When Zhao Qingyun returned home that evening, he saw Xu Lai yawning repeatedly and asked, "Are you sleepy? Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Xu Lai wiped away her tears. "No, it's just that I was woken up this morning by noise. The construction noise outside was really affecting my sleep. I was planning to take a nap this afternoon, but the noise just wouldn't stop."
Zhao Qingyun was at a loss for words. After all, he had hired those workers. Had the construction started too early?
Xu Lai's eyes were watery. "I wonder who's doing the construction there. I want to see what kind of facility they're going to build."
Zhao Qingyun hugged him, "Alright, alright, the construction should be a little later tomorrow. Go to bed early tonight, I won't bother you anymore."
While Xu Lai was playing on his phone, he contacted the person in charge there and said, "Change the construction time to eight o'clock, pay the wages as usual, and take a break from one to two o'clock in the afternoon."
The person in charge was naturally happy, and the boss wasn't in a hurry either. They could work at their own pace and still get paid in full.
The next day, Xu Lai woke up groggily. She could feel Zhao Qingyun as soon as he got out of bed. All she knew was that he quietly washed up, kissed her forehead, and then went to work.
She slept until eight o'clock. Surprisingly, there was no construction noise today. She felt that Zhao Qingyun's words made sense. Considering the nearby residents, the construction was indeed a little late today.
She went downstairs for breakfast, and her grandmother said that Xia Ning had brought over several kilograms of pork that morning, saying that she had promised to make cured pork for her yesterday.
Grandma took it to the kitchen and left it there, waiting to tell Xu Lai when she got up.
Xu Lai picked up a bowl of noodles and hummed in agreement. "I told her yesterday that we were fuming our house anyway, so I just helped her with that."
Grandma had already finished breakfast and was sitting next to her, scrolling through videos on her phone, chatting with her every now and then.
Xu Lai yawned. It's winter and she's always a little sleepy, but even if she sleeps until nine or ten o'clock, she can't sleep soundly. After all, when people are lazy, they don't want to move.
She washed the dishes, then cut up the meat Xia Ning had brought, put it there to marinate, and hung it up to smoke tomorrow.
Today is Christmas Day, and Zhao Qingyun left the company early. He went to choose a bouquet of flowers and a pair of earrings.
Xu Lai arrived home just in time for dinner. She asked, puzzled, "Why are you back?"
They eat early in winter. Every time Zhao Qingyun gets off work, they are already preparing to wash the dishes. Today, they just started eating when he arrived.
Zhao Qingyun handed her the flowers, saying, "It's Christmas, after all. I came back early to have dinner with you all. This is a gift."
Xu Lai exclaimed, "I didn't prepare one for you."
Zhao Qingyun smiled and said, "No need, I can prepare the surprise myself."
Before going to bed at night, Xu Lai took out her foot bath tub, filled it with hot water, and soaked her feet. Her hands and feet were always cold in winter, and soaking them for a while before bed made her feel more comfortable when she slept.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Qingyun suggested, "I heard there's a hot spring in the next town. I happen to have the weekend off, so I'll take you there?"
Xu Lai's eyes lit up. "Really? I'm tempted to go."
Zhao Qingyun wiped her feet clean and said, "Would I lie to you? You can invite Xia Ning and Xu Shen too, the more the merrier."
Xu Lai nodded: "Then I'll tell them tomorrow."
He put her slippers on and said, "Okay, I'll get you some water. Go lie down."
Xu Lai told Xia Ning on WeChat, and she was very enthusiastic, "Great! I haven't been to a hot spring this year yet, I'll take advantage of Boss Zhao's generosity."
Xu Shen agreed to go, "It's been a long time since I've been there, so I'll give it a try. I know this place, it's pretty good, but it gets a bit crowded in winter."
On Friday afternoon, Xia Ning had no classes, so she came to find her. "Let me think, what clothes should I bring?"
Xu Lai packed a few sets of pajamas. "That'll do."
Xia Ning's eyes widened. "You're kidding me? You only brought these few outfits? What about when you're out soaking in them? You wear these too?"
Xu Lai gave an innocent look: "Well, what else? It's just soaking in a hot spring, not a fashion show."
Xia Ning shook her head. She remembered that she had given Xia Ning a swimsuit before. Although it was for hot springs, it could still be worn. It's all about being flexible.
Xu Lai looked at the few pieces of fabric and shook her head: "No need."
Xia Ning snorted and, taking advantage of her inattention, stuffed the item into the clothes that she had already folded and put in her suitcase.
She also packed Zhao Qingyun's clothes into a suitcase. They would be staying there for two days and one night, so they didn't need to bring too many clothes; one suitcase would be enough for the two of them.
The next day, they set off. Xu Shen drove himself, while Xu Lai and Zhao Qingyun shared a car. Xia Ning looked left and right, but still got into Xu Shen's car; she decided not to be a third wheel.
It only takes half an hour to drive to Wenquan Mountain. The road was full of parked cars. Zhao Qingyun drove his car directly to the entrance, and someone came to park it for him.
He led Xu Lai to a courtyard. "This place was opened by one of my business partners. When I was chatting with him before, he mentioned this place. I thought you would like it, so I asked him to reserve a courtyard for me."
Xu Shen and Xia Ning each lived in one of the side rooms, while Xu Lai and Zhao Qingyun lived in the master bedroom, where the bed was larger. The other two rooms were only big enough for one person to sleep in.
Xia Ning wisely refrained from disturbing them. She wanted to wander around on her own. It was her first time visiting this place, and she was quite curious. She had heard that there was a Red Wine Spring and a Medicinal Spring, and she was more interested in the Red Wine Spring.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they found the place, they saw a familiar face. Zhang Ye was standing by the pool, preparing to take off his bathrobe and get into the water.
...
Xu Lai discovered that there was a pool inside the room. Zhao Qingyun said, "It was because of this pool that we chose this courtyard."
The two wandered around the area, but every pool was occupied. Xu Lai didn't like soaking in the pools with strangers, so she ate something and went back to her room.
She took a shower first, and just as she was about to grab her pajamas, she hurriedly dropped her pajama bottoms on the floor. Not wanting to go out naked, she opened the door a crack and said, "Zhao Qingyun, could you get me a pair of pajama bottoms from my suitcase?"
He rummaged through his clothes, but couldn't find his pajama bottoms; instead, he found those few pieces of fabric.
He took it out, found his pajama bottoms, and handed them to Xu Lai. When she came out and saw Zhao Qingyun studying the clothes, her face instantly burned.
Xu Lai snatched it away, asking, "What are you doing?"
Zhao Qingyun couldn't help but laugh, "You brought it yourself, and you're asking me what I need it for?"
Xu Lai explained, "I didn't bring this. Xia Ning was in my room yesterday, so she must have slipped it in."
Zhao Qingyun hugged the person and said, "Don't worry, I won't feel anything. In fact, I'm very happy."
Xu Lai's translation implies that: if you brought it yourself, you shouldn't feel embarrassed or push the blame onto Xia Ning.
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