Micai, as usual, first stood by the glass window and waved at me inside, then took out a plastic bag filled with roasted chestnuts from her handbag to show me. Her smile, reflected on the shiny glass window against the sunset, looked truly beautiful.
After Micai entered the coffee shop, she sat down beside me. Today, she had specially bought three portions of roasted chestnuts and invited Qinyan and Xiaonuo to enjoy them with us. Thus, the only four people in the coffee shop gathered together, enjoying the relaxed moment with chestnuts and coffee in the warm air from the air conditioner. Gradually, the sunset finally disappeared behind a distant chimney, sinking into another world.
While eating, Micai suddenly seemed to remember something. She took out a box containing a scarf from her handbag and handed it to Xiaonuo, saying, “Xiaonuo, today when I was shopping at the mall, I saw this sweet-style scarf and thought it would suit you well, so I bought it for you. Open it and see if you like it?”
Xiaonuo, flattered and delighted, accepted the scarf from Micai’s hands. Seeing the logo on the box, she exclaimed, “Wow! It’s BURBERRY! Thank you, sister-in-law. I really love it. This is my first luxury brand item ever!”
Micai smiled and replied, “I’m glad you like it.”
Xiaonuo was a clever girl. Looking at me, she spoke to Micai, “Sister-in-law, a few days ago I was upset because the business wasn’t good. You gave me this scarf, actually trying to win my favor for our boss, right? But I’ve already gotten over my bad mood. I will definitely work hard in the future and not disappoint the good intentions you have for the boss!”
Micai just smiled again. Yet my heart was filled with emotion. This woman, who was about to marry me, was devoting all her efforts for me…
At this moment, Qinyan jokingly asked Micai, “Sister-in-law, you can’t just comfort Xiaonuo because she had a bad mood and forget about me! I work hard every day too. Shouldn’t you prepare a gift for me as well to recognize my work?”
“Oh, of course! How could I play favorites!” Micai said, then took out a pair of warm gloves with wool lining from her handbag and handed them to him, adding, “You usually ride an electric scooter to work. You must keep your hands warm; otherwise, you might get chilblains, which are really uncomfortable!”
While thanking her, Qinyan accepted the gloves from Micai and said to me, “Yangge, Xiaonuo is absolutely right. Sister-in-law is truly thoughtful. She knows that my hands, which make coffee, shouldn’t get chilblains, so she bought these expensive warm gloves specifically for me… Sigh! Such a virtuous and incredibly beautiful wife, how did you manage to find her? You’re making us single guys so jealous!”
My heart was even more touched by Micai’s thoughtfulness. I hugged her shoulder, smiling happily, and replied, “Everyone has their own destiny. I must have been a very good person in my previous life, accumulating enough good karma, to have such good fortune in this life… Haha!”
Qinyan teased, “Then sister-in-law must have been the person you helped in her previous life. That’s why she’s following Yangge in this life, as if repaying a debt. You must treat sister-in-law well, and absolutely cannot take advantage of her destined role to repay a debt and just betray her.”
Micai and I exchanged glances. She showed tenderness, and I, overwhelmed by emotion, instinctively tightened my grip on her hand, understanding even more her importance in my heart. I repeatedly reminded myself: I must never do anything foolish to ruin this hard-earned relationship!
…
It was 6:30 PM. Micai and I were preparing to leave the coffee shop and go home to host Zhou Zhaokun. However, as we put on our coats and scarves, another minivan drove up outside the coffee shop. I thought it might be photographers from a photo studio bringing customers to take pictures, but I couldn’t spot anyone with a camera at first. Initially, I felt happy because they might be the first customers to come to our coffee shop solely to drink coffee. However, after understanding the situation, I immediately felt somewhat disappointed. This group of female customers had been introduced by one of yesterday’s customers, and they also planned to ask Micai to take a set of individual photos for them in the coffee shop during the weekend.
Before I could voice my opinion, Micai had already agreed to their request. She took off her coat and handed it to Xiaonuo, then softly said to me, “I know you care about me, but the customers have already come. We can’t possibly refuse them, right… You go home first so Zhou Ge won’t get bored waiting alone. I’ll take their photos quickly and then rush back immediately.”
I insisted, “I’ll wait for you… As for Ge, let Ban Di keep him company for a while!”
“Ban Di is such a rigid person; he’ll make Zhou Ge uncomfortable. You should go home quickly. Otherwise, I’ll be preoccupied with this matter, my work efficiency will drop, and I’ll end up wasting time.” Micai said while already taking her camera out of the camera bag, assembling the tripod, and urging me to leave.
Unable to persuade her, I had to leave the coffee shop first. However, I felt uneasy inside. She was working so hard, which truly made my heart ache for her. It made me feel even more that I wasn’t a qualified fiancé because she was putting in much more effort than me to manage our future family!
…
When I got home, Zhou Zhaokun hadn’t arrived yet. Ban Di was preparing dinner in the kitchen, while my mother was checking the expenses we had incurred today when purchasing household appliances. Seeing me return alone, she asked in surprise, “Where is Xiao Mi? Didn’t she come back with you?”
“She’s currently taking photos for customers at the coffee shop and will come back later.”
My mother’s expression turned displeased as she put down the bill in her hand and said to me, “She’s been so tired all day, and you still made her work overtime at the coffee shop. What kind of boyfriend are you, huh?… How come you don’t even know how to care for her?”
“I didn’t want her to stay behind either, but the customers couldn’t be turned down. She stayed behind to work overtime because she didn’t want to affect the coffee shop’s reputation!”
“In my opinion, you shouldn’t have opened that coffee shop at all. It’s nothing but a pointless hustle!”
“Mom, this really isn’t a pointless hustle. With a few photo sessions and the customers’ spending at the shop, we’re making several thousand yuan!”
My mother looked at me with disdain and said, “You actually take pride in earning money with your wife’s help… Why don’t you learn from your father? I’ve never worked a day in my life, and he still managed to support the entire family just fine!”
Although my mother scolded me, I was actually happy inside because she, who had once disliked Micai, was now genuinely speaking up for her and, like me, unwilling to see her overworked. I smiled and asked, “Mom, are you saying that you now truly accept Micai as your future daughter-in-law from the bottom of your heart?”
My mother paused for a moment, then said earnestly, “Of course I accept her. She’s such a good girl. I’ve seen everything she’s done for you with my own eyes. Although she comes from a wealthy family, she’s not at all spoiled. She follows you around busily, takes care of your daily life, and even washes your clothes during her off-hours, keeping the room spotlessly clean. She’s clearly a girl who knows how to manage a household… Actually, I used to misunderstand her a bit, and my heart absolutely couldn’t withstand this girl… In fact, who could have gone through as much as she has? All these years, living alone and managing such a large corporation… ” She then lightly hit me again, her expression becoming even more serious as she said, “Zhaoyang, I’m warning you, you absolutely cannot betray this girl… If you betray her, it will be like taking her life, do you understand?”
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