Xu Xiangjuan didn't have a clear goal at the beginning. She just picked some daily necessities and went to the watch display cabinet at the end.
"Juan, this watch is beautiful." Zhou Chengning said, pointing to a small women's watch.
The watch is small and suitable for wearing on your lover's slender wrist.
"It's too delicate and not suitable for you." Xu Xiangjuan continued to pick.
"Juan, why are you buying it for me? You don't have to buy it for me, just buy it for yourself, I don't want it." Zhou Chengning quickly said no.
He really doesn't need a watch. There is a clock at home and at school, so he knows the time.
Xu Xiangjuan pretended not to hear and continued looking at her watch.
Zhou Chengning: "Juan."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Don't call me. I'm going to pick out a watch for you as your birthday present. You can pick out which one you like."
"Juan, the watch is too expensive, don't use your money to buy it." Zhou Chengning leaned close to Xu Xiangjuan's ear and said, it's only about one or two hundred yuan.
Xu Xiangjuan: "It's not my money, it's our family's money. I gave the watch to my husband on my own behalf, and I gave the watch to my father on behalf of Guagua and Niu Niu."
"Juan, you buy it. I'll go take a look around." He really couldn't bear to watch his lover paying for a watch.
Xu Xiangjuan sighed as she watched. If she bought a watch for her man and gave it to him secretly, he would be very happy if he didn't know the price. But she just wanted him to know the price and not be so petty.
It can't be said that she is petty. Who doesn't save money now? There is a difference between saving money and being petty. The key is that the man in her family is generous to her, but she is still stingy with herself.
When she bought the watch just now, she thought it was bought by herself, so she could still say which watch was good-looking. But when it came to me, she had an expression of being cut without even looking at the watch.
Without asking Aning's opinion, she still trusted her own aesthetic taste. After choosing for a long time, Xu Xiangjuan picked one and paid for it, which cost 120 yuan.
Today's big spending is for Aning's 30th birthday.
After buying the items, Xu Xiangjuan went to look for Zhou Chengning, who was standing not far away acting as a sculpture.
"The watch has been bought. Stretch out your hand and I'll let you try it on your wrist." Xu Xiangjuan asked Zhou Chengning to stretch out his hand.
Zhou Chengning reluctantly reached out his hand.
Pushing the sleeves of her clothes inward, Xu Xiangjuan put a watch on Zhou Chengning and said, "I have asked someone to adjust the time for me. You can check the time now. It is already 11:32. Let's go have lunch."
Although Zhou Chengning felt distressed, he had to admit that he felt different after wearing the watch. He didn't dare to ask the price, "Juan, don't tell me how much it is."
"Well, I didn't tell you it's 120 yuan a piece."
Seeing her husband's face suddenly become depressed, Xu Xiangjuan comforted him: "It's okay, you can still make more money. You can make more money next year and then buy a better one."
"Juan, this one is already very good, no need to change it." He would be so heartbroken that he would be unable to breathe if he bought another one.
It’s too expensive.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Yeah, by the way, Aning, give Guagua 10 cents tonight."
Zhou Chengning was puzzled: "Juan, why do you want to give Guagua 1 cent? Didn't you already give Guagua 2 cents?"
Xu Xiangjuan: "Do you have a dime?"
"Juan, don't you have any?" Isn't it that Guagua's money is usually given by his lover?
"I did...I gave Guagua two cents?" Xu Xiangjuan looked as if she couldn't remember.
Zhou Chengning reminded: "Juan, how could you forget? I gave Guagua two cents this morning. If you don't believe me, go back and ask Guagua this afternoon... Don't forget to give Guagua money in the future. If you give it again, Guagua will cheat adults in the future."
Xu Xiangjuan: "It's not that serious."
Sure enough, it would have been fine if she hadn't thought about it too much. Once she thought about it too much, she remembered that Guagua had never received any money from his father.
Zhou Chengning was not exaggerating. "Yes, it's serious. Juan, why are you so confused? Tell me when you give money to Gua Gua next time, so that you don't forget to give it again."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Okay, I'll tell you later..."
Only after his lover agreed did Zhou Chengning have an expression on his face that said, "This is right."
For lunch, Xu Xiangjuan specially found an old restaurant where there were many family customers.
They were riding bicycles and had nothing to do today, so they were not in a hurry and could wait slowly.
Zhou Chengning kept his eyes on his wrist. The more he looked at the watch, the more satisfied he was. It looked more and more beautiful.
There was no vacant seat inside, so the couple waited outside. Xu Xiangjuan had a heart-to-heart talk with Zhou Chengning, "Aning, if you don't have money, you must save money, but if you have money, you must also spend it."
