Come Sit At My House - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

In the past, Luo Qingmeng would have just ignored Qiu Shuxue. But now, a strange sense of guilt had emerged. Luo Qingmeng repeatedly reminded herself to be clear-headed. She’s a mistress. She’s a mistress.

Luo Qingmeng, are you addicted to sleeping with a mistress, or are you addicted to cooking and living with a mistress?

The answer, however, was: It seems to be a mother-daughter relationship.

When Qiu Shuxue came over, the elevator doors had just closed.

She received a message on her phone: Are you cooking for the boss?

Luo Qingmeng: No.

The two of them still hadn’t added each other as friends. They used the “add friend” function to send each other messages every day, as if the number of messages would be used up at any time, and then they wouldn’t be able to talk to each other anymore.

Luo Qingmeng ran like a wisp of smoke, all the way to the subway station. She didn’t dare to look back. The morning sun was out, and the temperature was soaring. She was so hot that her body felt like it was on fire. When she entered the subway station, she immediately went down the escalator to catch the subway. She found a seat at the front of the train and sat down, just gasping for air. When she glanced out, the subway had already entered the tunnel. She kept thinking, What if Qiu Shuxue comes?

Should I cook for Xiao Tang and then go back and cook for her?

Stop thinking about it, Luo Qingmeng.

Luo Qingmeng kept looking out even after the train had passed the station. One moment she would think, It’s so pitiful that she’s chasing me. The next moment she would think, Why am I so afraid of her? Everyone has their own life.

Qiu Shuxue didn’t catch her. Luo Qingmeng ran faster than a rabbit, and she just made it onto the subway before it left. Qiu Shuxue waited eight minutes and got on the next one, but she couldn’t find her even at the last station.

She edited the message she was going to send to Luo Qingmeng with a sullen face. After a moment’s pause, she cleared it.

What does Luo Qingmeng running away mean?

It means she already cares about me, doesn’t it?

Luo Qingmeng’s forty-minute subway ride ended when she arrived at Xiao Tang’s place. When she got off, she opened her phone and didn’t see any messages from Qiu Shuxue. She felt even more uneasy. The phone’s silence was like Qiu Shuxue saying, “Luo Qingmeng, you’re so cruel. I’m going to starve myself to death.”

She was relieved and not so relieved. She got off the subway and called Xiao Tang. Xiao Tang told her to walk forward and meet her at the supermarket in front.

Xiao Tang had just graduated. She was twenty-two, around the same age as Chen Xin. They met Xiao Tang’s roommate at the entrance of the complex. The roommate had bought a Coke. As they walked, Xiao Tang pointed out which building she lived in.

The overall environment of the complex was nice. It wasn’t far from where Xiao Tang lived. Luo Qingmeng wanted to check for rental information. Xiao Tang said, “I took pictures of all of them. We can go look after we eat. I’ve already added the landlord’s number.”

“Thank you,” Luo Qingmeng said with a smile.

“And thank you for cooking for us.”

Xiao Tang lived with a friend. They were two people living together. Her rent was 2,400 yuan, which was a good deal for them to split.

When Luo Qingmeng went in, she saw that they had already blanched the pork ribs. Luo Qingmeng felt relieved. At least they didn’t expect her to do everything and wait for her to serve the food. In fact, if she thought about it carefully, most girls were very considerate and would help out. They were just more considerate than men.

They would feel bad and help with some chores. Some men would just lie there and say that a gentleman stays away from the kitchen, but they never really became gentlemen or saints.

Luo Qingmeng took out the pork ribs, put in the seasonings, and placed the other ingredients she had brought on the windowsill so the sun could defrost them faster.

Since they only had a hot pot machine, Luo Qingmeng could only try to stir-fry the pork ribs with the spices over high heat. The aroma filled the air, and the two of them kept giving her thumbs-up.

Luo Qingmeng smiled and looked outside. She always felt like something was different. That silly Qiu Shuxue wouldn’t really starve herself, would she?

“…I can’t believe her.” Luo Qingmeng flipped the food with a wooden spoon.

“Sister, do you need anything?” the two kids outside asked.

“No, I’m good.” Luo Qingmeng started to simmer the pork ribs.

“Can we eat it now?”

Luo Qingmeng said, “No. The meat won’t be tender enough to bite.”

After simmering, she put the lid on and continued to cook it.

This would take a long time, and it would be a waste of time to just wait. Xiao Tang gave her some snacks. She ate two pieces of crispy rice and couldn’t sit still. She said, “Let’s go look downstairs. This will take another forty minutes.”

“Okay.”

The two of them went directly to that building. The landlord’s parents were home. They went over and said that they had contacted them and wanted to see the house. The landlord’s parents opened the door and let them in. The security here was good, but it was a hassle to go up and down.

When they left, they didn’t say they wanted to live there immediately. Luo Qingmeng still had to consider it. If she decided to live there, she would have to find a roommate, because she really couldn’t afford to pay over 2,000 yuan by herself.

She originally thought about renting a place when she got her salary, but now with this promotion, she only had 800 yuan left from her last month’s salary.

Luo Qingmeng couldn’t help but feel depressed. She listened to Xiao Tang and her roommate talk and looked at their radiant smiles, which made her reminisce about the past.

They had different starting points. To survive, she worked as a factory girl at her age, working overtime until eight or nine at night. When she wanted to quit, her parents would scold her.

