Xiao Yuan was both embarrassed and delighted by his sudden shout. Her heart was pounding like a drum, and the aluminum box she had just picked up fell to the ground with a "clatter," scattering the cotton swabs and gauze inside all over the floor.
"oops!"
The two exclaimed in surprise and quickly squatted down to pick it up.
In the cramped space, both hands reached for a roll of gauze that had rolled into the corner, and their fingertips accidentally touched each other.
A slight electric current surged through them instantly, and both of them quickly withdrew their hands as if they had been burned.
A sweet yet awkward silence filled the air.
Xiao Yuan felt her cheeks burning and her heart pounding so fast that she felt a little dizzy. She subconsciously grabbed the table next to her for support.
"What's wrong?"
Lei Ming immediately tensed up, forgetting all about being shy, and reached out to help her.
"Are you feeling unwell? I'll take you to the military hospital!"
Xiao Yuan waved her hand, her voice a little weak.
"It's nothing, I've just been busy all day and haven't eaten much, so I'm a little low blood sugar. I don't know if the clinic has been burgled, everything is a mess, and I've been cleaning it up for days..."
Upon hearing "low blood sugar," Lei Ming's heart tightened, and he immediately pulled out a large bunch of colorful fruit from his left shirt pocket.
"Then you'd better eat something!"
Xiao Yuan was stunned when she saw the candy he handed her.
When Lei Ming saw that she didn't take it, he assumed that she didn't like fruit candy, so without saying a word, he reached his right hand into his right shirt pocket.
What escaped this time were a few milk candies wrapped in rice paper.
Seeing that Xiaoyuan was still in a daze, he became even more anxious. As if performing magic, he reached into his left trouser pocket and pulled out a handful of "Heroic Candy." "This candy is delicious, you should try it!"
Next, the inner pockets of the jacket, the back pockets of the pants...
His part-time job is like a human candy shop, with all sorts of candies being pulled out with a clatter.
Red, yellow, white, brown, fruity, milky, brittle... a dazzling array, almost filling the table.
"you..."
Xiao Yuan was stunned. "Why do you carry so much candy with you? Is it from your workplace... a wedding where they give out wedding candy? Did you bring back all the gift money?"
Lei Ming was just reaching into his trouser pocket to pull out a few more items when he heard this. He paused, scratched the back of his head awkwardly, and felt his face burning.
"Who would give so many wedding candies? I... I went to the department store to buy them after I found out you had low blood sugar last time."
This simple, unpretentious, and somewhat naive sincerity, like a warm current, instantly flowed into Xiaoyuan's heart.
Her nose felt a little sore, so she quickly lowered her head to hide it and muttered softly.
"...You can't just keep eating candy. I already had some candy, so I need to eat something proper first."
Lei Ming nodded dumbly, "Right, right, right! Let's eat! I still owe you a meal! I'm driving, I'll take you to a state-run restaurant!"
Xiao Yuan glanced at the darkening sky outside the window and shook her head.
"The city is too far away. I'll be exhausted by the time I get there. Don't bother. Just cook some noodles here to tide you over. The stove and everything else are ready."
Upon hearing this, Lei Ming immediately nodded, "Okay! Cook noodles! I...I'll go cook them for you!"
He rolled up his sleeves to get to work, but he was clearly inexperienced and didn't know what to do, so he was all flustered and clumsy.
Xiaoyuan couldn't help but laugh, "Do you know how to use a stove? Do you know how to cook?"
Lei Ming froze, then honestly shook his head, "...No."
He ate in the team's canteen and had an aunt and sister at home; he never lifted a finger to do housework.
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Xiaoyuan laughed again, all her previous awkwardness gone: "You're so clumsy! I'll teach you!"
Xiao Yuan gave him quiet instructions from the side, while Lei Ming, though clumsy, operated the equipment with exceptional seriousness.
Soon, the water in the pot was bubbling away, and the noodles were carefully put in. They slowly spread out and intertwined, looking just like two hearts.
The conditions here were limited; there was nothing available, and the two of them ate plain noodles.
On the other hand, at Zhou Qiqi's home, the noodles were much more luxurious.
With all sorts of seasonings readily available at home, they quickly mixed three bowls of hot dry noodles, along with three dishes that Zhu Yingying had previously ordered from the military canteen—a truly sumptuous meal.
As the three ate, Zhou Qiqi recounted everything that had happened in Xujia Village.
The hot meal warmed their stomachs, but the three of them felt a mix of emotions.
Holding the empty bowl, Zhu Yingying's eyes were still slightly red. She felt extremely sorry for the unfortunate couple, Qi Lin and Zhou Shuisheng, and sighed softly.
Why are there so many hardships in this world?
Zhouzhou nestled quietly beside Zhou Qiqi, her little hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.
Zhou Qiqi gently stroked Zhouzhou's hair, her gaze drifting into the distance.
How could she not be troubled?
Everything about Xujia Village, and Zhou Shuhua's cautious and ingratiating gaze, swirled in her mind.
The fact that Lei Yuhua rushed out to protect her just now also touched her heart.
But it was only a slight hurdle; she still had a mental block when facing Zhou Shuhua.
Just then, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. It was Xiao Wang from the telephone room, coming to deliver a message to Zhou Qiqi. He said that Deputy Director Zhang of the First Garment Factory wanted Zhou Qiqi to go to the factory tomorrow.
Zhou Qiqi frowned slightly.
Zhang Guoqiang is a steady person; he wouldn't be calling the family area at this hour unless something serious had happened.
Did he say anything?
Xiao Wang scratched his head. "No, I just heard a lot of noise over there."
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