Xiao Qin's husband, that is, you, is back, so he sent two apples to wish you and your husband happiness."

The female workers were also afraid that Qin Xiangxiang wouldn't be able to explain herself clearly and would start arguing with her husband in the store. They spoke up for her, and at the same time, they were warning Li Jianzhi that there were plenty of men who wanted Qin Xiangxiang from their factory. If you were to get a divorce, there would be people waiting for you to divorce so they could marry Comrade Qin Xiangxiang.

"How many apples did you send?" Li Jianzhi's already expressionless face darkened even more. He understood what the female worker meant. So someone was waiting to steal his girlfriend!

Holy crap! He finally got a wife, and she stole her from him!

Qin Xiangxiang was somewhat frightened by his gloomy face. Was he really angry? Well, Xiao Zuo thought to herself, it must be very painful for a man to be cuckolded.

Even if he wasn't being cuckolded, he would still be heartbroken to know that someone else was giving his wife gifts. Men are all so petty.

If he hits her in public—but she hasn't even finished eating her wontons yet!

Never mind, I can eat wontons and squid later. I'll cut them whether I stick my neck out or not, so I'll just do it now!

I sprained my ankle today, so I don't need to go to the workshop tomorrow or from now on.

"The Li agency sent two. I ate one before, and it was quite delicious." Qin Xiangxiang cautiously glanced at the man's face.

Now you must be angry, right?

Li Jianzhi scoffed, "Only two? So stingy?"

Qin Xiangxiang: "..." Here it comes, the phoenix man's counterattack.

Her husband, Li Jianzhi, and Li Jiguan were both from humble backgrounds, but they had different flaws. Li Jiguan had a heavier family burden, while her husband was more concerned about his image and was not stingy.

"Yes, then I'll eat the other one now, and you can have half of this apple too? Actually, Director Li is quite nice; he always gives you good apples." Qin Xiangxiang felt she was provoking this man. Could he really hold back this time?

Some men, upon hearing a woman speak like that in public, would slap her across the face. She would then pretend to faint and become lame, since starting tomorrow, Qin Xiangxiang's legs would be unable to walk, and she would be terrified of men.

Moreover, she also wanted this man to take responsibility, and to increase the amount of money he sent her each month by ten yuan.

The little drama queen knows that her behavior is, in other words, a form of extortion.

Hehehe, think about it, for the sake of a happy life in the future, you should just bear the pain.

However, thinking about the slap that was about to fall, Qin Xiangxiang was still a little scared. She secretly glanced at the man next to her out of the corner of her eye. Her feelings were a tangled mess.

Even before the slap landed, I could already feel a stinging pain and stiffen on half of my face. Ouch—it hurts!

"Want me to wash the apples for you?" Li Jianzhi asked expressionlessly. He was actually quite angry, angry that his wife had been cheated on, and that his wife was adding fuel to the fire.

But then she thought about it again. Li Jianzhi really wasn't a good man. He hadn't come home for four or five years, so it's no wonder people misunderstood. Qin Xiangxiang probably harbored resentment towards him too. Marrying such a man, a beautiful young woman like her had been living like a widow for the past few years. She felt she had wronged him.

Seeing the frightened look on the little woman's face, and her furtive glances at him, Li Jianzhi sighed inwardly.

Conditions were poor in the city in the 1970s. In the spring, when food was scarce, there wasn't much fruit to eat, and everyone was craving it. My wife hadn't had much good food either, so it was normal for her to be greedy.

It's just two lousy apples, what's the big deal? It only costs a few cents.

From now on, girls won't even look at apples. They'll complain even if you give them to them, and they'll want strawberries, cherries, durians, mangosteens... His wife is so pitiful, she can't even have the freedom to eat apples.

Thinking about it this way, the subtle anger he felt as a man turned into heartache for his wife.

Qin Xiangxiang was stunned: "You're going to help me wash the apples?"

"Mm." Li Jianzhi said softly, "You work so hard until late at night, it's too heartbreaking. Now that I'm here, let me do all these chores."

Qin Xiangxiang: "?!"

The other female workers nearby: "??????!!!"

The female worker was dumbfounded. No, no, no, shouldn't Qin Xiangxiang's husband be angry? Why is he helping to wash the apples?

Master Li, who was eating wontons, was a little dumbfounded. His apprentice thought about how unusually considerate this man was.

Li Jianzhi washed the apple and then asked her, "Do you want me to peel it?"

Qin Xiangxiang paused for three seconds, then said, "Go ahead and cut it. Do you have a knife?"

"I brought a knife."

Qin Xiangxiang shrank back, a little scared. It turned out this guy was carrying a knife. Slapping her was one thing, but using a knife—she just wanted to be lazy, not really want to become disabled.

