As Zhao Qingyan rummaged through her things, she filled the entire square table. When she turned around, she noticed that Xu Dongsheng's face was flushed.
Unconsciously, I reached out and stood on tiptoe to touch the other person's forehead.
"No, why is your face so red all of a sudden? Do you have a fever?"
Looking at Xu Dongsheng's shy face, Zhao Qingyan belatedly realized that the boy was embarrassed.
Frowning, trying to recall what she'd said to make him blush? Ugh, wrapped in a towel, that's it...
An awkward silence fell between them, neither knowing what to say. Zhao Qingyan remembered that Xu Dongsheng had mentioned cooking porridge, and suggested...
"You're always busy making money and studying, and cooking for yourself is a waste of time. Why don't you come to my house for all three meals?"
Although it's a bit of a hassle to go back and forth, it's still more convenient than doing it yourself. The extra time can be used for reading.
Xu Dongsheng was amused by Zhao Qingyan's words and unconsciously reached out to pat her head.
"Silly girl, what are you thinking about?"
We're not even married yet, and I'm already going to my future father-in-law's house to eat and drink every day. People will say I'm a freeloader, and they'll say I'm not thinking straight and I'm siding with outsiders.
I'm just cooking a simple meal, something I'm used to doing. It's just a way to relax my mind.
"I can't just study all day. I also plan to improve my cooking skills so I can cook for you someday."
Zhao Qingyan found Xu Dongsheng's words very comforting, tilting her head and widening her eyes.
"Really? You're really going to cook for me? Aren't you afraid people will say you're effeminate?"
"Haha, where is there so much effeminateness?"
All the chefs in the restaurant are men, and who has ever said that one of them is effeminate?
Besides, with my looks and height, who would dare say I'm effeminate? I enjoy taking care of my wife, what business is it of anyone else's?
If they're so capable, they'll treat their own wives well too.
In the future, when I have more money, after you marry into the family, we'll buy a cook and a sewer, so you won't have to cook or do needlework.
"Those needle marks on your hands, they must be from sewing that bag, right?"
As he spoke, Xu Dongsheng took Zhao Qingyan's hand and examined it carefully.
Zhao Qingyan's eyes widened in surprise.
"What's going on? This guy knows how to pat someone's head and even touch their hand. He's too good at flirting. I can't take it!"
Zhao Qingyan grumbled inwardly, while Xu Dongsheng settled her on a bench, went inside to get a box of ointment, and carefully applied it to the needle marks on Zhao Qingyan's fingers.
After applying the medicine, he put the cap back on the ointment and placed it in Zhao Qingyan's hand.
"Remember to apply it once in the morning and once at night, and it will be fine in a few days," Xu Dongsheng instructed.
Zhao Qingyan looked at her fingers, and her lips twitched.
"That's it..." She wanted to say, "Is it really necessary to go through all that trouble? It's just a needle prick; it will heal naturally without any medicine."
After thinking it over, I swallowed my words. The young man meant well, how could I refuse?
While Zhao Qingyan was still inwardly criticizing Xu Dongsheng, she didn't expect that Xu Dongsheng would turn her around and slowly push her out of the room.
"Qingyan, don't blame me. Although we're engaged, if a man and a woman are seen together, people will definitely spread bad rumors. I don't want you to be stigmatized."
However, if you have time, we can go into the mountains together to pick wild fruits.
Many of the fruits are ripe now, would you like to join us?
Xu Dongsheng's eyes were filled with anticipation. Zhao Qingyan smiled, "So, you want to go on a date with me?"
"A date? What does that mean? Does it mean an invitation to meet up?" Xu Dongsheng wondered to himself.
Zhao Qingyan gave him a thumbs up.
"Smart, great! I have time today, when do you plan to go into the mountains?"
The two arranged a time, and Zhao Qingyan went home to prepare.
Upon arriving home and seeing Madam Huang, Zhao Qingyan realized she had overlooked something important.
He rushed off to find Huang.
"Grandma, Grandma, Xu Dongsheng said the wild fruits in the mountains are ripe, so the wild grapes in the valley should be ripe too, and it's time to make wine."
Zhao Qingyan said that Huang Shi also suddenly remembered this matter.
“Yes, it would be foolish not to make money when you can. Grandma will go into the valley with you.”
"No need, Grandma, I'm going into the mountains with Xu Dongsheng to pick fruit later. We've already agreed, so I can't break my promise."
I'll go to the valley first thing tomorrow morning. I've come up with a great idea that will get those tasks done quickly, so Grandma doesn't need to worry.
I can probably stay in the valley for a day or two, going in one day and coming out the next.
Zhao Qingyan stopped Huang from going into the mountains with her. Although Huang was still strong, she was old and it would be tiring to walk all day.
She can now store the grapes in her spatial dimension and clean and process them with her mind. Although it consumes some mental energy, it is efficient and quick.
In addition to the little beggars that the Zhao family funded at the beginning of its operation, the Qingmiao Orphanage has taken in a number of children since then.
Of course, there are also some lonely elderly people who come to the gate of the orphanage begging to be taken in, saying that they have nowhere to go, and their descriptions are as tragic as can be.
At the beginning of its operation, Lü Feng was instructed that all adults entering the orphanage must have a clean background and be verified by the government before they could be admitted.
Otherwise, the hand of a kidnapper is most likely to be inserted into the orphanage.
Let alone this backward era, even in later generations with widespread surveillance, many evils still exist.
There were about sixty or seventy children in the orphanage, big and small. The two- or three-year-olds were played with by the four- or five-year-olds.
Five- or six-year-olds have to attend classes every morning to learn to recognize characters, do arithmetic, and other life skills.
The older children, in addition to studying, also have to take care of the younger children, such as helping to cook in the kitchen or washing clothes for the youngest children.
Those who are capable of taking care of themselves take care of their own household affairs.
The children sleep on a kang (a heated brick bed), which is because in winter, there are not only periods of low temperature, but also periods of humid weather with the return of warm, humid air.
The quilts laid on the kang (a heated brick bed) are warmed by the heat every day when it's cold, so the children can sleep in them warmly and without dampness.
The children felt like they had fallen into a paradise, and they were happy every day, especially in their studies, where they worked even harder.
Perhaps life is too good, because there are always bad people who want to sabotage it.
That day, Lü Feng sent someone to Qingshan Xiaozhu to report that the best-looking baby boy in the orphanage had gone missing, and that the matter had been reported to the authorities.
Upon learning of this situation, the women of the Zhao family were very surprised and all wanted to go to the orphanage to help. In the end, Huang took her second daughter-in-law with her to Qingyang County.
Not all the family members could leave, and Zhang Cuicui was nearing the end of her pregnancy.
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