Back in the 21st century, even though he was young, Meng Yuxiu was always a person with stable emotions. But ever since he came to this world and met Han Shuo, he felt like he had experienced all the anger he hadn’t felt in the past seventeen years, especially today. He was so furious that no matter how he tried to calm down, he couldn’t.
He felt like a child throwing a tantrum, only able to point at the door and shout at Han Shuo to get out! “I don’t want to see you anymore!”
“Don’t be like that. I even waited for you today so we could go back to school together,” Han Shuo said, trying to squeeze Meng Yuxiu’s shoulder, but Meng Yuxiu grabbed his wrist and pushed him towards the door.
“Leave my house now. I don’t want to see you again,” Meng Yuxiu said coldly, opening the door. He was half a head taller than Han Shuo and stronger too. So Han Shuo was pushed out of the room, but just as he was about to close the door, Han Shuo stuck a leg in.
Faced with Han Shuo’s thick skin, Meng Yuxiu was at a loss. He could only glare at Han Shuo angrily.
Han Shuo grinned at him through the narrow gap in the door, “Come on, don’t be mad. You can hit me or scold me, just don’t push me out. Besides, I haven’t had lunch yet. I was planning to have lunch at your place and then go back to school with you.”
“You!” Meng Yuxiu was so angry he was speechless. This guy was outrageous, not only did he come to his house saying he wanted to sleep with him, but he also wanted to freeload a meal.
Han Shuo chuckled, “I’m a guest after all. When you came to my house, my brother made braised pork to treat you.”
Meng Yuxiu gritted his teeth and muttered, “You dare mention that? Your brother almost broke my leg!”
Han Shuo laughed sheepishly, “Well, before he tried to break your leg, he did treat you to a good meal.”
Seeing Meng Yuxiu panting with anger, Han Shuo reached through the door gap and poked the back of Meng Yuxiu’s hand with his finger, “Don’t be mad. I’ll definitely treat you better in the future.”
“I don’t need it!”
“Come on, Meng Yuxiu… let me in.”
The two of them were pulling at each other through the door gap, not noticing someone had come upstairs until they heard Meng Yuxiu’s grandmother curiously ask, “What are you two doing?”
Meng Yuxiu quickly let go of the door handle, momentarily at a loss for words.
Han Shuo immediately said to the old lady, “We’re just playing around.”
The old lady didn’t notice her grandson’s dark face, she was too busy looking at the energetic young man in front of her. She smiled and asked Han Shuo for his name and where he lived.
Han Shuo, being someone who could easily charm elders, soon had the old lady warmly inviting him to stay for lunch.
Meng Yuxiu watched Han Shuo happily follow his grandmother downstairs, grinding his molars in frustration.
There were many relatives at Meng Yuxiu’s house today, and they were setting up a big table. When Han Shuo went downstairs, he saw a large round table already set up in the living room, and the sound of chopping vegetables coming from the kitchen.
Meng Yuxiu’s aunts and uncles looked up when they heard the noise on the stairs. Since he was going to freeload a meal, Han Shuo waved and greeted them with a big smile.
Seeing Han Shuo’s familiar demeanor, Meng Yuxiu could only endure the throbbing in his temples.
After greeting the relatives outside, Han Shuo, as if he were at his own home, started walking towards the kitchen.
Meng Yuxiu, with a sudden sixth sense, felt his eyelid twitch and quickly grabbed Han Shuo’s arm, pulling him aside, “Where are you going?”
“Why are you so jumpy? I just thought it wouldn’t be right to sit around doing nothing while eating at your house,” Han Shuo said, winking at him, “I was going to help your mom in the kitchen.”
“?”
Before Meng Yuxiu could react, Han Shuo had already pried his hand open and entered the kitchen.
The kitchen counter was filled with a variety of dishes. The meat had been blanched and cut into pieces, placed in a large bowl for Meng’s mother to make braised pork later. There was also a fish with its scales removed, hanging on a hook to drain.
