Chapter 368: The Future Home

"Huh?"

Gu Ning suddenly heard Li Li Xuewu speaking to her, and she turned her head, looking at him in surprise as she asked, "Why?"

"You seemed to really like figure skating, and I know how to do it too, so I can teach you."

It turned out Li Li Xuewu was referring to the fact that Gu Ning had taken the initiative to suggest going to watch the performance that afternoon.

"I don't like it."

Gu Ning turned her head to look ahead and stated her thoughts very straightforwardly.

Li Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning's profile and asked, "I saw you watching so intently, I thought you liked it."

Gu Ning turned her head to look at Li Li Xuewu's profile and said nothing.

Although Gu Ning didn't answer him, Li Li Xuewu still understood the look in her eyes.

Li Li Xuewu kept his hands on the steering wheel, eyes fixed ahead, and after a long silence, he said, "The one figure skating was named Wang Wang Yajuan."

"Mm."

Gu Ning also shifted her gaze back to the front, and upon hearing Li Li Xuewu mention this, she simply responded with a sound.

"I met her when I was sixteen, she's also from Jiaodaokou."

"Mm."

Li Li Xuewu paused for a moment before continuing, "I used to date her."

"Oh."

Hearing Gu Ning's indifferent tone, she had only said "oh."

Li Li Xuewu turned to look at Gu Ning and asked with a smile, "Aren't you angry?"

"Why?"

Gu Ning turned her head away, not caring at all, and said, "She's not your current partner, is she?"

"Hahaha."

Li Li Xuewu knew Gu Ning's little thoughts and smiled, saying, "You're right."

Gu Ning looked at Li Li Xuewu and said nothing more.

Li Li Xuewu glanced at the road sign ahead, turned the steering wheel, and while changing direction, said, "I won't take you home first; I'll take you to a good place."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu change direction, Gu Ning couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Once they got onto the main road of Dongsi Dongsi Shitiao, the further west they went, the more confused Gu Ning became.

She was very familiar with this road; it was the one she took to and from work every day.

Coming out from Huangsi, one could actually follow the road outside the city wall along Andingmen East Street, turn onto Dongzhimen Small Street, and then reach her workplace.

But right now, the Second Ring Road was under construction over at Andingmen East Street.

She could only enter from Andingmen and follow Andingmen Inner Street and Jiaodaokou South Street all the way.

Until she got onto Di'anmen East Street and headed west all the way to their workplace.

And Gu Ning could keep taking this road until she retired because the Second Ring Road was being built too slowly.

How slow was it? It was built intermittently from the fifties all the way to the nineties.

Gu Ning watched as they passed the intersection of Dongzhimen South Small Street; this really was the direction toward her workplace.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"We're almost there."

Li Li Xuewu replied with a smile, and seeing the traffic police wearing white sleeves wave them through, he stepped on the gas and continued driving forward.

Seeing that she was about to reach her hospital, Gu Ning turned her head to look at Li Li Xuewu and asked, "You aren't trying to send me back to work, are you?"

"Hahahaha."

Li Li Xuewu hadn't expected Gu Ning to joke with him, and seeing that the intersection ahead had arrived, he turned the steering wheel and pulled in.

Gu Ning looked at this road; wasn't this the street opposite her hospital?

Before she could ask, Li Li Xuewu turned the car and parked it in front of a courtyard.

"We're here."

Li Li Xuewu turned off the engine, said this to Gu Ning with a smile, and then hopped out of the car.

Gu Ning looked around at the surrounding environment; it was very quiet, and there weren't many pedestrians on the street.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu beckoning to her, she followed him and hopped out of the car as well.

Li Li Xuewu used his key to open the courtyard gate and turned around to see Gu Ning still standing by the car.

"Come over here!"

"Where is this?"

Gu Ning looked at Li Li Xuewu opening the gate with some surprise, and hearing him call her, she walked up.

Li Li Xuewu didn't answer Gu Ning's question at first, but waited until she walked over to take her hand.

Perhaps because they had gotten familiar while on the ice that afternoon, and there was no one else around at the moment.

So, Gu Ning struggled slightly, then followed Li Li Xuewu as he led her into the courtyard.

Perhaps because no one had lived there for a long time, the courtyard appeared somewhat desolate.

Even though Master Dou had already helped clear away the creeping ivy earlier, the two-story villa in the middle of the courtyard still looked a bit lonely.

The path from the courtyard gate to the villa still had ice shards left from the melted snow, and the few trees behind the courtyard swayed their empty branches as if greeting Li Li Xuewu.

