Chapter 29

The yarn balls that Pan Xiaodong went to the market to buy have arrived. He chose indigo blue because Han Shuo had seen Meng Yuxiu wearing an indigo blue sweater when he visited Meng Yuxiu's house before, and thought it suited his fair skin very well.

After getting the yarn ball, he didn't play ball much after class. Instead, he asked the girls in his class to teach him how to crochet scarves.

Crocheting a scarf is simple. Even a careless guy like Han Shuo can grab the crochet hook and clumsily start working by winding the yarn around his fingers. After crocheting for about ten minutes, he'll grasp the technique and become more and more skilled.

Like a scarf, it can be crocheted in three days if you're fast. Han Shuo wasn't in a hurry, since there were still eight or nine days until Meng Yuxiu's birthday.

However, buying yarn balls and crochet hooks cost some money, so Han Shuo still won't be going home this week.

Friday was his turn to be on duty. After the school bell rang, he went downstairs to tell Meng Yuxiu that he wasn't going home that day and that he should catch the bus early.

After he finished speaking, he ran back upstairs and began to slowly clean the classroom. However, when he was halfway through cleaning, he caught a glimpse of a tall and thin figure standing by the classroom door.

Han Shuo grabbed a broom and walked over, surprised, "Huh? You haven't gone back yet?"

Meng Yuxiu said he wouldn't be going back this week.

Han Shuo raised an eyebrow. He noticed that the kid was quite clingy now. Although his expression still looked cold and indifferent, he couldn't hide the clinginess in his eyes.

However, Han Shuo was quite happy that Meng Yuxiu could stay with him at school, since all the other students had left and there was someone to chat with.

After cleaning, the two closed the classroom door and went downstairs. The usually bustling and noisy teaching building was now deserted, but it was also more comfortable. The two could casually tug at each other's sides on campus without any worries.

Having experienced being chased by a dog before, Han Shuo didn't plan to go out at night. Moreover, seeing the dark sky, the biting wind, and the desolate atmosphere in the air, he suspected it might snow.

Since the cafeteria is closed on weekends and there is no hot water, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu took their own thermos bottles and all the empty thermos bottles belonging to other students to the guardhouse after returning to their dormitory.

The gatekeeper and Han Shuo were already quite familiar with each other. When Han Shuo wanted to borrow the stove to boil water and cook rice, the gatekeeper would generously smile and say that he could take it himself.

"Boil more hot water." The old man reminded Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu as they bustled in and out, "It's probably going to be quite cold tonight, so you two should fill up a few more thermos flasks."

"Don't worry, sir, we've brought over a dozen thermos flasks. That should last us two days." Han Shuo set up the stove outside, grabbed some dry pine needles, and called for Meng Yuxiu to strike a match.

Meng Yuxiu squatted down, took a match from the matchbox, struck it lightly, and lit it on the pine needles.

Once the pine needles started to ignite, Han Shuo quickly placed them onto the coal briquettes in the stove. As the flames slowly permeated the black honeycomb briquettes, he and Meng Yuxiu went to fetch water with buckets.

As if preparing for hibernation, the two of them boiled several pots of water before finishing their meal, and went back and forth between the dormitory and the guardhouse several times before filling all the thermos bottles and bringing them back to the dormitory.

Just as Han Shuo had predicted, snowflakes began to fall after dinner. At that time, Han Shuo was pouring hot water in front of the washstand to wash his feet when Meng Yuxiu walked in from outside, his whole body enveloped in an aura of frost.

"Is it snowing?"

"Hmm." Meng Yuxiu said he had just come out of the bathroom and noticed that it was snowing outside.

Han Shuo came to the corridor and saw that the snow was falling quite heavily, like a torrential rain, falling all over the dark night sky.

Han Shuo quickly closed the dormitory door and urged Meng Yuxiu to wash up early and then go to bed.

When we came out of the guardhouse after dinner, the old guard reminded us again to go back to our dormitories and go to sleep.

But Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu had previously only listened in one ear and out the other, and now they were even less likely to listen.

