She quickly grabbed the hemp rag, wiped the table and a chair clean, and called out to the young man working in the kitchen, “Little Comrade Zhou! Why don’t you come sit and cool off in front of the fan for a bit?”
She had seen him climbing the similarly narrow stairs inside his own apartment up to the terrace and lugging those heavy tiles down in the oppressive heat. The sheer effort was obvious.
Yet Zhou Huaijin was thinking she probably needed the apartment ready quickly to sleep there that night. “It’s no trouble; the tiles are already up on the counter,” he said.
Noticing some awkward corners where tiles didn’t quite sit right, he added, “Give me a moment,” and swiftly went back to his own apartment, returning with a handheld angle grinder. Plugging it in, he let out a loud “Bzzzz!” as he cut a tile. In under ten minutes, he’d sliced a perfectly shaped notch, allowing it to fit seamlessly around a corner of the wall by the countertop.
Once finished, admiring the smooth, neat counter surface, he began coiling the grinder’s power cord with a smile. “I did my own place just like this, same dimensions. Figured I’d knock it out for you while I was at it. Save you the trouble of hiring a professional.”
Xu Huiqing quickly headed back toward the bedroom to get some money.
Zhou Huaijin picked up his grinder and retreated to his own apartment, calling back, “Those tiles have been sitting up on my terrace for over six months, awkward to get rid of. You needing them today was perfect—I should be the one thanking you for saving me the job of hauling them downstairs.”
This was the seventh floor, after all. Carrying them down one by one would’ve been a slog.
Xu Huiqing saw he wouldn’t accept money and didn’t press the issue. It was already past noon, and she and Xiaoxi hadn’t eaten lunch yet. She invited him, “You haven’t had lunch yet, have you, Little Comrade Zhou? My daughter and I haven’t eaten either. Do you know a good place for a meal around here? I’m treating you, and I won’t take no for an answer!”
Xu Huiqing wasn’t someone who disliked doing chores or refused help when offered. But whenever someone helped her, she firmly believed in returning the favor.
The young man seemed diligent and hardworking. Living here with Xiaoxi, she’d likely need his help again. Building a good rapport was key, so she was determined to treat him to a meal.
Zhou Huaijin had come home precisely to eat lunch. He lived alone, so his own kitchen was cold and stove unlit. After the physical labor, he was drenched in sweat and tired, with work in the afternoon looming. The thought of cooking for himself held zero appeal. Unable to decline her sincere offer, he agreed and headed downstairs with Xu Huiqing.
He didn’t take her to an upscale restaurant but to a small eatery right inside the residential compound.
The small restaurant was tucked away past the back entrance on the first floor, heading in the direction of Yinshan Kindergarten.
Exiting through the compound’s back gate led to a wide road. On either side, silk tree flowers bloomed in vivid profusion, while the summertime chorus of cicadas buzzed with lively noise.
The two walked beneath the shade of the trees. To the left were shops lining the road; to the right, an iron fence overgrown with cascading pink roses.
The row of shops sold a bit of everything—a corner store, a breakfast shop, restaurants, even a family planning supplies store.
Zhou Huaijin, with his long legs, kept inadvertently pulling ahead, then would stop to wait for her, slowing his pace to point things out. “You can come here for breakfast in the morning. And if you don’t feel like cooking normally, just come to this place.”
He led her toward a small restaurant, not large in size but remarkably clean and bright, with a signboard above: red background, white lettering reading “Ping’an Restaurant”.
The boss lady, a round-faced woman around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, brightened with a beaming smile when she saw Zhou Huaijin. She bustled over with a rag to wipe their table and greet him. “Huaijin, you made it! What are you in the mood for?” As she spoke, her eyes landed on Xu Huiqing, curiosity plain on her face.
This was the first time she’d seen Zhou Huaijin bring a girl here. She started guessing at their relationship, but noticing the child in Xu Huiqing’s arms, she decided she was probably reading too much into it.
They found an empty table and sat down. Since Xu Huiqing was treating, she naturally ordered first.
In her past life, she wouldn’t call herself a rich man’s wife, but the Zhao Family was indeed considered wealthy in the neighboring city. She was used to ordering based purely on what she liked, barely glancing at prices.
Seeing the prices on the menu were incredibly reasonable, she smoothly rattled off several dishes: “Spiced beef slices, spare rib and seaweed soup, loofah scrambled eggs, red-braised crucian carp…” She paused, looking across at the young man. “You eat fish?”
At his nod, she figured with a cold dish, a soup, a vegetable, and a fish, they were set. She handed him the menu with a smile. “I wasn’t sure what you’d enjoy, so I just named a few things. See what you like and order a couple more!”
Noticing the way she ordered without a second thought for the cost, the young man quickly stopped her. “That’s plenty, I’m not picky!” He turned his attention to the three-year-old on her lap and asked Xu Huiqing, “Can she eat fish? Perhaps we should swap the red-braised for sweet and sour?”
Assuming he had a taste for sweet and sour flavors, Xu Huiqing nodded. “Sounds good!”
The young man handed the menu to the boss lady. “And two bottles of milk!”
As the boss lady headed back toward the kitchen, he wiped down their table and explained to Xu Huiqing, “This place has been open for years. Good food, and affordable.”
The boss lady quickly returned with two glass bottles of ice-cold milk. The young man inserted a straw into each—setting one in front of Xiaoxi and the other in front of Xu Huiqing. Seeing that, Xu Huiqing felt momentarily taken aback.
Until now, the reality of being reborn at age twenty-three hadn’t fully hit her in a tangible way. But this was a moment that truly drove it home: She was twenty-three right now! What a beautiful, dazzling time of life!
