Quan Jiu slept until her alarm rang. She got up and checked the time; it was just seven o'clock. She stretched, feeling exceptionally rested today.
She got up, washed, and went out of her room. Just as she was about to head to the kitchen, she saw Mimi and Tutu emerging from their respective rooms.
Quan Jiu exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you two up so early today?"
Mimi pointed to the wall clock, "It's not early, it's already eight o'clock."
"Eight o'clock?" Quan Jiu tilted her head and saw that the wall clock indeed showed eight fifteen. Wait, shouldn't it be seven fifteen?
She ran back to her room to check her alarm. It was seven fifteen. She then opened her phone to confirm the time, which showed eight fifteen.
Quan Jiu pressed her forehead, dropped the alarm, and hurried to the kitchen. "The alarm is broken. Mommy overslept today. Are you hungry? Wait a moment, the steamed eggs will be ready soon."
"Mom, Santa Claus came early!" Tutu opened the front door and pointed to the lunchbox bag hanging on the doorknob. He sniffed, "It smells so good, like steamed buns."
Quan Jiu walked over and immediately understood, "It's from Grandpa next door."
There were three kinds of steamed buns:豇豆包 (cowpea buns), 酱肉包 (braised meat buns), and 芽菜包 (preserved vegetable buns). The thermos was filled with a thick porridge made from ground peanuts, exuding a rich, creamy aroma that was both refreshing and appetizing. On top was a small dish of preserved eggs with chili oil and scallions, a perfect combination that made her mouth water just by smelling it.
Tutu swallowed hard, "It smells so good." Mimi had already run to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks.
Quan Jiu was deeply touched. Making steamed buns requires dough preparation. These items must have been prepared by the elderly gentleman starting at five in the morning.
Unable to bear the guilt, she texted Grandpa next door: "Grandpa, please take care of yourself. You got up so early to cook for me, a young person. I really don't deserve it."
Chu Rong almost choked on his porridge. After thinking for a moment, he replied with five words: "My health is very good." Then he asked, "Are the buns delicious? It's my first time making them, I hope the taste isn't too bad."
Seeing Mimi and Tutu eating with gusto, Quan Jiu smiled helplessly: "They are very delicious, the children love them."
After putting down her phone, Quan Jiu sighed with a troubled expression and started breakfast with the children.
Mimi, understanding the situation, advised, "Mom, Grandpa next door likes to cook. It's great that someone is eating what he makes. Don't worry too much about it, let him be busy, he's happy to do it."
"Right," Tutu mumbled, "He likes doing this."
Quan Jiu thought for a moment and asked, "How old do you think Grandpa next door is?" She had always thought he was in his seventies or eighties.
Tutu blurted out, "Around thirty or forty."
"What?" Quan Jiu was surprised.
Mimi quickly coughed, "We don't know, but he's not particularly old, and his hands and feet are quite nimble."
Quan Jiu was amused and exasperated, "What grandfather is thirty or forty? Thirty or forty year olds should be called uncles or aunts, and twenty year olds should be called brothers or sisters. Don't make a fool of yourselves."
"We won't, we understand. We prefer to call people young rather than old. It's not impossible to call him uncle in the future," Tutu said, taking another meat bun.
Quan Jiu was confused by the two children, so she decided not to ask further.
After breakfast and cleaning up the dishes, Quan Jiu played games with the children for a while before retreating to her study to polish her script. However, she didn't work for long before receiving a message from Guan Shi: "Are you awake?"
"About to take a nap," Quan Jiu replied jokingly.
Guan Shi, on the other end of the phone, was groggy. He yawned widely and texted, "Yesterday, I performed the longest surgery of my life, twelve hours. By the time I came out of the operating room, it was already evening. I was worried about any sudden complications with the patient, so I stayed on duty all night and only got home at five. So, my congratulations are late."
After reading his long message, Quan Jiu couldn't help but laugh: "You're still so polite with me, I'm not used to it."
"It depends on the occasion. When my junior sister became famous, it wouldn't be right for me, her senior brother, to be indifferent. So, I've sent you a small token of my appreciation, it should arrive soon." Guan Shi yawned widely again and wiped the tears from his eyes.
Quan Jiu smiled helplessly: "What gift? It would be better if you could get me a wealth charm from a temple, so I can get rich."
"That's fine, I'm quite close to Guantian Temple, I'll go get it for you this afternoon."
Quan Jiu chuckled, "I won't talk anymore, I'm writing."
Guan Shi put down his phone with satisfaction, turned over, and went back to sleep.
...
Meanwhile, after breakfast, Chu Rong noticed that the remaining food in the refrigerator was not enough for lunch. He tidied up a bit and went out to buy some fresh vegetables.
As soon as he stepped out of the elevator on the first floor, he was blocked by a large bouquet of flowers. A card was tucked in front of the bouquet, and he immediately saw the name Guan Shi written on it.
Chu Rong's expression darkened, and he stood in the middle of the elevator doorway.
The bouquet was as tall as half a delivery person. With the wrapping paper standing up, it completely blocked the delivery person's view. He could see a pair of legs in front of him and said, "Excuse me, could you please move aside?"
The legs did not move. Instead, a slightly cold voice came, "Are these flowers for Ms. Quan in 1003?"
The delivery person heard this and recognized the name, quickly nodding, "Yes, yes."
"I am her family. She's not awake yet, don't disturb her. Hand them over to me," Chu Rong said.
Although the delivery person hadn't seen the person, the voice didn't sound very friendly. He said, "Then I'll deliver them to you. This is a door-to-door delivery."
"No need, you've worked hard enough." Chu Rong directly reached out and took the bouquet from the delivery person.
The delivery person felt a strong force snatch the bouquet away. Just as he was about to grab it back, he saw the face of the person holding the flowers.
Due to his tall stature, the bouquet, which seemed too large for the delivery person, was just the right size in this person's hands. His impeccably tailored suit exuded an air of nobility.
Someone with such a demeanor could not possibly be a flower thief. The delivery person's perception of reality was swayed by his appearance, and he didn't have the slightest doubt, "Then please sign here."
Chu Rong freed one hand. His long, fair fingers made even the one-yuan neutral pen look elegant. As for the signature, it was done in one stroke, steady and firm, clearly extraordinary.
The delivery person was completely reassured. After thanking him several times, he happily left.
Chu Rong, holding the flowers, re-entered the elevator. The faint smile on his face finally disappeared.
He expressionlessly removed the card from the bouquet, crumpled it without even looking, and as soon as he exited the elevator, he threw it directly into the trash can next to the elevator.
Back home, Chu Rong placed the bouquet in the center of the living room and examined it carefully.
It was a modern floral arrangement with a strong artistic sense. The arrangement of the flowers, the color matching, and the varying heights all displayed aesthetic beauty. Through skillful floral artistry, these flowers showcased more beauty than they possessed on their own.
It was clearly the work of an experienced artist.
Chu Rong counted them, including the foliage, there were ten different varieties.
He took out his phone and started searching on Baidu.
Daisy, its flower language is hidden love in the heart; Sunflower, its flower language is silent love; Foxtail grass is difficult love of secret admiration; Iris is I miss you; Blue rose is I have always secretly missed you; White hyacinth is love that dare not be revealed...
Chu Rong smiled, the frost in his eyes seeming to freeze the surroundings into an ice cellar.
He looked at the nearly one-meter-high bouquet with a cold expression, thought for a moment, and moved it to the corner of the kitchen. The previously somewhat cold kitchen immediately came alive.
Chu Rong picked up his phone and went out again.