In the evening, they had hot pot together. Grandma Gu was old and couldn’t handle eating too spicy food, so she preferred tomato broth. The other boys liked the buttery and spicy broth base, and they were sweating as they ate. Grandma Gu gave them drinks. When Guo Jingyu wanted something cold, the old woman stopped him, “That won’t do. Eating hot food and drinking cold drinks will upset your stomach. Be a good boy, we’ll have this. Grandma used well water to make some watermelon juice for us to enjoy later.”
Gu Yu asked, “Grandma, did the Agricultural Science Institute send watermelons again this year?”
Grandma Gu smiled and replied, “That’s right, it’s quite a bother for those professors, but they’ve rented some acres of land here. Every year, they send us a lot of watermelons and grapes.”
Guo Jingyu was a little curious and asked, only to learn that Grandma Gu had rented some unused land to researchers from the Agricultural Science Institute. Every year, they came with professors and students to conduct breeding experiments. No matter what, having these people around throughout the year made the town safer. People were proud when they occasionally appeared on television, even though most of the time they were just passing by the fields and got caught in the background while filming.
Grandma Gu didn’t eat much and sat aside saying, “Originally, the Agricultural Science Institute’s first research site wasn’t here but in the nearby Xiaowang Village. The people there were not well-behaved. As soon as the professors grew something, they’d rush in to steal and grab everything. It wasn’t easy for them. After a few incidents, they no longer dared to stay there and moved to our place.”
Guo Jingyu asked, “Is that true? They didn’t report it to the police?”
Gu Yu eagerly said, “It’s true. They reported it to the police. When the police arrived, the thieves ran away. Last autumn, it even made it to the news. They stole the latest grape breeds from someone’s planting base, and it was said to be worth tens of thousands.”
“Did they compensate for the lost money?”
Gu Yu shook his head and said, “No, they claimed they had no money to compensate. They were arrested and detained for ten days to half a month, then released. The professors from the Agricultural Science Institute were afraid of getting robbed again. When they decided to move to our place, they visited secretly.”
He picked up a piece of cooked lamb, blew on it to cool it down, and chewed while continuing, “But our town has a better atmosphere. Everyone is very conscious.”
Grandma Gu straightened her back and said, “That’s right. We’ve been neighbors for decades. Who would do something immoral? Besides, they shouldn’t be afraid of retribution affecting their descendants.”
Guo Jingyu found this amusing. Grandma Gu had a habit that was probably common among elderly people across the country. Apart from her love for morning exercise, she had a bit of superstition. But she wasn’t the type to fixate on a single belief. She believed a bit in all the deities from various religions, depending on what she wanted that day.
On the fifth day of the lunar new year, she would set off firecrackers for the God of Wealth, and a few days later, she would celebrate the birthday of the Goddess of the Southern Sea. She led a life filled with joy and festivities.
Guo Jingyu had spent two or three years with Grandma Gu when he was younger. The old lady set a good example, being upright and optimistic. The energy she and the young boy exuded was remarkably similar.
During the meal, Grandma Gu asked Li Tongzhou a few questions, and Guo Jingyu rushed to answer them. He knew everything about Li Tongzhou since they had been classmates since junior high school, and Li Tongzhou was known as the academic achiever.
Grandma Gu was really envious after hearing about it.
But Guo Jingyu was different.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
He considered Li Tongzhou as part of his own family and shared in his glory.
“Xgjcvwj, lrc’a Ol Kbcuhtbe jwjhlcu? Lf erfv ab rla lc ogbca bo wf, jcv kf’gf gfjiis mibrf!” Xeb Alcuse gjlrfv tlr mtlc qgbevis, jr lo tf tjv kbc jc jkjgv. “Tbe xcbk, P ibbx eq ab tlw jcv gfujgv tlw jr ws ubji lc ilof. Lf’r ilxf j uelvlcu rajg lc ws ilof, j ilutatberf ~”
Grandma Gu rarely saw Guo Jingyu like this, and she couldn’t help but be coaxed. She pinched her grandson’s cheek and teased him, “You, how will you manage in the future with this mouth of yours? How many girls will you have to charm?”
“Grandma, I swear on my honesty, I’ve only flattered you and my mom!” Guo Jingyu expressed his loyalty while stealing a glance at Li Tongzhou. “Besides, in the future, I’ll only be good to one person. I won’t even look at anyone else, really, I’ve already thought about it.”
“What have you thought about?”
“I’ve thought about making money and saving up to marry a wife!”
Grandma Gu doted him, “Then on the day you marry a wife, Grandma will buy you a gold bracelet.”
“Thank you, Grandma!”
Grandma Gu enjoyed chatting with him and asked with enthusiasm, “What kind of girl do you like?”
Guo Jingyu didn’t hesitate and replied, “I like someone who’s good at studying!” When he glanced at Li Tongzhou, their eyes met briefly. Li Tongzhou paused for a few seconds, then continued eating his meat. Guo Jingyu looked at him for a moment, moved closer with a smile, and was about to speak to him in a low voice when Grandma Gu interrupted him, “Jingyu, eat your meal properly. Let’s not snatch from Xiaozhou.”
Guo Jingyu, “Huh?”
“You can cook your own meat. I saw your classmate serving you several times already. Hey, Xiaozhou, don’t give him…” Grandma Gu didn’t even finish her sentence before Li Tongzhou picked up some meat from his plate and offered it to Guo Jingyu. Before Guo Jingyu could respond, Grandma Gu stopped him, “Oh, you and your lazy habits. He’s just spoiling you. Eat your own food and don’t worry about him.”
Li Tongzhou said, “Grandma, it’s okay. I’m fine.”
