Qu Ling wasn't annoyed, she just smiled and said, "Can't I learn? But you, can you handle all those household chores?"
"Who said I can't do housework?" I pouted unhappily. "I'm good at sweeping and wiping tables."
"That's the work of the waiter."
"You!!" I glared at him angrily. "You've never seen me do housework, how do you know I can't?"
“That’s what everyone in the family says,” Qu Ling blinked innocently, “Grandma said it, your mom said it, Grandpa said it too…”
I was speechless, but then I rolled my eyes and laughed, "How about this, I'll learn bamboo carving, and you can take care of the housework?"
"Hehe—" The white-haired old man suddenly laughed loudly, "You two aren't married yet, are you? Is your wedding just around the corner?"
"Huh?" I abruptly stopped talking, only then realizing what I had just said, and I was too embarrassed to look up.
"Uncle, you have a good eye." Qu Ling said calmly, "Uncle, could you sell us these two small bamboo buckets? They are so exquisitely made. She liked them the moment she saw them."
"Haha, it's rare that we're destined to meet, so why talk about selling? Since the young lady likes it, I'll give it to you!" The old man reached out and stuffed the small bucket on the stone table into my hand, and I could only blush and thank him repeatedly.
"Oh, by the way, these two small buckets on this carrying pole are also called 'Hundred Years of Good Fortune Buckets.' What are your names? I'll engrave them on them for you. It'll be both auspicious and a keepsake. Consider it a small early congratulatory gift from this old man to you two!"
"Then thank you, sir!" Qu Ling didn't refuse at all, picked up the brush on the table, dipped it in water, and wrote our names on the stone table.
"Su Yuanyuan, Qu Ling!" The old man murmured the names for a moment before saying, "Good names!"
I thought they were praising me, so I said a little embarrassedly, "Hehe, actually it's just ordinary, everyone on the street calls me Yuanyuan."
The old man paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yuanyuan is a good name, she lives up to her name! But I'm talking about the name Qu Ling. The surname Qu is hard to match with a given name, but Lingzi is a wonderful choice. 'After many twists and turns, one can finally soar into the sky!'"
It turned out I had been presumptuous. I smiled awkwardly and glanced at Qu Ling, who was the one who was actually being praised. He looked indifferent and just listened with a smile without saying a word.
After the old man carved our names on the bamboo bucket, Qu Ling took the bucket and thanked him, but said, "Actually, being in the air is not necessarily the best thing. It is more pleasant to lie freely among the mountains and rivers."
The old man laughed heartily, patted Qu Ling on the shoulder, and said, "Young man, have you already grasped the meaning of enlightenment? Why don't you take the young lady and experience life in the mortal world first!"
Qu Ling laughed heartily, "What the old man said is absolutely right."
We sat for a while longer, then, seeing that it was getting late, we said goodbye to the old man.
Carrying the bucket, I walked into the alley. I looked at the bucket, then at Qu Ling. I was happy, but I couldn't say a word.
"Yuanyuan, I'm leaving."
"So fast?" I almost forgot that Qu Ling had to rush back.
"It's already past ten o'clock, and it will be evening by the time I get back."
"Okay. Then, I'll take you to the edge of the village."
"good."
As we approached the village and got closer to the parking lot, I suddenly felt a pang of reluctance to see him off, and I even felt sad.
"Dean, please drive slowly, this mountain road is too dangerous."
"good."
"Stop and rest when you reach the rest area, don't keep driving."
"good."
"Remember to call me when you arrive, no matter how late it is, I'll be waiting."
Qu Ling was silent for a moment, then said, "Yuanyuan, you're not angry with me anymore?"
"Huh? I... um..." I mumbled a reply, avoiding his gaze and looking around. Not far away, an old man carrying a load of firewood, wontons, and beef noodles walked over. I quickly said, "Dean, have a bowl of noodles before you go. It's almost noon now, and you won't have anywhere to eat if you drive on the road."
Qu Ling smiled and followed me to the wonton stall.
"Boss, one bowl of beef noodles and one bowl of wontons!" I shouted to the old man selling wontons.
"Okay! Just a moment, it'll be ready soon!"
I pulled Qu Ling to sit down at the stall, carefully found a clean pair of chopsticks and handed them to him. Qu Ling took the chopsticks and whispered, "Don't be angry with me, and don't say you don't want me. It will make me sad."
The beef noodles and wontons were served, the steam rising into my eyes. I scooped up a spoonful of soup and murmured, "Mmm."
Author's Note: I rushed and rushed... and finally made it before leaving get off work!
Was Yuanyuan softened by Qu Ling too quickly?
That good-for-nothing!
Everyone, just keep teasing her!
A Flower Arrangement
I was supposed to update today, but suddenly a difficult task was assigned, so my writing time was ruined. (Original post)
My laptop is still at my mom's house; I didn't bring it to the new house, so I can't write tonight. To make up for it, I'll use my last bit of free time before I leave work...
I'm free, so I'll write a little flower arrangement for fun.
P.S.: I'm going to my mom's house tomorrow night so I can update! You can all look forward to it! I'll update a lot! I promise!
*****
One day, Su Yuanyuan was sitting in her office, bored. She clicked on the avatars on QQ and looked at their QQ signatures one by one.
As she scrolled through the pages, she encountered both humorous and serious moments. When she saw Su Zhenzhen's personal signature, Su Yuanyuan was stunned.
The signature reads: I am the most adorable, intelligent, and youthful beauty in the entire universe... ...her mother.
Su Yuanyuan immediately sent a message.