Fang Qiao pushed open the bedroom door. Cheng Baidong was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper, and the three children were lying in their respective beds, fast asleep with their eyes closed.
Fang Qiao looked up at the clock on the wall; it was already past three in the afternoon.
"What time did you take your afternoon nap? Why aren't you awake yet?" Fang Qiao walked up to Cheng Baidong and asked him softly.
"It was almost three o'clock before I fell asleep," Cheng Baidong explained. "We just moved, and I was getting used to the place. It took a while to get me to sleep. I went to bed late, so it'll be a while longer."
Normally, the three children take a nap for at least an hour, with two hours being ideal. If they don't get enough sleep, they will cry and fuss when they wake up, and they are very clingy.
Fang Qiao nodded: "I've only been asleep for a little over half an hour, it'll be a while before I wake up."
Cheng Baidong reached out and pulled her into his arms, asking, "Have you prepared all the meat and vegetables for tonight?"
Fang Qiao snuggled into his arms and said, "Yeah, that's about it. The meat has been marinated in advance, and the glutinous rice has been soaked. We just need to put it in the steamer an hour beforehand. The crispy fish that Xiao Jing fried yesterday is still very crispy. It'll be easy to fry it again. The rest are mostly quick stir-fries, which won't take much time."
Cheng Baidong turned his head and kissed her on the cheek: "Wife, you've worked hard."
Fang Qiao didn't find it tiring. She smiled sweetly and said, "It's not tiring at all. I enjoy cooking. I've been so busy taking care of the kids these past few years that I haven't cooked properly in a long time. If I don't practice my knife skills for a while, I'll become rusty."
"By the way, did you know that a family moved in next door?"
Cheng Baidong nodded: "I know, is it surnamed Chen? I saw it on the list the day the houses were allocated."
"Yes, his surname is Chen, and he's someone I know. If I hadn't met him today, I would never have guessed that such a coincidence could happen."
Fang Qiao laughed: "What a coincidence! Their child, Chen Yan, is the same little boy we met in the Forbidden City on New Year's Day, the one holding the orange cat. Bai Dong, I was thinking that since we'll be neighbors from now on, I'm planning to invite their whole family over tonight. What do you think?"
Fang Qiao sought Cheng Baidong's opinion.
Cheng Baidong nodded in agreement: "Of course, you can do whatever you want."
Since she had decided to invite Chen Yan's family from next door, Fang Qiao thought about adding a few more dishes for dinner, just in case there wasn't enough food.
After deciding on the dinner menu, Fang Qiao asked Cheng Baidong, "Chen Yan looks to be no more than six or seven years old. His parents must be quite old too, right? They moved into the small white building right away, so their positions must be quite high. Did you know anything about them beforehand?"
Cheng Baidong nodded: "Chen Yan's father is named Chen Jingrui. I've heard of him before. He has a great reputation in the military, is very capable, and made many contributions in the war against the South. He was already a senior colonel at a young age. Moreover, he comes from a privileged background; his father is a general. The higher-ups must have a great purpose in bringing him here. I don't know his specific position yet, as the unit hasn't issued any official appointment documents, but it certainly won't be low."
Upon hearing this, Fang Qiao clicked her tongue in astonishment: "Such a powerful background?"
Cheng Baidong nodded.
Fang Qiao said nervously, "Then how should I get along with their family? Should we stay close or keep our distance? Should we not be too enthusiastic, or they might misunderstand and think we're trying to curry favor?"
"Just take it easy." Cheng Bodong rolled over and pulled her into his arms, kissed her on the cheek, and said, "Honey, don't be so nervous. Your man is just as good as me. I'm one of the most talented people in the company. There's no question of me trying to curry favor with you."
Fang Qiao blushed deeply at his sudden action, and punched his arm shyly, saying, "Speak properly, stop fooling around."
Cheng Baidong tightened his grip on her waist and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm not kidding you, I'm serious."
"What are you taking seriously? Are you seriously messing with me?" Fang Qiao slapped the back of his hand and glared at him. "Take your hand away."
With the children all around, where do I put my hands?
How annoying!
"I won't take it."
"If you don't move away, I'll tickle you..."
"I won't scratch it."
As they chatted childishly, the couple rolled around together, making a ruckus. Just then, they suddenly heard a sweet voice calling from downstairs: "Auntie, Auntie, Uncle Fang is here."
The niece calls her aunt's brother "uncle," but because Tian Tian lives at her uncle's house, to distinguish her from Cheng Baidong, she adds the surname and birth order before calling Fang Hai and Fang Lu.
Hearing Tian Tian's voice, Fang Qiao froze and patted Cheng Baidong's arm: "Let go quickly, my older brother is here, I have to go down and see."
“I’ll go with you.” Cheng Baidong released her waist and stood up with her.
"We're all leaving now. Is it okay for the child to sleep alone? I don't want him to fall off the bed again if he rolls over." Fang Qiao was a little worried. "Why don't you stay here and watch the child?"
The children fell asleep while playing here, and because they were afraid of waking up if they were moved, they didn't move to the small beds with railings, but slept directly on their big bed.
Cheng Baidong: "It's alright, I'll have the paper puppet keep an eye on it, it won't fall down."
The paper puppet strictly obeys its owner's commands and is quite competent as a babysitter for the children.
Seeing Cheng Baidong release the paper puppet, Fang Qiao felt relieved, nodded, and said, "Alright, let's go down together."
After she finished speaking, she got up to leave.
"Wait a minute," Cheng Baidong suddenly called out to her.
Fang Qiao stopped in her tracks, puzzled, and turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"
"Your collar is open." Cheng Bodong reached out his large hand to straighten the collar of her cotton-padded jacket, which was askew to one side, and then buttoned up the loose buttons. He nodded in satisfaction and said, "All done."
As he moved, Fang Qiao couldn't help but recall the absurdity of just now, and her pretty face couldn't help but burn.
She bit her lip shyly and glared at Cheng Baidong.
That bastard...
What if my older brother finds out again later...
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