Chapter 24

Back in the 21st century, despite his young age, Meng Yuxiu was always an emotionally stable person.

After coming into this world and meeting Han Shuo, he felt as if he had experienced all the anger he hadn't felt in his first seventeen years of life. Especially today, he was so angry that he couldn't calm down no matter what he tried.

He felt like a child throwing a tantrum, all he could do was point at the door and yell at Han Shuo to get out!

I don't want to see you again!

"Don't do that, I even waited for you to go back to school together today." Han Shuo tried to squeeze Meng Yuxiu's shoulder again, 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 opened the door with a cold face.

He was half a head taller and stronger than Han Shuo. So Han Shuo was pushed out of the room, but as he was about to close the door, one of Han Shuo's legs got stuck inside.

Meng Yuxiu was completely helpless against Han Shuo's shamelessness; all he could do was glare at him angrily.

Han Shuo grinned at him through the narrow crack in the door, "Sweetie, don't be angry. You can hit me or scold me if you want, just don't push me out. Besides, I haven't had lunch yet. I was thinking of having lunch at your house and then going back to school with you."

"You!" Meng Yuxiu was so angry he lost his voice. This person was simply 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 then said with a grin, "After all, I'm a guest. When you came to my house, my brother made braised pork to entertain you."

Meng Yuxiu gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath: "You still dare to say that? Your brother almost broke my legs!"

Han Shuo laughed awkwardly, "Although, before I hit your leg, I treated you to a good meal, didn't I?"

Seeing Meng Yuxiu panting heavily, Han Shuo reached his hand through the crack in the door again, then scratched the back of Meng Yuxiu's hand with his fingers. "Don't be angry. I will definitely treat you even better in the future."

"I don't need it!"

"No, Meng Yuxiu... let me in quickly."

The two were struggling through the crack in the door, unaware that anyone had come upstairs, until they heard Meng Yuxiu's grandmother ask curiously, "What are you two doing?"

Meng Yuxiu quickly released the doorknob, unsure how to respond for a moment.

Han Shuo immediately told the old lady, "We were just joking around."

The old lady didn't notice her grandson's ashen face; she was too busy looking at the exceptionally bright-eyed young man in front of her. She smiled and asked Han Shuo his name and where he lived.

Han Shuo was particularly good at winning over elders, and soon the old lady patted Han Shuo's hand warmly, inviting him to stay for lunch.

Meng Yuxiu stared at Han Shuo's cheerful figure as he followed the old lady downstairs, grinding his molars in anger.

Meng Yuxiu has many relatives visiting today, so a large table needs to be set up at his home. When Han Shuo came downstairs, he saw that a large round table had already been set up in the living room, and the sound of chopping vegetables could be heard from the kitchen.

Hearing the commotion on the stairs, Meng Yuxiu's aunts and uncles all looked up. Since they were going to have lunch there, Han Shuo waved and greeted them with a big smile.

Seeing Han Shuo's overly familiar manner, Meng Yuxiu could only suppress the throbbing in his temples.

After greeting his relatives outside, Han Shuo acted as if he were at home and started walking towards the kitchen.

Meng Yuxiu, sensing something amiss, suddenly felt a jolt in his eyelids. He quickly grabbed Han Shuo's arm and pulled him aside. "Where are you going?"

"Why are you making such a fuss? I just think it's not appropriate to just sit around eating at your house." Han Shuo said, grinning and winking at him. "I'll go to the kitchen and help your mom out."

"?"

Before Meng Yuxiu could react, Han Shuo had already pried his hands off and entered the kitchen.

The kitchen counter was laden with a variety of dishes. The meat, blanched and cut into chunks, was placed in a large bowl, which Meng's mother would use to make braised pork later. Next to it was a fish, its scales scraped off, hanging on a hook to drain.

A tall, thin figure came over. Meng's mother thought it was Meng Yuxiu, so she said while chopping vegetables, "Let your classmate stay for lunch."

"Okay, Auntie."

When Meng's mother heard the unfamiliar voice, she was startled. She turned around and saw Han Shuo's smiling face.

