amaotonovel Chapter 88 Pursuing a Wife Requires Effort
Chapter 88 Pursuing a Wife Requires Effort
Xiao Bao and Xiao Xue gradually developed feelings for each other. One day after get off work, Xiao Bao arrived early at the basement level and waited for Xiao Xue in his car. Xiao Xue still had some payments to sign in the finance department. After finishing, she came down to get her car when she heard Xiao Bao lightly honk his horn twice in the basement and peek out, calling, "Xiao Xue, come here." Xiao Xue then slowly walked over and sat in the passenger seat. Usually, Xiao Bao's driver would drive him, but for their date, he had given the driver the day off.
Xiao Bao drove Xiao Xue slowly to a movie theater in the small town. The two walked into the theater and sat in a small corner. It was a romance movie. Watching the couples in front of them holding hands, kissing, and whispering sweet nothings, they sat in a corner. Because the theater wasn't very crowded, there were only a few couples sitting on either side of them, creating a rather ambiguous atmosphere. Xiao Bao hadn't had sex in thirty years, and during one of the romantic scenes, he secretly leaned his head over. Xiao Xue saw his cute action and thought it was childish; Xiao Bao, who was over thirty, was behaving like a kid. Xiao Bao, who was 1.9 meters tall, leaned on Xiao Xue's shoulder, who was 1.75 meters tall, his head even touching her shoulder. Xiao Xue ruffled his fluffy head, turned her head, and gently kissed Xiao Bao's lips in the shadows. This angered a big bad wolf. Xiao Bao didn't let Xiao Xue escape. He pressed Xiao Xue's head down with his other hand and kissed her fiercely, a passionate kiss that startled Xiao Xue. She had truly provoked a big bad wolf. Even after the movie ended, Xiaobao lingered, stealing a kiss on Xiaoxue's cheek before slowly leading her away. Xiaoxue's lips were a little chapped and swollen. Outside the theater, many little girls also had red and swollen lips—perhaps this was the joy of young lovers.
While driving that evening, Xiaobao asked Xiaoxue if she wanted to grab some late-night snacks. They had eaten dinner at the company and worked overtime for a while before leaving. Xiaoxue agreed, suggesting barbecue. They arrived at a hawker stall, bustling with people eating barbecue. Xiaobao led Xiaoxue to a corner and ordered over a hundred yuan worth of barbecue, slowly starting to eat. Xiaobao didn't think it was very good, but Xiaoxue thought it was alright. After all, Xiaobao was a picky eater, and ordinary food from outside couldn't satisfy his cravings. In the end, Xiaobao didn't eat much, while Xiaoxue ate a few pieces but couldn't finish. Xiaobao packed the rest and gave it to the soldiers at the gatehouse.
Then he took Xiaoxue to the house where his mother practiced medicine. There was his bedroom inside, and an apartment upstairs. He went to the terrace, took out ingredients from the refrigerator, chopped meat, seasoned it, and skewered it. He also took out eggplant and cucumber. Once everything in the refrigerator was ready, the stove outside was lit. Xiaoxue watched him and asked, "Didn't you eat enough outside?" Xiaobao said, "That was awful. I'll make you something." He even let Xiaoxue wander around his room.
Xiaoxue came to his bedroom and saw that the blue bedroom was clean and tidy. She asked, "Did the housekeeper clean it?" Xiaobao said, "I live on this whole floor upstairs. There's no housekeeper to clean it. Sometimes patients come downstairs for treatment, and there are some soldiers on the top floor. For now, it's just me living here. Occasionally, I can't go home or back to Guli, so I stay here." Xiaobao also realized that it wasn't very convenient for Xiaoxue to come here. He was thinking about whether he should ask his mother for an apartment in the company dormitory, but the dormitory was almost full. Thinking about the few villas that his mother had developed for relevant leaders that hadn't been allocated yet, Xiaobao thought for a moment and said, "Our company still has a few slightly larger villas that haven't been allocated yet. Which one do you like? I'll renovate it and we can live there." The young lady said, "You decide for yourself. Anyway, it's you living there, not me." Xiaobao chuckled and said, "It'll be your home in the future too." Xiaoxue glared at Xiaobao.
Xiao Bao had been grilling, sprinkling Sichuan peppercorn powder and bell pepper powder, brushing on a layer of oil, and then sprinkling some cumin—it smelled so good! Xiao Xue thought Xiao Bao's food was especially delicious. She had never eaten so much before; she had eaten out tonight, but after coming back to Xiao Bao's, she had eaten quite a bit. After they finished eating, Xiao Bao gave Xiao Xue two bottles of cola. Xiao Xue said, "If I keep eating like this, I'm going to get fat." Xiao Bao said, "It's okay, you won't." "Why not?" Xiao Xue asked. Xiao Bao took Xiao Xue's hand and slowly put on some music. The two of them began to dance gently. Although it wasn't a formal dance, Xiao Xue moved slowly to the music, her movements small, like she was taking a stroll on the balcony after eating. The two of them looked like a blissful couple.
It was midnight when Xiaoxue said, "Take me home." Xiaobao grinned mischievously, "Or you could stay here." Xiaoxue said very seriously, "Don't even think about it before we're married." Xiaobao had no choice but to reply, "Okay then."
