Chapter 118: The reborn of paranoid boss cannon fodder wife
Chapter 118: Really Like It
Wang Cuifang's mind was solely occupied by the profit-sharing issue, oblivious to everything else. "He didn't mention it."
Bai Lu waved her hand, signaling her to leave. Wang Cuifang hesitated, wanting to negotiate a raise, but upon seeing the stern-faced man emerge from the kitchen, she promptly made her exit.
The matter of a pay raise could wait for another time.
Bai Lu successfully secured more selling points for the chestnuts and left contact information for future collaborations with others who lived farther away.
After the last person came to pick up their chestnuts, Bai Lu grabbed a basket of fresh seasonal fruits and headed to the market to buy vegetables. On the way back, she stopped by Xiao Dashuang's house.
With Xiao Dashuang absent, his mother explained that the roof had been repaired, but strong winds had blown away the new tiles. Xiao Dashuang had gone to buy new ones and planned to return to fix the roof. If Bai Lu urgently needed the ladder, he would bring it over when he returned.
Bai Lu couldn't possibly interrupt the family's repairs, so she politely declined their offer to have a meal together and went on her way.
At the market, Bai Lu ran into Zhang Sao again. This time, she borrowed a ladder from her, but it turned out that the ladder was being used as a perch for a makeshift chicken coop.
Amused and slightly bewildered, Bai Lu chatted briefly with Zhang Sao and went home, her arms loaded with vegetables.
As she passed the well, she noticed a man washing vegetables—Xiao Cheng. His eyes held a complex mix of emotions as he glanced at her.
Remaining composed, Xiao Cheng continued washing vegetables, and soon, a large pile of chili peppers fell into the basin.
Bai Lu chuckled, "Xiao Wei's mouth isn't blistered anymore."
Xiao Cheng replied casually, "If you like it, that's good."
"Really like it," Bai Lu affirmed.
He then added, "On the day after tomorrow, they—Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dashuang, Wang Hao—will come over for a meal."
"Who?" Bai Lu suddenly turned back.
In her memory, no one had dared to form a gang, gather together, and have a meal at the tyrant's house, except for a few times...
"Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dashuang, Wang Hao."
Indeed, the three names spoken by Xiao Cheng overlapped with a certain memory in Bai Lu's mind.
It was Xiao Cheng's memory.
On the day after tomorrow, the twelfth day of the fourth month in the lunar calendar, equivalent to May 18 in the Gregorian calendar, was Xiao Cheng's birthday. It was also the day Xiao Cheng's mother left home.
Xiao Cheng paid no attention to his birthday.
Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dashuang, and Wang Hao also dared not mention anything about birthdays on this day.
However, every year on this day, they would buy good wine and food, sneakily come to Xiao Cheng's house, and cook together. They dared only on this day, enduring a banquet of their own cooking, before getting kicked out by Xiao Cheng, their stomachs full of the terrible feast.
Xiao Wei was subjected to this gastric cleansing every year.
Xiao Cheng had only mentioned this to Bai Lu and she didn't quite understand the significance. If he meant that they were coming to celebrate his birthday, it wasn't her birthday, so why would she be concerned?
Did Xiao Cheng mean that women were not allowed to join the table during this kind of celebration due to some old customs? Bai Lu had learned about various aspects of Chinese culture and traditions, including folk customs, from her grandmother. Although she knew that certain regions still held onto outdated gender norms, she couldn't accept such inequality.
If that was the case, she would simply go out for a nice meal and let them enjoy their cooking at home. The house belonged to Xiao Cheng, and she had no right to intervene.
Sensing Bai Lu's misunderstanding, Xiao Cheng felt her subtle pride and distance, which only lasted a moment. She quickly regained her calm and graceful demeanor, smiling politely with a nonchalant expression.
She inquired, "Is it inconvenient for me to join the table?"
Her way of speaking was clever, avoiding any direct impoliteness. Even if someone misunderstood her, she wouldn't argue or lose her temper. Instead, she'd just lock them in a dark room and reward them with peppers.
Still, Xiao Cheng sensed the hidden arrogance within her for a moment before it retreated. She replied, pursing his lips, "No."
Before the conversation concluded, Xiao Cheng added, "Are you accustomed to it?"
"Accustomed to what?" Bai Lu was still trying to comprehend his words.
Xiao Cheng gazed at her clear eyes for a long while, where only astonishment and confusion could be found. There was no trace of arrogance or distance that didn't belong to this place.
Finally, he calmly said, "Eating together."
"Oh... If it makes you happy, I'm fine with it," Bai Lu nodded. "There's nothing to get used to. If I can cook, it would be even better."
A devilish feast, huh? That was something she definitely didn't want to experience!
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