Power and Wealth

Evening came, and work was over. Dong Xuebing came out of the office.

"Director Dong, are you going home?" Han Fei smiled.

"Yeah, everyone should go home early," Dong Xuebing said.

Zhang Lili said, "It's okay, I'll finish up the work at hand."

Li Hong and Han Fei hadn't finished their work either, so they didn't leave first. After all, they had just taken office and couldn't appear too casual.

"Keep an eye on the time. If there's anything, we can do it tomorrow," Dong Xuebing was always considerate of his subordinates.

The door creaked open, and Luo Haiting came out with her bag.

Dong Xuebing turned around, "Director Luo, why don't you go home together?"

"Okay, then I'll ride with you," Luo Haiting smiled. " I'm still not familiar with the roads. I just came to Beijing and can't understand the directions well."

Dong Xuebing laughed, "It's easy to recognize the roads in Beijing. They're mostly oriented north-south. You'll get used to it after walking around for several days. Let's go. I'll give you a ride back."

Luo Haiting adjusted her long hair, "Thanks."

Dong Xuebing turned to the others and said, "Xiao Zhang, Han, Li, you should go home early, too. Don't work too late, so your family won't worry."

Han Fei raised her head, "We'll leave soon."

Only then did Dong Xuebing and Luo Haiting go downstairs together.

On the way inside the car, Luo Haiting glanced at him, "Xuebing, what do you want to eat tonight?"

"I'm not sure yet. Too lazy to cook myself. Maybe we'll find a restaurant," Dong Xuebing said.

"How about going to my place for dinner?" Luo Haiting smiled charmingly. "I will cook you a good meal."

Dong Xuebing hesitated for a moment. He had been thinking about Sister Luo's cooking for a long time. Her cooking was delicious. "It might not be appropriate. There are a lot of people in the family area, and..."

He paused momentarily, clearing his throat, "Or we can go to my place. I have some groceries. I just bought them yesterday."

Luo Haiting didn't hesitate, "Alright, it's the same."

Dong Xuebing cleared his throat again, "That sounds good. I've been craving your cooking."

Feeling hungry, he stepped on the gas pedal, accelerated the car, and drove straight to Houhai, where they parked the car and walked into the alley together.

It was getting colder in the courtyard, especially today, which seemed to be turning colder. Dong Xuebing and Luo Haiting felt it as soon as they entered the room. After putting down their bags, they felt it was even colder inside than outside. After all, it was a house without heating. Dong Xuebing rummaged through the cabinets and found an electric heater. He turned it on, but it didn't seem to work well in such a large room, and he still felt a bit cold.

"Did you not light a fire?" Luo Haiting asked.

"I didn't have time the past few days," Dong Xuebing said, placing his hands in front of the electric heater and blowing hot air. "This temperature, we probably won't be able to sleep tonight."

Luo Haiting asked, "Do you have a stove?"

"Yes, it's been stored in the west room, but we don't have coal," Dong Xuebing said. "I forgot to buy it." He hadn't lived in a big house for a long time. In the past, his family would buy coal and charcoal before winter so they could use them anytime. But now, with more and more things to do and getting busier, plus not having lived in a bungalow for many years, Dong Xuebing hadn't thought about it.

Luo Haiting sighed, "Without coal, we can't light a fire."

Suddenly, a cry came from outside, or rather, a shout.

"Coal for sale!"

"Get your coal!"

It was a coincidence. The coal seller had arrived.

Dong Xuebing didn't expect there were still coal sellers in the alleys of Beijing. His eyes lit up, and he quickly walked outside, calling, "Wait!"

Just as he went out, he saw a man riding a tricycle with a load of coal parked there. The man looked at Dong Xuebing and said, "How much do you need?"

Dong Xuebing looked and saw that there wasn't much coal left on the tricycle a lot had been sold. "Give me the rest of these. Do you have charcoal, too? I'll take a few pieces." Since the entire courtyard belonged to Dong Xuebing's family, with many rooms, he naturally needed to buy more to be prepared. Otherwise, it wouldn't be enough if they needed to light two fires. This was why coal sellers were still in the alleys during the early winter. They would have to find it themselves if they wanted to buy later, so it was better to buy more now. A piece of coal didn't cost much, and Dong Xuebing wasn't short of money. He could use it next year if he didn't finish it this year.

"Okay," the big man said.

Luo Haiting followed, "Help us carry it in."

"Sure thing," the big man said. "You guys make room."

Luo Haiting immediately started looking for a place to put the coal, acting like a hostess.

Before long, the half-cart of coal was all in Dong Xuebing's courtyard, placed in a corner with an overhang. They could cover it with plastic or something else later, which would be fine.

Dong Xuebing went back inside to get the money. But when he came out, the coal seller had already left, and Sister Luo had already paid the bill.

