TLC: Rin
Cao Feng had never made a good friend. He thought that if friends play games, they must abide by the rules.
Duan Yuche, however, froze a little at this rather innocent answer of his. Looking up at Cao Feng, who was sitting right under the floor lamp. His posture of slightly bowing his waist and holding a mini puzzle piece in his big hand was especially like a docile and quiet black bear.
He suddenly discovered that this country bumpkin was actually very pleasing to the eye.
Duan Yuche couldn’t help but let out a laugh, threw him a puzzle piece, and gave him another piece of chocolate: “This piece is put together here. Count it as what you found. You eat it, okay. Don’t be serious towards me. This is a tofu filling. It’s so hard to buy.”
It was given to him by his aunt when she visited last time. His aunt knew that there were only two fun items for him. One collection was puzzles and the other was chocolate.
Hearing the words “it’s so hard to buy”, Cao Feng paused for a while, and said he didn’t want to: “You can eat it. Ge won’t eat.”
It was only after Duan Yuche returned to China that he learned that Chinese people were reserved and had a habit of being “polite”.
He treated him as if he was pretending to be polite as a matter of course: “It was given to you, you can eat it. If you do this routine again, I will start cursing ah.”
Cao Feng then looked at him. His younger brother wore pajamas, and in the light, the skin from his face to his neck shone with alluring ivory soft light. Cao Feng didn’t dare to look more. His fingernail lightly scraped the thick cardboard of the puzzle, and then said, “Half for each of us.” He peeled off the tin foil package, easily broke it in half, and gave the half that had more portions to his younger brother.
Duan Yuche also didn’t say anything. He took it and ate it. The two sat down again and continued to look for puzzle pieces. During this period, Cao Feng’s stomach rumbling was heard many times. He was very embarrassed and tried his best to endure it, but he was unable to bear it. His face was as red as a monkey’s butt, drooping his head without saying a word. In the end, Duan Yuche really couldn’t bear his pitiful appearance, so he said, “I’m a little hungry. Let’s go out for a late night snack.”
“Eh?”
“Let’s go, it’s not twelve o’clock yet, and there are still many restaurants that aren’t closed. What do you want to eat?”
Cao Feng didn’t expect him to be so suddenly upbeat: “Do we really go? Then uncle…”
“My father hasn’t come back yet, and he is most likely drinking. When he comes back later, he is definitely drunk, don’t be afraid. We’ll go out to eat and then come back secretly. If both of us don’t tell him, he won’t find out. Besides, it’s nothing if we’re found out.”
“But, but…” With two buts in a row, he suggested, “H-how about I cook noodles for you to eat, or fried rice with eggs?”
“…okay then, let’s eat noodles.”
Cao Feng really thought he was hungry. He grabbed a large handful of noodles and put them in the pot. He could now use these kitchen facilities proficiently. He took out the bowl and chopsticks from the sterilizer, and then took out the seasonings and dried mushrooms from the cupboard. Skillfully soak them in the water, throw them into the pot and cook with the noodles, and mix the seasonings in the bowl.
Duan Yuche just sat and didn’t help. He didn’t like cooking. When he was studying abroad, he was always misunderstood as a girl by white people in school. In fact, those people knew his gender very well, but they would still deliberately regard him as a girl, just because he wasn’t tall enough and his natural physique couldn’t compare to the white people. They didn’t want to take him to play football. Instead, he was asked to play with his dolls and attend his culinary arts class.
In those days, he wanted to grow taller very much. He ate excessive amounts of calcium tablets, drank milk and exercised every day, but the result was very little.
In the end, when he returned to China, he found that he wasn’t abnormal. In the Jiangnan area, there were many that weren’t as tall as him at this age.
At that time, he didn’t know that his mother was sick. As soon as he returned to China, he saw that everyone was quite short and it was very comfortable. He felt that the air was much fresher. When his mother asked him if he liked it here, he nodded his head and said he liked it.
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Cao Feng’s noodles were ready, and he brought a large bowl to Duan Yuche.
“Xiao Che, have a taste.”
The noodles looked good and smelled very fragrant. The soup color was clear and there was a layer of grease. The soup noodles were even sprinkled with a few pieces of vegetable leaves.
