eurekapd Chapter 301 Housewarming Celebration, Mother and Daughter Have a Heart-to-Heart Talk
Chapter 301 Housewarming Celebration, Mother and Daughter Have a Heart-to-Heart Talk
Chapter 301 Housewarming Celebration, Mother and Daughter Have a Heart-to-Heart Talk
On Sunday, while Lin Gong was on break.
Zhuang Chaoying started getting busy early in the morning, contacting various places to find two small trucks, preparing to move all her belongings over at once.
Huang Ling and Song Ying stood in the empty house of the Zhuang family.
"Song Ying, do you remember when we first moved here we thought the house was too small and we couldn't fit all our things in? This time we've completely emptied it out."
"Back then, when I wanted to buy another electric fan, I had to consider whether there would be room for it. But now, Sister Ling, there are plenty of rooms in the new courtyard, so I can put it anywhere."
Lin Dongzhe stood outside the courtyard, holding an electric fan in one hand and carrying Xiaoting's books in the other. "Mom, Aunt Huang, hurry up."
"They're here, let's go, Sister Ling."
Huang Ling closed the door with the lock in her hand, restoring it to the way it was before they moved in.
Pengfei was carrying a television in his arms and a large suitcase on his back, walking with difficulty, calling out, "Auntie, where should we put the television?" Sweat was dripping from his forehead and down his cheeks.
Huang Ling stood to one side, giving instructions methodically. "Put the TV downstairs, on the cabinet in the living room, here. Pengfei, slow down, be careful." As she spoke, she would occasionally tidy up the surrounding clutter to make it easier for Pengfei to pass.
After Pengfei finished watching TV, she took five bottles of orange juice from the refrigerator, opened them, and handed them to the men who had been working. "Drink some water and rest for a while."
Everyone took the soda and gulped it down in one go.
The first floor has a large, bright living room. The kitchen is on the right side of the first floor, the bathroom and toilet are in the backyard, and there is also a small storage room. Huang Ling is very satisfied with the layout of the space.
She imagined her family living here in the future, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.
Xiaoting, carrying a large duffel bag, stood in the courtyard of their new house and excitedly shouted, "Dad, Mom, I want to live on the third floor!"
After resting for a while, the group continued working. Lin Dongzhe took the duffel bag from Xiao Ting. "I'll help you."
Huang Ling directed them as they arranged the furniture, her voice loud. "Put the cabinet in the room on the left on the second floor, this wardrobe is for Xiaoting, and move this single bed to the third floor for Pengfei, since his room doesn't have a bed."
While giving instructions, she also moved some lighter items.
"Put the refrigerator here, and the washing machine next to the sink in the front yard."
Under Huang Ling's direction, everyone had a clear division of labor and worked busily in an orderly manner.
Pengfei also chose a room on the third floor, opposite Xiaoting. Tunan chose a room on the second floor opposite his parents; the room had excellent natural light.
After everything was moved into the room, Zhuang Chaoying wiped the sweat from his brow. His white shirt was soaked with sweat. He said to Lin Wufeng, panting, "Mr. Lin, have A-Ling and Song Ying and Xiao Ting pack up the things in the room. We'll move your things."
Lin Wufeng nodded, took a sip of water to moisten his dry throat. "Let's go, Tu Nan, Dong Zhe, Peng Fei, let's get back to work." So, the group rushed to their next destination without stopping and continued their moving work.
By the time we had completely moved in and tidied up the rooms and yard, it was already 6:30 p.m.
Several people sat wearily in the yard. Although they were physically exhausted, they all had smiles on their faces as they looked at their newly renovated home.
Both families sat wearily in the Zhuang family's courtyard.
After a busy day, everyone's stomachs were already rumbling. Huang Ling and Song Ying quickly cooked cold noodles. Although it was just a simple meal, everyone ate it ravenously.
We'll have a proper celebration tomorrow once everything is settled.
After dinner, everyone went home. Each person returned to their room to tidy up the clothes that were still piled up messily.
Xiaoting went into her room.
This is the first time in her life that she has truly had her own independent space. She still feels a little reluctant to leave her old little room when her parents and brother pass by it on their way to the bathroom at night, as it holds many memories of her family.
She stood by the window, tidying the books on the table. Just as she inadvertently looked up, her gaze fell directly on Lin Dongzhe in the opposite room through the window.
At this moment, Lin Dongzhe was sitting at his desk, holding a book he had borrowed from a street stall, unaware of the gaze Xiaoting was casting at him.