A tall, thin figure approached, and Meng’s mother, thinking it was Meng Yuxiu, continued chopping vegetables while saying to let his classmate stay for lunch.
“Okay, Auntie.”
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Meng’s mother was startled and turned to see Han Shuo’s smiling face.
“Oh my,” Meng’s mother, having heard people outside calling him Xiao Han, knew his name. She awkwardly smiled, “Xiao Han, right? Why are you in the kitchen? Go outside and have some snacks.”
But to her surprise, Han Shuo rolled up his sleeves, took the knife from her hand with a smile, and said, “Auntie, you go rest for a bit. I’ll help you chop the vegetables.”
Meng’s mother: “How can that be? You’re a guest, how can I let you help with the work?”
Han Shuo: “Auntie, it’s fine. I’m Meng Yuxiu’s classmate, don’t treat me like an outsider.”
Hearing this, Meng’s mother stood aside, holding her hands, watching Han Shuo pick up the knife and start chopping on the cutting board.
Meng’s mother had no idea what was going on in Han Shuo’s mind at that moment.
Although Meng Yuxiu wouldn’t agree to anything downstairs, Han Shuo felt that one day he could persuade Meng Yuxiu to relent. After all, Meng Yuxiu was someone who responded better to kindness than force. Just like before, as long as he put in a little effort to coax him and treated him a bit better, it would work.
Both he and Meng Yuxiu came from another world, and now Meng Yuxiu was someone else’s son. Thinking about having to sleep with someone else’s son in the future, Han Shuo felt a bit guilty.
Even though he and Meng Yuxiu were bound together to complete tasks, Han Shuo thought that if in this world two men could get married, then why couldn’t he be considered half a son-in-law now?
As a son-in-law visiting, he definitely had to show some diligence to win over the mother-in-law’s favor. He couldn’t just sleep with someone else’s son for nothing.
With this thought, Han Shuo became even more motivated, repeatedly urging Meng’s mother to go outside and rest.
After Han Shuo finished chopping the vegetables, he washed them, making Meng’s mother feel embarrassed. She had no choice but to wipe her apron and walk outside.
The relatives outside also heard the commotion inside, pulling Meng’s mother aside to chat and laugh quietly.
“Oh my, this young man is really nice.”
“Capable, looks like he can manage a household.”
“Sigh, that child…” Meng’s mother sighed, then turned her head to see her son standing at the kitchen entrance with a cold face.
After finishing the kitchen work, Han Shuo came out, calling “Auntie, Auntie,” asking if there was anything else to do.
Meng’s mother quickly stepped forward, “Xiao Han, no need to do more. Later, Xiao Xiu’s grandmother will cook. You go have some snacks.”
Han Shuo didn’t know how to cook, so he nodded with a smile and went to stand next to Meng Yuxiu.
Meng Yuxiu glanced coldly at Han Shuo’s smug face, then rolled his eyes silently.
When Meng Yuxiu’s grandmother was halfway through cooking, she came out to ask Meng Yuxiu to go to the small shop to buy a bottle of soy sauce. Han Shuo, eager to show his diligence, quickly volunteered to go.
The old lady happily grabbed Han Shuo’s hand, patting it and saying, “Good child, you sit tight. Let Xiao Xiu go. We usually can’t even get him to move.”
However, when Meng Yuxiu took the money from the old lady and walked out the door, he found Han Shuo following him.
The old lady watched the two young men leave one after the other, smiling as she said to the others, “Xiao Han really sticks close to our Xiao Xiu.”
“Meng Yuxiu, Meng Yuxiu?” Meng Yuxiu ignored him, so Han Shuo kept calling his name from behind.
Han Shuo didn’t mind being given the cold shoulder, after all, accepting such things always took time.
Looking at Meng Yuxiu walking ahead, Han Shuo couldn’t help but notice how tall he was. At just seventeen, he was already approaching 1.9 meters, and those long legs…
Han Shuo was a bit worried. If they were to complete tasks together in the future, how would he handle those long legs? Should he hang them over his shoulders or wrap them around his waist?