Zhou Chengning agreed: "Well, Juan, I understand. I spent the money I saved."
Xu Xiangjuan always felt that the two of them were not on the same wavelength: "That's not what I meant. I've always told you that if I give you money, you should buy it for yourself instead of spending it on me."
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, I don't have anything I want to buy for myself. I save money so that if I want to buy something for you one day, I can take out the money and buy it for you whenever I want."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Well, Aning, I can't change your ideas, and you can't change mine. If I say I'll buy it for you, I'll buy it for you. Don't think it's too expensive."
Zhou Chengning wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out.
After there was a seat available, Xu Xiangjuan looked at the menu and ordered braised pig's trotters, braised prawns, stir-fried cabbage and two bowls of rice.
She had eaten at the cinema and was not hungry now. She could only eat half a bowl of rice later, so she could share half a bowl with Aning.
Zhou Chengning secretly complained: "Juan, this place is so expensive, the total is 17 yuan."
He knew that meat was expensive, but this was the first time he had seen meat dishes so expensive.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Try it, if it tastes good, it's worth the money."
Zhou Chengning felt guilty about eating such a delicious meal, "If Guagua finds out about us, will we..."
Xu Xiangjuan: "How could Guagua find out? Next time you take photos, bring Guagua and Niu Niu with you. Let's take a family photo. If the food here is delicious, bring Guagua and Niu Niu with you."
She hadn't forgotten the family portrait. She would make the money back. It was okay to spend lavishly two or three times.
Zhou Chengning: "Would it be a bad idea to bring Guagua and Niu Niu? We still have to watch a movie."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Niuniu doesn't need a ticket to watch the movie, and Guagua can also sit down and watch quietly. If Niuniu makes noise, I will take Niuniu out."
Zhou Chengning: "Okay then, Juan, I'm actually worried that Niu Niu will make noise, because Niu Niu is still young and will definitely make noise, which would be bad if it affects others."
He wanted to watch a movie with his lover, but it would be awkward with children around.
It's like taking the kids out to play.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Well, Niu Niu is noisy. He might laugh out loud while watching a movie. I'll see if I can control him. If not, I'll take him out."
She couldn't concentrate on watching movies, so she could just take Niu Niu out to relax.
When you get tired of holding the cow, hold its hand and let it walk by itself. The cow can walk anyway.
"Okay." Zhou Chengning agreed reluctantly.
Although I can't be alone with my lover, being a family is also very meaningful.
The dishes have arrived, there are two pig's trotters in total, the meat is cooked till very tender, and you can pick out the skin and meat with chopsticks without any effort.
The meat tastes very good and goes well with rice.
Xu Xiangjuan put a few pieces of pig's trotter meat into the bowl of Zhou Chengning who was peeling shrimps, and Zhou Chengning peeled a shrimp for her.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Although it is a bit expensive, the taste is amazing."
"Hmm, it's delicious. It's almost as good as yours, Juan. Juan, here's the vinegar." Zhou Chengning finished the pig's trotter in the bowl first and continued to peel shrimps.
Xu Xiangjuan: "My cooking skills are not that good. Others have secret recipes passed down from generation to generation. I just make it casually."
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, you have great skills, don't underestimate yourself, your cooking is no worse than the secret recipe passed down from ancestors."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Don't bother, just focus on eating, don't let anyone hear you."
Zhou Chengning: "Well, we have to eat it all. It cost a lot of money."
In the end, Zhou Chengning ate the pig's trotter clean before he was willing to leave.
...
On the way home, the couple also stopped by to see their grandfather and talked to him for a while before leaving.
Zhou Chengning: "Juan, go pick up Guagua and Niu Niu later. Don't be too nervous. Don't let them know that we are going to have a delicious meal at noon."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Don't be so nervous and look like you're guilty. Don't we often eat alone without telling the child?"
Zhou Chengning: "Yes, quite a lot. Juan, should we change our coats so that Niu Niu won't smell it when we hold him."
Guagua doesn’t need to be held by adults now, he can jump around by himself, mainly because of Niu Niu.
Don’t let Niu Niu smell the scent and scream, otherwise Gua Gua will notice something is wrong.
Xu Xiangjuan also felt that the smell from today's meal might be left on her clothes, "Okay, then change your coat."
After changing clothes, I went to pick up the children. When we arrived at my parents' house, Gua Gua in the yard noticed his parents first and called out "Mom and Dad". Niu Niu probably heard his sister's voice and also called out "Mom and Dad" in the house.
When Xu Xiangjuan entered the room, Niu Niu called for his mother and asked her to hold him.
