Chapter 96: Before Departure
“Hey Jiaming…”
Isn’t this guy running for what? Not afraid of accidentally spraining his foot again?
“Ning Ning, that kid is running so fast because he’s guilty like a thief?”
Silently putting down her hand, Su Ning heard this and had a face full of wry amusement, “Could it be that he’s scared by you, Brother Zhang?”
Zhang Ze turned back and glanced at his receding figure, revealing a contemptuous smile: With just this mouse-like guts, he still dares to harass their family’s tender little cabbage every day?
“Never mind him, come on, put the heavy stuff on the back seat of my bike and we’ll head home.”
“Okay.”
“Su… Cadre, wait!”
Qiao Yuan, excitedly hugging a basket of the factory’s Mid-Autumn Festival welfare fruit he’d just received, ran straight toward her with eyes shining.
That fiery gaze made Su Ning frown, and Zhang Ze clenched his fist, his face as black as Guan Gong.
Moving too fast without braking properly, Qiao Yuan nearly crashed headfirst into Zhang Ze’s arms, who had forcibly inserted himself between the two.
He couldn’t help cursing inwardly: Damn it, why is it that around Su Ning it’s either Fu someone or this stubborn hard stone famous for his black face lately?
The frustrating part is that even one-on-one, he couldn’t handle either of them!
“That Comrade Zhang, please make way, I just need to say a couple words to Cadre Su.”
“Blocking you?”
Zhang Ze smiled with his mouth but not his eyes, looking down at him, “No problem if it’s not blocking, but with a person in the way, the voice still gets through.”
It was just short of saying outright “spit it out if you have something to say.”
His mouth corners twitched uncontrollably, and Qiao Yuan could only turn sideways and tilt his head, “Cadre Su, this is for you!”
“Thanks, I’m also a worker at the textile factory.”
“Ah? I didn’t mean that, I just wanted to… oh right, borrow flowers to offer Buddha…”
“Sorry, I’m not interested in becoming a monk.”
“…”
Speechless and choked, Qiao Yuan thought: We just have to chat the sky dead, completely no more to talk about?
But anyway, she’s pretty and her mouth is so sharp—not surprising she’s the one Qiao Yuan likes!
With a mysterious sense of pride and joy, his face switched from dejection to excitement in the blink of an eye.
Qiao Yuan stood not far away, waving one paw at Su Ning who had already mounted her bike, then putting it to his mouth like half a megaphone and shouting loudly, “Cadre Su, take care! Cadre Su, see you!”
Zhang Ze, who had just loaded two bags of rice on the back seat and was preparing to swing his long leg over, staggered and nearly flipped the bike.
Meeting that face which at first glance seemed like a street thug but now looked completely idiotic, he silently turned to look at the person next to him who was tiptoeing on her bike, “Ning Ning, is this guy’s head not quite right?”
Seeing him point at his own head, Su Ning burst out laughing with a sweet little dimple, turning her face sideways with an extremely bright smile, “Maybe.”
The two rode their bicycles side by side into the distance, leaving behind Qiao Yuan with hearts popping in his mind, clutching his chest and murmuring softly nonstop: She smiled at me, smiled!
And she smiled so beautifully!
“Yuan Bro, Yuan Bro?!”
“Ah? Ah, Baisi, did you see? Su Ning just smiled at me, really smiled at me!”
Chen Baisi instantly winced and covered his face just hearing the name: I think she was probably just amused at roasting you.
…
South Gate First Street.
Zhang Ze helped carry the stuff into the kitchen, glancing at the sky where it had only cleared for a day and was now starting to drizzle with fine rain again.
“This south is really different, huh? Summer rain seems endless, hasn’t stopped much lately.”
“Hehe, lots of rain is great—cool weather, fresh air.”
Pushing the bicycle into the yard and parking it, Su Ning smiled and replied, then as the person turned to leave, she quickly changed tack, “Brother Zhang, wait!”
Amid his puzzled expression, she first went to the kitchen to grab the things she’d prepared in advance, then took out the box from her bag containing the black jade pendants for him and Brother Mao.
“What’s this for? Is Boss Xiao Su issuing Mid-Autumn welfare to us workers too?”
Zhang Ze joked with a smile; the things she prepared were linen pouches about two adult palm-sizes, cleverly tied at the mouth with a drawstring knot.
“You guessed right, these are Mid-Autumn gifts for you and Brother Mao’s families—let sister-in-law use them to make some tasty food for everyone or wrap some mooncakes or whatever.”
