Eternal Novel Hits
patreon
The reborn of paranoid boss cannon fodder wife(296-300)
🕑 Added 2024-03-02 05:13:15 +0000 UTCChapter 296 Initiative
"You should just marry her~" Luo Shiliu spoke with a congratulatory tone, as if you've struck gold.
Chen Dafu didn't want this windfall.
However, Granny also came over and said, "Young man, saving lives is important."
Bai Lu also said, "Let's save the person first."
Chen Dafu could only perform artificial respiration for Wang Cuihua.
When Wang Cuihua woke up, she slapped him.
Then, amidst the chaotic crowd in the wind, she weakly propped herself up and cried as she ran away.
Staggering and feeble steps, kicking stones and stumbling, she limped after getting up.
This slap was extraordinary, too outrageous, to the point that those who had just advised Chen Dafu to save the person fell silent.
Visible to the naked eye, five finger marks appeared on Chen Dafu's face, a mixture of green and red, envied by onlookers.
"You should think positively. At least she didn't ask you to take responsibility." Luo Shiliu was good at comforting people.
Chen Dafu was comforted into silence.
Others: "..."
It seems to make some sense.
The night was beautiful, and soon the little episode was overshadowed by the joy of barbecue and beer.
In the end, the rapeseed flowers were also grilled.
One person, one stalk, grilling them together with the stems, sprinkling them all with cumin and chili powder. The taste... was quite wonderful.
Bai Lu couldn't express it because she only ate rapeseed flowers. Xiao Cheng wouldn't let her drink, so she could only watch everyone eating rapeseed flowers and drinking beer.
Her expression was very colorful.
Zhang San and Li Si were also under a ban from drinking.
There were no hotels in the town, nor were there enough empty houses for so many people to stay. Zhang San and Li Si would have to drive to send Xiao's family back to the countryside later, so they couldn't drink and drive.
They could only eat barbecue dryly and watch everyone else drink, fantasizing that the rapeseed flowers in their mouths were beer.
Fortunately, Bai Lu specifically left a few bottles for them to take home after they finished sending Xiao's family back.
The weather was good today, and the mountain road, without rain, was much easier and safer to walk on. Nevertheless, even after Bai Lu sent everyone into the car, she repeatedly reminded them.
Grandpa waved to Bai Lu, "Go back, don't send us off anymore. Come back and visit often with Xiao Cheng. There aren't many delicacies in the countryside, but simple meals can still fill you up."
Grandma also smiled at Bai Lu and said, "There are many fruits ripe on the mountain, and the scenery you like is there. There are snails crawling in the creek and lychees hanging on the branches, all waiting for you to come back and pick them, waiting for you to come back to harvest them.
"There's plenty of everything in the countryside, and even more welcome to your family. You and Xiao Cheng should come home often. If there's anything bothering you, tell Granny, Granny will take care of it for you."Grandma is getting old, and there isn't much she's particularly attached to anymore. After meeting a few times, I sincerely feel that LuLu is obedient, kind-hearted, sensible, and cute everywhere. Granny likes LuLu. I can't bear to see LuLu being bullied by anyone.
"Xiao Cheng can't be bullied either. If Xiao Cheng ever upsets you one day, remember to come back to Granny. Granny will take care of it for you. Granny will take him in front of our ancestors and give him a good talking to..."
Listening to Granny's kind and gentle instructions, Bai Lu's eyes shimmered with tears, smiling and saying, "Okay."
Xiao Cheng lightly grasped Bai Lu's shoulder and silently led her to his side, half embracing her, his tall and sturdy figure enveloping her, watching Xiao's family leave together.
People were already cleaning up the garbage by the riverside, cooperating and working together, and soon the beautiful Gui River returned to its original state.
On the way home, the neighbors were all exclaiming how good the barbecue event was and hoped for more in the future.
Luo Shiliu and Xiao Dazhuang, who had drunk a few more cups, hooked arms and counted stars on the ground.
With unsteady steps, they sent each other home back and forth.
Every time they passed by Bai Lu, Xiao Cheng, and Xiao Wei, they would say, "See you tomorrow."
Repeated over and over again.
Bai Lu found it amusing. She glanced at Xiao Cheng, whose complexion was still relatively normal, seemingly not yet drunk, and asked lightly, "Will they be able to get home tonight?"
Xiao Cheng, obviously already accustomed to such scenes, casually replied with a single word, "Yes."
"But they've taken the wrong road," Xiao Wei pointed out the mistake earnestly, and Bai Lu agreed.
"Luo Shiliu's house and Xiao Dazhuang's house are different from ours. They won't get home by taking this road, will they?"