After a while, Lin Dongzhe finished reading the exciting parts of the book, put it down, and intended to put it away properly.
If his mother sees this book, he'll be in big trouble.
Just as he stood up, he glanced out the window and suddenly realized that Xiaoting was standing in front of the opposite window, staring intently at him.
Lin Dongzhe subconsciously opened his mouth slightly and silently uttered the three words "Zhuang Xiaoting".
Xiaoting didn't expect to meet Lin Dongzhe's gaze so directly, and her face instantly turned bright red.
She panicked, her hands and feet became unresponsive, and she hurriedly and clumsily drew the curtains, leaning against the table, her heart pounding in her chest.
It felt like being caught red-handed doing something wrong—nervous and embarrassed. Thinking back to the moment she and Lin Dongzhe locked eyes, she couldn't help but smile.
. . . . . . . .
Mr. Lin had already planned ahead and installed the storage-type electric water heater directly in his yard.
Please hold out for two more days, and in a few days, we will bring another electric water heater from the factory to install in Teacher Zhuang's home.
Lin and Ah Ling knew what he was thinking: they wanted the other family to use the new ones while they used the old ones.
These past few days, the Zhuang family hasn't had a new electric water heater yet, so Zhuang Chaoying has taken on the task of boiling water.
He boiled three kettles of water in an electric kettle, poured them into two buckets, and adjusted the water temperature. This water was for the ladies. He and Pengfei simply rinsed themselves with cold water and that was it.
She turned and called upstairs, "Ah Ling, the water's boiled and I've put it in the bathroom."
Huang Ling carried the basin out of the room quickly and replied, "Okay."
Carrying the basin up to the third floor, she knocked on the door. "Xiaoting, it's time to take a shower. There's no water heater at home these days, so let's shower together to save water."
"Okay, Mom, wait for me a moment," Xiaoting replied from the room. Soon she finished getting ready and followed her mother into the bathroom.
The mother and daughter were standing in the bathroom.
Huang Ling held a bar of soap and rubbed Xiao Ting's back, asking casually as she did so, "Xiao Ting, you're really a young woman now. Are there any boys at school who like you?"
Xiaoting's face instantly turned red, the redness spreading from her ears all the way to the base of her neck.
The first person that came to mind was Lin Dongzhe, and she called out, both shy and anxious, "Mom—" Her voice trailed off with a hint of coquetry and embarrassment.
Huang Ling stopped what she was doing. She remembered that Chao Ying had mentioned the issue of teenage romance to her before. Today, the mother and daughter had a rare opportunity to spend time alone together, which was a good time for a heart-to-heart talk.
After all, Chao Ying is gay, and there are some private topics that his daughter would definitely be embarrassed to discuss with him.
“Xiaoting, you’ve grown up. You’re not willing to talk to your mother about your thoughts anymore. I remember when you were little, you would always pester your dad and me after school, chattering about what happened at school. I’ve been through that age too. It’s normal to be curious about or have feelings for male classmates. I just hope that if you have something on your mind, you can talk to me like you would with a friend.”
Xiaoting turned around, took the soap from Huang Ling's hand, and began to scrub her mother's back. After hesitating for a while, she finally murmured, "Mom, what does it feel like to like someone?"
Huang Ling paused abruptly as she was rinsing her daughter's face with water. She hadn't expected her daughter to ask such a direct question.
However, she quickly regained her composure and said with a smile, "To like someone is to always be thinking about them."
At this point, Huang Ling paused, looking intently into her daughter's eyes. "But Xiaoting, your mother and father's advice is that during this crucial senior year of high school, you can treat him as a good friend. Consider romantic feelings after you both go to university. My daughter is so outstanding, so the boy my little darling likes must also be outstanding, right?"
After Huang Ling finished speaking, seeing that her daughter didn't say anything, she picked up the towel in her hand and continued to rub her back.
Xiaoting's thoughts had already drifted far away. The person she kept thinking about, besides her parents and brother Pengfei, was none other than Lin Dongzhe.
Every time I see him and we make eye contact, my heart starts pounding.
He would be overjoyed and excited by his small gesture or a word of concern.
Is this what liking someone means?
Xiaoting was so engrossed in her thoughts that she felt a sharp pain in her back and cried out in pain. "Ouch, Mom, be gentle, it hurts!"
"Look at this dust, if you move it lightly, the mud will come off."