It was exactly six o'clock when Zhou Xiaomei got home. Her mother was cooking in the kitchen, her three children were doing homework, and Cao Jiadong was cleaning the house.
"Mom is back!" Xiaolong shouted, dropped his pen and ran over.
Zhou Xiaomei touched her son's head, smiled at Cao Jiadong, who was looking over, and then lowered her head and asked her son: "Have you finished your homework?"
"Not yet, there is only one question left." Xiaolong said.
"Write it quickly."
The little guy walked back reluctantly, and when he saw Xiao Ying's funny face, he also made a face in return.
Xiaoying and Xiaojun asked Zhou Xiaomei how they were, and Zhou Xiaomei responded with a smile and walked into the kitchen.
Xiaomei's mother had prepared the meal. When she saw her daughter coming in, she greeted her daughter and brought the dishes. She came out with the bowls and chopsticks and told the three children to wash their hands and eat.
Zhou Xiaomei came out with the dishes and saw Cao Jiadong changing his shoes at the door and about to leave. She became angry and said sternly: "Stop! What are you doing?"
"I, I, I'm going back." Cao Jiadong stuttered.
"You won't leave until I come back. What's wrong with you leaving as soon as I come back? Are you afraid of me? Or did I poison the food?" Zhou Xiaomei asked with a cold face.
When she got angry, Cao Jiadong was a little confused. He stood there and couldn't help but walk. His face was red and his neck was thick.
Xiaomei's mother, who was bringing out the meal, saw the situation and said hurriedly: "What are you doing? Xiao Cao, the meal is ready."
"Oh——" Cao Jiadong lowered his head.
"Oh, what, bring the soup, are you waiting for me to serve it?" Zhou Xiaomei said bluntly.
Cao Jiadong didn't say anything, and he couldn't say anything at this time - the three children came back after washing their hands. The two younger ones couldn't see anything, so they sat directly at the dinner table. Xiaojun, the older one, saw something, and his face was full of
smile.
Cao Jiadong brought the soup to the table and sat down, and the six people, old and young, began to eat.
"Hey - would you like some wine?" Zhou Xiaomei suddenly asked Cao Jiadong, who was sitting opposite.
Cao Jiadong was stunned and said: "Don't drink, don't drink."
"Drink some. It's quite tiring after a day's work. Drink some wine to feel comfortable." Xiaomei's mother advised.
"Look, my mother said, drink some." Zhou Xiaomei said quickly.
"I, I can't drink much." Cao Jiadong said, his face turning red again.
"I didn't ask you to drink more." Zhou Xiaomei rolled her eyes and then stood up to get the wine. Xiaojun was clever and went there first.
The wine was brought and they each poured a full glass. Zhou Xiaomei was going to say a few words about wine, but seeing the three children present, she felt a little embarrassed, so she omitted it.
They raised their glasses and each took a sip.
I put down my glass of wine and ate my food, no one said a word.
Xiaomei's mother said: "I didn't know you two were drinking, so why don't you cook something else? There are fried peanuts in the refrigerator."
"I'll get it." Xiaojun stood up again.
Zhou Xiaomei asked casually: "What did you practice today?"
Cao Jiadong said: "Repair the four-door freezer in the Haidong store and the table in the Jinqiao store."
"Why do the tables in Jinqiao store always break down?" Zhou Xiaomei asked.
"The turntable is defective and the remote control doesn't work. It's time to replace it," Cao Jiadong said.
"Then change it."
"Um."
After dinner, Cao Jiadong helped Xiaomei's mother clear the table. After cleaning up, she was about to go back. Zhou Xiaomei said she would go to the Jinqiao store and they followed her downstairs.
When they came downstairs, Cao Jiadong said to Zhou Xiaomei: "You have been drinking and can't drive. Take a taxi." While speaking, he did not dare to look at Zhou Xiaomei and looked ahead.
Zhou Xiaomei was defeated by his ignorant style. She looked at him and said, "You don't know how to take me there on an electric bike."
Cao Jiadong said: "I drank because I was afraid of throwing you."
"If you fall, it's mine." Zhou Xiaomei said.
"------It's better to take a taxi."
"You are so angry."
Zhou Xiaomei didn't know what to say, so she had no choice but to say: "I'm not going, please come with me for a walk."
Cao Jiadong looked up in the falling night and said, "Then------ let's go."
The two people walked forward, Zhou Xiaomei in front and Cao Jiadong in the back, two meters apart.
Zhou Xiaomei is tall and full of temperament. Cao Jiadong is not short, but Zhou Xiaomei makes him look short, and his work clothes make him plain and unpretentious.
Exiting the community is Saihan Street, not far ahead is the Greenland Square, and the music of the square dancers can be faintly heard.
The night is getting darker and the lights are brightly lit.
The autumn night is slightly cool, comfortable and warm.
Cao Jiadong walked cautiously behind Zhou Xiaomei. No matter how stupid he was, he knew what walking like this meant, and he was not a fool.
But he knew that he was the father of two children, a single man who relied on physical strength to earn money and rented a house, and the woman walking in front was his boss, a beautiful and unattainable existence.
He was grateful to Zhou Xiaomei. Because of his gratitude, he was willing to do anything for her, such as taking care of her parents, her children, and her home. This was what he could do, and to be honest, he couldn't help with anything else.
What he did was almost negligible compared to how much Zhou Xiaomei helped him.
He is repaying the favor.
His honesty, honesty, and duty were recognized by Zhou Xiaomei's parents. He knew this but didn't know it. What he knew was that he should do this, but what he didn't know was that the old man's approval had another meaning.
Having said that, everyone has been young, fallen in love, and experienced marriage. No matter how dull a person is, he or she cannot see it in a day or two, but after a long time, he can vaguely understand it.
He could see that Zhou Xiaomei's parents wanted to bring him and their daughter together. To be honest, he had never thought about it. He hoped that he would have a woman who could manage the household and live an ordinary life, not someone like Zhou Xiaomei----
--
He knows what he is like and what kind of person he should look for. This is the so-called self-knowledge.
So he didn't think about it and just did whatever he had to do.
When Zhou Xiaomei was not at home, he took care of her home, her parents, and children. When Xiaomei's mother said she was going to Beautiful Valley to see her wife, he naturally took on the responsibility of taking care of Xiaolong.
If you ask him if he likes Zhou Xiaomei?
To be honest, he is grateful and respectful to Zhou Xiaomei. As for whether he likes her, don't ask.
The two came to the Greenland Square and walked naturally along the woods in the green belt.
"Why are you leaving when I see you?" Zhou Xiaomei stopped and asked Cao Jiadong.
"I haven't left for much--I want to go home and burn the kang." Cao Jiadong said.
"What if I don't come back?"
"-----Let's go too."
Zhou Xiaomei smiled, very happily. Then she said: "No need to hide it, tell me what you think?"
"What do you think?" Cao Jiadong asked.
"What do you think of me?" Zhou Xiaomei was direct this time.
"I---I didn't think much of it."
"Really?"
"Well, back then you took care of Xiaojun and Xiaoying, arranged work for me, and helped me a lot. Now that you are busy, I should take care of you." Cao Jiadong said.
"Thinking of nothing else?" Zhou Xiaomei asked coaxingly.
"I haven't------I haven't thought about it--and I don't dare to think about it."
"You are such an honest person. You won't even tell a lie. You should know what my father and mother mean after a long time. Have you ever thought about being my man?"