Returning to Parents' Seventeen
Chapter 126: She Arranged Him and Her Together

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: She Arranged Him and Her Together

Actually, Xu Chuning doesn’t know much about shoe brands, but she has heard of the shoe brand often worn by Shen Yubai from Shen Sinian and Ban Shu.

The first time she heard it was from Shen Sinian.

He mentioned it to Xu Chuning with a sense of emotion, "I didn’t expect my dad to be wearing AJ since he was a teenager."

At that time, Xu Chuning asked in confusion, "What is AJ?"

Shen Sinian told her it was a brand of shoes, very famous. Many boys really like it and are eager to own that brand. He didn’t know much about the history of the shoes, thus he didn’t know that the brand AJ already existed by 2000 and Shen Yubai was already wearing them.

After Shen Sinian’s explanation, Xu Chuning began to notice Shen Yubai’s shoes, and she knew his shoe designs were very trendy and nice-looking.

But what she didn’t know was that a casual pair of his shoes could be equivalent to half a year’s, or even a year’s living expenses for an ordinary family.

Hearing Xu Chuning mention AJ, Shen Yubai was a little surprised, "How do you know—"

He paused, then realized: "Did Shen Sinian tell you?"

He clearly knew that Xu Chuning was not interested in those things. She had no desire to compete with others and was very low-key, frugal.

Xu Chuning nodded.

Shen Yubai fell silent, then asked, "Can’t I wear slippers instead?"

He was currently wearing the ones he bought a few days ago in Lixi.

Xu Chuning thought about it, "Sure."

Having mentioned it in the chat group, Xu Chuning closed the door and took Shen Yubai to the vegetable garden.

Seeing the two of them arrive, You Shuzhen and grandma were both quite surprised, "Why did you two come?"

Xu Chuning responded, "I told them in the group chat. Shen Yubai wanted to see the vegetable garden, so I brought him here."

Hearing this, You Shuzhen chuckled, "Xiao Shen is interested in the vegetable garden?"

Shen Yubai walked over and took the green beans You Shuzhen had just picked and put them in a basket on the side, "Yes, wanted to take a look."

Grandma smiled warmly, "There are mosquitoes here, be careful."

Shen Yubai nodded, "Don’t worry, grandma."

Upon entering the house, grandma had mentioned that since they were Xu Chuning’s classmates, they could also call her grandma like Ningning.

What Xu Chuning didn’t expect was that Shen Yubai’s proposal to visit the vegetable garden wasn’t really because he was interested in it or had never seen it and wanted to explore; he came to help.

He walked over to You Shuzhen and started helping pick green beans under her guidance.

After picking green beans, he moved on to pick cucumbers, chili peppers, and more.

In a short time, all the vegetables were picked.

There were many family members, and Xu Chuning’s grandmother was still physically strong, so she planted a lot of vegetables every year, just waiting for Xu Chuning and You Shuzhen to come home. It was typical of the elders; they seem to never stop, always looking to do a bit more if they can.

With a basket full of vegetables, You Shuzhen was about to pick it up when Shen Yubai stepped forward and lifted it first, "Aunt You, let me."

You Shuzhen paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly, "Okay, then I’ll let Xiao Shen handle it."

Shen Yubai spoke gently, "It’s my pleasure."

The four of them headed back.

Xu Chuning and her grandmother walked behind. When they were almost home, they even met a neighbor.

Seeing the unfamiliar face of Shen Yubai, the neighbor asked, "Ningning, is this a classmate who came to visit your house?" She commented, "This young man is very handsome."

Xu Chuning hummed in acknowledgment, "He’s one of them."

She introduced them, "You can just call him Xiao Shen, Aunt Zhang."

"This is Aunt Zhang, our next-door neighbor."

Shen Yubai nodded and politely greeted her, "Aunt Zhang."

"Ah," Aunt Zhang beamed, "you are so tall."

Shen Yubai smiled slightly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Aunt Zhang went to work in the fields.

As the group entered the house and were just taking out the vegetables from the basket to start cleaning them, Deng Xitong and the others woke up.

"How should we wash them?" Deng Xitong and the others also wanted to help.