Fortunately, Meng Yuxiu had a well-proportioned and solid build, with excellent proportions. If he were as thin as a stick, Han Shuo would feel like he was carrying two mantis legs in bed.
Meng Yuxiu took large strides, walking quickly, and Han Shuo hurried to catch up.
As they passed under a big tree, the group of elderly folks looked over again, teasing Meng Yuxiu.
“Xiao Xiu, who is this? Introduce us.”
If it had been two hours earlier, Meng Yuxiu might have blushed and felt his heart race walking down this path with Han Shuo.
But now… he could only hold back his anger.
He nearly crushed the money his grandmother had given him, walking away with a tense face.
At the village’s small shop, Han Shuo had already assumed the role of a son-in-law. He instinctively stopped Meng Yuxiu from entering the shop, snatched the bottle for soy sauce from his hand, and boldly said, “You wait outside, I’ll get the soy sauce for you.”
However, when he reached into his pocket, he quickly stopped himself. Damn! He was so caught up in trying to impress that he almost forgot he needed to save the money for Han Hong and Han Ting.
He sneaked a glance at Meng Yuxiu, who was coldly staring at him.
Luckily, he hadn’t said that bold line out loud.
So Han Shuo took his hand out of his pocket, handed the soy sauce bottle back to Meng Yuxiu, and sheepishly said, “Well… I think it’s more appropriate for you to buy it since I’m an outsider.”
“Heh.” Meng Yuxiu sneered coldly.
Han Shuo didn’t go in, standing outside the shop.
Meng Yuxiu told the shop owner to get a pound of soy sauce, and the owner chatted with him while taking the bottle.
For young boys in the village going through puberty, they couldn’t escape being teased by the elders, and Meng Yuxiu was no exception.
“Xiao Xiu, who’s that outside?”
Meng Yuxiu, counting the money in his hand, replied expressionlessly, “A classmate.”
The owner laughed, “Brought your wife home, huh? When are you going to invite Uncle to your wedding? Uncle is waiting to drink at your wedding.”
Hearing this made Meng Yuxiu even more frustrated. Thinking about how Han Shuo kept talking about wanting to sleep with him, and he was the one on the bottom, the word “wife” felt like a slap in the face.
“No,” Meng Yuxiu replied through gritted teeth.
The shop owner just thought he was shy, so he happily inserted a funnel into the bottle and started scooping soy sauce.
Meng Yuxiu’s father wasn’t coming home for lunch today, so the round table was filled with women, except for Meng Yuxiu and Han Shuo.
With so many women, the atmosphere was lively. Han Shuo didn’t expect Meng Yuxiu’s family to be so warm. As soon as he sat down, Meng Yuxiu’s grandmother poured a yellow drink into his bowl.
The aunts and uncles were even more enthusiastic, urging him to help himself to the dishes.
Han Shuo didn’t just eat for free. While eating, he praised the food, complimented Meng Yuxiu’s grandmother and mother’s cooking skills, and praised Meng Yuxiu’s good grades and character.
His compliments made Meng Yuxiu’s grandmother beam with joy, repeatedly urging Meng Yuxiu to serve Han Shuo some food.
Meng Yuxiu sat there, unwilling to move, and the old lady scolded, “Why are you so inconsiderate?”
Only then did Meng Yuxiu reluctantly ask Han Shuo, “What do you want to eat?”
Han Shuo smiled, “Anything is fine.”
So Meng Yuxiu picked a piece of shiny red braised pork and tossed it into his bowl.
Seeing Han Shuo’s good looks and appetite, the old lady was even happier. She smiled and said to Han Shuo, “Xiao Han, it’s great that you’re not picky. Unlike our Xiao Xiu, who doesn’t eat the fatty parts of braised pork.”
Just as Han Shuo was about to eat the braised pork, he heard this and glanced at Meng Yuxiu’s profile. Wasn’t this another chance to show off in front of Meng Yuxiu?
