Chapter 133

Chapter 133

The two of them bickered childishly as they slowly walked home. Occasionally, Xu Yuqing couldn't help but sneakily poke him a couple of times.

Xie Junli didn't resist at all during the entire journey. They returned home in high spirits and began preparing for their nap.

Initially, Xie Junli was a bit distracted, but Xu Yuqing, who hadn't slept well over the past few days, fell asleep almost immediately upon lying down on her familiar pillow.

Covering her with a blanket, Xie Junli helplessly went out, picked up the pile of dirty clothes, and sat on a small stool to wash them.

The weather was cold, and the water was bone-chillingly icy, though thankfully it wasn't frozen. Xie Junli skillfully used a wooden mallet to beat the clothes clean.

After finishing the washing and hanging them up to dry, Xu Yuqing still hadn't woken up. Xie Junli looked around the house and found it exceptionally clean.

With nothing else to do, he leisurely climbed onto the bed and lay down.

He couldn't fall asleep, but holding her and smelling the faint scent of soap from her body, he gradually closed his eyes.

An hour later, Xu Yuqing finally woke up. As soon as she regained consciousness, she felt the large hand on her waist.

Frowning, her waist felt numb. She disdainfully moved his hand away and sat up, exhausted.

Oh no, she had slept too long.

Her head was aching slightly.

She frowned, looking at Xie Junli, who was still sleeping soundly. She crossed over him to get some water.

After drinking a glass of cool water, Xu Yuqing felt a little better.

Seeing the man sleeping peacefully on the bed, she didn't disturb him. Instead, she took out some yarn and started knitting in the main room.

A large sweater was nearly finished; only the final touches remained.

This sweater had taken a particularly long time, and Xu Yuqing was eager to finish it, so she knitted much faster.

By the time it got dark, she finally cut the yarn, completing the sweater.

Although not perfectly flawless, it had a nice design and looked quite good.

Excitedly, she carried the sweater inside, expecting Xie Junli to still be sleeping. However, when she approached, she found him reading a book.

"When did you wake up?"

Xie Junli put down the book. His eyes were sharp, and he immediately noticed the sweater in Xu Yuqing's hands.

Eagerly, he got off the bed, "Not long after you left. Did you finish it?"

He seemed quite expectant.

Seeing his enthusiasm, Xu Yuqing couldn't help but laugh, feeling a strong sense of pride. She handed him the sweater, "Yes, try it on."

Xie Junli took it carefully, gently handling it. He was only wearing a thin undershirt, making it perfect to slip on directly.

The gray color complemented his skin tone beautifully. Xu Yuqing's eyes lit up; accustomed to seeing him in military green, he now looked like a supermodel in the gray sweater. She couldn't take her eyes off him, "It looks great; this color suits you."

Xu Yuqing murmured, suddenly wanting to knit more sweaters in different colors for him. Although Xie Junli wasn't pale, his handsome face added significantly, allowing him to wear any color well.

And he wore it beautifully.

After trying it on, Xie Junli quickly took it off and carefully placed it in the wardrobe. Seeing his care, Xu Yuqing felt genuinely pleased and hugged his arm, "What should we have for dinner?"

When it came to food, Xie Junli had no preferences and simply said, "I'll eat anything."

Indeed, Xu Yuqing looked at Xie Junli, knowing that he truly ate anything.

If supplies were abundant, she would love to try cooking something unusual for him. But with limited ingredients, Xu Yuqing entered the kitchen, facing a pile of potatoes and radishes, feeling a bit stuck.

These radishes needed to be eaten soon.

She sighed helplessly, taking one out. The radish wasn't in great condition, with uneven bumps and dirt that was hard to scrub off.

But this radish was incredibly sweet.

She carefully peeled off the old skin and asked Xie Junli to fetch a piece of bone from the storage room.

"Chop it first, then let it simmer," Xu Yuqing instructed carefully.

Xie Junli nodded, taking the knife and chopping board. With swift movements, he chopped the hard bones into smaller pieces, with bits flying everywhere, even hitting his face below his eye, leaving a red mark.

Xie Junli quickly finished, cleaned the floor, and brought the bones back to the kitchen. Xu Yuqing had already prepared a basin of water, "Put them there."

"Okay." The chopping board tilted, and the bones slid into the water, splashing it.

Xu Yuqing moved back a step, "Be careful." Looking up, she was startled, noticing the mark on Xie Junli's face, "Your face—there's something."

She murmured, feeling embarrassed under his gaze. Her ears turned hot, and she tried to compose herself, wiping away the blood on his face.

"Here." Her finger gently touched the spot, curling slightly.

Xie Junli glanced at it, "It's just a small piece of bone. It's fine; I'll wash my face later."

"Oh, okay."

Xu Yuqing turned away, feeling flustered, looking at the radish in front of her. She vowed that someday, she would give Xie Junli a beauty mark.

How could such a tiny thing change someone's entire aura?

Thinking about how Xie Junli looked at her, Xu Yuqing's ears grew even hotter, and her cheeks flushed.

Fortunately, she was facing away from Xie Junli, so he didn't see her awkward expression.

