Chapter 3.2 

In the kitchen, the rice in the pot had already been boiled, and there was a bit too much water. Jiang Rou scooped out a bowl of rice soup and covered the pot to let the rice steam. She also cleaned the stove in the kitchen.

Although studying at the police academy was tiring at the beginning, it also helped Jiang Rou develop many good habits, such as liking to tidy up everything neatly.

The stove, which was still black and moldy a few days ago, is now wiped white. The oil bottles and salt jars are also neatly arranged. The adjacent cabinet has been wiped several times with a cloth, revealing its original color. The dishes inside are also stacked, from small to large.

The kitchen floor, once covered in wood chips and debris, had been renovated by Li Xiao’s grandfather to give to his son when he got married. However, none of the men in the family were particularly fond of cleanliness.

Li Xiao’s grandfather casually discarded wood materials, and Li Xiao rarely stayed home, while the OG Jiang Rou didn’t have any sense of attachment to this place and was lazy about cleaning.

Jiang Rou’s own home was even messier and dirtier than this, so she had grown up in such an environment and considered it normal.

So, when MC Jiang Rou came in two days ago and found that except for the bedroom, the entire house was covered in dust, with spiderwebs on the doors and windows, she was surprised.

Even the bedroom, upon closer inspection, was a mess. Clothes were strewn on the floor, and the cups used for drinking had a thick layer of grime.

At that moment, she finally understood her mother’s despair regarding her biological father and older brother.

After cleaning the countertop thoroughly, Jiang Rou carried the dishes to the living room. Li Xiao happened to come in with a bucket of water in his hand, and without even glancing at her, he went straight into the kitchen.

When Jiang Rou put down the dishes, she heard the sound of water pouring into the kitchen as he filled the water tank.

There was a half-height water tank in the kitchen for storing water, but Jiang Rou hadn’t used it in the past few days because she felt too tired. She only fetched as much water as she needed each day.

Seeing him fetching water surprised Jiang Rou, and she couldn’t believe that he would voluntarily do housework, which was contrary to the image she had in her mind.

It inexplicably does not match the image in her mind.

Although she thought this way, Jiang Rou didn’t show it on her face. She continued to prepare the dishes until he came out of the kitchen. Only then did she go inside to finish setting the table.

There were only three dishes in total, and she finished setting them quickly. With nothing else to do and the meal not yet ready, Jiang Rou sat in the living room, pretending to tap her legs.

The man passed by several times carrying the bucket filled with water, and they both ignored each other.

After five or six trips, he seemed to have filled the water tank and didn’t come out of the kitchen.

The house suddenly became quiet.

Jiang Rou felt even more uncomfortable than being alone at home. She turned her head and glanced at the clock, which had already passed for more than ten minutes.

After hesitating, she stood up and entered the kitchen. As soon as she entered, Jiang Rou saw the man sitting in front of the stove, the faint light of the fire illuminating his distinct profile.

Jiang Rou took out two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks from the cabinet, scooped up a ladle of hot water to wash it, and then opened the pot to scoop herself a bowl of rice.

His bowl remained untouched. After some thought, Jiang Rou mustered the courage to whisper to the person sitting below, “The food is ready.”

Without looking at him, she turned around and quickly walked away with her chopsticks.

The man sitting below raised his head for a moment but didn’t say anything. He only stood up after she left.

This meal was extremely painful for Jiang Rou.

The two of them sat face-to-face, neither of them speaking. She kept her head down, unable to see any expression on the man’s face, feeling like time was dragging on forever.
She had eaten a lot of snacks in the afternoon, so Jiang Rou was already full after eating a bowl of rice. She slowed down her pace, thinking that when the man finished eating, she could take the dishes to wash. She didn’t expect him to do it.

Li Xiao had seconds twice, and in the end, not a grain of rice was left in the pot. Jiang Rou counted almost every grain as she ate.