He took a bite of the fatty part of the braised pork, then placed the lean meat into Meng Yuxiu’s bowl.
Suddenly having a piece of meat in his bowl, Meng Yuxiu was stunned.
The others at the table were also momentarily surprised, but only for two seconds before they resumed their chatter and laughter.
“Xiao Han is really a considerate child.”
Han Shuo, holding his bowl, deliberately said to the others, “Meng Yuxiu is usually very nice to me, often tutoring me. I definitely have to treat him well, hehe.”
The meal left Meng Yuxiu feeling like he had a lump in his throat, while Han Shuo happily volunteered to wash the dishes.
As the two students were about to return to school, Meng’s mother was about to pack some food for Meng Yuxiu to take to school when she saw the old lady holding a folded handkerchief and was taken aback.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
The old lady unfolded the handkerchief layer by layer, revealing some money. She took out a ten-yuan note and smiled at Meng’s mother, “It’s Xiao Han’s first time visiting, I should give him a little gift.”
Meng’s mother: “Oh, is that okay? There’s nothing set in stone yet, and suddenly giving him money is a bit embarrassing. What if Xiao Xiu and Xiao Han are just classmates?”
The old lady folded the handkerchief and said, “What’s there to be embarrassed about? Classmates or not, have you ever seen Xiao Xiu bring a boy home?”
Meng’s mother said nothing more, watching the old lady happily head to the kitchen to find Han Shuo.
Han Shuo had just finished washing the dishes and was drying his hands when the old lady handed him something.
Just then, Meng Yuxiu walked into the kitchen and saw it, both he and Han Shuo were stunned.
Han Shuo saw it was ten yuan, and he didn’t dare accept it. In those days, ten yuan could pay for a semester’s tuition, so he quickly returned it to the old lady.
“Be good, Xiao Han, take it. It’s a token of my appreciation.”
“No, no, no, I really can’t accept it!” Han Shuo repeatedly declined.
And Meng Yuxiu asked from the side, “Why are you giving him money?”
The old lady tried to give the money, Han Shuo refused, and Meng Yuxiu asked again. The kitchen was filled with their voices.
“Take it, or Grandma will be upset.”
“No, no, I really can’t take it!”
“Grandma, why are you giving him money?”
“Don’t interrupt, child.”
“I really can’t take it, if you do this, I won’t dare come again.”
“Oh, you’re such a considerate child.”
“Why are you giving him money?”
In the end, the old lady couldn’t get the money into Han Shuo’s hand. She could only praise Han Shuo for being so considerate while packing some cookies and snacks that relatives had brought into a cloth bag for Han Shuo to take to school.
When Han Shuo came to Meng Yuxiu’s house, he only had a backpack and a teacup. But when he left, he had a bulging cloth bag, which made him very happy. He thought about bringing these back home for Han Ting, who would be overjoyed.
But Meng Yuxiu was so angry that his lungs were faintly aching.
“Oh, it’s quite embarrassing, eating and taking from your house.” Seeing Han Shuo with a backpack on one shoulder, a cloth bag on the other, and a teacup in hand, looking like he was leaving with a full load.
Meng Yuxiu rubbed his chest hard, swallowing his anger.
The two of them didn’t wait long at the intersection before the bus arrived.
Since Meng Yuxiu’s village wasn’t the starting point, the bus was already packed when it arrived, so full that there wasn’t even a gap to be seen.
Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu squeezed themselves into the bus, and as it suddenly started, everyone in the bus leaned forward in unison.
Han Shuo quickly used his body to support the leaning Meng Yuxiu. Things were different now; Meng Yuxiu was no longer just a brother or a fellow villager in his eyes. With a new identity, he had to be treated in a new way.
So when someone accidentally bumped into Meng Yuxiu in the bus, Han Shuo opened his mouth and shouted, “Watch it, don’t step on my wife!”
“Han Shuo!”