Chapter 139 Telling stories to lull the big shot to sleep
Night fell.
The outer garment of the chestnut jar got dirty today while I was harvesting chestnuts; it was stained with some sugar syrup. I had to wash an extra jar, adding dish soap and laundry detergent, and finally got the stains clean.
The phone in the main house also rang.
"Ring ring—"
Just like last night, Xiao Wei took a shower and washed his clothes early, hung them up to dry, and then sat at the table waiting anxiously for the phone call. As soon as the phone rang, he immediately ran out to find Bai Lu.
"My older brother called."
The little guy was just as excited as he was last night.
Bai Lu was wringing out clothes, just like last night. She smiled and said, "Answer the phone, my clothes haven't dried yet."
Seeing that she was indeed wringing out clothes and had to hang them up to dry, Xiao Wei decisively ran back.
She moved with lightning speed, as if she had wheels of fire, countless times faster than last night, as if afraid the phone would be disconnected again.
Fortunately, when she ran to the high table in the main house, the phone was still ringing, and she picked up the receiver just in time.
"Hello!"
"Lulu."
The voices on both ends of the phone rang simultaneously.
Xiao Cheng: "..."
Xiao Wei: "..."
Another bucket of cold water was poured on.
Xiao Wei's heart sank to the ground, and his voice trembled slightly: "Sister-in-law is washing clothes."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then the same question as last night was asked: "Are you done showering?"
Xiao Wei glanced back and saw Bai Lu hanging up clothes; she hadn't come over yet. "No."
Another long silence followed.
The sound of dripping water from clothes echoed in the hallway.
The ships sailing on the river sounded their horns with a deep and resonant sound.
After hanging up the clothes, Bai Lu put the wash basin and bucket back in their original places. When she returned to the main house, Xiao Wei had already finished talking with Xiao Cheng and was about to go out to call her.
Upon seeing her come in, he immediately handed her the receiver.
Then, just like last night, he sat at the table with an undeniable air of resentment, his elbows propped on the table, his two small hands supporting his chin, and his big, melancholy eyes staring at her.
Bai Lu patted the little bald head, put the receiver to her ear, thought for a long time, but didn't know what to say.
It wasn't that she didn't know what to say, but she suddenly felt a bit hesitant. She wanted to say hello, but it felt a little silly. Besides, Xiao Wei had already greeted her, and she knew who was on the other end. Saying hello again would be inappropriate. She wanted to get straight to the point and say something important, but she didn't have anything important to say.
I wanted to say that name directly. Xiao Cheng agreed last night, but his tone... wasn't quite satisfactory.
I'm so conflicted, I don't know what to say anymore.
Then they fell silent.
"Lulu?"
A deep, melodious voice called "Lulu" pierced through the long night sky, striking our ears without any warning.
Shaking off all hesitation, Bai Lu's mind instantly cleared: "Yes, I'm here! Have you eaten? What are you doing? Xiao Wei and I have already had dinner. Dinner was stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured duck, spicy fish, and stir-fried water spinach with millet peppers. What did you have for dinner?"
Oh my God... what kind of nonsense is this!
Bai Lu patted her forehead, feeling that she had reached the highest level of awkward conversation and could now disappear into the ground.
Sure enough, a low chuckle came from the man on the other end of the phone.
Then, a long list of home-style dishes came out, and he ate several bowls of rice, reciting them all clearly.
Bai Lu was being stared at by the little guy behind her with a strange look. She just thought it was because the phone was in such good condition that it had nothing to do with what she had just said. She hadn't said anything.
After finishing his report of everyday matters, the deep, mellow voice on the other end of the phone asked, "Chen Chunli is here again?"
The tone of voice dropped from 100 degrees to 0 degrees.
Bai Lu was surprised at how he knew. She turned around and saw that the little bald man had lowered his head at some point.
Five short little fingers are picking at the table.
Bai Lu immediately understood: "Chen Chunli only came to find Chen Dafu, and went back after not finding him."
The man on the other end of the phone spoke in a cold and indifferent tone, leaving no room for argument: "Have Wang Hao come to the house at noon tomorrow, and I'll talk to him."
"No need, no need. I already chased Chen Chunli away. Wang Hao came to pick her up. He was already outside when I opened the door. It's nothing. Chen Chunli is heavily pregnant and can't be hurt." Bai Lu's tone and voice were light and cheerful, without a trace of anger.
Xiao Cheng called out softly in a deep voice, "Lulu..."
"Don't you believe I won't let myself suffer a loss?" Bai Lu's silvery laughter rang out: "My patience has its limits. You've eaten chili peppers before, haven't you? Besides, Xiao Wei is at home. Who can let me suffer a loss? Even if Xiao Wei can't beat someone, he'll use his three-pronged rake to chase them away."
Xiao Cheng wanted to say something, but before he could finish the word "I", Bai Lu interrupted him with audacity: "Alright, alright, I know you're concerned about me. I didn't mean to disobey you. What I meant was that I really wasn't bullied by Chen Chunli. I chased her away."
In Xiao Cheng's mind, Bai Lu, with her gentle and tender personality, would never do something like kicking someone out in front of them.
This statement is clearly unconvincing.
But Bai Lu's voice is as clear and melodious as a lark, like the gentle sound of melting snow, and her clear, bell-like laughter can dispel all aggression.
Like a seal, it cast the evil dragon in Xiao Cheng's heart, which was about to break free of its cage, back into the abyss.
The wind died down, and the lighthouse illuminated the dark river. Xiao Cheng lowered his gaze and walked back to bed from the window.
A creaking sound came from the bed, followed by a voice that had regained some warmth: "How did you get here?"
Why would a big shot ask such a boring question?
Bai Lu suspected he had been drinking, "and after saying a few rude things, she left."
Xiao Cheng answered the phone with an intrigued "Oh," and asked, "What kind of impolite words are you saying?"
"Have you been drinking?" Bai Lu preemptively asked, her demeanor behaving like that of a three-year-old.
Xiao Cheng was slightly taken aback by her forceful change of topic before answering, "I didn't drink any."
"Then you should go to sleep early, it's very late."
Xiao Cheng: "..."
Bai Lu deliberately let out a lazy yawn: "Isn't your boat going ashore tomorrow morning? It'll definitely be very busy then. Go to bed early so you can get enough sleep, have plenty of energy, and do everything more efficiently."
"I can't sleep."
Xiao Cheng lay in bed last night with his eyes open until dawn, and closing them didn't help.
He always had a smiling face.
Bai Lu, however, felt that Xiao Cheng must have been drinking, otherwise he wouldn't have said such blunt things that only a three-year-old would say.
Her tone instantly shifted to the gentle coaxing she used when speaking to a child: "Would you like me to tell you a story?"
Xiao Cheng was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what he meant and denied it: "I didn't drink."
"Yes, yes, you didn't drink. Even when you were drunk, you said you weren't drunk. Do you want to hear my story?"
Xiao Cheng: "..."
"Go ahead and tell me."
"Then you have to promise me first that you won't drink so much when you're out and about," Bai Lu said, making the first request.
Xiao Cheng wanted to say he hadn't drunk any, but instead responded with a simple "Mm".
"Good boy." Bai Lu's light and gentle laughter came over: "Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and on the mountain was a temple. The old monk in the temple was telling a story to the young monk. The story is about once upon a time, there was a mountain..."
(End of this chapter)
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