You Shuzhen then assigned the task of washing vegetables to them, while she went to catch the chicken to prepare for slaughtering.

Yu Gaoyi, full of enthusiasm, said, "Aunt You, let me help you."

You Shuzhen was somewhat doubtful of him, "Aren’t you afraid?"

"What’s there to be afraid of," Yu Gaoyi said. "Aunt You, my grandparents also live in the countryside, and I used to enjoy helping them catch chickens."

With Yu Gaoyi’s words, You Shuzhen felt reassured, "Okay, then Gaoyi, you help Auntie catch the chicken."

Yu Gaoyi confidently patted his chest, "Don’t worry, Aunt You, leave it to me."

The two went off to catch the chicken, Xu Chuning had Cheng Mingyin and the others wash the vegetables, while she took charge of the chopping. She did not dare entrust this task to anyone else for the time being.

Ban Shu volunteered to cook the rice, but Xu Chuning declined.

She was afraid that the dishes would be ready but there would be no rice to eat.

After a bustling and busy hour, dinner was finally ready at Xu Chuning’s home by seven o’clock.

The fragrant smell of firewood chicken, along with various colorful and aromatic stir-fried vegetables, made everyone’s stomach growl.

You Shuzhen served the last dish and saw everyone’s eager eyes. She smiled, "Eat first, all the dishes are ready."

Ban Shu, swallowing his saliva, asked, "Aunt You, shall we start eating then?"

You Shuzhen: "Eat, have more."

Yu Gaoyi: "Oh my, it smells so good I’m salivating."

Everyone waited until the grandmother picked up her chopsticks first, then everyone else also picked up theirs.

Everything was cooked over firewood at home, and the firewood-stewed chicken and stir-fried pork tasted better than what one would eat in the cities.

"Delicious," said Cheng Mingyin while eating, "Aunt You, I think the small restaurant limits your potential."

Deng Xitong nodded eagerly, "Aunt You, this is the first time I’m eating your stir-fried dishes, and they are so delicious."

Previously at the small restaurant, they had only eaten rice noodles and noodles.

Yu Gaoyi concurred.

Ban Shu also remarked, "It tastes better than many private restaurants in Jiang City."

"..."

Everyone was praising You Shuzhen’s cooking skills one after another, and You Shuzhen, flattered, asked, "Is it really that delicious?"

She was delighted, "If it’s delicious, then eat more."

"Don’t worry, Aunt You," said Ban Shu. "We will eat more."

Cheng Mingyin lamented, "My diet plan is definitely ruined."

Grandmother chuckled and served Cheng Mingyin and Deng Xitong each a piece of meat, "You both are still growing, it’s okay to eat more, no need to diet."

After that, she served Xu Chuning: "Ningning, you eat more too."

Xu Chuning agreed.

Suddenly, her gaze shifted to Shen Yubai sitting diagonally across from her. He didn’t talk much, but Xu Chuning could tell that he also really liked You Shuzhen’s cooking.

After everyone had enjoyed the meal, Deng Xitong and Yu Gaoyi fought over who would do the dishes.

You Shuzhen initially wanted to refuse, but Xu Chuning stopped her, knowing that her friends would feel uncomfortable if they enjoyed the meal without contributing, and giving money to You Shuzhen was certainly not an option. So, they wanted to do something within their ability.

Thinking it over, she decided, "Alright, you two take care of washing the dishes tonight, tomorrow morning Ming Yin and Ban Shu will do it, then lunchtime will be Yubai and I."

When Xu Chuning made this arrangement, she didn’t think much about it. She didn’t see any issue with this setup as the three boys weren’t very handy, and needed a girl to lead them. Since Cheng Mingyin was a bit afraid of Shen Yubai, the only partner left for him was her.

Everyone agreed to this plan.

After Deng Xitong and Yu Gaoyi went to wash the dishes, Shen Yubai suddenly turned his head and looked at her, "Why did you arrange it like this?"

Xu Chuning was puzzled, "What do you mean by how I arranged it?"

She met his gaze, realizing belatedly, "Do you mind it?"

Shen Yubai: "No."

He was just surprised that she partnered him with her.

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