While Xiao Cheng was preparing the fish, Bai Lu was on the opposite side, taking a large basin to wash and peel radishes.
After washing the radishes, I went to the broken water vat to pull out the scallions and dig out the ginger. I washed and chopped all the vegetables.
When Xiao Wei came home from school, he saw two figures busy in the kitchen.
The tall man sat in front of the stove, holding fire tongs in one hand and stuffing firewood into the stove.
The woman wearing an apron was cooking, and every now and then she would pick up a piece of food with her chopsticks and let the man taste it.
Ask him, "Is it salty? Is it tasty?"
It must have been piping hot, just picked up from the pot, but the man ate it without even flinching.
Then, a two-word evaluation was given: "Not bad."
The woman seemed very happy to hear this, and a smile immediately spread across her face, like a blooming flower, which was very beautiful.
The laughter was also very pleasant to hear, and even the corners of the man's mouth unconsciously began to rise.
He pressed down again when the woman looked over.
Xiao Wei couldn't even remember the last time his house was this lively; it was always so quiet and deserted.
If only things could stay like this forever.
Dinner was another "clean plate" event; there wasn't a single scrap of food left, not even the crispy rice crusts.
Bai Lu was also a little full after eating, and with her little belly sticking out, she took a walk in the yard to digest.
Xiao Cheng glanced at her several times, and even took the initiative to wash her clothes after taking a shower that night.
That radiant image shattered Bai Lu's preconceived notions about him, and her heart leaped into her throat.
This belly... it's really precious!
She was so precious that she didn't dare to toss and turn in her sleep at night, which made it impossible for her to fall asleep again.
Xiao Cheng could roughly guess what she was thinking. He kicked off his shoes, got into bed, shook the blanket up to his waist, and said calmly, "Say what you want to say."
A small head peeked out from under the blanket rolled up like a rice dumpling, saying, "The stars in the sky are so beautiful."
What Bailu really wanted to say was, "Are you going to build a house at your neighbor's house or not? Can you give me a definite answer?"
But I'm also embarrassed to keep bringing up the topic of building a new house, for fear of accidentally stepping on a landmine.
In his memory, after being kicked out of his home by his stepmother, Xiao Cheng joined a gang of thugs and lived a life of hardship.
Later, the big boss noticed his fearless courage and assigned him the job of collecting debts.
From the initial tentative steps to the final delivery of the entire order, Xiao Cheng endured countless hardships and setbacks.
They also saved up a lot of money and bought the old house and land at a low price from people who couldn't repay their debts.
He originally planned to demolish his old house this year and buy red bricks to build a small one-story house.
That night, after collecting his bill at the karaoke bar, Xiao Cheng drank a few more drinks with the owner and went to rest in the private room as usual. When he woke up, he was tricked by the original owner of the body and her mother.
The money for building the house was also swindled and used to pay back the brick factory owner.
Thinking of this, Bai Lu dared not speak anymore and silently shrank her head back into the zongzi.
From Xiao Cheng's angle, he could only see the top of the girl's fluffy hair. Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft halo that made her look like a rabbit with a glowing head. He chuckled and reached out to pull the cord to turn off the light.
He didn't say a word until the very end.
Bai Lu was tormented by this all night.
—
The next morning, Xiao Wei got up and went to the kitchen, where Xiao Cheng was already cooking noodles.
He stood frozen in disbelief at the doorway, his messy hair disheveled, his bright black eyes unmoving, and he didn't know what to do with his little hands.
Xiao Cheng glanced at him indifferently.
She even spoke to him for the first time in three months, saying only, "Aren't you going to wash your face?"
The first sentence is "What are you doing?" when taking down the mosquito net.
Xiao Wei was shocked for a full ten seconds before he reacted, "I'll go right away, I'll go wash my face right away."
He rushed to grab his toothbrush, toothpaste, and water cup, then went to the hand pump in the front yard to fill up with water and quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face.
Bai Lu, who had gotten up early, was completely stunned.
Confused, she walked to the kitchen and saw the steaming noodles in the pot being picked up by the man and put into a bowl. Only then did she realize, oh... it turns out the big boss took pity on her and cooked for her.
Look how excited Xiao Wei is, he's practically sprouting wings and flying away, as if eating noodles will make him ascend to heaven.
After cooking the noodles, Xiao Cheng fried seven eggs: two for himself, two for Xiao Wei, and three for Bai Lu.
Bai Lu suddenly felt that her belly had become three times more precious.
Xiao Wei finished all the egg noodles and soup, washed the bowl clean, and happily went to school with his schoolbag on his back. Before leaving, he didn't forget to take out the money from his schoolbag and give it to Bai Lu, who was still slowly chewing and finishing her egg.
Bai Lu couldn't stand his stubbornness, so she took a one-yuan coin from him and said, "The pancakes aren't expensive. You can buy a lot with just one yuan. Keep the rest of the money for yourself."
After Xiao Wei went to school, Xiao Cheng also went out.
It took me a long time to finish making noodles and eggs during the White Dew season. After washing the bowls and putting them back in the cupboard, I went to the yard to practice Tai Chi.
After finishing Tai Chi and digesting most of the food in my stomach, I started practicing military boxing.
I had just finished practicing the first set of sixteen moves and was preparing to try the second set when I heard loud banging and crashing sounds outside.
Bai Lu dashed out the door in a flash.
Sure enough, the mud-brick house not far away had collapsed.
Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dazhuang, Wang Hao, and their neighbors were all watching from the sidelines.
Wen Xiuyun was also there, and standing next to her was a middle-aged man with a broad forehead and a wealthy appearance, who was probably her husband.
The man in the excavator cab had a stern face. He gripped the control lever and operated the bucket from top to bottom, first pushing the tiled roof inwards, and then pushing the mud brick wall.
There's a custom here: the main beam can be removed, but it can't be broken. When demolishing a house, you have to be extra careful. You must remove the beam first, set it aside intact, and then demolish the house.
He had clearly done a good job; the beam was intact and lay on the ground outside.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Cheng possessed this ability.
Bai Lu's understanding of him has been refreshed again. In my memory, I've only ever seen him cover for someone else for ten minutes when he went to collect debts.
Such extraordinary talent!
Is he the devil?
The neighbors were all shocked by this scene. "I thought Xiao Cheng was only good at fighting, but I didn't expect him to be able to operate an excavator. It's truly an eye-opener!"
"His skills are pretty good; he drives very steadily. Look, the crossbeam isn't broken at all."
"With such good skills, why not go and operate an excavator properly instead of becoming a street thug?"
"You think you can just open one whenever you want? Do you think buying an excavator is free? Are excavators cheap?"
Amid the discussions, someone brought up the past: "Didn't Xiao Wei's mother often say that Xiao Cheng was a gloomy, rebellious young man who was always targeting her and going against her?"
"No one knows what's going on between two families. Everyone has their own version of events. I even heard from Lao Hu that Xiao Wei's mother chased Xiao Cheng away in the dead of winter! Who knows if it's true or not? Anyway, lying doesn't cost anything."
The neighbors all began to reserve their opinions.
Putting everything else aside, Xiao Cheng can operate an excavator, and there might be times when we need his help.
If you continue to spread rumors without clarifying the facts, it won't be good if he hears you.
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