Seeing that Pei Xu was about to get up from the sofa, Shen Zhiyi pressed down on his shoulder.
“It’s fine, I’ll talk to the neighbor.”
“Don’t argue.”
Pei Xu knew Shen Zhiyi’s temperament and was worried she might start another argument with the neighbor. Arguing was one thing, but if she ended up hitting someone again…
Living in an old neighborhood like this, good relationships actually mattered a lot.
If they offended all the neighbors, it would probably be hard to stay here in the future.
“I won’t.”
Even if Pei Xu wanted her to argue with others, she wouldn’t be able to.
“What, do you think you’re in the right? Should we just call the police? Disturbing the peace and still acting so self-righteous…”
Shen Zhiyi walked to the door and left it slightly ajar.
“Auntie, I’m sorry. We just moved in recently and haven’t lived here for long, so we wanted to replace some furniture and appliances. Don’t worry, it’ll only be noisy for a few days.”
Shen Zhiyi smiled as she assured the auntie downstairs.
“I won’t say anything about this afternoon, but what were you doing in the early morning and late at night? Renovating at night? My husband and I have heart problems. If you keep making noise like that at night, can you afford our medication?”
“I’m sorry, Auntie. My husband was in a car accident recently and lost his sight. He’s still adjusting to this kind of life. I’ve already bought a carpet and will have someone come to lay it tomorrow.”
After Shen Zhiyi explained, the auntie downstairs was visibly taken aback.
“Lost his sight… is there any chance of recovery?”
“Yes, but the recovery time is uncertain. It could be a year or two, or even longer.”
The auntie sighed.
“So young… You said you just moved in. Who sold you this apartment?”
“This apartment belongs to my… mother-in-law.”
“Is the one who lost his sight Pei Xu?”
Shen Zhiyi didn’t expect the auntie downstairs to know Pei Xu’s name.
“When he was little, his mother lived here with him for a few years. After Xiaorong passed away, the child moved away. I never heard any news about him again. I didn’t expect him to come back now, only to lose his sight.”
From the auntie’s fragmented words, Shen Zhiyi pieced together some of Pei Xu’s childhood experiences.
“You can call me Aunt Jiang. If you need any help, just come downstairs and find me. Little Xu’s life has been hard, but at least he married a good wife.”
Shen Zhiyi forced a smile and stood at the door, unmoving, even after Aunt Jiang had gone downstairs.
From her perspective, Pei Xu was a prodigy. Although he had lost his sight and suffered for a while, he would eventually make a comeback.
Overall, he could still be considered blessed by fate.
But Aunt Jiang said his life had been hard…
“Shen Zhiyi, are you at the door?”
Seeing that she hadn’t returned for a while, Pei Xu walked to the door, trying to listen for any sounds.
“I’m here. Aunt Jiang has already gone back.”
“Mm, did you argue?”
Shen Zhiyi held Pei Xu’s arm, and hearing his question, she unconsciously tightened her grip.
“Pei Xu, what kind of image do you have of me in your mind? Someone who argues with everyone?”
Pei Xu didn’t say anything.
Not just that…
She also hits people, and it hurts quite a bit.
Seeing that Pei Xu remained silent, Shen Zhiyi didn’t press further.
What kind of impression she left in his heart before didn’t matter—after all, she was currently on the path to redeeming herself.
It won’t be long before Shen Zhiyi establishes a tall and impressive image in Pei Xu’s heart.
“The TV is installed. Just test it out, and if there are no issues, sign the form for me.”
The installation technician handed the remote control to Shen Zhiyi, then stood to the side, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel.
“I’ve tested it, no issues.”
Shen Zhiyi pressed the remote control a few times randomly. Seeing that the TV was working fine, she signed the form and handed two bottles of chilled drinks to the installation technician.
“Miss, this TV stand is no longer useful. Why don’t the two of us help you carry it downstairs and throw it away?”
“Thank you so much. I was just worried about how to move it down by myself.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s just a small favor.”
The two technicians lifted one side of the TV stand each and tossed it next to the trash bin. The community cleaners would come to collect it tomorrow.
With the coffee table, refrigerator, and TV replaced, the house looked much brighter and more spacious.
Some old items really do take up a lot of space.
Shen Zhiyi went to the kitchen first to cook the rice. While the rice was cooking, she took some tape and covered all the corners of the coffee table with protective pads.
“What are you doing?”
Pei Xu could only hear the sound of her tearing the tape. As for what she was actually doing, he couldn’t guess.
“I’m unpacking a delivery.”
“Do you need my help?”
Seeing Pei Xu offer to help, Shen Zhiyi handed the tape to him.
“Hold the tape for me.”
Following Shen Zhiyi’s instructions, Pei Xu held the tape roll in one hand and pulled one end of the tape with the other.
“Pull a bit more. It doesn’t seem long enough.”
Shen Zhiyi glanced at the length of tape in Pei Xu’s hand and asked him to add a little more.
After covering all the corners of the coffee table, Shen Zhiyi prepared to make lunch.
Although Pei Xu kept saying he wasn’t hungry, neither of them had eaten breakfast that morning. Even if they weren’t hungry, it was still time for lunch.
“For lunch today, we’ll have braised pork ribs, beef stew with radish, scallion-braised tofu, and a cold cucumber salad.”
“There are only two of us. No need to make so many dishes.”
“Three dishes and one soup is just right. It won’t be too much.”
Didn’t Pei Xu finish all three dishes she made last night?
“Why are you here?”
Shen Zhiyi had just taken the ingredients out of the refrigerator when she saw Pei Xu standing motionless at the kitchen door. She couldn’t help but ask.
“To help you with the vegetables.”
“No need. I’m quite good at cooking.”
Shen Zhiyi didn’t find cooking particularly troublesome.
On the contrary, she thought washing dishes was much more bothersome than cooking.
“If I don’t do anything, I’ll feel guilty.”
Shen Zhiyi understood what Pei Xu meant.
After all, letting him sit in the living room would just leave him staring blankly. It was better to give him something to do.
Even if he didn’t do it well, it didn’t matter. It was just a way to pass the time.
“Peel the radish and the cucumber too.”
Shen Zhiyi handed the washed cucumber to Pei Xu. While preparing the ingredients and seasonings for the braised pork ribs, she kept an eye on him.
“Put on the gloves. Be careful with your hands.”
Watching Pei Xu hold the peeler and the distance between his two hands, Shen Zhiyi felt as if the peeler might accidentally touch his hand at any moment.
Pei Xu’s hands were already covered with numerous cuts that hadn’t healed yet. If he added a few more, there would be no good spots left on his hands.
“It’s fine.”
“I told you to wear them. Why so much talk?”
Shen Zhiyi took the gloves and unceremoniously put them on Pei Xu’s hands.
“Wearing gloves will make it harder for me to feel the position of the cucumber.”
With an extra layer on his hands, even the sense of touch was weakened.
“If you can’t peel the cucumber, then just peel the air.”
Better than peeling his hand.
Pei Xu: