“Hurry up and get inside, I’m going to be late for class…”
Xu Qiushi heard the movement and turned around, meeting Jiang Yichi’s confused expression.
“Why are you standing here instead of going back?” Jiang Yichi asked.
“I couldn’t get in,” Xu Qiushi replied calmly.
“Couldn’t you call me?” Jiang Yichi admitted he had completely forgotten about the access control system, but there was no need for this man to stand downstairs waiting like a fool, was there? He had just saved the phone number.
“I was afraid you were sleeping.” Seeing that Jiang Yichi’s face still read “I don’t understand,” he added: “I didn’t wait long.”
“If I didn’t have class this afternoon, were you planning to wait all afternoon?” Jiang Yichi didn’t know whether to call Xu Qiushi considerate or rigid.
“I would have gone to the security guards for help,” Xu Qiushi said.
“Since you knew you could ask the guards, why didn’t you just go?” Jiang Yichi glared at him, finding the man truly unreasonable.
“I thought someone might come out.” Asking for help was a last resort; unless absolutely necessary, Xu Qiushi didn’t want to owe favors. Moreover, he knew Jiang Yichi had class and would definitely come down. Waiting a bit cost him nothing.
“Even if someone came out, you don’t have an elevator card. How were you going to get upstairs?” Jiang Yichi asked another question.
“Take the stairs.” Sixteen floors was nothing to Xu Qiushi. It was just climbing stairs empty-handed; he didn’t even have to carry anything. Compared to the days he helped people carry heavy cargo upstairs, this was incredibly easy.
“…” Jiang Yichi’s gaze swept from the top of Xu Qiushi’s head to his feet. Feeling there was no point in arguing further, he said irritably: “Hurry up and get inside, I’m going to be late for class.”
“Sorry.” Xu Qiushi stepped forward quickly. After they entered, Jiang Yichi went with him to the elevator to swipe the card before heading off to class.
…
Arriving at the apartment door, Xu Qiushi took out his phone to find the code Jiang Yichi had sent. He noticed text messages from Xu Qiuze and Xun Wenyao.
Looking at the time, they had been sent two hours ago but were only just received. Yet, the message Jiang Yichi sent not long ago had been a real time notification.
It seemed that even the phone’s glitch of delaying texts knew how to “pick its targets.”
Xu Qiushi shook his head helplessly, closed the door, changed his shoes in the entryway, and opened the two messages.
Xu Qiuze: “Brother, is everything going smoothly?”
Xun Wenyao: “Qiushi, how is it going over there? If you’re not used to it, the bar is always open for you to come back.”
Xu Qiushi replied to Xu Qiuze: “It’s smooth, don’t worry.”
Then to Xun Wenyao: “It’s quite good, thanks Brother Wenyao.”
The phone buttons weren’t very responsive; it took him a while just to type these few words successfully.
Jiang Yichi would be back at 6:30. Preparing dinner an hour in advance would be enough, which meant he had three hours until 5:30.
In the morning, Jiang Yichi had only asked him to clean the first-floor living room. This house had two floors in total, but since the owner was out, Xu Qiushi didn’t feel right wandering around.
With nothing to do, Xu Qiushi thought of the kitchenware and appliances he hadn’t used before and decided to study how to use them. He hadn’t had time for a detailed look earlier.
Lunch had only required the rice cooker and the wok. Above the stove was a range hood—he had seen this in Xun Wenyao’s kitchen; it ran automatically when the switch was pressed. Higher up was a row of wall cabinets that could store many things.
Below the stove were storage cabinets, an integrated sterilization cabinet, and a dishwasher. In the middle of a column of vertical cabinets were an embedded steamer and an oven. The control panels were covered in various buttons and knobs.
On the left was the preparation and washing area. The wall was fitted with hooks and small compartments; long-handled kitchenware and cutting boards hung on the wall, while the compartments were specifically for seasonings.
There was a vast variety of seasonings: rose salt, parsley flakes, cheese powder—all things Xu Qiushi was seeing for the first time. Even the small glass jars holding them were exceptionally exquisite.
The faucet in the washing area was equipped with a water filter, making the water directly drinkable and very convenient.
On the right-hand platform sat a coffee machine, a juicer, a meat grinder, and other small appliances. Further down was a massive double-door refrigerator containing the fresh ingredients left over from lunch.
He hadn’t expected a small kitchen to hold so many novel gadgets. Xu Qiushi was engrossed when his phone chimed. It was a text from Xun Wenyao: “As long as you get used to it. Why didn’t you take your overtime pay? Remember to come get it when you’re free, or I can deliver it to you.”
Xu Qiushi: “Consider paying for the clothes last time.”
Xun Wenyao knew the quirks of Xu Qiushi’s broken phone. After two texts, he lost patience and simply asked: :Is it convenient to talk now?”
After getting a positive reply, Xun Wenyao called directly: “Qiushi, the clothes didn’t cost that much.”
“It’s not much. You’ve helped me more,” Xu Qiushi said sincerely.
“That’s not how it’s calculated. Let me explain it to you…”
Xu Qiushi knew he couldn’t win an argument with Xun Wenyao. Looking at the brand names on the appliances, he suddenly asked: “Brother Wenyao, can you do me a favor?”