Xu Xiangjuan took Niu Niu over and asked Zhou Chengning to put the pound of meat in her parents' kitchen. She said goodbye to her parents and left with the two children.
On the way, Zhou Chengning took Niu Niu and held him in his arms. Niu Niu lay on his father's shoulder and talked to his mother.
Guagua also wanted to speak, but she came to complain about her brother, "Mom, Niu Niu cried today and wanted to find mom. I told Niu Niu that mom would be back, but he still cried. He cried as if mom and dad didn't want him anymore."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Why didn't Niu Niu cry in the end?"
Guagua: "Grandma made milk powder for Niu Niu to drink, and Niu Niu stopped crying. Niu Niu is a greedy child."
"Yes, Niu Niu is greedy." Xu Xiangjuan agreed.
When he got home, Gua Gua was still talking to his mother when his eyes accidentally caught sight of his father's wrist.
"dad!"
"What's wrong, Gua Gua? Stop being so startled." Zhou Chengning actually noticed that his daughter was staring at his wrist.
"Nice! Watch!"
"Guagua also knows about watches? The watch was bought by mom for dad."
Zhou Chengning pushed his sleeves inward to show his watch to Guagua, who then flattered him in various ways, saying that she only knew about watches because her kindergarten teacher had one.
Seeing this, Niu Niu, who was placed in the crib, joined in the fun and asked his father to move his wrist over so that he could look at his watch.
Guagua and Niu Niu wanted to reach out their hands to touch it, but were only allowed after their father wiped their hands.
When Xu Xiangjuan saw the interaction between the two children, she felt that she had indeed raised three children. She stopped watching the parent-child interaction and took her coat out to prepare dinner.
"Gua Gua Niu Niu, you are not allowed to touch it today. The time is up. Daddy said you can't touch it after the second hand turns two circles. It has already turned two circles." Zhou Chengning pulled his sleeves back into place and hid the watch in his sleeve so that the two children could not see it.
Guagua has seen and touched enough, which is enough, but Niu Niu is not satisfied yet. He calls for his mother to come over and ask his father to continue looking at his watch.
Zhou Cheng would rather ignore Niu Niu and help his lover.
Xu Xiangjuan heard her son calling and asked what was going on. Zhou Chengning replied that Niu Niu wanted to play with his watch.
How could a child play with an adult's watch? Xu Xiangjuan wouldn't allow it and asked Zhou Chengning to hide it in his sleeves when the child was around.
...
At the beginning of the new semester, Xu Xiangjuan also resumed her business. There were bamboo shoots to be dug in the early spring, and bamboo shoots were added to the spicy vegetarian dish.
Xu Xiangjuan was peeling bamboo shoots at home when she saw Gua Gua being carried down from the horizontal bar by his father. He came hurriedly over, as if he had something important to say.
Xu Xiangjuan: "What's wrong?"
"Sister Xiao Jiang asked me to tell mom that her mother wants you to go here on your day off." Gua Gua took out a note from his schoolbag.
Guagua went to play with sister Xixi as soon as school started. Without waiting for her to go find her, Xiao Jiang came to find Guagua as soon as he saw her. The two children became familiar with each other in a few days. Today, Xiao Jiang gave Guagua a note and relayed her mother's words.
Gua Gua relayed Xiao Jiang's words and could barely understand their meaning.
Xu Xiangjuan brushed off the mud on her hands, wiped her hands with a towel beside her, and took the note.
It wrote the time and place, and told her to go there at 10 a.m. on this Sunday.
Xu Xiangjuan is a businesswoman. She doesn't have any special days off. She is always free and can cooperate with the other party's agreed time.
Zhou Chengning heard what Guagua said, he just heard it, "Juan, I don't know either, but judging from the words above, it should be written by an adult. We can go and take a look on our day off."
Xu Xiangjuan: "Why is it so sudden? Let's go and have a look on our day off."
She had long thought that the other person was just talking casually and didn't take it to heart at all. She was really surprised to hear it suddenly today.
Guagua: "Mom, why do we have to go here?"
She didn't know what was going on, so she asked Sister Xiao Jiang, but Sister Xiao Jiang also said she didn't know.
Ding Li knew that her daughter was playing with Guagua. She was busy recently and didn't have time to go to Maodong Village, so she asked Xiao Jiang to tell Guagua.
Although her daughter is lively, she is still reliable, so she feels at ease leaving her to the care of the child.
Xu Xiangjuan: "Because our family wants to rent this place to open a small restaurant."
Guagua: “Is it far from home?”
It must be very tiring to live far away from home. She is already very tired after going to school with her father every day.