"Oh dear." Hearing someone calling "Little Han" from outside, Meng's mother learned Han Shuo's name and laughed awkwardly, "Little Han, right? What brings you to the kitchen? Come sit outside and eat some melon seeds."

Unexpectedly, Han Shuo rolled up his sleeves, took the kitchen knife from Meng's mother's hand amidst her surprised expression, and said with a smile, "Auntie, why don't you go rest for a while? I'll help you chop the vegetables."

Mencius' mother said, "How can that be? You are a guest; how can I let you help Auntie with chores?"

Han Shuo: "Auntie, it's alright. I'm Meng Yuxiu's classmate, so please don't treat me like an outsider."

After hearing this, Meng's mother stood aside, her hands clenched, her expression hesitant, watching Han Shuo pick up a kitchen knife and chop vegetables on the cutting board with a "thump, thump, thump".

Little did Meng's mother know the complex thoughts swirling in Han Shuo's mind at that moment.

Although Meng Yuxiu refused to agree to be below, Han Shuo felt that sooner or later he could persuade Meng Yuxiu to give in. After all, Meng Yuxiu was the kind of person who responded better to gentle persuasion than force. Just like before, as long as he was willing to put in some effort to coax him and treat him better, it would work.

He and Meng Yuxiu both came from other worlds; Meng Yuxiu is now someone else's son. The thought of having to sleep with someone else's son in the future made Han Shuo feel quite guilty, to be honest.

Although he and Meng Yuxiu were only tied together for the mission, Han Shuo thought again that if two men in this world could get married, wouldn't he be considered half a son-in-law now?

When a son-in-law visits his mother-in-law's home, he must try to please her and win her favor; he can't just sleep with her son for nothing.

Thinking of this, Han Shuo became even more motivated and kept telling Meng's mother to go outside and rest.

Watching Han Shuo chop the vegetables and then wash them, which made Meng's mother feel embarrassed, she had no choice but to wipe her apron and go to the outer room.

The gossipy women outside also heard the commotion inside and pulled Meng's mother aside, laughing and whispering.

"Oh my, this young man is really nice."

"Capable, looks like she knows how to manage a household."

"Oh, that child..." Meng's mother sighed, then turned her head and saw her son standing at the kitchen entrance with a cold face.

After Han Shuo finished his work in the kitchen, he came out and called out to Auntie, "Auntie, is there anything else you need me to do?"

Meng's mother quickly stepped forward, "Xiao Han, don't bother. Xiao Xiu's grandma will cook later. You can sit down and have some snacks."

Han Shuo didn't know how to cook, so he nodded with a smile and walked over to Meng Yuxiu's side.

Meng Yuxiu glanced coldly at Han Shuo, who was looking smug, then looked away and silently rolled his eyes.

When Meng Yuxiu's grandmother was halfway through cooking, she came out and called Meng Yuxiu to go to the small shop to buy a bottle of soy sauce. Han Shuo was worried that he didn't have a chance to be attentive, so he quickly said that he would go buy it.

The old lady happily grabbed Han Shuo's hand, patted the back of his hand and said, "Good boy, you sit still and let Xiao Xiu go buy it. We usually can't get him to buy it."

However, when Meng Yuxiu took the money from the old lady and walked out the door, he found that Han Shuo had also come out.

The old lady watched the two boys leave one after the other and said to the others with a smile, "Little Han is really sticking close to my 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 treated coldly; after all, it takes time to accept that kind of thing.

Looking at Meng Yuxiu walking ahead, one has to admit that Meng Yuxiu is really tall. He is only seventeen years old and already nearly 1.9 meters tall. And look at those long legs of the other person.

Han Shuo was a little worried. He wondered how he would carry Meng Yuxiu's two long legs when they were doing missions together in the future. Should he hang them on his shoulders or put them around his waist?

Fortunately, Meng Yuxiu had a well-proportioned and muscular build. If he were as thin as a bamboo pole, Han Shuo would have the illusion of carrying two mantis legs on the bed.

