Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

"Oh my, brother Damao, it's almost dawn. If someone sees us like this, it will be troublesome. You have to think about me more!"

Li Ruxiu said this coquettishly, her pretty face flushed slightly, like a ripe apple, her two big watery eyes looked at Xu Damao tenderly and affectionately, her brows slightly furrowed, one hand tightly holding Xu Damao's strong hand, her tone full of pleading.

"Okay, okay, my aunt, can't I get up right now?"

While Xu Damao responded with his mouth, he gave Li Ruxiu's soft and plump body a pinch with a wicked smile, then he slowly sat up and began to put on his clothes at a leisurely pace.

"Okay, then I'll go get you something to eat. I'll bake some delicious buns and boil two eggs so you can eat well. Otherwise, it'll be a tough journey!"

Seeing this, Li Ruxiu quickly got up from the bed and began to put on her clothes swiftly.

Xu Damao put on his clothes very quickly, then walked to the corner of the room, picked up the huge porcelain vase from the Daoguang period, turned to Li Ruxiu and said, "Sister Xiu, I'm going to take this precious thing away!"

"Yes, no problem, just take it!" Li Ruxiu didn't even raise her head, concentrating on tidying up her messy hair.

Xu Damao carefully put the bottle into the basket on the back of the bicycle. After placing it properly, he quickly walked to the yard, fetched a basin of ice-cold well water, and simply washed his face.

Suddenly, a cool breeze came over him, making him feel refreshed. He felt refreshed all over, as if all his fatigue had been swept away.

Not long after, Li Ruxiu swiftly brought the steaming hot breakfast to the table.

Xu Damao hurriedly finished the food in the bowl, wiped his mouth a few times, then quickly put on the slightly old but very warm leather hat, and put the gloves tightly on his hands.

Then, he quickly pushed the bicycle against the wall, opened the gate with a creak, stepped onto the seat, pedaled hard, and the bike wobbled forward.

Li Ruxiu, standing at the gate of the courtyard, stared at Xu Damao's gradually receding figure, her eyes revealing a hint of attachment and reluctance.

She just stood there quietly until the familiar figure turned the corner and disappeared from her sight. Then she slowly withdrew her gaze, sighed softly, closed the gate with a little disappointment, turned around and slowly walked back into the house.

At this time, the snowflakes outside have stopped falling, and the whole world seems to be covered by a pure white velvet carpet.

Looking around, there was thick snow piled on the ground, nearly ten centimeters deep.

Xu Damao rode the bicycle with great effort. The wheels were deeply sunken in the snow, and every step forward seemed extremely difficult.

Although he wanted to return to the city as quickly as possible, the road was slippery and difficult to drive on. Even if he stepped on the pedal with all his strength, he still couldn't speed up.

Time passed minute by minute. Starting from seven o'clock in the morning, Xu Damao went through hardships along the way. Finally, at three o'clock in the afternoon, he saw the tall chimney of the steel mill in the distance.

After a long and tiring ride, he finally reached his destination.

When Xu Damao dragged his heavy feet and pushed his bicycle into the Propaganda Department, he saw Brother Zhao holding a huge broom, bending over and sweeping the snow on the ground with great effort.

When Zhao Ge heard someone coming in, he looked up and saw that it was Xu Damao who had returned. He quickly put down the broom in his hand, walked up to him enthusiastically and said, "Damo, you've worked so hard! Come in and warm yourself up first. Was it because of the snow that we didn't get to watch the movie yesterday?"

"Oh, Brother Zhao, don't mention it! I had to work so hard to ride to that damn place yesterday afternoon."

"What's the result? In less than a few minutes, it actually started snowing!" Xu Damao complained while moving the joints of his hands.

"Alas, I was hoping to be able to show a movie smoothly, but God didn't give me any face! Seeing that it was getting later and later, the movie was definitely cancelled. I had no choice but to find a place nearby to stay. So I hurried back early this morning."

Xu Damao said this while shaking his head helplessly.

Brother Zhao, who was standing by, heard what Xu Damao said and said with a smile, "Haha, it has to be you, Damao. After all, you are still a young and strong man! If it was Lao Zhang, wow, with such thick snow and such a long journey, I guess he might not be able to make it back even if he waits until dark!"

"Hey, Brother Zhao, you're too kind!" Xu Damao scratched his head shyly, then said enthusiastically, "How about I help you sweep the snow in the yard?"

"No, no, Damao, you've been tired enough from traveling all the way. Come into the house and have a rest. There's hot water in the thermos. Drink some to warm yourself up." Brother Zhao quickly waved his hand to refuse.

"Really, Brother Zhao? I'm not tired. Sweeping snow is nothing to me." Xu Damao insisted on helping.

"Don't be polite, Damao, go into the house quickly and be obedient!" Brother Zhao persuaded again.

Seeing that Brother Zhao was determined, Xu Damao stopped forcing him and said, "Okay, Brother Zhao, if that's the case, I'll go back first. There are some things waiting for me to deal with at home."

"Okay, then be careful on the road!" Brother Zhao advised.

Xu Damao responded, then turned around, got on his bicycle, and slowly drove towards the gate of the steel mill.

Looking at Xu Damao's receding back, Brother Zhao couldn't help but sigh: "It's great to be young. Xu Damao is really full of energy!"

Brother Zhao looked at Xu Damao's back as he walked away, and couldn't help but sigh deeply: "Oh..." Then he bent down and continued to sweep the thick snow on the ground.

On the other side, Xu Damao rode his bicycle back to No. 95, Nanluoguxiang. After parking the bicycle and locking it carefully, he dragged his slightly tired body into the house.

After entering the house, Xu Damao fell headfirst onto the bed without even taking off his coat, ready to have a good sleep.

You know, he and Li Ruxiu had been tossing and turning until late at night last night! It was quite physically demanding, hehe!

I got up so early this morning, and rode hard in the snow all the way, which not only consumed a lot of physical energy but also was a great test of my cycling skills.