Chapter 40: Getting Along
“You, what did you say?”
“You didn’t hear that person…”
Fu Jiaming saw his stern face, with eyes like icy knives stabbing at him, and the 1.8-meter tall guy immediately chickened out.
“Don’t glare at me like that, fine fine fine, I won’t say it, okay!”
The Yan Bei beside him had sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, with an imposing demeanor, and was a famous genius researcher in several nearby factories.
‘Beauty and wisdom coexist, temperament and elegance combined.’ That’s exactly him.
But who would believe it, how terrifying this guy who seemed perfect in every way could be when he really got angry!
Fu Jiaming shivered, and upon meeting his gaze, he reflexively raised his hand and shook his head, saying with a proper attitude, “Comrade Yan, I was wrong, I’ve reflected on it, I shouldn’t gossip about female comrades behind their backs.”
……
The two who had temporarily shared a table gradually walked away, and Su Ning, who was slurping noodles in the state-run restaurant, naturally didn’t know what exactly they said about her, but even if she did, she wouldn’t care.
A large bowl full of rice noodles, for the sake of the banner hanging on the wall that read ‘Wasting is shameful, eliminate waste of every grain,’ she had to force herself to finish it.
In the end, the two of them had to slightly puff out their little bellies, supporting each other as they walked out of the restaurant door.
“It’s really delicious, but it’s really filling too, why can’t I have a bigger stomach~”
Su Ning, amused without surprise, smiled and pinched her face, “If that were true, Uncle Luo and them would have to worry.”
“Worry about what? Being able to eat is a blessing, being able to eat more at every meal is a dream many people wouldn’t even dare to think of.”
The two chatted and laughed as they walked home.
For the entire afternoon that followed, Luo Shuangshuang stuck to her side, full of novelty as she bustled around helping out.
They cleared a small vegetable patch on the open ground beside the kitchen, and planted some green onions, ginger, garlic, chives, and cilantro.
To help the two kinds of flowers in the corner of the wall climb and grow quickly, they set up a few vine trellises for them.
They laid a complete small stone path from the gate to the grapevine trellis under the eaves, and planted some mint and gardenias in the empty spaces on both sides of the path to repel mosquitoes and insects.
Luo Shuangshuang even suddenly got the idea to hang the remaining spider plants, interspersed with wind chimes, all under the beam above the bedroom window outside.
It looked good and had a lot of artistic vibe, especially when the wind blew, not only bringing clusters of pure white flower buds but also bursts of pleasant crisp bell sounds.
Along with these strings of purely handmade woven wind chimes came various small furniture items and things that the two had custom-ordered on the way back.
The bedroom now had an added three-door large wardrobe, placed side by side with the original smaller one, making a super large five-door setup.
Now, even with clothes for all four seasons, there would be enough space to hang them, and the separately emptied one was perfect for putting bed sheets, duvet covers, and such things.
A single-layer long strip shelf placed in the middle at the feet of several wardrobes, for placing shoes without taking up space and convenient too.
Size-varying floor-standing shelves beside the desk; combination sofa and low cabinet in the living room; wooden vine table placed on the corridor under the eaves…
“Ahhh, it’s really so beautiful!”
Looking at the completely refreshed small courtyard after decoration, Luo Shuangshuang couldn’t help but sigh, “I didn’t expect these handmade woven small things could be used as various decorations, Ning Bao Gai, you’re too smart!”
At the time, she thought she bought so many because they were novel and she wanted to keep them as souvenirs.
Like the colorful ropes woven with silver bells that she turned into door and window curtains of varying lengths.
She somehow used vines to weave the large and small bamboo baskets into various shaped flowers and stuffed them full, spiraling them obliquely on the wooden stake.
Cattail mat and wooden vine table placed under the eaves, with two bamboo dragonflies stuck in a bottle on the table, paired with the grapevine overhead, full of wild fun and a kind of alternative Zen vibe.
“No way, I want to come stay over often! Leave that secondary bedroom for me, okay, Ning Bao Gai~”
“Don’t be cheesy, fine, it’s yours!”
“Hahahaha~”
“Great!”
Luo Shuangshuang grabbed her hand, her face full of joy, and the little person in her heart was even more excitedly spinning around.
Her parents liked Ning Bao Gai so much, they definitely wouldn’t refuse her coming to keep her company!
