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Driving this red Buick sedan, Cha Li made a detour to her mother's home in the city.

She pushed open the door with her key, and her mother, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV, only glanced at her before getting engrossed in her soap opera again.

Because she came back often, her mother was not surprised at all by her sudden visit.

"Do you need anything? Have you had dinner?" Even the questions were very ordinary.

"I bought some bread for you." Chali placed the old-fashioned bread that her mother liked on the coffee table. "Where's Dad?"

"He's at work."

"Oh, then I'll go back?"

"What's wrong? Isn't this your home? You always rush around when you come here." Her mother rolled her eyes at her, annoyed.

"Okay, then I'll spend more time with Mom." Cha Li chuckled and sat down on the sofa.

Her mother leaned her head against hers: "Lili, you and Xiaoxue have gotten your marriage certificate and had your wedding. When are you going to have a child? I'm already looking forward to holding my grandson. Your father is about to retire, you see?"

"Don't worry, Mom," Cha Li said with a smile, trying to calm her mother down. "We're still trying to conceive."

"What's with all this talk about 'preparing for pregnancy' all the time? We used to just have kids as soon as we wanted them..."

“We’re still in the first stage.” Cha Li patiently explained to her mother, “First, you need to get a pet to adapt to the pace of raising a child and to cultivate patience with young creatures.”

"Oh, that big, furry dog ​​you keep?"

“That’s a Border Collie.”

“Okay, Border Collie, I’ve never heard of raising a dog while raising a child. This isn’t the countryside. With a dog at home, all that jumping around on its hooves is dangerous for the child. I was thinking that after the baby was born, you could send the dog to your grandfather’s place in the countryside.” Seeing that Chali just smiled, her mother sighed to herself, “Alright, alright, I won’t say anything more. You’re a top student now, a social elite, much more advanced than we were back then.”

"Then, you learn various parenting courses, from birth to age five, how to take good care of your child, how to eat healthily, how to cultivate good habits..."

"This is necessary," the mother agreed.

"Finally, there's psychological counseling. Only after that counseling is completed and everyone is mentally prepared can we begin..."

"Oh, so this is what preparing for pregnancy is like? Does it take that long?"

"Of course I want to."

"Young people are so particular... You're not going to wait until you're thirty, are you? You're not getting any younger now, you're already twenty-six..."

"It'll be this year or next year, we're all ready."

"That's fine. Otherwise, people will keep asking why your daughter doesn't have children, and they'll think my daughter is sick."

"Okay, Mom, I'm off now?"

"Go on, go on. You're upset if you don't see your Xiaoxue for a day, huh? You don't even want to spend more time with your old lady."

Cha Li pursed her lips, just smiled, waved goodbye, and pushed open the door to leave home.

……

(Fives)

As soon as Cha Li parked her car, she saw Mr. Xue walking his dog.

On the lawn of the residential area, a large black and white dog ran like the wind.

Mr. Xue's booming voice rang out from time to time: "Go, spark plug! Spark plug, come back! Spark plug, over here! Spark plug..."

"Xiaoxue, it seems we fed her today?"

"It came out after feeding it." Mr. Xue was half-squatting on the ground, with a cup for feeding dogs water hanging on his body. The large lid of the cup was designed to make it easy to pour water onto it.

Cha Li squatted down beside him and clapped her hands, saying, "Spark plug~ come here."

"Woof woof!" The Border Collie rushed over with the plate in its mouth, sniffing and rubbing against Cha Li, constantly acting cute.

"It's getting late." Mr. Xue looked up. The fiery red sunset had set the clouds ablaze, but it continued to descend, almost disappearing completely.

"Yeah, I stopped by my mom's place today."

What did Mom say?

"She asked me again when I was going to have children."

"Hehe...she's very anxious."

"Your family isn't in a hurry, are you?"

“My dad’s here.” Mr. Xue meant that his father was very open-minded and could also persuade his mother.

"That's about right. I think we should give it a try in two months."

"it is good."

Cha Li stood up and ruffled Mr. Xue's hair vigorously, as if petting a puppy: "Xiao Xue, have you been lacking exercise lately? You were much thinner when you were in school!"

"Hmm...it's time to exercise." Mr. Xue glanced at his thighs, which had gotten noticeably thicker, and nodded slightly.

Even the most handsome and refined young man can one day become overweight in middle age.

Although he is actually still far from that age.

