Walk me home

  During this time, Chen Huaisheng was extremely busy. Until eleven o'clock, she found that many people couldn't be found, even the working students had gone home, and only then did she realize: it turned out to be a long holiday.

  Pang Hua stayed in school to work, but only took two courses and refused to do administrative work. His income was naturally not high, and he didn't have any benefits either.

  But he was very contented.

  On the last day of the long holiday, Chen Haosheng finished all his orders and was so exhausted that he didn't even have the energy to take a bath.

  "I thought you were going to cook for yourself." Chen Huan only hastily put on a somewhat artistic and retro-style dress, and was pulled out by Pang Hua to catch the subway.

  "You'll be disgusted with what I've done. Well, actually, I wanted to celebrate getting my first paycheck."

  Chen Haotian nodded, "I remember when I first received my pay from working at a chain coffee shop, I was super excited."

  "Oh, I went to see you too, you were wearing a uniform and busy running around, I didn't even have the nerve to talk to you." Pang Hua probably hadn't applied pearl cream before going out, the unevenness on her face was already not very noticeable, and the deep red and black marks had also been treated quite cleanly with laser and micro-needle nanoneedle, so her real appearance had reached a level slightly above average.

  "You were always looking down back then. If you hadn't called out to me, I wouldn't have even known it was you. Hmm, now that I think about it, the coffee at that place isn't as ridiculously expensive as it was when we first started going."

  "Yes, so the store is getting more and more."

  "Income has increased, prices have risen, the cake has grown bigger, and everyone's life seems to be getting better." Chen Huai-sheng said this in a rather light tone, and people around him generally didn't listen carefully.

  "Right! When I was promoted from junior to senior, there was a period of time when I couldn't sleep at night. Thinking that if I went out into society like this without knowing anything, I wouldn't even know how to find a job."

  "Hmm, it seems like you haven't bought anything in years?" Chen Xiao swept a glance at his belt, hmm, the one she bought. This kid doesn't say much. Actually, he's very picky about what he wears and uses, would rather wear old clothes than settle for something subpar. Alright, during the holidays I'll just buy him two pairs of shoes from the same brand, consider it the "storage fee" for his family's attic these past few months.

  "Yes, at that time, being afraid of graduating was equivalent to being unemployed. Plus my face really had some... so I had to save the tuition and living expenses given by my family to deal with the problem of eating after graduation."

  "With me around, what's there to fear?"

  "Haha, isn't that something from before with you?"

  Panghua had just taken a bath and changed his clothes before going out. He didn't use any cologne, only the faint plant fragrance of soap. This guy made his own aloe vera red tea handmade soap, unexpectedly it was quite popular, especially when summer arrived, all the stock was sold out, making this kid ecstatic...

  Arrived at the station, the 'door' opened, and he supported her elbow as they walked out.

  During the holidays, there are people everywhere. Even slightly popular restaurants are fully booked. Fortunately, Peng Hua had reserved a table early on, otherwise we might have to sit outside and wait for our queue number to be called.

  "We arrived early, so there are still seats by the window."

  The seat is by the window. However, looking out are all shops, people's heads, various advertisements, and a few struggling greenery.

  "There are so many people! The subway is also packed." It's almost as crowded as rush hour.

  "Most people are on holiday, and the place is generally smaller, and the weather is not bad either, so it's crowded. Do you like the quietness of a villa?" Pang Hua was somewhat disappointed. Looking at their current situation where they were short of money all day long, villas and such... They would have to struggle for another eight or ten years.

  "Villa? Ha," Chen Hui shook his head. "It's too far from the express station."

  Pang Hua was shocked. She actually had this reason!

  "But if it's an industrial loft or something like that, it would be a good choice. Unfortunately, those places are usually not convenient for living. So, what we have now is still okay."

  "Housing prices have dropped a lot now, are you interested in buying?"

  "Houses that have plummeted in value are definitely those with little value, overpriced places. Look at those neighborhoods with good property management and location, as well as decent living facilities, not a single cent has been reduced."

  "This is indeed—"

  "But most importantly, there's no money now."

  "......Oh." even more dejected.

  Salad and soup are both up.

  Two people ate slowly, chatting occasionally.

  When the drinks and main courses arrived, the restaurant was packed with people, while there were even more on the streets.

  "Now watching people is also a scenery."

  "Yes. Unfortunately, it's not clear."

  "Hmph——" Chen Xiao Cheng laughed and said, "Can't tell if it's a beautiful girl or an ugly girl."

  "I think they're all about the same." Pang Hua muttered, "The basic makeup is basically the same, only the color has a slight change."

  "Wow!" Chen Xiao Sheng downed a glass of cold drink in one gulp, wiped his mouth and then attacked the fish skewers.

  "You actually look good even without makeup." Pang Hua said very seriously. At the same time, his palms were sweating...

  Chen Haotian burst out laughing, "Mm, I'm feeling lazy today." And also haven't taken a bath yet today, probably starting to smell sweaty.

  "Think about ancient makeup, it's even more frightening, painted into a white wall, then the eyebrows and mouth are drawn on, and a big yellow flower is stuck on. Right, I don't know what drawing three eyebrows looks like."

  "If everyone else is drawing three strokes, then you only draw two and become an outcast. Besides, the trend of drawing three strokes for eyebrows probably only lasted a few years. Then it became popular to do other shapes, like a mountain shape, or thin and long, sometimes even thick eyebrows were in... actually now it's the same too, short skirts in front and long in back, jumpsuits, smoky makeup... yeah, after looking at them for a while they start to look pretty good."

