Chapter 251: Focus on Achieving It, and Give It Your All!
Life…
Can it really be this wonderful?
Right now, Lin Yibai felt amazing. After just one night, it really felt like she had cleaned out all the “impurities” in her body. Just like some kind of spiritual upgrade!
The washing machine was loudly spinning with the sofa cushions, a bath towel, and a few small pieces of clothing.
Lin Yibai stood next to it, waiting for everything to finish drying. And surprisingly, she was in a great mood.
While waiting, she looked in the mirror and made a little turtle-like sound:
"Oh my gosh, my skin looks so much better! Is this for real?"
Her skin looked nicer, and she felt more energetic, too. That’s why people say women need care and love, just like good farmland needs regular tending to stay healthy and full of life.
Whirr… brrrr, brrrr~~~
The washing machine finally stopped.
She took out the dry clothes. The smaller items were hung up inside by the window.
As for the towel and sofa cushions, since they can easily trap dirt and germs, she took them up to the rooftop to dry in the sun.
And as her mood improved, the sky also began to brighten. After days of gloomy rain, the sunshine finally returned!
But the wind was still strong.
She clipped the towel and cushions in place. Then she brushed her hair away from her face.
Just then, a big gust of wind blew by. Her white, light dress fluttered wildly and stuck closely to her body, showing off her graceful figure.
"Eek! So cold~~"
She realized that after so many rainy autumn days, the weather had truly turned cold. It was already November!
She had wanted to enjoy a bit of sun, but the wind on the rooftop was too strong.
So Lin Yibai shuffled back down to her apartment in her white slippers.
Not long after, she changed into her regular clothes and lightly walked to a small grocery store a few hundred meters from her apartment.
The fruits, vegetables, and meat there were all fresh.
Since all her university classes and exams were finished, her life had slowed down a bit.
Now, she spent her days reading books for the civil service exam, checking job listings, practicing interviews, and like today focusing more on cooking her meals.
Ordering food delivery usually cost at least 30 to 40 yuan a day. But if she bought ingredients and cooked herself, even after adding the cost of electricity, it was still cheaper. So unless she felt really lazy, she had already reduced how often she ordered takeout.
"250 grams of pork belly, please."
The butcher’s knife came down, bam! exactly 500 grams.
These butchers were something else. You asked for 250 grams, and they’d often give you 500–700 grams, maybe even a full kilo.
Don’t tell her it’s hard to cut precisely. If someone who’s been cutting meat for years can’t stay within 50 grams of what you ask for, they might as well go bang their head into a block of tofu.
In short, they just wanted to take a little advantage of you, especially if you're a young person who’s too polite to argue. They'll ask for a price based on the weight of the cut.
She also bought some water spinach and soft tofu. Lunch ingredients were all ready, and it cost just over 20 yuan total.
Back home, Lin Yibai was still debating something. She frowned and said,
“Should I stir-fry the spinach with meat, or just plain?”
She personally preferred plain stir-fry.
But that guy, Xia Changyu. Well, let’s be honest, guys just need meat.
What kind of man can go a whole day without meat? A world without meat might as well not exist for them.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yibai smiled and said, “Come on, spinach should always be plain-fried! Add a little garlic and it’s amazing… As for Changyu, fine! I’ll make him a little stir-fried pork dish on the side.”
She didn’t even know exactly when this “unspoken rule” between them had started.
Every day, Xia Changyu would stare at the clock, waiting for work to finish, then rush over to her apartment for dinner.
He came to Lin Yibai’s place even more often than he went home.
But it wasn’t like Xia Changyu was poor or stingy or anything. It wasn’t that after winning her heart, he stopped taking her out to nice restaurants.
The main point is, Lin Yibai was never interested in fancy restaurants at all!
Over time, Xia Changyu got used to eating at Lin Yibai’s place. He felt more familiar going to her apartment than going to his own place, it was like going home.
“Beep beep beep beep~” He typed in the right door code for her apartment.
When Xia Changyu walked in, he saw Lin Yibai cutting pork belly. Lin Yibai didn’t bother to be polite and said, “Perfect timing! Can you help me break the water spinach? Thanks!”
Xia Changyu smiled and said, “Sure!”
The apartment was very small, only about twenty square meters, but it had all the furniture it needed and felt very cozy. Even though there was only one electric stove, Lin Yibai could still cook delicious food there.
She fried the pork belly until it released some fat. Then she added some bean sauce and stir-fried it until fragrant.
She poured hot water into the pan to just cover the pork, cooked until the water was gone, then added chopped green onions and stir-fried for a little longer. Very soon, a plate of tasty pork belly was ready.
Her homemade stir-fry didn’t have to be like the ones outside or in cooking videos. Every family had their own flavor, and this little “good wife” cook had her own special way.
After Xia Changyu finished breaking the water spinach, he couldn’t help sneaking a few big pieces of pork and then praised her.
“Your cooking really is the best! I don’t usually eat much fatty meat, but your pork belly with rice, I could eat two big bowls.”
Lin Yibai smiled and said, “If you’re hungry, the rice cooker should have rice ready. You can go get a bowl first!”
He wasn’t really that hungry. What Xia Changyu cared about most was Lin Yibai herself. Since he came in, he noticed she looked bright and full of energy.
Could it be that last night her bare hands really worked that well?
Or maybe, more sadly, she would rather be with her hands than with him?
Hey, hey, that was a bit too negative to think about!
Xia Changyu believed this was normal, everyone had physical needs. If you didn’t deal with them, you’d just be holding it all in.
What Xia Changyu could do now was push himself harder, “I have to work harder! My goal is to be the one who can take care of Baiyi as soon as possible.”
He knew Lin Yibai wasn’t the old-fashioned type who waited until marriage to be close. If she were, she wouldn’t have helped him on the sofa last time.
Anyway, if they hadn’t gotten closer yet, Xia Changyu had only himself to blame.
While he was lost in thought, Lin Yibai had almost finished preparing the food. The water spinach was stir-fried quickly with some garlic. It took less than two minutes to finish!
She also made a mild mapo tofu with soft tofu, bean paste, and some black pepper.
When the dishes were ready, Lin Yibai asked, “Will you come back for dinner? I saved some water spinach and soft tofu. If you come, I’ll put extra in your noodles.”
Xia Changyu said, “You cooked lunch for me, so how about I take you out for hotpot tonight?”
Lin Yibai asked, “Do you think my cooking isn’t good, or do you just love hotpot that much?”
Xia Changyu patted his chest and said, “I swear, I’m just worried about you.”
Lin Yibai finally laughed, her smile bright like a flower, and said, “Okay, okay, but I’m too lazy to go out!”
She looked a lot more relaxed than before. But as her boyfriend, Xia Changyu knew what she was really worried about, probably about finding a job. She was such a strong girl.
He really wanted to say, ‘Why worry? I’ll support you! I really can support you!’
But…
Well, as her boyfriend, he decided to respect her choice.
He would definitely help her as much as he could because he was serious about marrying her.
So, of course, he cared a lot!