Despite Xiaoxue's resolute attitude, Xiaobao slowly took her hand and led her out of his place, then drove her home. Xiaoxue lived in the company's apartment complex, on the top floor. As the finance manager, she had chosen a two-unit-per-floor apartment; it was very large, over 180 square meters on the ground floor and about 100 square meters upstairs, plus a large terrace. This was a reward given to department managers and above, so she lived in such a large apartment all by herself. At the time, it seemed a little strange, but considering her high position, he figured he might as well accept it.
After Xiaoxue moved in, the house was renovated, and the water, electricity, gas, and property management were all set up; only the soft furnishings were missing. When Xiaobao finally managed to stay and look around Xiaoxue's house, he discovered that Xiaoxue had excellent taste. The whole house was simple yet cozy, and she didn't feel the space living alone. The living room had a unique sofa, two small round coffee tables, and a round dining table. The balcony was filled with Xiaoxue's favorite flowers and plants. To the left was an open kitchen with an island and both Chinese and Western cooking areas, and to the right was the dining room, followed by the living room. Further in from the living room, there was a suite and a second bedroom. Xiaobao looked at the second bedroom, which Xiaoxue used as a storage room. The master bedroom was an art studio, with a long table for painting Chinese and oil paintings, complete with chairs and a table. Sunlight streamed in, making it very comfortable, and the walls were covered with calligraphy and paintings.
Upstairs, on the left is a bathroom and a second bedroom. The second bedroom is very tidy, probably because Xiaoxue's parents occasionally stay there. Then there's a small, cozy living room with a two-seater sofa, a massage sofa by the window, a small coffee table, and a stove for brewing tea. Beyond that is a large terrace with a sunroom filled with flowers and plants. The walls are lined with bookshelves, and there's a fireplace with a chimney extending outwards; it must be very comfortable to sit there in winter. Sunlight streams in through the glass, illuminating the lush flowers and the warm glow of the wood-burning fire.
Then there is a very wide and large part of the terrace, with small mounds of vegetables planted on the roof. It should have been planted by Xiaoxue's parents. The area is surrounded by wooden fences, and there is soil inside. All kinds of vegetables are planted. The vegetables in each mound are not arranged neatly, but scattered in a staggered and orderly manner on the roof.
On the other side was a cage about two meters long, with chickens and ducks on top and rabbits living below. There was also a sprinkler system that flushed their droppings to a white septic tank or organic waste disposal area next to the balcony. The organic waste was then piped to each vegetable patch. Xiao Bao found it strange that Xiao Xue, who was usually very clean, would do this; it was clearly her parents' doing.
There were two haystacks, the top one about 1.5 meters high, with a hole cut about 30 centimeters from the ground. In the chicken feeding tunnel, about 2 meters long and 60 centimeters wide, there was an opening in the tunnel for the haystacks. About 30 centimeters below the haystacks, there was a hole, seemingly for the ducks to lay eggs. Then, there was another hole cut about 80 centimeters high, presumably for the chicks to lay eggs. There were also two cages for rabbits. Xiao Bao noticed there were 12 rabbits inside. Xiao Xue's parents weren't home; who would feed the rabbits? Xiao Bao walked over and found an automatic feeder on the other side of the cages. There were automatic feeders for both chickens and ducks—five for chickens and five for ducks. Even without Xiao Xue's parents, they could be fed automatically, and there was also an automatic water dispenser. The entire rooftop didn't smell particularly bad; instead, there was a fresh scent of grass and the fragrance of earth. The rooftop was very nicely decorated.
To the right of the sunroom entrance is a staircase leading to the rooftop. At the top, you can still see patches of vegetable gardens, with rabbit, chicken, and duck cages placed against the wall. On the other side, a roughly 3-meter-long climbing trellis has been built against the fence, planted with watermelons and grapevines; several watermelons are already on it. The rooftop also has patches of vegetable gardens, planted with garlic, scallions, and some radishes. It's still warm at this time of year, yet they've planted radishes! Xiao Bao, though he doesn't understand, feels that planting radishes at this time seems a bit inappropriate, but he looks at it without saying a word. There are also a lot of chili peppers, as well as some eggplants and spinach. All of this is what Xiao Bao sees; the scene is particularly beautiful.
It was the middle of the night, and Xiaobao had turned on the rooftop lights, so he could still see clearly as he jumped around. While Xiaobao was exploring, Xiaoxue went home to wash up and prepare for bed. Xiaobao refused to leave, but Xiaoxue explained that she had to go to work the next day and went to wash up by herself. When Xiaobao came down from the rooftop, he saw that Xiaoxue had finished washing up and was sitting in the small living room upstairs applying a face mask.
Xiao Bao said, "Aren't you asleep yet?" Xiao Xue said, "You haven't left yet." Xiao Bao chuckled, "I'm planning to stay here." Xiao Xue said, "No, you can't. Go back quickly, it's almost 1 a.m." Xiao Bao said, "Let me take another look, let me tour your bedroom." Xiao Bao slowly walked over and saw that Xiao Xue's bedroom was clean and tidy, very large, with a large bed measuring two meters by two and a half meters, bedside tables at both ends, a dressing table, a walk-in closet next to it, and next to the walk-in closet were the toilet, washroom, and bathtub. Her parents had decorated the house very well; although the company's basic renovation was a high-end renovation, it must have cost a lot of money to achieve this.
