The first to try to make a gesture was Hua Rong. He initially thought of clasping his hands in a fist salute, and then he thought of bowing. But when he realized that both of those were rather inappropriate, he did something completely unexpected: he waved the bag of cake at Xiu Xiu and said, "Want some?" He then added, "Creamy."
So romantic!
Chapter Seventy-Seven Double Bed
To my surprise, Xiuxiu didn't rush over either. She stared blankly at Hua Rong, her expression a mix of laughter and tears, perhaps with a hint of self-mockery. Then I saw her pinch her thigh hard, and tears streamed down her face.
At first, I didn't quite understand. I thought Xiuxiu had masochistic tendencies, but then I realized that she was doubting that she was dreaming.
That's really not a good habit. Pinching yourself every time something good happens—if you actually do that in a dream, wouldn't you wake up? Anyway, I don't do that. When I was separated from Baozi, I had erotic dreams almost every night, and my approach was to just go for it without thinking twice. During those days, I had real, literal "one-night stands" with many different types of beautiful women in my dreams…
This time, Xiuxiu threw herself into Hua Rong's arms without any hesitation. She rested her head on Hua Rong's shoulder, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, closed her eyes, and kept her long eyelashes still, as if she planned to spend the rest of her life like this.
Hua Rong stood there awkwardly with her hands clasped together. I waited for a while, but seeing that Xiu Xiu showed no sign of letting go, I had no choice but to go over and take Hua Rong's hands behind her back, then carry the cake into the house.
I looked around all the rooms. The houses weren't small, and they were all very clean—except for the absence of dust, not a single appliance was left. It seemed Hua Rong's family had truly gone to their wits' end in trying to save him. In the main room, only a few old tables and chairs remained. I sat there listlessly for a while, then poured myself two glasses of water. Seeing the two people still embracing in the yard, I coughed from the steps and said, "Shall we eat first?"
Xiuxiu seemed to only then realize that I was an outsider. Startled, she left Hua Rong's embrace and looked back at me. Hua Rong's face was already as red as a monkey's bottom. I thought maliciously, "This guy has been celibate for half a year, he definitely can't resist the temptation of women."
Xiuxiu wiped her eyes and said, "This is your friend?"
Hua Rong said blankly, "Yes, he brought me back."
Xiuxiu lovingly stroked Hua Rong's face and softly asked, "Is it really you?"
I could tell that Hua Rong wanted to say no, so I quickly laughed it off and said, "Who else could it be but him? I just heard about his situation. What's it called in clinical practice again—" I had no idea what it was called, so I moved on from that, "Anyway, he's awake."
Xiuxiu smiled brightly, took Hua Rong's hand and said, "Let's go home."
It was clear this girl hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day; she was walking unsteadily. If it weren't for her overwhelming joy, she probably would have collapsed long ago. We came here precisely to encourage her to live well, right? I said, "Sister-in-law, let's eat first."
Xiuxiu stood there stunned, and said embarrassedly, "There's nothing left in the house except pots and pans. You wait here, I'll go buy some groceries right away."
I quickly waved my hand: "Don't move, I'll go!"
A good soldier can endure the lonely, cold night, but often falls at the first ray of dawn; I understand that. Letting Xiuxiu go out at this time could easily lead to a stroke or heart attack.
I went out for a walk but couldn't find a market. Then I realized we didn't even have oil or salt at home, so why would I buy vegetables? I just carried back a box of instant noodles. Xiuxiu seemed to have been crying again, holding onto Hua Rongdi's hand tightly, saying something. The handsome Hua Rongdi sat opposite her, blushing like a silly goose.
When Xiuxiu saw me come in, she busied herself with cooking. She set up the gas stove and pot, poured in water, and started making noodles. Hua Rong helped by holding two eggs; you could tell the boy was starving too. It's our fault, really. Little Li Guang survived for half a year on glucose drips, and as soon as he woke up, we dragged him to the park to shoot arrows for half a day, without even giving him a bottle of cola. Actually, my stomach was growling too; I hadn't eaten or drunk anything since morning.
