Chapter 196 You Stay Tonight
Cao Zheng went home first carrying a basket of buns. Grandma Cao had already cooked dinner and was warming it on the fire. As soon as he entered the house, he put the basket on the table.
"Grandma, take ten buns from the basket and heat them up."
"Baozi? Did you bring food back from your friend's house again?" Grandma Cao knew that her grandson was going to take his friend to buy lime today.
"Yes, my sister-in-law packed the buns for me. I've already eaten ten of them over there. You can eat them by yourself later. You don't have to wait for me." Cao Zheng found some clean clothes, took the soap, and took a basin before going out.
Grandma Cao looked at the big basket full of buns and thought to herself that this friend was really generous. The basket was almost as big as a basket.
How many buns are there in here?
The buns were not very big, a little smaller than those in the bun shop, but the number was astonishing. After Grandma Cao finished counting them, she couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise on her old face!
A total of one hundred!
What kind of wealthy friends did his grandson make?
Grandma Cao only took four buns to heat up and ate them with the multi-grain porridge and vegetable soup she cooked herself. When Cao Zheng came back from taking a bath, he saw his grandmother biting the buns very carefully, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were smoothed out.
Looking at this scene, Cao Zheng couldn't help but feel sad.
"I told you to heat up ten, but how many have you only heated up?" Cao Zheng was a little dissatisfied.
"Grandma can be like you. You can eat ten, but I can't. I can feel full after eating four." Grandma Cao smiled and gave a thumbs up. "This is your friend's cooking skill. It's amazing!"
"It's delicious." He was eating meat buns with thin skin and thick meat. He took a bite and the aroma of wheat mixed with the aroma of meat was so delicious that he wanted to cry. He finished ten of them in two minutes and successfully filled himself up.
"Pick some up and send them to Zhao girl. She probably hasn't eaten yet."
"Well, I'll send it to him now."
Zhao Hanshuang had to sweep the streets and clean up the residents' garbage every day. She was busy from morning till night and her work was not finished even after dark. When Cao Zheng arrived, Zhao Hanshuang's door was still closed, indicating that she had not returned yet.
Cao Zheng had the key to her room, so he opened the door himself, lit a fire on the stove, boiled water, and heated the buns. When the water boiled, Zhao Hanshuang pushed the door open and came in.
"Why are you here again?" Zhao Hanshuang's lips were cracked and her voice was filled with deep fatigue.
Cao Zheng didn't answer her question. "Hurry up and wash your hands. I brought some steamed buns and steamed bread. They're already heated up."
Zhao Hanshuang sat on a low stool, looking at Cao Zheng in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.
Seeing that she didn't move, Cao Zheng simply took the initiative to help her wash. He held her hands, which were once weak and boneless, but now were skinny, covered with calluses, cracked, and rough.
"I bought some vanishing cream, why didn't you use it?" Cao Zheng was heartbroken.
"Yes. I washed my hands many times and now they are clean." Zhao Hanshuang said. She picked up a lot of dirty things all day long and couldn't help washing her hands many times.
"Then you should carry the vanishing cream with you and reapply it every time you wash your hands." Cao Zheng decided that when he made money, he would go to the Baohuo Building and buy her a few more boxes.
Zhao Hanshuang looked at the man who was washing and wiping her hands carefully, and an impulse surged in her heart. She opened her mouth but said nothing.
"These buns have cabbage and pork fillings, leeks and eggs fillings, and sugar buns. The stuffed buns are delicious, and the buns are also very sweet. Which one do you want to try first?"
"Sugar, please." She had been soaking in bitter water for too long and wanted to taste something sweet.
Cao Zheng gave her a sugar bun and said, "Then eat the sweet one first, then the meat and egg ones. My sister-in-law is a good cook, and everything she makes is delicious."
Zhao Hanshuang took a bite and a look of amazement rose in her eyes. "It's delicious. I can even smell the aroma of fruit."
"Maybe it's the jam. I also smelled a faint fruity aroma in the braised pork I ate at their house today."
"What kind of people are they?"
"They are a couple..." Cao Zheng thought seriously, "They have only known each other for a few days. Judging from their appearance alone, they are a perfect match. They are very good-looking and can be noticed at a glance in a crowd. Especially my sister-in-law, her whole body is almost glowing."
Zhao Hanshuang raised her eyebrows and said in surprise, "This is the first time I see you praising someone like this, and it's a woman."
"Are you jealous?" Cao Zheng said with a playful smile, "Don't worry, I love you the most."
Zhao Hanshuang glared at him and said, "Speak properly."
"I'm telling the truth." Cao Zheng said innocently, "There may not be another beauty like my sister-in-law in the whole capital. What's rare is that her beauty is not offensive. Even for women, apart from feeling ashamed, it is difficult for them to feel jealous. But no matter how beautiful my sister-in-law is, I only like you. In my heart, you are the most special."
"You're such a smooth talker. Apart from your appearance, what's your character like?" Zhao Hanshuang had already become interested in Lin Qi. If she had the chance, she would definitely go and see someone who could make Cao Zheng praise her so much.
"They are a very kind couple. They saw that I was in trouble and thought of ways to help me." Cao Zheng's eyes were gentle. "They knew your identity and that I went to help the people in the black market, but they were still willing to be friends with me. They are different from the people I have known before. They also have four lovely children, quadruplets. They are fair and tender, with big, round eyes as black as grapes. They are not afraid of strangers and will smile at you..."
