Chapter 038 She was very patient.
*
Current car rental methods are very convenient. You just register an account via a mobile app, book online, and pick up the car nearby.
Su Xian first practiced reverse parking several times in the parking lot, then drove onto the road to drive around the neighborhood. Many streets in Tokyo are very narrow with numerous intersections, making it genuinely difficult at first. However, after driving a dozen kilometers, she generally got the hang of it. She drove back to the parking lot and switched with Li Chengshi for his practice.
He got his driver's license during university but had barely driven, so he was a complete beginner.
Su Xian patiently explained the tricks of reverse parking, occasionally placing her hand on the steering wheel to help him. After five or six practice attempts, he successfully parked. She was so pleased she practically wanted to shower him with praise.
Li Chengshi felt mortified. "Hey, um, I'm not a kindergarten kid."
"Then I'm going to buy you a teat anyway. Come on, let's drive to the supermarket! I can finally buy water by the case! I also want to buy a case of Ebisu (beer)."
*
The supermarket parking lot was very busy, and people were constantly coming and going in the lanes. Under pressure, he couldn't reverse into the spot again. Afraid of blocking others, he had no choice but to get out and switch places with Su Xian. Watching her park successfully, he couldn't help but feel a little dejected.
"Why the long face? Are you worried I won't buy you a treat? How could I? I totally spoil you! Come on!" Su Xian pushed his back as they walked into the supermarket, vengefully buying a ton of items.
*
As the car drove into their narrow alley, Li Chengshi was pleasantly surprised to see a large moving truck parked in front of the house across the street. People in blue uniform were carrying things out. He eagerly asked, "Team Leader, could you rent this place?"
Su Xian smiled mysteriously. "I've already signed the contract. I'm renting here."
"Then why did you lie to me last time, saying you hadn't found anything suitable!"
"I wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn't expect it to be revealed today."
"I am surprised." He was truly happy because she genuinely couldn't bear to be far from him, and he didn't feel any psychological burden about it.
*
After the previous tenant moved out, the real estate company would send people to inspect and repair, replace wallpaper, and clean. It would take some time before she could officially move in. However, the next day, the manager took them inside to check their needs and gave them a copy of the floor plan for furniture dimension reference.
Li Chengshi was even more excited than Su Xian was and said he wanted to help her design the place properly.
"Alright, Little Li, I'm entrusting this job to you," Su Xian adopted a leader's demeanor. "Treat it like your own home."
"I will definitely take it seriously." But he didn't dare respond to the phrase "like your own home."
Su Xian didn't press the issue; she was very patient.
**
On Wednesday, they arrived at the temporary office in Suitengu and saw an unknown woman emerge from the bathroom, wrapped in Zhao Nanfeng's bathrobe. She completely ignored them and walked straight into the bedroom.
Honda stood nearby, unsure how to explain, and could only shrug helplessly.
Shortly after, Zhao Nanfeng saw the woman off and came into the office area, without any hint of shame on his face. "My new flame."
"I remember someone recently saying they were going to turn over a new leaf?" Although she hadn't believed him at the time, Su Xian felt it was necessary to remind him.
"Pretend I never said it."
Su Xian rolled her eyes.
Li Chengshi, however, was secretly pleased. Now he felt that Zhao Nanfeng's blatant bad behavior actually made him seem like a good person.
**
Zhao Nanfeng had put Su Xian entirely in charge of the wedding hall project mentioned earlier. Today, she needed to take her assistant to the site inspection.
The location was in a city in Chiba. Since Zhao Nanfeng had no plans to go out, he let them take the company car. Su Xian drove out of the city and stopped at a FamilyMart convenience store parking lot on the side of the road, letting Li Chengshi drive the second half.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"No rush. Drive slowly. I'll watch out for you."
An hour later, they smoothly arrived at the destination's dedicated parking lot. There were very few cars and no people. After two adjustments, he successfully reverses parked.
Ignoring the two times he scraped the curb and the one time he nearly drove into a rice paddy while turning, Su Xian once again launched into her praise mode. Li Chengshi quickly stopped her: "If this kind of praise were in a TV show, the audience would know immediately that you have an ulterior motive."
I do have one, she thought.
*
This was a Town Youth Park. Over the past decade, the area had attracted many young people through policies like housing subsidies and birth support, and this park was one of the benefits. At night, there were food trucks, and occasionally, various young artists performed or displayed their work. Then, a young couple accidentally held a minimalist wedding here with a few friends. When nearby people walking and relaxing discovered it, everyone spontaneously offered enthusiastic blessings. Some even played instruments, sang, and danced, creating a wonderful atmosphere. After a video was posted on social media, several more young couples came here to get married. After the park manager reported this to the town council, the civil servants decided they should provide a simple wedding hall for the youth free of charge.
The park manager brought them the relevant documents, including information on the infrastructure.
Su Xian walked back and forth twice with the floor plan, making simple measurements and notes with Li Chengshi, and taking photos and videos. "I think we should come back tonight to see it again. Three couples held their ceremonies in the evening."
"There's still a while until dark, Team Leader. Where should we go to kill time?"
*
A few kilometers away was a lake with a Roadside Station nearby, selling local agricultural products. Li Chengshi insisted on buying a gourd nearly a meter long, claiming they could use it for dumpling filling.
"How many meals of dumplings will that make?" Su Xian was a little confused.
"I'll be feeding you with this next week, haha." His smile was somewhat sinister.
"Okay." She was from the North of China and loved eating dumplings.
They bought two bags of snacks and sat by the lake, watching the water birds fly up and land, listening to the gentle wind.
"Team Leader, is this considered slacking off?"
"Of course it is. Isn't the happiness of working about earning this dirty money?"
He thought for a moment and said, "Yes."
*
Around 6 PM, Su Xian and Li Chengshi returned to the Youth Park along with the young people returning from work, joining them to experience the evening atmosphere there.
Li Chengshi lined up and bought two burritos. "Team Leader, do you want smoked meat or braised meat?"
"Smoked meat."
He found two promotional flyers from somewhere to use as mats, preventing the green from the lawn from transferring to their behinds.
Looking around, people were scattered on the lawn, benches, and steps. Some were chatting, others were just sitting quietly, but everyone looked completely at ease.
The food trucks on one side sold various yummy foods, while the glowing walkway on the other side cultivated a unique romance.
Halfway through eating, he asked, "Team Leader, is the smoked meat one good?"
"It is."
"I want to switch with you."
"Oh, so you like smoked meat too." She should have let him choose first.
"No, I want to try the other flavor."
"Okay."
Seeing him naturally eat something she had already eaten from, Su Xian smiled and said, "Looks like you don't find me disgusting, huh, hehe."
"We've kissed before, what's there to be disgusted about?"
"Hey! Can we actually talk about that now?" She was a little surprised.
"Just don't tell anyone else."
*