When he got back, Han Shuo thought about how bad the weather was today. Meng Yuxiu's bed was on the first floor and it was dark even with the lights on, while his own bed was on the top bunk. On such a cold day, lying on the top bunk with the light on seemed warmer, so he decided to sleep in his own room tonight.

Meng Yuxiu is quite clingy now. After hearing what Han Shuo said, he immediately went back to Class 1's dormitory and brought his own quilt over.

After soaking his feet, Han Shuo climbed the ladder and sat on Pi Dan's bed, watching Meng Yuxiu make the quilt.

Meng Yuxiu was as diligent in everything he did as he was in his studies. After carefully unfolding the folded quilt, he then placed the quilt he had brought with him on top of it.

Seeing Meng Yuxiu's focused expression, Han Shuo couldn't help but have a mischievous thought. He teased, "Hey Meng Yuxiu, why did you bring your blanket over too?"

Meng Yuxiu paused in making the bed, then turned to look at Han Shuo.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Han Shuo found it even more amusing, so he continued to tease him: "Aren't you going back to your own dorm to sleep? The security guard said that we should both go back to our dorms to sleep."

Upon hearing Han Shuo's words, Meng Yuxiu momentarily lost his composure, his eyes filled with hurt. He pursed his lips and remained silent.

After a few seconds of silence, as if swallowing his anger, Han Shuo saw him pick up his blanket and leave.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Han Shuo wasn't about to let him leave. He quickly stepped forward and hugged Meng Yuxiu's slender waist. "No, hehehe, I was just teasing you!"

Meng Yuxiu was still angry and struggled stiffly.

Han Shuo hugged him and laughed, "How could I possibly send you away? It's so cold, it'll be warmer if we both squeeze together to sleep."

Meng Yuxiu was particularly reluctant to leave, so Han Shuo dragged him into bed without much effort.

"Look at you, acting like a child. Why are you so easily angered?" Han Shuo covered himself with the blanket again and then crawled into bed.

Meng Yuxiu looked at Han Shuo, whose head was peeking out from under the covers, and said in a still-stern tone, "I don't like you making jokes like that."

"Okay, okay." Han Shuo quickly put his arm around his waist. "Lie down quickly."

The bed was warm, and they were both wearing thin thermal underwear. Although there was still a layer between them, Meng Yuxiu could feel the warmth of Han Shuo's body against his, and he could hear Han Shuo's affectionate and coaxing tone. He immediately felt his heart melting along with the rising heat.

He lay down in bed and wrapped his arms around Han Shuo's waist.

If he used to need a kiss to stimulate him, Meng Yuxiu is now at the point where he can immediately tense up just by smelling Han Shuo's warm, dry, and refreshing scent.

With such limited space in the bed, Meng Yuxiu's changes were impossible to hide, and Han Shuo couldn't possibly have missed them.

Han Shuo playfully touched his knee with his knee, then said, "Wow! Not bad, young man. You've got quite the temper. You've practically turned both blankets into hills."

Hearing the teasing tone, Meng Yuxiu blushed and pinched Han Shuo's waist.

As luck would have it, Han Shuo's lower back was extremely ticklish, and he immediately bounced around on the bed like a carp, yelling as he dodged, "Damn it! It tickles! Meng Yuxiu, stop tickling me! You're making me laugh, hahaha!"

As if that wasn't enough to ease the embarrassment and shame from before, Meng Yuxiu simply turned over and pinned Han Shuo down beneath him, kissing him forcefully.

Han Shuo was immediately overwhelmed by Meng Yuxiu's large size and couldn't breathe. He stared at Meng Yuxiu's flushed face with amusement, and then patted the other's butt.

"You're getting more and more proactive these days," Han Shuo teased him amidst the lingering kiss. "Before, when I asked you to do a task, you complained about this and that, but now you're not disgusted by kissing me?"

Meng Yuxiu did not refute, but his eyes were filled with a smile. Then, as if lecturing Han Shuo, he bit his lip.

Han Shuo hissed in pain, "What the hell? Are you a dog?"