If it weren't broad daylight, Li Li Xuewu wouldn't have dared to come alone.

A courtyard that has been empty for too long feels a bit off; the courtyard walls were gray, the house was gray, and the trees were gray too.

Fortunately, Li Li Xuewu was preparing to put this place to use; once there was some human presence, it would be better.

It was already February, and before long, this patch of gray would be dyed with the lush green of life.

He led Gu Ning up the steps and used the key to open the villa's main door.

The interior still had the same furnishings; the slightly solemn red solid wood decorations made the room appear somewhat dim.

"Click."

Li Li Xuewu flipped the switch at the door, and the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling emitted a brilliant, dazzling light.

The wall lamps emitted a pale yellow warm light, illuminating every corner of the room.

As the sun set in the west, although the temperature in this small villa was slightly chilly, under the illumination of the lights, it possessed a different kind of warmth.

Looking at Gu Ning, who had glanced around the room and was now looking at him with confusion, Li Li Xuewu smiled and answered the question she had asked at the door.

"Home."

"Home?"

"Mm!"

Li Li Xuewu held Gu Ning's hand and walked inside, slowly moving from the kitchen on the left to the living room, the downstairs rooms, the bathroom...

"Our future home."

From the moment they entered the courtyard, Gu Ning hadn't shown much interest.

Because their family's villa was even larger than this, she didn't feel any sense of novelty toward a house like this.

But when she heard Li Li Xuewu say this was home, that this was their future home, a different kind of light appeared in Gu Ning's eyes.

Pushing open the wooden door to the second-floor master bedroom and study suite, what met her eyes was a Republic-era style afternoon tea parlor.

Around the lampshade of the table lamp on the coffee table hung white crystal pendants; this kind of flashy and impractical extravagant style was the unique color of that era.

On the cabinet by the wall sat a phonograph, its large bronze horn hanging low, and in the cabinet below were stacked records in paper sleeves.

"Do you like it?"

Seeing Gu Ning come out after a tour of the bedroom and study, Li Li Xuewu asked with a smile.

"There are quite a lot of books."

Although she didn't answer his question directly, Li Li Xuewu could tell from Gu Ning's light footsteps that she was in a very good mood.

"In the future, you can sit quietly on the second floor and read."

Li Li Xuewu led her to the window and pointed to the open space in the courtyard, saying, "I'll bring the kids, bring them to play in the courtyard."

Hearing Li Li Xuewu's words about the future, especially when he mentioned children, a flush of red appeared on Gu Ning's face.

In such a quiet space, Gu Ning felt her heartbeat quickening.

"I can play the piano too."

"What?"

Gu Ning's voice was very soft, so soft that Li Li Xuewu almost didn't hear it.

Hearing Li Li Xuewu ask, Gu Ning thought he hadn't heard her, so she was about to raise her head to speak.

But seeing his mischievous smile, Gu Ning knew she had been tricked again.

She gave Li Li Xuewu a shy look, knowing this bad person was teasing her.

"Hahahaha."

Li Li Xuewu held Gu Ning's hand and went downstairs, glancing at the piano covered in a cloth in the corner of the living room.

"The environment today isn't suitable; the room hasn't been cleaned in a while."

Li Li Xuewu explained to Gu Ning, whose eyes were sparkling, with a smile: "Wait until I find someone to clean this place up and tidy it a bit, then you can play for me, okay?"

Gu Ning was teased by Li Li Xuewu until she felt a bit embarrassed, and she walked toward the door with a blushing face.

"I won't play for you!"

"Hahahaha."

Turning back to lock the villa's main door, he watched Gu Ning walk to the back to look at the backyard, and he stood at the gate waiting for her.

"How is it?"

Seeing Gu Ning return after a tour, Li Li Xuewu pointed to the road at the entrance and said with a smile, "If you walk straight from here, it only takes ten minutes to get to your workplace."

Gu Ning pursed her lips and walked out the door, watching Li Li Xuewu lock the gate before she got into the car first.

She didn't know how Li Li Xuewu had found this house, but the fact that it was close to her workplace made her very happy.

Li Li Xuewu got into the car and looked at Gu Ning, who was avoiding his gaze; he didn't start the car, but instead extended his fist.

"What... what are you doing?"

Seeing that Li Li Xuewu hadn't started the car, Gu Ning turned her head to look.

She happened to see Li Li Xuewu extending his fist toward her.

Li Li Xuewu blinked, looked at Gu Ning without speaking, and shook his fist.

Gu Ning seemed to understand what Li Li Xuewu meant, hesitated for a moment, and then extended her palm.

