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“Look at how obedient Xiao Wu is,” Aunt Yao and Aunt Zheng said, their faces full of envy. “He comes back with his sister right after school. We can’t even find our kids.”
“Whose kids aren’t like that,” another woman chimed in. “They always remember their homework after they’ve eaten and played tired.”
Su Yi smiled, “Xiao Wu is a good listener.”
She then turned to Nuannuan, who was standing nearby, and said with a laugh, “Nuannuan is also very well-behaved. Come here and let’s compare how well you’re doing with the bottom of this sweater.”
Nuannuan held the pink ball of yarn in her hands with care.
Hearing that it was a sweater for her, she grinned, showing off her pearly white teeth.
Aunt Yao and Aunt Zheng were envious. “Nuannuan has fair skin like you. Pink will definitely look good on her.”
After finishing the yarn in her hands, Su Yi took Nuannuan back to the next room.
The braised pork with radish in the pot was almost ready.
Su Yi put the rice on to steam and then went to the vegetable garden to pick some spinach for a spinach and meatball soup.
As she was leaving the garden, she bumped into Zhou Jinchuan, who was coming back from outside.
“Commander Zhou, you’re back?” Su Yi exclaimed, surprised.
Usually, he didn’t come back for lunch.
Zhou Jinchuan looked at Su Yi’s expression and then glanced at Ye Xiaowu, who was sitting in the living room, head bent over his homework.
He immediately understood.
The boy had called him and said that Su Yi had called him back for dinner.
So he put down the phone and came back.
Before he left, he had specifically taken the fish he had caught yesterday from Old Lu.
Zhou Jinchuan was taken aback for a moment, then shook the fish in his hand. “Old Lu gave me this fish. I was afraid it wouldn’t be fresh if I left it any longer, so I brought it back.”
Su Yi was worried that Zhou Jinchuan was coming back for lunch, and she hadn’t prepared enough food.
Seeing the two plump fish, she smiled happily. “Then, Commander Zhou, stay for lunch and have some braised fish.”
Zhou Jinchuan: This is kind of like my house, isn’t it?
Su Yi took the fish and went into the kitchen, planning to clean them and pan-fry them before stewing.
Ye Nuannuan carefully carried Su Yi’s knitting basket over. “Uncle Zhou, Sister Su bought me yarn and knitted for me. Do you think it’s pretty?”
Zhou Jinchuan looked down. She had already knitted so much?
He knew she had gone out early this morning to buy things since she had the day off, but he didn’t know she had also bought something for the child.
And she had started knitting for the child first.
Seeing that Zhou Jinchuan wasn’t angry or pursuing the matter, Ye Xiaowu ran over excitedly.
“Sister Su said she also bought a coal stove to put in the dormitory for warmth in winter, but Sister Su doesn’t know how to use a stove.”
Zhou Jinchuan raised his head unclearly and glanced at him, “Can you do it?”
Ye Xiaowu grinned, “I can’t, but Aunt Yao said her husband can. In a couple of days, I’ll have Uncle Wang from next door come over to help.”
Zhou Jinchuan silently rolled up his sleeves, “Is the homework done?”
“It’s done!”
“Come, I’ll teach you how to build a mud stove.”
“……”
The two of them dug up yellow soil from the vegetable garden, mixed it with lime and sand, and started making mud.
When Su Yi finished cooking, she was about to come out and call everyone to eat.
She saw Zhou Jinchuan and Ye Xiaowu squatting in the yard, their hands full of mud.
“What are you guys doing—”
Ye Xiaowu looked up and laughed, “Uncle Zhou and I have already built the coal stove, we don’t need Uncle Wang from next door to do it.”
Su Yi looked closely and saw that the newly bought stove had indeed been built.
“That’s amazing! Go wash your hands and eat!”
Receiving praise, Ye Xiaowu grinned and looked at Zhou Jinchuan in a way that seemed to be seeking credit.
He then hurried to wash his hands.
Su Yi had just learned to knit and was very enthusiastic about it.
She finished her meal first and started knitting again.
Ye Nuannuan, who had the smallest stomach, also finished eating quickly and ran over, “Sister Su, I want to learn too.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re still too young, why don’t you help sister wind the yarn?”
Ye Xiaowu immediately finished his meal when he heard this, “I can wind yarn, I’ll work with Ye Nuannuan.”
By the end, only Zhou Jinchuan was left at the table.
He silently finished eating, then collected the dishes and went to wash them.
While washing, he looked out the window at the three busy figures in the yard.
The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but rise.
The three of them were busy in the yard for a while, Su Yi glanced at the time and urged, “It’s time to go to school!”
After sending the two children off, Su Yi was also about to take her basket and go next door to continue knitting.
But then Zhou Jinchuan suddenly walked out of the house.
Su Yi was startled, “You didn’t leave?”
Zhou Jinchuan nodded helplessly, “I’ve been in the house the whole time.”
After washing the dishes, he went to the study to wait.
How could a grown man like him not have been seen?
Su Yi awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth and gestured towards the neighbor’s house, “I was just about to go to Aunt Yao’s place. Commander Zhou, are you also going out?”
Zhou Jinchuan didn’t respond, instead he beckoned her over, “Come here.”
After hesitating, Su Yi walked over.
“Just come over, I’m not going to eat you!”
As soon as she approached, Zhou Jinchuan pulled out an envelope and handed it to her, “This is the children’s living expenses, you take it first.”
Su Yi quickly waved her hand, “No need, most of the children eat in the cafeteria now, it doesn’t cost much.”
Zhou Jinchuan glanced pointedly at the yarn in her hand, “Knitting sweaters for the children also costs money.”
“I’m using the leftover money, it’s enough.”
Zhou Jinchuan suddenly realized that it was useless to argue with this woman anymore, so he directly shoved the money into her hand, “Just take it.”
Then, he turned around and went to the study to grab a stack of tickets.
“I forgot to give you the tickets earlier, you take these and use them. Try to avoid going to the black market in the future.”
Su Yi took them and looked at them. There were all sorts of tickets inside, even industrial tickets.
“Okay then, I’ll knit sweaters and make two cotton jackets for the children.”
“Yeah, do whatever you want, if you don’t have enough, just ask me for more.”
“…”
It’s really nice to be friends with a rich guy.
“Winter is coming soon, think about if you need anything else.”
Su Yi: I actually do.
“I was just thinking about asking you. I saw Aunt Yao and her family are already hauling coal back and making their own coal briquettes. Should we do that too?”
“I don’t need much, the main problem is that I can’t do it outside my dormitory. Otherwise, I can help out in the yard and we can split the coal briquettes.”
The word “we” filled Zhou Jinchuan’s heart with joy.
“Okay, but you don’t need to do it. In a couple of days, when there’s a sunny day, I’ll call Xie Xiaoyun and we’ll do it together.”
Su Yi was worried because she didn’t know how to do it for the first time.
Seeing him offer to do it, she happily agreed, “Then I’ll treat you and Xie Xiaoyun to dinner.”
“Alright! What should we eat?”
Su Yi: “…” What do you want to eat?”
Zhou Jinchuan, for once, got to choose the food, “Can we have Beijing style mutton hotpot?”
Su Yi: “!!!”
For his first time ordering, he goes for something so difficult.
It’s so cold, she wants to eat that too!
But where would they get the mutton and the pot?
Seeing her troubled expression, Zhou Jinchuan couldn’t help but curl his lips slightly, “I’ll figure out the mutton and the pot, you just focus on cooking it.”
“That’s so embarrassing, I said I’d treat you.”
“You treat, I’ll buy the ingredients, is there a problem?”
“…”