“As for these two…”
Handing over the wooden box, Su Ning gave him a playful smile, “They’re blessings from a little sister to her two big brothers.”
“Oh? Then I gotta take a good look!”
Opening the wooden boxes one by one, Zhang Ze’s eyes grew warmer with laughter at the sight inside.
So that’s why he’d been holing up under the courtyard eaves right after work all this time—for these gifts.
Though they only had the simplest carved auspicious clouds and names, the feeling of being remembered and kept in mind was just too good.
He didn’t know the specific value of the jadeite gems, but this kindness alone was worth a fortune.
“I like them very much.”
Eager to express this liking, Zhang Ze immediately put the ink jade pendant engraved with his name around his neck, “This one I’ll give to Qianqian when he gets back tonight—that kid’s guaranteed to be thrilled silly!”
“After these jade pendants were made, I specially took them to Puguang Temple for consecration, hoping they’ll bless everyone.”
“Ning Ning, rest assured, bro will definitely wear it well.”
Knowing her intent in saying this, Zhang Ze thumped his chest with his fist as a guarantee.
“Brother Zhang, tomorrow for Mid-Autumn, I won’t go to the courtyard.”
“What’re you saying? How can you not go? It’s a big festival, you alone…”
“Ning Bao Gai! Ning Bao Gai, open up quick, I’m here~”
Spot on—this guy really came to block her right after work.
Pretending helplessness, she shrugged at him, and Su Ning sighed, “No way around it, Brother Zhang, look how popular I am.”
“Hahaha, good good good, you this yatou!”
Since she had plans and someone to spend the festival with, Zhang Ze didn’t press further, considerately picking up his things, “Then I’ll head back first, you sit and don’t get rained on—I’ll go open the door for her on the way.”
With a few big strides to the door, Zhang Ze tucked the wooden box under his arm and quickly opened it.
Hearing the door, Luo Shuangshuang who was about to charge headlong into someone’s arms grabbed the door in time to steady herself, smiling at him a bit embarrassed.
“Hello, Brother Zhang.”
After a few awkward pleasantries until he walked away, she briskly shut the door and dashed into the yard in one arrow step.
Startling the two-tone flower buds along the wall into rustling, dropping water droplets all over the ground.
“What? Little Round Circle caught and bit you?”
“No, it’s your Brother Zhang’s face—my legs go weak just looking at it, scary.”
“Promising.”
Why did one after another think Zhang Ze was terrifying? Clearly he’s as mild as the boy-next-door brother—what’s scary about him?
Patting her chest, Luo Shuangshuang unceremoniously squeezed in to sit beside her, grabbing the enamel cup from the low table and chugging it down.
“Hey…”
“What’s up, I don’t mind it’s your leftovers…”
“I was gonna tell you, the water in this cup has been sitting for days.”
“That’s even less of a big deal—Grandma said what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, hehe~”
Since the person herself didn’t mind, what more was there to say.
“How’d it go, Ning Bao Gai?”
“Knew you came for this, here you go!”
“Hahaha, Ning Bao Gai knows me best!”
Joyfully taking the box, Luo Shuangshuang put the red grapes she’d been coveting for so long on her hand.
Her slender hand with the red jadeite looked even fairer and prettier.
“I prepared your gift too, this is for you!”
What Luo Shuangshuang gave her was a sapphire necklace shaped like stars surrounding the moon.
She thought it was perfect as a token of exchange.
“Right, Ning Bao Gai, you remember tomorrow’s thing, right? No need for me to remind you?”
“I…”
“Grandma and Maternal Uncle specially sent word to bring you along… mmph?”
Su Ning smilingly covered that chattering little mouth.
“This is my first Mid-Autumn away from home, tomorrow I want to celebrate with Maternal Grandfather, Maternal Grandmother, Mom and them, prepare more good eats for them.”
“So sorry, Xi You, I won’t go along tomorrow—next time I have time, I’ll visit them.”
With this reason… how could she press further?
Pulling away the hand covering her mouth, Luo Shuangshuang drooped her head in some disappointment.
She’d thought she could spend the festival with Ning Bao Gai, but she understood—in days like this, the wish to reunite differently with family.
“Rest assured, I won’t skimp on my own mouth—you go back and have a lively festival happily with your family.”
“Alright then, I’ll bring you some mooncakes Grandma makes when I come back—ours are different from what you’ve had.”
“Sure, I’ll wait.”
