"It’s just that Bian Yumei has just arrived and doesn’t know the kind of person Hu Fangfang is, so she became friends with her," Wu Ermei sighed sympathetically at last.
Lin Xiaoguai also breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, although this Hu Fangfang was quite a character, her destructive power didn’t seem to be as great as Jiaxue’s. But soon, her irritation flared up again.
Originally, she hadn’t actually witnessed the woman called Jiaxue’s behavior. Who knows if these two were birds of a feather? Perhaps this "simple-mindedness" was just the protective coloration of a White Lotus.
"Anyway, be careful, and don’t get involved with Hu Fangfang."
After finishing the story, Wu Ermei naturally left.
Before bed, seeing that Lin Xiaoguai still looked heavy-hearted, Shen Chi’s patience ran out and he hugged her tightly in his arms.
"What exactly are you worried about?" His tone was a mix of impatience and concern.
After much hesitation, Lin Xiaoguai modified Xu Jie’s story a bit and told him, then added, "What if Hu Fangfang is just like that woman?"
"What does that have to do with you?" Shen Chi asked puzzled. Seeing her glare at him, he quickly surrendered, kissing her nose and chuckling, "After all is said and done, that Xu Jie ended up in such a mess because of his own bad judgment and weak heart, pining over a woman."
He also seized the opportunity to declare his sweet and loyal words: "If it were me, with you by my side, ten Jiaxues wouldn’t catch my eye."
He actually saw what was really troubling Lin Xiaoguai and felt a bit of secret amusement about it.
The unease in Lin Xiaoguai’s heart inexplicably dissipated considerably. No one knew better than her how much weight Shen Chi’s words carried.
In her previous life, on one hand was her cold indifference, and on the other was the temptation of all sorts of beauties around him, yet Shen Chi never wavered.
Back then, she felt a complex mixture of disappointment and other emotions. Now...
Suddenly, Lin Xiaoguai had a realization. Was she afraid that her peaceful life would be disrupted?
Didn’t that mean she was actually starting to care about Shen Chi?
Before Lin Xiaoguai could ponder further, Shen Chi’s kisses overwhelmed her. Distracted by his affection, her clothes slowly came off as their bodies pressed tightly against each other, and soon she was swept up in the most primal of joys.
Lin Xiaoguai’s peace of mind didn’t last for many days before Bian Yumei and Hu Fangfang paid another visit.
"Have you already set up the frame?" Lin Xiaoguai placed two cups of tea in front of them, smiling as she asked.
Although she tried to keep her smile natural, Bian Yumei and Hu Fangfang still sensed something off and wondered if their visit was ill-timed, which made them somewhat uneasy.
Bian Yumei nodded, "We went back to the countryside, and my cousin is a carpenter. The frame is ready. We came to ask what vegetables can be planted at this time?"
Lin Xiaoguai frowned slightly at this. The season was already early winter; it was too late for planting wheat or rapeseed. She thought for a moment and said, "Plant some cabbage. On the balcony, you can also plant some scallions and garlic, but garlic requires warmth. Cover it with some straw."
"Is that all we can plant?" Bian Yumei was a bit disappointed and asked again, "What else can we plant later? Is it possible to plant cabbage?" She remembered cabbage was sold in winter.
"Cabbage is planted in the latter half of the seventh lunar month," Lin Xiaoguai said somewhat speechlessly, "Before spring, there’s nothing much to plant. After spring, loofah, cowpeas, green beans, sword beans, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes... there’ll be a lot more options."
Thinking this way, she felt somewhat happy; cabbage was rather easy to plant, unlike white cabbage, which rots at the root if watered too much. Onions and garlic weren’t difficult to grow either. At least, she thought, she could have a peaceful winter.
After seeing the two visitors off, Lin Xiaoguai felt completely relaxed and lovingly kissed Little Niangao and Yaya, saying, "Let’s go make pan-fried buns."
Little Niangao was very fond of those, always nibbling away slowly with his tiny teeth—it took half a day to finish half a piece, but he was incredibly happy.
However, Lin Xiaoguai didn’t allow him to eat such greasy food often, so he was always in a state of longing. Hearing Mommy say they could have pan-fried buns today, his excitement was unmistakable.
Lin Xiaoguai didn’t make many, just two small pieces. Yaya ate one, and she and Little Niangao shared the other half. As she was tidying up the kitchen, she heard the neighborhood broadcast announce that someone was looking for her in the office.
Lin Xiaoguai was puzzled, wondering who in Shanghai would be looking for her, but she had no choice but to put Little Niangao in the stroller and head to the office with Yaya in tow.