Chapter 135 A deep longing and yearning wove a net in her heart, binding her...
Not long after the advertisement was posted, regular customers started placing orders for holiday cakes with her. By the morning of Valentine's Day, she had received about ten orders in total.
Zhu Liushuang was overjoyed, having deliberately saved her unused annual leave for this day. With the year-end approaching, she had finished most of her work, and the company didn't delay her regarding time off. Guo Yang not only quickly approved her leave application but also thoughtfully added a blessing: "Happy Valentine's Day date!"
Thinking of this, Zhu Liushuang immediately felt a little guilty. Guo Yang and He Ming were friends, and he naturally assumed that she had taken her day off to go on a date with He Ming. If he knew that she had taken her day off to earn extra money, who knows what he would think of her…
It happened to be a Saturday, and Zhu Liushuang got up early to go to the wholesale market and bought a large box of fresh fruit. By the time she returned home, she was already eager to get started, and the sun was just rising above the treetops.
Chunhua didn't have all the necessary baking tools, so she went home the night before.
He Ming, on the other hand, was on his last short business trip before the New Year, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he wouldn't be able to return until noon.
Zhu Liushuang couldn't handle everything by herself, so she asked her friend, who had just returned to Gucheng two days ago, to come and help at her home.
At 7:30 in the morning, a sleepy-eyed Tian Xingyu yawned as she pushed open the iron gate of the Zhu family's house. She said weakly, "I only fell asleep at 3 a.m., and you woke me up with a phone call at 7 a.m. I came here as fast as I could... Shuangshuang, tell me, is that enough?"
A constant buzzing sound came from the kitchen. Zhu Liushuang, who was whipping butter, poked her head out upon hearing the noise and said in a very solicitous tone, "That's so kind of you! From now on, if Ayu ever needs anything, I'll go through fire and water for her..."
"Stop it—don't give me that nonsense. I haven't had breakfast yet..." Tian Xingyu glanced at her disdainfully.
Zhu Liushuang didn't take it to heart at all, and said with a smile, "Want some potstickers and beef vermicelli soup? They're freshly bought from the morning market..."
"Eat! Of course I'll eat!" Tian Xingyu's beautiful eyes lit up, and she said with a change of expression, "I'll eat and drink my fill so I can help you out."
Zhu Liushuang then asked, "The potstickers might not be crispy if they've gone warm. Should I put them in the air fryer to heat them up?"
"No need, no need, you go ahead and do your thing..." Tian Xingyu pulled her into the kitchen, then brought out breakfast herself. "I know your place so well, I can manage by myself..."
"Okay, then take your time eating... There's some rock sugar pear soup in the thermos, remember to pour it if you get thirsty." Zhu Liushuang gave a brief instruction before continuing her work.
The buzzing sound filled the room again. Separated by a half-open wooden door, the two were busy with their own tasks. One was busy stirring the batter, while the other was busy eating heartily.
After eating and drinking her fill, Tian Xingyu rubbed her hands and strolled into the kitchen, mumbling, "Finally, I've filled my stomach. What can I do for you?"
Zhu Liushuang nodded, glancing at the fruit beside her: "The mangoes and dragon fruit need to be diced, the strawberries halved, and the kiwis sliced..."
Tian Xingyu responded with "Mmm," then pulled out a pair of disposable gloves and put them on: "So much fruit, how many orders did you take today?"
"Ten orders, please." The oven was already preheated. Zhu Liushuang took out several six-inch round molds and began to brush butter on them. "The weather has been bad lately, so I haven't been able to set up my stall. It's a rare holiday, so of course I have to give it my all."
"Money-grubber!" Tian Xingyu teased her while peeling fruit. "On such an important day, instead of enjoying your holiday, you come back to make extra money. Doesn't He Ming complain to you?"
“He’s away on a business trip and won’t be back until this afternoon. I heard there are frequent traffic jams and road closures on the highways lately… If he gets stuck in traffic, he probably won’t be back until tonight.” Zhu Liushuang didn’t seem to care much about Valentine’s Day. In her opinion, businesses nowadays advertise for various holidays with too much fanfare; their essence is just to squeeze money out of consumers.
Although she herself also enjoyed the holiday bonus and took the opportunity to earn some extra money.
She sprinkled flour on the mold and said to her friend with a smile, "No holiday is more important than making money. He does everything I ask now... Besides, every day is Valentine's Day when you're with the person you love."
"Wow, wow, wow—what a huge bowl of dog food!" Tian Xingyu exclaimed dramatically. "Quickly put away that smug little face, don't forget there's a single dog here too!"
After being teased by her friend, Zhu Liushuang turned her head away somewhat embarrassed.