Xu Xiangjuan: "It's near the school. If Guagua and dad are hungry, they can come over to eat."
Guagua was surprised: "Mom, can I go and see?"
Xu Xiangjuan: "Of course, we can bring Niu Niu with us, and our family can go together and buy some groceries at the same time."
I must have ridden a tricycle, it was just a coincidence.
Xu Xiangjuan still didn't quite believe it, so she asked Guagua for some details. After that, she decided that even if it was fake, she could just treat it as a trip out to buy groceries, since she did it often anyway.
On Sunday morning, the family dressed up and went to look at the house and store.
I left home at eight in the morning and agreed to leave at ten in the morning. I was afraid I would be late even if I arrived two hours earlier.
When they arrived at the place, Ding Li sat at the door and talked to two old people, who should be Ding Li's parents.
Ding Li saw the family coming over and said, "You came too early. I just had a few words with my parents."
Xu Xiangjuan: "I'm afraid I've kept Sister Ding waiting for too long. Hello, uncle and aunt. I'm Xu Xiangjuan, and this is my husband Zhou Chengning, my daughter Gua Gua, and my son Niu Niu."
Father Ding's eyes narrowed with a smile, "These two children look really smart."
Guagua: "Grandpa, I am smart, but my brother is not. My brother is stupid."
"Aoao stupid." Niu Niu responded to his sister.
This time, both old people were amused by the pair of children.
Ding Li: "Mom and Dad, I'll take Juan in to see the house."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Xu Xiangjuan and Ding Li went in. The room was relatively bright, and it also had an inner and outer room structure. However, it was somewhat different from Xu Xiangjuan's home. The inner and outer rooms here seemed like a wall was built directly in the large room, separating it into two rooms.
Ding Li: "It was the end of the year and you were not in a hurry, so I didn't tell you. I planned to talk about the house at the beginning of the year, but I was too busy. My parents asked me about it again, so I just let the children pass the message.
I lived in this house for a while with my parents, brothers and sisters. We bought it following the trend at that time, and houses were cheap. The old house was too crowded with so many children, so we split it into two houses. Now that my brothers and sisters are grown up, this house is empty, and my parents moved to the old house. "
Xu Xiangjuan looked around: "Well, Sister Ding, it's quite spacious."
Ding Li continued, "If you really want to do business, you can probably put six four-person tables here. Don't you sell spicy hot pot? Leave a place here for the food cabinet and a place to collect money. It may be crowded, but it's enough for business. It's connected to the kitchen inside, which is spacious and ventilated. There is a door in the kitchen that you can see. The well was dug at home."
Ding Li introduced the outer room to Xu Xiangjuan and then took her to the inner room to have a look.
The inner room is smaller than the outer room, but not too small, and there is a cooking table.
"Although there are no doors between the inner and outer rooms, there are curtains. When they are pulled down, they are blocked and guests cannot see inside. When this door is opened, there is a well. Although there is no field, it is a little distance away from other people's houses and will not be too crowded."
"Sister Ding, what is this door over here?" Xu Xiangjuan noticed that in addition to the door directly opposite, there was another door next to it. It was not big, so she could pass through it normally, but her man might have to lower his head.
Ding Li: "Oh, I would have forgotten if you hadn't told me. There is a small outhouse near my house. There is no bucket in it now, so it doesn't stink. I'll take you to have a look."
Xu Xiangjuan followed Ding Li to the toilet. They took a detour and were far away from the house, so the smell shouldn't come over. The toilet wasn't big, but it was a private space. "Sister Ding, no one else will come to use this toilet, right?"
Ding Li: "No, this toilet is mine. Every household nearby built their own toilets. No one would use it. There is a lock on the door."
"Sister Ding, how did you decide the rent?" Xu Xiangjuan was quite familiar with the town. She knew that this place was not far from the school. After looking around, she was very satisfied.
Ding Li: "10 yuan a month, is this price acceptable?"
"I can accept it, Sister Ding. Can we rent it for half a year first?" Xu Xiangjuan was quite satisfied and didn't plan to bargain, so she just gave the price.
Ding Li: "Okay, tell my parents."
After the two of them came out after watching, Gua Gua asked Ding Li if she could go in and take a look?
Just now, her father didn't let her in, saying that her mother and aunt were looking at the house and talking about something, and children couldn't go in.
Now that mom has finished talking to auntie, she should be able to go in and see the house.
Ding Li agreed. As soon as she agreed, Gua Gua ran in.
Niu Niu, who was held by his father, saw his sister go in and asked his father to take him in as well. Zhou Chengning also wanted to take a look, so he pretended that he couldn't stand Niu Niu's noise and had to take Niu Niu in.
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