Xu Ningyan didn't understand for a moment, and patted the lackey's head: "Missed me? Why do you look like you've lost weight?"
My touch hasn't returned to what it was before the Unity Brigade.
Xu Ningyan thought it was just her imagination, so she lowered her head and hugged the lackey's head to examine him carefully. He had indeed lost some weight.
The lackey tugged at Xu Ningyan's trouser leg, dragging her towards her usual food bowl.
Following the force of the dog's pull, I walked to the food bowl, which was empty and had been licked clean.
The lackey whimpered softly a few times, looking very aggrieved.
Xu Ningyan walked into the kitchen, which was spotless, indicating that it hadn't been used for several days.
I reckon that Gu Zhiyuan has been eating at the machinery factory canteen almost all the time these past few days since I've been away from home, and he probably only brings back some food for his lackeys when he comes back in the evening.
If they lived in the countryside, the lackeys could go into the mountains to hunt some wild game for themselves.
Even lackeys can't get away with anything in this county town.
She felt a pang of sympathy and patted the lackey's head, saying, "Are you starving? When the big boss comes back, we'll all give him a piece of our minds! Here, have a bone to whet your appetite. I'll make you something delicious later, okay? Be good~~"
As he spoke, he pulled out a large bone with meat still attached from his spatial storage and tossed it to the lackey.
The lackey smacked its mouth and snatched the food, then lay down to gnaw on it.
Xu Ningyan ate some bread and milk from her spatial storage to tide her over, and then began tidying up the yard.
I went inside and tidied up a bit. The house hadn't been lived in for a few days, so there was a layer of dust. A little cleaning and opening the windows and doors to let in some fresh air was all it took.
The kitchen looked like it hadn't been used for days, so just to be on the safe side, I boiled a big pot of water and threw all the pots, pans, chopsticks, and utensils into it to sterilize them.
While I was cooking, I took a walk around the yard.
Although Gu Zhiyuan hadn't been feeding the dog properly these past few days, he had still taken care of the vegetable garden.
The weeds have all been pulled out, and it doesn't look like it's short of water, so it must have been watered in the morning or evening.
The vegetables in the garden were growing vigorously. Xu Ningyan picked a few tomatoes that were already red and cracked, a few eggplants and green peppers, and also pinched off a handful of pumpkin vine tips to prepare dinner.
The lackeys have all lost weight from hunger; he probably isn't eating well in the cafeteria either.
One dish is braised pork ribs with winter melon, another is stir-fried pork with green peppers, a third is pan-fried eggplant, a fourth is stir-fried pumpkin vine tips, and a fifth is cold tomato salad.
The portions were generous, and they were brought out and placed on a square table under the tree to cool.
I don't know if it's telepathy, but Gu Zhiyuan, who had been working overtime until dark or even 9 or 10 o'clock every day for the past few days, went home early today.
From afar, he saw that the lock hanging on his yard was gone, and he was overjoyed; Xu Ningyan had returned.
Sure enough, as soon as I opened the door, a familiar aroma of food wafted over.
Xu Ningyan had already taken a shower and changed into a set of cotton loungewear with short sleeves and mid-length pants. Her hair was still damp and she was sitting on a bamboo bed, enjoying the cool air. She held a palm-leaf fan in her hand and turned her head to look at her with a slight smile.
Her eyes were slightly curved, her lips were upturned, and she had two dimples the size of grains of rice on her cheeks, so sweet that it made you dizzy.
Gu Zhiyuan composed himself, pushed his bicycle in, his steps light and his expression gentle: "A-Ning's back—"
After washing my face, I sat down at the table and saw a table full of dishes, which made my mouth water.
While eating, he asked Xu Ningyan if her return to the Tuanjie Brigade went smoothly.
Speaking of this, Xu Ningyan couldn't help but grit his teeth as he recalled the gang outside the medicinal herb purchasing store.
Seeing that Xu Ningyan's expression was not good, Gu Zhiyuan put down his chopsticks. Although his voice was calm, there was a hint of worry in his eyes: "What's wrong? Did you have a bad time going back? Did something happen? Are you alright?"
As he spoke, he looked Xu Ningyan up and down.
Xu Ningyan waved his hand and recounted what had happened at the medicinal herb purchasing store.
Gu Zhiyuan's face darkened, and a wave of fear washed over him. Only after confirming once again that Xu Ningyan was alright did he feel relieved.
He lost his appetite and pondered for a moment: "From now on, whether it's your brigade or the commune, you'll only be responsible for making contacts. You should leave the delivery and payment matters to the people in the brigade. You don't need to handle them yourself."
"Firstly, to avoid suspicion. It's fine in the short term, but if it goes on for a long time, even if you take the receipts back to settle accounts, I'm afraid people will still gossip."
"Secondly, to avoid disaster. After all, you are a single, vulnerable woman. If you deliver the goods and settle the payment, no one will know now, but over time, someone will definitely find out. What if someone with ulterior motives notices and targets you specifically?"
"It's better to just handle the intermediary communication, collection of payments, and delivery. You don't need to get involved in money matters, so at least you won't be targeted!"
Xu Ningyan thought about it and realized that Gu Zhiyuan was right.
When I went back before, I occasionally heard people whispering behind my back. If this goes on for too long, not to mention those in the Unity Brigade who have designs on me, even those who don't will probably be brainwashed.
Why bother with something that won't be appreciated?
He nodded decisively: "Big brother is right, I'll listen to you!"
Looking at Xu Ningyan's obedient appearance, Gu Zhiyuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
Only this girl believed in him without reservation, believing everything he said.
Looking at Xu Ningyan, Gu Zhiyuan wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to begin.
Xu Ningyan, on the other hand, looked up and saw Gu Zhiyuan staring at her with burning eyes.
He immediately felt uncomfortable. "Big brother, what are you looking at?"
Gu Zhiyuan snapped out of his daze, covered his mouth with his hand and coughed, "Ahem—I was looking at the ribs, are these smoked ribs? Did you bring them back from the brigade this time?"
Xu Ningyan breathed a sigh of relief. Oh, it was just about the ribs? That's alright then!
He pushed a large bowl of pork ribs and winter melon stew in front of Gu Zhiyuan: "Eat a few more pieces! I got these from the next brigade, they smell amazing! This is the last piece, smoked with pine branches and tangerine peels, it smells incredible—"
Gu Zhiyuan smiled at Xu Ningyan's attentive manner, but swallowed the words he was about to say.
Well, the little girl is too young, let's wait a bit longer.
He readily agreed, picked up a piece of spare rib, and popped it into his mouth.
After finishing the meal, Gu Zhiyuan took the initiative to wash the dishes and clean up. He then boiled a pot of water to keep it warm. He knew that Xu Ningyan was a clean person and had taken a shower earlier. Now, after eating, she was covered in sweat again and would probably take another shower before going to bed.
She left this pot of water until she went to bed, and the temperature was just right.
The two sat under a tree to cool off. Xu Ningyan remembered that Lu Kai and Xu Zhenzhu were getting married. She moved a small stool over to Gu Zhiyuan's side and whispered, "Brother Gu, I just heard when I went back that Xu Zhenzhu is getting married to Lu Kai. The date is set for early September. Did you know that?"
Gu Zhiyuan nodded: "Lu Kai mentioned it in his office yesterday, saying that he would hold a banquet in our factory canteen and invited everyone in our design department."
“He’s already invited us, it wouldn’t be right not to go. But if you’re not happy about it, we won’t go and join in the fun! We can just have someone bring the money as a gift.”
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