" Sister Luo, why did you do that?" Dong Xuebing was a little unhappy. "How can I let you spend money?"

"Hehe, it's not much," Luo Haiting smiled. "You've spent money on me, too, and we're not outsiders."

Dong Xuebing was helpless, "Well, thanks."

"The stove is in the west room. I'll go get it," Luo Haiting turned and went inside.

"Don't worry about it," Dong Xuebing hurriedly followed her inside, grabbing her arm and stopping her. You're wearing such a bright red dress, and your sweater will get dirty. You can't do it. Besides, you can't carry it. Just leave it to me."

Luo Haiting hesitated momentarily, then smiled, "Then I will get the chimney."

"Okay," Dong Xuebing carried the stove out. It was heavy, sometimes dragging on the ground, and it took him a long time to drag it into the northern room.

Meanwhile, Luo Haiting had already installed the chimney and removed the paper covering the window, stepping on a chair to push the chimney out.

The stove was installed, and the chimney was secured. With the excuse of sealing it with tape, Dong Xuebing put the coal down, added a piece of charcoal at the bottom, and placed several pieces of coal on top. He poked holes in the coal with tongs, straightened them out, skillfully rolled up some newspaper, lit it with a lighter, and inserted it into the bottom of the stove. He gently blew on it.

Hoo.

Hoo.

The charcoal ignited.

Luo Haiting smiled, "I didn't realize you were so skilled."

Dong Xuebing covered a third of the stove opening and looked up, "Could I not be skilled? When I lived in a courtyard before, my dad and mom had bad backs, so I was the one who lit the fire at home. Back then, we were poor, and charcoal was expensive, so we couldn't afford to buy much. It wasn't as simple as it is now. Every time we made a fire, the whole house was full of smoke, choking us. Now we have charcoal, and it burns well. It's not as troublesome as it used to be." Dong Xuebing knew this better than Luo Haiting because he had experienced a lot of hardships in his life.

The fire was burning.

The room was gradually warming up.

But as soon as the two stepped out of the house, they felt like the courtyard was filled with thick smoke. Luo Haiting covered her mouth and coughed a few times. "Let's go cook."

Dong Xuebing's eyes were stinging from the smoke. "Sorry about that."

About a minute later, the smoke in the yard dispersed, and with the north room's door open, the thick smoke inside the house also gradually dissipated.

It's time for dinner.

Luo Haiting cooked the dishes.

Dong Xuebing sat with her next to the stove in the north room, feeling the warm temperature around them. They ate dinner together and felt good.

Luo Haiting asked, "Is it okay?"

Dong Xuebing said, "How can your cooking not be good? It's delicious."

Luo Haiting smiled and served him more food. "Then eat more."

While they were eating, Luo Haiting suddenly blinked. "Is your phone ringing?"

Dong Xuebing listened and indeed heard some noise. He entered the inner room, opened his bag, and took out his phone. When he checked, it was a call from his mom, Luan Xiaoping. But by the time he picked it up, the call had ended. He thought for a moment, then called his mom back. However, it didn't go through. He tried again, but it still didn't connect. So he didn't think about it anymore. His mom called him every week, probably to check on him, nothing urgent.

After coming out, Dong Xuebing continued eating.

After dinner, Dong Xuebing and Luo Haiting sat in bed watching TV. Although nothing was special, Dong Xuebing felt a little itchy in his heart. The atmosphere was also a bit ambiguous. After all, he had slept with Luo Haiting before. Even though they hadn't done anything since then, he couldn't forget what had happened.

It was already past seven.

The skies turned dark.

Luo Haiting didn't mention leaving and kept watching the news, occasionally exchanging a few words with Dong Xuebing, discussing current affairs.

Dong Xuebing had been coughing the whole time, unsure what to do.

On the other hand, Luo Haiting was more straightforward. After the news ended, she glanced at Dong Xuebing and checked the time. "I am not in a hurry to leave either. How about..." With that, Luo Haiting caught Dong Xuebing off guard as she removed her sweater. Underneath, there was nothing else but a bra. The blue bra was immediately revealed. Luo Haiting calmly unhooked her bra and threw it aside without waiting for a second.

Dong Xuebing's breath hitched.

Wasn't this too much for a buddy?

Luo Haiting paused for a moment, then started taking off her skirt. The stockings and panties underneath were also exposed. She acted very casually.

Dong Xuebing was torn, swallowing hard.

"Is this okay?" Dong Xuebing asked.

Luo Haiting looked at him. "I don’t mind."

Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and began taking off his shirt.

But just then, there was a sudden knock on the courtyard door, followed by footsteps rushing in. "Xuebing, are you here?"

It was Dong Xuebing's mom, Luan Xiaoping.

Dong Xuebing was stunned. Why was his mom here?