Han Shuo’s mind was buzzing, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. Once he did, he glanced at the other pieces of paper on the desk, eager to piece them together as if he were racing against time.
He was so absorbed that he even skipped lunch, staying upstairs by himself. After Han Hong finished cooking and called out a few times without getting a response, he went upstairs, puzzled.
“What are you doing, Xiao Shuo? What are you so busy with that you forgot to eat lunch?”
Han Shuo sat at the desk with his head down, his eyes almost glued to the desk, fiddling with a pile of paper scraps.
“What is this stuff?”
Without looking up, Han Shuo lied, “It seems like my previous test paper got chewed up by a mouse. I’m seeing if I can piece it back together.”
Hearing it was related to studying, Han Hong didn’t interfere. He went downstairs, served a bowl of rice for Han Shuo, added some vegetables and meat, grabbed chopsticks, and went back upstairs.
Han Shuo took the bowl and sat at the desk, taking a few bites of rice before continuing to piece together the words. Han Hong felt quite gratified seeing his brother so focused.
The paper pieces were so fragmented that piecing them together was a huge and difficult task. Han Shuo could only compare the tear marks on each piece. Finally, after spending an entire day, he managed to piece together another sentence.
He leaned over the desk and read it word by word.
“If you find the first task troublesome, you can complete the second task instead.”
Han Shuo quickly grabbed another pieced-together note and placed it side by side. He read the contents of the two notes over and over, almost trembling with his lips, until he was completely sure. He was utterly shocked.
“Damn… it can be like this?!”
Han Shuo completely ignored the words “making love” on the note, even ignoring the fact that these words represented an act between two men. He also ignored that he was a straight guy who would only react after being intimate with a man for a long time.
At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: this way, the time is greatly shortened!
The first task of French kissing required over seven hundred days. Even if he and Meng Yuxiu kissed until their tongues cramped all day long, they wouldn’t accumulate much time.
But doing that only required fifty times!
Seven hundred days versus fifty times, even a fool would know which to choose, and each time only needed thirty minutes.
Which man doesn’t have thirty minutes?! Oh, maybe men over twenty-five might not last thirty minutes.
But he’s different. In half a month, he’ll be eighteen, a diamond high school boy. With his self-perceived energy and vitality, isn’t this task a piece of cake?
Han Shuo was so excited that he almost paced back and forth on the second-floor floor. He couldn’t wait to run to Baishan Town to find Meng Yuxiu and tell him this great news.
But it was too late to go now, and there was no car. Han Shuo could only wait until tomorrow, Sunday, to get up early and go out, and return to school with Meng Yuxiu.
However, that night, he was so excited that he couldn’t sleep, just like when he was in elementary school and was going on a field trip, opening his eyes countless times to see if it was dawn.
Usually, Han Shuo would sleep in at home until late morning, but today, as soon as the rooster crowed, he heard Han Hong’s movements and got up quickly.
Han Hong was surprised and asked, “Xiao Shuo, aren’t you going to sleep a bit more? It’s still early.”
“I can’t sleep anymore. Oh, right, brother, I have to tell you, I need to go out early today and won’t be coming back. I’ll go straight to school.”
Han Hong: “Why are you going so early?”
“There’s something at school…” Han Shuo casually made up an excuse, afraid that Han Hong would ask more questions and he’d slip up, so he quickly went downstairs to wash his face and brush his teeth.
Seeing his brother in such a hurry, Han Hong had no choice but to make him breakfast and fry some dishes to take to school.
Before leaving, Han Hong gave him a dollar and fifty cents. Han Shuo couldn’t let his brother know he was making money, but he refused to take the extra fifty cents no matter what. Seeing this, Han Hong had no choice but to give up.
Han Shuo slung his backpack over his shoulder, carried the cup with the dishes, and walked out of the village, waiting for a car at the intersection.
He didn’t know Baishan Town, so after getting on the bus, he asked the conductor to let him know when they reached Baishan Town.