The young man was an unbelievably easy dining companion, devouring everything with relish. Xu Huiqing focused on feeding Xiaoxi first, getting her full, only eating her own meal in snatches between bites.
The food here was genuinely delicious. Even Xu Huiqing from her past life, who’d sampled countless delicacies from land and sea and dined at Michelin-starred restaurants, found the boss lady’s home-style cooking exceptionally good, the ingredients fresh and clean.
Zhou Huaijin checked his watch. Seeing he still had time before work, he didn’t rush or wolf things down. He slowed his eating pace to match Xu Huiqing’s, though even so, he still finished two bowls of rice quite quickly.
As they ate, Xu Huiqing pumped him for info about the neighborhood. Where’s the supermarket? The nearest wet market? Any good spots to take a kid to play?
Having grown up around here, Zhou Huaijin naturally knew the area inside and out. Whatever she asked, he answered in abundant detail.
Suddenly, Xu Huiqing remembered something else. “Do you know anywhere around here that does move-in deep cleaning? I want a comprehensive deep scrub of the whole apartment!”
“Move-in deep cleaning? Deep scrub?” Zhou Huaijin understood each word individually but had never heard them combined this way. He clarified, “You’re looking for someone to clean?”
Xu Huiqing nodded firmly. “A total, top-to-bottom deep clean of the entire place!”
The filth in that apartment was beyond what one person could tackle alone.
The concept of hourly housekeepers wasn’t common yet in this era, though maids were a thing.
He thought for a moment. “I’ll ask around for you.”
Xu Huiqing mainly assumed his father, being a police officer, would be well-connected in this area. “The landlady mentioned your father is with the public security bureau? Are you on summer break?”
Zhou Huaijin, who’d been diligently explaining the surroundings, paused, realizing the woman across from him thought he was a student. He couldn’t help a surprised laugh, pointing at himself. “Me! I’m the police officer!” He took a sip of water and shook his head, still chuckling. “My father isn’t.”
He pointed in the direction of the intersection near Yinshan Kindergarten, east toward Shengtao Primary School. “Walk straight for about ten minutes and you’ll hit the police station. If you ever need anything, come find us there!” He paused, then nodded. “Find me, too!”
He didn’t have the habit of letting a woman pay the bill, but Xu Huiqing’s insistence on treating left him feeling slightly awkward.
It was already close to one o’clock by the time they finished eating. He didn’t return to the compound, instead bidding Xu Huiqing goodbye right outside the restaurant entrance and heading straight to his workplace. Xu Huiqing walked back alone.
Going up and down seven floors was too inconvenient, so instead of heading straight back, she first visited the household goods shop he’d mentioned earlier.
She’d bought a thermos earlier but forgotten to get a kettle. This trip, she picked up a kettle, a wok, a rice cooker, bowls, chopsticks, water cups, a mop, and other essentials. She couldn’t find building blocks or a doll for Xiaoxi, so she settled for buying some drawing paper and colored pencils.
Unable to carry too much at once without a cart, she temporarily stuck to these items, then trudged back up the seven flights, step by step.
Youth truly brings vitality, she reflected. Climbing the seven-story building up and down like this didn’t exhaust her unduly. Even little Xiaoxi, with encouragement, was able to pull herself up step by step, holding onto the iron stair railing.
Back inside, it was time to clean again.
While Xiaoxi entertained herself drawing on the bed, Xu Huiqing scrubbed the place inside and out.
The mop was brand new and clean. She decided to use it like a giant rag, which was far faster than detailed wiping with a cloth!
After just finishing one room and sweeping the loose dust from the living room, Xu Huiqing was so tired she practically collapsed. She pulled out the new cotton comforter her mother had sent on Zhao Bei’s one-month birthday from one of the woven bags.
It was a local custom: a daughter’s dowry included cotton comforters, and after the birth of her child, her family would send a new blanket on the baby’s one-month celebration.
The comforters from her wedding were all heavy, ten-jin thickness. She couldn’t manage to bring those, so she’d only brought this one fresh blanket, sent just last month.
Most of her cash, her silver dollars, and her ancient coins were stashed in batches, hidden within the bedding.
Unless someone stole the entire comforter outright, a mere blade slashing open the bag or blanket wouldn’t reveal the items hidden inside.
One by one, she removed all the money tucked within the bedding. She laid the cotton comforter and a sheet over the wooden bed frame, then spread the already-cleaned bamboo mat on top. Opening the bedroom door to let the hot breeze flow through, she held Xiaoxi close and lay down on the cool mat.
Forget everything else; they were taking a nap first!
She slept until past four in the afternoon, waking with a heavy, groggy head. Patting Xiaoxi’s bottom, she took her to the bathroom.
Thanks to the earlier mopping, the apartment finally looked habitable. She picked up the mop, now nearly dry, and went over the floors—inside and out—once more. Old newspaper peeled from the walls and other trash went into a bag, which she set by the door to take down when they went out for dinner.
When she opened the door to set out the rubbish, the neighbor from next door was just arriving home from work.
“Off work?” Xu Huiqing called out as she emerged with the trash, her little shadow Xiaoxi pattering right behind her. Scooping Xiaoxi up, she smiled and prompted, “Xiaoxi, say hello to the big brother!”
Zhou Huaijin, reaching his own doorstep, heard her telling such a tiny girl to call him “big brother” and quickly stepped back, waving his hands. “Ah, no.” He addressed Xiaoxi with a bright, easy smile, “Not big brother—it’s Uncle!”