Chapter 87 - Xiao Baoshan Felt Wronged (1/2)

…Ye Xiaoxian was taken aback. She was stupefied and the stir-fry in the wok almost burned. When she smelled the burning she then hurriedly put the overcooked sweet and sour ribs on a plate.

She secretly considered herself lucky.

“How come you’re suddenly bringing me a gift?” asked Ye Xiaoxian surprised.

Could it be that he left home for a month and suddenly realized her merits and missed her, so he then decided to give her a token of his affection?

In fact, he had not given her any gifts for quite some time.

“I saw it on the street and thought it suited you well, so I bought it,” said Xiao Baoshan.

Ye Xiaoxian felt a bit shy and wiped her hands on her ap.r.o.n several times then carefully took the hairpin from him.

It was heavy and the jade looked of high quality. It was different than in the modern era when one has to go to a fancy jeweler to buy top-cla.s.s jade. In this era, one could easily find fine crafts on the street, as the real craftsmen were among the common people.

Ye Xiaoxian looked at Xiao Baoshan again shyly and Xiao Baoshan also felt a little self-conscious, not even knowing where to place his hands and feet.

He then took the plate of sweet and sour ribs and said to Ye Xiaoxian, “Well, well, I’m going out to eat first.”

“Go ahead and I’ll cook some fish fillets in chili oil for you later,” said Ye Xiaoxian.

When Xiao Baoshan went to the lounge, Ye Xiaoxian felt all the veins under her skin were boiling hot and her heart was beating so fast that she could not put her joy into words. She thought that Xiao Baoshan must have indicated something, as if he was going to confess his love to her. Otherwise why should he go inside from the backyard and slip into the kitchen to give her the hairpin.

The new fire-tender was also a little girl who was bought by Ye Xiaoxian for eight taels of silver. She was only twelve years old and was called Xian. Xian saw Ye Xiaoxian chuckle like this and she could not help but giggle along too.

Ye Xiaoxian then asked Xian, “What are you giggling about?”

“Sister Ye is giggling so I’m giggling too,” said Xian. She then asked, “Sister Ye, is that your husband?”

“Yes.” Ye Xiaoxian inserted the hairpin into her hair but took it out after a while. She did not want Li Hongmei and others to see it or they would surly tease her and Baoshan. She thought that maybe she would go out tomorrow and pretend that she had bought a hairpin and lie to Li Hongmei that she’d bought it herself.

She would treat this pearl hairpin as a little secret only between Baoshan and herself and would wear it every day.

…Li Hongmei was serving customers in the hall and suddenly saw Xiao Baoshan carrying a bowl of sweet and sour ribs. She paused in a daze first and then hurried over to Baoshan. “Baoshan, when did you come back?”

“Not long before,” said Xiao Baoshan.

“But you’re…” Li Hongmei pointed at the ribs in his bowl.

“Little Ye said that this one is for me. Ma, I got to eat first. I’m so hungry.” Xiao Baoshan found an empty table and then started eating hungrily.

Li Hongmei also sat next to her son.

Seeing that Xiao Baoshan had become darker and thinner and was eating like a hungry wolf, Li Hongmei felt sorry for him. “Baoshan, how come you’re so hungry? Is the job at the dock that exhausting?”

Xiao Baoshan answered while eating. “Not that exhausting. It’s just that I went sailing on a s.h.i.+p a few days ago and had been eating nothing but dried food, so I feel kind of hungry now.”

“Well, have more then,” said Li Hongmei with mothering pity.

Xiao Baoshan thought about the beaded necklace and the horn comb which he bought for Li Hongmei and Xiao Baozhu, so he took them out to show Li Hongmei. “Ma, this is for you and Baozhu. The necklace is for you and the comb is for Baozhu.”

“Ah, what a pretty necklace and it’s red!” Li Hongmei took the necklace joyfully and put it around her neck straight away.

“What about little Ye? Have you bought anything for her?” asked Li Hongmei.

Xiao Baoshan said frankly, “I bought her a pearl hairpin and have already given it to her in the kitchen just now.”

“Really? Is it pretty? How does it look?” asked Li Hongmei.

Xiao Baoshan did not speak as he did not know how to describe it.

Li Hongmei ran straight to the kitchen.

Ye Xiaoxian was cooking fish filet in chili oil and still in quite a happy mood because Xiao Baoshan had actually bought her a gift. The hairpin was in her pocket and she felt it was so heavy.