The reborn of paranoid boss cannon fodder wife(8)
Chapter 8: Unexpected Surprises
Xiao Cheng's father fell into gambling addiction, squandering the family fortune until the wonton shop was sold to pay off debts. His mother abandoned him, and his father showed no concern or care.
Borrowing money from relatives and friends only led to more gambling.
Later, Xiao Cheng's father remarried.
His stepmother treated Xiao Cheng poorly, often leaving him hungry and cold. On several occasions, she drove him out into the icy streets, where he nearly froze to death.
After graduating from junior high, his stepmother made it difficult for him to attend high school.
When Xiao Wei was four years old, his impulsive stepmother had a heated argument and fight with his father, and in a fit of anger, she drank pesticide and committed suicide.
The same year, on a stormy night, Xiao Cheng's father, on his way back from the gambling den, was accidentally electrocuted and died.
The steady and even sound of breathing reached Bai Lu's ears, bringing her back from memories to reality, where Xiao Cheng was already asleep.
From her perspective, his well-defined nose stood tall like a peak, long eyelashes casting shadows on his eyelids, and his thin lips were tightly closed, displaying an indifferent demeanor.
The light was left on.
Bai Lu looked at the glaring orange light bulb on the wall, sighed helplessly, and got up quietly.
Carefully stepping over the man, she went to pull the cord to turn off the light.
It was fine when she left, but on her way back, just as her foot was halfway across, Xiao Cheng suddenly turned over, causing her to trip.
She fell directly onto him.
A soft coolness touched her lips, followed by intense pain, as if she had hit his lip.
Xiao Cheng grunted, opened his eyes, his crimson gaze, like a fierce beast awakened from sleep, had flames beneath them, staring fixedly at Bai Lu.
Bai Lu was stunned for a moment, then bounced up instantly, rolling back to her corner of the wall.
"It was you who turned over first and tripped me."
Family rules and etiquette allowed her to apologize for mistakes, but they didn't require her to take the blame. She refused to accept it.
Seeming to have not fully recovered, Xiao Cheng heard her voice, and his unfocused pupils gradually regained clarity.
Getting up, he turned on the light.
Wiping the corner of his mouth with his hand, a bright red stain lit up his fingertips. He spoke with a slightly unfriendly tone, "Sharp-tongued."
Bai Lu then noticed that he had a cut on his lip.
In the dim light, a crack ran along the corner of the man's mouth, and fresh red blood oozed out. He pressed his lips, managing to stop the bleeding for a moment, but the lip would redden again in no time.
If one didn't look carefully, it was hard to notice another old scar next to the split corner.
Fortunately, Bai Lu was observing carefully.
"What's with that look of yours?"
Xiao Cheng cast a cold glance at her.
Bai Lu immediately denied, "I wasn't thinking anything inappropriate."
She absolutely refused to admit that she had just thought of the widow.
Xiao Cheng sneered and hinted with a cold tone, "She doesn't have the guts yet."
Bai Lu: "..." Did I just eat bear heart and leopard gall?
The injury at the corner of Xiao Cheng's mouth was actually from a few days ago when he went to collect debts at a nearby casino. There was a dispute, and in the scuffle, he accidentally grazed his mouth.
After collecting the debts, he also sent a message to his acquaintances at the bureau, letting them sweep the area for credit.
The big boss had been getting closer to the edge of legality lately. Though he mingled with the underworld, Xiao Cheng knew what was permissible and what wasn't. It was time for him to change his path.
Xiao Cheng's gaze casually fell on Bai Lu's stomach, startling her.
It was still cold outside, and she was wearing a thick sweater that looked loose. If you didn't look closely, it was impossible to see that her stomach was flat and not at all like that of someone five months pregnant.
Bai Lu tried to play it off, "I'll go get some saltwater to clean it for you."
A three-thousand-yuan stomach! She dared not take any risks; what if something went wrong, and it became apparent that she wasn't really pregnant?
Bai Lu moved cautiously, reaching the foot of the bed, and started to head to the kitchen.
She grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, added some salt to well water, and placed it on the table. Then, she opened a drawer, took out a handful of cotton, and came back.
With a toothpick, she began to roll up the cotton from the edge inward.
Xiao Cheng watched her busy figure and ripples of thought crossed his eyes, appearing contemplative.
In the past, he never paid much attention to such minor injuries. They would heal in a couple of days, and no one cared. However...
"I didn't do it on purpose," Bai Lu explained again, her voice softer than before.
She initially thought that when the truth came out, Xiao Cheng might take into account the little good she had done and spare her. Now, it seemed that even her merits might not be enough to atone for her actions.
After finishing everything and putting things away, ready to finally go to sleep, Bai Lu didn't toss and turn this time. She lay down and soon fell asleep.
However, Xiao Cheng couldn't sleep.
His gaze shifted from the peacefully sleeping girl to the top, where a light was slowly descending.
There was a transparent tile on the roof that allowed a direct view of the sky. What used to be an endless expanse of black had gained an extra bright and shiny star today, especially dazzling.
In the darkness, the dawn of a new day.
—
The next morning, when Bai Lu woke up, Xiao Cheng was no longer by her side. The quilt neatly arranged at the foot of the bed indicated his absence.
Bai Lu got up, stretched lazily, and habitually folded the quilt into a square tofu block – a perfectionist habit she had developed.
As her hand touched the mosquito net, she remembered that this was the 1990s, and she was no longer in the 21st century. She could be more casual, like Xiao Cheng, and simply fold it neatly.
Thinking so, she threw the quilt carelessly, creating a casual yet neat appearance she had long wanted to try.
Xiao Cheng was watching her from outside the window, laughing foolishly as she threw the quilt.
Bai Lu, however, was unaware of this until she reached the kitchen and found a bowl of steaming noodles on the table. On top of it was a sunny-side-up egg emitting hot steam – clearly just cooked.
Xiao Wei had already gone to school, and Xiao Cheng was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he made breakfast for her before leaving.
Bai Lu didn't dwell on it too much, picked up a porcelain basin, and went to the courtyard well to draw water. She then brushed her teeth and washed her face.
After breakfast, she went to the backyard to collect eggs.
Contrary to her imagination of a chicken coop, there was a circular fence
made of bamboo that enclosed an oval chicken area. In one corner, there was a straw nest covered by a small thatched roof. Inside was a large egg.
