Han Hong and Han Shuo, the two brothers, had been sitting under the porch at the entrance all morning.
Han Hong usually couldn’t bear to smoke, always keeping track of how many cigarettes were left in a pack, even counting them from time to time. But today, he was so worried about Han Shuo’s situation that he smoked several in a row.
Luckily, their house was a standalone next to the mountain, with no neighbors nearby. Also, fortunately, there weren’t many people passing by on the road early in the morning when Meng Yuxiu ran away. Otherwise, the commotion would have been enough to make Han Shuo the talk of the village.
“Besides kissing, what else did you two do?”
“I’m really impressed!” Han Shuo scratched his ear with his finger, feeling like his ears were getting calloused from hearing the same few questions all morning.
“How many times have you asked?” Han Shuo said helplessly. “And it’s just a kiss, right? I’m a guy, I’m not afraid of losing out.”
Han Hong’s eyes widened, “That’s not losing out?!”
Han Shuo was amused and exasperated, pointing his thumb at himself, “Look at me, I’m not saying I’m not handsome, but with my cheeky grin, and then think about Meng Yuxiu’s delicate appearance, it seems like he’s the one losing out, right? I mean, bro, don’t be too biased just because you’re my brother.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Han Hong sighed, taking another drag of his cigarette. He seemed to think of something, suddenly pulling out a fifty-cent note from his shirt pocket and handing it to Han Shuo.
Han Shuo was taken aback.
He was supposed to return to school today, and Han Hong had already given him a dollar for the round-trip fare. Now, out of the blue, he was given an extra fifty cents.
Han Shuo asked in confusion, “Huh, what’s going on? Didn’t you already give me money?”
“I’m giving you another fifty cents,” Han Hong said with a deep frown.
“For what?”
Han Hong sighed and said to Han Shuo, “Xiao Shuo, you know our family’s situation. I don’t have much money. You’ve never had as much as others growing up. Now that I think about it, it’s not great. From now on, buy whatever you want to eat. Don’t just go along with someone because they give you a little food or money, and then speak up for them.”
“…” Han Shuo twitched his mouth, “You’re overthinking it. They didn’t spend money on me, and I’m not doing it for money…”
Hearing this, Han Hong reacted even more, “They didn’t spend a penny on you, and you just kissed them like that?”
“A kiss won’t cost me anything, and besides, with him…” Han Shuo thought about explaining the task he and Meng Yuxiu were doing, but decided against it. It would be pointless, as Han Hong would probably think he was just making excuses.
“Ah!” Han Shuo waved his hand, feeling a headache, “Forget it, you don’t understand. Anyway, what I have with Meng Yuxiu has nothing to do with money.”
Seeing his brother’s attitude, Han Hong’s frown deepened. He was even more convinced that because he hadn’t raised Han Shuo with wealth, Han Shuo was willing to go along with someone who hadn’t put in much effort.
Han Hong was frustrated, having lectured Han Shuo all morning, but his words went in one ear and out the other. His mouth was dry from talking, but it was to no avail.
He was somewhat relieved that today’s incident happened under his watch. But Han Shuo would eventually go to school, staying there for a week, and Han Hong couldn’t keep an eye on him.
If something happened at school…
Han Hong shivered at the thought.
After some contemplation, he said to Han Shuo, “Xiao Shuo, it’s not that I want to break you two up.”
Since Han Shuo had arrived in this world six months ago, Han Hong had always given him the impression of a straightforward, tough guy. It was the first time Han Shuo had seen Han Hong speak so earnestly.
“Bro, just say what you want to say, don’t be so…” Han Shuo felt uncomfortable with the sentimentality.
Han Hong sighed, “Xiao Shuo, do you know why I don’t want you to date now?”
Han Shuo didn’t take Han Hong’s disapproval of him dating seriously. Firstly, he had no such intentions, especially since Meng Yuxiu was a guy. Secondly, he thought it was normal for Han Hong, as his guardian, to not want him to date early. Although, in this era, getting married and having children at his age wasn’t unusual.
