Even across the years, Bai Lu still clearly remembers the scene when she first met him.
The scene from his first hypnotic encounter.
More than 20 years later, he still retains his handsome appearance and stunning looks that are unforgettable. The only difference is that back then, he was ruthless in a deep and reserved way.
Now, evil is at its most blatant.
He is Xiao Cheng.
That bully who grew up with thugs, with distorted values, ruthless and cold-blooded.
"Ouch! That hurts! Let go of me!"
"My hand...it hurts so much! I was wrong, I'll never do it again, I'll give everything back to you..."
Bai Chaojie lay on the ground, convulsing, his face contorted, howling and begging for mercy. His hands trembled as he tried to pull them back, but he couldn't muster any strength.
Tears streamed down his face from the pain. He glared at Bai Lu with resentment, but when Bai Lu remained silent and did not plead for him, he had no choice but to change his expression to one of pitiful grievance.
Bai Lu was about to speak.
Xiao Cheng had already kicked Bai Chaojie away.
The contents of the bag were scattered all over the floor.
Including that bag of freshly opened wife cakes.
Bai Lu: "..."
The rumors were indeed true.
Fortunately, the bag containing the money didn't fall out.
Bai Lu gave the bullying old man her signature smile, then excitedly ran over to pick up things, including money.
Thankfully, it wasn't lost...
Bai Chaojie scrambled away, not forgetting to glare at Bai Lu with a sinister look before he left, telling her to wait.
Bai Lu never imagined that the saying "speak of the devil and he shall appear" would come true for her.
She never expected that Xiao Cheng would suddenly take pity on her and help her carry her things.
Let's go home together.
He also bought a fish, which was very fresh. The fish's mouth was slung through a banana vine. It must have gotten stuck in a tree in the alley when he was beating Bai Chaojie. He only went back to get it when he left.
Although Xiao Cheng kept a cold face and didn't say a word, he didn't walk fast, and Bai Lu could barely keep up.
The neighbors would avoid them when they saw them, pointing and gossiping endlessly.
Xiao Cheng was already used to it, but Bai Lu actually pricked up her ears to listen to what was being said.
When I got home, it was already dark.
It started to drizzle again. Xiao Wei wasn't in the kitchen, and the bathtub only had a shallow layer of water.
It had obviously been overturned not long ago.
As soon as I stepped into the main house, I heard the sound of water dripping, coming from a room on the left.
"What are you doing?"
Xiao Wei, who was tiptoeing to take apart the mosquito net, suddenly heard a cold voice and was so frightened that he almost fell off the bed.
He loosened the mosquito net as if he'd been electrocuted, then frantically dismantled it again, quickly got out of bed, and carried it into the bucket before standing obediently to the side with his head down.
He explained in a low voice, "There was a strong wind just now, and some tiles fell from your room, causing leaks in several places and soiling the mosquito net. I just... I just wanted to take the mosquito net down, wash it, dry it, and hang it back up tomorrow..."
Xiao Wei dared to call Bai Lu a female demon, but dared not face Xiao Cheng directly, and even his breathing was cautious.
Grandpa Hu, who lives at the end of the street, said that his mother used to treat his older brother badly, even kicking him out in the dead of winter. His father was a compulsive gambler, neglecting his family and losing everything, including pots and pans, leaving them with a mountain of debt...
After his mother and father passed away one after another, the house was seized by creditors, and he shamelessly moved into his older brother's house. Although his older brother ignored him, he didn't kick him out, which was already very kind of him.
Xiao Cheng glanced at him indifferently and said nothing.
The main house has three rooms, one for Xiao Cheng and one for Xiao Wei, and the remaining room is a storage room.
After Bailu moved in, Xiao Cheng moved out of the master bedroom and into the storage room. The storage room also had a wooden bed and an old mosquito net, so he could sleep there when it wasn't raining.
There were three leaks in the room. All the tables and chairs have been moved out, and the sinks and buckets have been replaced to collect the water.
Xiao Cheng put his things back in Bailu's room, went to the front yard to prepare the fish, and then carried out a ladder to the roof.
The kitchen was the first place to be repaired.
Bai Lu was wearing a big straw hat and pulling up scallions and ginger in front of the broken water vat in the front yard. These were planted by Comrade Xiao Wei, who watered them every day, and they grew exceptionally green and strong.
Xiao Wei suddenly ran over to her and said, "You go help, I'll cook."
Isn't it simpler to just talk than to cook?
Bai Lu looked puzzled, and thinking of the strained relationship between the two brothers, she felt helpless: "Do you know how to cook fish?"
Xiao Wei rolled his eyes at her: "It's not like I've never cooked before."
Bai Lu had never eaten meat because she never bought any; all the money was in her hands, so what could Xiao Wei do?
They are both so thin now, all thanks to her. She eats vegetarian food every day and doesn't touch any meat.
The eggs at noon were laid by the old hen that Xiao Wei kept in the backyard. It only lays one egg a day. If he hadn't known that Bai Lu was pregnant, he wouldn't have been willing to take them out to eat.
Those can hatch chicks!
Bai Lu felt uneasy under his gaze, cleared her throat, and handed him the scallions and ginger. "Alright, you cook it. The new pot needs to be scalded with fatty pork. Boil water in the small pot, scald it, wash it, and then scald it again until the fatty pork is clean."
Xiao Wei was surprised to see her talk so much for the first time, and also found her long-winded.
"knew."
When Bai Lu arrived at the kitchen, Xiao Cheng had already repaired the roof tiles, neatly and without a single leak.
She then hurriedly ran to the storeroom.
Just as I stepped inside, a tile suddenly fell, smashing into pieces in front of me and scattering across the floor.
"Get out of the way."
Just as Bai Lu withdrew her foot, Xiao Cheng's voice came from above, along with his downward gaze.
He had tiles in his hand and was repairing them. He collected the cracked and broken tiles and threw them into the yard.
The gap is too large, so it's inevitable that some of the material will fall down.
"I'll bring you some new tiles." Bai Lu stretched out her hands, on which were several black tiles she had taken from the corner of the house.
"It's up there."
Xiao Cheng interrupted her as she walked toward the ladder.
New tiles are usually stored on the roof of a tiled house for future use.
"Then let me show you where it's still leaking." He's up there; he can't see what's happening down below.
Bai Lu was about to step into the room when Xiao Cheng said, "No need."
In the short time it took to speak, he had already patched up two holes, leaving only the leak in the ceiling.
He was clearly very experienced; repairing roof tiles and fixing houses was probably routine for him.
Bai Lu paused, then fell silent.
After much thought, only one reminder remained: "Then be careful."
Perhaps her voice was too soft, or perhaps the rain was starting to get heavier, but Xiao Cheng didn't hear her and didn't respond.
It's said that children from poor families learn to be independent early, and it's certainly true. When Bai Lu went out and came back, the whole kitchen was filled with the rich, fresh aroma of half-cooked fish and meat.
The water added to the large pot began to steam, indicating that a considerable amount of firewood had been added to the stove.
Seeing Bai Lu approach, Xiao Wei voluntarily gave up his seat.
"What, are you afraid I won't cook it well and will waste your brother's fish?" Bai Lu chuckled.
I could probably guess it was about pesticides; I just wanted to tease him and cheer him up.
I'd also like to salvage the image of myself that he might have perceived as insane.
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