The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 348 Be My Man

It was exactly six o'clock when Zhou Xiaomei arrived home. My mother was cooking in the kitchen, the three children were doing their homework, and Cao Jiadong was cleaning the house.

"Mom is back!" shouted Xiaolong, dropped his pen and ran over.

Zhou Xiaomei patted her son's head, smiled at Cao Jiadong who came over, then lowered her head and asked her son, "Have you finished your homework?"

"Not yet, there is only one question left." Xiaolong said.

"Hurry up and write."

The little guy walked back reluctantly, met Xiaoying's laughing grimace, and took advantage of the situation to make a grimace in return.

Xiaoying and Xiaojun greeted Zhou Xiaomei one after another, Zhou Xiaomei responded with a smile and walked into the kitchen.

Xiaomei's mother's meal was ready, and when her daughter came in, she greeted her to serve the food, and she came out with the dishes and chopsticks to tell the three children to wash their hands and eat.

Zhou Xiaomei came out with the dishes, saw Cao Jiadong was changing shoes at the door and was about to leave, so she got angry and said sharply, "Stop! What are you doing?"

"I, I, I'll go back." Cao Jiadong stammered.

"You don't leave until I come back, and you leave as soon as I come back. What's wrong? Are you afraid of me? Or did I poison the vegetables?" Zhou Xiaomei asked coldly.

When she got angry, Cao Jiadong was a little dazed, he stood there and walked away, his face was red and his neck was thick.

Seeing the situation, Xiaomei's mother, who came out with the meal, hurriedly said, "What are you doing, Xiao Cao, the meal is ready."

"Oh—" Cao Jiadong lowered his head.

"Oh what, bring the soup, wait for me?" Zhou Xiaomei said bluntly.

Cao Jiadong didn't say anything, and he couldn't say anything at this time—the three children who had washed their hands came back.The two younger ones couldn't see anything, so they sat directly at the dining table, Xiaojun, who was older, saw something, and smiled all over his face.

Cao Jiadong brought the soup to the table and sat down. The six people, old and young, began to eat.

"Hey—would you like some wine?" Zhou Xiaomei suddenly asked Cao Jiadong who was sitting opposite.

Cao Jiadong was taken aback, and said, "Don't drink, don't drink."

"Drink some, it's tiring after a day's work, so drink some wine to feel comfortable." Xiaomei's mother persuaded.

"Look, my mother said it all, have a drink." Zhou Xiaomei said quickly.

"I, I can't drink much." Cao Jiadong said, blushing again.

"I didn't ask you to drink more." Zhou Xiaomei rolled her eyes, and then got up to get the wine. Xiaojun was smart and went first.

When the wine was brought, the two poured a full glass each.Zhou Xiaomei was about to say a few words about wine, but seeing the three children present, she was somewhat embarrassed, so she omitted it.

They raised their glasses and took a sip each.

Put down the wine glass to eat food, no one said anything.

Xiaomei's mother said: "I don't know if you two are drinking, let's make another dish—there are fried peanuts in the refrigerator."

"I'll get it." Xiaojun got up again.

Zhou Xiaomei asked casually, "What did you fix today?"

Cao Jiadong said: "The four-door freezer in the Xiuhaidong store, and the tables in the Jinqiao store."

"Why are the tables in the Jinqiao store always broken?" Zhou Xiaomei asked.

"The turntable is faulty, and the remote control doesn't work well, so it needs to be replaced." Cao Jiadong said.

"Then change it."

"Ah."

After dinner, Cao Jiadong helped Xiaomei's mother clean up the table, ready to go back, Zhou Xiaomei said to go to the Jinqiao store, and the two followed each other downstairs.

When he came downstairs, Cao Jiadong said to Zhou Xiaomei: "You are drinking, you can't drive a car, so go take a taxi." When he was talking, he didn't dare to look at Zhou Xiaomei, but looked ahead.

Zhou Xiaomei was defeated by his ignorance, looked at him and said, "You don't know how to ride an electric car and take me there."

Cao Jiadong said, "I've been drinking, I'm afraid I'll fall you."

"It's mine." Zhou Xiaomei said.

"—Let's take a taxi."

"You—are mad."

Zhou Xiaomei didn't know what to say, so she had no choice but to say, "No, you can walk with me."

Taking advantage of the falling night, Cao Jiadong raised his head and said, "Then—let's go."

The two walked forward, with Zhou Xiaomei in front and Cao Jiadong behind, two meters apart.

Zhou Xiaomei is tall and full of temperament.Cao Jiadong is not short, but Zhou Xiaomei does not look tall, and the work clothes on his body make him unpretentious.

Leaving the community is Saihan Street, and not far in front is the Green Square, where the music of the square dancing aunt can be faintly heard.

The night was getting darker and the lights were brightly lit.

The autumn night brings a slightly drunken coolness, comfortable and warm.

Cao Jiadong walked cautiously behind Zhou Xiaomei. No matter how stupid a person is, he would know what it means to walk like this, let alone he is not a fool.

But he knows that he is the father of two children, a single man who earns money by physical strength and lives in a rented house, and the woman who walks in front is his boss, a beautiful and unattainable existence.

He is grateful to Zhou Xiaomei, because of gratitude, he is willing to do anything for her.Such as taking care of her parents, her children, her home.This is what he can do, other things, to be honest, can't help.

What he did was almost negligible compared to Zhou Xiaomei's help to him.

He is repaying the favor.

Zhou Xiaomei's parents recognized him for his honesty, honesty, and duty, and he didn't know it.What I know is that I should do this, what I don't know is that there is another meaning in the old man's approval.

Having said that, everyone has been young, has been in love, had love, and experienced marriage.No matter how dull a person is, he can't see it in a day or two, but he can understand it vaguely after a long time.

He saw that Zhou Xiaomei's parents wanted to match him with their daughter. To be honest, he never thought about it.He wished he had a woman, the kind who ran a house and lived a normal life, not someone like Zhou Xiaomei——
He knows what he is like and what he should look for. This is the so-called self-knowledge.

So he doesn't think about it, what should he do?

When Zhou Xiaomei was not at home, he took care of her home, her parents, and children. When Xiaomei's mother said that she was going to see her husband in the beautiful valley, he naturally took on the responsibility of taking care of Xiaolong.

If you ask him if he likes Zhou Xiaomei?
To be honest, he is grateful and respectful to Zhou Xiaomei, but don't ask if he likes it.

The two came to the green square and walked along the forest in the green belt naturally.

"Seeing that I'm back, why are you going?" Zhou Xiaomei stopped and asked Cao Jiadong.

"I didn't go away—I want to go home and burn the kang." Cao Jiadong said.

"What if I don't come back?"

"—and go too."

Zhou Xiaomei smiled, very happily.Then he said: "Don't hide it, tell me what you think?"

"What do you think?" Cao Jiadong asked.

"What do you think about me?" Zhou Xiaomei was straightforward this time.

"I—I didn't think much of it."

"Really?"

"Well, at the beginning you took care of Xiaojun and Xiaoying, arranged work for me, and helped me a lot. Now that you are busy, I should take care of you." Cao Jiadong said.

"Didn't you think about anything else?" Zhou Xiaomei asked temptingly.

"No—didn't—never dare to think about it."

"You're an honest man, you don't know how to lie, you should know what my parents mean after a long time, and you never thought about being my man?"

(End of this chapter)