However, rather than saying that Meng Yuxiu is now very comfortable kissing men, Han Shuo's own progress is the greatest. Because while Meng Yuxiu still can't accept being slept with by a man, he can now think about how to use his brain to sleep with Meng Yuxiu while kissing him.

Seeing Meng Yuxiu's absorbed expression, Han Shuo had an idea. He cupped Meng Yuxiu's face in his hands and said to him, "Hey, do you want me to drill into you now?"

Meng Yuxiu was still recovering from the kiss, so he asked blankly, "Drill into what?"

Han Shuo smiled and raised an eyebrow at him, hinting, "Right there... I'll crawl in there for you... Maybe you'll get used to it and be able to accept it after a while?"

Meng Yuxiu then realized what he was talking about. He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and forcefully restrained Han Shuo's wrists.

"no!"

Seeing Meng Yuxiu's strong reaction, Han Shuo couldn't force himself on her.

Meng Yuxiu was frightened by Han Shuo's actions. He didn't even dare to lean over Han Shuo to continue kissing him, afraid that Han Shuo's fingers would secretly move around if he wasn't careful.

So he simply sat up, propped himself up with a pillow against the wall, and then reached out and picked up the schoolbag next to him.

Han Shuo saw him take out scraps of paper wrapped in draft paper from his schoolbag, so he propped his arm up and asked, "How's your puzzle coming along?"

He watched as Meng Yuxiu opened the draft paper and placed the scraps of paper inside on the quilt.

Although he couldn't piece together a complete sheet, Han Shuo noticed that even the most shredded pieces of paper were all ironed flat, and he didn't know how Meng Yuxiu had managed to do it.

Meng Yuxiu said, "The words on it are basically legible, but assembly will still take time."

Han Shuo couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: "Not bad! Hey, I've never seen you doing this before, when did you start doing it?"

Meng Yuxiu smiled at him, "During self-study period."

"I never thought that a good student like you, who loves studying so much, would go to such lengths for your own butt," Han Shuo laughed. "But let me tell you, don't cry if you end up with the bottom one after all that effort."

Hearing this, Meng Yuxiu felt depressed again. He continued to slowly piece together paper on the quilt under the dim light.

He said to Han Shuo, "You go to sleep first, I'll work on it for a little longer."

"Okay, then you should go to sleep early too, or you'll ruin your eyes." Han Shuo ignored him and crawled into bed, wrapping his arms around Meng Yuxiu's waist.

The snow outside must be falling quite heavily. Han Shuo watched Meng Yuxiu's paper puzzle for a while, but the bed was too warm, and he drifted off to sleep listening to the rustling sounds next to him.

When I woke up, the seat next to me was empty. The lights in the dormitory were on, but through the window, it was still dark outside.

He lay in bed with his eyes open, calling out "Meng Yuxiu, Meng Yuxiu" twice. A moment later, the dormitory door opened, letting in a chilly breeze.

He propped himself up on his arm and looked down, only to see Meng Yuxiu carrying a washbasin and quickly walking in before closing the door behind him.

It must have been very cold outside, because Meng Yuxiu was exhaling a thick cloud of white vapor as he spoke.

"You're awake?"

Han Shuo asked, "What time is it?"

It's six o'clock.

Han Shuo had been at school for a long time and had developed a biological clock. In addition, the two of them went to bed early last night, so they were both well-rested and refreshed at this time.

But when I got up to put on my clothes, I was freezing.

Hearing Han Shuo on the upper bunk howling as he dressed, Meng Yuxiu told him to wear more layers today, as the snow outside was quite thick after falling all night.

Is it still raining?

Meng Yuxiu: "It's a bit small now."

After getting dressed, Han Shuo sat in bed for a while longer, watching Meng Yuxiu busy himself in front of the washstand.

Meng Yuxiu had just gone to the bathroom to get a basin of cold water. Now he took out Han Shuo's basin, divided it in half, poured hot water from the thermos into both basins, and then poured half of it into his and Han Shuo's mouthwash cups as well.

Han Shuo couldn't help but sigh. Ever since Meng Yuxiu revealed his feelings that night, he had become even more virtuous. In the freezing winter, sitting in a warm bed, he even felt like he had a wife and a warm kang (heated brick bed).

