Chapter 109 You don't need to owe me anything as your legal husband...
That evening, Zhu Liushuang wasn't in charge of cooking; He Ming took her to a local Shanghainese restaurant outside the residential area.
The restaurant wasn't large, and the signboard above was a uniform dark brown, as per the municipal regulations. A stack of small square tables filled the main hall, indicating the business was quite good. As soon as the two entered, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be the owner greeted them with a smile and warmly invited them inside.
"Has Xiao He been working night shifts lately? It's been a while since you've been here." The woman's tone was unusually familiar, and Zhu Liushuang could roughly guess that He Ming must have been a regular customer of this hotel when he lived alone.
"It's almost the end of the year, so we're really busy." The shop was noisy, and the man who walked quickly to the table responded politely, pulling out a chair for Zhu Liushuang to sit down.
"Is this... your girlfriend?" The boss's eyes kept glancing at Zhu Liushuang.
"Um."
"The girl is really pretty, a perfect match for you!" Seeing He Ming readily admit it, the restaurant owner said sincerely, "Having a girlfriend is a joyous occasion, so I'll give you a free dessert today."
"You're too kind," He Ming said casually. "Do you still have fresh mandarin fish today?"
"Yes, there are only two left. Why don't you come with me to the pool and pick one?"
"Okay," He Ming replied, but he didn't actually intend to follow the boss to the kitchen.
Zhu Liushuang suddenly felt his gaze and looked up at him.
"The mandarin fish soup is this restaurant's signature dish, and it tastes pretty good," the man said in a low voice. "I'll go choose the fish; you can take a look at the menu and order a few dishes you'd like."
Zhu Liushuang responded, picked up the menu on the table, and carefully looked through it.
The menu consisted of mostly home-style dishes, and the prices were reasonable. Considering that the two of them couldn't eat that much, she only slowly chose one vegetarian dish and two bowls of rice.
"Have you ordered yet?" He Ming returned shortly after, took off his coat, and sat down in the chair opposite her.
"Hmm, senior, see if this is enough." She handed over the menu.
The man took the menu, glanced at the front, then flipped it over and looked around. Seeing only two lonely checkmarks on the paper, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Last time, Auntie told me that your favorite dish is salt and pepper pork ribs, so why did you only order a simple stir-fried radish dish?"
“I see that the mandarin fish soup in the picture looks like a generous portion…” Zhu Liushuang unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes and gave a shy smile. “One meat dish and one vegetable dish is enough. I have a small appetite and can’t eat too much.”
He Ming didn't say anything, but simply ticked the box next to the salt and pepper ribs, and then called the owner over.
"Thick-broth mandarin fish, stir-fried shredded radish, salt and pepper pork ribs, plus two bowls of rice." The restaurant owner wrote down the order on a piece of paper while asking, as usual, "Any dietary restrictions?"
The words "Salt and Pepper Ribs" hit her ears, and Zhu Liushuang suddenly looked up. She wanted to ask him, "Didn't you order too much?" but the words remained unspoken. The man seemed to sense something, looking at her with a handsome face devoid of expression, his gaze calm and peaceful.
"Gentlemen, are there any dietary restrictions?" Receiving no response, the boss raised his voice an octave, trying to drown out the surrounding noise.
"Don't add chili peppers."
"She doesn't eat ginger."
Two distinct voices intertwined, sparking a tacit understanding in the air.
They were talking about foods that the other person couldn't eat.
As a regular customer of this restaurant, the owner naturally knew what He Ming didn't eat. Therefore, the question just now was clearly directed at Zhu Liushuang.
Unexpectedly, the two of them blurted out the same thing at the same time.
A hint of surprise flashed across the restaurant owner's face. She smiled and put away the menu, teasingly saying, "Xiao He, your girlfriend really cares about you. You're lucky!"
The person who was unexpectedly called out subtly avoided the boss's gaze, picked up the water glass on the table, and brought it to their lips.
Time seemed to pause suddenly. Unlike the lively chatter at other tables, their table was unusually quiet.
Her racing heart made Zhu Liushuang's cheeks flush slightly. She pretended to pick up her cup and tactfully took a sip of water. But her eyes would still inadvertently drift to him out of the corner of her eye.
The skin around He Ming's neck seemed slightly redder than when he sat down.
The glass of water lingered at his lips, but he didn't drink it.
A secret joy swelled in his chest, as if his heart had been gently brushed by a feather: Could it be... he's shy?
Zhu Liushuang was surprised by her discovery, and she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.
She hurriedly lowered her eyes and drank the warm water in the cup in one gulp.
When she looked up again, the man before her had returned to his usual cold and aloof demeanor. And the splash of red that had stirred her imagination had vanished like a mirage.
So...she saw it wrong?
The little bit of excitement that had arisen in my heart instantly vanished, and I dejectedly hid in a corner.
Fortunately, she didn't have much time to dwell on the matter, because the restaurant served the food very quickly, and soon the waiter brought a large bowl of thick mandarin fish soup to the table.
Zhu Liushuang examined the dish closely: the milky white broth, the translucent fish meat, and the addition of winter bamboo shoots, river shrimp, and ham slices as garnish. A gentle sniff filled her nostrils with the rich aroma of the fish soup.
"The mandarin fish is firm in this season, and it won't taste fishy even without ginger and chili." The man stood up and gentlemanly ladled a small half bowl of fish soup for her, saying, "Drink the soup first, then eat the fish."
Zhu Liushuang accepted the bowl with a flattered expression. Under his gaze, she scooped up a spoonful of the steaming soup and her eyes lit up instantly after tasting it.
