The reborn of paranoid boss cannon fodder wife(13)

 Chapter 13: Xiao Cheng Operates the Excavator

When Xiao Cheng was dealing with fish, Bai Lu stood on the opposite side with a large basin, washing radishes and peeling them. After washing the radishes, she went to the broken water tank to pull green onions, dig ginger, wash and cut all the vegetables. When Xiao Wei came back from school, he saw two figures busy in the kitchen. The tall figure of a man sat in front of the stove, using a fire tong with one hand to insert firewood into the stove. The woman in an apron was cooking, occasionally picking up a piece of food with chopsticks and offering it to the man to taste. She asked him, "Is it salty? Is it delicious?" Even though it must be hot when just taken out of the pot, the man did not furrow his brows and ate it. Then he gave a two-word evaluation, "It's okay." The woman seemed very happy upon hearing this, and her face immediately lit up with a smile, like a blossoming flower, very beautiful. Her laughter was pleasant to the ears, even the man couldn't help but let a smile slowly rise. But when the woman looked at him, she suppressed it again. Xiao Wei couldn't remember how long it had been since the house had been so lively; every day used to be cold and quiet. If it could continue like this, it would be great. Dinner was as usual, with every plate cleaned, not a bit of leftover food, even the rice crust was gone. Bai Lu also ate a bit too much, holding a little belly, walking in the yard to aid digestion. Xiao Cheng looked at her several times, and even after taking a bath at night, he took the initiative to wash her clothes as well. That radiant image directly shattered Bai Lu's preconceived impression of him, and her heart rose to her throat at the same time. This belly... really is precious! So precious that she didn't dare to toss and turn in bed at night, so much so that she couldn't sleep again. Xiao Cheng could roughly guess what she was thinking. He kicked off his shoes when he got into bed, shook out the blanket to cover his waist, and casually said, "Say whatever you want." The little head rolled out from the bundled-up blanket next to him, "The stars in the sky are really beautiful." Actually, what Bai Lu wanted to say was, are you going to the neighbor's house to build a house, can you give a definite answer? But she was embarrassed to bring up the topic, afraid of accidentally touching a nerve. In her memory, after Xiao Cheng was kicked out by his stepmother, he joined a gang and survived in the cracks. Later, the big boss noticed his fearless courage and entrusted him with collecting debts. From the initial testing to eventually handling the entire account, Xiao Cheng went through a lot of hardships. He also saved a considerable amount of money and, at a low price, bought this old house and land from someone who couldn't pay off their debts. Originally, he planned to demolish the old house this year and buy red bricks to build a single-story house. Unexpectedly, that night, after Xiao Cheng finished collecting debts at the karaoke, he had a few more drinks with the boss as usual, went to rest in the private room, and woke up to find that he had been tricked by the original owner and her mother. The money for building the house was also swindled away by the brickyard owner. Thinking of this, Bai Lu dared not speak anymore, silently retracting her head into the blanket. From Xiao Cheng's perspective, he could only see the fuzzy top of the girl's head. Moonlight from outside shone in, casting a soft halo, making her look like a glowing rabbit. He chuckled softly, raised his hand, and pulled the string to turn off the light. He didn't say a word until the end. Making Bai Lu uneasy for the whole night. --- The next morning, when Xiao Wei woke up and came to the kitchen, Xiao Cheng was already cooking noodles. He stood at the door in disbelief, with a messy hairstyle, pitch-black bright eyes fixed, not knowing where to put his little hands. Xiao Cheng glanced at him indifferently. For the first time in three months, he spoke for the second time, "Go wash your face." The first sentence was when he dismantled the mosquito net, asking, "What are you doing?" Xiao Wei was shocked for a full ten seconds before reacting, "I'll go now, I'll wash my face right away." He rushed to get a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a cup of water, went to the front yard to fetch water from the well, and quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face on the spot. Bai Lu, who gloriously woke up early, was stunned. She walked to the kitchen in a daze, saw the steaming noodles in the pot, and the man picked them up and put them in a bowl. Only then did she realize that the big boss had generously cooked for them. Seeing how excited Xiao Wei was, he almost grew wings, as if eating noodles could make him ascend to immortality. After cooking the noodles, Xiao Cheng fried seven eggs—two for himself, two for Xiao Wei, and three for Bai Lu. Bai Lu suddenly felt that her stomach had become three times more precious. After Xiao Wei finished eating noodles and drinking soup, washed the bowl clean, and happily went to school with his backpack. Before leaving, he even took out the money from his bag and gave it to Bai Lu, who was still slowly enjoying the eggs. Unable to bear his stubbornness, Bai Lu took away a one-yuan bill, "Pastries are not expensive; one yuan can buy a lot. Keep the rest of the money for yourself." After Xiao Wei went to school, Xiao Cheng also left. It took Bai Lu a long time to finish the noodles and eggs, wash the bowl, and put it back in the cabinet. She then went to the yard to practice Tai Chi. After Tai Chi, when the food in her stomach had almost digested, she started practicing military boxing. Just after finishing the first set of sixteen moves and preparing to try the second set, there were banging sounds outside. Bai Lu rushed out. Sure enough, the mudbrick house not far away collapsed. Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dashuang, Wang Hao, and a few others, along with the neighbors, were all watching. Wu Xiuyun was also there, standing beside a middle-aged man with a broad face, presumably her husband. The man in the excavator cab had a cold face, holding the control lever, operating the bucket from top to bottom. He first pushed the tiled roof inside and then pushed the mudbrick wall. There was a custom here; the main door lintel could be omitted, but it could not be broken. When demolishing a house, one had to be especially careful, first dismantling the lintel and placing it intact to the side before demolishing the rest of the house. Apparently, he did it very well; the lintel remained intact on the ground outside. Unexpectedly, Xiao Cheng had this ability. Bai Lu's understanding of him was once again refreshed. She had only seen him standing in for others for about ten minutes when collecting debts. He actually had such extraordinary talent! Is he a devil??? The neighbors were all shocked by this scene, "I thought Xiao Cheng only knew how to fight. I didn't expect him to operate an excavator. It's really eye-opening!" "He's quite skilled; the operation is steady and firm. Look at that lintel; it's intact." "With such good skills, why doesn't he operate an excavator properly instead of being a street thug?" "You think he can just decide to operate one? Excavators aren't cheap. Is the excavator very cheap?" In the midst of the discussion, someone mentioned the past, "Doesn't Xiao Wei's mom often say that Xiao Cheng is a gloomy character, always targeting her? What's their beef?" "One family's affairs are not two family's business. Publicly speaking, everyone is right. Privately speaking, who knows if it's true or not? Anyway, lies are free." The neighbors began to have reservations. Setting aside other things, Xiao Cheng being able to operate an excavator might come in handy in the future. If they spread rumors without understanding the facts, it would be bad if he heard about it.  

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