Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

Page 197

"Ha, even a fool would know he can't do it. Li Xiangdong just loves to make these weird and strange things."

"Don't be so envious, kid. Just you wait, they're guaranteed to get diarrhea tomorrow!"

Yan Bugui looked like a sour grapes.

"I've heard of people who ate raw meat and ended up with their stomachs full of... what kind of worms? And then they died from stomach aches every day!"

The three older women standing nearby chimed in, "Truly, they're all people who love being in bed."

Yan Jie smacked his lips. At that moment, he wished he could be reborn as Li Xiangdong, so he could enjoy the delicious chunks of beef and have Yu Li by his side.

Chapter 268 A Romantic Proposal

Normally, Yu Li is busy cooking for Li Xiangdong at this time, so it feels a bit strange to have her sitting idly by today.

After the steak was cooked, Li Xiangdong took out two wine glasses and poured in a rich red wine.

"Is this Western food, Dong-ge? It smells delicious!"

Looking at the fragrant steak and red wine, Yu Li swallowed hard.

"Try it and see if it suits your taste."

To avoid embarrassing Yu Li, Li Xiangdong deliberately cut the steak before handing it to her.

"This...this smells so good!"

"I was worried that such a big piece of steak wouldn't be cooked through, but it turned out to be so tender and juicy!"

"What is this dark sauce? It doesn't look like the soy sauce we use at home, but it tastes so good!"

Yu Li had only taken one bite when she couldn't help but sigh so much.

"Actually, beef tastes best when it's medium-rare, which preserves both its flavor and nutritional value. If you like it, I'll make it for you often in the future."

"The black sauce is black pepper sauce. You can add a little to other dishes for seasoning."

After saying that, Li Xiangdong raised his wine glass and clinked glasses with Yu Li.

Yu Li was a little nervous as it was her first time drinking red wine. She took a small sip from the rim of the glass, and the sweet, tingling sensation immediately swept over her entire body.

"Dong-ge! Why did the power suddenly go out?"

Just as Yu Li was focusing all her attention on the steak and red wine, Li Xiangdong quietly got up and turned off the light.

"Yu Li, will you marry me?"

Immediately afterwards, Li Xiangdong walked to Yu Li's seat in the darkness and lit the candle he had prepared beforehand.

The dim candlelight illuminated Li Xiangdong's handsome face and the gleaming gold ring on his hand.

"Ah... Brother Dong... this..."

Li Xiangdong's actions left Yu Li, who was completely unprepared, somewhat at a loss.

"I told you before that we would get married once this batch of equipment was produced. Now all the parts are ready, and the work is halfway done. I think we shouldn't just keep talking about it. Today's proposal and this ring are my promise to you. Please accept them."

Li Xiangdong's rationality and deep affection once again captivated Yu Li. With tears in her eyes, she watched as Li Xiangdong put a ring on her finger.

In the dim candlelight, fueled by alcohol, the two embraced, and Yu Li, her head spinning, pressed her lips to Li Xiangdong's cheek.

Although Li Xiangdong was also feeling emotional, he gently kissed Yu Li's forehead and did not make any further moves. After they separated, they both calmed down considerably.

After finishing their steak and red wine, Li Xiangdong, as usual, took Yu Li home. After all, they weren't officially married yet, and there were so many gossipy people around, so it was better to proceed step by step.

"Da Mao, it's almost nine o'clock, why haven't you gone to wash up yet?"

The cunning Lou Xiao'e lay on the bed, glanced at the time, and then deliberately spoke to Xu Damao in a high-pitched voice.

"Oh dear, I didn't even check the time. I went to the factory today and I do smell a bit. I'm going to take a shower now!"

Xu Damao didn't pay much attention to Lou Xiao'e's tone. He thought his smell had affected Lou Xiao'e, so he obediently got up and took a basin to wash up.

In the ten or so minutes that Lou Xiao'e went to wash up, she changed into a summer dress and spent a long time posing on the bed before finally settling on what she considered to be the most alluring position.

"Xiao'e, next time you need to tell me in advance when you're going to wash up, I'll boil some hot water for you. The water from the tap outside is too cold, even I, a man, get a headache when I wash my face!"

Xu Damao pushed the door open and came in, talking to Lou Xiao'e while setting out the washbasin and towels. He was shivering and didn't notice the strange woman on the bed at all.

"Hurry up and come over after you're done washing up~"

Lou Xiao'e smiled broadly and spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice.

"Xiao'e, what... what are you doing... aren't you cold dressed like this in this weather?"

"I remember this dress was for summer, why did you find it now? You can't wear this, your arms and legs are exposed, it'll be so cold, and it's so tight around your belly, it'll hurt the baby!"

Xu Damao walked to the bedside and took a closer look. He quickly draped the quilt over Lou Xiao'e, afraid that she would catch a cold and it would affect the baby in her belly.

"Oh, I wore this especially for you~"

Lou Xiao'e threw off the blanket and continued to wriggle coyly.