Meng Yuxiu took long strides and walked very fast, so Han Shuo quickly caught up with him.

As they passed under the big tree, the group of elderly men and women looked over again and teased Meng Yuxiu.

"Xiao Xiu, who's here? Introduce them to us."

Two hours earlier, Meng Yuxiu felt that he might have blushed and felt his heart race if he had walked this path with Han Shuo.

But now... he can only hold his anger in.

He nearly crushed the banknotes his grandmother had given him, then quickly left with a stern face.

Upon arriving at the village shop, Han Shuo already considered himself a son-in-law. He instinctively stopped Meng Yuxiu from entering the shop, then snatched the soy sauce bottle from his hand and said generously, "Wait for me outside, I'll go get you some soy sauce."

However, he stopped himself just as he reached into his pocket. Damn! He'd gotten so carried away with his flattery that he almost became addicted to acting like a son-in-law, forgetting that the money was for Han Hong and Han Ting.

He glanced discreetly to the side, while Meng Yuxiu stared at him coldly.

Fortunately, I didn't utter that boastful remark.

So Han Shuo took his hand out of his pocket again, and casually stuffed the soy sauce bottle back into Meng Yuxiu's hand. Then he touched his nose and chuckled awkwardly, "Well... I think it's more appropriate for you to go buy it, after all, I'm from another village."

"Heh." Meng Yuxiu chuckled coldly.

Han Shuo didn't go in; he stood outside the shop.

Meng Yuxiu told the shop owner he wanted to buy a pound of soy sauce. The shop owner took the soy sauce bottle and chatted with Meng Yuxiu.

Young boys in the village who are going through puberty are often teased by the village elders, and Meng Yuxiu is no exception.

"Xiao Xiu, who's that outside?"

Meng Yuxiu was counting the money in his hand with his eyes downcast. When he heard the shopkeeper ask, he replied expressionlessly, "Student."

The boss laughed, "So you brought your wife home, huh? When are you going to invite your uncle to your wedding? Your uncle is really looking forward to it."

Meng Yuxiu felt even more upset after hearing this. The thought of Han Shuo constantly talking about wanting to sleep with him, while he was the bottom, made the word "wife" feel like a slap in the face.

"No," Meng Yuxiu replied through gritted teeth.

The shop owner just thought he was shy, so he happily took a funnel, inserted it into the bottle, and went to scoop out soy sauce.

Meng Yuxiu's father is out today and won't be home for lunch. Apart from Meng Yuxiu and Han Shuo, everyone else at the round table is a woman.

With many female relatives present, the scene was quite lively. Han Shuo hadn't expected Meng Yuxiu's family to be so hospitable. As soon as he sat down, Meng Yuxiu's grandmother poured a bright yellow drink into his bowl.

And those distant relatives were overly enthusiastic, constantly urging him to serve himself food.

Han Shuo didn't just eat for nothing; he praised the food as delicious, commended Meng Yuxiu's grandmother and mother for their excellent cooking skills, and also lauded Meng Yuxiu's good grades and character.

The praise made Meng Yuxiu's grandmother very happy, and she kept urging Meng Yuxiu to serve Han Shuo food.

Meng Yuxiu sat there refusing to move, and the old lady scolded him, "Why are you so insensible, child?"

Meng Yuxiu then reluctantly looked at Han Shuo and asked, "What do you want to eat?"

Han Shuo smiled and said, "Anything is fine."

Meng Yuxiu then picked up a piece of bright red braised pork and put it into his bowl.

Seeing that Han Shuo looked good and had a good appetite, the old lady was even happier. She smiled and said to Han Shuo, "It's so good that Xiao Han isn't picky about food, unlike our Xiao Xiu, who won't even eat the fatty parts of braised pork."

Han Shuo was about to eat his braised pork when he heard this and glanced at Meng Yuxiu's profile beside him. Wasn't this another opportunity to impress Meng Yuxiu?

He opened his mouth and took a bite of the fatty part of the braised pork, then put the lean meat into Meng Yuxiu's bowl.