Not only would they not get home, they were completely going in the opposite direction, crisscrossing the streets. In front of Bai Lu and Xiao Cheng, who were walking in a straight line, they kept going back and forth, unable to reach home even by dawn.
It was fortunate that there were no smelly drains along the way; otherwise, these two brothers would have stumbled into them.
However, Xiao Cheng wasn't worried at all. "Once they've escorted us home, they'll realize they've taken the wrong road."
"Uh..." So you knew all along.
Bai Lu was shocked, especially by the tacit understanding between Luo Shiliu and Xiao Dazhuang as they escorted Xiao Cheng.
Even when they were drunk, they couldn't control themselves.
Sure enough, as soon as they arrived at the door, the two brothers exclaimed in unison, "We've taken the wrong road!"
"Goodbye, big brother and sister-in-law!"
The two figures decisively turned back home.
Xiao's family had brought many local specialties, all piled up in the yard. After sorting and organizing them, it was already late into the night.
After washing up and changing clothes, Xiao Wei went back to sleep.
Bai Lu and Xiao Cheng did the same, but their mood when returning to the room was different from before, and their steps naturally slowed down.
Outside the window, cicadas were chirping, fireflies were flying, Bai Lu blushed and tiptoed, under Xiao Cheng's surprised and puzzled gaze, she quickly kissed his cheek.
After kissing, she ran back into the room and closed the door.
Xiao Cheng: "..."
The sound of the door closing disappeared for a long time, a long time, don't know how long, perhaps as long as a century.
Xiao Cheng finally reacted.
Bai Lu kissed him.
... On the cheek.
An unprecedented feeling, like a firework exploding in the night, on his face, not a raging blaze, but a gentle warmth, spreading across his entire face, like an electric current colliding with his brain, leaving him blank.
The wind stopped, and the whole world became quiet.
There was only one sound, the sound of heartbeat, changing from calm and steady to an indescribable frequency.
For the first time, Xiao Cheng realized that besides expressing emotions, the face had another function... conveying warmth.
His slender fingertips brushed over his face, and the residual warmth lingered around his fingers, soft and gentle. He smirked.
The usually stern face finally lost its usual demeanor under the dim light, and a smile of pleasure bloomed like an ice flower.
Recording this night as a new starting point.
Behind the door were two identical heartbeats.
Bai Lu had been so bold and reckless. The most daring and blush-inducing thing she had ever done was to kiss Xiao Cheng first.
From entering the door until now, she was still trying to calm down her wildly beating heart, leaning against the wall in the scorching summer, feeling a few strands of heat mixed in the cold.
Not only did it not help to calm her heartbeat, it made it beat faster.
She and Xiao Cheng, should be officially dating now, right?
Although Bai Lu had never dated in her future life, she had seen such scenes on TV, seen lovers kiss each other affectionately on the street corner outside of school, and the girls didn't seem to have such a big reaction as her. Was she overreacting a bit?
It didn't seem like it.
A psychology professor once said that when you like someone and take the initiative to get close to them for the first time, the nervousness is a thousand times greater than doing anything else, unprecedented nervousness.
Chapter 297: Very Like
Bai Lu couldn't understand this kind of tension.
In her opinion, as a psychology major, one should be able to control one's emotions and heartbeat anytime, anywhere.
If you can't control it, then try harder to control it.
Never let yourself fall into a state where you can't control yourself, even if you have to hypnotize yourself to stay alert.
Don't be nervous.
It's just the first time taking the initiative, and she hasn't adapted to it yet. If there's a first time, there will be a second time... Stop!
There's no one who counter-hypnotizes themselves. In the future, it should be Xiao Cheng who takes the initiative... Wait, that doesn't seem right!
Forget it, this unprecedented situation is unsolvable. She might as well hypnotize herself to sleep first.
Wait until next time to get nervous again.
Bai Lu lay on the bed, listening to the buzzing fan beside the bed, her gaze passing through the old-fashioned cotton mosquito net top, looking at the mottled ceiling, and slowly closing her eyes.
The future will be better and better.
Good until the middle of the night, she was suddenly awakened by a hand touching her forehead. Bai Lu abruptly opened her eyes.
With hazy eyes, she followed the hand that quickly retreated and saw the figure beside the bed, still full of tension and worry, stubbornly turning away from her, a cold and arrogant figure.
"What are you doing?"
Bai Lu suspected that the drunk child had come.
"I came to see if you're feeling better." Xiao Cheng answered truthfully, but his cold and arrogant back refused to turn around.
It's probably the child who's angry.
Bai Lu was a little sleepy and didn't want to get up. She rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up like a snail.