Upstairs, there's only one large master bedroom and one secondary bedroom. Xiaoxue usually lives in the master bedroom, and her parents occasionally stay in the secondary bedroom. Downstairs, there's a large master bedroom, one secondary bedroom, a large living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, so the house is quite large. However, Xiaoxue has martial arts training, so she's not afraid to live alone.
Xiaoxue finished her face mask, tidied up, washed her face, and leaned against the door, saying, "You can go back now." Just as she said this, Xiaobao got up, pulled Xiaoxue over, and pressed her onto the bed. Xiaoxue gasped, thinking Xiaobao was going to do something, but he didn't do anything. He simply pulled her into his arms, placed her on the bed, and kissed her again. This time, Xiaobao's actions startled Xiaoxue, but he just kissed her a few more times, then got up and said, "I'm going back. I have to go to work tomorrow. You should get some rest." Xiaobao slowly walked downstairs, and Xiaoxue got out of bed and followed him down. Xiaobao opened the door and said, "Close the door properly. I'm going back now." Xiaobao went out and closed the door. Xiaoxue leaned against the door, listening to Xiaobao's footsteps. After the elevator opened and Xiaobao left, she went back upstairs and lay down on the bed. Thinking of Xiao Bao's crazy actions just now, kissing him again and again, Xiao Xue was very excited when he was reluctant to leave, and couldn't help but make "ah ah" sounds. Then she set the alarm clock and fell asleep quickly.
The next morning, at 8:30, since Xiaoxue and Xiaobao had to go to work at 9:00, Xiaobao brought the breakfast he had prepared at home to Xiaoxue's building. After entering the password, he busied himself in the kitchen. Xiaoxue was already upstairs washing up when she heard the noise downstairs. She came down and saw it was Xiaobao. Seeing the breakfast he brought, Xiaoxue asked, "Did you buy it downstairs?" Xiaobao said, "No, I made it at home. The ones downstairs aren't very good, so I made it for you. Quickly put it on the table, let's enjoy my breakfast together." There were steamed buns, two fried dough sticks, and two cups of soy milk. This was definitely not enough for Xiaobao, who always had a big appetite. So he used Xiaoxue's kitchen, turned on the stove, boiled water, and cooked two bowls of wontons. Xiaoxue ordered the clear broth version, while Xiaobao ordered the spicy version for himself.
Seeing Xiaobao enjoying his food, Xiaoxue suddenly reached into his bowl with her chopsticks and picked up a spicy wonton. She ate it with gusto, finding it too spicy to handle, but still enjoying it, and then reached into Xiaobao's bowl for another one. The scene was quite funny, because Xiaoxue's bowl only had seven or eight wontons, while Xiaobao's bowl had nearly thirty, packed in a large bowl. Thinking about how Xiaoxue had sneakily eaten the wontons from his bowl, Xiaobao couldn't help but laugh.
Because the wontons were made with fresh pork from Xiaobao's own farm, slaughtered and wrapped at home, and even packed in individual compartments, they had just arrived this morning. Xiaoxue had over 40 in total, all of which were cooked in the pot. Xiaoxue only had seven in her bowl. Seeing that she still seemed unsatisfied, Xiaoxue suddenly realized that Xiaobao's cooking was exceptionally delicious. This man was both pleasing to the eye and good for the stomach; he was a good man, Xiaoxue thought. Seeing Xiaobao smiling at her, she quickly took out her spoon, scooped two more wontons from his bowl, and continued stuffing them into her mouth.
Xiao Bao said, "Won't you get a stomachache from eating so much?" Xiao Xue said, "No, I'm going to be very busy today." Xiao Bao asked, "Busy with what?" Xiao Xue said, "This quarter has passed, it's been half a year already, they need to audit the accounts, there's a half-year company summary, don't you know that as the boss?" Xiao Bao said, "I haven't really paid attention. In the past six months, some benefits need to be distributed, and some, um, the holidays are coming up." Xiao Bao asked, "What holidays?" Xiao Xue said, "Summer vacation is coming, the company also opened a daycare center, which will incur some expenses, and the company's accounts need to be filed for taxes every quarter, and in the past six months, they need to do a comprehensive audit of some things under each department."
Xiao Bao then realized that he hadn't been in charge of the company for long and wasn't particularly familiar with finances. It was only because of Xiao Xue that he had started paying attention to financial matters. Previously, his parents had managed the finances, and even after finally taking over, he still acted like a spoiled prince, not having adjusted to his military work schedule. So, he was slowly learning how to be a good boss. Amidst Xiao Xue's rambling, breakfast was finished. Just before 8:55, the two went downstairs, and the boss sped off to the company, as it was only about 5 kilometers away. Upon arrival, Xiao Xue clocked in on the basement level and then slowly took the boss's private elevator to her floor, beginning her busy day.