Chapter 78: A Peaceful Day

Counting the time, if the college entrance exam is in June next year, that means there are less than ten months left. Here, she has to renovate the shop, select fabrics, and purchase supplies.

The college entrance exam could be set aside for now. She believed that with her experience in a competitive province in her past life and considering that the first round of exams likely wouldn’t be too difficult, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Xu Jiaojiao scheduled everything. A small town didn’t need overly luxurious renovations—it would be too flashy—so she figured it would be better to go with something modest. However, the fitting room was one area she definitely wanted to do well.

In the past, when shopping in underground malls, the fitting rooms were just a curtain pulled across. No matter how many clothes you tried, it always made people feel like they could bargain for a better price.

In contrast, when faced with a fashionably decorated clothing store, even if the prices were high, people instinctively came up with justifications for spending more. Of course, that mindset didn’t hold up in modern times, where people were familiar with the value of clothes—unless it was a chain brand.

Recently, private labels and vintage shops were becoming more popular.

Xu Jiaojiao thought for a long time and finally decided to go for a Hong Kong-style fashion theme. These kinds of clothes accentuated the figure, and in this town, where most women had pear-shaped bodies, this style—which showed a bit more skin—would be perfect.

“What are you thinking about?” A voice came before the person even entered the room.

Xie Zhi saw his little wife looking worried and felt a bit distressed. “Is the shop not going well?”

“No, Fourth Brother is going to help me sign the contract tomorrow. It’s just… everything is more complicated than I thought.”

“Renovation, setting up a small hair salon… it’s a lot.”

She sighed helplessly. Perming hair wasn’t difficult—just a one-time styling instead of a permanent one. It would also help bring customers back regularly and cut down on costs.

Xie Zhi didn’t know much about renovation or fashion, but he felt bad seeing her frown like that.

He picked up the rough draft of the store layout. “Let me see how it’s coming along.”

The draft was as detailed as always. Even the wall colors, tile versus wooden flooring, everything was carefully planned.

Xu Jiaojiao looked him up and down, then pulled him to sit beside her. “Honey, don’t you get summer vacation? Don’t kids usually get two months off?”

She thought something felt off. Did kids not have summer break now?

“Summer break? Jiaojiao, do you mean the autumn harvest break? We had it—otherwise how would we go to the provincial capital?”

“That’s so short. Poor kids,” Xu Jiaojiao was surprised. She felt bad for the children, having to attend school in such hot weather.

“After tomorrow, we’ll start getting weekends off. We can renovate together then.”

She nodded excitedly. She couldn’t keep relying on her brother to help out—he had his own job, after all. “Great!”

Once everything was agreed upon, the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned more intimate. Their eyes locked and lingered, lips almost touching, sharing breath like an invisible kiss.

Xie Zhi suddenly pulled her into his arms. The hot water in the next room was already prepared. With a sense of satisfaction, he murmured, “You’re like a little kitten—with that red nose and pitiful look—Jiaojiao, you don’t know how lovable you are.”

His words made her heart flutter with joy and shyness. She rolled her eyes at him coquettishly, her eyes glistening with affection, making his heart stir.

He responded to her gaze by immediately surrendering. The girl was gently placed into the bath. The space was so small, she looked like a delicate dessert in the tub.

He slowly peeled away the outer layers, revealing her soft, pale skin. As he inhaled the sweet scent, his Adam’s apple bobbed with delight. He couldn’t get enough.

Their lips met, and in that moment, heat, urgency, and passion erupted. The water splashed wildly, his arm striking the surface with force, creating waves of sound.

…

At a little past five in the morning, Xie Zhi carefully climbed out of bed, afraid of waking the sleeping girl. He turned to look at her peaceful face and planted several kisses happily.

Then, he took the clothes he had prepared the night before and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower and hair wash, he changed into a clean shirt and left the house. His first stop was his parents’ courtyard, where his mother was already making buns and steamed bread.

With all the fresh pork they had brought this time, Yan Fenglian made dozens of meat buns in one go. The leftover meat was cured with salt for later use.

“Xiao Zhi, come eat buns!”

Xie Zhi nodded, greeted his parents and brother, and sat quietly to eat. His bowl was filled with coarse corn porridge, and in his hand was a freshly steamed meat bun. This was his daily morning routine.

After breakfast, the Xu family members went off to work or to the fields, and he headed to school. The only one still sleeping at home was Xu Jiaojiao. Her breakfast was kept warm in the pot, and the last ember in the stove’s fire pit ensured it wouldn’t get cold before she woke up.

“Teacher Xie, heading to school?”

“Mm.”

“My rascal of a son’s troubling you again, I’m sure.”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

By the time he finished his last class, it was ten o’clock. Assigning homework and grading papers took just enough time for him to head home by 10:20.

Back at home, Xu Jiaojiao had just woken up, still bleary-eyed as she finished her breakfast. She was the only one with yellow millet porridge—something her second brother had specially sent. She added a spoonful of sugar, making it deliciously sweet.

After eating, Xu Jiaojiao lay comfortably on the bed, feeling like she could live like this forever. Being a lazy freeloader didn’t sound so bad.

But the shop had already been bought, and the money likely already paid. Her fourth brother would return in the evening. These days, property transfers didn’t require the buyer to be physically present.

The shop was registered under the names of the young couple. The fan in the room wobbled as if it were about to break down.

“I really want an air conditioner… and duck snacks too—they go so well with summer.”

Just then, Xie Zhi pushed the door open and overheard her. He smiled. “Jiaojiao wants braised snacks? Let’s go buy some tomorrow.”

“That’s all we can do… Honey, when do you think we’ll finally have an air conditioner?”

Xie Zhi could only offer silent comfort. In his hand was a can of yellow peach preserves he had chilled in the well for several days—it would taste amazing now.

“Probably not too long.”

“Jiaojiao, this is nice and cool—let me open it for you.”

The sweet citrusy yellow peaches and chilled syrup were absolute bliss. One bite was enough to leave her speechless from delight. She and Xie Zhi took turns feeding each other until they finished the whole can.

She patted her now-round belly. “I don’t think I’ll eat lunch later.”

“Too full?”

“I only just had breakfast.”

Since breakfast was early and it had been a busy day, lunch was served around eleven. After Xie Zhi finished eating and returned, he found the girl already fast asleep, cuddling a soft thin quilt.

He gently pinched her nose. In her sleep, all her liveliness was gone, leaving only peace and calm. He spoke with a tone full of affection: “Little lazy pig, how come you love sleeping so much?”