I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 211: Or Perhaps Not to Hurt the Dignity of the Head of the Family?

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Or Perhaps Not to Hurt the Dignity of the Head of the Family?

He Xiuyu opened the jars to find them brimming with lard, one was half-full with lard, and to his surprise, the other contained peanut oil.

He Xiuyu was taken aback for a moment, his peach blossom eyes sparkling playfully. He had thought it was Qiao Qingyu who had bought it from the big market, his voice carrying a smile, "I thought I could surprise you, but it turns out you’ve bought so much. It must have cost a tidy sum..."

His salary had gone up again, and now his monthly bonus and allowances were even higher than his basic pay, totaling nearly 300 yuan.

Even in the entirety of China, that was considered decent.

He reckoned there was still a week before payday, but this month’s benefits would be 100 yuan less than the previous month’s because he had exchanged that 100 yuan benefit for other rewards.

He wondered if Qiao Qingyu still had enough money.

At this moment, Qiao Qingyu hadn’t realized anything yet and casually said, "I bought that small jar from the big market for twelve yuan, and the jar cost me one yuan. The other three jars were just brought over by Lu Ye."

He Xiuyu slowly withdrew his hand, and the smile on his face seemed to gradually fade. He glanced at Qiao Qingyu, who was busy in the kitchen, and said warmly, "Did those three jars cost a lot?"

"He doesn’t want money for now, he asked me to help him source some soybeans. It’ll even out if we trade with these."

He Xiuyu frowned slightly, not knowing why, but he felt a dull feeling in his heart.

"How did he know we were out of oil at home?" He Xiuyu asked, feigning nonchalance.

"I ran into him when I was at Xiaxi Commune."

Qiao Qingyu seemed to sense something different in He Xiuyu’s tone and slowly stood up. At that moment, she was holding a basin filled with cabbage oil-shaozi-stuffed buns.

Underneath the large iron pot, millet porridge was simmering; the fire in the stove burned red-hot. Not only was her back drenched in sweat, but her forehead, too.

He Xiuyu quickly walked over and took the basin of buns from her hands to the living room.

He placed the buns on the square table, which was provided by the base. The old, worn table from back home had been kept and now served as a desk in the study.

Now, on this wooden table, there were two dishes: one was his favorite, diced chili and coriander, and the other was smashed cucumber with minced garlic.

He turned back to the kitchen, suppressing the uncomfortable emotion in his heart, and said gently, "Go wash your face. You’re sweating profusely. I’ve got this."

Qiao Qingyu looked up at He Xiuyu, wanting to ask if he was upset because Lu Ye knew they had no oil at home.

Her mind was quick, naturally feeling that she hadn’t misjudged He Xiuyu’s thoughts, but since the man himself hadn’t mentioned it, it didn’t seem appropriate to ask directly.

Qiao Qingyu was somewhat irritable.

Setting aside her affection for He Xiuyu, Qiao Qingyu actually didn’t think married life could bring much benefit to a girl.

Endless housework?

The need to tread carefully in social interactions?

Or perhaps to not hurt the head of the household’s pride?

He Xiuyu saw the somewhat cold expression on Qiao Qingyu’s face. He just smiled and began pouring the porridge from the pot into a basin to take to the living room.

By then, He Xuerong, who had cleaned herself up, was sitting obediently in the chair.

Dinner went by quietly. Rongrong also sensed that there was something different about her uncle and little aunt compared to usual.

The little girl was smart and knew that it was not the time to be chatty. She quietly and deftly finished her dinner, then went to the study, stood on the chair to turn on the desk lamp, and then sat down obediently to open her elementary school textbook...

Like always, He Xiuyu helped Qiao Qingyu clean up.

Qiao Qingyu felt annoyed by his presence and started to shoo him away, "Go do your own work. I don’t need your help with this. Otherwise, you’re going to be busy until late into the night."

Qiao Qingyu knew that before he married her and Rongrong came over, He Xiuyu divided his time between the office and the dormitory, sometimes even choosing to stay at the workshop directly.

There wasn’t much change after marrying her. Apart from coming back to see her when the original owner hanged herself, he was still busy all the time. Then Rongrong returned, and initially, he could only visit once a week. It wasn’t until they moved to the new family quarters closer to the office that he started to have regular office hours.

But for him, getting off work didn’t simply mean finishing the day. When the night grew silent, the light in the study remained on.

Especially recently, that was even more the case.

She didn’t know if what she felt was sympathy, but Qiao Qingyu knew that He Xiuyu was doing important work and didn’t need to be dealing with kitchen chores.

Unexpectedly, He Xiuyu didn’t say a word. He continued to help her tidy up the kitchen just like he did before, and together they went out to the cool shed.

It was early September, and although the sunshine was still bright, the temperature at night had dropped significantly.

Qiao Qingyu was thinking that she hadn’t had time to knit sweaters and trousers, so she should take advantage of the good weather in the upcoming days to find and wash the home’s sweaters and trousers, to dry them. Although it was dry in the Northwest, it didn’t mean there was no rain at all.

If the wind picked up, the clothes hanging outside would get covered in a layer of sand, so it was best to get out the autumn garments while there was no wind.

He Xiuyu did not know what Qiao Qingyu was thinking. When Qiao Qingyu washed her hands, he passed her the soap bar, and when she wiped them, he handed her a towel...

As Qiao Qingyu was absorbed in her thoughts, she naturally took them from him. It wasn’t until she came back to her senses that she realized He Xiuyu was standing upright beside her, his drooping eyes shining with a warm luster, as if by standing in front of her, he could drop all his guard.

He even reached out to straighten her hair.

Qiao Qingyu’s heart softened for a moment, and she glanced at him, "Go attend to your things."

He Xiuyu did not leave but said to Qiao Qingyu, "You don’t have to keep sending me away. I just want to talk to you for a bit."

"Then you better hurry up," Qiao Qingyu still added with concern, "Even though you’re young now, it’s not good to keep staying up late."

He Xiuyu clenched his hands, although he found the several jars of oil on the cupboard particularly annoying, he had concluded that if he wanted to have a good and lasting relationship with Qiao Qingyu, they needed to be open and honest about any issues.

Because Qiao Qingyu was astute and perceptive, she could be very practical at times, quickly forming her own conclusions.

"Little Qiao, I’m not trying to hide my feelings. I believe that household necessities should be a matter for both of us. So when I found out those jars of oil came from Lu Ye, my instinct was indeed to feel uncomfortable."

Qiao Qingyu looked up at He Xiuyu under the night sky, where this man was visibly conflicted, yet he spoke candidly.

"What’s there to be uncomfortable about? Friends helping each other and our household chores are different matters. Besides, we can’t produce these essentials ourselves—we have to go out and buy them, don’t we?"

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