Chapter 348: First Visit
Xu Qingming was slightly stunned. Li Laiyu unexpectedly leaned over and extended his hand to him: "Aren't you going to take me for a run?"
At this moment, Xu Qingming felt his heartbeat suddenly quicken. He stretched out his hand and was gently grasped, and with the help of that little force, he sat on the horse's back.
After he sat firmly, Li Laiyu grabbed the reins, squeezed the horse's belly with both feet, patted the horse's back, and the horse rushed out.
The reason why Xu Qingming dared to bring people here was because he knew how to ride a horse, but what he didn't expect was that Li Laiyu could also ride it, and so skillfully.
After a moment of surprise, he stopped thinking about it. This was the first time Li Laiyu had reached out to him since he had fallen in love with her. When you've liked someone for so long and finally get a response, even if it's just a little bit, it's enough to make him burst with joy.
He has truly taken a step forward.
The horse galloped forward at lightning speed, and the whistling wind gradually calmed his throbbing heart.
While he was holding Li Lai Yu's hand that was holding the reins, his other hand boldly reached out from behind her and hugged her.
Li Laiyu was startled by his sudden action. He suddenly pulled the reins and braked suddenly. The horse neighed, raised its front hooves, and turned several circles in place before stopping.
Xu Qingming felt a little nervous, so he decided to just throw his arms around Li Laiyu's waist and shamelessly hang his chin on her shoulder.
Li Lai Yu stopped and tried hard to ignore the discomfort.
She turned around and asked him, "You've never ridden a horse before?" So you're so nervous? She didn't think Xu Qingming was deliberately taking advantage of her, because they had been dating for a long time since he confessed his feelings, and Xu Qingming had always been very well behaved.
Apart from the fact that he never gave up after being rejected by himself, Li Lai Yu felt that he was a good person overall.
Xu Qingming lied without blushing or beating his heart: "I have ridden it before, but I always rode it for a while, never ran like this."
Li Laiyu completely misunderstood and was sure that he had just ridden his horse too fast and frightened Xu Qingming.
He said apologetically, "It's my fault." It had been so long since he had felt the sensation of galloping on horseback that he couldn't help himself.
Xu Qingming guessed what she was thinking almost instantly. The girl didn't think that he was taking the opportunity to get close to her, but thought that she was scared by her speed.
Although this makes him seem a little cowardly, it's worth it when you think about it.
Li Laiyu pulled the reins and stood there for a long time. He subconsciously looked at the hand around his waist, felt the breath close at hand, shifted his gaze to look not far away, and did not make any other movements for a long time.
Xu Qingming put his arm around her slender waist, rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered, "Would you please lean on me? If you don't try to lean on me, how can you know whether it feels good to lean on someone?"
Li Lai Yu collected his wandering thoughts and lowered his eyes slightly. After a moment, he leaned back gently and leaned on his shoulder.
At this moment, Xu Qingming wished time would stop.
But God just likes to play tricks on him, and cold raindrops fall down in patches at this time.
It's raining!
Xu Qingming sighed, still unwilling to let go: "I wonder if Old Xu has caught any fish? Can we have fish soup today?"
Li Laiyu sat up straight and reminded him: "We didn't bring an umbrella, we should go back."
Right now, you should be thinking about how to get less wet in the rain, instead of wondering whether you have caught any fish or whether you can have some fish soup, right?
Xu Qingming let go, got off the horse, held the reins, and let the horse carry Li Laiyu slowly back to the stables.
The rain was getting heavier. Xu Qingming took Li Laiyu's hand and trotted to where Xu Guoliang was fishing. But Xu Guoliang and his wife were no longer there.
Xu Qingming said: "It's raining, maybe they left first."
The rain wasn't heavy, but it quickly soaked the ground. Xu Qingming was wearing a white shirt today, so he couldn't shield Li Laiyu from the rain. Fortunately, there were trees along the roadside that could block the rain.
While waiting for the car to arrive, we were not completely soaked, but both of us were damp.