After more than half an hour, the conductor told him they had arrived at Baishan Town. Han Shuo immediately picked up his cup.
The village where Meng Yuxiu lived was called Xiqiao Village. After getting off the bus, Han Shuo asked around and learned that Xiqiao Village wasn’t far. He just needed to follow the main road, and the first village would be it.
So Han Shuo continued along the main road for more than ten minutes until he reached Meng Yuxiu’s village.
Standing at the village entrance, he looked at the scenery of Xiqiao Village. He didn’t expect the village to be in such good condition. In Han Shuo’s village, there were hardly any brick houses, mostly mud or wooden houses.
But in Meng Yuxiu’s village, there were two or three-story brick houses. Although not as fancy as the mosaic-tiled houses in the county town, the outer walls here were either cemented or bare red bricks, depending on the family’s wealth.
Han Shuo thought he would have to ask around for Meng Yuxiu’s house once he reached the village, but he randomly asked an old man.
The old man pointed to a two-story cement house by the creek at the village entrance and said, “There, that’s it.”
Wow! It was easy to find. It seemed to be in the core area of Xiqiao Village because there was a big tree next to Meng Yuxiu’s house, with a dozen old men and women sitting under it, chatting and knitting.
Han Shuo was a new face, so as he passed by, all the old men and women glued their eyes to him.
“Who’s this young man?”
“Don’t know, probably from another village.”
“Looking for someone in our village?”
An old man smoking a pipe asked, “Who are you looking for?”
Han Shuo pointed to the cement house next to him and said, “I’m looking for Meng Yuxiu. Is this Meng Yuxiu’s house?”
The old men and women enthusiastically told Han Shuo that it was indeed the place.
Han Shuo thanked them a few times and walked towards the cement house. However, as soon as he turned around, before he even walked away, the old men and women behind him started whispering.
Meng Yuxiu’s house was quite nice, at least very good for this era and this village. A clean two-story cement house with a courtyard surrounded by walls, and even the courtyard had a cement floor.
The courtyard gate was open, and the house was lively. After knocking on the courtyard gate a few times without a response, Han Shuo walked in directly.
As soon as he stood at the threshold, everyone in the house turned to look at him.
Han Shuo quickly scanned the room with his eyes. There were a dozen people, all women, aged forty to fifty. In such a situation, a normal seventeen-year-old high school student might feel very awkward.
But Han Shuo was fearless. He boldly asked the people inside, not caring who was Meng Yuxiu’s current mom, knowing someone would answer him.
“Hello, is Meng Yuxiu here?”
The people inside forgot their conversation, their eyes shifting back and forth on Han Shuo.
“He’s looking for Xiao Xiu.”
Someone invited Han Shuo inside, while another called towards the kitchen, “Xiao Xiu’s mom, a handsome young man is here to see your Xiao Xiu!”
As soon as the words were out, the women in the room laughed. Well, Han Shuo could tell from their laughter that they probably thought Meng Yuxiu’s partner had come to visit.
Fortunately, he had thick skin, so he laughed along with them.
After a while, two people came out of the kitchen. One was an elderly lady with graying hair, and the other was a woman wearing a turtleneck sweater and an apron, with features somewhat similar to Meng Yuxiu. Han Shuo guessed she was Meng Yuxiu’s current mom.
Meng’s Mother had been busy in the kitchen. She wiped her hands on her apron, her eyes lingering on Han Shuo’s face.
“Are you here to see our Xiao Xiu?”
“Is he home?”
“Yes, yes.” Before Meng’s Mother could speak, the elderly lady beside her immediately replied. She smiled as she looked Han Shuo up and down, then pointed upstairs, “Our Xiao Xiu is upstairs doing homework. I’ll go call him for you.”
With that, she happily went upstairs.
Meng’s Mother saw Han Shuo with a backpack and a cup, so she invited him inside to sit.
“Auntie will make you some sweet tea.”
Han Shuo quickly stopped her, “Oh, no need, Auntie, don’t trouble yourself.”
