He nodded and didn’t forget to offer some encouragement. "I’m back. I didn’t realize you’d learned to make stir-fried pork. That’s great!"
The girl giggled and brought over the dish she had cooked.
The observant Xiao Ran quickly noticed the skin just below her eyes was red. "What happened?" he asked with concern.
"It’s nothing. I just forgot after cutting chili peppers and rubbed my eyes."
She had only just started learning to cook. She’d heard that onions could make your eyes sting, but she never expected chili peppers could too. And she had only scratched her face with the hand she’d used to cut the peppers. Who knew the damage would be so great?
Looking at her dazed expression, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but shake his head. ’She’s so silly,’ he thought. ’Doesn’t she know you can’t rub your eyes after cutting chili peppers?’
He asked, "Have you washed your face?"
Yan Xici pouted, her eyes filled with exasperation. "Of course I have! I even washed it several times, but it didn’t do any good."
’I’m not an idiot, why wouldn’t I know to wash my face?’ she thought. ’But even after washing it, there’s still a strong burning sensation. It didn’t help at all!’
Xiao Ran caringly touched the skin around the area. It was scalding hot. He then took an ice pack from the freezer, wrapped it in a towel, and carefully placed it on her hot, red skin.
"It should feel better in a little while."
This was how he usually dealt with it whenever he accidentally got chili spice on his skin while cooking.
The moment the ice pack touched her face, the skin that had been burning just a second ago was instantly soothed. The feeling was simply incredible.
The girl squinted her eyes in comfort, and her long, elegant neck couldn’t help but shrink back a little.
’As expected, Brother Xiao Ran knows so much!’
’It’s like he knows everything. Even his common sense is maxed out. Unlike me... I’m just so hopeless!’
After a moment of relief, the girl reached out with her small, pale hand and held the ice pack herself.
Only then did she smile at Xiao Ran. "I’m fine now. Let’s eat."
Xiao Ran sat down, picked up a piece of the stir-fried pork with his chopsticks, and popped it into his mouth. It tasted great.
"By the way, Xici, I’m planning to buy a new house. I’ve already talked to the agent about this place. I’m selling it."
Since they were still living together, he was afraid she’d be startled if someone suddenly showed up to view the house one day, so he chose to tell her beforehand.
Hearing he was selling the house, the girl’s glistening eyes stared blankly at Xiao Ran’s face.
She was probably so surprised that she even forgot to swallow the rice in her mouth. It bunched up in her cheek, making her look as cute as a little squirrel.
’Why buy a new house all of a sudden?’
’It can’t be that my brother-in-law doesn’t want me living here anymore but is too embarrassed to say it, so he came up with this plan, right?’
The more she thought about it, the more her chest felt tight.
’If that’s really the case, it’s not like I can’t just live in the dorms.’
’It’s such a nice place, a duplex loft.’
’In a place like the Shanghai Stock Exchange, countless people work their entire lives and can’t even afford a small duplex.’
’It would be such a shame if he sold it because of me.’
After a long silence, the girl quietly put down her chopsticks and said in a muffled voice, "Actually... if you really don’t want to live with me, I can go live in the dorms. You don’t have to sell the house..."
After she spoke, she picked up the water glass beside her, her five pale fingers gripping it tightly. She looked weighed down by her thoughts.
’I don’t have any bad intentions. If he really dislikes having me around this much, then I can just go.’
The adorably dazed girl in front of him made Xiao Ran pause, and then he couldn’t help but laugh.
"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Ran said, suppressing a laugh. "Since I made a promise, I’m definitely not going back on it. I just want to move and have a change of scenery. If you want, you can move in with me. If not, you can stay here, or live in the dorms. It’s up to you."
After speaking, Xiao Ran picked up another piece of stir-fried pork and ate it. He had to admit, it was really delicious.
’Looks like the clever girl really has a talent for cooking.’
’Keeping her around as a free chef wouldn’t be a bad choice either.’
Hearing Xiao Ran’s explanation, the girl let out a sigh of relief and patted her frantically beating little heart.
She wrinkled her nose. "I’m not going to live in the dorms!"
With that, she picked up her chopsticks again and started eating.
"So, Xiao Ran... can I move with you?" the girl asked, looking at him cautiously.
She had long since gotten used to living with him over the years. Besides, if she were really left here to live in such a big house all by herself, she’d be scared.
Xiao Ran nodded. "Of course you can."
’It’s only for a month, anyway. She can come with me for now, or stay here. Either is fine.’
Getting Xiao Ran’s confirmation, the girl giggled and placed a piece of stir-fried pork into his bowl.
She then picked up a piece for herself and put it in her mouth.
Now in a great mood, the girl suddenly felt that the stir-fried pork tasted much better than before.
After lunch, Xiao Ran checked the time. It was 12:30. He figured Zhang Chuan would be getting off work right about now, so he went back to his bedroom and gave him a call.
"Hey, Chuanzi, you got any cash on hand?" Xiao Ran got straight to the point.
Hearing this, Zhang Chuan was taken aback for a moment. "How much?"
Xiao Ran replied, "Five hundred thousand."
"Bro, you really overestimate me. We graduated at the same time. What makes you think I’d have 500,000?" Zhang Chuan was speechless.
"Then how much do you have?"
"Three hundred thousand. And that’s including the paycheck I just got today."
This was his marriage fund, money he had painstakingly saved up by working day and night, slaving away with overtime.
"Alright then, lend it all to me. I want to get a new place. I’ll pay you back once the old house is sold," Xiao Ran said frankly, not beating around the bush. Their relationship was close enough for such directness.
"No rush on paying it back. Hang on, I’ll go to the bank downstairs and wire you the money now."
...
Yan Xici was about to go upstairs, but before she could even take a step, she overheard his conversation from inside the room.
Xiao Ran’s bedroom was right at the top of the stairs. Because it was so close, and the house was quiet, the girl heard every word he said perfectly clearly.
Hearing her brother-in-law was borrowing money, the girl frowned and glanced up the stairs toward her own small bedroom.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she turned and sprinted up to her room.
The girl’s room was simple: a bookshelf and a bed.
Beside the bed was a white, plush rug, on which sat a Pink Panther stuffed animal and an oversized Hello Kitty doll that her brother-in-law had given her for her birthday last year. Hugging it while she slept made her feel completely safe.
Because her bed was rather small, she only brought the Hello Kitty doll onto the bed at night.
She walked around the small white bed and sat down at her desk.
Yan Xici carefully pulled open the first small drawer under her desk. With her small, pale hand, she took out a bank card.
After a moment’s thought, she took out another card as well.
The first was a Bank of Communications card. This one held the living expenses her sister had given her over the years, with a fixed transfer of four thousand yuan going in every month.
For holidays and festivals, she would get an extra thousand.
From her freshman to her junior year, a full three years, it added up to about one hundred and sixty thousand yuan.
The other card held the money she had earned as a lifestyle blogger over the years. Although she spent money every month, she ate her meals at home, so a thousand yuan in pocket money was usually enough. As a result, she had saved up quite a bit—about forty thousand.