Soft, delicate body in his arms, the intimate contact without any distance made Fang Yi’s heart sway fiercely.
"Fang Yi, I... you..." Xia Ziqi wanted to say something, but found it hard to speak.
However, it was precisely this that made Xia Ziqi feel even more embarrassed.
"Are you hurt?" Fang Yi asked, pulling himself out of the strange feeling.
"No... No," Xia Ziqi quickly shook her head and gently added, "I’m tired, I want to rest."
"It’s okay, I’m not tired," Fang Yi didn’t want to end this posture so soon.
Just then, a crisp and sweet voice rang out at the door.
"Mommy, Uncle, what are you doing?" Cai Cai looked at them with curiosity.
"Oh, Mommy is tired, so I am giving her a massage," Fang Yi said as he released Xia Ziqi.
During the evening, the two adults and one child sat at the dining table in the living room.
The light in the living room was soft, casting a delicate luster on the dishes that made them look exquisite and appetizing.
Fang Yi tasted a few bites and exclaimed, "Ziqi, your cooking is really good; these dishes are delicious."
Xia Ziqi’s cheeks turned slightly red as she said, "If you like it, eat more." She picked some dishes up with her chopsticks and placed them into Fang Yi’s bowl.
Fang Yi smiled, eating his meal wholeheartedly but his eyes remained fixed on Xia Ziqi.
Xia Ziqi felt a bit uneasy with Fang Yi staring at her, and her cheeks reddened even more. She scolded him lightly, "Just eat your food; don’t keep looking around."
Fang Yi said, "A few glances won’t cost me anything, and besides, when you are so capable and beautiful, I can’t help but keep looking."
Xia Ziqi felt her heart bloom with joy, though she did not show it, her eyes twinkling with pride. "You can look all you want, just don’t eat with your nose."
Fang Yi immediately laughed, his laughter a bit silly.
Xia Ziqi handed Fang Yi a napkin.
Fang Yi picked up a blackened item and asked, "Ziqi, what is this? It looks delicious. How come I’ve never seen this dish before?"
Xia Ziqi appeared a bit shy, her head slightly lowered, as she said, "That dish got a bit burnt."
Fang Yi had never eaten so much before; he finished several bowls, prompting Cai Cai to exclaim, "Uncle, you have such a big appetite. You’re like a big stomach king, just be careful not to turn into a big fatty."
Fang Yi patted her head and said, "As long as you exercise regularly, you won’t get fat."
Cai Cai nodded, not fully understanding.
After dinner, Xia Ziqi cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them, while Fang Yi watched TV in the living room with Cai Cai sitting on his legs. Fang Yi’s legs moved up and down, making Cai Cai very happy.
Soon Xia Ziqi came out, took off her apron, and sat down on the sofa.
The atmosphere in the living room suddenly became quiet, only Cai Cai’s laughter ringing out like silver bells.
"How’s business been recently?" Fang Yi was the first to break the silence.
"Not bad," Xia Ziqi answered, her gaze fixed on the TV without moving.
"How not bad is it?" Fang Yi asked again.
"Not bad is..." Xia Ziqi thought for a moment and said, "Actually, as long as it’s enough for Cai Cai and me to live on, I haven’t thought too much about it."
Fang Yi said, "Cai Cai still needs to attend middle school, high school, and college in the future, and that will be expensive."
Xia Ziqi kept silent. She understood the situation, although selling breakfast by the roadside early in the morning could keep her going, the expenses for Cai Cai as she grew would be massive; Xia Ziqi was not ignorant of this fact.
"But I..." Xia Ziqi had something she wanted to say, but stopped herself.
"What do you like to do?" asked Fang Yi.
Biting her lip, Xia Ziqi replied, "I want to do many things, travel, play around, I also like DIY, there are many things I like."
Fang Yi understood. Xia Ziqi was indeed a woman, not yet old, merely a young married woman, with the mind of a young girl still. But with Cai Cai, for the sake of her child, she had to sacrifice many things.
Thinking this over, Fang Yi asked, "Then what are you best at doing?"
Very naturally, Xia Ziqi answered, "Cooking, doing the laundry."
"Eh... those are all household chores," Fang Yan sweated a bit.
Xia Ziqi realized that too and slightly lowered her head, looking somewhat disheartened, "Am I very useless?"
"How could that be? In my eyes, you are stronger than many women, and the food you cook is delicious, which already surpasses many women," Fang Yi explained.
Xia Ziqi’s beautiful face showed a faint hint of happiness as she whispered, "Actually, I can make clothes. I studied it before."
"You can make clothes?" Fang Yi touched his chin, slowly pondering.
While he pondered, Fang Yi moved his legs, making sure Cai Cai who was sitting on his calves wouldn’t get bored.
"How about this, open a clothing store, what do you think?"
"Open a clothing store?" Xia Ziqi was stunned.
"Yes, a clothing store!"
"That’s it!" said Fang Yi.
Xia Ziqi uncertainly asked, "Fang Yi, what are you talking about, I don’t understand."
"You can make clothes; then open a clothing store, so you won’t have to continue selling breakfast. Plus, you’ll earn more money, isn’t that good?" answered Fang Yi.
"But... but I have no money," Xia Ziqi hesitated.
"I have money," Fang Yi responded.
Surprised, Xia Ziqi finally understood Fang Yi’s intention, she quickly shook her head and said, "No, I won’t take your money, you’ve already helped me and Cai Cai enough. I won’t take any more of your money."
Fang Yi sighed, what he feared most was Xia Ziqi’s refusal.
"Also, you’re working, you don’t have much money. If I took your money, I would feel guilty," Xia Ziqi said firmly, knowing Fang Yi was not a wealthy man, and even if he were, she wouldn’t just take his money without reason.
"Cai Cai, come, go to the bedroom to play, your mom and I need to talk," Fang Yi said.
Cai Cai nodded her head and ran off to the bedroom.
Fang Yi moved a little farther, lighting a cigarette, careful not to expose Xia Ziqi to the smoke.
"Ziqi, what do you think of me?" Fang Yi asked.
"A good person, a very good man," Xia Ziqi didn’t hesitate to say.
"Do you consider me a friend?" Fang Yi asked again.
"Good, since we’re friends, then you should accept help from a friend, right?"
"But I... I don’t want to owe you any more," Xia Ziqi said.
Fang Yi sighed and said, "I know you are proud, but I don’t want you to owe me. Don’t worry about me not having enough money, actually, I have money. Consider this money as a loan to you. Start a clothing store, and when you earn enough, you can just pay me back then."
(Second release! Requesting votes and comments, thanks to One ??? and the Rural Representative for their rewards!)