"Are you shy? Don't be shy. You're a married woman now, why are you still acting like a little girl who's never been in a relationship..." Tian Xingyu clicked her tongue twice and chased after her.
Zhu Liushuang was releasing air from the batter poured into the mold. She gently tapped the mold a few times, and small ripples appeared on the surface of the batter. These silent undulations were like her emotions, slowly fluctuating.
"No way..." The rebuttal was weak.
"Tell me quickly—how far have you two progressed?" Tian Xingyu asked excitedly. "Kissing and hugging are commonplace now, right? Have you slept together yet? Did you wear the lace lingerie set I sent you last time...?"
Zhu Liushuang's face flushed visibly. She lowered her head and stammered, unable to give a direct answer.
"It's time to bake the cake base... We have a few customers who need it by noon."
Her evasive manner was tantamount to telling her friend directly that their relationship hadn't progressed to the final stage.
"How can He Ming resist having such a beautiful young woman living in his house?" Tian Xingyu stopped cutting the mango and asked, "Is he impotent?"
"Bang—" The oven door slammed shut, and Zhu Liushuang's hand trembled: "No... Ah Yu, don't talk nonsense."
They had kissed countless times, and each time their passion reached its peak, she could feel the changes in his body. Although she had never seen it with her own eyes, the hardness of his touch was something she could truly feel.
"Look how red your face is... We're both so innocent!" The more shy she became, the more Tian Xingyu couldn't resist teasing her. "Since Senior He isn't taking the initiative, why don't we take the initiative and just push him down? I think there's no time like the present, today is perfect!"
Zhu Liushuang, unable to contain her amusement, put on a stern face and said, "Ayu, it's really too late! The customer is urging us to place the order..."
"Okay, okay..." Tian Xingyu finally calmed down.
The two of them spent half a day in the kitchen preparing all the cakes.
Looking at the cake boxes filling the table, Tian Xingyu massaged Zhu Liushuang's back and asked, "Who's going to deliver these?"
"Some of the delivery guys will come to pick it up, and a few customers said they'll come to pick it up themselves."
"Then wouldn't you have to be on standby at home at all times?"
Zhu Liushuang nodded: "Anyway, I'm just idling around."
"Come on, it's Valentine's Day today! Didn't He Ming prepare a candlelight dinner for you?"
"It was originally available, but I thought it was too expensive and asked him to cancel it."
Tian Xingyu said speechlessly, "Your man earns so much money, why are you trying to save him money? It's not like we eat out every day..."
"I..." Zhu Liushuang stammered for a long time, but couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Fortunately, her phone rang in time to save her.
The caller ID showed He Ming.
"Oh, speak of the devil and he appears!" Tian Xingyu urged her to answer the phone.
Zhu Liushuang walked awkwardly to the window before pressing the answer button.
"Hello, Shuangshuang..." The man on the other end of the phone spoke first, with the sound of car horns mixed in with the receiver.
"Finished making the cake? Are you tired?" the man asked.
"Hmm, my back is a little tired from bending over for so long..." Zhu Liushuang hugged the receiver and couldn't help but whine.
"I'll give you a massage when I get back." The man hesitated for a moment, then added, "You can't strain your back. Take it easy when you take orders in the future."
"Okay—" Zhu Liushuang replied in a drawn-out tone, then asked, "Have you set off yet?"
"I've set off, but there's a bit of traffic on the way. I don't know when I'll arrive... I'm sorry, Shuangshuang." Even through the phone, she could feel the apology in the man's voice.
"Why apologize? It's not up to you to decide whether or not you go on a business trip..." Zhu Liushuang gently instructed him, "Drive slowly and be careful on the road."
"Okay, I'll call you when I arrive."
After hanging up, Zhu Liushuang stood by the window, lost in thought for a while. The sycamore trees along the roadside were bare, and the clouds in the distant sky were high and far away. She stared blankly at them, as if she were looking through these desolate scenes at someone in the distance.
It would have been better if she hadn't answered the call; afterward, she found herself missing him. Longing wove a net in her chest, enveloping her entire heart.
After thinking for a moment, she sent He Ming a message: [After you get off the highway, drive straight to Chunhua Lane. I'll be waiting for you at home. /kiss]
"Shuangshuang, I'm hungry again!" Tian Xingyu yelled from not far away.
Zhu Liushuang's thoughts returned: "Shall we go downstairs and eat some dry noodles?"
"Can I choose the topping?" Tian Xingyu's eyes lit up.
“Of course,” Zhu Liushuang readily took her friend’s hand and said, “You can order every topping once, as long as you can eat it all.”
