Chapter 17

family will not participate."After finishing his words, Old Master Zhuang stood up and walked out the door."Old Mr. Zhuang, please wait!" Old Mrs. Zhuang spoke.Mr. Zhuang stopped, but he didn't turn...Or is she still testing him

Rong Zhaonan's eyes flickered, and he abruptly changed the subject: "Didn't you ask me to fix the roof"

Ning Yuan only then remembered, it turned out that Rong Zhaonan was on the beam to repair the roof.

She looked up at the ceiling and sure enough, she could no longer see where it was leaking.

Although it wasn't a proper repair with tiles, the leaks have been covered with a thick patch of straw and wooden strips.

She looked puzzled: "You can fix a roof Then why didn't you fix it before"

He has been there for several years now. The shack by the cowshed leaks wind and rain, it must be torture.

"Because I'm lazy," Rong Zhaonan said lightly.

Ning Yuan was drinking water: "Cough, cough, cough..."

As expected of a master, the answer is concise and hits the nail on the head.

She couldn't help but wipe her mouth: "Then why did I ask you to repair the roof, and you did"

Rong Zhaonan sized her up and down: “If you disagree, you’ll have to climb up there and fix the roof yourself. So this is something I’ll take care of.”

Ning Yuan smiled: "Since you're lazy, let me fix it!"

This big shot is pretty warm-hearted, huh

Rong Zhaonan pressed the bridge of his nose, where black-framed glasses sat. He said flatly, "With your underdeveloped limbs, you're likely to fall from the ceiling and get hurt. That would mean I'd have to take care of you, and that's just too much trouble for me."

Ning Yuan choked: "..."

Originally, Elder Rong was too lazy to take care of himself in case he got injured if he fell.

She takes back her words about him being a good guy!!

"Don't worry, I wouldn't want you to take care of me. I don't owe you anything." Ning Yuan said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and casually threw a shoebox in front of him.

Rong Zhaonan took a gulp, lowered his head to look at the shoebox. Inside was a pair of new men's yellow canvas rubber shoes.

He picked it up and took a look, it was his number.

A strange glint flashed in the man's long, narrow eyes: "For me"

"That's right, didn't you say you were fixing the roof That counts as work, two cents a pair." Ningyuan flicked her braid and turned to prepare lunch for the afternoon.

No wonder Rong Zhaonan was treated so badly later, he could offend everyone with just one mouth, right

Over the years, he learned to be low-key by keeping his mouth shut and acting like a gourd standing in the corner.

"Winter melon" opening its mouth still makes people feel choked with emotion.

As Ning Yuan's graceful figure disappeared from sight, carrying her bucket, basket of vegetables, and tools, Rong Zhao nan finally lowered his gaze to examine the rubber shoes in his hand.

He didn't hesitate to sit down and put his shoes on.

After the lens of Rong Zhaonan's spectacles, his handsome face showed a strange and complex expression.

His own yellow canvas shoes, worn for these years, have had several patches sewn on, and they're almost beyond repair.

He once applied to buy shoes at the supply and marketing cooperative.

You can come and check his Red Scarf for his submitted Thought Report. He didn't agree, scoffed and sneered, harshly criticizing him for lacking a spirit of austerity.

After that, he never filed any reports to the supply and marketing cooperative again, preferring to weave his own straw sandals instead.

Ning Yuan, this little spy, actually noticed that his shoes were almost worn out...

Rong Zhao south silently curved her lips, if this was one of her means to get close to him.

Then, he had to admit that there were indeed some effects.

We still need to be wary of the enemy agents' sugar-coated bombs...

......

Ning Yuan went to the creek again, but this time she fished while chopping bamboo by the side.

She sliced the bamboo strips and started weaving a shrimp trap.

Making a shrimp trap with bamboo that is too thick is very troublesome. When bending the bamboo, it is easy to cut your hands, and if it is too thin, it is easy to break.

She took quite a while to make them, except the first lobster trap which she made a little slower. The following simpler ones were finished in just a few moves.

Ning Yuan threaded the earthworms she had caught with bamboo thread, dividing them among several shrimp traps and putting them in as bait. Then she put five shrimp traps into the creek.

This cage can actually catch not only small shrimp but also a good number of fish.

The cage has a large belly and a thin neck, with a funnel-shaped entrance woven from bamboo inside.

The inside of the funnel is lined with some inwardly sloping, umbrella-shaped bamboo thorns that taper to a sharp point.

The fish and shrimp were greedy and went into the trap. When they tried to get out, they were pricked by the bamboo thorns at the exit of the shrimp cage.