"Hello, mistress of the house."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and placed the key from his fist into the palm of Gu Ning's hand, then helped her close her palm.

Gu Ning hadn't expected Li Li Xuewu to hand her the house key; she was a bit stunned and looked at him with surprise.

Especially because of the phrase "mistress of the house" that Li Li Xuewu had used.

It seemed... it seemed like something strange had suddenly appeared in her heart.

Li Li Xuewu, meanwhile, blinked his left eye with a smile, turned the ignition, and stepped on the gas to return the way they came.

Gu Ning looked at the key in her hand, not knowing what kind of mood she was in right now.

She only felt as if her whole body had lost its strength, yet she also felt very sweet inside.

"I'm not a princess."

"What?"

Li Li Xuewu was driving; Gu Ning was silent, and he didn't speak either.

At this moment, he suddenly heard Gu Ning speak up.

Gu Ning gripped the key in her hand, looked at Li Li Xuewu's profile, and said, "I'm not a princess; I can live any kind of life."

Li Li Xuewu turned to look at Gu Ning, saw her serious little face, and smiled.

She was answering the sentence he had said that morning when he picked her up to go home and they walked into the second gate.

She probably felt embarrassed now, thinking he had specially prepared this house to accommodate her.

"I know, I believe you."

Li Li Xuewu nodded with a smile and continued driving.

Gu Ning looked at the key in her hand again; she didn't know what Li Li Xuewu had sacrificed for this house.

But she really hadn't thought about living such a good life, even though she had been very happy when looking at the house.

But after coming out, she began to worry for Li Li Xuewu.

Li Li Xuewu also saw Gu Ning's thoughts and explained with a smile, "Don't worry, the house was allocated to me."

Gu Ning didn't believe this bad person's words at all; although she was simple-minded, she knew that with Li Li Xuewu's rank, he couldn't live in this kind of house.

And looking at the residents around the house, they didn't look like cadres from the steel mill.

Seeing Gu Ning looking at him with her cheeks slightly puffed, Li Li Xuewu knew she didn't believe him.

"Really!"

Li Li Xuewu said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "It wasn't allocated by the unit; it was from the investigation department when I was working on a case. It has to do with Ji Ji Yuxiu's older brother."

"What?"

Gu Ning was slightly stunned, not knowing why this house had anything to do with Ji Ji Yuxiu.

Li Li Xuewu said with a smile, "I met Ji Ji Yuxiu and her brother Ji Wang Weidong separately."

Gu Ning understood even less after hearing that; what did "met separately" mean?

Li Li Xuewu smiled and explained the case briefly; anyway, the case was already closed, and as long as he didn't talk about it publicly, it was fine.

Hearing that it was confiscated property and that the investigation department had allocated it to Li Li Xuewu, Gu Ning finally believed him.

Rubbing the key in her hand, Gu Ning raised her head to look at Li Li Xuewu and asked, "Do you need my help?"

"No need."

Li Li Xuewu shook his head with a smile, just about to refuse Gu Ning's suggestion, but seeing the change in Gu Ning's expression out of the corner of his eye, his heart skipped a beat.

At this moment, Li Li Xuewu really wanted to slap himself; he had lived for so many years in vain, almost stepping on a landmine.

"Cleaning work isn't needed; it's too dirty and tiring. How could I bear to let you do it?"

Li Li Xuewu turned his head to look at Gu Ning with a smile, then said, "However, when it comes time to redecorate, I'll still need you to make the decisions."

When Gu Ning first heard Li Li Xuewu say it wasn't needed, her expression became a bit lonely as she rubbed the key.

But now, hearing Li Li Xuewu explain that he was afraid she would be tired and wanted her to make the decisions during decoration...

"I... I don't really know how to do that either."

Although she said she didn't know how, she gripped the key tightly in her hand.

Li Li Xuewu said with annoyance, "That's terrible then. I'm just a big guy; what do I know about decoration, curtains, quilts, furniture, and placement? I don't understand any of it."

Even if he did understand, he had to say he didn't, and he had to put on a difficult and troubled look.

Gu Ning blushed slightly, lowered her head, and quietly tucked the key into her handbag.

"Then... then alright."

Gu Ning tried hard to purse her lips, maintaining her expression, and said as if she didn't care, "I'll find time to come over and clean."

In fact, that villa had already been cleaned by Master Dou; it was just that the dust hadn't been wiped away yet.

The furniture and objects were all covered with dust cloths; cleaning them wasn't considered tiring, just time-consuming and laborious.

"Are you sure you don't need me to find someone to clean it?"

