Wishing you all the best in everything.

Liu Xiaomei caught the error in his words: "All? How many beauties have you actually met?"
Zhang Pa coughed: "To tell you the truth, right next door there are ladies, a whole bunch of them."
"You’re comparing me to those ladies?" Liu Xiaomei snorted, "Goodbye." She turned to leave.
Zhang Pa said, "Are you trying to torment me?"
Liu Xiaomei snorted again, "How many times have you seen me?"
Zhang Pa pondered, "One, two, three, four? Five, six, seven, eight?"
"Are you counting now?" Liu Xiaomei asked. "Haven’t you noticed anything different about me?"
Zhang Pa replied, "You seem even more beautiful."
Liu Xiaomei snorted again, "That’s just perfunctory."
Zhang Pa studied Liu Xiaomei closely. She still didn’t wear makeup, simply tied her hair in a ponytail, and on her feet… Upon careful inspection, it was still canvas shoes. What was different? Was it a necklace? Manicure? Ring? Bracelet?
He looked and looked, but couldn’t find what had changed. He only felt that Liu Xiaomei seemed somehow more feminine, her beauty and gentleness heightened.
Liu Xiaomei snorted yet again, "You’re trying to flirt with me, but you don’t care about me at all."
Zhang Pa said, "Come on, I pedaled my bike back and forth for eighty li, how could I not care about you?"
Liu Xiaomei laughed, "It’s not eighty li."
"That’s just a rhetorical device," Zhang Pa hurried to change the subject, hoping she’d forget the matter.
Liu Xiaomei took a step back and spun in place. To Zhang Pa, it was as if a lily bloomed at night, suddenly blossoming with beauty before his eyes.
Zhang Pa exclaimed, "You’re wearing a dress!"
Liu Xiaomei answered with another snort, but this time it sounded sweet and pleasant.
Zhang Pa said, "Is this dressing up for someone you like?"
Liu Xiaomei replied, "It was wrong of me to make you run back and forth, so I wore a skirt for you. Let’s call it even, alright?"
"Absolutely! Absolutely! Absolutely!" Zhang Pa echoed, "It’s a pity you’re not wearing heels."
"What are you thinking?" Liu Xiaomei said, "A lady’s dress with heels? That’s not a match."
Dressed like a college student, Liu Xiaomei wore a long suspender dress down to her ankles, paired with canvas shoes—very fitting, very pretty.
"I found this dress specially to see you. If you say it’s not even, I’ll never speak to you again," Liu Xiaomei said with a smile, "Fortunately, you didn’t let me down."
Zhang Pa said, "Only a fool would disappoint you."
Liu Xiaomei laughed happily, "Have you always been this silly?"
Zhang Pa protested that he wasn’t silly.
Liu Xiaomei nodded, "Alright, you’re not silly, but I have to tell you something. Prepare yourself."
"Prepare for what?" Zhang Pa asked.
"I won’t tell you," Liu Xiaomei said. "I’ll tell you when the time comes."
Zhang Pa complained, "That’s not fair, I’ll be so nervous, I won’t eat or sleep well…"
Before he could finish, Liu Xiaomei suddenly leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She stepped back and said, "I’m leaving. Take your time riding back… Or maybe you should move closer, find a place nearby… Well, let’s talk later. Goodbye." She turned and went upstairs.
Zhang Pa was stunned. What kind of pace was this? This wasn’t how things played out in TV dramas; this development made no sense!
But no one cared about sense. Zhang Pa’s heart raced wildly, as if he’d returned instantly to his school days, shyly holding a girl’s hand.

