Chapter 61: Lin Qiu’s Craftsmanship

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Lin Qiu’s Craftsmanship

"You don’t have to worry about me; I really don’t care whether they call me mother or not. We agreed on this long ago, didn’t we? I take care of the two children for you, so you can be worry-free. It’s a mutually beneficial cooperation." Fu Xiaoxiao said slowly with a smile.

For some reason, Lu Feng felt a choke in his heart when he heard this sentence.

"Do you really not mind?" Lu Feng didn’t finish his sentence, but he thought Fu Xiaoxiao must understand what he meant.

"I don’t mind." Fu Xiaoxiao nodded with a smile. What was there for her to mind?

For her, wasn’t this also a job?

In the seventies, jobs were scarce; if she didn’t take this job from Lu Feng, where could she find such a good opportunity? Although she was trying hard to find a marriage partner at the time, it wasn’t that she had to get married. If she couldn’t find a suitable one, she would just go to the countryside.

Although going to the countryside was a bit tough, she believed she wouldn’t let herself live too poorly.

If she hadn’t found Lu Feng at that time, or if Lu Feng had refused her, she had already figured out how to go about her life in the countryside.

As long as she held on until the end of ’77, when the college entrance exams were restored, she could still go to college and return to the city.

"Aren’t you afraid it might ruin your life?" Even Lu Feng felt he was being a bit harsh. "How about this? Let’s change the agreement to three years. After three years, the two kids will be older, and then I’ll take the initiative to file for divorce to set you free."

Fu Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, looking at Lu Feng with some surprise.

Why did he suddenly make such a promise?

"You don’t have to do this; it’s what I agreed to, not..."

Fu Xiaoxiao waved her hand. She hadn’t proposed such a condition to the boss.

"This matter is indeed unfair to you; I shouldn’t be so selfish to trap you at home. I didn’t think it through..." Lu Feng insisted that Fu Xiaoxiao accept the condition.

Seeing Lu Feng persistently ask her to agree, Fu Xiaoxiao nodded. "Okay then, as you said, in three years, if I intend to marry someone, then... we’ll divorce?"

Hearing Fu Xiaoxiao mention divorce, Lu Feng felt a pang in his heart, not understanding why he suddenly disliked hearing those two words from her mouth.

"Alright." He agreed verbally, but his heart was not pleased.

After Fu Xiaoxiao changed Lu Feng’s medication, she took her things and left his room.

Just as she walked out of the room, she saw someone pacing at the door.

"Who is it?" Fu Xiaoxiao asked.

"It’s me." Xu Yan approached Fu Xiaoxiao, pointing at his identification.

"It’s Doctor Xu! Are you here to see Lu Feng? He’s in his room." Fu Xiaoxiao pointed to Lu Feng’s room and said to Xu Yan.

"Is he really obediently staying at home?" Xu Yan was surprised to hear Fu Xiaoxiao say Lu Feng was in his room.

He was hesitant when he came over; if Lu Feng wasn’t home, would it be inappropriate for him, a man, to come by?

But Lu Feng had been discharged for two days, and according to the usual practice, he should come over to check on him.

Before, he never caught him at home, and he thought this time would be no exception.

"He’s at home!" Fu Xiaoxiao was puzzled as to why staying at home was surprising, and why everyone seemed so astonished.

"Then I’ll go take a look, sorry to bother you." Xu Yan didn’t explain and smiled at Fu Xiaoxiao.

"He’s in the innermost room." Fu Xiaoxiao gave directions.

"I know, I’m familiar with this place." Xu Yan waved and deftly walked into Lu Feng’s room.

Fu Xiaoxiao was about to close the door when she heard a soft voice calling from outside.

"Mr. Fu..." Lin Qiu’s voice came from outside, and Fu Xiaoxiao quickly opened the door to see Lin Qiu standing awkwardly not far away.

"Sister Lin." Fu Xiaoxiao stepped forward, took Lin Qiu’s hand, and with a smile, led her into the courtyard.

"How is it? Are you adapting well here?" Fu Xiaoxiao asked with a smile as she observed the noticeably improved complexion of Lin Qiu.

"Thanks to you, I never thought life could be this comfortable." Lin Qiu gratefully looked at Fu Xiaoxiao and pushed the basket in her hand towards her.

"These past few days, I’ve been with my sister; no troublesome mother-in-law, no husband who hits me on a whim, no endless housework, eating well, sleeping well. I’ve never felt so good." Lin Qiu sincerely thanked Fu Xiaoxiao.

If it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t have realized how beautiful the world could be, even the air she breathed in the morning felt so refreshing.

No more washing the clothes they deliberately dirtied, no more enduring grievances; all she needed was to think about what to cook for her sister, sleep when tired, and sit in the sun to warm her back when she woke up.

This life was like a dream.

"It will get even better in the future." Fu Xiaoxiao patted Lin Qiu’s hand. To have such courage to break free from that kind of home required great bravery.

As long as she wants to change, it’s not too late.

"These are some snacks I made for you, don’t dislike them." Lin Qiu liked Fu Xiaoxiao’s nature; being around her felt like being with an old friend, there was no need for suspicion, and she could speak freely, feeling at ease.

"Did you make all of these?" Fu Xiaoxiao looked at the exquisite snacks in the basket, which were no worse than those from her previous life.

"These are lotus flower pastries." Lin Qiu nodded and explained with a smile. "Actually, my family has been making pastries for generations. The craft was passed down to my father, but this skill was traditionally only passed to males. Unfortunately, my father only had my sister and me, so he taught me the craft."

"Wow, delicious! Sweet but not greasy, crispy and crunchy." Fu Xiaoxiao took a bite, her eyes instantly lighting up.

The lotus flower pastry had a fresh floral and milky aroma. Taking a gentle bite, the pastry skin made a "rustling" sound between the teeth, the flaky texture immediately spreading across the tongue, and the soft, sweet filling flowed out, delicate and smooth, with the perfect sweetness, bearing both the richness of red bean paste and a faint rose scent.

Absolutely amazing.

"I’m glad you like it; it’s all I have to offer." Lin Qiu blushed from the compliment, happy that what she made was liked by others.

"I really love it. Marrying into the Liu Family wasted your talents. With such skills, why didn’t you work in a restaurant?" Fu Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled.

With such skills, wasn’t she better than those pastry chefs? Why didn’t she become one?

"... Probably because I’m a woman? They think a woman can’t make such pastries." Lin Qiu said, her expression dimming.

In desperation back then, she also tried to find a job.

But they didn’t want to give her the chance, not even allowing her to try, not believing a girl like her could make exquisite pastries.

In the end, with no other choice, she decided to marry herself off.

"What a waste, such great skills, and those people are stuck in old ways, not recognizing talent." Fu Xiaoxiao shook her head, pitying Lin Qiu’s excellent skills that were defeated by outdated thinking.