In the following days, Zhuang Rui went to the antique market several more times, naturally hoping to try his luck and see if he could encounter another item that could absorb spiritual energy. But it was close to New Year, and heavy snow had fallen for over a week straight, so many shops in the antique market had closed for business, planning to reopen after the holiday. Even the usual street vendors were nowhere to be seen.
Zhuang Rui did come across one shop that was open, and the owner was quite enthusiastic. However, after looking at the so-called authentic calligraphy works by Zhang Xu that the owner claimed to have, Zhuang Rui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Even without using the spiritual energy in his eyes, he could tell they were fakes. If they were real, wouldn't the owner have already bought a villa at Yunlong Manor instead of loitering around here in the cold? Did he really look that much like a fool?
Out of sheer frustration, Zhuang Rui decided to stay in. He went to Xinhua Bookstore and bought many books on antique appraisal. Every day, he either read books or stayed home getting familiar with the spiritual energy in his eyes.
After numerous experiments these past few days, Zhuang Rui discovered that the spiritual energy in his eyes could currently reach up to about two meters from his body and could penetrate glass and wood about one centimeter thick. However, it had no effect on metal, iron, or stone mineral objects. Still, Zhuang Rui believed that as his spiritual energy increased, the objects his eyes could see through would gradually increase as well.
A few days ago, Liu Chuan came to bother Zhuang Rui every day. But recently, it seemed his family had introduced him to a girl, so he had shown up less often over the past five or six days. Seeing other families busy preparing New Year goods, Zhuang Rui seemed even more idle.
“Xiao Rui, don’t stay cooped up at home all day. Go out for a walk. By the way, go to the supermarket and buy some couplets and ‘fortune’ characters. The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Eve—time to put them up.”
Zhuang Rui's mother came to her son's room and sighed softly to herself. Although her son was usually steady and rarely went to places like discos or bars, he used to be quite cheerful when he came home before, going out to play with friends every day. But after this injury, he had become much quieter, staying cooped up at home reading all day. This naturally caused Zhuang Rui's mother a lot of needless worry.
"Got it, Mom, I'll go right away. How about we hang up that pair of scrolls Grandpa left us？"
Zhuang Rui joked with a smile. He had long told his mother the origin and value of those scrolls. Zhuang Rui's mother didn't say much, just told him to keep them safe. In her heart, the actual worth of those scrolls could never compare to her longing for the old man and her husband.
Zhuang Rui put on his coat and hat. Just as he was about to leave, he ran into Zhuang Min bringing her daughter back to her parents' home. Needless to say, when the little girl heard her uncle was going to the mall, she kept burrowing into his arms. Helpless, Zhuang Rui had no choice but to carry his niece along.
……
Ever since large supermarkets entered Pengcheng, many traditional stores were forced to change their business models and transform into supermarkets. However, this made things a lot more convenient for the common folks—products were cheaper, and almost every neighborhood had a supermarket right at its doorstep. There was also a supermarket not far from Zhuang Rui's home, quite large in scale. It was a branch of a major Shenzhen-based supermarket chain opened in Pengcheng, and business was booming. Even in the heavy snow, the place was packed with people coming and going.
Carrying his little niece, Zhuang Rui slowly made his way into the supermarket with the crowded flow. Amid the noisy environment, his heart felt incredibly peaceful, and there was a warm, cozy feeling. Maybe this was life—the daily grind of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar—simple and plain.
"Uncle, uncle, I saw Rascal Uncle..."
Little Nannan clung to Zhuang Rui's shoulder, frantically waving her little hands and shouting nonstop： "Rascal Uncle, Rascal Uncle." This drew the crowd's attention toward them.
"Nannan, you can call me Rascal Uncle at home, but don't call me that outside..."
Zhuang Rui sweated inwardly. Following Nannan's little hand, he saw a gaze that could kill staring straight at him.
"Rascal, how did you end up here? Weren't you busy with blind dates these past few days? What, buying gifts to see your mother-in-law?"
Zhuang Rui held his niece and squeezed toward Liu Chuan, not noticing that Liu Chuan was winking and making faces at him.
When he reached Liu Chuan, Zhuang Rui realized that there were two young women standing beside him. To his embarrassment, little Nannan, seeing a familiar face, cheerfully shouted： "Rascal Uncle, hi." There was no need to ask—monkey see, monkey do—the two women next to them surely knew that Nannan learned this address from Zhuang Rui.