In the room without lights, the light was dim, with only the faint starlight coming through the transparent tiles on the roof, sprinkling on his side face, softening the slightly cold arc, but his broad arms were still stubborn, showing no intention of turning around.
Bai Lu poked his arm and was about to ask him what was wrong when she suddenly smelled a faint smell of Chinese medicine.
This smell was too familiar. A few nights ago, every time she felt someone feeding her medicine in the middle of the night, when she opened her eyes drowsily, she always saw Xiao Cheng.
Once, when she felt uncomfortable in her stomach and couldn't drink it after taking two sips, she accidentally knocked over the bowl of medicine when she pushed it away.
All the medicinal soup spilled on Xiao Cheng's clothes.
Since Xiao Cheng was sitting by the bedside at the time, leaning against the head of the bed and half-hugging her in his arms to feed her medicine, when the medicinal soup spilled on his clothes, the strong smell of Chinese medicine rushed into his breath, directly making her dizzy.
So, she remembered it vividly.
"Did you go to brew medicine?" Bai Lu tugged at Xiao Cheng's sleeve, speaking softly and gently.
But he still didn't turn around: "I didn't brew any."
"I smell medicine." Bai Lu leaned closer to his clothes and deliberately sniffed.
Then she wrinkled her brow and stepped back: "It's the smell of Chinese medicine. I drank it when I had a fever a few nights ago."
He stubbornly explained: "I just put it in the medicine jar, I haven't brewed it yet."
"Oh..."
Bai Lu understood: "You put the medicine in the jar, and suddenly remembered to check if I'm sick. If I'm sick, you'll continue brewing the medicine, if I'm not sick, then there's no need to brew it."
"Then why are you angry now? Do you like seeing me sick?"
"I'm not angry." Xiao Cheng immediately turned around to explain: "I don't like seeing Lulu sick."
Looking at the nervousness in his eyes, Bai Lu nodded gently: "Okay, I believe you."
"I'm so sleepy... I'm going to sleep."
As soon as she finished speaking, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.
"Lulu!" He was indeed anxious.
Bai Lu lazily responded with a "Hmm", without opening her eyes.
Sure enough, the next second, she heard the child speaking again: "Lulu, are you hot?"
A rhythmless light breeze blew in, accompanied by the sound of gentle fans blowing, not far away.
Bai Lu opened her eyes and saw Xiao Cheng holding a palm fan that appeared out of nowhere, fanning her from a distance, not aiming at her head or feet, but in the middle, with not too much force.
He was earnestly competing with an electric fan.
Bai Lu couldn't help but suppress a smile: "Do you prefer manual?"
Xiao Cheng paused, whether he forgot he was angry or he thought the question was serious, he answered her very seriously: "The electric fan blows at the same spot all the time, which is easy to catch a cold. Lulu might get sick."
During those days when she had a high fever, he was probably scared, after all, he remembered everything that had happened.
Bai Lu looked at his tall figure blocking the fan and smiled: "So you came to fan me?"
Xiao Cheng replied: "Yes."
But there was a rare hesitation in his expression.
Big shots wouldn't have this kind of expression. One is because they have their own powerful reasoning ability, and the other is tacit understanding without asking.
And children, always speak their minds directly, ask whatever they want to ask, and never hide anything.
Tonight was very unusual.
Bai Lu could perceive the emotional fluctuations of his anger, not directed at her, but mixed with irritation and restlessness. The handle of the fan was already squeezed flat, but he hadn't noticed.
She didn't know what he was thinking.
Bai Lu softly asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Xiao Cheng hesitated for a moment, as if struggling, and after a moment, he looked at her and said, "I want to sleep with Lulu."
Bai Lu suspected he wasn't speaking his mind.
After he got drunk, when didn't he sleep with her? When did he ask her, when did he hesitate?
Never, and especially naturally, as if he had already been accustomed to falling asleep with her many times.
His deep eyes, at this moment, were the same as now, without any adult desire.
Except for accidentally drinking too much tonic that night.
The only difference now might be the hint of possessiveness in his eyes.
Asking her opinion in an unusual manner, waiting for an answer, the handle of the fan had split a gap in his fingers, as if only accepting one answer, and if wrong, it would shatter.
Bai Lu knew he wouldn't say even if she asked, so she could only temporarily suppress her worries and doubts, and move to the side of the bed.
Giving him the outside position: "Let's sleep."
Xiao Cheng's hand holding the palm fan suddenly loosened, dropping it on the bed. The gap in the handle didn't break. Before he lay down, he picked it up again, his long arm stretched across Bai Lu's waist, hugging her tightly, and continued to fan.
