For a moment, Xu Qiushi doubted if he had misheard: “What did you say?”
“I said, if seeing my brother makes you feel uncomfortable, I won’t let him come to the house anymore. If there’s something to discuss, I’ll go find him myself,” Jiang Yichi repeated seriously, not feeling at all that there was anything wrong with this “rebellious” behavior toward his elder.
Xu Qiushi let out an “Ah,” unsure of how to respond.
“What? This is my private space to begin with. Don’t I have the right to decide who I want to come over and who I don’t?” Jiang Yichi said unhappily.
“He’s your brother.” And Xu Qiushi himself was an outsider. He imagined that if Xu Qiuze treated him that way because of an outsider, he would definitely be very hurt.
“Even between brothers, there needs to be a sense of boundaries. If Xu Qiuze clung to you every single day, wouldn’t you find it annoying?”
“How could I find it annoying?” Xu Qiushi looked at Jiang Yichi in shock. Weren’t brothers supposed to love, cherish, and help one another? If there ever came a day when Xu Qiuze wasn’t close to him, he would be truly worried.
One look at his eyes and Jiang Yichi knew he had asked in vain. He changed his wording: “Your younger brother is an adult; he needs his own personal space, doesn’t he? Look at you, you always treat him like a child and want to arrange everything for him. For instance, a small thing like buying clothes can’t he do that himself? You even have to cook for him during the holidays can’t he do it? You’re going to turn him into a ‘giant infant’ at this rate.”
Listening to Jiang Yichi’s long-winded lecture, Xu Qiushi felt it made a bit of sense, but not much.
The reason he bought clothes and cooked for Xu Qiuze wasn’t that the others couldn’t do it; to him, these were all acts of maintaining affection between family members. As for whether it would turn Xu Qiuze into a giant infant, there was even less need for concern; he was certain that Xu Qiuze’s ability to care for himself was much stronger than that of the young master standing before him.
As if sensing the doubt in Xu Qiushi’s eyes, Jiang Yichi gave him a somewhat annoyed glare.
“Don’t say those kinds of things to your brother, it would make him sad,” Xu Qiushi steered the topic back, declining Jiang Yichi’s kindness, though he didn’t quite understand why Jiang Yichi would go to such lengths for him. “But thank you anyway, for being so considerate of me.”
Jiang Yichi, who was just about to say Xu Qiushi didn’t know what was good for him, softened his expression upon hearing that last sentence. He hadn’t expected Xu Qiushi to take his words to heart anyway. He pulled out the red envelope he had intercepted earlier and stuffed it into Xu Qiushi’s hand: “Then take this.”
Xu Qiushi instinctively pushed it back: “I can’t take it.”
“I’m giving this to you!” Jiang Yichi emphasized pointedly.
“I can’t take it even if you’re the one giving it. You’ve already given me enough.” Xu Qiushi used a bit too much force pushing back, causing Jiang Yichi to stumble.
Jiang Yichi took a step back, looking at Xu Qiushi in disbelief: “You actually pushed me?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Xu Qiushi stepped forward wanting to steady him, but was brushed off, immediately becoming flustered. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Jiang Yichi huffed and offered the red envelope once more: “You did. So you have to compensate me for taking the red envelope.”
Xu Qiushi: “…”
It felt like this “compensation” was being given the wrong way around.
…
[Section Break]
As the end of the semester approached, all university students were entering the intense and stressful “exam week.”
Gu Chengfei, who had been slacking off all semester, found his final grades in critical danger. He begged and pleaded for the two top scholars, Jiang Yichi and Xu Qiuze, to tutor him.
Although Jiang Yichi found it a hassle, it would be a personal embarrassment for his childhood friend to fail a course. Thus, over the weekend, he called Xu Qiuze over to the house.
Xu Qiuze’s goal was a scholarship; he had already suspended all his part-time jobs to enter a phase of dedicated revision, so he happened to be free.
In the living room, the three university students sat side-by-side on the sofa, creating a very dense atmosphere of study.
After bringing them a plate of sliced fruit, Xu Qiushi went off to attend to other matters.
Facing advanced mathematics problems he couldn’t understand at all, Gu Chengfei’s eyes began to spin like dizzying spirals.
