Chapter 47
"You still need to think about me." Chen Zhiyu pressed his advantage.
After purchasing household goods at the supermarket, Qiao Xi and Chen Zhiyu headed straight to the farmers' market to buy groceries. About 500 meters east of Liyun Residential Area, near the bus terminal, there's a street lined with shops.
At the end of this street is Yuesheng Vegetable Market, where residents living nearby usually buy their vegetables; the quality is good and the prices are low.
The streets are lined with a wide variety of shops, including breakfast stalls, small restaurants, and fruit shops. Most of the shop owners live nearby, and out of consideration for neighbors, they are willing to share profits, and even in dire circumstances, they won't be unreasonable.
However, there are also unscrupulous merchants.
Josh encountered one when she was a child; it was a steamed bun shop where she bought two steamed buns the size of tangerines.
One meat bun and one vegetable bun. They were just two ordinary little buns, not from the famous brand next door, yet the proprietress charged her six yuan.
Back then, six yuan could buy a steamer of buns.
At the time, Josh was young and didn't know to ask the price first, let alone argue. When he saw the shopkeeper's mean-spirited look that the item had been sold and no refunds were accepted, he could only shrink back and suffer in silence.
After that, whenever Josh passed by this street, he would stop in front of the store to see if it was still open.
Chen Zhiyu is going on a business trip tomorrow, so he needs to prepare at least a week's worth of food for Qiao Xi so that she can rest more after get off work.
With him at home, Josh never needs to cook. So the task of grocery shopping falls entirely on Chen Zhiyu, and he's the one who decides what to buy. Josh is just there to give perfunctory "uh-huh" responses when asked.
"Would you like this?" Chen Zhiyu held up a white radish.
"Hmm?" Josh was engrossed in playing on his phone and didn't even look up.
"It can be used to make soup."
"Ah, okay then."
"What about this one?"
"Um?"
"Eating this is good for your health."
"Okay, whatever you say."
Later on, Chen Zhiyu stopped asking altogether. Whatever he bought or did, Qiao Xi would eat it with relish.
So while Josh was distracted by his phone again, Chen Zhiyu found himself holding another plastic bag, the contents of which were unknown.
*
I had a lot to do today. After I got home, the vet called to say that the kitten was doing well, but for its future health, they suggested that I wait until the kitten's condition was more stable before picking it up.
After a quick lunch, I still had to contact the installation technician to replace the kitchen door in the afternoon.
Josh and Chen Zhiyu had argued for a while about whether to replace the kitchen door. For some reason, Chen was incredibly stubborn and absolutely refused. At the time, their finances were tight, and adhering to the principle of saving wherever possible, they chose the simplest and cheapest acrylic door panel.
Actually, if her colleagues hadn't suddenly asked about the unusual kitchen door, Josh wouldn't have noticed anything different. But it did remind her that with the New Year approaching, it was time to get a new kitchen door.
To everyone's surprise, Chen Zhiyu was not happy about it.
“This door is fine,” Chen Zhiyu, a tall man, stood in front of the kitchen door with his arms crossed, blocking Josh’s view.
Josh put his hands on his hips, tilted his head back, and argued with him, "This door doesn't even count as a door!"
Anyway, I think it's pretty good.
What exactly do you mean?
"I can't bear to part with it, I don't want to throw it away."
After repeated coordination between the two, they decided to replace the door panel but not throw it away. "Where should we put it?" Josh asked, looking at the plastic door panel.
"living room."
Are you alright?
“You said it’s multi-functional, it can even be used as a message board,” Chen Zhiyu said logically and with evidence.
I don't know why he got so fixated on that broken acrylic door panel. In the end, Josh gave up and waved his hand helplessly, "Whatever, put it wherever you want. I don't care if you put it in your room."
As it turned out, this person actually cleaned and wiped the acrylic door panel clean, and happily put it in his bedroom.
The newly installed kitchen door has a stainless steel frame and tempered glass, making it look bright and shiny. In this house full of old objects, this newly installed kitchen door seems somewhat out of place.
After finishing everything, Josh lay on the sofa, turned on the TV, and found a variety show to watch. Seeing that Chen Zhiyu had been staying in his room for a long time without coming out, she called out, "Chen Zhiyu, it's time to make dinner."
Chen Zhiyu then slowly came out of the bedroom and mysteriously went into the kitchen, saying, "Wait here, I'll make you something delicious."
Both of them will be going back to work tomorrow.
After a few days off, I've become quite lazy, and the thought of going back to work tomorrow makes me feel uneasy. Josh crossed her legs, lay on the sofa watching TV, and happily listened to the sounds of washing and cleaning. She wanted to make the most of this brief moment of bliss.
"Dinner's ready." Chef Chen, who had been busy for over an hour, finally came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl.
Josh was starving, and with the chef's earlier assurance, he excitedly ran to the table, but the joy on his face vanished instantly, and he didn't even want to pick up his chopsticks.
She doubted they'd even need chopsticks for this meal. "Only porridge?" Josh thought she was already trying her best to control her temper.
The chef, completely unaware, said, "There are also side dishes."
Josh took a deep breath. "I was asking about the main course."
"What fancy meal? Lunch should be filling, and dinner should be good. That's enough." Josh tried to find any hint of feigned ignorance on his face, but failed.
“Where is that enough?” Josh asked impatiently. “Tell me where is that enough?” She pointed to two bowls of plain porridge. “This is hardly enough.”
She felt incredibly wronged. Tomorrow she had to go to work, and before she was executed, couldn't she at least have a hearty "last meal"? She had been looking forward to it for over an hour, and this was all she got.
Two bowls of porridge and a side dish were enough to get rid of her. Only after much pleading and cajoling by Chen Zhiyu did Qiao Xi reluctantly give him face.