Li Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning's expression and said deliberately, "No one has lived there for a long time; upstairs and downstairs, there's a lot of dust."

As he spoke, he added with a hint of apology, "You know, I've been a bit busy with work lately; both units need handovers, so I don't have time to come over and help."

"After the handover, I have to arrange for our parents to meet, and prepare for the wedding..."

"I'll clean it!"

Gu Ning wanted to reach out and cover this bad person's mouth right now; why was he so talkative?

Hearing Li Li Xuewu talk about parents meeting and the wedding, it was so embarrassing.

Interrupting Li Li Xuewu, Gu Ning covered her hot face, looked out the window to see they had already entered the courtyard, and couldn't help but start fanning her face.

If her mother saw her like this now, she would ask endlessly again.

But until Li Li Xuewu parked the car and opened the door for her, Gu Ning's face was still burning hot.

This bad person! She told him not to talk, but he insisted on talking.

As if retaliating against her for interrupting him, he talked about everything from how to arrange the wedding, what kind of wedding they wanted, all the way to how many children they should have...

"Get out~"

Li Li Xuewu looked at Gu Ning, who was too shy to get out of the car, with a mischievous smile and said, "Mom is watching from the window; if you don't get out of the car, Mom will come out."

Gu Ning wanted to pinch this bad person right now; how could she get out of the car with such a red face?

Li Li Xuewu reached out and took Gu Ning's hand, pulling her out of the car with a laugh.

Ding Ding Fengxia stood by the window watching Li Li Xuewu's car enter the courtyard, but her daughter in the passenger seat hadn't come out for a long time.

Thinking they were having a conflict, she quickly put on her coat, pushed open the door, and walked out.

When she saw Li Li Xuewu holding Gu Ning's hand as they walked over, with her face looking like red cloth, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, then asked with a hint of reproach, "Why is your face so red? Did you catch a chill?"

Gu Ning didn't dare to look up at her mother and tried hard to shake off this bad person's hand, but she couldn't shake it off no matter what.

Gu Ning was so angry she used her fingernails to scratch Li Li Xuewu's palm.

"Ouch~"

Li Li Xuewu deliberately extended his hand forward loudly so Aunt Ding could see.

At this moment, Gu Ning was almost crying from embarrassment; why was this person so thick-skinned?

"Hahahaha."

Ding Ding Fengxia naturally saw her daughter's state and smiled, taking her daughter's hand.

Li Li Xuewu also knew when to stop; he squeezed Gu Ning's hand with a smile and let go.

Gu Ning felt Li Li Xuewu let go and wanted to escape into the house, but she was pulled back by her mother again.

"Did Li Li Xuewu bully you? Tell Mom, Mom will stand up for you!"

Gu Ning wouldn't believe her mother's words; this was a trap.

Ever since Li Li Xuewu came along, Gu Ning felt her mother had changed; her elbows were always turning toward this bad person.

Ding Ding Fengxia looked at Li Li Xuewu with a smile, then pulled her daughter's hand and walked into the house.

Li Li Xuewu followed behind, carrying Gu Ning's handbag.

Once they entered the house, Ding Ding Fengxia turned around to let Li Li Xuewu sit, but she saw Gu Ning had already run upstairs during this time.

"This child!"

Ding Ding Fengxia said with a smile of reproach, then said to Li Li Xuewu, "Sit, Li Xuewu."

Li Li Xuewu placed the handbag in his hand on the sofa and said with a smile, "Mom, I won't sit. It's getting late, so I'll be heading back."

"Have dinner before you go."

Ding Ding Fengxia waved her hand to let Li Li Xuewu sit, but Li Li Xuewu explained with a smile, "No, I have to work tomorrow, and there's still a lot to do."

Knowing Li Li Xuewu was busy, Ding Ding Fengxia didn't insist on keeping him, and just as she wanted to see Li Li Xuewu out, she was stopped by him.

"It's cold outside now; you don't need to come out."

Li Li Xuewu said goodbye and went out the door. Ding Ding Fengxia stood in the living room watching Li Li Xuewu's car leave, and only then did she sit down.

Looking at Gu Ning, who had changed her clothes and come down, Ding Ding Fengxia pointed to the handbag on the sofa and said, "Li Xuewu said he had something to do, so he went back first."

"Mm."

Gu Ning, who had already composed her expression, nodded as she came downstairs and said, "He told me in the car."

Ding Ding Fengxia looked at her daughter's expression and asked with a smile, "Did you spend the afternoon at Li Xuewu's place?"

"No."