“I can’t eat this much. Give me a small bowl. You eat a little more.” Duan Yuche switched bowls with him. Mixing it well with chopsticks, he asked casually, “What did you eat in school at night?”
“I ate twisted roll steamed buns.” He said.
“…is that all you eat?” Duan Yuche was speechless for a moment, “There’s not even any meat, no wonder you’re hungry.”
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.
Cao Feng explained that he had eaten meat: “I ate meat buns for lunch.”
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“It was this big.” He put down his chopsticks and gestured to Duan Yuche, “It’s four hundred catties, and the table was this long.”
Duan Yuche hadn’t even thought about this kind of primitive life. He was very curious, and asked him, “What do you all use for hunting?”
“Using a shotgun.”
“Aren’t guns banned in our country?”
“It’s prohibited, but it’s different with us!” His black eyes shone brightly, obviously very proud, “My fellow countrymen live by this. The local government respects our customs and traditions. We are allowed to use shotguns. I also have one!” He said with some regret and sighed, “But I couldn’t take it with me. When I left, I only took my machete.”
“A hunting knife?”
“Mn. Us Basha, never leave our waist knives.”
“Then where do you usually put your waist knife in school?” Duan Yuche found that the mushrooms in the soup were delicious, so he kept picking them up and stopped eating noodles.
“I carry it on my back when I go to school, and put it under my pillow when I go home to ward off evil spirits.” Because it was a murder weapon that had seen animal blood. When it was blessed, he let his own blood. This knife had followed him since birth. It was a very precious thing. Putting it under the pillow to sleep, he would feel at peace. This was also a saying passed down from his ancestors.
When Cao Feng saw that he liked to eat wild mushrooms, he picked them from his bowl and gave them to him while saying happily, “These are the mushrooms I dug in the mountains by myself. I didn’t bring much. If you like it, next time when ge return home, I will dig a basket for you!”
Duan Yuche just watched his movements, a little awkward, and said, “Enough, enough. My stomach is full, you eat it.”
Cao Feng had used the chopsticks, stirred it in the soup, and then picked using those for him. This was too unhygienic!
He knew that Cao Feng might not have these habits, and it wasn’t good to say it directly. Although he felt uncomfortable, he was still tolerant.
“You’ve eaten enough already? There are still so many left!” Cao Feng was surprised.
“I’m full, I’m full. You eat more of it. It’s getting late. I’ll go back to my room first, goodnight.”
“Oh…” Cao Feng’s face was slightly red and said, “You too…goodnight.”
Duan Yuche nodded, got up and went back to his room. After taking a few steps, he remembered: “By the way, I…” But when he turned around, he saw Cao Feng holding his leftover noodles and drinking the soup in a big gulp.
“Mn? What?” Cao Feng raised his arm and wiped the corner of his mouth.
The corner of Duan Yuche’s mouth twitched: “…it’s nothing, my father will come back late, so leave him a light.”
However, it was so late, and Duan Shumin hadn’t come back at this hour. He must have drunk too much. It was also common to stay in a hotel after drinking too much.
The next morning, it was Cao Feng who made breakfast. There was chawanmushi and seaweed soup, and even wrapped dumplings. The taste was much better than the repetitive oatmeal, sandwich and milk prepared for him by Duan Shumin normally. It was countless times tastier.
Duan Yuche realized that Duan Shumin might not have returned home last night, so he sent him a text message.
It wasn’t until noon when Duan Yuche was eating that Duan Shumin responded to the message, saying that he had spent the night at the hotel and would go home after work today.
Suddenly he thought of Cao Feng once again.
He’s not eating steamed buns and twisted rolls again, is he?
He knew that Cao Feng would do anything to save money.
Lowering his head, he sent a text message, asking him, “What did you eat for lunch?”
Sure enough, Cao Feng replied after a while, saying that he had bought steamed buns.
Duan Yuche: “…”
“Have you been eating like this for the past half month? Won’t you be hungry if you eat like this?” He sent the message over.
Cao Feng replied that he bought four steamed buns, two twisted rolls, and soy milk, which was very sumptuous.
There were always lines at the school cafeteria. He felt that it was too wasteful of time. He could memorize ten words while lining up to eat, so he usually had a word pocket book in his pants.
