Zhao Qingyun went up the stairs, but when he was almost on the second floor, he felt something was wrong. Just as he was about to go downstairs, Xu Lai came out of the bathroom, her hair still dripping wet, so she must have just taken a shower.
Zhao Qingyun quickly turned around, his back to her. Xu Lai, drying her hair with a towel, saw someone standing on the stairs and asked, "Did you need something?"
He coughed lightly and said, "Today is Mother's Day. I bought flowers for my two grandmothers. I saw that the tulips at the flower shop were growing well, so I bought you a bouquet."
Xu Lai said "Oh," and then asked, "Why don't you turn around?"
Zhao Qingyun put the flowers aside and said, "Don't look at what you shouldn't see, especially since this is your private space. It's already inappropriate for you to come up here so abruptly."
Xu Lai laughed out loud, walked over and picked up the flowers, standing next to him. Zhao Qingyun could smell the fragrance in her hair, which should be gardenia. He heard her say, "Zhao Qingyun, are you still living in ancient times? So self-disciplined and polite."
He turned to face her, and Zhao Qingyun felt a little awkward in the face of her teasing. Xu Lai invited him, "Would you like to come up and sit for a while? There's a sofa in the living room."
Zhao Qingyun declined, "No need, my flowers have already been delivered, I should go back now."
Xu Lai watched him go downstairs, a hint of doubt in her mind. Was he really almost thirty? How could he be so innocent?
She found a bottle, arranged the flowers, took a picture, and sent it to Xia Ning. Xia Ning replied, "The seeds I sent you have grown so fast! They're quite pretty."
Xu Lai: "You're overthinking it. It was a gift from someone else."
Xia Ning ignored the preceding sentence and went straight to the point, asking gossipy, "Who sent it?"
Xu Lai mumbled, "It's from the neighbor next door. I bought it while buying flowers."
Xia Ning didn't believe it: "You're kidding me. Why didn't my neighbor bring me a bouquet?"
Xu Lai rested her chin on her hand, unable to understand Zhao Qingyun's thoughts, and besides, it was impossible for her to be with him; she couldn't hold him back.
The next morning, just as she was about to go to the market to buy some groceries, she heard her grandmother ask her, "Xiao Lai, are you going to braise all those duck parts you bought earlier?"
Xu Lai then remembered that she had bought it when she took the puppy to get vaccinated and put it in the refrigerator; she had completely forgotten about it.
Deciding not to go grocery shopping today, she grabbed a basket and went to the vegetable garden.
The cucumber vines in the field were already in full bloom. She parted the leaves to take a look and found that several cucumbers had grown. While they were still fresh, Xu Lai picked them all; otherwise, they would have become too old.
She looked around and picked a large bunch of scallions. Some chili peppers had also formed, and Xu Lai picked a few as well.
There were two nectarine trees that her grandfather had planted in the vegetable garden. They were an early-ripening variety, and the peaches were still a bit green. She looked around and picked a few that had turned red.
Carrying a basket of fruits and vegetables home, Xu Lai was in a good mood. That's the good thing about living in the countryside; you can just go to the garden and find whatever you want to eat.
She can't rest. She had just returned home and sat for a while when she grabbed a basket and went to the orchard to pick the remaining loquats. There were quite a few. Xu Lai picked a few leaves, intending to make loquat syrup.
After a day of picking, it was time to eat. She put on her apron and started cooking. The duck parts had already been thawed, so she blanched them and then washed them with warm water.
She had never made braised food at home before and was afraid of making a mess, so she took out her phone to search for tutorials.
"Bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, rock sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, dried chili peppers..." Xu Lai followed the instructions and found the seasonings in the kitchen, muttering to herself.
Considering the pot's capacity, Xu Lai switched to a wood-fired stove and used a large iron pot for cooking, while the wok could also be used for stir-frying vegetables.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
