She didn’t miss the “from now on” in his words.
In the past days, he had always been considerately planning for her.
Since she confessed her feelings the night before, he seemed to have become more intimately familiar, like joking for the first time and the tender promises he just made.
These were all good signs!
Xue Ling was delighted and thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
“Brother Yuan, the bok choy is so crisp and tasty!” She nibbled one and hurriedly picked another for Cheng Tianyuan.
Just as he swallowed a bun, he was caught off guard by her gesture and instinctively leaned down to bite the bok choy, his teeth accidentally grazing her chopsticks.
Was she feeding him?!
Realizing what happened, his ears turned slightly red, and he quickly bit into a large bun.
“…Yes, sweet…delicious.”
Xue Ling laughed, pretending not to notice his embarrassment, and encouraged, “If it’s tasty, have some more.”
Their first meal in their new home was delightful.
Afterward, Cheng began to clean up, taking the dishes to wash.
Xue Ling, feeling a bit embarrassed, softly chuckled, “You cooked, so it’s not fair for you to wash the dishes too. Let me do it.”
Cheng shook his head, “I’ve already started. It’s no trouble. You’ve been tired these past days, just rest. A few dishes are easy to handle.”
Though he was from a rural background where traditionally men worked outside and women managed the household, his family was different.
Ever since his father’s accident, his mother had to handle everything. To ease her burden, he started doing household chores from a young age.
In his view, household tasks, no matter how big or small, should be shared, not divided by gender.
Xue Ling approached and suggested, “How about you wash and I’ll dry?”
Cheng washed efficiently, barely looking up, “Why don’t you go rest? The living room window is open; it’s quite cool there.”
“No,” Xue Ling insisted, “I want to stay here with you.”
His eyes softened, and he handed her a freshly washed bowl, then gave her a slightly worn cloth to dry it with.
“Be careful, don’t drop it.”
The kitchen was dimly lit, and with his back to the light, Xue Ling couldn’t see his expression clearly. However, his voice was softer than usual, gentle, and pleased, quite pleasing to the ear.
“Alright! Got it!”
He handed her each bowl as he finished washing.
She dried them quickly and placed them in the new basket.
Their cooperation was seamless, a well-timed dance of efficiency. He was quick, and she matched his pace. Soon all the dishes were washed and dried.
Cheng closed the air vent under the coal stove, dampening the fire, then lifted the kettle of boiled water and poured it into a thermos.
“All done, let’s go upstairs. This thermos should be enough for us tonight, no need to come down again.”
Xue Ling nodded, “Did you lock up the yard?”
“All locked before dinner,” he assured.
They headed upstairs to the small living room.
Cheng pointed out a slightly crooked window, “I’ll fix that tomorrow. It’s autumn now; we can’t have drafts. Windows must be tight.”
“Okay,” she agreed.
He continued, “The bathroom downstairs has a small window too. It’s sheltered, but in winter, if the wind’s strong, it’ll be cold during showers. I’ll find a thick cotton cloth to cover it so the cold air won’t get in.”
“Okay,” Xue Ling nodded again.
These little details she hadn’t considered, but he had already noticed and even prepared solutions.
The gap between them was indeed quite vast!
Cheng asked, “Anything else in your room that needs fixing?”
Xue Ling suddenly remembered, “The desk’s drawers are broken, both of them. I wanted to put some valuables in there earlier, but neither could be used.”
He stood up immediately, “I’ll take a look.”
Cheng was a jack-of-all-trades at the cooperative, familiar with all sorts of minor repairs and installations.
He quickly took the drawers apart, twisted and turned the bent metal, pressed and squeezed them back into shape, and reinstalled them.
“This one’s fixed, the other might take a bit more time.”
Xue Ling, organizing her clothes, smiled, “No rush, take your time.”
He continued working on the floor, reminding her, “We need to change the locks on the doors. Don’t hurry to store valuables. And when you do, keep them in different places.”
“Okay!” Xue Ling chuckled, “But I don’t have much left. After paying the rent and waiting for my salary, I’m pretty much out of money.”
Seeing her pout cutely, Cheng smiled, his white teeth flashing, “Then we need to earn more, no use worrying! Come here, hold the head of this nail for me.”
Xue Ling dropped what she was doing and hurried over.
“Where should I hold?”
He moved aside, showing a rusty nail head.
“Here, hold it from the outside while I tighten the back. This way it won’t come loose.”
Understanding, she firmly grasped it.
As he pressed down on the drawer and twisted the screw, his movements were strong and precise.
Feeling the nail move, she was startled and lunged forward to hold it down.
“Ah?!”
They were already close, and her sudden lunge sent her crashing into Cheng’s embrace!
He was busy with the screw, half-crouched, and suddenly off-balance, he fell back!
But he quickly reacted, falling back he instinctively protected Xue Ling, shielding her in his arms.
In that fleeting moment, he caught a sweet scent, her soft body against his chest, snuggling close.
But as she dove down, she landed in the crook of his arm, her soft, moist lips “smacking” against his neck!
Time seemed to stand still.
With the fragrant warmth in his arms and the heat on his neck, Cheng’s mind exploded, his body burning, his heart thumping wildly as if about to leap from his throat!
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