"Think about it, I'll pick you up again tomorrow night. Would you like some cream cake? I'll go to the city this afternoon to buy some and bring it over for you tonight. Or would you like to have cake and coffee before going to work?"

Qin Xiangxiang was dumbfounded: "?"

Is this man really that good?

Really?

"Of course it's true." Li Jianzhi thought to himself that there's no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days. If you don't want someone to steal your partner, the root of the problem lies with your wife. You have to treat your wife well enough to raise her standards so that she won't look at other men.

Not only must he take good care of his wife physically, but he must also treat her well verbally. His wife never had any good food or clothes in the past; she was so pitiful and heartbreaking.

"Do you want to eat before going to work, or when you get back?"

Qin Xiangxiang, who was lazy and loved to eat, was overjoyed at the prospect of food. "I'll eat tonight, no coffee."

She dislikes the bitterness of coffee and doesn't particularly enjoy it; she's happy with cake.

"Okay." Seeing her beaming face, Li Jianzhi was also happy. He thought to himself: It's quite easy to coax your wife.

Qin Xiangxiang was soothed by the cream cake and put her previous plans aside. Since things had come to this, she decided to eat the cake first.

This deadbeat man in front of her... he's actually a pretty good person. He's a bit aloof, but he's never stingy. He sends her money on time every month and buys her lots of delicious food.

The dried squid was ready, and Li Jianzhi brought it over for her to eat. Qin Xiangxiang had a wonderful evening. She had a bowl of hot wontons and some grilled dried squid on the side. It was salty, fragrant, chewy, and had a sweet taste.

"You should try some too." Qin Xiangxiang picked up a piece of squid and fed it to the man next to her.

Li Jianzhi: "...Hmm."

As a veteran of the navy for over a decade, he really didn't want to eat seafood; being able to eat some fresh vegetables ashore was the best comfort for his stomach.

"Oh my, this young couple is so enviable! I feel relieved to see that you two have such a good relationship." Master Li was particularly happy to see this. "That guy surnamed Li isn't exactly a good catch. Don't get me wrong, Qin's husband. When he went on a blind date with Qin, he complained that Qin wasn't good enough. As a result, he hasn't been able to get married for five years."

"Now he's even coming over to deliver apples with such a sour face, he looks so poor." Master Li waved his hand dismissively, "He's crazy, as if nobody cares about his two lousy apples."

Master Li has every right to say this. Although her position is not high, her technical skills pay her a high salary, and she lives a carefree life. She doesn't want to be a leader. Her monthly salary plus subsidies is one hundred yuan, which is quite generous.

"I'll buy you two apples to return to him tomorrow."

The other female workers quickly exclaimed, "Wow! Our Master Li is such a kind person!"

"Master Li has nothing but praise for us!"

"Xiao Qin's excellent performance in the workshop is all thanks to Master Li's guidance. Master Li has made great contributions!"

Li Jianzhi then praised Master Li a few times and promised, "I'll bring Master a cream cake tomorrow too."

Master Li quickly replied, "No, no, that won't do."

"I just bought it on a whim. Let's all try it. Working the night shift is too tiring. If I had more money, I would have treated everyone to a piece of cake."

"Comrade Li is really good with words. We're already very happy to have your candy."

"Our Qin has such good taste in choosing you as her husband!"

“In the future, when the young women in our factory are choosing husbands, they really should take Xiao Li as an example.”

Qin Xiangxiang listened to them talk with a blank face. Her deadbeat husband, though usually cold-faced, was also like a seasoned veteran at work, very good at saying polite things, and without blushing at all.

Yes, with that expressionless face, and the ability to say the right things, he's a natural leader.

She's such a drama queen, she couldn't possibly say something so eloquent.

Master Li: "Xiao Li, let me tell you, I really like Xiao Qin. She's the best apprentice I've ever trained. You must strive for her to be recognized as an outstanding student at the end of the year!"

"As a family member of someone working in our textile factory, you should also adopt the right attitude and support your wife's work!"

Li Jianzhi: "..." It seems I have to buy this cake. Sorry, Master Li, I want to take my wife with me.

"Xiao Qin, a future outstanding female worker in our factory, your achievements today have impressed me greatly and made me proud."

"Keep it up! Your mentor is waiting for the day you become a director and a leader!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiangxiang, the salted fish, felt like she was about to faint again.

Master Li is just like her mother. She always talks about being evaluated and rewarded, and she will do anything to get an award!

But Master Li was indeed very kind to her, praising her every day to the point that she, a salted fish, felt panicked and afraid. She really wanted to grab Master Li's shoulders and shake him so that he wouldn't have too high expectations of a salted fish.

—Men, you should just slap me.

I'm trying to stage an accident.