“Xiao Shuo, you’re still young and grew up in a small place. It’s normal to like someone during your teenage years. But I’m worried that because you haven’t been to other better places, you might think someone like Xiao Meng is great. If you leave our village, our county, or go to a big city and realize there are better people, you’ll regret it, and it’ll be too late.”
Han Shuo finally understood his brother’s well-intentioned advice. It turned out Han Hong was worried that his limited experience and short-sightedness would make him mistake Meng Yuxiu, who shone in their small county, for a phoenix. Once he saw a real phoenix, he’d regret it with no way back.
No wonder Han Hong gave him fifty cents. It was like how modern parents raise their daughters.
“Just break it off for now, okay?” Han Hong advised again, “Wait until you graduate, get into college, and go to the city. Even if you don’t get into college, go out and see the world before deciding if you want to be with Xiao Meng.”
Han Shuo couldn’t help but laugh. He asked, “Is Meng Yuxiu that bad? I’m telling you, even in a big city, you won’t find many like Meng Yuxiu.”
“…” Han Hong felt like his words were falling on deaf ears, and his brother was still infatuated.
“Just listen to me, break it off for now.”
“Alright, alright.” Han Shuo just wanted to end the topic quickly, so he nodded repeatedly, “I’ll definitely break it off with him, don’t worry.”
Anyway, once he returned to school, far from home, he and Meng Yuxiu could do whatever they wanted.
Han Hong couldn’t fully trust him, but he had no other choice. Before Han Shuo left for school, he cooked a pot of fragrant tea eggs for him to take, trying to spoil him within his means.
After lunch, Han Shuo headed to school. As soon as he arrived, he put his backpack in the dormitory and immediately went to find Meng Yuxiu.
He first went to Meng Yuxiu’s dormitory and found out that Meng Yuxiu had already returned to school and was in the classroom. So, he quickly headed to Class One’s classroom.
On Sundays, students returned to school, but they hadn’t gotten over the holiday mood. They preferred staying in the dormitory or playing on the playground. Even in Class One, there were only a few particularly studious students scattered around, reading and reviewing, one of whom was Meng Yuxiu.
Han Shuo peeked in from the back door of the classroom, and there was Meng Yuxiu, sitting upright in the last row, reading a book.
He noticed someone at the back door and instinctively glanced over. Just for a second, he was about to look away when his sharp eyebrows furrowed, and he looked again.
Han Shuo saw the sudden resentment in Meng Yuxiu’s narrow eyes.
Han Shuo’s heart skipped a beat, thinking, oh no, oh no!
Last time, just a comment about sticking out his tongue had made the little princess Meng Yuxiu furious. After what happened this morning, it must be even worse!
Sure enough, Meng Yuxiu’s initially resentful gaze gradually turned icy, his lips tightly pressed, as if he might open his mouth and tear Han Shuo apart in the next moment.
But he was the civilized Meng Yuxiu, not one to do such things. He just stared at Han Shuo like a well-behaved child.
Han Shuo grinned awkwardly, giving him a sheepish smile, then walked over, pulled out a stool, and sat next to Meng Yuxiu.
He felt quite guilty, to be honest. So, he tilted his head slightly, looking up at Meng Yuxiu’s fair and handsome face from below.
“Sorry…” Han Shuo whispered, mindful of the other students in the classroom.
Meng Yuxiu didn’t even give him a cold snort, probably too angry.
Han Shuo felt he had never been so humble in two lifetimes. He quietly chuckled, “How are you? Did you fall when you ran… walked away this morning? How was the bike ride?”
“Have you eaten?”
“Really didn’t fall? If you did, let me see…”
“Hey, hey, hey?” He waved his hand in front of Meng Yuxiu’s eyes, “Meng Yuxiu? Hey? Don’t be mad…”
“I know you were wronged this morning…”
“Get lost!” Meng Yuxiu finally spoke, gritting his teeth as he spat out a single word.
That one word, “get lost,” actually made Han Shuo feel more at ease. He thought, as long as he could talk, it meant they could communicate.
