When it was time for dinner, Xu Yan still hadn't returned.
Xue Ping served the porridge and went to Xu Nuo's room to call her for dinner, while asking, "Nuonuo, where did Xiaoyan go? Why hasn't she come back yet?"
Xu Nuo hooked her arm around Xue Ping's hand, nuzzled her head against Xue Ping's arm, and said softly, "It seems like something happened in the village."
Hearing her weak voice, Xue Ping chuckled and pinched her cheek: "Are you tired?"
Xu Nuo shook her head, sat down, and slumped her shoulders: "No, I'm hungry."
She glanced at the time, wondering why Li Xian and Xu Yan hadn't returned yet.
After finishing her meal, Xu Nuo went back to her room to read, but after flipping through the book for a long time, she couldn't get into a single page.
Just then, Xu Jinan boiled the water, so she took her clothes and went to take a bath.
The bathroom mirror was fogged up by the steam. Xu Nuo's fair and delicate fingers drew a round head on it. She wanted to draw a pair of gloomy eyes, but unfortunately, her drawing skills were not good, so she could only draw two small circles with a dot in the middle.
Looking at it this way, he doesn't resemble Li Xian at all.
"snort."
Xu Nuo reached out and poked the round head.
It wasn't until 9 p.m. that Xu Yan quietly returned home.
The living room lights are already off.
Xue Ping and Xu Jin'an had to go to work tomorrow, so they went to bed early.
After taking a shower, Xu Nuo lay on the bed, her long, black hair cascading down her back, her beautifully curved eyes darting around as she puffed out her cheeks, debating whether or not to go out.
She was too lazy to get up, yet wanted to ask about what had happened that day, and was looking worried when there was a knock on the door.
She quickly threw the book aside and jumped up, saying, "Come in."
Xu Yan opened the door and came in quietly. She waved the bag in her hand at Xu Nuonuo, her eyes still showing a gentle timidity: "Nuonuo, the state-run restaurant has glutinous rice cakes today."
Um?
Xu Nuo's cheeks, which had subsided, puffed up again. She pursed her lips and her voice sounded a little pitiful: "You...you went to the state-run restaurant with Li Xian?"
Xu Yan shook her head: "No, Brother Li left first, Luo Chen and I went together."
Upon hearing that she was going with Luo Chen, the gloom in Xu Nuo's heart vanished as if blown away by a spring breeze.
She chuckled and said, "I want to eat glutinous rice cakes."
Xu Yan was softened by her cuteness and reached out to pat her head. He put the glutinous rice cake on the table, opened it, and saw that it was a little stuck together. Xu Yan reached out and touched the bottom of the bag, saying apologetically, "Nuonuo, it's a little cold."
"It's okay." Xu Nuo walked barefoot to the desk and opened her mouth to say "ah" to Xu Yan.
Xu Yan picked up a piece with a small bamboo skewer, held it up to her mouth.
Xu Nuo snatched it away in one bite.
It was cold, but the peanut crumbs and sugar coating the soft and chewy white glutinous rice cake tasted quite good.
Her cheeks bulged as she chewed, and she asked Xu Yan, "Um, sis... what happened to you today?"
Xu Yan paused in his actions and looked up at her.
Perhaps because she had just taken a bath, Xu Nuo's already pretty face was flushed, and her eyes were as pure as a fawn in the forest, making it impossible for anyone to lie to her.
But the more people who know about the resale of pornographic goods, the more trouble there will be.
Xu Yan and Luo Chen's worst-case scenario was that their scheme would be exposed, and they wanted to implicate as few people as possible.
She lowered her head and said in a seemingly indifferent manner, "It's Eighth Master. He's short-handed today, so he asked Li Xian and me to help him look after his business."
"I see." Xu Nuo nodded. She knew who Eighth Master was, but she had never met him.
Although Xu Nuo made money through the black market, Li Xian didn't allow her to get involved in it at all. She only needed to supply goods, and others would take care of everything else.
She reminded Xu Yan, "The college entrance exam is in a few days. You should rest well these few days. If possible, ask Li Xian and Luo Chen to help you with some of the black market business."
Xu Yan knew that she was concerned about her and worried that she would miss the exam because of the black market. She reached out and took Xu Nuo's hand, nodding, "I understand."
Xu Yan had something on her mind and needed to study, so she quickly returned to her room. Xu Nuo, on the other hand, happily ate glutinous rice cakes in her room. When she went out to brush her teeth, you could hear her reciting Chinese poems in her room.
She brushed her teeth quietly and went back to her room to sleep.
Perhaps it's because summer is here, but Xu Nuo has been feeling sleepy these past few days.
I woke up around 10 a.m. this morning, ate breakfast, reviewed my books for a while, and then it was lunchtime.
With the college entrance exam fast approaching, Xu Yan simply made some noodles and a vegetable soup.