Seeing that Li Li Xuewu had already left, Gu Ning walked to the sofa to get her bag.

Ding Ding Fengxia beckoned and said, "Come, sit with Mom for a while."

"Mom, I have to work tomorrow too..."

"It won't take long; your sister-in-law will be back soon, and then we'll eat."

Knowing she couldn't win against her mother, Gu Ning had no choice but to sit on the sofa.

"Did you go out to play this afternoon?"

"Mm."

Gu Ning nodded, originally wanting to end it there, but seeing her mother looking at her with reproach, she added, "Went ice skating."

After saying this, she felt like she had answered a bit too little, so she added, "It was quite fun."

This was already Gu Ning's best effort; she couldn't add any more sentences.

Knowing her daughter's personality, it had actually improved a lot since she met the talkative Li Li Xuewu.

So she didn't demand too much from Gu Ning.

"Did the two of you go together?"

"No."

Seeing her mother insisted on getting to the bottom of it, she explained, "His brother and sister-in-law, his younger brother and his partner, and his younger sister."

"Are his brother and sister-in-law easy to get along with?"

It started, it started; Gu Ning knew that once she sat down, there would definitely be many questions.

Perhaps because she was in a very good mood today, Gu Ning held a cup of hot water and answered whatever her mother asked.

Ding Ding Fengxia also noticed her daughter was in a good mood today, so she asked a few more questions.

Finally, when she asked if the two had discussed future plans, Gu Ning hesitated.

Ding Ding Fengxia immediately caught the change in her daughter's expression and asked with a smile, "What did Li Li Xuewu say?"

Gu Ning couldn't bring herself to say what that bad person had said, so she could only lower her head and drink tea, pretending not to hear.

Ding Ding Fengxia became a bit anxious, leaned closer to Gu Ning, and asked, "Are there no plans? Or is he too busy?"

"No..."

It wasn't that there were no plans; they had even planned how many children they would have.

But how could Gu Ning say these things?

"What exactly are the two of you planning? Tell me?"

Seeing her mother was anxious, Gu Ning lowered her head, held the teacup, and said, "There are plans; just now... we went to look at a house."

If Ding Ding Fengxia hadn't been staring at her daughter and sitting so close, it wouldn't have been easy to hear.

Hearing that they had gone to look at a house, she was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Isn't his own house in the courtyard with his parents?"

She took the teacup from her daughter's hand, which was already empty but still being held as if it had water, and refilled it with hot water.

Then she placed the cup back in Gu Ning's hand and continued to ask, "Didn't you say you'd met them last time?"

"No."

Gu Ning shook her head and said, "It's a house allocated to him opposite my workplace."

"Your workplace?"

Ding Ding Fengxia was confused now; why had Li Li Xuewu suddenly moved out and been allocated a house opposite Gu Ning's workplace?

Gu Ning nodded and said, "Yes, on Haiyun Road, a two-story villa courtyard."

Ding Ding Fengxia hadn't asked Li Li Xuewu for a house; she thought it was actually quite good that her daughter lived in the same courtyard as her mother-in-law and then lived separately.

But hearing they had gone to look at a house outside, she asked, "Is it him and his family..."

"No."

Gu Ning saw her mother had misunderstood, so she raised her head to explain for Li Li Xuewu, "It was allocated to him before; he said it was a task. I don't know the specifics, he said..."

Explaining to the end, she lowered her head with some embarrassment and said, "He said he would live there on workdays, which is convenient for me to go to work, and for the children to go to school..."

As she spoke, she seemed to have let something slip, paused, and continued, "And on weekends, we'll go back to the courtyard to live and reunite with the family."

Ding Ding Fengxia, sitting on the side, was smiling from ear to ear; this was the first time she had seen her daughter speak so much.

Especially since the two had even talked about children, it seemed their relationship was progressing very smoothly.

At this moment, Mu Mu Hongyan also returned from work and entered the door to see her sister-in-law holding a teacup and acting like an ostrich.

And her mother-in-law was over there suppressing her laughter, her face a bit red.

"What good news does Ning have? Mom is laughing so happily."

"Hahahaha."

Seeing her daughter-in-law return and discover her suppressing laughter, and seeing her daughter look up at her, she finally laughed out loud.

"Time to eat!"

Seeing Gu Ning wanted to run again, Ding Ding Fengxia reminded her with a smile.

But Gu Ning wasn't hungry right now, and her face was a bit hot.

Mu Mu Hongyan draped her coat over her arm, looked at her sister-in-law who was in a hurry to go upstairs, and asked her mother-in-law with a smile, "Looks like you had a great time playing today; did anything interesting happen?"

