Switched Marriage: The Coddled Little Wife-Chapter 375: Preparing Ahead

The wrist-thick firewood crackled as it burned, and before long, the pot was boiling, bubbling, and wafting out bursts of aroma.

Old Sir He initially sat on the side with a cold eye, but as the fragrance grew richer, he became restless.

Lin Chuxia saw Old Sir He constantly glancing over and teasingly asked, "Master, do we still need to ’clean house’?"

Old Sir He haughtily hummed, ignoring her and pretended to watch the workers stacking the courtyard walls.

And indeed, the workers were quite efficient. In just a short while, the collapsed mud wall was cleared, and half of the foundation was dug, with workers unloading the bricks outside.

But the fragrance was only getting stronger, making him, who hadn’t eaten much breakfast, start to feel his stomach grumble.

After waiting a bit longer, Old Sir He couldn’t stand it anymore, "Girl, is the meat ready yet? Get two pieces for this old man first."

Lin Chuxia looked at the pot; the meat was definitely cooked, just maybe not very tender.

She picked two pieces with more meat to fill a bowl, while her mouth spoke disapproving words, her face showed no sign of disdain.

"The older you get, the more you’re like a child, eat two pieces to curb the craving, lamb spine needs a longer stew time to be flavorful, oh my, careful, don’t burn yourself..."

Old Sir He took a couple of bites and couldn’t stop praising, "This is flavorful too, delicious."

Lin Chuxia continued to tend the fire while keeping Old Sir He company.

After Old Sir He finished eating, she handed him a towel.

Old Sir He stared at the towel and suddenly fell silent.

Lin Chuxia lifted it again, "Wipe your hands, they’re oily."

Old Sir He then took the towel to wipe his hands, looking at Lin Chuxia’s back as she went to tend the fire, his eyes slightly warm.

By the time she turned back, Old Sir He had already hidden the emotions in his eyes well.

Like always, he sighed, "Home is indeed best. This trip, my old friends wanted me to stay longer. It was novel at first, but after a while, nowhere feels as good as one’s own nest."

"Then don’t go out if you don’t feel like it, when I get a car later, wherever you want to go, I’ll drive you. We can leave and return whenever you wish."

"That sounds great, I’ll hold you to that. Make sure you keep your word and don’t find me a burden when you get a car."

"That would never happen, who are we if not family?"

Lin Chuxia saw that the meat was nearly ready, she then prepared a cold dish and made some noodles.

The two of them set up a charcoal brazier in the room, placed a pot on top, sipped on some liquor, and ate the hot lamb spine.

After they were full from liquor and food, they topped it off with noodles, which were incredibly aromatic.

Old Sir He didn’t skimp on meat or drink, and after eating, he called Lin Chuxia into the room, rummaged through his unpacked luggage, and finally pulled out a small cloth wrap without even looking and handed it directly to Lin Chuxia.

"What’s this? A gift you brought me from your trip?"

Old Sir He didn’t respond, just waved his hand at her, signaling her to look for herself.

Lin Chuxia opened the cloth wrap, and her eyes instantly widened.

A banknote worth 50,000 yuan.

It wasn’t that Lin Chuxia had never seen so much money, but in this era, having this much was quite extraordinary.

You see, the slogan for becoming a millionaire had just started being promoted.

"Wow, master, going out once and you became a millionaire, do you want me to help you cash the banknote and save it?"

"Take it," Old Sir He said impatiently, "do whatever you want with it, stop bothering me. You wanted to buy a car, right? This should be enough."

Man, Lin Chuxia never expected that by acknowledging a master, she also acknowledged a rich man.

"I don’t want it, you know I have shops and factories under my management, why would I need to mooch off others? I will save this money for you."

"Why save it, to take it with you in your coffin?" Old Sir He glared, "Don’t bother me with such trivial matters, I’m tired and want to sleep, you can go now."

Lin Chuxia: "..."

Alright, no need to say anything else.

Lin Chuxia carefully closed the door for him, instructed the workers, and went to the bank to cash the banknote and opened an account to deposit the money.

She knew Old Sir He’s temper; insisting further might really upset the old man, so she just saved it for him.

But Lin Chuxia still pondered, what kind of person would invite a master to treat illnesses? And even pay so much in consultation fees?

After leaving the bank and seeing it was still early, Lin Chuxia found a secluded place to tidy up in her space, then took the items she had prepared earlier and went to the textile factory’s residential complex.

This time she brought a set of imported cosmetics, which she had seen and bought immediately when she and Little Ningning were browsing the department store.

Though the country had opened up, imported goods were still rare to see in their inland, small city.

Other people might not recognize such items, but the wife of Director Kang from the textile factory surely would.

Earlier, she had heard that there might be some changes to the textile factory’s assets, likely around the end or the beginning of the year.

During this time, she also had her brother gather information, but he was busy with the Bun Shop and it wasn’t always possible to get the information they desired.

A few days ago, she casually mentioned it to Li Jian in a meeting, and Li Jian gave her a firm reply, although it was still unclear how the assets would be handled. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Lin Chuxia always liked to be well-prepared in advance.

Once things are set in stone, they are not easy to change.

Director Kang’s wife was at home, in the early winter weather, Qiao Lan was boiling tea by the window under the clay stove, fussing with a pot of camellia flowers, looking quite content.

Lin Chuxia came in and was warmly invited to join for tea.

Lin Chuxia took a light sip of the tea cup, "Hmm, this is black tea, right?"

Qiao Lan’s eyes sparkled upon hearing this, encouraging her to continue tasting, "Then tell me, what kind of tea is this?"

Lin Chuxia tasted another sip, as if savoring it, and then ventured a guess, "Is this True Mountain Small Tea?"

Qiao Lan smiled knowingly, "It’s rare to meet someone who understands tea; that’s right, it is True Mountain Small Tea," as she poured another cup for Lin Chuxia.

Lin Chuxia tapped her fingers lightly on the table, performing a tea ceremony gesture.

Though she tasted the pine smoke flavor in the tea and identified it as True Mountain Small Tea, she went along with Qiao Lan’s prompt, "I’m really fortunate today, it’s hard to find good tea, and even harder to find someone who can brew it well. You don’t know, I’m rather crude, usually too busy, and I gulp it down. People from our place prefer floral tea, always saying it’s more fragrant than black or green tea, but honestly, the aftertaste of black tea is superior."

Qiao Lan, impressed by her articulate explanation, her expression becoming even more joyful.

"That’s exactly right, if you have time today, you must properly savor tea with me."

She poured another cup for her.

"You don’t know, despite my efforts, it’s hard to find someone who shares this interest. Others laugh at my supposedly petty-bourgeois taste, even my own husband, doesn’t say it out loud, but he despises it too. Every time I ask him to sit down for tea, he just gulps it down to quench his thirst."