Her school and Ding Chen's school were very close. Later, after finding out Ding Chen's intentions, Gu Xingping realized that this guy, who looked honest, was actually deeply calculating and had already maneuvered her into his grasp step by step.
"Sister-in-law, are you here to see Ding Chen?" Liu Yang, just back from playing basketball with classmates, saw her standing at the entrance of the male dormitory building and greeted her with a smile.
"Who's your sister-in-law? Keep calling me that and don't ask me about girlfriends anymore," Gu Xingping said, feigning fierceness.
"Alright, alright, classmate Gu Xingping, may I ask if you need me to summon classmate Ding Chen?"
Gu Xingping was immediately amused by his playful demeanor. "Are you asking the obvious? Hurry up and go!"
"Got it." Liu Yang darted into the dormitory building. Not long after, Ding Chen emerged from the stairwell.
"Xingping." As soon as Ding Chen spotted her, his gaze remained fixed on her.
Gu Xingping felt a bit shy under his direct gaze and couldn't help but glare at him, saying softly, "Can you tone it down a bit?"
Ding Chen looked innocent. "I'm looking at my girlfriend, I'm not doing anything wrong."
"My parents still don't know about us," Gu Xingping said, turning to walk away. Ding Chen quickly followed.
"I'll be graduating this winter, and you'll graduate next summer. Once we graduate, we'll... I'll marry you."
Gu Xingping's face flushed. "I haven't said I'll marry you."
Ding Chen immediately became anxious, pushing up his glasses. "I've liked you for years, if not me, then who will you marry?"
Seeing his urgency, Gu Xingping stopped teasing him. "I'm telling you seriously, my third sister-in-law wants to invite you to dinner."
"Sister Chen is inviting me to dinner?"
Gu Xingping nodded. "She said it's about work. Are you busy now? If not, let's go together, and she can tell you herself."
Ding Chen nodded. "That works too."
Soon, the two left the campus and went to Chen Lishou's house together.
At that moment, Chen Lishou was sitting on the sofa peeling an orange. 'Da Wang' was snoring softly nearby.
Seeing Gu Xingping and Ding Chen arrive, she quickly motioned for them to sit.
"Ding Chen, take whatever you like to eat."
Pine nuts, walnuts, and hazelnuts were neatly arranged in fruit bowls folded from cardboard by Zhao Qiuyue, looking quite appealing.
Ding Chen waved his hands. "Sister Chen, Xingping said you wanted to see me about something?"
"My construction company wants to hire someone with technical knowledge. You know, without technical personnel, it's difficult to even read blueprints and calculate material quantities. We have to rely on experience. But since it's not a state-owned enterprise, I'm afraid some people might look down on it, so I wanted to ask you if you could discreetly inquire if anyone is willing to do part-time work. The price can be discussed."
So that's what it was about.
Ding Chen glanced in Gu Xingping's direction, adjusted his glasses, and after a moment of hesitation, asked, "Sister Chen, do you think I'm suitable?"
He had been dating Gu Xingping for a while and had never given her a decent gift. Her birthday was in two months, and this was a good opportunity. He could both avoid asking his family for money and buy her a present that would impress.
Chen Lishou hadn't expected him to recommend himself. After all, Ding Chen's family background was what it was. She had initially thought that if anyone took the job, it would be for financial aid.
However, it didn't matter who did the work to Chen Lishou.
"My bricklayers and carpenters are paid sixty-five. If you can do it, I'll pay you the same rate as them. What do you think?" For Xingping's sake, she would increase the price slightly so that Ding Chen wouldn't feel like he was being taken advantage of, which would put Xingping in a difficult position.
This time, it was Ding Chen's turn to be surprised. It was a part-time job, and he had expected the pay to be at most thirty or forty. He hadn't anticipated being offered the same pay as a master craftsman.
With one sincere heart and the other willing, the matter was quickly settled.
Since Ding Chen was already a senior, it was time to apply his learned theoretical knowledge to practice. He agreed to be on-site at least three times a week.
Zhao Qiuyue went to buy groceries when she saw Gu Xingping and Ding Chen arrive. The two of them stayed at the house and had dinner together before leaving.
As soon as they left, Chen Liyuan arrived with two bags of fruit.
"Just got off work?"
Chen Liyuan nodded. "Yes, I thought I'd stay here for the night and go to work directly tomorrow."
"Haven't you eaten yet? We have some food left at home. Should I have your sister Yue make you a fried egg rice?"
Chen Liyuan shook her head. "No need to trouble yourself, I ate at the cafeteria."
The sisters hadn't seen each other for about half a month. They chatted about work. Because Chen Lishou was pregnant and not feeling well, everyone went to bed early.
Zhang Xue arrived the day before school started. Li Weimin specifically took time off to pick her up at the station.
"Why are you carrying so much stuff?" Li Weimin took the bag from her hand, finding it quite heavy.
"Some of it is for you, and the rest is for Lishou and her classmates."
Upon hearing her words, Li Weimin's eyes lit up. "Did you tell your family about us?"
Zhang Xue shook her head. "Not yet. I just told my mom it was for classmates, and she packed an extra portion for me."
When she went home for the Chinese New Year, her parents brought up the matter of returning to their hometown again. Seeing how happy they were, anticipating her graduation in another year, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Although she was slightly disappointed, they were, after all, her only daughter. She would formally visit them when he was on leave, as that was proper etiquette.
"You mentioned buying a house in the provincial capital last time. Before the New Year, I mentioned it to my family, and they were very supportive. I've also saved quite a bit of my salary over the years. This is for you."
As Li Weimin spoke, he handed Zhang Xue a savings book. "It's convenient for you to look for houses in the city. If you find a suitable one, finalize it."
Zhang Xue looked at the savings book in his hand but didn't take it. Instead, she smiled and teased, "You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money?"
Li Weimin said with certainty, "If I don't have this much trust in the woman I've set my sights on, we won't last long in the future."
Zhang Xue pushed his hand back. "When I find a suitable one, I'll ask you to come and see it. The house won't grow legs and run away."
Seeing her say this, Li Weimin had no choice but to put the savings book back.
He escorted Zhang Xue all the way back to school, and they had lunch together before Li Weimin returned to the military base in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Chen Lishou was also considering buying a house.
The rented house they were currently in had two bedrooms and one living room, with the living room being quite small. It was barely enough for the three of them to live in now, but if Gu Xingdong or relatives and friends visited, it would clearly be insufficient.
Moreover, she was pregnant, and the doctor said it was twins. After graduation, she would likely be in the city most of the time, so she would definitely need a bigger house. Da Feng Novel Network.
Half of the money earned last year was returned to Nan Haitao, and she still had over 40,000 yuan on hand.
The bulk of it couldn't be touched, as it was needed as startup capital for undertaking projects. However, she should be able to allocate enough money to buy a house.