Chapter 130 Refusal
As soon as Taozi left, the atmosphere in the room immediately eased considerably.
"If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Big brother was just saying it casually, don't take it to heart."
Brother Liu grinned and moved on from the matter.
"Quickly try the little bread the girl brought."
Aunt Liu took out the golden and tempting little bread rolls and handed them to me and Brother Liu respectively.
"Oh my, this is so delicious! Where did you get this? Are people still selling it?"
Brother Liu took a big bite and was quite surprised after eating it.
"These aren't for sale, the girl made them herself!"
Aunt Liu glanced at him.
"You're really amazing, girl! This bread smells so good, but the sweet part at the bottom must have used a lot of sugar!"
Brother Liu looked at the bottom of the honey bread rolls and showed a pained expression.
"Isn't sugar meant for human consumption? Why not use it in bread?"
The awkward atmosphere dissipated, and we cheerfully began discussing bread and even how to make an oven.
As the sun was about to set, I got ready to go home; it would be too late to go back after eating dumplings.
Even though Brother Liu and Sister Liu tried to persuade me to stay, I insisted on leaving now.
I haven't seen Xiaodi and Xiaogua since I arrived. It took several calls to get the four dogs back. They were all stuffed with round little bellies. I don't know which neighbor fed them.
"By the way, what day is the exchange market?"
Just before leaving, I suddenly remembered this matter.
"Come if you have time on the 20th of next month."
"Okay, I'll be there then. I'm off now."
Under the watchful eyes of Brother Liu and Sister-in-law Liu, I got into the car and drove away from the small courtyard.
As expected, I saw Taozi at the entrance of the Baizhen base. I thought I should get out of the car this time, instead of ignoring him and walking away like last time.
I barely reached Taozi's shoulder. He was quite tall, looking down at me with his handsome eyebrows furrowed, standing there in silence.
After a long while, she suddenly spoke up: "Sister, I asked Brother Liu to tell you this."
"I know."
He seemed slightly surprised when I said I knew.
I didn't say anything and waited for him to finish.
"Actually, I've liked you for a long time. When you went to the greenhouse to buy vegetables, you followed me on the dirt road to look at the greenhouse. Seeing you walking clumsily with your feet uneven, I started to like you. Later, when I was doing a population census with the people at the base, the moment I saw you, you even healed the darkness I had felt since the apocalypse. Every time I saw you after that, I was incredibly happy... I want to see you every day from now on."
Taozi looked at me, his dark eyes full of seriousness. At that moment, I believed that he truly liked me.
"I don't mind the age difference. Even if I'm younger than you, I can take care of you when you get old. Is there really no possibility between us?"
To be honest, I wavered for a moment when faced with his sincere question.
If I had one more person to help me in my stable life, I would have to do less work, face fewer dangers, and have more companionship.
But... in this mundane life filled with the mundane details of daily life, how long can his affection last? If one day he leaves me, or if he accidentally dies, I would probably be in great pain.
If I had been living alone for a long time, and suddenly a stranger appeared in my home, I don't think I could accept it.
Compared to living together as a couple, I yearn for a peaceful and quiet life on my own. Even if it's tough or dangerous, my heart will always be at peace, and that's enough.
"Taozi, thank you for your kindness, but I just want to live alone. You are a good kid. If you need any help, you can come to me anytime."
Taozi's expectant gaze gradually disappeared when I told him he was just a child.
"Okay, then you'll keep your word, and we'll still be friends, right?"
"Yes, we are friends, and siblings can be friends too."
I can gladly accept such a warm and innocent boy, whether as a friend or a sibling.
Now that we've said our piece, I turned around and drove home.
Taozi's figure gradually shrank in the rearview mirror. He didn't leave; he just stood there quietly watching.
...
As the truck drove through the town, I stared intently at the houses on both sides, unable to look away.
But today is Lunar New Year's Eve. No matter how tired I am after a year, I can't exhaust myself during these few days of the New Year. So I hardened my heart and drove straight through the town without looking for supplies.
When I got home, the heated kang bed was still warm. Stepping away from the lively environment and returning to the quiet home, I didn't feel lonely at all; instead, I relaxed.
I had expected Taozi to confess his feelings, so it didn't have a big impact on my mood.
After feeding the pigs and chickens, I changed into loose, clean clothes and switched from "everyone's Spring Festival mode" to "one person's Spring Festival mode".
I took out pretty plates and filled them with my sesame crackers, cookies, roasted hazelnuts, spiced peanuts, and a glass of sweet wine that I was reluctant to drink.
Put everything on the coffee table, snuggle into the sofa, turn on the Spring Festival Gala, and watch it while warming yourself by the fireplace and eating snacks.
The dogs were unusually quiet, sitting around the stove with me.
After leisurely watching the Spring Festival Gala for two hours and having eaten my fill, I lay down on the sofa for a while, tidied up, and started making dumplings in the kitchen.
Eating dumplings at midnight is a tradition I've always adhered to. I don't know if it's just psychological, but the dumplings I ate on New Year's Eve tasted better than any other time of the year.
Without exception, I ate the dumplings with money on them by myself this year, mainly because there was no one else around.
I ate so many dumplings that I had to wander around the house for a while before finally crawling back into bed when I was really sleepy.
I slept in until I naturally woke up on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and I even forgot to put up the couplets that the base manager gave me yesterday.
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to paste the couplets on both sides of the front door.
For breakfast, I ate bread that had been baked a few days ago. I spread sweet watermelon jam on the bread with a fork, and when I took a bite, the sweet jam and the dry, fragrant bread slices went into my mouth together, creating a unique sweet and delicious flavor.
During these few days of the Spring Festival, the main thing is to not do any work. After eating, you can roll around on the smooth and warm kang (heated brick bed). It's so comfortable to lie flat like this.
I stayed in bed all day from the first day of the Lunar New Year until the fifth day, but I couldn't stay in bed any longer, so I started going outside.
The weather is about to warm up, and before it does, while the thick snow is still there, I should go up the mountain and try out my skis.
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the sun was warm. I put on my skis and set off up the mountain with my four dogs.
Today we set off in the opposite direction from last time, and only after walking halfway did we realize we were heading towards the Apple factory.
If I have the chance, I'd like to go inside the Apple factory and see if there's anything of value inside.
With this plan in mind, the purpose of this trip changed from simply skiing to something more than just an adventure.
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