The noodles in the school weren’t sold at an expensive price. When he was really hungry, he would go to eat noodles. Five yuan for one serving of noodles at school, plus a small spoonful of ground meat, and a meat bun with sprouts. A meal could be settled with six yuan and five cents. There were times when he would buy white rice in the cafeteria. White rice cost one yuan per serving, and he could add rice for free.
In short, he would do whatever he wanted to save money and time.
Duan Yuche felt hungry just listening to it, and he thought to himself that he should take Cao Feng with him next week… But he and Zhou Zeliang would spend 50 or 60 yuan or more for an individual stir-fry, and in accordance with Cao Feng’s consumption habit, he was afraid that he couldn’t invite him to meals that needed to spend more than five yuan.
After thinking about it for a long time, he told Zhou Zeliang about it. Zhou Zeliang suggested: “You might as well let him go to the buffet on the third floor, just right next to it, and eat whatever he wants for ten yuan, quite fit him.”
Duan Yuche also thought this was suitable. How can he get nutrition by eating steamed buns for the whole day?
He was afraid that Cao Feng hadn’t eaten enough. After eating the stir-fry, he went in line specially to buy grilled sausage and braised chicken drumstick and took them back to the classroom.
And Cao Feng, clasping a book, was walking hurriedly out.
“Cao Feng!” Duan Yuche called out to stop him, noticing that the book he was embracing in his arms was 《Windows Hacker Programming Technology Detailed Explanation》, and asked, “Where are you going?”
Cao Feng answered, “I borrowed a book and I’m going to the library to return it.”
“Our school also has a library?” Duan Yuche was holding a lollipop in one hand and gave him a food bag with a chicken drumstick. “I bought it and didn’t finish it. You can eat it if you don’t mind.”
If he said that he bought it specifically for Cao Feng, Cao Feng might let him eat it by himself, but if he said that he didn’t finish eating it, Cao Feng would normally accept it.
Cao Feng looked down, and there was really a missing piece of the grilled sausage in the bag. It looked as if someone had taken a bite. In reality, Duan Yuche pinched a small piece and threw it away.
Cao Feng really thought it was leftover, but he didn’t mind it at all, and smiled at him showing his teeth: “Thanks, didi.”
Duan Yuche had a piece of plum candy in his mouth and the candy pressed against his cheek. He asked him, “Are you going to the library now? Don’t you need a lunch break?”
Cao Feng: “I asked Teacher Ma two days ago. If you register at the library, you don’t have to take a lunch break in the classroom, but you have to apply for a library card and report it to the student council.”
Duan Yuche was somewhat moved: “Is it cool in the library? Is it crowded? How do I get a card?”
Cao Feng answered his questions one by one: “Sometimes the air conditioner is turned on, but there is basically no one, and it takes a week to get the card.”
Duan Yuche was a little disappointed: “It will actually take so long, why didn’t you call me when you applied for the card.”
“Teacher Ma informed me last week, I thought… you wouldn’t be interested.” How could his younger brother want to go to the library to read a book when he even needed help with his homework?
Duan Yuche also asked him if there was a sofa in the library and if he could sleep. Cao Feng said that there was no sofa: “But you can rest, there are study tables and chairs. It’s quiet and not hot.”
Duan Yuche immediately decided to get a library card. Nothing else, just for the air conditioner in the library, which was a hundred times better than the classroom.
After a week, his library card was finally processed.
Duan Yuche had never been to the school library and didn’t know where it was. He went back to the classroom, looked for Cao Feng, and followed Cao Feng over to find out.
The school library was in another building. Duan Yuche had never been to class in this building. He didn’t know what it was for. However, the library was on the second floor and occupied the entire space. It was quite big and had a large collection of books. Even the programming books Cao Feng needed were there and had a row of dozens of books about it.
Upon entering the door, Duan Yuche felt a refreshing coolness, completely different from the heat outside.
Sure enough, the air conditioner was turned on.
The library was strictly supervised. The class, name, and card number were registered to the administrator before they were allowed to enter.
There were many famous quotes printed with celebrity portraits hanging in the reading area. It was about the same as the classroom, there was a huge signboard standing on each table——be silent.