Meng’s Mother: “How can that be?”
“Really, no need, thank you, Auntie.” Just as Han Shuo finished speaking, he saw Meng Yuxiu coming down the stairs, with the elderly lady following him down with a smile.
Now that it’s cold, Meng Yuxiu was wearing a dark blue turtleneck sweater, his skin looking even fairer against the color. As he walked down the narrow staircase, he was as elegant as a leader disembarking from a plane, making even this plain house seem upscale.
Han Shuo sat on the chair, grinning and waving at Meng Yuxiu.
When Meng Yuxiu was upstairs doing homework and heard someone was looking for him, he didn’t think much and came down. After all, he had been living in this world for over half a year, and peers from the village would occasionally come to him for study materials or to ask questions.
But he never expected Han Shuo to come looking for him. When he saw the person sitting on the chair, he was genuinely surprised.
If it were someone else looking for him, he wouldn’t feel much, just greet them coldly and go back upstairs to continue his homework.
But seeing Han Shuo, he inexplicably felt a bit guilty. Especially with his grandmother, aunts, and neighbors all present today.
He felt as if he was being watched with countless teasing glances just by walking those few steps down the stairs.
Han Shuo noticed Meng Yuxiu’s red ears and unnatural expression as he walked over, and heard him speak in a voice as soft as a mosquito.
“Why are you here?”
Han Shuo suppressed the excitement that had been building since last night, stretching his neck to whisper to Meng Yuxiu, “I have something to tell you.”
Hearing this, Meng Yuxiu’s dark eyes moved slightly, his expression a bit subtle. He turned to Meng’s Mother and said, “Mom, my classmate is here to see me. I’ll take him upstairs.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room had a subtle expression. Meng’s Mother awkwardly smiled and said, “Oh, okay, then take your classmate upstairs.”
Meng Yuxiu nodded, silently signaling Han Shuo with his eyes to follow him.
Han Shuo immediately followed Meng Yuxiu’s steps.
Downstairs, Meng’s Mother looked up with a complicated expression at the two boys disappearing at the top of the stairs, while the aunts and neighbors teased her.
“Xiao Xiu’s mom, our Xiao Xiu is quite capable, bringing home such a tall and handsome boy.”
Another lady laughed, “It’s not that he brought him home, the boy came on his own.”
“That’s why I said Xiao Xiu is capable.” The woman who spoke then said to the elderly lady, “Granny, you’re really blessed. Your grandson brought home a partner for you. Look at how good-looking that boy is, with such lively eyes, he seems like a lively one.”
The elderly lady was so happy she couldn’t close her mouth. She nodded and said, “Yes, this child is really nice and straightforward.”
Meng’s Mother awkwardly smiled and said, “Oh, don’t say that. Our Xiao Xiu is still young, and his dad is strict. He’ll definitely have to wait until after college to date.”
The elderly lady: “Young? Our village’s Xiaobing, he’s only a few years older than Xiao Xiu. He got married in high school, and now his son is three years old, right?”
People nearby nodded in agreement, “Yes, three years old. I even went to his son’s full moon banquet.”
The elderly lady: “Exactly, look at how well they’re doing now. He went to college out of town and took his wife and son with him.”
Meng’s Mother laughed and said, “Oh, I’m just going with the flow, but his dad…”
Downstairs, the conversation continued, but it wasn’t as loud as when Han Shuo first entered, so Meng Yuxiu still quietly led Han Shuo upstairs.
He sneaked a glance at Han Shuo beside him, feeling a strange sensation, like a thief, a mix of nervousness and excitement.
Perhaps there was something else, something Meng Yuxiu couldn’t quite put his finger on. But when he saw Han Shuo grinning at him with a mischievous smile, he felt a faint sweetness in his heart.
He asked Han Shuo in a low voice, “Why did you suddenly come?”
Since the conversation downstairs was sometimes loud and sometimes quiet, Han Shuo also lowered his voice to reply, “Can’t I come to play with you?”