Cao Zheng talked incessantly, with the corners of his mouth raised never lowering.
She rarely saw him so happy, and she hadn't seen such a genuine smile on his face for several years.
Now it was someone else, not her, who could make him happy.
Zhao Hanshuang felt a sharp pain in her heart. The sweet buns also became bitter in her mouth. Somehow, she blurted out, "You should stay tonight."
In the narrow room, time seemed to stand still and even the sound of breathing was so quiet that it could not be heard.
Cao Zheng couldn't believe what he heard. He was stunned for a moment before he asked cautiously, "Hanshuang, what did you just say?"
"I asked you to stay tonight." Zhao Hanshuang repeated it. She found that after she said this, the worries that had been pent up in her heart for a long time just dissipated, and she actually felt a little bit of anticipation.
The unbelievable thing was confirmed, Cao Zheng was ecstatic, and the whole person stood up suddenly, "I have already taken a shower, do you want to take a shower? I will help you boil water. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike you, even if you don't want to take a shower, I won't dislike you..."
"Shut up." Zhao Hanshuang said angrily.
Cao Zheng tried hard to close his mouth, but he couldn't help grinning like a fool.
Zhao Hanshuang couldn't help but laugh when she saw his silly look.
He lost his job for her, she couldn't just let him get nothing.
What's more, she and he are not young anymore.
The next morning, Lin Qi and Xu Hexiao had breakfast but did not hear any knock on the door.
"Is Brother Cao coming today?" Lin Qi asked.
"He said yesterday he would come, but maybe he was delayed by something." Xu Hexiao said.
"Then let's start first?" Lin Qi suggested.
Xu Hexiao nodded, "Which room should we start with?"
"Work on the warehouse, study, and kitchen at the same time, and then paint the bedroom tomorrow. I'm going to move the things."
"Then I'll sweep the wall first and shovel it while I'm at it."
With Lin Qi's help, dozens or even hundreds of vines came out at the same time. Xu Hexiao had just finished moving his things and scraped the wall clean.
The brushes for painting the lime were just bought yesterday. There were three of them. Lin Qi controlled the vines and used the three brushes to paint the wall quickly and evenly from top to bottom.
Seeing that he could not help, Xu Hexiao went back to doing carpentry work.
It only took Lin Qi one morning to paint the walls, and in the afternoon she finished making a three-meter-long and three-meter-wide bed.
"Let's paint the bedroom tomorrow and move the bed in the day after tomorrow. Then we can sleep on it." Lin Qi said excitedly.
"Are we just going to take down those two hammocks like that?" Xu Hexiao was a little reluctant to part with the two beds.
Lin Qi didn't care. "Otherwise, what's the point of keeping it? If you like it, I can get you another one later."
Xu Hexiao's eyes deepened, "We haven't tried the hammock yet."
Try what?
Lin Qi blushed: "........"
Oh no, she was led astray by Xu Hexiao, and she also wanted to try the hammock.
Xu Hexiao moved closer to Lin Qi, put his arms around her slender waist, and pecked her red lips. "Let's put this big bed in the study tomorrow. After the children go to bed in the study, we can try the hammock, okay?"
The warm breath sprayed on her fair face. Lin Qi felt her whole body burning. She didn't dare to look Xu Hexiao in the eye. "Well, okay."
Cao Zheng arrived after dark, and as soon as Xu Hexiao opened the door for him, he stuffed a handful of candy into his mouth.
"Hehe, my wedding candy." Cao Zheng smiled proudly.
"Congratulations, congratulations!" Xu Hexiao was also happy for him.
"Thank you. I went to help your sister-in-law sweep the streets today, so I didn't come. I'm sorry, I broke my promise." Cao Zheng bowed to Xu Hexiao.
Xu Hexiao moved aside and refused his greeting. "Life matters are important. Painting the house is something that the two of us can handle."
In fact, if Cao Zheng didn't come and there were no outsiders, the speed would only be faster if Qiqi relied on herself.
Cao Zheng thought Xu Hexiao was just trying to comfort him and didn't take his words seriously. "I'll come over to help you tomorrow morning."
Xu Hexiao shook his head and said, "We've finished it." There was only one room left, and they could finish it in half an hour, so there was no need to trouble Brother Cao to make another trip.
Cao Zheng was stunned, "So fast?"
"There weren't many to begin with." Xu Hexiao said, and then asked about his wedding, "Are you going to have a wedding?"
"No. Find a time to register and then invite He Xiao and my sister-in-law to have a meal."
"Okay." Xu Hexiao agreed, but he was thinking about him and Lin Qi. They didn't have a wedding, and he didn't know what Qiqi thought about the wedding and whether she would want to hold one afterwards.
Brother Cao distributed wedding candies, and after chatting for a few minutes, he was ready to say goodbye.
"Wait a moment." Xu Hexiao stopped the man and invited him in.
After the door closed, Cao Zheng looked at the tightly closed door and suddenly felt something was unusual. He lowered his voice and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I want to go to the black market." Xu Hexiao said.
"That's not a good place." Cao Zheng disagreed, "It's very dangerous."
"I know the location. Brother Cao, just tell me the location."
"This..." Cao Zheng was afraid that Xu Hexiao didn't know the situation in the capital, so he explained again, "Speculation and profiteering here are strictly investigated. Once caught, you will either go to jail or be shot. You have to think it through."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