After finishing the meal, Guo Jingyu finally understood the meaning of the phrase “sit back and enjoy the benefits.”
It felt so good, he was practically eating himself into a food coma and didn’t want to move.
Grandma Gu was afraid they would eat too much, so she urged them to go for a walk. Gu Yu was dragging his feet and didn’t want to go, sneaking back to his room secretly, his intentions unknown. Guo Jingyu took Li Tongzhou for a walk. In the evening, Grandma had plans to meet her old friends and dance in the square. They went to the small park, where there was a circular flat ground enclosed by railings. Someone had already set up speakers and colorful lights. At a glance, it looked a lot like a dance floor from the earlier years.
Guo Jingyu leaned on the railing to look inside. The music was loud, and he whispered to Li Tongzhou, “Do you know where this is?”
“Where is it?”
“It’s an ice rink—I used to learn rollerblading here when I was a kid—”
“You still know how to do that?”
“I know how to do it really well, look!”
Li Tongzhou lowered his head and was startled when he saw the bug in Guo Jingyu’s hand. But Guo Jingyu burst into laughter and moved closer to him, saying, “Don’t be afraid, this is a beetle. It eats plant roots and doesn’t bite people. I’ll have it kowtow to you.” He held up the metallic-looking little beetle and made it bow, as if it were willing to be bullied by anyone.
Li Tongzhou turned his head to look at him. The people around them couldn’t help but laugh, as if they were looking at a well-fed little fox. The kind of fox that’s sleek and shiny, with a bit of cunning on its face, but just the right amount of mischievousness that makes you want to hold it in your palm and let it play to its heart’s content.
Guo Jingyu released the beetle and said to him, “Don’t look at me like that. I won’t scare you anymore. I have already let it go.”
Li Tongzhou was still looking at him.
For a moment, Guo Jingyu thought he was going to say something. His gaze was too serious, staring straight at him. Guo Jingyu’s heart beat faster, and his face inexplicably warmed up. “Are you really angry? I’ll go buy shaved ice for you as an apology.”
Guo Jingyu jumped down from the railing steps and ran a few steps to buy shaved ice.
Li Tongzhou slightly looked away and looked in the direction where the little beetle had escaped. With Guo Jingyu gone, he stood there alone, and the music in his ears seemed distant, with only the sound of his own heartbeat resonating in his eardrums. He reached out to touch his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat.
Guo Jingyu quickly bought two bowls of shaved ice and brought them back. They were milk and red bean flavored with condensed milk, tasting very creamy. Li Tongzhou didn’t particularly like sweet things, but Guo Jingyu liked them and ended up eating one and a half bowls by himself.
Li Tongzhou held his bowl, watching Guo Jingyu eat the shaved ice spoon by spoon. Suddenly, he stretched his finger and lightly touched Guo Jingyu’s bulging cheek.
Guo Jingyu raised his head, looking at him with confusion.
Li Tongzhou withdrew his finger, acting nonchalant. “It got some on you. I just wiped it clean now.”
He wiped his finger on the back of his hand and gently rubbed it.
When they returned from their walk, Grandma Gu had already prepared their rooms. Since Guo Jingyu’s parents were coming, and Gu Yu had no intention of leaving, Grandma Gu prepared a guest room for them.
“Jingyu, you and your brother can sleep together tonight, and give the guest room to your friend,” Grandma Gu said.
Guo Jingyu didn’t let her finish and immediately said, “Grandma, it’s okay. Let my brother have the guest room. I’ll sleep with Li Tongzhou.”
Grandma Gu felt a bit embarrassed, “We shouldn’t treat guests like this.”
Guo Jingyu took the pillow she handed him and smiled, “Li Tongzhou and I are very close. You can treat him as one of our family’s kids. It’s all the same.”
Li Tongzhou came from a well-off family but was not picky. He could adapt to whatever. He eats and drinks what was given, and naturally lives on what was provided.
Guo Jingyu and Li Tongzhou shared a room, with their pillows placed side by side on the bed. After lying down for a while, Guo Jingyu suddenly smiled, “This is actually my first time sleeping with you.”
But Li Tongzhou replied, “During the summer camp in junior high, we slept like this too.”
“Well, that’s different. We were in tents then.”
Li Tongzhou simply hummed in response and lay quietly in bed.
There was a floor fan at the foot of the bed blowing air at the lowest setting. But the fan was quite old, and will make squeaky sounds whenever it sways. Guo Jingyu lay on the outer side, and the breeze tickled his feet. So he moved slightly, unintentionally rubbing against Li Tongzhou next to him. Their skin touched, and he didn’t dare to move. Li Tongzhou didn’t move either. After a while, Guo Jingyu felt the small patch of skin they touched getting warmer. The warmth spread up from his foot, making his whole body feel warm.
The air in the room seemed thick and sticky, making Guo Jingyu feel like their breaths were entwined.
Li Tongzhou moved slightly, and at the same time, there was a knock on the door from outside. Gu Yu whispered excitedly through the door, “Jingyu, are you asleep? I just wrote a project proposal. Can you come and take a look?”
Guo Jingyu, “I’m sleeping!”
Gu Yu said, “Why are you sleeping so early? Get up quickly. I want to show you my genius idea!”
Li Tongzhou chuckled softly and said, “You should go see what he wants.”
Guo Jingyu got up in frustration and opened the door to leave.
***
The author has something to say: Small Theater:
Cousin: Jingyu, come on! Let’s make some money!
Guo Jingyu: Not going, busy.
Cousin: Busy with what?
Guo Jingyu (confidently): Pursuing a relationship!
So cute. In my language Gu Yu would be named as “empata foda” hahahahaha Thank you for the chapter ♥️