"Hahaha."

Ding Ding Fengxia laughed for a while, then explained, "Today the two of them went to look at a house and talked about the children's schooling."

"Pfft, haha."

Mu Mu Hongyan had just sat down and picked up her teacup to drink water when she almost sprayed it out upon hearing her mother-in-law's words.

"I just said that kid Li Li Xuewu isn't honest; I'll have to let Gu An deal with him properly later!"

The sound of their laughter reached the second floor; Gu Ning leaned against the wall at the door of her room, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

It's all that bad person's fault!

The bad person Li Li Xuewu drove the car into the West Courtyard warehouse and parked it, drained the water from the car, and then went home to greet his family.

Just as he came out of the house, he happened to meet Sha Zhu walking into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

"Whoa, have you heard the news?"

"What's wrong?"

Li Li Xuewu looked at Sha Zhu, who was raising his eyebrows at him, and said with a smile, "What news? I just got back."

Sha Zhu said with a smile, "Tomorrow is Monday; at nine in the morning, there will be a cadre and worker representative meeting in the auditorium."

"Really!"

Li Li Xuewu responded with a smile and asked casually, "What for? Isn't it a bit late for a year-opening meeting?"

Sha Zhu was in the cafeteria, so his news was always well-informed because people always said a few things while eating.

But this news didn't count as gossip.

"They've been setting up the venue over there since this afternoon, and they even provided extra meals for the construction team tonight."

Sha Zhu said with a smile, "When I came out, they were just posting the notice on the bulletin board."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu's indifferent look, he asked with a smile, "Can you guess what it's about?"

"About me?"

"Hey!"

Seeing Li Li Xuewu say that, Sha Zhu leaned back slightly and asked, "You knew?"

Li Li Xuewu waved his hand and laughed, "There are many notices; if it wasn't about me, would you tell me?"

"That's true."

After hearing Li Li Xuewu's explanation, it seemed that was the case.

Sha Zhu laughed at himself and said, "They say it's a summary and education meeting; I heard it's about summarizing the mistakes made last year, and the biggest one is Wang Wang Jindong's case."

"It seems there will also be commendations; you should be prepared."

Li Li Xuewu smiled, nodded, and said, "Got it."

Seeing that he had just entered the courtyard, he pointed outside and said, "You go back and tidy up first; I have something to do tonight."

As he spoke, he greeted Sha Zhu and went out the door.

Because the snow and ice that had melted during the day were freezing again tonight, Li Li Xuewu didn't dare to ride his bike, so he strolled leisurely toward Haizi Bieyuan.

Just as he entered the courtyard, he saw Following Lou Jie walking out.

"Did you know I was coming in?"

Lou Lou Xiaoe was startled to see someone enter from the gate; it was already dark tonight.

She couldn't see clearly who it was by the light coming through the window, but once Li Li Xuewu spoke, she knew it was him.

"Why didn't you make a sound when you walked!"

Lou Lou Xiaoe stroked her chest and complained, "You scared me!"

Li Li Xuewu laughed "hehehe," "I was just afraid of scaring you, so I greeted you first."

As he spoke, he walked to the window so Following Lou Jie could see him clearly.

"I was just cooking, and I remembered the gate was still unlocked, so I was just about to..."

As she spoke, Lou Lou Xiaoe let Li Li Xuewu into the house and asked as they walked, "Did you jump over the wall again?"

As soon as Li Li Xuewu entered the house, he took off his coat and hung it on the wall.

"The wall is only that high; I just jumped over it."

Not to mention, he actually quite liked the feeling of jumping over the wall to get in...

Lou Lou Xiaoe patted the dust off Li Li Xuewu's pants and complained, "You're not allowed to jump anymore! It's winter; wouldn't it hurt if you fell?"

After tidying up for Li Li Xuewu, she went back to the kitchen to get busy.

Li Li Xuewu changed into slippers and followed her into the kitchen.

"Do you need my help?"

"No need, no need."

Following Lou Jie threw a handful of chopped green onions into the pot, then used a ladle to scoop out the stewed big bones from the pot.

"You go wash your hands and rest on the kang."

Li Li Xuewu found a basin, mixed some warm water to wash his hands and face, and after finishing, he didn't do as Following Lou Jie said and go back to the inner room to rest on the kang.

"Just the two of us eating, don't make too much!"

Li Li Xuewu moved the kang table from the kitchen into the room.

"It's not too much."

