hotmtlnovel Chapter 105: If you are not smart, you may not live this long
Chapter 105: If you are not smart, you may not live this long
Chapter 105: If you are not smart, you may not live this long
The meal was a bit half-hearted for both of them.
The fish, prepared over several days for this special occasion, was left unappreciated, its flavors not properly savored. After cleaning the dishes, Xu Qing suddenly realized he had turned into a human dishwasher. At home, he did the washing. At his parents’ house, he did the washing.
This wasn’t how he had planned things!
Glancing back at Jiang He, she was already seated at the computer, fully immersed in her game, as if nothing was amiss.@@@@
“Do you want your clothes washed?” Xu Qing gave up overthinking, went to grab his dirty laundry, and tossed it into the washing machine.
“Yes, my cotton pants,” Jiang He replied, focused on her in-game rampage. “Oh, and my sweater... uh, the small cow... small cow...”
“That’s called jeans. Just say pants,” Xu Qing corrected her, starting the water in the washing machine. “Should I grab them for you, or will you get them later?”
“You... you grab them.”
“Alright.”
Their down jackets were sent to the dry cleaner, so their laundry typically consisted of only a few items. As for more personal clothing—those were usually scrubbed during showers.
“We still need to do a thorough cleaning later,” Xu Qing reminded her while glancing around. “It’s called ‘sweeping away the old to welcome the new.’ Technically, you’re a year older now, about thirteen hundred and... never mind, I can’t calculate it.”
He gave up trying to estimate this “grandma’s” age, inspecting the corners of the apartment instead. Jiang He usually kept everything clean, but the ceiling corners needed attention. Without waiting for her, Xu Qing tied a cloth to a broomstick and cleaned them himself.
Jiang He, busy gaming, glanced up at him briefly before returning to her in-game chaos.
After sweeping up the dust on the floor, Xu Qing clapped his hands, satisfied with the results. Over the past six months, the two of them had truly turned this place into a home.
Xu Qing walked to the window to take in the snowy landscape. He idly opened the window a crack, only to quickly shut it as the cold wind rushed in. Behind the glass and security bars, he looked out at the scene.
This was Jiang He’s first New Year here, in this place she now called home. It was a fresh start, a new chapter.
Xu Qing stroked his chin thoughtfully. What did it mean to truly be a modern person? Was it just that she found life here better and was won over by a plate of dumplings? Did she suddenly want to repay him with her devotion?
No, that didn’t make sense. It had been so long without any significant progress—there was no way one plate of dumplings could have broken through her defenses.
His thoughts wandered wildly. Maybe he should check Baidu... wait, he hadn’t checked her search history in a while. She might have forgotten to clear it recently.
“Crude!”
“Time smooths everything out. Every day, you’re becoming more like a native modern person. Just keep going.”
Xu Qing chuckled, picked up Winter Melon, and sat on the couch. “If I were some high-ranking official, I could solve this for you in an instant. But I’m not, and you’re unlikely to meet someone like that...
“And even if you did, they probably wouldn’t be as kind-hearted as me. They’d probably arrest you first. That’s fate.”
He smirked, then added, “Meeting a small-town guy like me? That’s what you call ‘fate.’”
“Fate?” Jiang He repeated.
“People connected by fate are destined to meet in various ways. It’s a pleasure to know you, Jiang Xiaohuo.”
“It’s Jiang He.”
“Close enough.”
Seeing that it was time for practice, Xu Qing began stretching and preparing for his martial arts training.
Unknowingly, Jiang He had started discussing issues with him instead of passively listening. This realization delighted Xu Qing.
By evening, snow continued to fall, covering the roads in a thick layer.
Jiang He tied on an apron and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner, leaving Xu Qing leaning against the doorframe of the living room for a moment of solitude.
“What’s for dinner?”
“I’m thinking about making dumplings. Yesterday’s were really good.” Jiang He was studying how to make lamb and green onion filling.
“You’ve got this!” Xu Qing encouraged her before confirming she wouldn’t come out suddenly. Then he eagerly turned to the computer to check something.
Opening Baidu, he clicked on the search history and held his breath.
There was only one entry:
“I knew you were snooping.”
???