The return bus was not crowded. After getting on the bus, the two of them sat in two connected seats in the last row of the bus.
After Li Laiyu sat down by the window, Xu Qingming sat next to her. They held hands and separated for a while when getting in the car, but held hands again after they sat down.
Li Lai Yu lowered his head and looked at each other again and again. The warmth from their palms was transferred to each other, and he always felt a little uncomfortable.
However, some things that we are not used to will soon become habits once we acquiesce in them and start indulging in them.
"Would you like to come to my house for dinner later? My parents are both great cooks."
Li Laiyu thought about it and nodded: "Then go!"
Xu Qingming's eyebrows curved, and just as a smile appeared on his face, Li Laiyu said again: "How about not going today, and another day?"
Xu Qingming squeezed her hand and refused firmly: "No, today. You promised, you can't go back on your word."
Li Laiyu looked at his empty hands: "But I didn't prepare any gifts. It's my first time going to your house, and I feel it's not good to go empty-handed."
Xu Qingming leaned over and smiled. He couldn't help but turned around and touched her head with his free hand: "Are you silly? Why do you want a gift when you come to our house for the first time? Even if you want a gift, it should be my parents who give it to you."
Li Laiyu shrank back, resisting his sudden intimacy. "Is that so?" She didn't quite understand. She only knew that in her previous life, whether she visited someone else's house or someone else came to visit her, she would always send an invitation in advance and bring a gift.
In this life, she has never had any formal contact with anyone. When she goes to Wen Wan's place, she just brings some things casually. Anyway, she never goes empty-handed.
Xu Qingming tilted his head, gently placed it on her shoulder, leaned close to her ear and asked, "Lai Yu, do you agree to let me pursue you?" She agreed to go out with him, and then agreed to go home with him. Does that mean she agreed?
Li Lai Yu didn't quite understand what he meant, and blinked and glanced at him. So they are still in the pursuit stage, doesn't that count as being a couple?
Thinking of this, she nodded and responded with a "hmm".
Xu Qingming was so happy that his eyes were shining with joy. If it wasn't in a public place like in the car, he really wanted to go further and do something else.
Xu Guoliang and Wang Mengfang came back a little earlier than Xu Qingming and the others.
He didn't catch any fish, but that didn't stop Xu Guoliang from doing other things. Knowing he was going out today and that they might come to his house for dinner, Xu Guoliang made all the necessary preparations.
Since the pastries she brought were not eaten, Wang Mengfang found a white plate and placed it on the table in the restaurant.
He went in and lent a hand to Xu Guoliang: "You think there won't be any problems today? He should be back, right?"
"Why are my eyelids twitching so much?"
Xu Guoliang said, "Don't be too nervous. You have to trust Qingming. At the very least, you have to trust your own judgment and Lai Yu. Since she has personally agreed to go out with Qingming, it means that her opinion of Qingming has changed and she is willing to try to get along with him. It won't be the same as last time! Relax."
It's true, as a mother, no one else would be so nervous when their son is dating.
Wang Mengfang sighed: "I don't want to worry either. Qingming is smart, but I don't think he's very reliable when it comes to personal matters."
Xu Guoliang deftly threw a black chicken that had been processed in advance into the casserole, covered it with a lid, and placed it on the gas stove.
"Things like this really depend on fate. When fate arrives and two people are attracted to each other, even the most unreliable thing becomes reliable. You still have to rely on yourself. It's useless for others to be anxious."
Wang Mengfang asked him, "If you really want to get married, you should buy this house, right? Our family apartment looks spacious, but it will feel crowded after we get married. And it will be even more crowded after we have children."
"I'm thinking, no, we should keep an eye on it now and decide on a suitable house as soon as we find one. Young people these days value freedom and their own space. If we have a house later, they can live with us if they want, or live on their own if they don't. That's great."
"It's a good idea to buy it early. I feel like everything has been going up in the past few months this year, and this house might as well. What's the point of keeping the money for the interest? It's better to buy it early."
Xu Guoliang said, "I think so too. I'll ask Qingming later to see which place he likes."
"Do you think it's better to buy a newly built apartment with a bathroom, or an old courtyard house?"
Xu Guoliang answered her while busying himself, "I think courtyard houses are great. I like the courtyard Wanwan lives in over by Tonghua Lane, but it's a little small and lacks a bathroom. If we want to buy, we'd better look for something a little more spacious. A courtyard will give us more space to move around when we have children."
The couple chattered as they prepared meals and discussed buying a house. They couldn't stop talking about everything from Xu Qingming starting a family to having children.
Xu Qingming and Li Laiyu arrived just when they were talking excitedly.
The two got off the car at the intersection of Tonghua Lane. Li Laiyu went back to change her clothes and took an umbrella. Xu Qingming rode his bicycle and took her to the Huada staff housing compound.
The staff family housing complex at Huada University was newly built in the past two years.
Xu Guoliang and Wang Mengfang both teach at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and the house they were allocated is very spacious.
Xu Qingming put the bicycle in the carport not far downstairs, then took the umbrella from Li Laiyu, held her hand, and went upstairs.
Apart from Wen Wan, Li Lai Yu has no friends in the capital. She doesn't visit Wen Wan often, and has never been to other people's homes.
Xu Qingming's house is very comfortable.
Dark gray sofa, log-colored coffee table, table, and cabinet.
There's a carved antique display stand at the back. A painting of "National Beauty" hangs on the wall, and a double-sided embroidery of a cat sits on the table next to the TV. The room feels antique yet elegant.
Wang Mengfang's smile never faded from her face since she entered the room. She warmly invited her to sit on the sofa, turned on the TV, and ordered Xu Qingming: "What are you standing there for? Go make some tea."
Before Xu Qingming could move, he was asked to get some pastries for Li Laiyu.
Xu Qingming went to the restaurant and got some sweet-scented osmanthus cake, placing it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "Are you hungry? We had planned to play for a while and then go out to eat, but who knew it would start raining so suddenly? Dinner will have to wait a little longer, so let's have a snack first."
Wang Mengfang sat with Li Laiyu and greeted her: "I don't know if you like sweet things. I made two flavors of this osmanthus cake here, one with honey and one with brown sugar. Try them and see which one you like."
Li Laiyu couldn't refuse her enthusiastic care. She picked up a piece of food with a fork and said thank you before she took a bite: "Thank you, auntie." She was really too enthusiastic and she was a little overwhelmed and couldn't resist.
Wang Mengfang said, "Why should we thank one of our own family? Don't be restrained."
"Now that we've come here, we know where we're staying. Come play here when you have free time. Don't go to the cafeteria to eat in the morning or afternoon when you have classes. Come back home and eat."
Li Lai Yu gently took a bite of the osmanthus cake made with honey. As soon as it entered his mouth, the fragrance of osmanthus and the sweet taste of honey spread from the tip of his tongue and went straight to his heart.
She could hardly remember how many years it had been since she had eaten such sweet pastries. It was probably since her parents passed away in her previous life, and the burden of the entire Changping City fell on her. She had never touched these things that little girls liked again.
Xu Qingming poured her some water, plain boiled water.
Wang Mengfang asked her, "Xiaoyu, do you want to drink tea? Your uncle got some new tea a while ago and asked Qingming to make some for you."
Xu Qingming said, "She doesn't like tea leaves. She prefers plain water. What new tea did Dad get? Lai Yu can make his own tea, and it's no worse than what he drinks every day."
Wang Mengfang's eyes lit up, and she looked at Li Laiyu and said, "Really? Xiaoyu actually knows how to stir-fry tea. That's amazing."
Li Laiyu said, "It's for drinking, so there's no need to be so particular. If uncle likes tea, bring some next time. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't mind, I don't mind. How could I mind it?" This is the tea made by his future daughter-in-law herself. If Xu Guoliang drinks it, won't he become an immortal?
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