The Downtrodden Villain In A Redemption Romance Novel Chapter 38
byChapter 38 The First Day
In Lincheng in early autumn, the chill can already penetrate the cracks in the windows.Xu Wen woke up from a warm embrace.
He blinked, and in front of him was Lu Qingrang’s sleeping face enlarged.The morning light filtered through the thin curtains, casting a soft halo on the usually cold face.His long eyelashes hung quietly, and his breathing evenly brushed his forehead.
God…this guy looks really bad.
Xu Wen sighed silently in his heart.
It was only then that he belatedly realized the posture of the two of them. He was almost trapped in Lu Qingrang’s arms, and the other person’s arms naturally wrapped around his waist, with his palms against his back.
Holy shit!Why did I sleep in my brother’s arms?!
A burst of heat rushed up to the base of his ears.He held his breath and carefully tried to move out of the overly warm embrace.
As soon as he left the bed, the cold air enveloped him, making him shiver.
“Are you awake?”
A sleepy hoarse voice came from above.
Xu Wen raised his head and met Lu Qingrang’s clear peach blossom eyes. There was no trace of the haziness of just waking up in them. It was obvious that he had been awake for a while.
Lu Qingrang looked at Xu Wen’s confused look, his eyes were soft, and he explained softly: “Sorry, it felt too cold at night, so…” He didn’t finish his words, but his meaning was obvious.
“I understand, I understand!” Xu Wen waved his hands quickly, turned over and got out of bed, using exaggerated movements to hide his discomfort, “This damn weather, autumn is like winter!”
As he spoke, he quickly grabbed the slightly thin coat on the back of the chair and put it on. He turned around and gave a vibrant smile to Lu Qingrang, who was still lying on the bed:
“Get up! Today’s task is difficult, we have to buy some equipment!”
The two wrapped up their thin coats tightly, facing the cold morning wind, and walked into an open-air market near their residence.
It is not as bright and clean as the large shopping malls in City A, but it is full of noisy and lively life.
The shouts of vendors, the bargaining sounds of customers, and the mixed smells of various foods and products are mixed together.
Xu Wen’s eyes rolled around and he quickly searched for the target, a stall selling thick clothes and bedding.
Lu Qingrang followed him quietly, his eyes scanning the price tags on the products, and his mind quickly calculating their stack of increasingly thinner bills.
“Boss, how do you sell this quilt?” Xu Wen stopped in front of a stall filled with quilts.
“One hundred and two, a good quilt made of pure cotton!” The boss said with a loud voice.
“One hundred and two? Boss, you see this cotton tire is not evenly symmetrical. Can it be cheaper? We just came to Lincheng and are tight on money. Can eighty be okay?” Xu Wen picked up a quilt and pointed out the faults in a serious manner, with a sincere and pitiful smile on his face.
“Eighty? Young man, you cut too hard! The minimum is a hundred!”
“Ninety! At ninety we want two beds! I’ll get you some repeat customers!” Xu Wen continued grinding.
Lu Qingrang stood behind him, gently pulled the corner of his clothes, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: “The budget is at most one hundred and one beds, otherwise there will not be enough winter clothes.”
Xu Wen understood, and immediately showed a reluctant expression to his boss: “Boss, one hundred is enough, but we really want to sleep together.”
In the end, they bought a thick quilt for one hundred yuan.
Then, they went to various stalls.In the corner of a stall selling shoes and socks, Xu Wen spotted two pairs of cotton slippers piled together.
The color is really eye-catching, a very saturated powder blue, as if the paint was used in the wrong place. There is even a vague outline of a cartoon animal on the upper, which looks cheap and a little bit funny.
“Boss, how do you sell this?”
“Twenty-one pairs, clearance items.”
Xu Wen picked up the slippers and squeezed them, they found they had a solid foundation.He pulled Lu Qingrang, pointed at the two pairs of slippers, and couldn’t help laughing: “Brother Lu, look, this color… looks quite unique.”
He lowered his voice and said, “Although it’s a bit ugly, it’s cheaper and looks quite warm. The budget is limited, so this is the most cost-effective. Can we just make do with it?”
Before Lu Qingrang could respond, he turned around and started a new round of offensive against his boss: “Boss, I want these two pairs. Can I do it at thirty? Look at the color… I guess it’s not easy to sell.”
Perhaps this color was indeed unsaleable, so the boss didn’t bother much and waved his hand in agreement.
Xu Wen picked up the two pairs of pink and blue funny slippers as if he had found a treasure, and handed one pair to Lu Qingrang.
“Hey, it’s a couple’s model,” he winked narrowly.
Lu Qingrang looked at the pair of slippers with eye-catching colors and weird shapes in his hands, and then looked up at Xu Wen’s bright smile, which seemed to be a bit of a mischievous success.
A faint smile flashed in his eyes, and he responded softly:
“Well, it’s good to be warm.”
During the whole process, Xu Wen charged in front, repeatedly dealing with the stall owners with cuteness and misery, while Lu Qingrang silently calculated behind him, giving timely reminders to ensure that every penny was spent.
All the necessities were finally purchased, both of them were carrying large and small bags, and the pile of cash was almost at its bottom.Xu Wen let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like he had fought a tough battle.
At this moment, Xu Wen caught a glimpse of a steaming bun shop.His eyes lit up, and he took out his last few coins and bought two hot meat buns.
“Here, let’s pad your belly first.” Xu Wen opened a bun naturally, blew it carefully, and handed it to Lu Qingrang’s mouth, “Be careful of the burn.”
Lu Qingrang was slightly startled, then took a bite of Xu Wen’s hand.
The heat of the steamed buns filled the space between the two of them, and the warmth spread from the tip of their tongues to the bottom of their hearts.He looked at the profile of Xu Wen who was concentrating on helping him blow the cool buns, and suddenly felt that this person was like the sun in winter. Even though they were in a difficult situation, Xu Wen could always find a way to make life warm and bright.
In his darkest moment, it was Xu Wen who forced his way into his world, using the clumsiest but most sincere way to dispel the haze in his life bit by bit.
Just as they were about to leave the market, Xu Wen’s eyes were attracted by an old woman selling flowers and plants in the corner.
On the stall in front of her, there were several pots of dying flowers and plants. Among them, the pot of pothos on the edge had most of its leaves withered and yellowed, leaving only a few new leaves with a faint greenness, which looked particularly pitiful in the autumn wind.
Xu Wen’s footsteps paused.
Lu Qingrang followed his gaze and saw the pot of green radish.
He remembered that in that dilapidated hotel room, Xu Wen once made gestures with bright eyes, saying that when he settled down, he would raise a few pots of pothos and put them on the windowsill.
Xu Wen almost didn’t hesitate and pulled Lu Qingrang over.
“Grandma, how do you sell this pot of green radish?”
The old woman raised her cloudy eyes, looked at the half-dead pot of green radish, and waved her hand: “This one is almost unsustainable. If you want it, give me five yuan to take it away.”
Xu Wen immediately took out a five-yuan note and carefully picked up the pot of green radish as if holding some treasure.
He looked down at the green spot in his arms, with a satisfied smile on his face, and said to Lu Qingrang:
“Look, our first family member. Although it’s a little ugly now, I can definitely feed it! When it grows up, I’ll put it on our windowsill!”
Lu Qingrang looked at Xu Wen’s silly smile, and then at the pot of tenacious life in his arms that symbolized home, and the softest place in his heart was gently touched.He nodded and said softly:
“Well, it’ll live just fine.”