"It tastes so good!" she exclaimed.
"Eat more if you like." He Ming was infected by her satisfied smile and couldn't help but feel hungry, so he served himself half a bowl. As he put the fish soup and fish into his mouth and chewed slowly, he couldn't help but wonder: the chef's skills seemed to have improved again; the mandarin fish tonight was even more delicious than before.
One by one, the dishes were served.
The restaurant owner indeed gave them a dessert—sweet rice balls in sweet osmanthus wine.
The small glutinous rice balls in the dessert were made of glutinous rice flour. Although they were small, they were quite filling. Zhu Liushuang took a couple of bites and then whispered to He Ming, "Senior, these are a bit sweet. Eating them at night can cause indigestion. You shouldn't eat them."
Hearing the advice, He Ming withdrew his hand, which was about to scoop up the dessert, and said "Okay" with a normal expression.
However, his inner self was far from as calm as he appeared on the surface.
In the past, he lived alone and was very casual about what he ate for his three daily meals.
His maternal grandparents live in the countryside. Although they often worry that he cannot take good care of himself, they are far away and there is nothing they can do about it.
Now, he has a roommate to live with. Although they are only husband and wife in name, Zhu Liushuang's concern for him is genuine.
As for himself, he did not resist or hate her "control," and was even somewhat... addicted to it.
"Senior... are you listening?" Zhu Liushuang called out several times, but the person on the other end didn't respond, so she raised her voice, "Senior!"
The man put down his chopsticks and apologized, "I was just thinking about something. What's wrong?"
"I'm a little full. Shall we go for a walk later to digest?" Zhu Liushuang said, patting her round belly.
In the dead of winter, with a biting wind outside, going for a walk at this hour is hardly a good suggestion.
Zhu Liushuang thought that it would be reasonable for him to refuse.
"Okay, shall we go to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities? There's also a park nearby where people often go jogging at night..."
She thought He Ming's brief silence was because he was thinking about how to politely refuse her, but she never expected that he was actually considering where to go next.
“It seems like we don’t need anything at home, so let’s go to the park. I’ve been in Chunhua Lane for so many days, and I haven’t really explored the area properly.” Zhu Liushuang blinked and rested her chin on her hand.
"Do you need to pack up the leftovers?" He Ming knew she had a habit of packing up leftovers, so he asked her specifically.
Zhu Liushuang glanced at the half-eaten plate of salt and pepper ribs on the table and happily said, "Great!" She had originally planned to pack the ribs to take home for lunch the next day. She was naturally pleased that he thought the same way as her.
After packing the ribs, the two put on their coats and walked out of the store.
He Ming paid for dinner again, not because Zhu Liushuang didn't want to pay, but because she simply couldn't compete with He Ming.
"Senior, you can't always insist on paying! I'm eating your food and staying at your place, and I'm owing more and more money. What am I going to do in the future..." she muttered, swinging the takeout bag in her hand. Her tone was somewhat resentful.
"Liu Shuang, stop for a moment." The man landed behind her and said sternly.
Almost reflexively, Zhu Liushuang turned around and met his deep gaze. Under the streetlight, the two stood face to face. She didn't know what would happen next, but she could vaguely sense that he had something important to say to her.
She pursed her lips, a strange tension rising within her.
The man lowered his eyes and told her, word by word, "Liu Shuang, I know you don't want to have too much to do with money. But we are indeed husband and wife now. Although our reasons for registering our marriage are different from most people's, once we have a marriage certificate, it has the legal effect it should have. So, during the legal marriage, you don't need to feel indebted when you spend my money, because what you are spending is... marital property."
"Is it marital property?" Zhu Liushuang murmured.
“Yes,” He Ming continued, “Since it’s marital property, there’s no question of who owes whom. I know about your family’s special circumstances and that your mother’s medical treatment will likely cost a lot of money. You’re a strong-willed girl with your own principles and the ability to support yourself. I know you won’t accept my kindness for nothing, but… I can completely afford some of our daily expenses. As your… legal husband, it’s all I should do.”
Zhu Liushuang listened in a daze, staring at him blankly.
This was the first time she had heard him speak so seriously. He laid their relationship bare and patiently tried to reason with her.
"Liu Shuang, do you understand?" His voice softened.
Zhu Liushuang tucked her wrist, which had a red mark from clenching her fist, into her sleeve and mumbled, "Oh, I...I understand."
"Shall we still go for a walk?"
"Disperse..."
She turned around quickly and walked unsteadily toward the intersection. She hadn't taken two steps when someone grabbed the hood of her down jacket.
"Wrong, the park is on the right."
Zhu Liushuang responded awkwardly.
It's only a six or seven-minute walk from the restaurant to the park.
She had something on her mind, so she didn't pester him with questions like she usually did.
As I approached the park entrance, a sudden, urgent ringing of a bell came from behind me.
"Watch out!" A large group of cyclists riding at night passed by them.
Before Zhu Liushuang could react, He Ming firmly protected her with his arms.
The familiar embrace still stirred her emotions and made her breath catch in her throat.
Her head was spinning, and she looked up at him blankly. Under the streetlight, He Ming's phoenix eyes, which he was unaware of, were filled with anxiety.
"Senior, I'm fine." Zhu Liushuang stammered, hurriedly pulling away from his embrace.
"Yeah, it's good that you're alright." He Ming cleared his throat, trying to sound as calm as usual. "You have to concentrate when walking at night."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted unnaturally to the dark shadows of the camphor trees in the distance, as if only in this way could he dispel the restlessness rising in his heart.
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Author's note: Waaaaah, I'm so busy studying for finals lately!
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