Chapter 760: Chapter 744: I Am Not a Slut 55
Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang are watching TV on the sofa.
Third is playing with Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua has been in a bad mood these past few days, and Third thinks Xiao Hua might be feeling lonely. She hasnât been staying at school recently and comes home every day to take care of Xiao Hua.
While teasing Xiao Hua with a ball of yarn, she talks to Mrs. Jiang, "Mom, how about we find a companion for Xiao Hua? Sheâs been in such a bad mood, could she be wanting to fall in love?"
Xiao Hua is biting the yarn ball, now just staring at Third, dumbfounded, those eyes full of disappointment and sorrow.
"Itâs not even spring yet."
Mrs. Jiang is busy following her drama series and doesnât bother much about Xiao Huaâs issues.
But Mr. Gu does take a glance, "Maybe sheâs bored staying indoors. If the weather is nice tomorrow, take Xiao Hua out to play for a while."
Jiang Anan chips in, "I remember the family opposite us also has a cat. I donât know if itâs male or female. Why donât you ask them and take Xiao Hua over to see if she likes it?"
Xiao Hua is so upset; she spits out the yarn ball and lies down on the ground motionless.
Seeing her like this, Third feels utterly heartbroken and starts to comfort her, "Why are you upset again? Do you want to go outside to play? Itâs too cold now, but if the weatherâs good tomorrow, sister will take you out, okay? There, donât be angry. Come on, show me a smile. No? Do you want some dried fish? Or perhaps you really want a pure romance? Should sister find you a girlfriend?"
Anning just finished a phone call and came out of the room when she hears Third talking to Xiao Hua about finding a girlfriend.
She glances at Xiao Hua and sees a look of utter despair.
Anning smiles and goes over to Mr. Gu and Mrs. Jiang, saying, "Xiao Yuan said he would come over for dinner the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow, eh?" Mr. Gu quickly turns down the TV volume. "What time is he coming over, in the evening?"
Anning nods, "Definitely in the evening, otherwise our whole family wonât be together."
Mrs. Jiang starts to get anxious, "Then we need to prepare. Eldest, Third, you two come home early tomorrow and help me clean up the house. And, Eldest, you come with me to buy groceries the day after tomorrow."
Mrs. Jiang also discusses with Mr. Gu, "What should we cook? Should we list a menu?"
Anning sits down beside Mrs. Jiang, "Just make whateverâs good. Chicken, duck, fish, and meat should all be prepared, and Xiao Yuan doesnât drink store-bought juice, so make some fresh fruit juice. Do we have a juicer at home? If not, remember to buy one. Xiao Yuan doesnât drink alcohol, so we donât need to prepare that. He likes flour-based food, so have my sister make some pastries or something when she comes back the day after tomorrow."
Jiang Anan nods, "Iâll start preparing in the afternoon, and letâs have noodles for dinner. Iâll make some hand-pulled noodles, have mom cook some sauce, and make Zhajiang noodles, how about that?"
"Sounds good."
Anning agrees, "He does have a particular taste for that."
Anning stands up and checks the kitchen, then says to Mrs. Jiang, "Mom, our diningware needs to be changed. These bowls, plates, and basins all donât match. Never mind, you donât have to worry about this; Iâll go out and buy a set tomorrow."
In his previous life after retiring, Xiao Yuan developed some hobbies. When he had nothing to do, he liked to make some pottery, and later designed his own garden, creating a particularly elegant one for Anning. Everything in it was arranged by Xiao Yuan himself, including the ceramic wares used at home.
He was quite particular, having specific teaware for tea, the right cup for wine, and the right plate for each dish; he was meticulous to a fault.
Till now, Xiao Yuan still carries on with those habits; heâs really particular.
Cooking and eating at Xiaoâs home, Anning also realized that Xiao Yuanâs own diningware was particularly exquisite, and if the tableware wasnât placed correctly, it would make him uncomfortable.