After finally regaining her composure, Xu Yuqing took a deep breath, set aside the radish, blanched the bones in hot water, and then added more hot water before putting them together with the radish to simmer.

The radish soup began to bubble vigorously. Yuqing took a bowl, added minced garlic, chopped green onions, chili flakes, poured hot oil over them, and seasoned with soy sauce and vinegar.

A simple dipping sauce was ready.

This goes especially well with white radish.

"Would you like noodles or rice?"

"Noodles."

"Okay."

Xu Yuqing responded, took out two noodle cakes to be used later, and waited for the radish soup to be ready, ready to add them directly.

With the meal prepared, she moved a small stool next to Xie Junli and sat down. "Should we take some to He Xiang later?"

Xie Junli shook his head. "No need; he's eating at the canteen."

Is that so? Xu Yuqing nodded but still felt that her cooking was better than the canteen's. However, since Xie Junli didn't want to take it, there was nothing she could do.

The two of them warmed themselves while waiting for the bone soup, which grew increasingly fragrant. Yuqing took a chopstick and easily pierced a piece of white radish, indicating its tenderness and sweetness.

"Alright, bring the noodles. I'll blanch them."

"Okay."

She fetched a strainer, placed the noodle cakes inside, and after just a minute, they softened. Xu Yuqing preferred soft noodles, so she left them a bit longer. Xie Junli liked his noodles firm, so she removed his portion first.

Pouring the radish soup over the noodles, along with the bones and white radish, it lacked only fried tofu. The tofu puffs, soaked in the broth, would have been even more delicious.

Next time, I should make some tofu to fry, Xu Yuqing thought to herself.

"Your noodles are ready; take them out."

"Okay."

Xie Junli casually clapped his hands and, using his iron hand, picked up the bowl without feeling any heat, carrying it out directly.

Xu Yuqing's noodles were soon ready as well. She served them with radishes and bones, leaving half a pot full, enough for another meal.

Even if Xie Junli could eat a lot, he wouldn't finish all the soup.

She asked Xie Junli to carry her bowl out and brought the dipping sauce she had prepared earlier. "Try dipping the white radish in this; it's really good."

Xu Yuqing sat down and demonstrated herself. She had added only a little chili, making it mildly spicy. She lightly swirled the radish in the sauce and bit into it, feeling the explosion of heat, spiciness, and sweetness in her mouth. She breathed out after finishing the radish.

Xie Junli couldn't resist either, picking up a piece of radish and dipping it as Xu Yuqing had done. Seeing her somewhat painful expression, he dipped it lightly.

The fresh sweetness of the radish and the sour-spicy dip exploded in his mouth simultaneously. Xie Junli was silent, and the table fell quiet again as they ate.

They alternately dipped into the sauce until Xu Yuqing felt full and touched her stomach, feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm so full!" she exclaimed, touching her stomach, yet she still wanted to drink some of the soup, which was exceptionally sweet with the white radish.

Xie Junli hadn't finished eating yet. After one bowl of noodles, he went back to the kitchen for another, filled with plenty of white radish. Xu Yuqing couldn't help laughing; it seemed eating this way consumed a lot of white radish.

But it was also quite wasteful on the bones.

The next day, they still had white radish. They grated it and made many buns. Xu Yuqing bit into a fluffy bun. "I'll be back soon. If you're too lazy to go to the canteen, steam some buns, and remember to take some for He Xiang."

"Okay." Xie Junli responded casually, not particularly looking forward to tomorrow.

However, no matter how unwilling, tomorrow would come. Last night, Xie Junli had kept Xu Yuqing up late, and they didn't sleep until very late. Now, Xu Yuqing painfully applied a cloth with snow to her eyes to reduce the swelling.

Xie Junli offered her a cup of water. "Drink some."

Xu Yuqing irritably slapped his hand away. "Go away!"

She looked at herself in the mirror, frustrated. She had planned not to wear makeup since it was winter and she didn't want to bother. But now, seeing her haggard appearance, Xu Yuqing glared at Xie Junli.

"I'm going to be in the newspaper today!" The more she looked at herself, the angrier she became, wishing she could swap faces with Xie Junli.

Why did he look fine after staying up all night, while she looked so tired?

No matter how angry she was, time was running out, and she hadn't eaten breakfast yet. Xu Yuqing carefully braided her hair into a large plait that hung gently over her shoulder, looking gentle and beautiful.

Her tired eyes were still noticeable, though.

There was nothing she could do about it. She picked up her lipstick and applied a thin layer with her finger.

Looking around, she sighed and stood up to eat breakfast.

Today's breakfast was from the canteen: familiar grits porridge. Xu Yuqing wasn't in the mood for eggs, fearing the taste would linger. She scooped half a bowl of porridge and ate it slowly with pickles.

Seeing this, Xie Junli quickly finished his meal. They started their journey just as dawn broke, arriving at the canning factory by 7:30.

Though early, the factory was already bustling with activity. Everyone wore joyful expressions, and Xu Yuqing saw the smiling face of Director Xu from afar.

As soon as they parked, everyone gathered around. "Little Xu, we've been waiting for you! Hurry!"

"Oh, okay!" Xu Yuqing quickly got out of the car, taking her cloth bag. "I'm here."