Following Lou Jie scooped out the dishes and placed them aside, nimbly cleaned the pot, added some lard, and poured in a little soybean oil.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu come out to pick up the bowls, she busied herself with the cooking and smiled at Li Li Xuewu, saying, "I brought some wine from home; let's have a little later."

Li Li Xuewu took two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks, and also brought the stewed sauce bones that Following Lou Jie had scooped out.

"Aren't you afraid I'll commit violence after drinking?"

Lou Lou Xiaoe wrinkled her nose at Li Li Xuewu, who was walking into the room, and whispered with a smile, "I'm just afraid you won't!"

She thought Li Li Xuewu couldn't hear her, but she didn't know that Li Li Xuewu's ears were very sharp.

"That's what you said!"

Li Li Xuewu's voice came from the inner room: "No one is allowed to call for mercy today."

"Go away!"

Following Lou Jie complained and quickly put the prepared pickled cabbage into the pot.

By the time Li Li Xuewu came out again to pick up the pickles from the cutting board, the fragrance from the pot had already spread.

"Did you go to Liubiju again?"

"Mm."

Following Lou Jie added seasonings to the pot and said, "You said the eight-treasure vegetables were delicious last time, so I went to buy some more."

Li Li Xuewu placed the pickles on the table and went back to the kitchen to peel the garlic.

He took a garlic mortar, added a little salt, crushed the garlic, and added a little cold water.

"You're so particular about what you eat."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu mixing the garlic like he was preparing medicine, Following Lou Jie complained to him.

Li Li Xuewu didn't mind and said, "Food should not be too refined, and meat should not be too finely sliced; pickled cabbage and pork without garlic sauce have no soul."

Garlic sauce isn't mashed garlic mixed with yellow bean paste, but mixed with soy sauce.

This should be a northern way of eating.

Li Li Xuewu mixed the garlic sauce in the mortar and explained to Following Lou Jie with a smile, "Adding salt keeps the garlic from running, and adding water makes the garlic spicier."

"Mm-hmm, you're the only one who knows how to eat!"

Following Lou Jie smiled and bumped her shoulder against Li Li Xuewu, who was leaning in.

"Don't mess around, my hands are all oily~"

Seeing Li Li Xuewu wanted to be mischievous, Following Lou Jie quickly dodged.

Why do they say men and women working together doesn't feel tiring?

With Li Li Xuewu messing around here, even though he didn't help much, Following Lou Jie felt time pass quickly and didn't feel tired at all.

The two laughed and joked as they finished the last dish.

Li Li Xuewu got on the kang first and sat cross-legged.

Looking at the sauce-braised big bones, pickled cabbage and pork, stewed pickles and tofu, and a plate of eight-treasure vegetables on the table, he felt a salty taste rising under his tongue.

"You just watch me drink today!"

He said this with a smile to Following Lou Jie, who was standing on the floor pouring hot water into the rice bowls, and used a spoon to spread the garlic sauce over the pickled cabbage on his side.

Following Lou Jie placed the rice bowl with half a bowl of hot water on the table and opened a bottle of Shanxi Fenjiu that was on the cabinet.

"My second aunt brought this home, and I intercepted it."

Following Lou Jie said happily to Li Li Xuewu, and she used her hand to pour the liquor into the white porcelain warming pot.

This wasn't an antique or anything precious; it had a conical belly and a gourd-shaped mouth.

A pot like this was about half a jin; Li Li Xuewu hadn't measured it carefully.

They had this kind of thing at home too; street vendors used to sell them, but now you have to buy them at the supply and marketing cooperative.

"Just this much; I won't let you drink too much."

Following Lou Jie placed the warming pot into the bowl of hot water and placed a small wine cup in front of Li Li Xuewu with a smile.

Li Li Xuewu looked at the white porcelain wine cup in front of him and laughed, "I don't drink often; why prepare this for me? A teacup is fine; there's no need for so many formalities."

"It's winter; it's better to drink something warm. Cold wine hurts the stomach."

Following Lou Jie placed the bowl in front of Li Li Xuewu and waited to use the bowl for warming the wine herself.

Looking at Following Lou Jie, who was serving him like a master, Li Li Xuewu pointed to the pickled cabbage and asked with a smile, "Aren't you afraid of the garlic sauce smell?"

"It's fine; I eat it at home too, just not as much."

Following Lou Jie looked at Li Li Xuewu as she spoke and smiled, "As long as you're not afraid."

Li Li Xuewu smiled, picked up a piece of sauce bone, placed it in a rice bowl, and brought it back to Following Lou Jie.

"Do you want to have some with me?"

Seeing Li Li Xuewu bring the bowl over, Following Lou Jie smiled until her eyes narrowed; she was easily satisfied.

