Chapter 269 Extra Chapter 3: The Strange Bakery Manager
I don’t know if it was because of that fantastic dream last night, but when Xia Mian woke up this morning, she suddenly wanted to go see Ren Xiping.
Since he had no work that morning, he put on a mask and hat and drove alone to the new house he had bought for Ren Xiping.
Ren Xiping could not be found.
Xia Mian grabbed the maid: "Where's my mother?"
"Madam said she was going out for some fresh air, and she left with her cloth bag. I wanted to go with her, but she pushed me back," the maid said apologetically.
"It's okay, I know where she is, you go ahead with your work."
Xia Mian released the maid and drove to the back of the residential area.
There is an old residential area here, where morning and night markets have sprung up for the convenience of daily life, selling necessities such as rice, flour, cooking oil, fruits and vegetables.
The streets in the residential area are narrow, and the morning and night markets are not large. Summer dormancy comes late, and almost all the vendors have packed up. Only a few vendors who haven't sold out or aren't in a hurry to go home are still hawking their wares.
Ren Xiping was one of them.
Sure enough, it's here.
Xia Mian parked the car on the side of the road and ran over helplessly: "Mom, why are you here again?"
"Mianmian, you're not working today?" Caught red-handed by her son, Ren Xiping was a little embarrassed. "We've grown too many vegetables on the terrace, and we can't eat them all. I figured I might as well come out and sell some vegetables since I'm just sitting around doing nothing."
Ren Xiping raised the original owner of the house by selling vegetables. When buying the house, Zhou Pingchuan may have taken this into consideration, as he specifically chose a unit with a large terrace.
Ren Xiping was indeed very satisfied, and soon after moving in, she started making arrangements to grow vegetables on the terrace. She was the kind of person who couldn't sit still, so Xia Mian didn't stop her. She had a contractor build several large vegetable gardens and also installed a complete intelligent sprinkler system.
And then it developed to where it is today.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to sell them,” Xia Mian sighed, helping her to tend to the remaining vegetables. “It’s gotten colder these past few days, what if you catch a cold… Organic lettuce is two yuan a head, Grandma, buy a head of lettuce to take home and eat.”
The boy's voice was sweet, and when he called out to the passing grandma, her heart melted: "Young man, is this really organic lettuce?"
"My mom grew these herself. You can smell them; they smell amazing like lettuce. You can buy them to mix with rice or wrap with meat. They're a great source of dietary fiber."
With food safety concerns these days, Grandma was immediately tempted when she heard "organic" or "homegrown." Since it wasn't expensive, she spent four yuan to pick out the two biggest ones.
After Grandma left, Ren Xiping whispered, "Mianmian, you don't need to help me. You finally got a day off, you should go home and rest. There are too many people around here, what if you get recognized?"
“I’m all bundled up today,” Xia Mian winked at her. “How about it? My marketing skills are pretty good, right?”
Ren Xiping chuckled at his words and was about to continue persuading him when someone behind her suddenly said, "Aunt Ren, look at my new creation... You didn't come alone, did you? I'll go back to the shop first."
Xia Mian turned to look at the person who had come. It was a boy about the same age as her, with a neat buzz cut, very fair skin, and two small dimples on his cheeks when he smiled.
"Mom, who is this...?" Xia Mian asked curiously.
“This is Xiao He, whom I told you about,” Ren Xiping introduced. “Xiao He, this is my son, there’s no need to hide him.”
"Oh, oh," the boy called Xiao He quickly freed his right hand, "Xia Mian? I often see you on TV."
For some reason, Xia Mian always felt that the boy's eyes were a bit strange, but it wasn't the kind of probing that's common in the industry, nor was it the lustful look of an older man. It was more like... he wanted to see something through him.
“It’s me,” Xia Mian said with a smile, shaking his hand. “Thank you for taking care of my mother during this time.”
When Ren Xiping first came to the morning market to sell vegetables, she told him that there was a very nice guy named He in the bakery across the street. He often helped her set up and take down her stall, and when he wasn't busy, he would help her hawk her wares. A few days ago, when it was cool, he even gave her some leftover hot milk from the store.
Xiao He opened his mouth, and just then, several girls in school uniforms walked towards them: "Hey, that person looks like Xia Mian, is it Xia Mian?"
Xia Mian was often recognized, so he was used to it. But today was different; he was afraid that if they found out about his relationship with Ren Xiping, it would affect Ren Xiping's stall business.
"Mom, I'm leaving now. See you later, Xiao He." Xia Mian said goodbye and left in a hurry.
Ren Xiping craned her neck and waited until the car was safely out of sight before she breathed a sigh of relief.
She explained to Xiao He apologetically, "Xia Mian's job is special. It's not that I'm being rude, please don't mind it, Xiao He."