They would say she was crazy, that they had raised her for nothing, and that her life or death had nothing to do with the family. Luo Qingmeng now had little contact with her family. She no longer recalled her parents’ faces. After leaving the factory, Luo Qingmeng felt that every breath was sweet. She was free. But at that time, she often dreamed that her mother was choking her, constantly saying, “Luo Qingmeng, go die. Luo Qingmeng, go die. Luo Qingmeng, you are so despicable. I don’t know what you’re good for besides giving me another day of suffering…”

And her father, who seemed gentle on the surface, would say that Mengmeng wasn’t easy, that Mengmeng worked hard. In reality, he was just a gentle executioner.

“Sister Meng?”

“Mhm, what is it?” Luo Qingmeng turned her head to look at Xiao Tang.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to go to the supermarket?”

“Oh, right.” Luo Qingmeng went to the supermarket to buy things.

Upstairs, Xiao Tang felt bad for leaving her alone, so she asked her if she played games. Luo Qingmeng didn’t play King of Glory or PUBG. Xiao Tang’s friend took care of her and suggested they play a murder mystery game. She told her to connect to the wifi and download the app.

The three of them played a very simple script. Luo Qingmeng secretly glanced at her phone. There was a message: I hate you so much.

Luo Qingmeng shuddered. She got up and went to the kitchen to put in the frozen ingredients, tied a knot with the green onions, and went back to play with them. She occasionally chatted with Xiao Tang and her friends, learning where they went to college and what their family backgrounds were.

Luo Qingmeng always said that her family was “just average.”

When the hot pot was ready, Luo Qingmeng told them to wait for a moment. She put two pieces of pork ribs in the thermal lunch box, picked out some seafood and put it in. As she was doing this, she got a phone call.

Luo Qingmeng’s heart tightened. She quickly stood up and took her phone. She thought it was Qiu Shuxue, but she saw that it was the store manager.

The store manager asked, “Qingmeng, where are you? You’re off today, right? Why didn’t you come to find me?”

Luo Qingmeng thought, Seriously? I have to go to dinner even on my day off? In the past few days, she had been eating out with three or four people every time, and each meal cost at least 400 yuan. She really didn’t have that much money. Xiao Tang at least bought her own pork ribs, but those people just ate with their mouths wide open.

Luo Qingmeng was someone who liked stability. The slightest change would make her feel uneasy. From the perspective of today’s “rat race,” she might seem unambitious, but she couldn’t handle any drastic changes, including a thrilling promotion.

Luo Qingmeng tried her best to remind herself that she had already taken the first step and shouldn’t block herself off now. She was doing well right now, and she didn’t want to work so hard for nothing.

Work and her private life were killing her.

The store manager sent a video call. The store manager had just washed her hair, and it was dry. She immediately tied it up. Luo Qingmeng waited for her to finish and then said directly, “Store manager, I feel like you didn’t finish what you were saying this afternoon. Is it about work? Just tell me directly. I can accept any outcome.”

The store manager heard her use formal language and was silent for a few seconds. She said, “Do you really not understand what I mean?”

Luo Qingmeng really didn’t understand and looked at her in confusion.

She said tactfully, “Maybe you’re smarter. I’m not a very smart person. It’s just about work…”

After meeting with the management team for the past few days, she had gotten to know the store manager better. The store manager also started from the bottom and relied on her own abilities. She got married early, right after she graduated from college. She and her husband co-founded a hot pot restaurant, and then her husband cheated on her with an employee.

The store manager said, “I’ve been divorced for a year or two now. I don’t trust men anymore. You’re divorced too, right? If you don’t mind, why don’t you move in with me?”

Luo Qingmeng’s eyes widened. Her heart was pounding. They were both adults. Luo Qingmeng wouldn’t misunderstand the meaning. She started to panic, but she pretended not to understand.

She took a breath, not daring to look at her phone.

The store manager, however, made it clearer. “I feel like you’re not repulsed by the same gender either. I originally thought you’d become a store manager, and we could both develop in the best direction. I didn’t expect a demoted store manager to come over. If you don’t mind the manager position, we can work hard together. I’ve always liked you.”

Liked… what?

Luo Qingmeng was trembling all over. She looked at the store manager in fear. The store manager smiled at her. “Qingmeng, I’m not joking. I’m serious. I have a house, so you don’t have to carry a loan. A nanny takes care of the child. When you become a manager, you can also buy a house. The salary is enough to carry a loan. Having your own house gives you confidence. Think about us getting together. You can live in my house.”

“So, come to the bookstore tomorrow, and we can talk properly.”

Luo Qingmeng felt like she had been struck by lightning. Her hands were shaking as she hung up the phone. She didn’t know where to put her phone. Then, the store manager sent a message: You have an interview tomorrow. If you pass, you can start working as soon as the store opens. You also need to familiarize yourself with the work process. I’ll have Brother Zhao guide you.

Luo Qingmeng read it and wondered if she should reply. As soon as she unlocked her screen, the store manager sent another message: I’m not joking. I really do like you.

Do I look like a lesbian?

With this series of events, even a lesbian would find it exciting.

Luo Qingmeng’s phone fell to the ground. She was stunned for a few seconds, then picked it up and swiped away the message. She held her phone and tried to open the door with her access card. She felt like she wanted to cry. Why was everything so crazy?

The door to the building was pulled open from the inside. Qiu Shuxue pulled the door open hard and came out, looking at her gloomily.

Hehe, did anyone guess it?

I’m going to explode. I’m going to go crazy.