"You drink; I can't drink that much."

She touched the warming pot, felt it was hot, and poured the wine into Li Li Xuewu's cup with a smile.

He picked up the two-Master Qian cup and took a sip of the white liquor; it was warm and spicy all the way from his mouth to his stomach.

Following Lou Jie sprinkled the remaining hot water from the rice bowl onto the brick floor and placed it in front of Li Li Xuewu.

"Eat."

A sip of wine and a bite of food; Li Li Xuewu was eating well and drinking well.

After eating and drinking his fill, Following Lou Jie didn't let Li Li Xuewu get off the kang; she cleaned the table and brought foot-washing water for Li Li Xuewu.

Once everything was cleaned up, she saw Li Li Xuewu lying on the pillow on the kang, his eyes bright.

Following Lou Jie blushed slightly, avoided Li Li Xuewu's searchlight-like gaze, and went to take off her clothes.

Li Li Xuewu, however, tapped the kang mat with his fingers with a mischievous smile, making a "patter" sound.

Lou Lou Xiaoe placed a cup of hot water at the head of the kang, glared at Li Li Xuewu with a blushing face, and got on the kang to spread the quilt.

She had just spread one quilt when she was pounced on by Li Li Xuewu.

"Spread another... mm~"

Li Li Xuewu's hands were very fast; before Following Lou Jie could finish her sentence, he had already finished undressing.

He didn't know if the Guinness World Records had this challenge, or what the record was.

Not just his own, but Following Lou Jie's as well.

"Ah~"

Following Lou Jie was almost out of breath from this beast.

This impact almost knocked her out.

Following Lou Jie rolled her eyes, slapped Li Li Xuewu, and complained, "Beast!"

Li Li Xuewu propped himself up on his arms, looked at Following Lou Jie, and laughed, "The game has only just begun!"

"Mm~"

Following Lou Jie couldn't talk back to him, and she couldn't beat him, so she could only lie there and win.

"I regret it~"

Li Li Xuewu looked at Following Lou Jie, who was glaring at him, and asked with a smile, "Regret giving me wine?"

Following Lou Jie narrowed her eyes and complained, "I regret raising a donkey."

"Oh, that's a provocation!"

Li Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows at Following Lou Jie and said, "You will pay the price."

"You're rotten to the core!"

She said that, but her hands were wrapped tightly around him.

He didn't know if it was the Fenjiu that added strength, but Li Li Xuewu was exceptionally energetic today.

It might also be because he hadn't had any meat for almost a month.

In the end, Following Lou Jie really begged for mercy, lying on the pillow; no matter what Li Li Xuewu said, she didn't react.

Li Li Xuewu jumped off the kang, drank a cup of warm water, took a dry towel from the shelf, and returned to the kang.

He used the towel to wipe the sweat off Following Lou Jie's back.

Following Lou Jie recovered a bit of energy after a while and, supported by Li Li Xuewu, drank the warm water he had prepared at the head of the kang.

When Li Li Xuewu was wiping the sweat off her back, he thought the battle had stopped.

But as soon as he lay down, Li Li Xuewu came up from behind again.

"I..."

"Dong, dong..."

The chime clock on the wall began to strike the hour when the hour hand pointed to ten.

In the end, Following Lou Jie spread another quilt; it wasn't that one quilt wasn't enough for them to cover themselves while sleeping in the same bed.

It was because the one she had spread earlier couldn't be used anymore; it was all wet.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

Following Lou Jie lay on the pillow, slightly narrowing her eyes, and asked the saint lying beside her.

Li Li Xuewu flicked the cigarette ash and said, "Early. You don't need to get up; it's troublesome. I'll just go home and eat."

"What's troublesome?"

Following Lou Jie slapped a strange hand that didn't know where it came from and continued, "Do you want to eat rice or noodles?"

"I want to eat you."

"Go!"

Following Lou Jie slapped Li Li Xuewu again and said, "We only have two quilts at home; if you don't behave, we'll have to sleep covered in clothes."

Li Li Xuewu maintained sufficient restraint, which avoided the terrible consequence of sleeping on the kang mat covered in clothes.

When he got up in the morning, Following Lou Jie had already prepared breakfast.

Like a little wife, she tidied the creases on Li Li Xuewu's clothes and sent him out the door.

This time she didn't ask when Li Li Xuewu would be back, because when it was time to come back, he would come back.

Thank you all for the monthly tickets and tips; I have nothing to repay you with, and no one wants me to offer my body, so I can only work twice as hard to type!