Chapter 145 - 142: Trivial Matters
Zhou Lian, who was helping Nuonuo practice walking, paused when she saw Li Xiu enter with a few people. She smiled and said, "You’re back. Please, come in and have a seat."
After a brief explanation, Li Xiu poured everyone a glass of water and said to Zhou Lian with a smile, "This is Sister Fang, a neighbor of Qiangzi’s. She’s a very good person. I was thinking we could have a one-week trial period to see how we all get along. What do you think?"
Zhou Lian understood what Li Xiu was getting at. "Okay," she said with a smile. "If Qiangzi vouches for her, I’m sure she’s trustworthy. So, when can she start?"
"Qiangzi went to help Sister Fang resign from her job. Sister Fang, what do you think about starting today?" Li Xiu said after a moment’s thought.
"Okay, let’s start today!" Zhang Fang said readily. ’They seem like a reasonable couple,’ she thought, ’and with Qiangzi here, I’ll be sure to do a good job.’
And just like that, the matter was settled. Zhou Lian was also very happy. She had been observing for a while and found Sister Fang to be smart, meticulous, and patient. ’This is great,’ she thought. Li Xiu wanted to focus on his business this year, and she had to go to school. Nuonuo was still too young for kindergarten, so having a reliable person to help was better than anything!
That night, after putting Nuonuo to sleep, Li Xiu held Zhou Lian as they lay on the kang bed. "Bao’er," he said, "what do you think of this Zhang Fang? Do you get a good feeling from her?"
"She seems pretty good. At least, from what I saw today. She’s meticulous, patient, and quite smart. And she doesn’t talk too much. Let’s just see how it goes. We still have a few days for the trial, right?" Zhou Lian said softly, playing with Li Xiu’s fingers.
"Yeah, let’s see. After your classes start, I have to make a trip down south. Bao’er, I’m sorry I won’t be able to take you to and from school," Li Xiu said, kissing Zhou Lian with a hint of guilt.
"What’s there to be sorry about? I’m not a child. Besides, you’re going for business, not to mess around. Don’t be so dramatic. We’re young—we can’t start living like retirees already! From now on, you’ll be responsible for making money to support the family, and I’ll be responsible for being beautiful. How does that sound?" Zhou Lian teased him softly.
"Okay, from now on, Bao’er will be responsible for being beautiful just for me." Li Xiu was secretly pleased. ’My wife is getting more and more lively. It seems sending her to university was the right decision. But it’d be nice if she were a little more delicate.’ Thinking about his wife acting spoiled and cute, Li Xiu quietly took a sharp breath.
「The next day」
Sister Fang arrived before Zhou Lian was up. Li Xiu quietly fed Nuonuo and asked Sister Fang to take her out to the courtyard to play so she wouldn’t wake Zhou Lian. Sister Fang discreetly carried Nuonuo outside.
Li Xiu walked to the edge of the kang bed and looked at Zhou Lian, who was sleeping soundly. He gave a knowing smile, kissed her forehead, and tucked her in before quietly closing the door and leaving. Out in the courtyard, he said to Sister Fang, "Sister Fang, I’m going to find Qiangzi and the others about something. Please don’t let Nuonuo wake my wife; she didn’t sleep well last night. If she wakes up, make sure she eats. The food is in the pot. I’ll be back to make lunch!"
"Okay, you go on ahead. I’ll make sure she eats when she wakes up," Sister Fang said to Li Xiu with a smile. After he left, she couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. She whispered to Nuonuo, "Nuonuo, Daddy really dotes on Mommy, doesn’t he?"
"Yes!" Nuonuo said, nodding her little head, even though she didn’t fully understand what the aunty was saying.
"What a smart, good baby!" Sister Fang said, her face beaming as she gave Nuonuo a kiss. She didn’t have children of her own and was naturally affectionate toward them. Nuonuo was so well-behaved and adorable; though it had only been a day, Sister Fang was already extremely fond of her. She let out a long sigh, feeling exceptionally happy. ’The work is easy, the pay is good, the employers aren’t picky, and on top of it all, there’s this adorable child.’ She resolved to do her best and take good care of Nuonuo.
Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps it was Sister Fang’s kindness, but from that day on, she forged an unbreakable bond with Li Xiu’s family. They became closer than relatives, leaving behind a heartwarming story for the ages.
The days passed peacefully. Sister Fang’s personality meshed well with Li Xiu’s family, and so she stayed on. In the second week after Zhou Lian’s classes started, Li Xiu saw that his wife and child had adjusted well, so he took Wang Dongfang and two others with him on a trip to the south.
One day after class, Zhou Lian was getting ready to head home with Zhang Hongying. After hemming and hawing for a long time, Zhang Hongying finally looked down and asked, "Zhou Lian, could you... come over to my house this Saturday?"
As they walked slowly home, Zhou Lian laughed. "You’ve been like this all day, and this is what you wanted to ask me?" Zhang Hongying’s hesitant behavior throughout the day had amused Zhou Lian to no end. ’And here I was, thinking it was something serious!’
"Yeah... My boyfriend is coming home on leave that day, and my family wants to meet you too," Zhang Hongying said, her face turning red.
"Bring Nuonuo with you!" Zhang Hongying added quickly, afraid Zhou Lian might refuse. She knew Zhou Lian’s husband was away on business and figured she might worry about leaving her child.
"Alright, I’ll definitely be there. I have to see the groom-to-be," Zhou Lian agreed with a smile. It was rare to find a close friend, so she would never refuse such a small request.
"Okay!" Zhang Hongying replied with a wide grin. She was relieved Zhou Lian had agreed. ’My family is really eager to meet my best friend!’
When she got home, Sister Fang had already made dinner and was waiting with Nuonuo at the main gate. She only broke into a relieved smile when she saw Zhou Lian turn into the alley. In less than a month, Sister Fang had completely integrated into the family. She treated Li Xiu and Zhou Lian like her own relatives. This was especially true for Zhou Lian; ever since Li Xiu went south, Sister Fang had been diligently taking care of both her and Nuonuo.
"Sister Fang, you don’t have to wait for me at the gate. You can just stay inside. Let Nuonuo play on the kang bed, and you can sit and rest for a bit," Zhou Lian said with a hint of gentle complaint. She was a grown woman, yet Sister Fang still worried about her, waiting at the gate for her after class every afternoon.
"It’s no trouble, I’m not tired. Our Nuonuo is such a good girl, aren’t you, Nuonuo?" Sister Fang said, teasing the baby as she carried her back into the house with Zhou Lian.
"Yes! Nuonuo is good, Aunty is good, Mommy is not good," Nuonuo mumbled, making a face at Zhou Lian from over Sister Fang’s shoulder.
"How is Mommy not good? You little stinker, Nuonuo." Zhou Lian pretended to glare at Nuonuo from behind. ’This little brat is getting out of hand. Everyone spoils her; she’s going to be spoiled rotten.’
"Nuonuo not stinker! Mommy not good, didn’t eat," Nuonuo retorted.
Hearing the mother and daughter banter, Sister Fang couldn’t help but laugh. That morning, Zhou Lian had been a picky eater and hadn’t finished her meal. Sister Fang had watched her and said that if she didn’t eat properly, she would definitely tell Li Xiu when he got back. Nuonuo had overheard and had been chanting "Mommy not good, didn’t eat" all day.
"Look how thin you are, and you’re still not eating properly. Even our Nuonuo is making fun of you now," Sister Fang said, taking the opportunity to give her a little nudge. ’No wonder Li Xiu was so worried before he left. He wasn’t worried about his one-year-old daughter, but about his wife not eating right.’ She had always thought Li Xiu was just especially doting on his wife, which was why he was worried. It turned out that while he did dote on her, it was also true that his wife was a picky eater, a grown woman acting like a child.