What Cao Feng said was true, no one was there, it was very quiet. It was as if no one in the school knew they could come here for lunch break at noon except for Cao Feng.
It was just that the tables and chairs didn’t look very comfortable, and they didn’t feel as good as the desks and chairs in the classroom.
Duan Yuche couldn’t help asking him, “Do you read here every noon? What to do when you’re tired?”
“Follow me.” Cao Feng pulled over his wrist and walked towards the inside. He took two books halfway, then walked to the innermost corner. Going around the corner, there was a narrow aisle in the middle of the two rows of tall bookshelves. The floor tiles of the library were light beige, and there was a slight chill when walking on it.
“Here are all the books on agricultural farming, and few people come here.” Cao Feng said, taking off his school uniform coat, sitting on the floor, and spread his coat on the ground, letting Duan Yuche sit, “When I’m tired of reading, I lean against the wall and take a nap for a while and set an alarm at two o’clock.”
In the afternoon, the preparation bell would ring at 2:15, and class would start at 2:20.
Duan Yuche hesitated for a short while. Instead of sitting on his school uniform, he held the school uniform up and said that it was all right: “Anyway, it’s school pants, and I’m not afraid of getting the dirt.” After speaking, he thought that Cao Feng seemed to be the one washing the clothes at home recently…
Cao Feng said that the ground was cool: “It’s more comfortable to sit on something.”
Duan Yuche smiled and said a little cooler was just as what he hoped: “I’m not afraid of cold, but I’m afraid of the heat.”
The gap between the bookshelves wasn’t very wide. Both of them were sitting against the wall, almost next to each other closely, and both of them could smell each other’s breath.
There was a window above his head, and there were wisps of sunlight outside the window. Duan Yuche stretched out his hand to close the curtains, and casually drew out a book from the bookshelf.
《Expert of Pig Breeding Talk About Experience》
Cao Feng read the bilingual version of Tagore’s 《Stray Birds》.
Duan Yuche casually flipped through the book 《Expert of Pig Breeding Talk About Experience》. He even read several pages earnestly, but the content of the book was really boring. After reading it for only a while, he yawned and closed the book. He shrank down like a silkworm, leaning his head on the bookshelf next to him. He turned his head, looked at Cao Feng and said, “Tomorrow I must bring a blanket to sleep.”
Cao Feng asked in a low voice, “Are you sleepy?”
Duan Yuche nodded softly, took out his phone and earphones from his pocket and inserted it. He also didn’t hesitate in taking out his new phone for Cao Feng to see. He knew that Cao Feng wouldn’t report.
With earphones on, he continued playing the list of songs that he didn’t finish listening to last time.
At noon, the sunlight was swaying from the gap in the curtains and poured on his body. There was nothing more comforting and exhausting than such a peaceful and quiet light. Duan Yuche merely leaned against the bookshelf, and when his closed eyes came into contact with the wavering light, he just felt sleepy.
Breathing slowly, the noisy cicadas were almost inaudible outside Bach’s Universe. Duan Yuche slept very quickly, but with such a posture, how could he sleep comfortably?
In his sleep, he hugged his arms and felt a little cold again. His head leaned back against the wall from the edge of the hard cabinet. After a few seconds, rumbling, he rolled and fell on Cao Feng’s shoulder. It seemed to hurt a little. He wrinkled his brows and pressed his whole cheek on his shoulder. Then after a few more seconds, his younger brother almost shrank into his arms.
Cao Feng’s whole body stiffened, and his breathing solidified.
For a moment, the gentle wind flipped the page of the book that had been in his hand for more than ten minutes and hadn’t been turned over, blowing Duan Yuche’s short hair, and the ends of his soft hair tickled Cao Feng’s neck. It smelled of milk chocolate. In his chest, it seemed that a part was warmed.
In Stray Birds, there was written: “It’s gotten smaller, it becomes small as one song, as one kiss of the eternal.”
But Cao Feng’s attention couldn’t focus on the words at all. No matter how beautiful and attractive Tagore’s words were, he couldn’t read them when his heart flew away.
Ayo Gege already in love 👀👀
My Indian heart beating at the mention of Tagore 😌
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
So freakin cute!!
Thanks for the chapter! <3
Thank you for the chapter ❤️