Meng Yuxiu didn’t respond, just looked deeply at Han Shuo, his eyes filled with uncontrollable amusement.
Seeing him dawdling, Han Shuo, being impatient, urged Meng Yuxiu to quickly open the door.
In Meng Yuxiu’s eyes, this urgency was like a migrant worker returning home after a year of hard work, eagerly dragging his wife to the bedroom.
Meng Yuxiu couldn’t help but laugh, “Are you in such a hurry?”
“Tsk! Of course, I’m in a hurry!” Han Shuo was thick-skinned and didn’t catch the undertone in Meng Yuxiu’s words. He put his arm around Meng Yuxiu’s shoulder and said, “I wished I could grow wings and fly over to you last night, but there was no car or tractor.”
Hearing this, Meng Yuxiu felt a slight warmth in his heart, and he was inexplicably happy.
So when the door opened, he locked it behind him, then couldn’t help but cup Han Shuo’s face, slightly lowering his head and closing his eyes.
However, before their lips could touch, his forehead was unexpectedly tapped.
Meng Yuxiu was stunned, glaring at Han Shuo in dissatisfaction, “What are you doing?”
Han Shuo chuckled, “I knew you’d think I came all this way just to kiss you.”
Meng Yuxiu, interrupted at the most emotional moment, had his handsome face fall. He said irritably, “What do you mean?”
“Come, come.” Han Shuo pulled him to sit on the single bed in the room, then mysteriously took out two folded pieces of paper from his pocket and placed them on the bedspread.
He nodded towards Meng Yuxiu, “I’ve got a big surprise for you! Open it and see for yourself.”
Seeing Han Shuo’s serious demeanor, Meng Yuxiu suspiciously picked up the paper and opened it.
Han Shuo sat on his bed, arms crossed, looking very pleased, as if showing off a treasure, and exaggeratedly said, “After you read it, try to stay calm, don’t get too excited.”
Meng Yuxiu frowned at him, then returned his gaze to the opened paper.
There were two pieces of paper in total. After reading the first one, or rather, before he even finished reading it, just seeing those two words, his pupils slightly trembled.
He quickly read the second piece of paper.
After reading it, he suddenly looked up at Han Shuo and asked, “What does this mean?”
Han Shuo clicked his tongue, “Are you a dumb pig? What else could it mean? It means we don’t have to do that damn kissing task anymore. We just need to do the second task!”
“…” Meng Yuxiu was completely shocked. It took him a while to ask Han Shuo in disbelief, “Is this real?”
“Why would I lie to you? Didn’t I tell you before that my novel got taken by a mouse or something?” Han Shuo said, “Yesterday, my brother asked me to air the quilt, and guess what? I found it in the cabinet, and I spent the whole day piecing this thing together.”
Meng Yuxiu suddenly fell silent.
Han Shuo nudged him, “Why aren’t you talking?”
Meng Yuxiu held the paper in his hand, lost in thought, then looked at Han Shuo with a complicated expression and asked, “Do you know what the second task is?”
Han Shuo chuckled, “I’m not an idiot. I haven’t eaten pork, but I’ve seen pigs run, haven’t I?”
In Meng Yuxiu’s seventeen years of pure life, the series of events after meeting Han Shuo had been outrageous and stimulating enough. He thought nothing could be more so.
But he didn’t expect Han Shuo to bring him a deep-water bomb today.
However, he could see that Han Shuo was particularly happy, even as if he had been injected with adrenaline. It was precisely because of Han Shuo’s demeanor, combined with the content of the paper…
He glanced at the beaming Han Shuo beside him… and for a moment, he felt he understood why Han Shuo was so eager to find him today.
Realizing this, Meng Yuxiu’s heart pounded in his chest.
Han Shuo noticed he was silent again and asked, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you talking again? So, what do you think? Do you want to do this task or not?” Han Shuo nudged Meng Yuxiu with his elbow, “Stop dawdling, speak up!”
