Chapter 131: Chapter 0131: The Wonderful Use of Cucumbers_1
Day finally broke. Golden sunlight streamed from the horizon, traversing an immense distance to cast its glow on the villa on Mantou Ridge. It shone into the room through a gap in the curtains.
The room was a bit messy. Clothes and pants lay on the floor beside the bed, and the sheets were wrinkled, with some spots still damp with sweat.
Xiao Fang lay in Zhang Bin’s arms, still deep in sleep. The golden sunlight bathed her in a halo, making her appear incredibly beautiful and pure. Any man who saw this would be stunned by her beauty.
Zhang Bin was already awake but couldn’t bear to get up. He just lay in bed, gently holding the innocent beauty with whom he had been passionate all night long. His face was filled with happiness and emotion.
His gaze remained fixed on Xiao Fang, never tiring of the enticing view.
A woman is like a flower. She needs a man’s diligent ’watering’ to bud and bloom into stunning beauty.
After a night of Zhang Bin’s ’watering,’ Xiao Fang was certainly exhausted, but she had also become even more beautiful. Her skin was flawless, and she exuded a captivating charm, a far cry from her previous innocence.
A woman is like a poem. She must be recited slowly and savored quietly to appreciate her special meaning and beauty.
Zhang Bin felt as if he were reciting this very poem, completely lost in its pure and beautiful artistic conception.
From today on, Xiao Fang is my woman, Zhang Bin mused joyfully. I’ll never have to sleep in an empty bed again. I’ve been lying alone, staring at the ceiling for twenty years...
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK...
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. "Brother, Sister-in-law, get up! Time for breakfast!" Zhang Lele’s voice called out.
Xiao Fang instantly awoke from her slumber. Seeing Zhang Bin gazing at her so fervently, her pretty face reddened with shyness as she chided, "Brother Bin, it’s all your fault for tormenting me all night. I overslept. Now Lele knows, and she’s going to tease me to death..."
She was used to waking up early, but she had been simply too exhausted last night, so she hadn’t woken up. Otherwise, she would have been up long before Zhang Lele.
Zhang Bin put on a stern face. "Call me husband."
"Hu... Brother Bin." Xiao Fang couldn’t bring herself to say it, blushing with shyness and embarrassment. "I can’t. I’m not used to it."
"Breakfast is getting cold! Get up!" Zhang Lele was unusually excited today for some reason and kept knocking persistently on the door.
Zhang Bin shouted, "We’re coming, we’re coming!"
Soon, the two of them, freshly washed, opened the door and stepped out.
Naturally, Xiao Fang was so embarrassed her blush spread to her neck, and she didn’t dare meet Lele’s gaze.
But Zhang Lele didn’t let up, teasing her with a mischievous grin. "Sister Xiao Fang, from now on you’re my sister-in-law! Hee hee!"
How could Xiao Fang handle such jesting? Covering her face, she said shyly, "Lele, you’re not allowed to make fun of me..."
Zhang Bin quickly changed the subject. "Lele... did you really make breakfast?"
"If I didn’t, I’d starve! Who knows when you two would have gotten up," Zhang Lele pouted.
"Who asked you to live here? I’m not obligated to make you breakfast," Zhang Bin said.
"Lele, I’ll make breakfast for you from now on," Xiao Fang said, her face still flushed. "I promise you’ll have it as soon as you wake up."
"You’re the best, Sister-in-law!" Zhang Lele hugged Xiao Fang and jumped for joy. "My brother doesn’t care about me at all. Come on, let’s go eat breakfast!"
Zhang Bin felt somewhat helpless; this girl was completely lawless. He followed the two of them into the dining room.
On the dining room table, there were no noodles, flatbreads, porridge, or eggs as Zhang Bin had expected. There were just three cucumbers, obviously freshly washed, with glistening water droplets still clinging to them.
Strange expressions appeared on Zhang Bin’s and Xiao Fang’s faces. Pointing at the cucumbers in astonishment, Zhang Bin asked, "Lele, is this the breakfast you made?"
"Brother, you’re so smart! You hit the nail right on the head," Zhang Lele said without a hint of a blush. "Aren’t you going to praise me? I got up bright and early, worked so hard to go to the vegetable garden to pick these, and then I washed them carefully. Aren’t I just the most hardworking person ever?"
I knew it was too good to be true that Lele would offer to make breakfast, Zhang Bin muttered to himself. So this is what she was up to. With a glum look, he said, "I was ready for a feast, and you’re just giving me a cucumber?"
"What’s wrong with cucumbers? Let me tell you, these are incredibly delicious, and they’re great for your skin! I use cucumbers for facials, and it makes my skin even more tender," Zhang Lele boasted proudly. She grabbed two of them, pushed one into Xiao Fang’s hand, and started crunching on the other, her face a picture of pure enjoyment.
"Brother Bin, one cucumber probably won’t be enough for you. I’ll go cook some noodles right away." Xiao Fang quickly munched on her cucumber as she headed for the kitchen. She had used up a lot of energy last night and was starving.
A sudden realization seemed to strike Zhang Bin, his face lighting up with excitement. He scooped Zhang Lele into his arms and spun her around rapidly, exclaiming, "Lele, you’re a real lucky charm! You just solved a huge problem for me."
"What problem did I solve?" Zhang Lele asked, puzzled, after he set her down.
"Heh heh... that’s a secret for now. It’s a business secret," Zhang Bin said with a sly smile.
He had promised Liu Ruolan a while ago that he would develop a beauty product. He knew, of course, that Spiritual Energy had beautifying properties, but he’d been struggling with how to keep the method a secret. Otherwise, countless cultivators would come knocking on his door asking for Spiritual Energy. The state might even come asking for it. He didn’t have that much Spiritual Energy to sell. But he hadn’t been able to think of a good solution.
Now, Xiao Fang’s mention of the garden cucumbers’ beautifying effects gave Zhang Bin a huge burst of inspiration. Cucumbers already had beautifying properties, and those cultivated with Spiritual Water would likely have their effects enhanced by at least tenfold. If he used cucumbers instead of Spiritual Energy for his beauty treatments, there would be no flaw in his cover story.
So, all he needed to do was cultivate more cucumbers with Spiritual Water.
And just like that, the beauty product problem was solved.
"Can we make a lot of money from it?" Zhang Lele asked excitedly.
"Yes. More than you can imagine," Zhang Bin said.
"So, how are you going to thank me?" Zhang Lele asked expectantly.
"I’ll open a luxury beauty salon. After you graduate from college, you can be the general manager. How does that sound?" Zhang Bin suggested.
"Open a beauty salon? Can that make money?" Zhang Lele looked skeptical.
"Have you forgotten how amazing your brother is? When I open a beauty salon, it will absolutely be the most popular one in the world. All the celebrities will be flocking to it," Zhang Bin said with total confidence.
"Brother, I can’t wait! I’m so excited!" Zhang Lele exclaimed joyfully. "In that case, I’ll major in cosmetology in college. I’m going to become a rich, beautiful woman that everyone envies!"