Although it was simple, it tasted great, with both meat and vegetables, and Xu Nuo ate it with great relish.
After eating and drinking her fill, Xu Nuo lay on the sofa, feeling drowsy.
But she had an appointment with Li Xian in the afternoon, and fearing she might oversleep, she went back to her room, picked up her books, and prepared to review. However, as soon as she opened the book, she soon drifted off to sleep.
I slept until 3:50 in the afternoon.
She still looked sleepy, and rubbed her eyes blankly. Suddenly remembering something, she quickly sat up.
She had arranged to meet Li Xian today!
But when she checked the time, she immediately lay back down.
The agreed time was three o'clock, and she was almost an hour late. Li Xian probably left before he could wait for her.
But what if he didn't leave?
After stretching in bed, Xu Nuo reluctantly got up, put on her slippers without even changing her clothes, and prepared to go upstairs.
"Nuonuo, where are you going?"
Xu Nuo turned her head and saw Xu Yan, who had come out to pour water, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
She smiled and lied, "It's a bit stuffy at home, so I'm going downstairs to get some fresh air."
Want to enjoy the breeze?
Xu Yan looked at the sky; the sun was shining brightly outside.
Perhaps she wanted to get some fresh air, Xu Yan said, "Then be careful."
"Okay, sis."
Xu Nuo nodded obediently, slipped out the door, and went upstairs.
The rooftop has no shade, so you can feel the intense heat of the sun most directly in the summer.
The man squatted silently against the wall, his eyes downcast, beads of sweat occasionally sliding down his forehead.
Because he remained still, a small patch of cement under his chin had changed color.
Faint footsteps approached, and he raised an eyebrow, his eyes, which had been as deep as a pool, now filled with joy.
He stood up and yanked open the iron door to the top floor.
The person who came was wearing white cotton pajamas with a cute pink rabbit printed on them.
Perhaps because she had just woken up, her hair was a little messy.
So incredibly cute.
But upon seeing her expression, Li Xian paused and called out.
"Nuonuo".
Xu Nu pouted and said in an unfriendly tone, "What are you doing?"
Li Xian thought she had just woken up and was still sleepy, so he tried to pull her to his side. However, when he walked over, Xu Nuo backed away. When he reached out to pull her, she dodged to the side first.
He seemed a thousand miles away from him.
Li Xian frowned slightly, pulled her into his arms, and seeing that she was squinting to avoid the sun, he carried her to the shade and shielded her from the glaring sunlight from above.
Li Xian asked, "Nuonuo, what's wrong?"
"No."
Xu Nuo's voice was soft and sounded somewhat aggrieved.
He looked like he had been bullied.
Li Xian knelt down, cupped her face in his hands, and gazed intently at her.
"Nuonuo, what's wrong?"
She wasn't really that angry to begin with, but with his trembling and fearful demeanor, Xu Nuo couldn't pretend anymore.
She reached out and patted his stomach from behind, saying in a pitiful tone, "You ran away from me yesterday without saying a word."
Li Xian was taken aback.
yesterday...
Xu Nuo forbade Li Xian from revealing their relationship, so they pretended not to know each other in front of acquaintances. Yesterday, he was preoccupied and in a hurry to take Xu Yan to find Luo Chen, so the two of them didn't exchange a single word.
Actually, after Luo Chen and Xu Yan left last night, he immediately went back to find Xu Nuo, but when he was almost at the supply and marketing cooperative, he ran into the two plainclothes officers who had been chasing him before.
He sensed something was wrong from afar and ran away, but he wasn't sure if the cops had no memory of him at all. Just to be safe, he had to turn back and take a longer route to the supply and marketing cooperative. However, when he arrived, only Lin Xiaofeng was there.
Xu Nuo has already left.
He gently touched the corner of her mouth and apologized to her: "Nuonuo, it's my fault."
Xu Nuo wasn't that angry. She hid under his parasol, hummed a few times in a coquettish manner, and was easily appeased. She looked up and said, "My sister is about to take the college entrance exam. You and Luo Chen can help her share some of the burden in the black market."
Li Xian looked at her and nodded gently.
Seeing the sweat on his forehead, Xu Nuo reached into his pocket and felt around, and sure enough, she found a small, soft cloth.
She took it out.
Once, Xu Nuo didn't have a backpack and wanted to grab a handkerchief for later use, so she stuffed it into Li Xian's pocket and said righteously, "This is a token of our love for you. You have to wear it every day."
Li Xian's expressionless face stiffened for a moment, then he nodded blankly at her.
He always kept that handkerchief on his person.
Seeing that she was about to use the token of their love to wipe his sweat, Li Xian took a step back, quickly wiped his sweat with his sleeve, and said, "I'm done."
Xu Nuo noticed a drop of something on his eyelid and said, "It's not wiped off properly, let me wipe it off for you."