Although Bai Lu was already used to the sleeping posture of children, at this moment, she felt a little breathless from being
squeezed.
She could only remind him, "You haven't turned off the fan yet."
The fan was placed on the chair opposite the bed. Xiao Cheng let go of Bai Lu, turned around to turn it off, and came back to hug Bai Lu tightly again, fanning her while affirming in a certain tone, "Lulu agreed to it."
He repeated, "Lulu agreed to it."
Repeated again, "Lulu agreed to it."
Bai Lu guessed that what he said should be about sleeping, and she responded with three "yes" in a row, then lightly patted the arm trapped around her waist, "Ah Cheng, loosen up a bit."
Xiao Cheng immediately let go, hearing Bai Lu taking a deep breath, realizing that he had hurt her.
"Lulu..." "It's okay."
Bai Lu interrupted his overly nervous tone and hurried words: "You continue to fan, it's so hot."
"The barbecue tonight was delicious, the fireworks were beautiful, the Xiao family is very nice, I really like it."
Xiao Cheng hugged Bai Lu again, not as tight as before, controlling it within a suitable range, and suddenly spoke, "I will build a big house for Lulu tomorrow."
Chapter 298: Tycoon
This guy's thoughts jump too fast.
Bai Lu paused for a moment before catching up, "Are you going to demolish our old house and rebuild it?"
Xiao Cheng said, "Yes, I want to build a big, beautiful house that never leaks for Lulu."
"I want Lulu to have a place to call home."
As soon as these words fell, a similar voice echoed in the depths of Bai Lu's mind, as if someone had said the same thing.
Upon careful consideration, it disappeared in an instant, leaving no trace of the source of the memory, as if it were just an illusion.
But it felt very real. Bai Lu felt it wasn't an illusion; someone should have said this to her.
In the 21st century, she had a home, a phrase not uttered by family members.
She remembered all the memories after coming here, except for the night of the Dragon Boat Festival when she drank and couldn't remember anything the next day after getting a fever.
After that, it was the past few days. After returning from the capital, she had a high fever repeatedly, her mind was hazy, and her spirits were somewhat confused, with fragmented and incomplete memories.
The only thing she could confirm was that during these two difficult times, Xiao Cheng was by her side.
This sentence should have been said by Xiao Cheng, but she wasn't sure if it was the past few days or the night of the Dragon Boat Festival.
She didn't know what else Xiao Cheng had said besides this sentence, and whether she had said anything.
Later, she was busy with the college entrance examination, went to the capital to visit relatives after the exam, fell ill upon returning, and just recovered yesterday.
She hadn't had a chance to hypnotize herself yet, to see what had happened that night and what had been said.
She needed to find time to do so.
Setting aside this matter for the time being, Bai Lu continued, "You want to build a big house at home. Are you planning to develop your career in Pingcheng and not venture outside?"
Xiao Cheng, for some reason, suddenly hugged Bai Lu tightly, speaking earnestly and firmly, "No, I'm not going."
"For the rest of your life?" Bai Lu, for some reason, suddenly thought of that matter.
There was a hint of expectation in her tone that she couldn't avoid.
Xiao Cheng's voice, firm and unchanged, fell into her ears word by word, "Wherever Lulu is, I'll be there."
Bai Lu was initially embraced from behind by Xiao Cheng. Upon hearing this, she instinctively turned around and met his sincere eyes, plunging into the deep sea of emotions he expressed only to her.
Her heart seemed to be bumped by something, and expectations fell down as if granted, accompanied by entanglements.
Bai Lu's lips curled slightly as she asked with a smile, "You bought so many fireworks tonight and hosted a barbecue. Building a beautiful large house requires a lot of money. Do you have enough money?"
"Of course."
Xiao Cheng spoke with the tone of a child who knows he's wealthy: "The money from selling the cedar wood, I only used half for purchasing electrical appliances. I didn't use the other half."
"The money from the sugar-coated chestnut teaching class is also there, as well as the money from selling the electric chestnut roasting machine. Adding them all up, it's enough to build the big house that Lulu likes."
Throughout the conversation, Bai Lu didn't hear a single number. The child expressed wealth only with the word "enough", as if having it meant being very wealthy, but he never mentioned exactly how much money he had.
She had to calculate it herself.
Xiao Cheng earned over 390,000 yuan from selling cedar wood. After using half for purchasing appliances, deducting all the costs required for opening a shop, there should be over 100,000 yuan left.
The sugar-coated chestnut teaching class had been running for over a month now. With Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dazhuang, and Wang Haosan teaching, there were over 180 students in total.
With each student paying 3,000 yuan, over 500,000 yuan was earned.
However, Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dazhuang, and Wang Haosan, who personally taught the classes, couldn't be short-changed. After deducting the over 200,000 yuan in commissions they received, Bai Lu and Xiao Cheng had a net profit of 300,000 yuan.
Originally, they agreed to split the profits equally, but Xiao Cheng later changed the rules, giving Bai Lu 80% and keeping 20% for himself.
Xiao Cheng only received 60,000 yuan.
The tuition fees for the sugar-coated chestnut teaching class were settled batch by batch on the spot. It wasn't paid monthly or after the total bill was calculated.
Calculating it now, Bai Lu suddenly felt that Xiao Cheng seemed to be at a loss.
He had 60,000 yuan, and she had 240,000 yuan, which was much more.
Although Xiao Cheng provided appropriate and reasonable reasons, she accepted them. After all, after the Dragon Boat Festival, Xiao Cheng also made a lot of money selling the electric chestnut roasting machine.
Tycoons could make money. They seized opportunities...
No, that's not right! They targeted the market and struck accurately.
Each electric chestnut roasting machine cost several thousand yuan.
The prices were comparable to televisions.
The ten bosses who had just learned the exclusive recipe for sugar-coated chestnuts had just earned back their tuition fees, and they turned around and handed them over to Xiao Cheng to buy electric chestnut roasting machines.
Bai Lu sympathized with the bosses for half a second, then felt happy for them. This time, they could really make a lot of money.
Of course, Xiao Cheng would make the most money first.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, Xiao Cheng made quite a few electric chestnut roasting machines. Except for the few days when she was ill, he took care of her day and night and didn't make a single electric chestnut roasting machine. He also didn't make any a few days before and after the college entrance examination.
Adding up the rest of the time, Xiao Cheng made over 80 electric chestnut roasting machines in total.
The engines, shafts, stirring blades, and other raw materials were obtained from Xiao Cheng's electrical appliance store. Calculated at the factory price, minus all the costs, the net profit was at least 200,000 yuan.
Adding the 60,000 yuan from the electric chestnut roasting machines, the leftover 100,000 yuan from selling cedar wood, and the turnover of the electrical appliance store...
Xiao Cheng's current net worth was at least over 500,000 yuan.
In terms of economic prices in the 1990s, over 500,000 yuan would be over 5 million yuan in the future.
A large villa would be more than enough.
Bai Lu was suddenly stunned.
She had been busy preparing for the college entrance examination and then fell ill. Xiao Cheng had already become a millionaire.
She really, truly didn't know what to say anymore, she could only say, Xiao Cheng is really amazing.
The tycoons of the future business world were indeed extraordinary. They either didn't make a move, or when they did, it was astonishing.
Working for a big boss like him was truly undervaluing oneself.
While Xiao Cheng was fanning Bai Lu, he suddenly noticed her looking at him, her eyes shining like stars.
Shining in the ink-black night.
Xiao Cheng's hand holding the fan handle paused, and he asked bluntly, "Does Lulu want to kiss me?"
Bai Lu: "..."
What a brain-twisting thought process!
She was clearly admiring the tycoon's demeanor!
Kids are just kids. They don't understand anything. With a face as handsome and extraordinary as a big boss, they always do things that ruin the image of the big boss, always asking brainless questions.
Moreover, "We were just talking about building a house."
But Xiao Cheng said, "We're done talking about building a house. Now we need to talk about unfair things."
Looking at his extremely serious and stubborn face, Bai Lu was very puzzled and confused, "What unfair thing?"
He immediately put down the fan and stretched out his slender fingers with distinct knuckles, pointing to his right cheek.
"You kissed here tonight."
Bai Lu admitted kissing the big boss, "Mm."
The child's long fingers turned, pointing to his cool and handsome left cheek, "You didn't kiss here."
His tone, eyes, and expression accused her of being unfair.
Bai Lu: "..."
Isn't kissing the cheek supposed to be done on one side?
Chapter 299: Three in the Morning
There's no one who kisses both cheeks at the same time.
Bai Lu had never seen it on TV or in real life, except for foreign etiquette.
But that's just a formality, unrelated to romantic feelings between a man and a woman.
She didn't know why the child had been staring at her all this time.
It was as if he wouldn't let her sleep unless she kissed him.
"Quick, make it fair!"
This kid was really acting up, pointing straight at his own face, demanding Bai Lu to make it fair.
Bai Lu's mouth twitched slightly. "Let's do it another time."
He refused. "It has to be now!"
Bai Lu regretted why she had stared at him earlier. She wanted to admire the majestic demeanor of a big shot, not deal with the unreasonable demands of a child.