"Why don't we stay home today?" Meng Yuxiu said to Han Shuo on the upper bunk after pouring water. "There's snow outside, and it's not good to go out and collect recyclables."

Han Shuo was also quite worried. The New Year was less than two months away, and the scrap he had collected the previous times hadn't brought in much money. At this rate, it would be a long time before he could save up some money for Han Hong and his son.

He sighed, "Well, I guess I'll go out for a walk. I'm already here, I can't just stay cooped up in my dorm for the next couple of days because of the snow, can I?"

Meng Yuxiu nodded and said, "Alright, then come down and wash your face."

Han Shuo got up in one go, put on his pants and socks, and then climbed down the ladder.

It was cold outside, and neither of them wanted to leave the dormitory to brush their teeth. But brushing teeth is not the same as washing their faces, so Han Shuo could only open the door shivering and run to the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth.

Breakfast was leftover rice from yesterday's guardhouse; it could be eaten after being soaked in hot water. The conditions weren't great, but they had to make do. Fortunately, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu had gotten used to it here.

After breakfast, they borrowed an extra pair of fire tongs from the gatekeeper, and then the two of them set off with the fire tongs.

When I stepped out of the dormitory, it was already daylight. Everything in sight was a vast expanse of white, and I couldn't distinguish between roads and fields. I could only follow the route in my memory.

Thankfully, the snow stopped. Otherwise, Han Shuo would have thought that he and Meng Yuxiu looked like bitter gourds. Everyone else was in a warm house, but they were walking in the vast white snow, and their shoes and socks were slightly damp after only a few steps.

It's really hard to collect recyclables when there's snow. The two of them, holding fire tongs, basically had to dig through the snow along the street to see what was hidden inside.

After searching all morning, I only managed to collect a few sheets of plastic film and a few pieces of wire. And the sky started to turn gray again, looking like it was going to snow again.

Han Shuo thought to himself that he wouldn't go out in the afternoon. Not only would it be a waste of time, but he only had one pair of shoes, and if they got wet, he would have to put them by the stove in the guardhouse to dry for a while when he got back.

"Meng Yuxiu, let's go back!" Han Shuo shouted to Meng Yuxiu, who was looking down at something not far away.

Hearing the shout, Meng Yuxiu grabbed the fire tongs and came toward him.

Han Shuo felt a pang of guilt when he saw that Meng Yuxiu's nose and ears were red from the cold, or perhaps because Meng Yuxiu was suffering with him, so he also felt a pang of heartache that he couldn't quite explain.

Especially when he saw that he wasn't wearing a turtleneck sweater today, and the skin on his neck exposed at the neckline was slightly purple, he immediately covered it with his hands, even though his own hands were also ice cold.

Are you cold?

Meng Yuxiu smiled slightly and said he wasn't cold.

Han Shuo had actually crocheted quite a few scarves, enough to barely cover his neck. He had been planning to surprise Meng Yuxiu on his birthday, but now he had changed his mind. He wanted to go back quickly and finish crocheting them in the afternoon and evening, so that Meng Yuxiu could wear one around his neck tomorrow morning.

"What are you showing off for? Your neck is frozen solid." Han Shuo breathed warm air onto his palms, then rubbed them together vigorously before warming Meng Yuxiu's hands. "Alright, let's stop picking them up and go back."

“Okay,” Meng Yuxiu said. “Then we’ll come out again after lunch.”

"Come out my ass, you're not cold, but I am."

Meng Yuxiu thought for a moment and said, "Then you stay in the dormitory this afternoon, and I'll come out."

Han Shuo suddenly felt a warm feeling in his heart. He looked at Meng Yuxiu for a while, and waited until the skin in his palms warmed up. He smiled and patted Meng Yuxiu's shoulder, "Alright, you're willing to come out. I was reluctant to let you come out. Come on, let's go back. We'll stay in the dormitory today, and no one should come out."

As noon approached, residents along the street began lighting stoves in the snow, filling the entire street with a pungent smell of coal, which seemed to dissipate with the chill of the snow.