A piece of meat suddenly appeared in the bowl, leaving Meng Yuxiu completely bewildered.

The others who were chatting and laughing at the table were also taken aback for a moment, but only for two seconds, and then they all started chatting and laughing again.

"Xiao Han is such a caring and kind child."

Han Shuo, holding his bowl, said to the others as if deliberately speaking to Meng Yuxiu, "Meng Yuxiu is usually very good to me, often tutoring me in my studies, so I definitely have to be good to him in return, hehehe."

Meng Yuxiu felt like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat after the meal, while Han Shuo happily took the initiative to wash the dishes.

The two students were about to return to school. Before leaving, Meng Yuxiu's mother was helping him pack the groceries 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 peeled back the layers of her handkerchief, revealing banknotes inside. She took out a ten-yuan note and said to Meng's mother with a smile, "This is the first time Xiao Han has come to our house, so I have to give him a little something as a gift."

Mencius's mother: "Oh dear, is this alright? It's not even a hint yet, and we're suddenly giving them money. It'll be so embarrassing. What if Xiaoxiu and Xiaohan are just classmates?"

The old lady folded her handkerchief and said, "What's there to be ashamed of? What do you mean by classmates not studying together? Have you ever seen Xiaoxiu bring a boy home?"

Meng's mother didn't say anything, watching as the old lady happily went to the kitchen to find Han Shuo.

Han Shuo had just finished washing the dishes and drying his hands when the old lady stuffed something into his hand.

Just then, Meng Yuxiu walked into the kitchen and saw it. He and Han Shuo were both stunned.

Han Shuo was shocked to see that it was ten yuan. He dared not accept it. In those days, ten yuan could cover a semester's tuition. He quickly returned it to the old lady.

"Listen to me, Xiao Han, quickly accept this. It's a token of your grandmother's affection."

"No, Grandma, what are you doing? I definitely can't accept this." Han Shuo repeatedly declined the offer.

Meng Yuxiu, standing nearby, asked, "Why give him money?"

The old lady tried to give him money again, Han Shuo refused, and Meng Yuxiu asked questions. For a moment, the kitchen was filled with the voices of the three of them.

"Hurry up and accept it, or Grandma will get angry."

"No, no, no, I really can't accept it!"

"Grandma, why did you give him the money?"

"Don't interrupt, kid."

"I really can't accept this. If you do this, I won't dare to come again."

"Oh, you're such a thoughtful child."

Why did you give him money?

In the end, the old lady couldn't put the money into Han Shuo's hand. She could only praise Han Shuo for being such a sensible child while packing the snacks such as biscuits and sesame seeds that the relatives had given her that day into a cloth bag and then giving it to Han Shuo to take to school.

When Han Shuo went to Meng Yuxiu's house, he carried a schoolbag and a teacup, but when he came out, he brought a bulging cloth bag, which made him very happy. He thought that if he brought these home to Han Ting, Han Ting would be so happy that he would jump for joy.

But Meng Yuxiu was so angry that his lungs ached.

"Oh dear, I feel really bad about eating and taking things from your house." Looking at Han Shuo, who was carrying a backpack on his left shoulder, a cloth bag on his right shoulder, and a teacup in his hand, he returned home with a full load of items.

Meng Yuxiu reached out and patted his chest hard, swallowing hard.

The two waited at the intersection for only a short while before the car arrived.

Since Meng Yuxiu's village was not the starting station, the carriage was already packed with people when the train arrived, so crowded that it seemed there wasn't even a gap to be seen.

Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu squeezed themselves into the carriage, and as the carriage suddenly started moving, everyone in the carriage leaned forward.

Han Shuo reacted quickly, using his body to support Meng Yuxiu as he leaned forward. Things were different now; Meng Yuxiu was no longer just a brother or fellow villager in his eyes. With this new identity, he had to be treated in a new way.

So when someone in the carriage accidentally bumped into Meng Yuxiu, Han Shuo opened his mouth and yelled, "You better watch yourself, don't fucking step on my wife!"

"Han Shuo!"