1128 Invitation to Enter the House
Deng Fan almost started running towards the small shop at the entrance of the alley. Qiao Mei quickly stopped him and said, “Brother Deng, there’s no need! It’s not a big deal!”

“How is it not a big deal! Doesn’t your stomach hurt? Why don’t I give Aunt a call and ask her to come to our house to check on you! You can’t ignore this!” Xia He said anxiously.

“It’s just the baby kicking me. I was caught off guard for a moment and got a shock. It’s nothing serious. There’s no need to ask Aunt to come over. Don’t alarm anyone,” Qiao Mei said as she stroked her stomach.

Only then did Xia He and Deng Fan heave a sigh of relief. The two of them did not have partners or children, and also did not have siblings with children. It was normal for them to get so flustered since they did not know what was going on.

It was good to know that Qiao Mei was fine. The two of them took deep breaths. If this kind of thing happened a few more times, they could get heart attacks!

“Alright, come in quickly. Brother Deng, come in and take a seat too. I’ve prepared nice snacks and tea!” Qiao Mei said with a smile.

Even if Deng Fan wanted to refuse, there was no reason for him to do so. Xia He also called out to him to hurry in and he slowly followed behind Qiao Mei and Xia He. He had never seen such a big courtyard before.

His parents’ house only had two rooms, a small kitchen and a toilet. It was not even as big as two rooms in Qiao Mei’s house! There were also two helpers taking care of Qiao Mei in the house. It was such an imposing place. He did not expect Xia He to live in such a place.

After Deng Fan entered the house, he was even more shocked. There were calligraphy and paintings all over the wall and exquisite porcelain everywhere. Deng Rui liked these things very much. Back in those days, he was almost reported and arrested for illegally stashing away antiques! Fortunately, Deng Rui was meticulous enough to ask for a receipt for every item he bought from the antique market, even if it was just a small stone.

It was easy for him to explain himself with the receipts. Even when someone reported him, he was not afraid of being accused by other people. The owners of those antique shops, whom he knew well, would always tell him that they would definitely testify for him if anything happened, but he knew that no one would turn up when there was trouble brewing!

“Do you like calligraphy and paintings?” Deng Fan asked as he looked at the calligraphy and paintings on the wall in the main hall.

“Yes, I don’t just have calligraphy and paintings. I also have porcelain and many precious jade stones in my study. I like gemstones very much too. Brother Deng, are you familiar with such antiques?” Qiao Mei asked curiously.

“It’s my father who likes them, but he’s more interested in literary playthings like walnut palm massagers. He hung calligraphy and paintings at home to make the ambience better,” Deng Fan said humbly.

In fact, Deng Fan knew his stuff. Many of these paintings were from famous masters and were definitely not something that could be bought casually and off the shelf. It must have cost a lot of money, manpower and resources to preserve such ancient calligraphy paintings until now. It was already very rare for them to be in such intact condition.

Qiao Mei’s admiration for Deng Fan increased a little more. Xia He did not dislike Deng Fan and the two of them looked very compatible together. Qiao Mei was very satisfied with him and almost wanted to run home and bring Xu Lan over to meet Deng Fan.

As long as Xu Lan was satisfied! Then they should quickly get married! She must not let this man slip out of Xia He’s grasp!

Wei Hao used the best tea leaves in the house and made tea for the three of them. A professional touch indeed made a difference. Compared to the tea that Qiao Mei usually brewed herself, the difference in taste was like the difference between heaven and earth.

“I don’t know what you like. This is a new Pu’er that just arrived. See if it suits you?” Qiao Mei said.

Deng Fan had drunk all kinds of good tea before. The fragrance and mellow taste of Qiao Mei’s tea was definitely extraordinary. It appeared to him that Qiao Mei was treating him with a lot of sincerity. He had thought that Qiao Mei would think of him as a bad guy who wanted to harm Xia He.

“Are you my elder sister’s colleague? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before,” Qiao Mei asked in a gentle manner.

Deng Fan quickly put down the tea bowl and said, “Xia He and I were classmates in junior high school. Later on, we worked in the art troupe together. I guess we’re considered colleagues now.”

“We’re old classmates! It’s so formal to say we’re colleagues!” Xia He said enthusiastically.

Qiao Mei looked at Xia He with a teasing gaze. Xia He had never treated any “colleague” like this before.