“Did you really get into Luo University on your own merit?” Xu Qiuze asked from the side, a “soul-searching” interrogation.
“As real as pure gold!” Gu Chengfei raised his hand to swear to the heavens.
Jiang Yichi knew Gu Chengfei’s temperament; he wasn’t stupid, just lazy. He had worked hard before the National College Entrance Exam, so his grades went up; now that he wasn’t working hard, his grades were naturally a disaster.
“Anyway, your goal is just to pass. Familiarize yourself with the problems I’ve marked, and it should be fine.” Xu Qiuze chose the simplest and most efficient method: spotting potential exam questions for Gu Chengfei.
“Come over to my place to revise whenever you’re free these next few days,” Jiang Yichi said coldly. For someone as undisciplined as Gu Chengfei, he wouldn’t study proactively without someone supervising him.
“Oh.” At this moment, Gu Chengfei had turned completely into a frost-bitten eggplant.
Jiang Yichi and Xu Qiuze sat on either side, sandwiching Gu Chengfei in the middle, monitoring his every move. He couldn’t even pick up his phone to check the time.
“Brother Xu, what time is it?” “Brother Xu, I want a Coke.” “Brother Xu, can we order hairy crabs for dinner? The season is almost over.” “Brother Xu, are there any more of those cherries from earlier? I’d like some more.” “Brother Xu…”
With a clap, the book Jiang Yichi had rolled into a cylinder and struck the tabletop forcefully. Gu Chengfei immediately shuddered: “Brother Xu, I… I won’t eat. No need to wash them.”
Xu Qiushi brought over a plate of washed cherries anyway. Seeing Gu Chengfei’s pitiful look, he couldn’t help but feel soft-hearted: “Studying requires a balance of work and rest. Don’t be so mean to Xiao Fei, be a bit more patient.”
“Brother, it’s not that we’re being mean. He’s too undisciplined. He gets distracted at every opportunity. If this keeps up, he really will fail and have to retake the course,” Xu Qiuze explained to his brother.
At that moment, the phrase “a doting mother spoils the child” flashed through Jiang Yichi’s mind. He raised his hand and pointed at Xu Qiushi: “You go downstairs for a walk. Do whatever you want, just don’t appear in Gu Chengfei’s sight, so he stops acting like a spoiled brat to you.”
Gu Chengfei’s face was awash with tears.
Xu Qiushi knew nothing about academic studies. As a layman, he had no right to interfere, so he obediently went out.
It was Wu Ming’s day off today. Community deliveries usually arrived in the afternoon, so there wasn’t much work to do right now. Xu Qiushi first went to have a smoke, greeted a few other brothers at the security booth, and then started wandering around.
The community had a lawn specifically for pet-owning residents where they could walk their dogs and play. It was cleaned by specialists at set times every day. When Xu Qiushi had nothing to do, he would go there to watch.
The weather was good today, and since it was the weekend, there were quite a few people walking dogs on the lawn. Xu Qiushi saw some familiar faces and nodded in greeting.
After staying downstairs for over an hour, Xu Qiushi calculated it was time to head back and cook. Before he had gone more than a few steps, a sudden burst of urgent barking came from behind him, followed by a chorus of gasps.
Turning around, he saw a giant Alaskan Malamute suddenly pounce toward a Pomeranian that was barking “Wang Wang” incessantly.
The Pomeranian shrieked and hid by its owner’s feet. The owner, a young woman, turned pale with fright and hurriedly bent over to protect her dog.
The Alaskan Malamute lunged back and forth, zeroing in on its target. The elderly man standing nearby reached out a hand, but his movements were slow and completely unable to stop his pet.
Without time to think, Xu Qiushi dashed forward. Before anyone around could react, he accurately grabbed the leash on the Alaskan Malamute from behind.
The dog was in the middle of a pouncing frenzy; being suddenly jerked back, it immediately let out an unwilling low growl, struggling hard to break free.
The strength of a large dog is immense, pulling the leash taut into a straight line, yet Xu Qiushi remained motionless, firmly securing the loop of the rope in his hand.