  "Men in ancient times were really... If you saw a pale face in the middle of the night, wouldn't it be scary to death."

  "You should ask how long it would take for lead poisoning if this lead powder stayed overnight."

  "Wow... lead, right."

  "There was a time when ancient men also wore makeup. If you didn't wear makeup, you weren't considered nobility, couldn't walk on main roads, couldn't wear silk clothes, and couldn't attend school."

  "…Alas! It's better now."

  "Haha, many people envy the ancient times when one could have three wives and four concubines."

  "He died quickly." Pang Hua immediately added.

  Chen Huaisheng thought for a few seconds before he understood what he meant. Almost spat out the fish meat in his mouth.

  "In ancient times, men would also suffer from long-term poisoning, as 'medicines' like cinnabar and litharge contain lead and mercury."

  "I'd say it's better to die quickly."

  "They were originally short-lived."

  "One tooth can cost a life."

  "Really?" Is it that scary?

  "Really. A Khitan 'female' noble, only in her thirties or forties, was unearthed. The cause of death may be related to tooth decay. Anyway, whether it's directly related or not, even if she wore a lot of gold, her quality of life was still very poor."

  "Cavities..." Pang Hua wasn't very interested in desserts, but he still finished them all. "It's unbelievable." He actually didn't want to discuss such a distant topic.

  "By the way, how many classes are you taking each week now?"

  "Four class hours. Plus an elective course, a total of six class hours."

  "You'd better mind your own store."

  "I was thinking of opening a store anyway."

  "Right!" Chen Huan suddenly remembered. "If I don't help you with the housing provident fund, then... hmm... I'll make some adjustments. Do you want to receive your salary or use another method? Salary costs are a real business expense. But you have to pay income tax on it. Or, how about increasing the rent and adding the storage fee for the attic? It all adds up."

  "......Oh, this is up to you." Pang Hua suddenly lost his spirit. He looked at the many secret books again, but he couldn't figure it out!

  "What's wrong with you today?" After drinking the coffee and wiping his mouth, Chen Huai felt that he was a bit strange tonight. "Did you encounter something difficult to decide on?"

  Chen Hua's first reaction was that he wanted to break up, and then his heart cooled. She had already had a draft about this matter, but she had never had the opportunity to say it out before. But if he suddenly brought it up, she would be caught off guard...

  Pang Hua still didn't know what to say.

  "Will this semester be busy?"

  "No! Not."

  "Short of money?"

  "Haha, we're all short of money." Pang Hua smiled, not too bitterly, but also didn't look like he was joking.

  "Something's going on at home?" Chen Xiao Sheng raised an eyebrow, his family members were like several time bombs that could go off at any moment, not just one, but many. And the timing of the explosion was unpredictable.

  Pang Hua lowered his head, "Uh-huh. At home before... uh. My dad asked me if I had a 'girl' friend, he's taken a liking to a 'girl', asking my opinion - I told him to introduce her to my brother and that's it, don't bother with me... He wants me to bring my 'girl' friend back home for his inspection."

  "Where's your mom?"

  "She shouldn't have asked, she should think it's already good that I don't need a lot of money from home." When he went back home for the Spring Festival, his mother still only gave him sideways glances, looking down on him for not being able to make a lot of money and not having the "face" to find a rich girl, and even too lazy to clean up the room, saying that the sofa can be used as a bed. So he only had one New Year's Eve dinner before leaving.

  Chen Haosheng was speechless.

  "Uh, that," Pang Hua carefully chose his words, "can you accompany me home?"

  Chen Huaisheng remained speechless.

  See, home, long? If other 'girls' encounter such a thing, those who are young may be a little frightened, and those with some age and experience should quickly discuss gifts or even clothes with their boyfriends... So, what about her? Also, they two are currently just partners in business, right?

  "Is it true or false?" Chen Huan said after a while. In fact, she had never encountered such a thing before, and being shocked and at a loss was inevitable.

  "Could it be true? Uh, I mean, um, let's try and see?"

  Chen Huaicheng was entangled in his wording. Try? Try what? They were almost a family, except for sleeping together, what else did they need to try? However, to avoid this guy from saying something even more speechless, she didn't ask the question out loud.

  They remained relatively silent for a moment, then Chen Huai Sheng closed his mouth and murmured, "Mm-hmm."

  Obviously, Pang Hua was also at a loss. After an awkward silence for a moment, he beckoned the waiter to pay the bill.

  On the way back, apart from necessary conversations, there were also some awkward silences.

  Chen Huaixing was deep in thought, reflecting and deliberating. As for Pang Hua's silence, she didn't take it to heart at all.

  As they stepped into the elevator, Pang Hua asked, "Are you still going to the studio?"

  "Okay, where is the soybean grinder?" Since the part-time little guy came four and a half days a week, she took back many "private" personal items, but also brought over quite a few shared things. However, as a result, her time in the workshop decreased, and her own laptop was taken back to her residence.

  Enter 'door', boil water, grind beans, prepare filter paper and cup.

  Chen Huasheng's rational return.

  "Don't rush back home for now?"

  "No rush." Pang Hua was also hesitant. "During Chinese New Year, but, arranging the banquet seems to need to be done at least half a year in advance."

  Chen Haotian stared at him fiercely for a moment, then lowered his head and continued working, "Speak again."

  "Hmm, this ceremony is too troublesome and stupid anyway. How about we just take a cruise instead?!"

  Chen Hua Cheng looked at Pang Hua with an expressionless face, "Go on!"