“What is it?” Xu Qiushi rarely asked for help, so Xun Wenyao sat up straight on the other end of the line.
“Help me look something up. My phone isn’t great for the internet.”
“Oh, look things up? Sure. What do you need?” Xun Wenyao agreed immediately.
“There are some appliances here I’ve never seen before. Help me find out how to use them.” Xu Qiushi read out the unfamiliar names from the labels on the appliances. There were English words he didn’t understand, so he read them letter by letter.
Xun Wenyao noted them all down and said, “I’ll search online first and text you later.”
“Okay, thanks Brother Wenyao.”
After hanging up, Xun Wenyao scratched his head. What was I saying to Qiushi just now?
…
Xu Qiushi had asked about the oven, steamer, and sterilization cabinet appliances that seemed useful. Meanwhile, he continued exploring the items inside the cupboards.
One drawer was filled entirely with baking supplies: silicone spatulas, piping bags, nozzles, measuring cups, spoons, cake molds, and more. Xu Qiushi was dazzled.
Half an hour later, Xun Wenyao sent several long texts. They were packed with words. Some things were hard to explain with text alone and needed pictures, but images on Xu Qiushi’s phone were too blurry; even if sent as MMS, he couldn’t see them clearly.
Xu Qiushi told him it was fine and that he would ask the employer later. With this distraction, the matter of the overtime pay was dropped.
However, the instructions Xun Wenyao sent were very detailed. Xu Qiushi thought for a moment, went back to his room, took out an old notebook from his backpack, and transcribed the contents of the messages one by one while looking at the actual appliances. He even drew simple diagrams.
This notebook was what he used to record recipes.
Xu Qiushi never felt he had a natural talent for cooking; his current skills were all developed through his own steady research.
When his parents were alive, they were often away working and couldn’t look after the two children, so the responsibility of caring for his younger brother fell on Xu Qiushi. At that time, Xu Qiuze was young and couldn’t always eat out, so Xu Qiushi tried to learn to cook—often making things so unpalatable that Xu Qiuze would cry.
After their parents passed away, Xu Qiushi had to take on the role of head of the household. Besides working, the most important thing in his life was taking care of his brother.
To ensure his primary school aged brother grew up healthy, Xu Qiushi resolved to improve his cooking. While his peers went to internet cafes to play games, he was the only one using the computers to look up recipes, diligently taking notes in his notebook more focused than he had ever been in school.
Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Xu Qiushi’s face. Little A-Ze had grown up so much; did his getting into a prestigious university have something to do with his own efforts?
…
On the other side, in a professional course, Jiang Yichi watched coldly as Gu Chengfei, sitting in front of him, kept bothering Xu Qiuze. He couldn’t help but kick him twice. Gu Chengfei just wiggled his bottom and didn’t even look back.
This class was too boring. Few students were listening; they were either sleeping or playing with their phones. The teacher didn’t care either, simply talking away, immersed in his own teaching world. Both sides did their own thing without interference.
Jiang Yichi propped up his chin and openly placed his phone in front of him. After cycling through several apps, he finally clicked into an unfamiliar one.
A login prompt popped up. Clearly, he had registered an account before. After recalling what the app was for, he clicked login.
Several camera icons appeared on the screen, labeled with locations like “Living Room,” “Balcony,” and “Entrance.” It turned out to be the surveillance for his home.
Back then, Assistant Zheng, who worked for his older brother, had been in charge of the title transfer and move-in details for this apartment. He remembered Assistant Zheng mentioning that many cameras were installed; except for the bedrooms and bathrooms, there were basically no blind spots.
Since registering the app, Jiang Yichi had never opened it. Remembering there was now an outsider at home, it wouldn’t be too much to take a look, right?
What would Xu Qiushi be doing at this time? Maybe resting in his room. In that case, he’d look at other places starting with the kitchen.
Jiang Yichi clicked the camera icon labeled “Kitchen.” After it loaded, the surveillance footage showed a figure crouching in front of the sterilization cabinet, doing something unknown.
Jiang Yichi’s breath hitched. With a “snap,” he slammed his phone face down on the desk.
The loud noise made the surrounding students turn to look.
“Sorry, hand slipped,” he said coldly, and those gazes quickly retracted.
“Are you trying to kill me? You scared the hell out of me!” Gu Chengfei turned back to complain.
Jiang Yichi ignored him and picked up his phone again, only to realize that Xu Qiushi was holding a notebook and was seriously writing something down.
The surveillance camera could be adjusted for distance and clarity. Although he couldn’t see the words clearly, he could make out the general shape of the diagrams next to them.
Jiang Yichi guessed roughly what he was doing. He didn’t look further and exited the surveillance app.
Although a housekeeper should expect the owner to have surveillance, he hadn’t told the man. It felt like voyeurism, which inevitably made him feel a bit guilty.
Who knew this big guy was so hardworking? Taking notes even for a housekeeping job.
Jiang Yichi put down his phone and went back to watching Gu Chengfei harass Xu Qiuze. In the circle around him, no one was listening to the lecture except Xu Qiuze.
Truly biological brothers.