When Zuo Ruxiu said this, Cai Rong's drunkenness subsided a little.
He tested the temperature of the cup with his hand; it wasn't hot.
It turned out that Zuo Ruxiu had cooled down the honey water before bringing it out, precisely because she was afraid Cai Rong would be impatient and scald himself by drinking it too quickly.
Cai Rong took a tentative sip, and the temperature was just right.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
After a sip of honey water, Cai Rong picked up the cup and couldn't help but sigh, shaking his head.
"What is it, sir? Did you scald yourself?"
Zuo Ruxiu asked anxiously, thinking Cai Rong was displeased.
"No, no, no, it's very good, very good! I've only heard of honey water being used to sober up for the first time. How did you know?"
Cai Rong wasn't angry. His constant habit of giving orders had given his face an air of stern authority, which was why Zuo Ruxiu felt a little worried and nervous.
Hearing Cai Rong's question, Zuo Ruxiu explained the whole story.
In the countryside, most men drink, and they tend to drink low-quality liquor. It's strong and easily makes them agitated. Her ex-husband was one of them. Whenever he got drunk, he would become unruly and throw tantrums, which was extremely annoying. She had tried many methods to sober him up. Drinking vinegar, tea, and other conventional methods had little effect. This was on a Chinese novel website.
One time, she visited an old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and coincidentally, she overheard him telling someone how to sober up with honey water.
She immediately remembered it.
Later, whenever her ex-husband came home drunk, she would give him a cup of honey water, and it worked quite well.
Cai Rong chatted with Zuo Ruxiu while drinking the honey water, and the effects of the alcohol quickly wore off by more than half.
"So that's how it is. I never thought our method of sobering up had been wrong all along! Hahaha."
Cai Rong laughed.
Zuo Ruxiu didn't reply, only smiled.
"Alright, you should get some rest too. I'll sit here for a while longer before I go up!"
Cai Rong said, handing the cup back to Zuo Ruxiu.
Zuo Ruxiu took the cup and turned to go to the kitchen.
Cai Rong sat on the sofa and happened to see her retreating figure. Just then, Soul Spirit Twelve blew a breath towards him.
He noticed that Zuo Ruxiu had a good figure, and her way of walking evoked an inexplicable impulse in him.
However, Zuo Ruxiu walked quickly and disappeared into the kitchen.
As if realizing his thoughts were inappropriate, Cai Rong pinched his chin.
"Sigh!"
After a sigh, he stood up and walked towards the master bedroom upstairs.
The villa was large enough to accommodate a family of twenty.
To keep things lively, he had his three children live with him. Although they were already married, they still resided there.
He had two sons and one daughter.
He had personally trained both his sons, hoping that one day they would take over the management of the company, allowing him to enjoy his retirement.
By this time, most of the household had gone to sleep.
Those who were still awake were staying in their own rooms.
Early to bed and early to rise was a rule he had established.
You could choose not to sleep, but you couldn't disturb others in the common areas.
As a listed company, management was strict, and he had brought this habit into his home.
Of course, it was his home, so he wasn't as rigid. However, some rules were unbreakable.
That is, in this house, Cai Rong had the final say! Even his wife usually deferred to him meekly.
He was like the emperor of the household, his word was law.
In fact, Cai Rong didn't think he was difficult to get along with. On the contrary, he longed for someone to talk to and converse with.
But everyone seemed to deliberately avoid him. Apart from Steward Cao, no one was willing to say more than a few words to him.
This atmosphere was truly suffocating.
But with Zuo Ruxiu's arrival, everything changed.
Zuo Ruxiu was unaware of Cai Rong's thoughts, but Soul Spirit Twelve knew and was subtly transforming Zuo Ruxiu.
Perhaps it was due to too much hardship in the past, leaving her no time to take care of herself; or perhaps it was the rural way, where women didn't wear much makeup, making them appear older than their peers.
Things were different in the Cai family. Apart from their fixed duties, there was nothing else to do.
Once Zuo Ruxiu became familiar with her work, she even had more leisure time to rest.
It was precisely this relaxed and easy job that made her feel at ease, and her skin gradually regained its elasticity.
Her appearance wasn't refined, but there was a substantial quality that made one want to look at her more and more.
This was Cai Rong's recurring thought.
For this reason, he sometimes deliberately lingered at the company for a while longer, just so he could speak a few words with her in the evening.
Cai Rong's work hours had changed slightly, and Steward Cao had to slowly adjust the staff's duties.
For example, Zuo Ruxiu and another maid were assigned to night duty, responsible for washing cups and cleaning the floors.
Cai Rong noticed all of this, which was one of the reasons Steward Cao had stayed with the Cai family for seven or eight years.
One day, Cai Rong returned home late again.
As soon as he sat on the sofa, he said, "Axiu, get me a glass of water!"
He seemed to know Zuo Ruxiu hadn't slept yet.
Upon hearing her name being called, Zuo Ruxiu rushed out without even changing her clothes.
She was wearing a silk-like pajama set, a pale orange outfit.
According to the work rules, this was a work error, and Steward Cao would surely be punished if she found out.
But because there were few people on duty at night, and the other maid on duty had told her that Mr. Cai had already gone to bed, she had changed into her pajamas and was about to sleep.
She hadn't expected Cai Rong to return so late.
If she were at home, she could ask why he was so late. But in the Cai family, if the master didn't ask, no one was allowed to ask, "Why are you home so late?"
Zuo Ruxiu understood the rules and poured a cup of honey water, handing it to Cai Rong.
Just as Cai Rong was about to start a conversation, a sound came from the stairs.
"Thump, thump! Thump, thump!"
Hearing the sound, Cai Rong and Zuo Ruxiu looked up towards the stairs.
"Dad, you're back! I wanted to talk to you about something!"
It was Cai Jinqu, Cai Rong's eldest son.
He walked down slowly, wearing slippers.
Zuo Ruxiu observed that his build was similar to Cai Rong's.
If it weren't for Cai Jinqu wearing glasses, the two of them would have looked like they were cast from the same mold, identical.
No wonder the maid said Cai Rong had retired; she might have mistaken Cai Jinqu for Cai Rong.
"Keep your voice down, don't disturb anyone's sleep!"
As soon as Cai Rong saw Cai Jinqu coming down, his face immediately took on a stern expression, and he reprimanded him.
Cai Jinqu had to walk even slower, but his voice became much quieter.
When he finally reached the sofa, he saw his father holding a cup of water and casually said to Zuo Ruxiu,
"Get me a glass of water too! I want a glass of plain water. Make sure it's not tea, or I won't be able to sleep tonight!"