……

(six)

Red wine, candles, and exquisite food.

The off lights created a dim, dark atmosphere, making the not-so-spacious room seem to have an infinitely extended space.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The large, furry dog ​​lay quietly at their feet, as if it sensed something was amiss.

"Please have a meal, my beautiful lady." Mr. Xue winked playfully, but his voice was as clear and standard as a broadcaster's, "My heart is filled with faithful love, and I cannot estimate the wealth I possess."

"I admit that there is no punishment in the world more painful than that of love, and nothing more joyful than serving it." Cha Li chuckled, then playfully winked a couple more times.

Dinner was enjoyed amidst elegant conversation until the candlelight was gently extinguished by a tactful breeze.

Mr. Xue picked up Cha Li, who was wearing a long red gauze dress, and spun her around as if dancing. The two naturally spun into the room, onto the bed, and fell into the giant net woven by love.

The fluffy Border Collie lay by the door, covering its eyes with its paws, but still occasionally raising its head to peek out.

A sweet intoxication filled the air, so much so that even its eyes became hazy, and it drifted off to sleep.

The veil of night obscured the figures of the two, while the bustling lights of the city outside the window were embellishments offered by humankind.

……

Chapter 5. The burger shop is still busy.

(One)

"Xiao Ji! Cod, garden fish, and Orleans fish, all without spice!"

"Okay." Duanmu Ji received the request from Duanmu Bi and immediately got busy in the kitchen.

This is actually not the original store they opened.

YN Burger & Fried Chicken is a well-known chain store in Hangzhou, attracting customers with its lower prices and wider variety of products compared to other famous chain stores.

This is the fifth store. Duanmu Bi is already the head of the store, but she still has to come over to help out a few days before the opening. At the same time, she also wants to take care of her younger brother, Duanmu Ji, who came directly to be the store manager after graduation.

Although he studied journalism and had thought about challenging himself while in school, he ultimately felt it wasn't a good fit.

However, being a manager at a hamburger shop felt incredibly comfortable to him.

Especially when I press the chopped hamburger ingredients and patties together, I feel a strange sense of relief, and my thoughts always drift back to the days when my sister first took me in:

He would always stand there blankly at the entrance of the hamburger shop, watching the people inside picking up hamburgers and eating them with gusto, his mouth watering uncontrollably.

Nowadays, this problem is gone. Although I eat there often, I still don't get tired of it.

He remembers the first time he ever ate a hamburger was when his sister made it for him—even though it wasn't very tasty.

But it remains the most memorable 'delicious' dish in my memory.

Aside from himself and his sister, the other employees around him were all newly recruited, and they seemed a bit overwhelmed by the large number of customers.

Fortunately, although Duanmu Ji didn't talk much, he was exceptionally quick and efficient. He finished his own work and even had time to help others fix their mistakes.

Duanmu Bi would occasionally take the time to provide guidance, and after a few days, the efficiency had improved significantly.

That afternoon, around 2 p.m., the shop was much quieter, so the two siblings didn't need to do the cleaning; the staff took care of it.

They found a quiet corner and sat behind the slide where the children played, enjoying their lunch after a busy day.

Duanmu Ji took a bite of the hot Country Crispy Chicken Burger, the most classic one. He added extra salad dressing, making it sweet with a hint of delicious sourness.

"Xiao Ji, you've already graduated from university, and you still don't have a girl you like?" Duanmu Bi teased with a smile. Although she took good care of herself, the busyness of life still caused a few wrinkles to creep up at the corners of her eyes.

There is still a significant age gap between Duanmu Ji and Duanmu Bi.

She stood on the road to old age, looking at her still energetic younger brother, whose eyes, which always held a hint of mischief, now held a touch of gentleness and vicissitude.

"Uh... why do you keep asking this?"

"You're not a child anymore."

"Sis, you're not even married yet, why are you so worried about me..." Duanmu Ji took a big gulp of cola, "Let's talk about it after you get married."

"That's my business. But what about you? You're not waiting for your sister to marry you, are you?"

Duanmu Ji, unusually, did not refute, but blushed slightly.

Facing her sister whom she spent every day with, although they were not related by blood, she still found it difficult to say certain things.

Because the two of them were so familiar with each other...

But precisely because of this, even if he didn't speak, Duanmu Bi could tell what he was thinking at a glance.

"Oh? It can't be true, can it?"

"what……"

"If it's true..."

"Uh?"