"Ahem, well, Lei Lei, I told you Zhuang Rui wouldn't recognize you. Let me introduce you—this is our little princess Nannan, Zhuang Rui's daughter." Liu Chuan put on a straight face, pretending not to hear little Nannan's words, and solemnly introduced her to the girl beside him, not forgetting to take a jab at Zhuang Rui.
"Hello, don't listen to Liu Chuan's nonsense—this is my sister's kid..." Zhuang Rui smiled and cut off Liu Chuan, looking at the woman named Lei Lei and couldn't help but admire her silently.
Although this woman was only above average in looks, her wheat-colored face radiated a sunny, healthy beauty. Standing at a full 1.7 meters, she didn't look inferior at all next to the tall and sturdy Liu Chuan. Even though winter clothes were bulky, you could still make out the girl's impressive figure, suggesting she must exercise regularly.
Judging by Liu Chuan's tone, Zhuang Rui should know Lei Lei, but he really had no impression of this woman in his mind.
"Lei Lei？ Lei Lei, oh, you're not the Glasses Girl, are you？？？" Zhuang Rui recalled a classmate's name from junior high and couldn't help shouting in surprise.
The Glasses Girl Zhuang Rui mentioned was indeed their junior high classmate. Back then, she wore her hair in a ponytail and thick glasses, making her very inconspicuous in class. Later, she transferred to another school for unknown reasons, so his impression of her was faint. With his good memory, Zhuang Rui recalled the name, but he really couldn't connect the vibrant, beautiful girl before him with the ugly duckling from back then.
The reason Zhuang Rui remembered the name was because back then, Liu Chuan had just watched Stephen Chow's movie "Fight Back to School" and was overflowing with a sense of justice. He taught a lesson to a few male classmates who constantly called Lei Lei "Four-Eyes" in class. For that incident, Liu Chuan had to do a horse stance during class for several days, since his dad tested the hardness of his shoe sole on Liu Chuan's butt.
"You two had your eyes on top of your heads back then, how could you have noticed a girl like me? Zhuang Rui, I used to think you were honest, but you're actually pretty glib..."
Lei Lei actually didn't know that in junior high, Zhuang Rui was quietly mischievous—he came up with the ideas, while Liu Chuan led the charge.
"And this is？！"
Zhuang Rui looked at Lei Lei's companion, but was stunned. If the change in his old classmate Lei Lei had surprised him, then Lei Lei's companion left him utterly astonished. Having worked in Zhonghai, the fashion capital, and having seen all kinds of beautiful white-collar women, even Zhuang Rui lost his composure for a few seconds.
Somewhat different from Lei Lei's healthy and energetic image, this woman's appearance could be called stunning. Fair skin, slender eyebrows, a slightly raised nose bridge, and long black hair piled high on her head made her delicate neck look even more slender, adding a touch of nobility and cold beauty. She was slightly taller than Lei Lei. The waist-tight leather jumpsuit revealed her curvaceous figure without any doubt. If this woman changed into an evening gown, Zhuang Rui would have definitely thought this noisy supermarket was hosting a high-society party.
It couldn't be denied that, in those few seconds, Zhuang Rui did have the idea of using his spiritual energy to take a peek at her hidden paths. However, Zhuang Rui noticed a hint of chill in her moving eyes, and perhaps even a trace of disdain？
Zhuang Rui's father had passed away when he was young, so he had always been sensitive to others' gazes. At that moment, he subconsciously sensed that this woman was not easy to get along with. Hence, he didn't show excessive enthusiasm, merely nodding to her with a smile and forcibly suppressing the feeling of awe in his heart.
Qin Xuanbing looked at the man in front of her, whose appearance and clothes were both pretty ordinary, and was in a very bad mood. She had come to the mainland from Hong Kong for the New Year, sneaking away with her good friend Lei Lei without telling her family, just to escape those self-righteous rich boys who were always bothering her. But this man's gaze reminded her of those annoying young masters, so when she looked back at Zhuang Rui, her expression was very cold.
“Blockhead, this is Miss Qin, from Hong Kong, a friend of Lei Lei’s, here traveling on the mainland...”
