Gifts (2)

Jiang Ru also selected a good piece of pork intestine from the braised pot next to her, cut a large section, and then sliced it into small pieces to toss directly into the wok to stir-fry together.

After Li Xiao washed up and sat down, he finally saw the flames beneath the stove. Looking at the red fire in the hearth and smelling the aroma filling the kitchen, his entire body finally relaxed.

When he was on the train, he had missed home terribly, missed Jiang Ru, and missed the baby in her belly. He didn't know why. From childhood to adulthood, he had never felt any special attachment to the place. To him, this was just a house—it could exist, or it could not. When he was young, he had even hated coming home because as soon as he returned, he would hear all kinds of curses about how he had caused his old man's early death, along with Lin Meiru's sniffling and crying.

In truth, he and Jiang Ru hadn't spent much time together, and back then, they weren't even close. But during this trip away, the one who occupied his mind the most was actually her. He wondered if she was eating well at home, how big her belly had grown, and whether she was facing any difficulties...

Only now, seeing her in person, did his heart finally settle down.

For the first time, Li Xiao felt that he had a family.

Jiang Ru added a lot of ingredients. After the noodles were stir-fried, even a large soup bowl couldn't hold them all. Coincidentally, she was also a bit hungry, so she took a small bowl and scooped some out for herself.

The two of them carried the noodles to the main room to eat, sitting face-to-face.

Having not seen each other for a long time, there was initially a bit of distance between them, but now they sat close together, eating noodles. Moreover, the man opposite her seemed extremely hungry; he picked up his chopsticks and began to bury his head in his food, making loud slurping noises.

That sense of distance vanished in an instant. Jiang Ru glanced at him and couldn't help but remind him, "Eat a bit slower. Why are you so hungry? Have you not eaten in days?"

If this were her own home, her mother would definitely have scolded him.

Saying this, she picked up a few strands of noodles herself, chewing thoroughly and swallowing slowly without making a sound.

Without even raising his head, the man said directly, "I was in a rush to catch the train this morning and didn't have time to eat."

Mainly, Zhou Qiang had procrastinated, not wanting to return. He hadn't made any money on this trip and had even been swindled out of everything. He had no face to return and was also afraid his girlfriend would be angry. He had promised Mai Zi or Li Zi or whoever that he would bring back a TV.

But Li Xiao couldn't wait. Seeing that the train was about to leave, he handed him two hundred yuan and jumped on by himself.

On the way, when the train transferred, he had stopped for half a day in a neighboring city to buy quite a few things from the department store to bring back.

Thinking of Zhou Qiang's cowardly appearance, fearing his fiancée's anger, Li Xiao looked at Jiang Ru and suddenly said, "I didn't make any money on this trip. I was swindled."

His gaze rested on Jiang Ru's face, as if he didn't want to miss a single expression.

Jiang Ru, who was happily eating with her head down, didn't react much upon hearing this. She replied in her usual tone, "If you didn't make money, then so be it. It's enough that you returned safely."

Forget about being angry; there wasn't even a ripple of agitation on her face.

It was as if his safe return was the most important thing, and whether they had money or not didn't matter at all.

Li Xiao gripped his chopsticks for a moment.

Jiang Ru waited for a while without hearing a response from across the table. She looked up and saw that his expression seemed off, so she asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

She didn't think there was anything wrong with her words. She thought that perhaps because she had transmigrated, some circumstances might have changed. Regardless of whether he had gotten caught in a pyramid scheme on this trip or whether he had brought those people to justice, she didn't plan to ask.