However, to Jiang Rou’s surprise, the man across from her stood up first after finishing his meal, grabbed the bowls and chopsticks from Jiang Rou’s hand, and with a faint expression, put away the empty dishes and took them to the kitchen.

Jiang Rou looked up slightly, somewhat astonished.

The man didn’t look at her, leaving her with an indifferent back.

Soon, the sound of washing dishes came from the kitchen.

Jiang Rou sat in place for a while, then got up and went outside to collect her clothes, and then went to the room to find a bath basin.

After finishing, she went to the kitchen to fetch hot water.

As soon as she went to the kitchen to boil hot water, the man passed by her as he went outside. Jiang Rou didn’t glance at him and proceeded to fill the bathing basin without paying him any mind.

She secretly hoped he wouldn’t return in the evening, but her wishes were in vain. When she finished showering and came out again, the man had just pushed open the courtyard gate from the outside, carrying meat and vegetables in his hand and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He threw the unsmoked cigarette away.

Then, he turned and used a bucket to hang the meat and vegetables in the well to keep them cool.

By this time, it was already very dark outside, and Jiang Rou went straight to bed in her room.

Not long after, the man entered her room once, took something from the closet, and then left. Afterward, the sound of water came from the courtyard.

Jiang Rou had an instant image in her mind, and she couldn’t help but turn red. She didn’t expect this person to be so careless. How could anyone take a shower in the yard?

Even if Jiang Rou didn’t have any thoughts about him, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for him.

Especially when she thought about the fact that the two of them would have to lie on the same bed later, she felt even more uncomfortable and tried to move away to the side.

So when Lixiao finished bathing and came back to the room, Jiang Rou was almost plastered against the wall.

The man vigorously wiped his hair dry a few times, then threw the towel onto the table in front of the window. He glanced at the figure huddled in the corner of the room, turned on the electric fan at the foot of the bed, and kicked off his shoes, climbing onto the bed.

The wooden bed creaked, and the entire bed sank a bit.

The spacious double bed suddenly became cramped as he got in.

Jiang Rou was a little afraid of this man, so she squeezed herself against the wall a little more.

The man sleeping outside turned off the light, and his movements cast a shadow on the wall. Jiang Rou saw him vigorously opening the mosquito net.

After enduring it for a while, she couldn’t help but whisper, “Remember to tie up the net. We’ll have mosquitoes inside if you don’t.” Jiang Rou had had enough of these mosquitoes biting her these past few days.

There was a rustling sound behind her immediately.

Seeing that he was easy to talk to and considering his previous actions, Jiang Rou relaxed a bit and felt that he wasn’t as scary as she had initially thought.

With a little more courage, and after lying on her side for a long time, half of her body had become stiff. She carefully turned over to face the direction of the man.

The room was pitch black, but there was a faint moonlight coming in through the window on the bedside, allowing her to vaguely see his silhouette.

With a hidden agenda in her mind, she waited for a while before speaking softly again, “Um, the child will be born in a few months, and I need to prepare some things for her.”

Li Xiao was often away from home, and Jiang Rou wasn’t sure when he would leave again. If he disappeared by morning, she was afraid he might forget to leave some money behind.

Although she wasn’t sure if he still had any money on him,

As the words fell silent, the room once again fell into silence.

Just when Jiang Rou wondered if she had been too subtle and he hadn’t understood, the man also turned over, lying on his back on the bed. Then, in a sarcastic tone that seemed half-smiling, he asked her, “What about the money I gave you?”

Jiang Rou couldn’t answer, the OG Jiang Rou gave the money to her younger brother.

Probably knowing what kind of virtue “she” had, the man sneered coldly and stopped speaking.

Jiang Rou was a bit scared when he saw him like this and flipped over. She was afraid to speak again.

She silently thought to herself, If it’s really not possible, she’ll go find that cheap mother-in-law. If it’s not possible, she can also help sell vegetables.

She touched her stomach and sighed faintly, feeling that she was really miserable.

In the darkness, the man turned his head slightly and glanced expressionlessly at the person beside him.