Next, we had a unique noodle-eating contest. The noodles were served bowl by bowl, and we slurped them down one by one. The three of us didn't even have time to talk. We held our bowls and chopsticks, staring intently at the pot. As soon as the noodles softened, we pulled them into our bowls, and occasionally dropped a couple of eggs in.
The three of us ate 12 packets of instant noodles and 3 pounds of boiled eggs with the cake. In the end, we were all slumped in our chairs with our bellies bulging and satisfied smiles on our faces. We looked at each other, speechless. This long-awaited reunion was wonderful—but also incredibly filling.
I had a toothpick stuck in my mouth for a while before I could catch my breath. Seeing that neither of them was saying anything, I winked at Xiuxiu, signaling her to come outside with me. Once outside, I smiled at her and introduced myself, "My name is Xiaoqiang, I'm Hua... Xiaoran's friend." Xiuxiu shook my hand and said sincerely, "Thank you, Brother Xiaoqiang."
I gestured towards Hua Rong with my lip and whispered, "Your husband has woken up, but he's still a bit confused. He doesn't remember much about the past or people except for you."
Xiuxiu lowered her head, tugging at the hem of her clothes, and said, "I can tell..."
"You can't dislike him because of his appearance, can you?"
“How could that be?” Xiuxiu said excitedly, “I never complained about him even though he had been lying in bed for more than half a year.”
"Hehe, that's good. Also, he's like a little kid right now, so you'll have to teach him a lot of survival skills one by one. But I guarantee he'll learn them in no time, so don't be impatient."
Xiuxiu nodded vigorously.
I said, "Then there's nothing else. You two can stay here and get to know each other better."
Xiuxiu originally wanted me to stay, but after looking at the bare walls of the house, she whispered, "Then I'll see you off."
I said, "No need, Xiao Ran can deliver it." As I spoke, I waved to Hua Rong, who hurriedly ran out.
After I got in the car, he sat in the passenger seat. I turned to look at him, and he looked at me, completely confused. Finally, he got annoyed by my staring and turned the rearview mirror to check if there was anything dirty on his face—given his intelligence, he should be able to fully adapt to modern life in ten days or two weeks.
I couldn't help but ask him, "Why are you still following me?"
Hua Rong said, "Let's go back."
I pointed to Xiuxiu, who was standing at the door, peering intently at us, and said, "That's your home."
Hua Rong's expression changed. "No way, you want me to live with her? A man and a woman all alone together..."
I yelled, "Bullshit! That's your wife."
Hua Rong looked pitiful, clinging to the handrail and refusing to get off the bus.
I was furious: "Go ahead and go then! He's not a man!"
Hua Rong said, "I'd rather live with a man. Isn't that what happens all the time during wartime?"
I sighed. It seems the generational gap really can't be bridged overnight. I simply turned his head toward Xiuxiu: "Look at her properly. She's a girl who almost lost her life because of you. She's still waiting for you to come back. Can you really bear to leave like this?"
Xiuxiu leaned against the doorframe, half her body leaning forward, her eyes fixed on Hua Rong without blinking, as if afraid he would disappear again. Hua Rong looked at her, finally sighed softly, opened the car door and said, "Okay. I'll go back."
As we walked, I put my arm around his shoulder and stuffed 2,000 yuan into his hand, whispering in his ear, "Buy a bed first. Whether you buy a double bed or two single beds depends on your skills."
Hua Rong said matter-of-factly, "Don't worry, I'll definitely buy two single tickets. I'm not the kind of person you think I am!"
I was so angry that I punched him hard. But thinking about it, it's understandable. He just came from that era, and traditional moral values are deeply ingrained in him. This can't be rushed.
I watched as Hua Rong walked back to Xiu Xiu's side. Both of them looked quite energetic, having eaten a lot of instant noodles. They shouldn't die anytime soon; at most, they'd suffer from stomach problems. That fulfilled one of our wishes.
When I returned to the pawnshop, I ran into a man in a suit and leather shoes coming out, looking distressed, as if he hadn't gotten what he wanted. He went inside and saw Li Shishi sitting there, fuming. I immediately wrapped a brick in my hand, stood at the doorway, and pretended to chase after her, saying, "Cousin, did that guy harass you? I'll smash his face in!"
Li Shishi rested her chin on her hand and said, "He is one of Jin Shaoyan's men."