Once the Alaskan Malamute’s burst of excitement passed, it began to pant and pace rapidly, finally letting out a whimper and a series of whining sounds.
Xu Qiushi pulled the leash back a bit, creating distance from the shivering Pomeranian.
Only then did the others dare to approach and explain the situation to Xu Qiushi.
The two dogs had originally been playing normally, but then the little Pomeranian got agitated and started barking madly at the Alaskan Malamute. The sharp sound startled the elderly man, and the Alaskan Malamute bared its teeth, wanting to rush over and teach it a lesson.
Xu Qiushi recognized the dog in his hand. Usually, the person responsible for walking it was a middle-aged woman; he didn’t know why it was an elderly man today. Fortunately, the old man hadn’t been holding the leash tightly earlier, otherwise, he would have surely been pulled down and suffered a fall.
“Oh my heaven! Old Master, why did you bring the dog out by yourself? Didn’t I say I would take him down later?” A worried voice called out. It was Auntie Zhang, the nanny who usually walked the dog.
Auntie Zhang had been busy this morning. Seeing the good weather outside, the dog insisted on coming out to play, so the old man had taken the chance while Auntie Zhang was washing clothes to put on the leash and lead him out himself. When Auntie Zhang finished the laundry and looked into the room, she nearly lost her soul: “Luckily nothing happened. Xiao Xu, it’s all thanks to you. Really, thank you so much.”
“No need for thanks. Just be more careful in the future.” Xu Qiushi glanced at the calm old man, who seemed to have just come back to his senses, slowly nodding toward Xu Qiushi.
The Pomeranian’s owner also kept thanking Xu Qiushi. Usually, the two dogs were always on good terms; she never imagined such a situation would occur today. She had been scared to death.
With the commotion over, the others began to take their pets home with lingering fear. Xu Qiushi handed the leash back to Auntie Zhang and prepared to return when he felt a slight resistance on his arm. The old man had reached out and grabbed him.
“Old Master, let go quickly, Xiao Xu needs to head back,” Auntie Zhang called out to the old man while pulling the dog.
The old man didn’t let go; instead, he pointed toward the direction of his own home, gesturing to Xu Qiushi.
“Old Master, what do you want now?” Auntie Zhang asked helplessly, tugging the dog.
“Do you want me to see you home?” Xu Qiushi guessed.
The old man nodded.
“Oh, he has things to do!” Auntie Zhang was extremely anxious. “Stop causing more trouble for him.”
“It’s okay, let’s go.” Xu Qiushi thought the old man might have been startled and that seeing him home wouldn’t take much time.
The old man lived in Building 6. Once they reached the house, he insisted on keeping Xu Qiushi for dinner.
“No, I have to go back and cook. Someone is waiting for me at home.” Xu Qiushi didn’t understand why the old man was so warm toward him, but he really couldn’t stay for this meal.
“Xiao Xu, you go back. I’ll look after the Old Master. Thank you so much for today; if it weren’t for you, my job might have been at an end.” Auntie Zhang was both grateful and ashamed.
“Don’t mention it. I’ll head back then.” To Xu Qiushi, this was just a small favor.
The old man followed Auntie Zhang to see him off at the elevator, then slowly asked a question: “What… is your name?”
“Xu Qiushi. Just call me Xiao Xu.”
“Xiao Xu, when you’re free, come play.” The old man squinted his eyes.
“Okay, Grandpa. Your health is fragile; don’t walk the dog alone next time. It’s very dangerous,” Xu Qiushi urged.
“Mhm.” The old man responded, watching Xu Qiushi enter the elevator.
Without thinking much of it, Xu Qiushi returned home, only to stumble upon a scene of Jiang Yichi grabbing Gu Chengfei’s ear and scolding him furiously.
“Are you a pig? How can you not remember such a simple problem! A pig is smarter than you!”
Beside them, Xu Qiuze let out a sigh and shook his head, looking like he couldn’t bear to watch.
Xu Qiushi, who had originally intended to go over and ask what the three of them wanted to eat, paused his steps, changed direction, and went straight into the kitchen.
At lunch, Jiang Yichi looked at the loofah, tofu, and clam soup on the dining table and cast a questioning gaze toward Xu Qiushi.