“Alright, you’ve been busy for half a day, aren’t you tired? Come on, the coal briquettes and firewood have been delivered, I’ll make you a rich dinner!”
“Ah, ha?”
“Yes, no escaping it, you must eat.”
“Fine… fine, for you, I’ll go all out!”
Su Ning glared at her grumpily and said meaningfully, “I hope you can still remember those words after eating.”
Don’t turn around later and beg her to cook.
She turned proudly to the kitchen; now she was truly different from before.
Having practiced countless times in the space, even the kitchen in Peach Blossom Spring Courtyard couldn’t hold them all, forcing her to store them in the underground storage room instead, which said it all.
“It’s not really true, is it?”
Touching her chin, Luo Shuangshuang saw her confident retreating figure and followed dubiously into the kitchen.
Good-looking, smart, and an excellent cook…
Heavens, if that’s true, is she leaving any way for girls their age to live!
……
In less than an hour, four dishes and a soup were completely finished.
Although Su Ning had controlled it by making only small portions of each dish, it couldn’t withstand the huge appetite after labor.
Eating until her mouth was full of oil and her belly round, Luo Shuangshuang held the enamel cup sitting on the cattail mat, her dangling feet swinging one by one, her face looking just like a satisfied kitten with eyes slightly squinted.
“Ning Bao Gai, how about I just move in tonight?”
“What’s this, not scared now?”
“Hehehe, it’s not that I’m shallow, I just didn’t know there’s a kind of genius who masters it instantly and becomes unbeatable right away!”
Taking a sip of green tea, Su Ning smiled and shook the reed fan in her hand, “No more flattery, if you want to freeload meals, you still have to wait a few days.”
“Oh, right~ You have to report to the textile factory tomorrow and start work!”
Placing the enamel cup on the vine table, Luo Shuangshuang turned to her and probed, asking.
Not just her parents, she herself really really wanted to go to work with Su Ning every day.
“Ning Bao Gai, really not coming with me to the department store? I heard the Purchasing Department job is really tiring, running around in wind, sun, rain…”
“Xi You, wait.”
At this, Su Ning suddenly remembered there was still a work quota she had left in the space room, and surprisingly it was also for a salesperson at the department store.
She turned to go to the room as cover, quickly retrieved the envelope containing the work quota from the space, and walked back under the eaves.
“Hm?”
Putting down the cup and opening the envelope she handed over, once Luo Shuangshuang saw what was inside, she became even more puzzled, “You really like purchasing that much?”
“It’s not really liking purchasing, I just want to take advantage of the job to walk around and see places.”
With her being so straightforward, Luo Shuangshuang understood; now going anywhere required proof, and it had a time limit.
If that’s the case, doing purchasing work wasn’t bad either!
If going on business trips to Beijing City or Shanghai City…
“Don’t even think about it, didn’t Uncle Luo say your job is already settled, you just need to handle the entry procedures in a few days?”
Afraid she’d get excited and really go home to insist on doing purchasing with her, Su Ning quickly soothed, “How about this, every place I go, I’ll bring you a local specialty as a gift, okay?”
“Hahaha, even better to get specialties as gifts without going myself!”
“Mmm, Ning Bao Gai, you’re the best~”
As she spoke, wanting to hug and rub against her again, Luo Shuangshuang’s just-raised hands were mercilessly blocked by her.
“You’re the great beauty, I’m the little beauty, neither of us loses out, what’s wrong with a hug and rub?”
“Stay away from me.”
“I won’t!”
After a burst of laughter and play, Luo Shuangshuang put the work quota back into the envelope and gave it to her, telling her to keep the things safe.
Jobs in the city are hard to find, especially good positions, and it’s a rare formal job; if it got accidentally damaged, that would be disastrous.
“Ning Bao Gai, I heard there are always one or two really hard-to-get-along-with people at work, if there’s really someone who dares to bully you, you must tell me!”
“I’ll back you up!”
“You, better not worry about me, worry about yourself.”
“True, our Ning Bao Gai is so great, it’s hard for anyone not to like her~”
In three or two sentences, she always managed to tease her once; Su Ning lightly tapped her as a warning.
Seeing her cutely raise her finger to her mouth and swipe, then gently lower it and wink mischievously at her.
“Pfft~ You!”
Smiling and shaking her head, “Come on, I’ll take you back before it gets dark!”
