Xiao Heng’s pupils contracted slightly, and he remained silent, his body tense.
So, from Qiao Meili’s perspective, this man was more taciturn and more frightening than he had been three years ago.
The man was naturally tall, and years of training had given him a solid physique. His body under his military uniform looked strong and powerful, especially his eyes. A soldier’s eyes are sharp and piercing, and when he stares at someone, it makes people’s legs tremble involuntarily. Xiao Heng was an outstanding example of this. Combined with his exceptional height, he had an unusual ferocity, like a lurking beast.
The lack of response to her greetings made Qiao Meili a little apprehensive.
She tried hard to recall the details of the original owner’s time with Xiao Heng, but found that most of the time it was the original owner who unilaterally started arguing with Xiao Heng. She complained that the conditions here were bad, or that Xiao Heng was training every day and had no time to spend with her.
The only time the two truly got along harmoniously was during the first few nights after the original owner arrived with the army.
At that time, their relationship was only half-baked, which ironically made it more harmonious.
Qiao Meili realized she had been daydreaming. When she straightened up as if to stand up, she met Xiao Heng’s sharp gaze. She immediately gave him a smile.
Xiao Heng was stunned.
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since Qiao Meili had smiled at him, and he even wondered if Qiao Meili had ever smiled at him at all.
A sharp pain shot through his chest. Xiao Heng turned his gaze away and said to Zhang Miao, “Thank you for bringing Zhaozhao back today. You can go back now.”
“Brother Xiao,” Zhang Miao hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Xiao Heng stepped aside and gestured to Zhang Miao to go first.
Zhang Miao knew she had no reason to stay any longer, but before leaving, she still stared at Qiao Meili for a few moments, biting her lower lip in resentment.
Qiao Meili had considered that with Xiao Heng’s qualifications, he would still be highly sought after in the military even with a child. However, she trusted Xiao Heng’s character. They were in a military marriage, and as long as they were not divorced, Xiao Heng would not cheat on her.
He can’t afford the consequences.
Although Zhang Miao had left, Xiao Heng still ignored her and even picked up Zhao Zhao and went into the house.
They completely left her out in the cold.
Zhao Zhao, on the other hand, was perched on her father’s back, her dark, bright eyes fixed on her.
Qiao Meili felt a pang of sympathy at his gaze and couldn’t help but wave at him.
“Mom,” Zhao Zhao suddenly called out.
He spoke softly, and Qiao Meili was some distance away from him, so she didn’t hear him clearly.
Xiao Heng heard it clearly, and his body suddenly stopped. The tall man felt a lump in his throat and patted his son’s back to comfort him, “Zhao Zhao, be good. Go to your room and play by yourself first. Dad will come and play with you later.”
Zhao Zhao pursed her lips and obediently went back to her room.
Xiao Heng tilted his head back slightly, took a deep breath to suppress the bitterness in his heart. He didn’t feel wronged for himself, but it was a pity that Zhao Zhao had never experienced maternal love since birth…
With his back to Qiao Meili, Xiao Heng said, “Let’s talk in the inner room.”
Just as Qiao Meili was about to say yes, her keen nose detected a burnt smell.
She had just come out to pick vegetables, and there was still rice cooking in the pot. The firewood underneath hadn’t gone out yet, so the rice was probably burnt by now.
“We’ll talk about it later,”
As soon as she finished speaking, a series of footsteps could be heard, and the woman ran to the kitchen like a gust of wind.
A hint of doubt flashed in Xiao Heng’s eyes as he followed them into the kitchen.
The woman skillfully extinguished the firewood under the stove, then got up and lifted the pot lid. As the steam rose, the aroma of white rice immediately filled the air.
Qiao Meili stirred the pot with a spatula, “It’s okay, it’s okay, only the bottom is a little burnt, the top is still fine.”
The steam rose gently, and the woman’s figure standing in front of the stove looked incredibly tender.
Xiao Heng’s eyes welled up with tears. Wasn’t this exactly the scene from his dream?
For the past three years, all that has awaited him and his son is a cold, lifeless stove.