Li Xian took a few steps back, wiped his forehead haphazardly, and said in a choked voice, "Okay."
Xu Nuo looked at the handkerchief suspiciously, then brought it to her nose to smell it. It smelled nice and looked clean. Why was Li Xian avoiding it like the plague, as if the handkerchief was something dirty? She asked curiously, "You don't like this handkerchief?"
Li Xian shook his head.
"Then why won't you let me wipe it?"
Li Xian said, "It will get dirty."
Xu Nuo rolled her eyes, reached out and grabbed him, tugged at his collar, and covered his forehead with a handkerchief.
She casually poked his forehead: "You dirty head."
It's not dirty at all.
…
Four days before the college entrance examination, an uninvited guest arrived at the Xu family's home.
Seeing Xu Nuo's surprised look, Nie Wenkai scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly.
"What? Did I scare you?"
Xu Nuo smiled and said, "Indeed, it was a bit unexpected."
At this moment, Xu Yan came out, and Nie Wenkai nodded: "Hello, Comrade Xu Yan."
"Hello, Comrade Nie."
Xu Yan had a good impression of this sunny and handsome young man. Knowing that he was there to see Xu Nuo, she poured water and went back to her room.
Xu Nuo poured Nie Wenkai some freshly squeezed juice and asked, "Why are you here?"
Nie Wenkai took a sip and his eyes widened in surprise: "What is this? How can it taste so good?"
Xu Nuo pointed to the apple on the table: "Juice."
Nie Wenkai found it unbelievable. He had drunk fruit juice before, but he had never tasted one so delicious. It was smooth and exceptionally sweet.
Xu Nuo shrugged playfully and joked, "Maybe, maybe it's because I'm good at juicing."
Actually, it's because those fruits were grown using water from flowers and herbs.
It is naturally incomparable to other common fruits.
When it came to fruit, Nie Wenkai remembered the important matter. He pointed to the two bags and said, "Grandpa Chen knows you're taking the college entrance exam, so he asked me to bring you some fruit. Also, he's inviting you to dinner at the Su family's house tonight."
"ah?"
Nie Wenkai found her surprised expression quite adorable, like a... well, a kitten.
"Grandpa Chen originally wanted to come in person, but he has trouble walking, so he asked me to run the errand. You should be alright, right?"
Nothing really happened, it's just that the Su family inexplicably invited her to dinner, and she didn't want to go.
She was thinking of an excuse to refuse.
But Nie Wenkai came today with a mission, determined to persuade Xu Nuo no matter what.
"Grandpa Chen wants to thank her for herbal tea. He knows you're taking the college entrance exam and wants to encourage you. Uncle Su also took leave today and didn't go back to the army. He wants to talk to you about the herbal tea. If you don't go, I'll be too embarrassed to go and freeload a meal."
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Xu Nuo went to her room, took some gifts, and then went to the Su family's house with Nie Wenkai.
Xu Nuo hadn't seen Grandpa Chen the last time, but upon seeing him today, he seemed to be in better spirits.
His face, marked by deep wrinkles, had a faint rosy glow.
Xu Nuo greeted him sweetly, "Hello, Grandpa Chen."
"Oh, Xiao Nuo is here."
Grandpa Chen stood up, leaning on his cane, and looked at Xu Nuo with a loving expression, his eyes full of smiles, praising, "You've become even more beautiful."
Grandpa Chen wasn't just being polite; Xu Nuo had indeed become much prettier.
Wearing a blue cotton dress in the summer, she looked as beautiful as a female celebrity in a magazine.
Having been warned by Old Master Chen and Su Minxiong, Chen Qingxia, who was standing to the side, did not dare to show any displeasure. She smiled and said, "You have indeed become more beautiful. Come and sit down. Xiao Hong, make some tea."
Xiao Hong exclaimed "Hey!" and quickly ran to the kitchen to get busy.
Grandpa Chen said, "The college entrance exam is in a few days. How are your preparations going?"
Xu Nuo, beautiful and with a sweet voice, said, "The preparations are quite good."
Su Minxiong asked, "Where do you want to take the exam?"
Xu Nuo honestly replied, "I will probably take the exam in Shanghai."
"Oh?" Old Master Chen's eyes lit up: "Shanghai University?"
He had assumed Xu Nuo would go to the capital city for university, but he never expected her to want to go to Shanghai University.
Xu Nuo nodded: "If I can pass the exam."
Su Minxiong's usually serious face now showed a rare gentle smile: "Xiao Su said your grades are excellent, you're always first in the grade."
Chen Qingxia glanced at Xu Nuo with some surprise. It is said that pretty girls are not smart and cannot do well in school, but Xu Nuo seems to have all of those qualities.
It's just that his family background isn't very good.
She curled her lip dismissively.
…
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