Wang Dahai walked into the kitchen and seeing her somewhat clumsy movements, couldn't help but say, "If you can't cook, why eat at home?"

Wu Qiangwei's face flushed slightly, and she retorted somewhat indignantly, "Just because I can't cook doesn't mean I can't try, right?"

"Of course, of course."

Wang Dahai said, "Alright, go to the side and wash the radishes."

He rolled up his sleeves and began chopping vegetables.

Half an hour later, when Wang Dahai was in full swing, Lin Wanqiu came back.

Wang Dahai heard the noise and turned his head to look.

At that glance, he was somewhat transfixed.

It had been many days since he last saw her.

Seeing her suddenly now, he felt a sense of trepidation.

Their eyes met briefly, and both shifted their gaze away at the same moment.

"Sister-in-law, you're off work," Wang Dahai greeted.

"Mm."

Lin Wanqiu changed her shoes and came in, asking, "Need my help?"

Wu Qiangwei, just about to say no need, said, "Come over, I'm going to rest for a while. Cooking is exhausting."

"Oh, okay."

Lin Wanqiu took over for her, but there wasn't much left to do.

Everything that needed doing was practically done.

She stood to the side, watching Wang Dahai, busy and clad in an apron, and suddenly didn't know what to say.

The two of them chatted on their phones every day.

But lately, the frequency of their conversations had been decreasing.

Wang Dahai had always thought that their feelings for each other wouldn't fade for any reason.

But when not living together, and not seeing each other for a long time, he realized feelings indeed could fade.

The longing seemed not as intense anymore.

What he once thought he couldn't let go of, could actually be let go.

Perhaps, Lin Wanqiu felt it too.

Wang Dahai didn't know if during this time, she had met other men.

Maybe she had.

About this, Wang Dahai didn't feel much.

"Have you been very busy lately?" Lin Wanqiu asked.

"Yeah, quite busy."

Wang Dahai said, "I'm planning to take the civil service exam."

"The civil service?" Lin Wanqiu asked curiously, "What made you think of taking the civil service exam?"

"It's more stable."

He couldn't very well say that he was doing it to become an official.

However, these words disappointed Lin Wanqiu when she heard them.

Indeed, a civil service job is very stable.

But the income is very low.

A few thousand yuan a month, what can that do?

It's not even enough to buy a house.

Wu Qiangwei had talked to her about this.

A man should at least have the basic financial foundation.

Like having a house, a car, some savings.

Without family support, relying solely on oneself, a fixed salary would never afford these in a lifetime.

Suddenly, Lin Wanqiu wanted to ask Wang Dahai if he ever thought about the future.

But she felt like it might not be her place to ask.

After all, she still hadn't openly defined their relationship.

In her heart, there was still some uneasiness.

For a moment, her spirits were low, and she no longer spoke to him.

Wang Dahai sensed that something was off with her mood, and felt it was a bit inexplicable.

What had they just talked about?

Seemed like it was about work…

And then it came to this.

Did he say something wrong?

Wang Dahai couldn't understand.

He didn't like how Lin Wanqiu kept everything to herself and concealed it in her heart.

He preferred Ning Mei's straightforwardness, where everything could be directly spoken, even conflicts.

At least, any problem could be addressed directly; if it was your fault, you resolved it, and if it was mine, I handled it.

But it seemed not every woman was like that.

Wang Dahai suddenly felt a bit frustrated.

The meal was ready.

Wang Dahai said, "Go wash your hands, I'll handle things here."

"Okay."

Lin Wanqiu went out, and Wang Dahai served the dishes on the table.

Wu Qiangwei came over, looked at the table full of dishes, and asked, "Can we eat now?"

"Yes, it's ready."

Wang Dahai took off his apron, and Wu Qiangwei brought over a bottle of red wine.

Lin Wanqiu shook her head, "I won't drink today, I still have work tomorrow."

Wu Qiangwei said, "Have a little, I'm in a good mood today."

"Just a little then."

Wu Qiangwei poured wine for everyone.

She raised her glass, "Cheers."

The three of them downed their drinks.

At this point, Lin Wanqiu suddenly asked, "Dahai, have you decided which department you want to apply to?"

"Not yet."

Wang Dahai shook his head, and Wu Qiangwei curiously asked, "Are you thinking about taking the civil service exam?"

"Yes, that's what I'm considering."

"Taking the civil service exam, that's good," Wu Qiangwei nodded, "It's stable, less hassle, and relaxed."

However, Lin Wanqiu said, "It's stable but the income is too low. Dahai just graduated, he still needs to get married later..."

She stopped there, silently drinking her wine.

But the message she wanted to convey was understood by both.

Wang Dahai roughly understood why she was behaving that way while cooking.

Is it because she thinks I'm lacking ambition by taking the civil service exam?

He felt somewhat conflicted.

Lin Wanqiu having such thoughts, actually wasn't an issue.

Taking the civil service exam was indeed for stability, but it meant less income.

For him, coming from a rural background, this indeed wasn't a suitable career path.

Her having such thoughts was clearly because she wanted to be with him.

Wang Dahai silently drank his wine, one glass after another.

Wu Qiangwei noticed his mood was off, and said, "Actually, taking the civil service exam is quite good, even though the income is low, it's stable. Plus, you can do some side jobs."

Wang Dahai's smile stiffened, continuing to drink.

Lin Wanqiu also noticed that her words seemed to have struck a chord with Wang Dahai.

She wanted to say something, but with Wu Qiangwei present, it wasn't quite appropriate.

So, she too, silently drank her wine.

A bottle of red wine was almost divided between the two of them.

Both of their alcohol tolerance was weak, with half a bottle of red wine down, their cheeks were flushed, and their eyes wandered.

"Eat more food, drink less."

Wu Qiangwei kept adding food to their bowls, her heart also somewhat conflicted.

She could see that Wang Dahai really cared about Lin Wanqiu.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted so strongly to a few words from her.

The dinner stretched until almost eight o'clock.

"I'll go wash the dishes."

Wu Qiangwei stood up to start clearing the table and dishes, Wang Dahai didn't speak, but also stood up quietly to clean.

Wu Qiangwei pushed him away, "You go rest, I've got this."

Then to Lin Wanqiu, "Wanqiu, you go rest too."

Neither were in the mood to be polite, with a hum, they walked to the sofa to sit.

The two sat together, yet didn't speak for a long time.

After a while, Lin Wanqiu finally said, "That's not what I meant."

"I know."

Wang Dahai managed a smile, "But you're right, taking the civil service, the income is indeed too low. Can't afford a house, can't afford a car, and after getting married, with big expenses, it won't suffice."

Lin Wanqiu pursed her lips, suddenly asked, "Have you thought about getting married?"

She was asking about getting married in general, not specifically if he had thought about marrying her.

She wanted to know if Wang Dahai had considered his future at all.

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