“I really feel bad. I didn’t know this would happen,” Han Shuo continued to coax, “If I had known, I swear I wouldn’t have let you come to my house and be wronged like that! Really! Although I usually seem unreliable, I’m serious about doing tasks. I think you know that to some extent.”
Meng Yuxiu stopped staring at Han Shuo and returned his gaze to the book in his hand, coldly.
Han Shuo patted his arm, “How about this, next time I’ll go to your house, and I’ll be the one sneaking around, okay?”
Meng Yuxiu’s lips curled into a barely noticeable hint of sarcasm, and he turned his arm away from Han Shuo’s touch, drawing a clear line.
“Don’t be mad, don’t be mad.” Han Shuo felt like he was coaxing a sulking girlfriend. At this moment, he was particularly concerned about Meng Yuxiu’s feelings, afraid that the gazes of others would make him uncomfortable.
So he took a book from Meng Yuxiu’s desk mate and used it to shield himself and Meng Yuxiu.
It didn’t matter if Meng Yuxiu ignored him. Han Shuo had thick skin and could persistently coax him. He was just worried that Meng Yuxiu, after being upset by the morning’s events, would decide not to do tasks with him anymore and just stay in this world.
He remembered his college roommates saying that if you had a fight with your girlfriend, you should resolve it promptly, preferably not letting it drag on to the next day, or it would become a disaster.
Han Shuo thought about it and figured his situation with Meng Yuxiu was similar. So, he tried to resolve it before evening self-study, because after that, there would be no time due to washing up and lights out.
He silently observed Meng Yuxiu’s sharp profile, his high nose bridge, and long eyelashes, pondering how to continue finding topics to coax him. Suddenly, he remembered something and patted his clothes pocket.
Of course, Meng Yuxiu knew Han Shuo’s gaze was on him, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it. He didn’t want to see Han Shuo for the time being.
Han Shuo was fiddling with something, and after a few seconds, Meng Yuxiu’s hand was suddenly pulled over, and something was placed in it.
He looked down to see a tea egg, already peeled, with the egg white covered in cracks, indicating it was well-flavored.
But without thinking, he pushed it back into Han Shuo’s hand.
“What are you doing?” Han Shuo tried to give it back, but Meng Yuxiu clenched his fist to refuse.
“Eat it. I secretly took it out of the bag after I got back to the dormitory. Otherwise, if my dorm mates saw it, it wouldn’t be safe,” Han Shuo whispered. “I brought it especially for you. I have a few more in my bag, all for you.”
Pushing it back and forth in the classroom drew attention, and Han Shuo insisted on Meng Yuxiu eating it. To Han Shuo, eating his food was the beginning of reconciliation.
In the end, Han Shuo had no choice but to use the tender egg white to gently touch Meng Yuxiu’s lips.
Meng Yuxiu was getting impatient with him. Wherever he turned his mouth, the egg followed. Han Shuo kept coaxing him quietly, making him even more uncomfortable.
“Just take a bite, just one bite…”
“You…” Meng Yuxiu, caught off guard, opened his lips slightly, and Han Shuo quickly seized the opportunity to push the oval top in.
Meng Yuxiu was caught between spitting it out and eating it, glaring.
“Eat it…” Han Shuo said, “Just take a bite, try it. If it’s not good, give it back to me.”
Han Shuo coaxed him like a girlfriend for a long time. Even a tough guy would be softened, let alone Meng Yuxiu, who wasn’t petty. In fact, on his way out of Han Shuo’s house, despite being very angry, he understood that the incident was sudden and unpredictable.
Seeing Han Shuo’s expectant eyes, he awkwardly took a bite.
Han Shuo’s eyes immediately lit up, and he eagerly asked, “How is it?”
“Mm, it’s good.” Meng Yuxiu’s expression gradually softened, and he nodded slightly, taking the egg from Han Shuo’s hand and slowly eating it.
Han Shuo was satisfied, chuckling, “You know, my brother was afraid I’d run off with a guy for a little favor, so he specially made these eggs for me today.”
Meng Yuxiu almost choked.