"It's alright, Auntie. Your son... is fine."
“He is indeed a good person, hardworking, filial, and sensible. I'm the one who has let him down, I haven't given him a good life... Let's not talk about that. You should have finished the vegetables I gave you last time, right? Take these cabbages and tomatoes, take them home, slice them into strips, stir-fry them with chili peppers, it'll be especially delicious and goes well with rice.”
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Auntie, what do you think of the rabbit bread I baked? Is it a success?" Xiao He took out what she had just wanted to show Ren Xiping.
“Oh my, those two big ears look just like rabbits. My son also likes rabbits. I even bought him one when he was little.”
“Here’s a bread for you,” Xiao He said, her eyes shining. “It’s whole wheat, with just a little sugar. Take it home for breakfast.”
"No, no, bread flour is too expensive. You should keep it and sell it to customers."
Ren Xiping waved her hands repeatedly, so Xiao He had no choice but to stuff the bread into the cloth bag she was carrying. Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Ren Xiping planned to take the dragon seal to her son to eat later.
The vegetables were almost sold out, and it was time to go home. Xiao He offered to take her home, but Ren Xiping waved her hand repeatedly. This time, Xiao He didn't insist.
Even though he so desperately wanted to be alone with her.
Just like Ren Xiping watched Xia Mian, Xiao He craned his neck and watched Ren Xiping walk safely out of sight.
Then he carried the cabbage back to the shop and stared blankly at the freshly baked rabbit bread.
Despite having mentally prepared himself many times and frequently searching for information about summer sleep, he still reflexively became excited when he saw the body that originally belonged to him.
—Yes, he is Xia Mian, the original owner of that body.
About a year ago, he obsessively lured Zhou Ting to a hotel, intending to force himself on her and ruin their relationship. But Zhou Ting resisted fiercely, even suffocating him under the covers to counteract the effects of the drug...
When he woke up again, he had become Xiao He, a bakery apprentice.
At first, he tried countless ways to go back, all of which ended in failure. Later, he gradually realized that he didn't have much attachment to that body.
He didn't want to go back to being the young master of the Xia family, nor could he navigate the entertainment industry. He was just a timid, introverted ordinary person, and he was happier living a quiet life in a secluded corner, kneading dough and selling bread every day.
Ren Xiping was the only one he couldn't stop worrying about.
He secretly went to the slums and stayed there overnight. When he saw Xia Mian carrying large bags of food and clothes for his mother, the heavy weight in his heart finally lifted.
After Ren Xiping moved, he took out all his savings, bought the shop, and opened a bakery.
The bakery business wasn't great, but it was enough to make a living.
The bakery's decor is so-so, but standing at the window, you can always see your mother buying groceries and taking a stroll.
He had never felt so content.
"Meimei, watch the shop for a bit, I'm going out for a bit." With that thought, Xiao He got up, took off her chef's uniform, and changed into a clean and refreshing set of clothes.
The girl called Meimei looked up from behind the cashier: "Tsk, going to B University to look at handsome guys again."
"...No, don't talk nonsense. I just want to see if the bakery on the corner has any new products."
While lying, Xiao He walked quickly out with her head down, and accidentally bumped into a customer entering the store.
Even though it was clearly his fault, the customer apologized to him first: "I'm sorry. Are you alright?"
Hearing that voice, Xiao He's heart trembled violently. She looked up and, sure enough, saw that face she had longed for: "Ah, Ah Ting!"
Zhou Ting asked in surprise, "You know me?"
"Um... well... we don't really know each other. I sat in on one of your open classes with your advisor. You were very good, even better than your advisor."
Zhou Ting smiled and shook his head, thinking to himself that this boy must be an amateur, otherwise he wouldn't say such a thing.
"You flatter me. My academic achievements are less than one-tenth of yours. Besides, I have already left Peking University."
No wonder I haven't seen him for the past two or three months! Xiao He unconsciously gripped the seams of his trousers with both hands: "Then...where did you go?"
"Qinghai".
Xiao He gripped his pants tightly, then let go; gripped his pants tightly again, then let go. The linen blend fabric was pitifully crumpled and wrinkled from his gripping.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhou Ting picked up the tray and tongs and planned to choose a few pieces of bread to take back to the students.
I had just picked up a rabbit-shaped bread when I was almost startled by the boy's voice: "Could you give me your contact information? I'm going to Qinghai at the end of the year and would like to ask you for some advice!"
The boy shouted those words with his eyes closed.
Zhou Ting carefully placed the rabbit-shaped bread back on the tray, both amused and exasperated: "Going to Qinghai in winter isn't a wise choice. But..."
He pulled out a business card: "This is my contact information. Call me when you arrive."
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