When the child didn't speak, it was fine. But once he did, he ruined the image of a big shot, demanding everything like he didn't care about his life.
"Hurry up!"
To urge her on, he even stopped fanning, enduring the heat just to make things fair.
Bai Lu could only reluctantly reach out and hold the child's face, quickly kissing his left cheek.
However, just as she was about to kiss him, the face she was holding suddenly turned.
Without any surprise, their lips met, soft and warm, enveloped in each other's breath.
Bai Lu suspected he had done it on purpose and pinched his arm after pulling back. "Did you do that on purpose?"
The child promptly admitted, "Yes."
Bai Lu: "…"
The child had turned naughty.
"Where did you learn that?"
"From TV."
Xiao Cheng picked up the fan again, wrapping his arm around Bai Lu's waist, contentedly fanning her.
White Dew felt both amused and annoyed. "Not everything on TV is correct."
"What's not correct?" he asked earnestly.
His tone was light, as if he didn't take TV seriously, but he also did take TV seriously.
Learning bad things was a common problem for children.
Bai Lu didn't want to answer anymore. Even if she did, the child wouldn't understand. Even if he did understand, he wouldn't follow it. Even if he did follow it, it wouldn't be genuine. Forget it, just let him have his way this time.
It's just once.
After all, he was Xiao Cheng. The drunken child throwing a tantrum was also a side of Xiao Cheng, though it was a bit like a split personality. But at least, this side of him was very good to her.
Ignoring his occasional antics.
"Lulu kissed me, but I didn't kiss Lulu. It's not fair. Lulu needs fairness."
Bai Lu was stunned by the child's nonsensical remarks.
"Thank you, but I don't need fairness."
There was a kind of need called a child thinking you need it. "Lulu needs fairness."
"I don't need it. I want to sleep."
Bai Lu closed her eyes, pretending to be so sleepy that she could fall asleep at any moment, even though there was a dragon lying next to her, making her scalp tingle as she avoided opening her eyes.
Sleep, sleep.
Counting sheep, one sheep, two sheep, three sheep...
"Lulu."
Her right cheek was kissed.
Bai Lu subconsciously opened her eyes, but before she could fully open them, the sound of a clock interrupted her.
"Dang—dang—dang—"
Three in the morning.
Bai Lu promptly closed her eyes again. It was three in the morning. If she didn't sleep now, she wouldn't be able to do anything tomorrow, just dozing off all day without accomplishing anything.
Moreover, staying up late would ruin her skin. She didn't want to wake up in the morning with panda eyes, seen by Xiao Cheng.
To prevent the child from causing trouble again, Bai Lu could only coax him to sleep with her eyes closed. "Didn't you say you're going to build a big house tomorrow? Go to sleep now. If you sleep late and can't get up to build the big house for me tomorrow, I'll be angry..."
Whether he was really going to build the house tomorrow or just talking, she needed to clear her mind first.
The child was indeed brainwashed after hearing her words, quickly kissing Bai Lu's left cheek and then closing his eyes to sleep.
His automatic hand continued to fan Bai Lu, the fan swaying gently, again and again.
Bai Lu: "…"
Forget it, don't argue with children.
Just consider it as the big shot taking the initiative to kiss her on both cheeks.
The summer breeze gently blew through the rose bushes by the small river, carrying a scent of fragrance to the window sill, adding a perfect touch of color to the warm night.
The next morning.
As dawn approached, Bai Lu woke up. There was no one beside her anymore. The electric fan by the bed was set to the lowest setting, and she was covered with a thin blanket, neither too cold nor too hot.
She wouldn't catch a cold.
Bai Lu got up, neatly folded the blanket, turned off the fan, and went to the mirror on the table to comb her hair.
Before the comb even smoothed down, her hand instinctively touched her forehead. It felt cooler than usual in the morning.
Xiao Wei was watering the ginger and scallions in the yard. Seeing Bai Lu come out stretching, he waved his hand and greeted her, "Good morning, Sister-in-law. Brother bought wontons in the kitchen. He had to go to the electrical appliance store in the city."
Bai Lu replied lightly, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet. I'm waiting for Sister-in-law to eat together. I just got up not long ago. I saw Brother buying wontons when I went out, and he left after telling me about it."
Xiao Wei continued watering the ginger and scallions with a small bamboo spoon. After watering them, he would water the chili tree. Bai Lu had planted the chili herself.
Two months ago, Bai Lu often made fish in sour soup and spicy fish, using up all the ginger and scallions in the jar.
After the jar was empty for a few days, Bai Lu bought three chili seedlings from the street and planted them all in the jar, saying that the chili she grew herself tasted better and was spicier.