Zhang Pa was no longer young, nor was Liu Xiaomei.
At this age, many adults use various chat tools to seek close encounters, and many don’t care about matters between men and women.
But the two of them were different. Both grown adults, yet at this moment they acted like high schoolers…
Zhang Pa lingered downstairs for a long time, feeling as if his heart would leap out of his chest. He looked up at every lit window, not knowing which was Liu Xiaomei’s.
Ten minutes later, Liu Xiaomei called, "Why are you still hanging around like a fool?"
Zhang Pa grinned sheepishly.
Liu Xiaomei asked, "Do you want me to come downstairs and keep you company?"
"No, no, you should rest. I’m leaving now." He spoke as he grabbed the handlebars, riding away with one hand while holding the phone.
Liu Xiaomei said, "Be careful, I don’t want to visit you in the hospital."
Zhang Pa replied obediently. Liu Xiaomei said, "I’m hanging up. If you… Goodbye." She ended the call.
Her unfinished sentence left Zhang Pa guessing all the way home. If I what? If I what? What could it be?
Not until he got home did he realize: Is this a loser’s reversal? She’s a super rich and beautiful girl, how could she like him?
This question gnawed at him for two more hours until he drifted off to sleep.
It proved one thing: happiness arriving too quickly can have side effects.
The next day passed quietly. Zhang Pa spent the whole day writing stories at home, from dawn to dusk, from waking to sleeping. Another day went by, and Yun Yun was discharged from the hospital. Zhang Pa hurried to pick her up.
Big Monkey Yun Zheng boasted to Zhang Pa, "I didn’t do anything, didn’t go anywhere, just stayed with Mom the whole time."
Zhang Pa slapped him, "What nonsense are you saying? Is Yun Yun your elder?"
Yun Yun laughed, "Our seniority is all messed up. You call me sister, Yun Zheng calls you brother." She added, "Tomorrow night I’ll treat you to dinner, you must come."
Zhang Pa refused, "I really am very busy."
Yun Yun insisted, so Zhang Pa changed the subject, asking Yun Zheng if the discharge procedures were done.
Speaking of discharge, Yun Zheng produced over two thousand yuan: "The procedures are done. This is what you gave us, we didn’t use it all…"
Zhang Pa interrupted, "Buy something to eat."
"No, that’s not right," Yun Yun said, "Let’s return it to you first, and then the rest…"
Again Zhang Pa cut her off, "Alright, you’re discharged." He took their things downstairs.
They took a taxi home, with Yun Zheng rushing to pay the fare, but Zhang Pa didn’t let him. Sometimes, small gestures may be insignificant, but they warm the heart.
After sending Yun Yun and Yun Zheng home, Zhang Pa said he was heading back to work and hurried off, making sure to say, "I definitely won’t have dinner tomorrow, I have a date."
Yun Yun asked, "Is it a girl? Invite her over to our place."
Zhang Pa said it wasn’t convenient, opened the door, and went home to continue his work.
Yesterday’s hard work had already produced today’s tasks, so he checked them and posted online, then started tomorrow’s assignments.
Checking took some time—he had to look for typos, make sure names weren’t wrong, check if dialogues were appropriate, and see if there were any plot holes. When he was writing his previous book, he’d spend half an hour checking every three thousand words, meaning two chapters took an hour to review each day.
Now it was better; review time was down to fifteen or twenty minutes.
He wrote straight through to lunchtime, as usual—noodles.
Noodles were his staple food; at least two hundred days out of the year he ate them. At home, he had all kinds: instant noodles, dried noodles, rice vermicelli, knife-cut noodles, and he never used the oil packets. Over time, he’d accumulated a whole large plastic bag stuffed with oil packets from various brands, which looked rather impressive.
He quickly cooked the noodles, eating while reading the manuscript of "Strange Chef." The editor had sent a message three days ago saying it needed to be organized, and in the blink of an eye, it had dragged on for days—he had to finish it now.

After lunch, he wrote the summary and outline, easily spending more than two hours, then sent it to the editor.
With one task done, he continued with the plot of "One Hundred and Ninety Pounds," writing until dinnertime, when the phone rang.
Zhang Pa assumed it was Fatty calling for drinks, but when he answered, it turned out he was needed to look after the dog.
Zhang Old Four had left the dog at Fatty’s house, going over daily to check, and things had been fine. But a certain person, eager to please the boss, didn’t see it that way. Twice the police had come to catch the dog but failed. Today, they found a way to summon Zhang Old Four for assistance in an investigation, and he hadn’t been released since. Meanwhile, plainclothes officers were staking out near Zhang Old Four’s house; they wouldn’t give up until they got rid of the two dogs.
The dogs were well-behaved, but after a day without their owner, they were uneasy. Fatty had no choice but to call for help.
Zhang Pa hurried over.
Normally, the two big dogs respected Zhang Pa, but not today. In a dog’s heart, the owner comes first. After a day without Zhang Old Four, even Zhang Pa’s attempts to comfort them were useless.
Fatty said, "They won’t eat chicken drumsticks, won’t eat pork. I’m at a loss."
Zhang Pa asked where Zhang Old Four was.
"I sent Turtle to check his place. His wife said he was called away by the police this morning and hasn’t returned. She just went to the station herself. I suspect something’s fishy, and I don’t dare let the dogs out," Fatty said.
Zhang Pa replied, "Your theory sounds a bit conspiratorial, but caution isn’t wrong."
"What about the dogs? They’re the ones acting up," Fatty felt overwhelmed.
"How about some alcohol?" Zhang Pa suggested.
"Come on, even if you gave them magic pills, they’d have to be willing to eat," Fatty said. "Or maybe you could fight them? Once they’re tired, they’ll stop wanting to go out."
Zhang Pa replied, "What grudge do you have against me? Why are you trying to get me in trouble?"
"Damn, a huge grudge! The other night you embarrassed me in front of everyone. Let me tell you, if I could beat you, I’d have dealt with you long ago," Fatty was furious.
Zhang Pa saluted, "You’re really something," then looked at the two big dogs, troubled.
Fatty said, "Why don’t you take them out? Come back at midnight."
"How would I do that?" Zhang Pa asked.
Fatty said, "Let Turtle drive you out of town, and pick you up at midnight. Let them stretch their legs."
"You think this is a spy movie? Isn’t that a bit much?" Zhang Pa said.
Fatty replied, "You haven’t seen anything yet. Just last month, at five thirty in the morning, both roads at Qinghu Park were blocked. A bunch of police and city officials caught dogs, and they got a load of them. Each certificate was 2,500 yuan, and at least ten were processed that day."
"They’re cracking down on dogs in the city?" Zhang Pa was unaware.
"Is that news? They do it every year," Fatty said. "Zhang Old Four suspects someone here reported us. Otherwise, why would he hide the dogs at my place? What do you think?"
Zhang Pa thought, "We should be careful."
"Exactly. If we take the dogs out, even if we’re loud, the police won’t hear us. When Zhang Old Four returns, we’ll come back."
Zhang Pa considered, "Alright then, let’s buy some alcohol and food and have a picnic."
"Okay, I’ll get the lamp and call Turtle," Fatty left the basement.
Zhang Pa squatted before the two big dogs, saying, "Don’t cause trouble. Behaving is better than anything."
The dogs remained silent, their eyes cold. This was a bad sign.