There were also ingredients in the porridge. Looking at the unknown white object cut into small pieces with suspicion, Josh tried to take a bite. A taste that was hard to describe and slightly bitter instantly messed up her taste system. Then, her eyebrows furrowed.
It was simply unpalatable.
The familiar bitter taste pulled her back to her childhood. Josh closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "What did you add to it?" she asked Chen Zhiyu, her words carrying a heavy weight.
Chen Zhiyu hadn't expected her to react this way. "Is it not good?" He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece from the porridge, and put it all in his mouth, his brows furrowing. "What does this taste like?"
The two masks of pain stared at each other. "Do you know what this is?" Josh asked again.
Chen Zhiyu shook his head.
You bought it without even asking what it was?
"I only understood part of what my aunt said, but she said it was very nutritious, so I thought I'd buy it and make it for you." Chen Zhiyu stirred the bowl of porridge with his chopsticks. "What a waste of all the hard work I put into making this porridge."
"Did she tell you what to make the porridge?"
Chen Zhiyu nodded honestly.
"It's quite something that you've learned to cook such an old-fashioned dish," Josh teased with a smile. "This thing is scientifically called turnip."
Grandma Qiao used to love adding turnips to her porridge and enjoyed it immensely. Turnips have a rather bitter and strange taste, and many people don't like it. When they were little, Josh and Joe would always look uncomfortable when they picked up the porridge with turnips in it, and in the end they would just finish the porridge, leaving a mountain of small pieces of turnips in the bowl.
Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, the two of them finished their porridge, but then they were faced with a dilemma when they saw a large bag of turnips in the kitchen.
After tidying up and washing up, Josh said, lying on her side on the sofa with her eyes closed, "I'll give it to Aunt Li another day. I think she'll like it."
She had a slight headache since the afternoon, probably from catching a chill when she went out. Chen Zhiyu found her a packet of cold medicine to drink and stayed by her side, gently massaging her temples.
Chen Zhiyu used one hand to mischievously pinch her earlobe, the movement so light it was almost imperceptible.
However, it cannot be ignored.
He did it on purpose.
Josh had just showered, and unlike usual, she was wearing a black slip dress, lying on her side on the sofa. The thin fabric bunched up around her thighs, and the black color made her skin appear even whiter.
This type of pajamas obviously couldn't have been bought by Josh himself.
She didn't know why Tang Ning was so keen on buying her loungewear. Yesterday before going to bed, Tang Ning saw that the edges of her pajamas were frayed and pouted. Today, he ordered a new one to be delivered by Flash Delivery.
Two outfits were delivered: a simple set of loungewear for everyday wear, and this slip dress. Josh had just finished showering and was thinking of staying in the living room for a while before going back to her bedroom to sleep, so she changed into this one.
He rubbed his earlobe with his fingertips, a hint of teasing in his voice.
"I made some wontons and put them in the refrigerator." Chen Zhiyu leaned down slightly and whispered in her ear, his tone as gentle as his movements. "When you get home from get off work, you can cook a portion for yourself. If that's not enough, there's some noodles in the refrigerator, so you can make wonton noodles too."
"Also, I've put the dried shrimp in the most conspicuous spot in the fridge, along with the cilantro. If you're unsure how to season it, do you want me to write a note and put it in the kitchen?"
His incessant nagging was giving her a headache again. Did he think she was a three-year-old? Josh endured it, then laughed and swatted his hand away. "You're so long-winded. It's not like I can't cook. I cooked all the meals before you came."
"I know." Chen Zhiyu's voice was a little low, but it was a clear accusation. "You're just being careless when you're home alone. Have you forgotten the last time you ate instant noodles for a month straight and almost got gastritis?"
Cooking for one person is too much trouble, so Josh just makes do with what she can manage. "That one time she kept nagging." Finally, she gave in to Chen Zhiyu's gentle persuasion, "I know, I'll eat properly."
"You still need to think about me." Chen Zhiyu pressed his advantage.
"I miss you, I miss you," she replied perfunctorily.
They finally settled down.
Chen Zhiyu placed his hands back on her temples and gently pressed them. The massage felt very comfortable, and Qiao Xi began to feel drowsy. Just then, Aunt Li's anxious voice came from outside the door, "Is Qiao Xi home?"
The two people on the sofa were startled.
Chen Zhiyu got up to open the door. Qiao Xi went back to her bedroom to put on a coat. When she came out again, she saw that Aunt Li in the living room was not the smiling woman she used to see. She looked anxious and pale.
She stepped forward and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
Aunt Li and her husband are both retired workers, but they still often joke that they are left behind by the times. They don't understand most of the apps on the internet now, and although they have wanted to learn, they are too old and can't remember the complicated steps.
Aunt Li's blood pressure was unstable a few days ago, and she mentioned it to a friend while chatting. The friend sent her a live stream link and said that as people get older, they need to take better care of themselves.
With her friend's step-by-step guidance, Aunt Li learned how to shop online.
Recently, her son and daughter were not around, and she had no one to advise her. Her husband was even more clueless. Aunt Li took a look at the products and thought they were all good. In just a few days, she bought a bunch of health products, including food, drinks, and other necessities.
When the investment message was posted in the group, she slowly came to her senses and realized that things weren't so simple. The idea of guaranteed profits didn't sound very reliable. But her friend was very active in the group, constantly calling her and trying to get her involved. It would be a lie to say she wasn't tempted.
The old man and his friends went fishing out of town, and their children were all far away. Telling them wouldn't get them over immediately, so they were just anxious. Aunt Li thought that since Josh and his wife had just returned, she decided to ask them.
After hearing this, Chen Zhiyu and Qiao Xi exchanged a glance, also feeling that this matter was not so simple.
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