After the tavern closed, An Rong bolted the door from the inside, checked the kitchen again, and then helped Yuan Doudou back to the backyard.

Lu Xi followed behind, and was about to push open the door to enter the house when Yuan Doudou called out to her.

"Lu Xi, come here, I have something to ask you." Yuan Doudou said with a smile, her eyes bright, showing that she was in a good mood.

Lu Xixin's heart skipped a beat, thinking that it was all over and that what happened during the day must have been discovered.

He meant well by wanting to learn a trade and contribute to the family, but DouDou's sister might not think the same way. In fact, she might think he's ungrateful and greedy.

This is also why he hesitated and dared not speak out.

"Lu Xi, please sit down."

Once inside, Anrong added charcoal to the fire to keep DouDou and Anji warm at night.

Yuan Doudou sat down at the table first, then invited Lu Xi to sit down and poured him a bowl of hot tea.

"Drink water."

Lu Xi shook her head, "I'm not thirsty."

The flickering light of the kerosene lamp illuminated Lu Xi's pale face, revealing that he was trying to appear calm.

"Don't be nervous, I just want to have a heart-to-heart talk with you." Yuan Doudou sighed inwardly. Lu Xi is a good child in every way, but she doesn't like to talk. She keeps everything to herself. If she keeps things bottled up like this for a long time, she will have psychological problems.

Lu Xi clutched his clothes with both hands. Dou Dou spoke very gently. He wasn't afraid, just a little nervous and at a loss. She told him not to be nervous, but that only made him more nervous.

"I don't know what to say." It wasn't that he didn't know, but that he was afraid to say it.

Since the matter was ultimately doomed to fail, I simply kept it to myself and never told anyone again.

Yuan Doudou's eyes were smiling; the young man was shy.

"If you don't tell me, then when your sister asks, you must answer honestly and not hide anything or lie." She pretended to be serious.

Lu Xi sat upright, not daring to be negligent.

"Do you have a girl you like?" Yuan Doudou asked, suppressing a laugh.

Lu Xi panicked, her face turning as red as a monkey's bottom.

No, no.

In Yuan Doudou's eyes, his panic was clearly because his thoughts had been exposed.

“Lu Xi, your sister doesn’t mean to blame you. Tell me who it is so I can prepare in advance. In two years, when you’re fifteen, we’ll find a matchmaker to propose marriage.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Xi was moved to tears by Dou Dou's thoughtfulness.

"Why are you crying? Is your relationship not going well? Did the other person reject you?" Yuan Doudou took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears that hadn't yet fallen.

Lu Xi shook her head.

"Say something, don't make me worry."

Perhaps she was too excited, and the baby in her belly got excited too, kicking her.

"Ouch." She clutched her stomach, feeling an intense pain.

An Rong rushed in from outside and hugged Dou Dou from behind.

"Is it serious? I'll take you to see a doctor."

Soon, the baby calmed down and Yuan Doudou returned to normal.

"It's nothing, it's just that I'm quite far along in the pregnancy and the baby is moving more frequently." All told, the baby is already five and a half months old.

Seeing Lu Xi's helpless look, An Rong stepped in to help him out: "It's getting late, Lu Xi, you should go and rest first, we can talk about it tomorrow."

Lu Xi just wanted to leave as soon as possible, afraid that she would blurt it out.

Only after Lu Xi left and closed the door did Yuan Doudou dare to sigh.

"What's wrong?" An Rong had witnessed the pregnant woman's emotions, which could change drastically throughout the day.

"Don't even mention it. I think Lu Xi's problem is no small matter. He's probably heartbroken." Yuan Doudou exclaimed dramatically, acting like a psychologist.

An Rong disagreed, but his wife's words were the truth, so he listened to her.

“No, let’s talk to him again tomorrow. You sit in the shop and observe carefully to see who he associates with,” An Rong suggested, helping her to her feet.

"Sit still, I'll get you a basin of water to wash your feet before you go to sleep."

It's getting cold, and it's not easy to take a bath, so every night Anrong prepares hot water for her to soak her feet. After soaking, he massages her feet and legs.

This action alleviated DouDou's swollen feet and legs.

The next day, before dawn, An Rong got up and went to the kitchen to busy herself. By the time Lu Xi came in, An Rong had already prepared breakfast.

"Brother Anrong, I'm sorry I overslept." Lu Xi lowered her head, like a child who had done something wrong.

An Rong smiled and said, "It's a good thing that the kids can sleep. Go and call Rongrong and the others; they can eat now."

Lu Xi walked away, her face flushed.

Normally, Lu Xi would get up early to watch the fire while An Rong busied herself preparing food at the stove. Today, he got up late because he hadn't slept well last night.

He felt extremely guilty when he thought about how Dou Dou was overthinking things because of him. He should tell the truth: Dou Dou was pregnant, and if she worried too much about him and it affected the baby, it would be a sin that he couldn't afford to pay for even if he died.

DouDou thought she was troubled by relationship issues, but he wasn't. If he told the truth, would DouDou be even more upset?

At breakfast, Lu Xi sipped his corn porridge slowly, but didn't eat a single bite of the potstickers or spicy and sour cabbage on the table.

"Lu Xi, eat some pancakes." It's cold in winter, and if you don't eat your fill, you won't have the energy to work.

Yuan Doudou handed him a potsticker. Lu Xi snapped out of his daze, took the potsticker, and took a bite. It was filled with meat and radish, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

"Delicious," Lu Xi praised.

Yuan Doudou said with a smile, "Eat more if it's delicious."

Judging from his absent-minded look, he's probably thinking about that girl again. Boys can be quite sentimental when they're in love.

After the meal, Lu Xi mopped the floor in the lobby. The young man mopped the floor very diligently, bending down to wipe every nook and cranny several times with the rag he carried with him. The tavern was small, but everywhere was wiped clean. The tables were wiped three or four times with soapberry water to ensure that there was no trace of grease.

Lu Xi is partly to credit the fact that the tavern's regular customers like to come here. For diners, a clean and tidy environment is not only a bonus but also an essential one.

Yuan Doudou poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Lu Xi, saying with a smile, "Lu Xi, you must be tired after wiping all day. Sit down and rest for a while."

Lu Xi wanted to say he wasn't tired, but seeing her concerned gaze, he silently took the teacup and sat down at the table.

"Lu Xi, I didn't have a chance to ask last night, how are things going between you and that girl?" Yuan Doudou asked patiently, intending to proceed step by step.

Lu Xi was stunned; Dou Dou was still going further and further down the path of misunderstanding.

No, he can't continue being selfish.

He didn't care about the consequences; he just wanted to get it off his chest.

"Sister Dou Dou, I'm sorry to you and Brother An Rong." Lu Xi suddenly stood up, startling Dou Dou.

Yuan Doudou comforted him, "Speak slowly, don't get excited."

Lu Xi rarely spoke, and when she did speak, she spoke very slowly. When she suddenly sped up her speech, Yuan Doudou was a little unaccustomed to it.

Lu Xi tried to calm herself down, and her speech became gentler.

"DouDou, you've misunderstood. I don't have a girl I like." Lu Xi stared at her intently.