"I could eat a whole cow right now! I could easily eat all the extra money you earned today..."
Although Tian Xingyu said that, she only ordered one meat dish and two vegetable dishes when she got to the restaurant. Zhu Liushuang saw this and remembered it. Touched, she waved her hand and asked the owner to add three more toppings and a poached egg.
This was probably the most luxurious bowl of dry noodles Tian Xingyu had eaten recently. Looking at the toppings piled up in the bowl, almost overflowing, she said with a mix of laughter and tears, "Do you think I'm a pig, adding so many side dishes?"
Zhu Liushuang chuckled sweetly: "Who was it that just said they were so hungry they could eat a whole cow?"
The lunch rush was long over, and the only people in the noodle shop besides the owner were the two of them.
The food on the table was steaming, and the noodles in their bowls were still plentiful, but they kept bickering back and forth.
After lunch, Tian Xingyu went home to catch up on her sleep.
Zhu Liushuang stayed at home until the last customer picked up the cake before her busy day was finally over.
Her mother was cooking in the kitchen. She went in to ask if she needed help, but before she could say two words, her mother chased her out.
She goes home less often now, and every time she does, her mother won't let her do any chores. Zhu Liushuang feels truly wronged.
"Mom—if you kick me out again, I'm going to get angry!" she called out, peeking into the kitchen. "I'm not a guest, why are you being so distant!"
After Gu Chunling finished cooking the last dish, she carried it out and said, "Why isn't a married daughter a guest?"
"Old-fashioned..." Zhu Liushuang retorted, "Who says I have to get married? Maybe He Ming would be willing to be our son-in-law? Besides... even if I get married, I'll still be your daughter!"
"Stop talking nonsense, wash your hands and eat." Gu Chunling was too lazy to argue with her daughter and patted her hand.
At the dinner table, the mother and daughter chatted casually. Towards the end, Gu Chunling hesitated before speaking, "The day after tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve. How are we going to have dinner this year? I was thinking of having you eat here. I've already marinated the pork hock, and I also bought a free-range chicken..."
“Of course we’ll eat here. It seems like He Ming hasn’t had New Year’s Eve dinner at his dad’s house in many years…” Zhu Liushuang said, “Mom, don’t worry about it. The day after tomorrow, we’ll go to the market early to buy groceries, and we’ll cook the New Year’s Eve dinner. You just need to rest well…”
"Oh, poor little He," Gu Chunling sighed. After expressing her feelings, she filled three insulated containers with the food she had served separately and said, "After you finish eating, hurry back and wait for him. He must be hungry after being stuck in traffic all afternoon."
"Okay, okay!" Zhu Liushuang quickly ate the rice in her bowl. Even without her mother urging her, she wanted to go back to Chunhua Lane as soon as possible.
The sun had only its last rays hanging over the mountaintop, and the sky was gradually darkening.
Zhu Liushuang carried a bag of insulated food containers to the door. Just as she was about to open the door and go out, her mother rushed over and reminded her, "Remember to open the lid when you get home. Fried meat patties get soggy if they're left out for too long. Fry them in oil again."
"Mom—you've told me this so many times already!"
"Really? Getting old, you speak quickly and forget quickly too." Gu Chunling said in surprise. After recovering, she asked her daughter, "After dinner on New Year's Eve, are you going back to Chunhua Lane or staying here?"
Looking at her mother's expectant expression, how could Zhu Liushuang bear to disappoint her? So she smiled and said, "I'll stay here and spend the New Year with you."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chunling's yellowish eyes suddenly lit up with surprise. She unconsciously clutched the hem of her apron, stammering, "Silk quilts...good...good...Mom just had two silk quilts made, they've already been aired, we'll put them on for you. If Xiao He needs anything, just tell Mom, and I'll go buy it..."
Zhu Liushuang felt a pang of sadness, and her eyes stung. She forced herself to hold back her tears.
————
Chunhua Lane is much quieter at night than Donghu Community, where square dancing groups gather.
On Valentine's Day, half the number of lights were on in the apartment building compared to usual.
The electric scooter glided nimbly through the night and arrived at the basement parking lot. Zhu Liushuang hummed a song as she charged the scooter, and just then, her phone in her pocket started vibrating.
She pulled her hand away from the phone to answer it, her voice filled with joy: "Are you home?"
"Yeah, I just parked my car in the underground garage and I'm about to go upstairs. What about you?" the man said softly, accompanied by steady footsteps.
"I just got back too, and I've already charged the car," Zhu Liushuang said excitedly. "Then...see you in the elevator!"
"Thump thump thump," she ran quickly towards the elevator without even hanging up the phone.
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