Anning wanted to accommodate Xiao Yuan, going along with his interests in elegant things, letting him indulge. Even now, Anning tries her best to do things perfectly at home, to make things more comfortable for Xiao Yuan.
With the new son-in-law visiting, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang didnât know what to do and just listened to whatever Anning suggested.
Eldest and Third didnât have any experience either, thinking that welcoming the new son-in-law in other families is done the same way, so they didnât say much.
But Xiao Hua listens and remembers everything.
Early the next morning, Anning goes out to purchase the new diningware.
After Mrs. Jiang gets up, she starts tidying up inside and outside the house.
By the afternoon, both Eldest and Third are roped in as labor, being forced to clean every nook and cranny of the house; they even have Eldest re-clean all the windows.
Cleaning up the house until late at night, Third was exhausted.
"Iâd rather be taking classes at school, this is even tiring than military training."
Xiao Hua bounded onto Third, watching as Third seemed lost in thought.
After tidying up the house, Eldest went to the supermarket to buy some things.
She wore a white sweater and a pair of black velvet pants, and put on a long white down coat. Before stepping out, she also put on a hat, making her especially warm.
Once she went downstairs, Eldest didnât drive but walked to the supermarket instead.
The weather was quite cold today, Eldest walked with her hands covering her face, exhaling white mist, though she didnât walk fast.
Eldest enjoyed such quiet nights alone, which helped her become very calm.
Suddenly, a car stopped beside her, the window rolled down, and someone poked their head out: "Really, itâs you? I thought I was mistaken."
Eldest turned her head for a look, oh, it was indeed an acquaintance.
"Itâs you."
She smiled: "Where are you off to? Donât tell me itâs another blind date."
Turns out, it was Wei Jiaming, whom she had encountered on two blind dates.
Wei Jiaming waved his hand: "No more blind dates for me, neither of the two worked out, my heart has taken enough beating, and my dad isnât pushing me anymore."
Eldest laughed: "Congratulations."
Wei Jiaming examined Eldest: "Where are you heading? Let me give you a lift."
Eldest shook her head: "Iâm heading to the supermarket just ahead, itâs pretty close, no need for a ride."
"What a coincidence."
Wei Jiaming also laughed: "Iâm also off to shop at the supermarket. Why not let me give you a lift..."
Eldest declined the car ride: "Really, no need. I enjoy walking, itâs good exercise."
She waved her hand and strode forward.
Upon entering the supermarket, she bumped into Wei Jiaming again.
Leaving the supermarket, Eldest was chatting and laughing with Wei Jiaming.
Wei Jiaming also found out Eldest owned a bun shop: "So the popular bun shop in our city is yours! Look at us, weâre so familiar now, does it mean I wonât have to queue up for buns in the future?"
"If you want to eat them, just let me know in advance, Iâll save some for you."
Eldest said with a laugh: "But donât come in the morning, itâs too crowded. Come around eight or nine oâclock when itâs less busy. The buns are still warm then, Iâll have someone save them for you."
"Great."
Wei Jiaming didnât leave but stood chatting with Eldest outside the supermarket: "Are you still going on blind dates? Howâs it going?"
Speaking of this, Eldest had a lot to say: "Met another two afterwards, both introduced by acquaintances. I had to go, couldnât refuse, but they were quite something. My interest is gone now, and my mom has stopped nagging too. I think I shouldnât rush this, will take my time to find someone. Right now, I just want to focus on building up my business."
"Whatâs your situation?"
Eldest remembered the car Wei Jiaming was driving, quite decent, and he also looked pretty good. She wondered why his blind dates hadnât worked out.
Wei Jiaming had a hard-to-describe expression: "I donât know what kind of bad luck Iâve run into, but itâs like the people I meet just donât like me. My dad keeps urging me, Iâm really at a loss."
Seeing it was getting late, Eldest said to Wei Jiaming: "I need to hurry back, letâs catch up on Flying Messenger later."
She carried her bags and quickly left, Wei Jiaming watched her departing figure, zoning out for quite a while.