When she finished work at sunset, her eel trap held two eels. Adding to that, she had caught three perch while fishing, so she would have a good meal tonight.

Ning Yuan decisively killed the fish by the river, putting all the cleaned fish in a fish basket. Then she put the shrimp trap back into the stream.

She carried the fish basket happily, avoiding people in the dark and returning to the cowshed.

Rongshenan just finished settling all the cattle, with a head covered in hay and carrying a bucket of feed, walked out of the stable.

Ning Yuan glanced at the broken yellow rubber shoes on his feet, and muttered unhappily: "What Is the shoe size wrong, or do you look down on the shoes I bought"

Rong Zhaonan patted the grass on his head: "There's no need to wear shoes when you go into the cattle shed."

Ning Yuan was taken aback. It turned out he wasn't willing to wear it after all.

For some reason, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He should have been a man like a shining star, yet he was worn down to the point where he couldn't even afford a pair of rubber shoes.

She sighed: "You buy shoes to wear them. Otherwise, are you going to wait for them to fall apart and then keep wearing worn-out shoes"

Although society became more affluent later on, many elderly people remained frugal as they were accustomed to it.

Hesitant to eat the good meat and dishes brought by children and grandchildren, he kept them in the fridge until they were about to spoil. He felt it was a waste to throw them away, so he took them out to eat again, resulting in illness and a trip to the hospital, spending even more money.

Rong Zhaonan looked at Ning Yuan's big eyes and coughed lightly: "I know, I'll go change my shoes."

Saying that, he put down the feed bucket and went into the room with her.

Ning Yuan gave him a white look without being polite: "What are you changing now You stink all over now, take a good shower and then change before eating."

Saying that, she turned and went into the house.

Rong Zhaonan's face wasn't looking too good. He instinctively lowered his head to sniff himself, then rushed off to take a shower with a dark expression.

The taste is too strong!

Ning Yuan took an old aluminum pot from the back stove and started to cook porridge.

She originally wanted to make a stir-fried eel dish, but she forgot to get chili peppers today. So, she decided to simply cook a yellow eel porridge instead!

The thinly sliced eel was marinated with ginger slices and freshly ground pepper that she had bought especially for today. When the porridge was cooked, the eel strips were added to the pot, releasing a rich aroma.

Ning Yuan continued holding a branch, skewering three sea bass and placing them on the small stove to roast. The heat from the burning wood curled around the fish meat.

The fish oil gives off a toasted aroma, brushed with soy sauce and salt. Ginger, scallions, and wild perilla leaves are added, infusing the fish with fragrant spices.

Fish oil dripped onto the burning firewood, and the ginger, scallions, and Japanese mountain mint from the fish's belly spread their fragrance through the air once more.

Rong Zhaonan washed his hair, walked out with dripping wet hair, and couldn't help but sniff the fragrance lightly.

"Luckily, the cowshed is at the foot of the mountain and a distance from most people's homes. Otherwise, with you digging at the corners of public walls day after day, tomorrow you'd be dragged off for public criticism, having your capitalist tail chopped off and undergoing ideological review."

Ning Yuan flipped the fish in her hands and rolled her eyes at him. "Hmph, afraid of cutting off the capitalist tail Then you don't have to eat it."

The moment he looked up, he saw his toned and beautiful upper body.

She instantly flushed red: "You're not wearing any clothes, go put some on!"

Rong Zhaonan looked at her blushing and embarrassed face, chuckled softly, and turned back to the house: "Oh, but I'm wearing pants."

He had lived here alone for several years. The weather was too hot, and he really wasn't used to having to put clothes on after taking a shower.

The little agent blushed when she saw the man's body. How was she supposed to complete her mission

Ning Yuan couldn't help but pat her own face, then quickly got up and went to the back kitchen to check on the eel congee.

She's a "grandmother" who has lived for decades, yet she still acts like a little girl. When she sees a young man in just a shirt, her face turns red.

Ning Yuan had just entered the kitchen when she suddenly saw a dark shadow picking up her pot of eel congee and running towards the back path!

"Stop! Put down my pot! Someone's stealing something!" Ning Yuan was startled and panicked, immediately chasing after them.

That was dinner for her and Rong Zhaonan!

As darkness fell, the shadow saw her chasing after it and suddenly stopped. It took something and smashed it hard against her head. about that, Dr. Rong. Old Zhishu promised to get us some old furniture, we have to go to the warehouse in the village school's old classroom."Rong Zhaonan looked at the cart she dragged over and rais...