Seeing that Xu Damao was standing there in a daze and did not react for a long time, she simply got up, grabbed Xu Damao by the collar, and pulled him onto the bed.

"Xiao'e, what's wrong?"

Before Xu Damao could react, Lou Xiao'e lay down in his arms, her hands roaming over his body, deliberately rubbing her soft parts against him.

It must be said that although Lou Xiao'e's figure and appearance were extremely ordinary, her actions did indeed make Xu Damao feel a surge of excitement.

Chapter 269 Xu Damao Becomes Suspicious

Xu Damao licked his lips, panting heavily. Just when Lou Xiao'e thought her scheme had succeeded, Xu Damao took two steps back and covered Lou Xiao'e with the blanket again as if nothing had happened.

"Xu Damao, what do you mean by this?!"

"Is it because you think I've gotten fat and ugly from being pregnant that you don't want to touch me anymore?!"

"Fine! You men are all the same! I went through all that trouble to give you your child and it's still my fault!"

Lou Xiao'e, her face flushed, lay alone in bed, feeling rather embarrassed. In order to continue her plan, she pretended to be aggrieved and began to morally blackmail Xu Damao, hoping that things would take a turn for the better.

"no……"

"I've heard that the first three months of pregnancy are quite dangerous, and if we... I'm afraid it might harm the baby..."

"Xiao'e, don't worry, I can endure it. For our son's sake, you should also endure it..."

After saying that, Xu Damao quickly handed Lou Xiao'e her clothes, indicating that she should change her clothes and go to bed.

Now that things had come to this, Lou Xiao'e could no longer cause trouble, so she obediently changed her clothes to avoid arousing Xu Damao's suspicion.

However, Xu Damao was already feeling uneasy.

After turning off the lights, Xu Damao lay on the bed with his back to Lou Xiao'e. Recalling Lou Xiao'e's unusual behavior this afternoon and evening, he couldn't help but become suspicious.

Ever since he brought Lou Xiao'e back from her parents' home, Lou Xiao'e has been staying at home all the time. But today, after he left for work, Lou Xiao'e also went out, and she kept stammering and never said what she did.

Moreover, given that Lou Xiao'e has been married for so many years without having a child, she should be under considerable psychological pressure and should be extremely careful in order to keep the baby. Why would she suddenly request to have sex with someone?

Thinking back, it seemed that the pregnancy had only been mentioned verbally by Lou Xiao'e and her family, without any actual hospital examination results. Xu Damao couldn't help but shudder.

He desperately hoped that the child in Lou Xiao'e's belly was real, but he was still unsure and planned to try taking Lou Xiao'e to the hospital for a check-up after he got up the next day.

Meanwhile, Yi Zhonghai, with a cigarette in his left hand and a cup of tea in his right, was pondering his plan to visit Director Yang at the factory that day.

It was only then that he realized that Director Yang's cold attitude was because there were too many people around. Looking up, he saw that it wasn't too late, so he decided to take the bag and visit him directly.

Fortunately, Director Yang's house was only two alleys away from Yi Zhonghai's, and he arrived quickly as he walked briskly.

"Who could it be so late...?"

"It's me, Director Yang, Lao Yi!"

Yi Zhonghai stood at the door of Director Yang's house, his face beaming with smiles.

"What are you doing here so late at night?"

"I didn't get a chance to chat with you much at the factory gate today, so I figured I'd come over tonight. It's easier to talk to you since it's just the two of us!"

Yi Zhonghai didn't treat himself as an outsider. As soon as Director Yang opened the door, he went straight in and sat down.

"What...what is it you want with me about...why are you in such a hurry..."

Looking at Yi Zhonghai's (cgcb) appearance, Director Yang asked helplessly.

"Director Yang! I... I truly feel sorry for my two apprentices!"

Seeing that Director Yang had gotten straight to the point, Yi Zhonghai immediately put on a wronged face and complained incessantly.

"You mean Zhang Feng and He Yuzhu? They... were indeed expelled for making some mistakes... so it's not like they were wronged too much..."

"Director Yang! You can't say that! We're all human, everyone makes mistakes. How can you lose your job just because you did one thing wrong!"

Before Director Yang could finish speaking, Yi Zhonghai immediately retorted.

"Tell me, Zhang Feng and He Yuzhu have been working for our steel rolling mill since their fathers' generation. They're just fired like that. How disheartening are the old workers? Is this how our steel rolling mill treats the children of its workers?"

"Besides, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. These young men are hot-blooded, that's normal! Over the years, our factory has had plenty of accidents and rule violations, but I've never heard of anyone being fired for that!"

"If you ask me, this is probably not your idea. It must have been done by that clueless Li Xiangdong!"

Yi Zhonghai spoke at length, believing his arguments to be very reasonable. He didn't forget to mention Li Xiangdong at the end, since anyone with eyes could see that Director Yang had long been sidelined by Li Xiangdong.

"This... I really wasn't involved in the decision-making process..."

Factory Director Yang nodded somewhat awkwardly.