“I’ve already cooked dinner and I still need to stir-fry a dish. Why don’t we talk about this after we’ve eaten?”
Qiao Meili has her own little schemes.
It was dark after dinner. Even if we wanted to get rid of her, we couldn’t just let a woman leave in the dark in the middle of the night, could we?
Qiao Meili didn’t care whether someone was a rogue or not; she was determined to stay.
Xiao Heng clearly remembered that she had never cooked before, so he walked to the kitchen and said, “I’ll cook.”
“No, no need,”
Qiao Meili, holding a spatula in one hand, pushed Xiao Heng out of the kitchen, then went back into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Heng was no longer calm.
Just now, the woman’s soft, fair hand was resting on his chest, and he involuntarily held his breath and concentrated for a moment.
He thought that this terrible marriage had made him feel like his heart had turned to ashes. Every time he saw Zhao Zhao looking on with envy at other children her age who had their mothers with them, his hatred for Qiao Meili would intensify.
Unexpectedly, a simple touch was enough to make his heart race.
Xiao Heng utterly despised himself.
Once the rice was cooked, Qiao Meili heated oil in another pan. The secret to delicious scrambled eggs with tomatoes was to cook the tomatoes until they were mushy, which was no problem for Qiao Meili. She quickly made the scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Since it was a rice bowl dish, she added extra water so that the rice would be soaked in a rich sauce.
While the scrambled eggs with tomatoes were cooking in the pot, she found a large bowl, filled it with rice, then turned it upside down onto a plate, placed the scrambled eggs with tomatoes on top, poured on the sauce, and finally added a few pieces of boiled greens.
It looks delicious and smells amazing; it’s so appetizing.
The meal was ready, and Qiao Meili was quite satisfied with it.
“Xiao Heng, dinner is ready.”
No one answered, so she searched the house and the yard again, but still couldn’t find Xiao Heng.
That’s strange.
Where did they go?
If the big one isn’t visible, what about the small one?
Just as Qiao Meili was wondering if Zhao Zhao had also been taken away by Xiao Heng, she noticed that the door to the small bedroom was slightly ajar, and the little girl was hiding behind the door, peeking out with her bright black eyes, clearly watching her.
If you can’t handle the big ones, then try to win them over with the small ones.
After their brief encounter, Qiao Meili had a hunch that Zhao Zhao didn’t harbor much hostility towards her.
So she slowly squatted down, intending to show affection.
To everyone’s surprise, it frightened the little one. Hearing a series of thumping footsteps, the little guy immediately hid in the room, followed by another thump.
Qiao Meili guessed that he might have fallen, so she quickly pushed the door open and went in. Sure enough, the little guy fell headfirst to the ground, and she quickly scooped him up.
“How are you? Did Zhao Zhao hurt herself?”
Zhao Zhao pursed her lips and silently shook her head.
Qiao Meili was still worried, so she checked the little guy again. His clothes weren’t even torn, so he seemed to be fine.
She picked up the little one and said, “Since you’re not hurt, let’s go eat.”
She carried Zhao Zhao to the kitchen, put the little one on the ground, and Qiao Meili found a washbasin and filled it with water. “Zhao Zhao, come on, wash your hands.”
After washing the little one’s hands and drying them with a towel, Qiao Meili patted the little one’s bottom. “Okay, go sit outside and wait.”
Zhao Zhao immediately covered her bottom with her little hands, her eyes wide with surprise.
It’s as if it’s saying, “How could you spank my little bottom?”
The little guy is exquisitely beautiful, combining the best features of both parents; he’s both handsome and adorable.
I don’t know if it’s the bond of blood, but the more I look at Qiao Meili, the more I like her.
When people are faced with something they like, they especially like to touch and squeeze it.
“What’s wrong? You won’t let me touch you?”
Qiao Meili deliberately leaned her face closer and, taking advantage of the little guy’s inattention, touched his chubby face twice more.
Zhao Zhao got annoyed, her cheeks puffed out, and she ran away, clutching her bottom.
Qiao Meili almost burst out laughing.
Having a baby is definitely a fun thing to do. It’s fun, I love playing with it, and I’ll play with it again next time.