The chili tree had already borne fruit, with the chili pointing upwards, not yet ripe, but Xiao Wei could already smell the spiciness.
It was not just spicy, it was probably deadly spicy. Xiao Wei remembered the scene when Bai Lu first made spicy chicken.
His lips were already swollen and numb, and he hoped his brother wouldn't anger his sister-in-law again, or else this chili...
"Xiao Wei, come and have breakfast." Bai Lu had finished washing up and was setting the chopsticks on the table.
After breakfast, Xiao Wei did his summer vacation homework, while Bai Lu used a small abacus to calculate the income from this period.
She was about to enter university.
All the expenses had already been saved up, so she didn't need to worry anymore.
The top scholar gift that Yang Qingsong brought that day also included scholarships awarded by the school, Pingcheng, and Xinzheng respectively.
Bai Lu's current wealth was quite substantial, much better
than when she first arrived and was in debt.
She couldn't help but laugh as she calculated.
But the next second, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dazhuang, and Wang Hao, three people with the same troubled expression, appeared at the same time, which was rare.
"Sister-in-law, the teaching class is about to be suspended."
Xiao Dazhuang was the most straightforward, not hiding anything. "The teaching venue was set yesterday, and the students had already signed up in advance. We could have started teaching this morning when we went there, but no one showed up. I waited for a long time.
"More than two hours later, some of the students' relatives who had signed up in advance sneaked over and told me that they were not going to study anymore. I asked why, but they wouldn't say. I followed them to their homes nearby, and only then did they say that they didn't want to study not because they didn't want to, but because they were afraid to. They couldn't study anymore."
Luo Shiliu and Wang Hao were in the same situation.
"There must be someone pressuring them from behind."
Chapter 300: A Great Opportunity
In Pingcheng and the surrounding counties, the market control was either in the hands of Li Chengbin's people or those of the big bosses.
The big bosses weren't interested in these small businesses.
Usually, they would wait until the business had grown to a certain size, with considerable profits and prospects, before taking it over in one fell swoop.
Li Chengbin had personal grievances with Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu. He had been suppressing the candied chestnuts from the root, blocking them from entering the market, not once or twice.
This time was probably his doing too.
When Bai Lu thought of Li Chengbin, Luo Shiliu, Xiao Dazhuang, and Wang Hao also came to mind.
Teaching classes were different from their usual dealings. The students weren't debtors, so they couldn't use the debt collection methods.
The students had to want to learn and willingly pay tuition fees for them to continue teaching.
Nowadays, the students were either being coerced or tempted by Li Chengbin, or were in cahoots with him.
Their only option was to confront the situation head-on.
But obviously, that wasn't a good strategy. It was better not to say anything and wait for Bai Lu to come up with a better plan.
Bai Lu always came up with foolproof plans.
Indeed, Bai Lu had already thought of a solution and intended to cooperate with Xiao Cheng's forces.
They had completed two-thirds of the teaching journey. The final third had to be conquered as quickly as possible.
When Xiao Cheng received Bai Lu's call at the store, he was dealing with a troublesome incident involving the inspection of goods. Without hesitation, he paused what he was doing and instructed Zhang San to contact someone.
The person Zhang San contacted was Ah Dai.
Ah Dai was the one who, on the day of the college entrance examination, saw Bai Lu being abducted near the Ping'an Inn, promptly ran to inform Xiao Cheng, and later followed Xiao Cheng to the southern market with dozens of his brothers to demand Bai Lu's release. They then escorted Bai Lu to the examination site.
After several days, Ah Dai finally brought his brothers back to the entrance of the electrical appliance store, following Xiao Cheng.
However, instead of meeting Xiao Cheng, they were met with a puzzled expression from Zhang San.
"What are you guys doing with steel pipes?"
"Weren't we here for a fight?" Ah Dai was even more confused.
Ah Dai had a square face with regular features, neither ugly nor handsome, nor particularly dumb-looking. But the number of question marks on his face far exceeded those on Zhang San's.
Each person behind him held a steel pipe, with a fierce and imposing presence, but they all wore the same puzzled expression.
Brother Xiao had never called them together in a year and a half. Whenever he did, it was for something big. It was normal for them to bring steel pipes. In the past, they even brought machetes and shotguns.
Now that they knew Brother Xiao had taken the righteous path, they had given up the machetes and only brought steel pipes.
Steel pipes weren't as bloody and were more suitable for the righteous path.
But Zhang San, with a look of regret and dissatisfaction, scolded them, "What fight are you talking about? Damn it, when did I ever tell you to fight? Hurry up and put away the steel pipes. You scared off all the customers!"
