Chapter 312

———!!!!! At this moment, someone suddenly woke up and sat up in bed, looking confused and silent. After looking around, she saw a familiar yet not so familiar room layout. "What's wrong?" "Had a nightmare?" A male voice sounded beside her, sounding a little hoarse. Hua Xin remained silent for a moment, seemingly savoring the events of her dream. This dream... why does it feel so familiar? Hua Xin, who hadn't dreamed in a long time, looked at her hands, then at the man beside her who had also woken up. It was as if she had had the same dream before... no, was it a sequel to a previous dream? Ugh. "You scumbag." "?" At this moment, Xia Yan, who had turned on the bedside lamp after hearing the movement beside him and was looking at Hua Xin with a drowsy expression, was inexplicably attacked, a bewildered expression appearing on his face. "Looks like a shrimp head." Hua Xin attacked again with a face full of disgust, but her body lay back on Xia Yan's arm. After the lights were turned off, she explained helplessly and melancholically, "I was dreaming." "The male lead is you." "How about one time?" "Get lost." Volume 3 Happiness and Growth is not just him and her 236. Ordinary Happiness "It's winter again..." Looking at the light snowflakes falling outside the door, and the pedestrians coming and going wearing very thick down jackets, Li Xue, who was sitting at the door gently stirring the coffee she had just mixed with milk, murmured softly. This winter seems to have come later than last year, but the temperature is not as cold as last year, it has warmed up a bit? So many things happened last year. Slowly recalling the bits and pieces of the whole year in her heart, she calmed down for the first time and a faint smile appeared on her face. Life and business, two closely related and inseparable words, should be the first time that they have been realized in her life, and they have become so reassuring. Looking back on her long life, the hardships and setbacks she endured didn't seem to be sudden attempts to stop her. How can one become stronger without experiencing growth? In her personal life, as long as she was with Shanqing and both sets of parents were healthy, even without accumulating a fortune, she was already happy enough. And in her seemingly "cursed" career, things had finally settled down for the first time. The kittens were adorable, and she had a loyal customer base and a loyal following. The prime location meant that even during slow periods, business wasn't too bad; income was proportional to effort. Everything was becoming peaceful, stable, and happy. As a child, she always dreamed of becoming a scientist who could change humanity, or Ultraman who could defeat monsters and protect humanity on TV, or a pampered princess in a castle. In youth, one always dreams of making a name for oneself, achieving something truly great, ideally becoming the boss of a company or a high-ranking official to impress everyone. But upon entering the workforce and living independently, these dreams are forgotten. All that matters is saving some money each month, taking a few days off, and ensuring one's parents are healthy and well. Before the harsh realities of life hit hard, most people remain young people with dreams and lofty ambitions. Li Xue has always wanted to prove something, perhaps out of spite towards her parents, or perhaps out of defiance of what seems like a curse against her entrepreneurial endeavors, which is why she perseveres. She doesn't know if she's successful now, or if she's fulfilled her initial aspirations. However, being "ordinary" isn't inherently a sin. "What are you thinking about?" Lost in thought, Li Xue heard Shan Qing's soft voice beside her, barely audible in the shop filled with the gentle strains of piano music. But after all these years, how could she not recognize him? "Thinking about what to eat tonight." She took a small sip of coffee, the rich aroma slowly spreading in her mouth. But it was obvious that this simple, perfunctory answer made it easy for Shan Qing to see what Li Xue was thinking. That's how simple the understanding between an old married couple is. "Then let's go for barbecue tonight," Shan Qing said softly, sitting down next to Li Xue, seemingly lost in thought. He placed the coffee cup on the table, but his hand, unusually, wandered off onto Li Xue's hand, which was resting on the sofa. "What? You've just made a little money and you don't know how to spend it?" "Or..." "You think my cooking isn't good?" Li Xue looked away from the doorway, her eyes fixed on Shan Qing, who had a slight smirk, and asked. Recently, the responsibility of cooking at home had shifted from Shan Qing, who had held the position for several years, to Li Xue. I don't know if Li Xue suddenly watched some video or heard some inspirational housewife advice, but recently she suddenly wanted to try cooking, so she took the opportunity to strip Shan Qing of his head chef position. Her intentions were good, of course, but as for the taste... well, let's just say it was a bit of a letdown. "Absolutely not." Seeing Shan Qing's completely honest expression, Li Xue finally believed he wasn't disgusted. She gave a cold snort and continued sipping her coffee. The shop was rather quiet in the morning. Only the Hachimi who were out for a stroll, huddled together, laughing and playing. Most of the customers were probably still busy with their weekday lives. "Just remember not to use salt instead of sugar when making tomato and egg stir-fry, not to use soy sauce instead of oyster sauce when making chili and pork stir-fry, and don't mix up shredded potatoes and ginger..." "..." Li Xue paused, feeling a bit annoyed as Shan Qing recounted her cooking mishaps, but mostly she wanted to laugh at her own clumsy attempts. Although she was reluctant to admit it, she seemed to have no talent for cooking. There was no arguing, no bickering; both Li Xue and Shan Qing had faint smiles in their eyes. Even without words, they understood each other's thoughts and feelings. "Ding-a-ling." Shan Qing opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but Li Xue, seeing the guests entering, had already gone to the door to greet them. He could only shake his head with a light laugh and then went back to the kitchen. "Good morning Sister Li Xue ~" "Good morning." "The usual today?" "Yes, we can probably only stay until around the afternoon today?" "You can stay as long as you want, after all, you are the first guests today. Oh, by the way, Chun Cha is ready to serve." Li Xue said to the two girls in front of her with a slightly mysterious smile. "Is Chun Cha already an adult?" "In terms of a cat's age, yes." The girl in front of her seemed to have a glint in her eyes, as if she was particularly interested in Chun Cha, the offspring of Chun Qiu and Cha Cha, who had been brought to work as a child Chun Cha by the cat trafficker Hua Xin. Although it's a mix of a ragdoll and a tabby cat, it looks like a ragdoll and is exceptionally cute. However, the girl in the pure white down jacket, who was chatting with Li Xue, looked around and asked with some regret, "..."