Chapter 373: Chapter 373: Like a Real Husband and Wife
Shen Yi looked travel-worn, with stubble on his chin. He moved quietly, worried he would wake Qin Jiao.
He had only meant to take a peek, but he ended up waking her anyway.
"Shen Yi, when did you get back?" Qin Jiao pulled a robe over her shoulders and yawned, her eyes watering.
Shen Yi quickly closed the door to keep the wind out. "I took the train yesterday at noon and got home early this morning," he said. "Chen Sheng went home. I was trying not to wake you, but I did anyway."
"I’m fine. You must not have eaten anything on the way, have you? I’ll go to the kitchen and make you something."
"You don’t have to, Jiao Jiao." In truth, Shen Yi really hadn’t eaten anything; he’d only had one meal at noon the day before. He had been exhausted lately, constantly rushing from place to place. He wasn’t supposed to be back this early, but he’d used the start of the school semester as an excuse, forced himself through all-nighters to finish his work, and returned ahead of schedule.
’In reality, school was the last thing on his mind; he just missed Jiao Jiao so much!’
Now, seeing her sleepy-eyed and yet still offering to cook for him, Shen Yi’s heart felt sweeter than honey.
But even as he tried to decline, his stomach began to growl.
Qin Jiao smiled. "Alright, that settles it. I went to bed early last night, so I’m not that sleepy. I’ll go make you something to eat. You can sleep after you’ve had a full meal. Looking at the time, you can still get a couple of hours of rest."
"Jiao Jiao, really, there’s no need. I can just have some cookies."
"Nope. You need to eat something hot. Go take a shower first. You stink."
Shen Yi sniffed himself. It wasn’t that he smelled terrible, exactly, but the odors of smoke, alcohol, and sweat had mingled into a rather potent combination. Besides, he was all scruffy and unshaven.
He had actually really wanted to hug Qin Jiao, but the thought vanished completely now. He agreed at once, grabbed a change of clothes, and went to the back room for a shower.
It was only four in the morning, and the sky was still dark. Worried about waking the others, Qin Jiao was careful not to make much noise. She went to the kitchen, took out some dried noodles, washed a handful of leafy greens, and then poached two eggs in the broth.
She kept it simple, seasoning the dish with only a bit of salt and sesame oil. She also added some of her mother’s homemade pickled radish and other pickled vegetables on top before quietly carrying it back to the room.
Shen Yi had just finished his shower. His hair was still dripping, and he was wearing only a large white tank top that revealed his tanned, muscular arms.
"Aren’t you cold? You should wear more, it’s pretty chilly out."
Shen Yi’s eyes were fixed on her. "I’m not cold at all. In fact, I’m burning up right now."
At that moment, they were just like a young married couple: the husband returning home late, the wife making him a bowl of vegetable and egg noodles.
All of Shen Yi’s fatigue vanished in an instant.
Watching him slurp down the noodles, Qin Jiao asked, "So, how was the trip to the South? Did everything go smoothly?"
"Very smoothly. Two major department stores placed orders with us. I ran the numbers, and we should be able to sell about two-thirds of our stock. But a design like this will probably be copied by others before long."
"That’s fine. Once we sell this batch, we need to establish a clear positioning for the clothing factory. Oh, and we also need to apply for patent protection and change the factory’s name."
Shen Yi swallowed one of the poached eggs whole. "Jiao Jiao," he said, "how about we call the clothing factory Jiu Yi?"