Liu Chuan introduced her to Zhuang Rui. Actually, he was also pretty annoyed with this woman. Sure, she looked gorgeous, but she was cold as ice. What got him most was that his dad had set him up with a girlfriend, who turned out to be an old junior high classmate. He was quite satisfied with Lei Lei, but the last few times they went on dates, Lei Lei had brought along an ice cube and a third wheel.
“Alright, Lei Lei, it’s too crowded here. Let’s just go.”
Qin Xuanbing frowned at the bustling crowd. When she shopped back in Hong Kong, she always went to boutiques with personal service, so she really wasn’t used to this kind of scene. She wished she had just stayed at Lei Lei’s place and not come out.
“It’s New Year’s, the more people, the more lively it is. You’ll get used to it. After we buy our stuff, let’s go to Zhuang Rui’s place for a meal. Blockhead, you’re cool with that, right？”
Actually, Liu Chuan’s real plan for bringing them here to shop today was to head to Zhuang Rui’s for lunch. In the back of his mind, he was thinking: Blockhead paired with an ice cube, and he could ditch the third wheel too—kill two birds with one stone.
“Always welcome an old classmate. It’s just a small place, I wonder if you’d do me the honor.”
Zhuang Rui naturally wouldn't refuse Liu Chuan's proposal, but he glanced casually at Qin Xuanbing as he spoke. He could feel her coldness and only issued a polite invitation.
"Great, great! Pretty auntie, come eat at our place! Grandma's food is delicious..." The little girl loved excitement and clapped her hands happily.
Lei Lei looked at Qin Xuanbing with some hesitation. She was straightforward by nature and was also happy to see Zhuang Rui. According to local customs in Pengcheng, when someone invites you to their home for a meal, it's a gesture of treating you as an honored guest. But Qin Xuanbing's personality was rather aloof, and Lei Lei was afraid she might say something unpleasant.
"I don't mind."
Unexpectedly, Qin Xuanbing didn't refuse, saying it indifferently. In truth, she didn't want to visit a stranger's home, but she had already caused Lei Lei plenty of trouble on this trip to Pengcheng. If she didn't go, Lei Lei would probably have to turn down the invitation too.
"Alright, let's buy our stuff and get going. It's way too crowded here."
Liu Chuan first called Zhuang Rui's mother to let her know some friends were coming for dinner, then the group headed toward the shopping area.
Although Qin Xuanbing gave Zhuang Rui the impression of being distant and aloof, she was quite fond of little Nannan. Before long, the shopping cart was piled high with clothes, snacks, and many toys for Nannan, including a Barbie doll—all adding up to over two thousand yuan. Zhuang Rui didn't have that much cash on him and several times wanted to take out the items bought for Nannan, but Lei Lei stopped him each time.
"There's something going on between you two, huh? How'd you move so fast? Spill the beans."
While Lei Lei pushed the shopping cart with Nannan in front, Zhuang Rui grabbed Liu Chuan and asked in a low voice.
Liu Chuan laughed so hard his eyes narrowed into slits as he said, “Heh heh, your bro’s got charm, what can I say? No choice—I just took her to the pet shop for a day, and she said I was caring and reliable. But I didn’t forget about you, bro—the one next to her is for you.”
Truth be told, even Liu Chuan was a bit puzzled. He might be tall and strapping, but he wasn’t exactly a man everyone loves, a flower everyone admires. So why did Lei Lei seem to know so much about him?
“You’ve got your eye on two—take ’em both. I’m not interested.”
Zhuang Rui replied flatly. That woman was pretty, sure, but way too cold. The weather outside was already below zero, the world frozen solid—if you kept that woman at home, the room temperature would probably drop a few degrees. Too bad about that face and figure, though... seemed like someone, at some point, had thought about pulling some tricks...
Liu Chuan picked up the tab when they left, but under Qin Xuanbing's insistence, the clothes and toys they bought for Nannan were paid for separately. The group tossed their bags and packages into Liu Chuan's car and headed to Zhuang Rui's place.
As soon as they stepped inside, before Liu Chuan's loud voice could start hollering, Zhuang Min came out of the kitchen, her eyes red and puffy, as if she had just been crying. She didn't even have time to greet Lei Lei and the others before she said to Zhuang Rui, “Xiao Rui, Mom just fell and hurt her lower back. She refuses to go to the hospital no matter what. You and Da Chuan need to go talk some sense into her.”