"Wait until Brother Xiao comes out and punches you all away!"
Ah Dai and the others realized that there had indeed been customers around the store entrance just now, but now there were none.
The brothers immediately put away the steel pipes, but unfortunately, it was too late. Xiao Cheng had already walked out of the store.
At first, his expression was as cold as usual, but when he saw the steel pipes in their hands, his brows furrowed, and his face turned cold and stern.
Those eyes that could kill swept over them from head to toe, full of disdain and sharpness, as if they were looking at a group of homeless vagrants who hadn't bathed in three days.
No, they didn't go three days without bathing; they bathed every day. It was just that their hair hadn't been trimmed for a long time, so it grew a bit long, and their clothes were a bit unconventional.
Ah Dai and the others dared not make a sound under Xiao Cheng's sharp gaze.
Xiao Cheng not only showed disdain with his eyes but also in his tone. "Go clean up and come back."
Ah Dai didn't know how clean they needed to be, so he weakly asked, "How should we clean up?"
As soon as the words fell, they were met with a barrage of criticism from all directions.
Zhang San gritted his teeth, "Get a haircut, change your clothes, clean yourselves up, damn it!"
Ah Dai and the others immediately understood.
Thirty-five brothers all took Xiao Cheng as their role model, with handsome and neat haircuts, cool and cold faces, handsome and three-dimensional features, tall and sturdy figures, and clean and tidy black clothes, none of which they had.
They only had average faces, average figures, and the only thing in common with Xiao Cheng was that they were all men.
They should all have neat and tidy short haircuts.
The group of figures immediately turned around.
But Xiao Cheng stopped them and, seeming dissatisfied with Zhang San's incomplete explanation, added a sentence.
"Sister-in-law wants to help you make money."
What! What what what a great opportunity!
Ah Dai and all his brothers turned back excitedly. " Sister-in-law wants to help us make money together?"
Xiao Cheng refused to say it a second time, his face cold.
Oh, the brothers remembered clearly now. The big boss was like this; it was good enough if he said it once.
So, every time they talked with the big boss, they listened attentively, afraid of missing out and regretting it for the rest of their lives.
Executing tasks was also done immediately, afraid of missing the opportunity, as timing waits for no one.
And the big boss definitely wouldn't wait for anyone.
But thinking about making money with sister-in-law, Ah Dai and the others couldn't contain their excitement as they hurriedly went to tidy themselves up.
It wasn't about making money with an ordinary sister-in-law, but with the big sister-in-law who scored full marks in the national college entrance examination! The square in the city was still adorned with celebration banners, and the main road also had banners. Those were all the glorious achievements of their sister-in-law— the national female top scorer with full marks!
Since the appearance of the banners, Ah Dai and the others had been walking with their heads held high in front of students from other gangs.
They introduced Bai Lu as their sister-in-law and the national top scorer as their sister-in-law. They had avenged all the contempt they had previously received from other gangs, feeling extremely satisfied!
Sister-in-law was a beacon of righteousness. Being able to make money with her was an honor in their lives, and they had to take it seriously.
Ah Dai and the others quickly tidied themselves up and returned with a clean and refreshing new look.
Since sister-in-law wanted to help them make money, it seemed inappropriate to go empty-handed. They should bring some gifts to congratulate her.
Ah Dai, on behalf of his brothers, mustered up the courage to ask Xiao Cheng, "Brother Cheng, sister-in-law was the national top scorer in high school. We want to send her some gifts to congratulate her. Do you know what the big sister-in-law likes?"
They didn't have much money, but the thought counted. If each of them contributed a little, they should be able to afford to buy some small gifts that sister-in-law liked, right?
Xiao Cheng's house was already filled with gifts from the Xiao family, so Ah Dai and the others wanting to give gifts was not something he had considered.
Whether they could afford it was not the point. The point was that Ah Dai and the others were men.
Xiao Cheng remembered that Bai Lu believed in meritocracy. She definitely wouldn't want gifts from these stinky kids.
But Zhang San thought that Xiao Cheng's silence meant approval once again and dutifully tried to explain for him.
"Sister-in-law likes shrimp. You guys can buy shrimp to give to her..."
Before he could finish, Zhang San felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, with overwhelming pressure locking his throat, rendering him speechless.
Li Si thought he had choked on saliva and kindly continued, "You guys can buy shrimp to give to the big sister-in-law. Brother Cheng sent Awen to buy shrimp in the southern market today, and he should be back soon. When Awen comes back, you can buy the shrimp from him to give to the big sister-in-law."
"Whether it's brother Cheng buying it or you guys, it's for the big sister-in-law. Brother Cheng shouldn't mind..."