Meng Yuxiu stiffly avoided Han Shuo’s direct gaze, coughed lightly, and then spoke, “Han Shuo, I’m… I’m not an adult yet.”
Oh, Han Shuo almost forgot about that. He asked Meng Yuxiu, “How long until you are?”
“End of December.”
Han Shuo: “So, next month. My birthday is at the end of this month. No problem, I’ll wait for you.”
Hearing this, Meng Yuxiu’s ears turned even redder.
Han Shuo heard his voice, as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, and had to lean in to hear clearly, “What did you say? Speak up.”
Meng Yuxiu hesitated, “I said I… I’ve never done that.”
Seventeen-year-old high school boys are full of issues, but when Han Shuo thought about having to do those things with Meng Yuxiu in the future, he felt he should be a bit more considerate of Meng Yuxiu.
“I haven’t either, but there’s a first time for everything.” Han Shuo intended to comfort the nervous young high school student, so he thought of patting Meng Yuxiu’s thigh to stop him from overthinking.
But then he thought, since they were about to do those things, he should be more considerate, not just pat him like a regular buddy.
With that thought, his actions became gentler.
“…” Meng Yuxiu stared at Han Shuo, who was almost leaning against him, and saw Han Shuo’s hand gently rubbing his thigh. The situation felt awkward.
At the same time, Han Shuo leaned in and coaxed, “Don’t be afraid. If you feel uncomfortable, just close your eyes.”
Meng Yuxiu twitched his mouth, “What about you?”
“Me?” Han Shuo sighed, “What can I do? Money is hard to earn, and shit is hard to eat. It’s not easy for you, and it’s not easy for me. But this task is so melodramatic, yet so tempting.”
“…” Hearing this, Meng Yuxiu suddenly felt uncomfortable. He frowned and asked Han Shuo, “So you’re not really willing, are you?”
To be honest, when Meng Yuxiu asked Han Shuo this question, Han Shuo had actually thought about it carefully on the way over.
Regarding the sudden appearance of the second task, besides being excited, Han Shuo had a moment of hesitation. After all, doing that with a man would definitely feel awkward.
But he had to admit, habit is a wonderful thing. Initially, even a French kiss made Han Shuo gag, but later, when Meng Yuxiu touched his leg, he could brush it off lightly.
And now, looking at Meng Yuxiu’s face, he felt the task wasn’t too difficult because he thought, with Meng Yuxiu’s fair skin, other places should be fine too, not too hard to handle.
Thinking this way, Han Shuo felt it was acceptable.
So he smiled at Meng Yuxiu, “Why wouldn’t I be willing? I said in the dormitory, as long as it’s you, I won’t mind.”
After saying this, Meng Yuxiu felt relieved. But as soon as their conversation ended, Han Shuo’s hand started rubbing his leg again.
“…” Under the influence of Han Shuo’s constant rubbing, Meng Yuxiu felt his mind becoming a bit muddled.
He even thought chaotically, could it be that Han Shuo came over today to immediately do the second task with him?
But that was definitely not possible. First, he wasn’t an adult yet, and second, they were at home, with his current mom, grandmother, and a bunch of aunts downstairs.
He couldn’t help but grab Han Shuo’s restless wrist, trying hard to control his expression.
“Stop moving your hand.” He said to Han Shuo.
“Okay, okay.” Han Shuo immediately let go of his leg and instead put his arm around his shoulder.
Suddenly, Meng Yuxiu had an illusion. He felt… Han Shuo seemed to be treating him like a little girl.
But Han Shuo didn’t notice at all. He continued to chatter about how they should proceed with the second task in the future.
“Look, a month has thirty days, two months have sixty days. You won’t have a period, so we can… you know, anytime, anywhere. No need to pick a time. But I have to tell you in advance, I can only do it forty-nine times because before that, I need to earn some money for my brother and nephew.”
Meng Yuxiu was quietly listening, but when he heard a certain sentence, he was stunned.
He frowned at Han Shuo, “What do you mean… I won’t have a period?”