It's much more lively now than it was when I first came out this morning.

Since they weren't going to collect recyclables anymore, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu chose a shortcut, passing through a small alley and then walking back to school along the fields.

Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu were chatting and laughing when they suddenly fell silent. When Meng Yuxiu saw that he had stopped, he asked what was wrong.

Han Shuo stared at the passageway of a tenement building in the alley, and pointed at Meng Yuxiu, saying, "Come here quickly! Quick! Isn't this your bicycle?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yuxiu quickly looked over.

Han Shuo might not be familiar with it, but Meng Yuxiu had ridden it for half a year, so he was naturally very familiar with it.

"It's my bicycle."

After receiving the message, Han Shuo looked around. He heard the sound of cooking coming from the second-floor window of the tenement building, and a few people were walking by in the alley. There was also an old man shoveling snow with a shovel.

But he didn't have time to think much, so he quickly put the snakeskin bag off his shoulder, opened the bag, and frantically rummaged through it.

"What do you want to do?" Meng Yuxiu asked upon seeing this.

"Bring the bicycle back." Han Shuo found the scissors, then ran into the tenement building. He squatted down and began cutting the leather lock on the bicycle tire with the scissors.

Meng Yuxiu followed and squatted down, asking, "Will this work?"

"Never mind whether it works or not. Do you think you can go to the police station and ask the police for help? There are no cameras in this day and age. Even if you talk yourself hoarse, you still can't prove that the bicycle is yours!" Han Shuo said as he forcefully cut the leather lock.

Meng Yuxiu took the scissors from his hand and said to let him handle it.

Upon hearing this, Han Shuo went outside the tenement building to keep watch.

"Are you done yet?"

"Not yet." This kind of leather lock is very difficult to cut. Meng Yu spent about ten minutes trimming it, and when his tiger's mouth turned red, he was finally about to break it. However, just as he was about to tell Han Shuo, he suddenly heard a man shouting on the stairs.

"What are you doing?!"

Meng Yuxiu was taken aback when the burly man on the stairs pointed and rushed down at him.

Before he could react, he saw Han Shuo rush in and wrestle with the burly man.

In an instant, the corridor was filled with the burly man's curses and Han Shuo's not-so-quiet voice.

"Thieves!!! You two little brats dared to steal my car!"

"Who the hell owns your car?! This has always been our car!"

When Meng Yuxiu saw the two start to fight, he instinctively wanted to drop the scissors and rush to help Han Shuo.

Even at this critical moment, Han Shuo was still able to concentrate, shouting at Meng Yuxiu, "Cut it quickly!!!"

Meng Yuxiu's heart tightened; he was just a hair's breadth away. So he could only grit his teeth and continue cutting the leather lock with all his might.

Han Shuo thought he could hold off the enemy for a while, but he forgot that he was only a seventeen-year-old boy in this era, and his strength was no match for the strong man in front of him.

Before he knew it, he was punched in the left cheek, and instantly half of his face burned. He screamed in pain.

Just then, Meng Yuxiu had already cut the leather lock. He had been on tenterhooks the whole time, especially when he heard Han Shuo's shout. He threw the scissors away and rushed forward, kicking the burly man hard in the stomach.

However, the sounds of their fight disturbed the residents upstairs. They heard the burly man shouting "Stop thief!" and then footsteps gradually echoed from upstairs.

With so many people around, even if they were in the right, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves. Meng Yuxiu's kick had been quite heavy, and while the burly man was still recovering, Meng Yuxiu shouted to Han Shuo, "Let's go!"

As he spoke, he had already dragged the bicycle out, and his long legs were already straddling the seat.

Han Shuo didn't forget his scissors, snakeskin bag, and even the leather lock that Meng Yu had trimmed.

"Han Shuo!"

"Coming, coming!" Han Shuo hurriedly grabbed the snakeskin bag, but he had only taken two steps when the burly man, having caught his breath, chased after him again, cursing.

Meng Yuxiu could only ride a couple of steps before turning back to urge Han Shuo on.

Han Shuo almost got caught. He grabbed the snakeskin bag and swung it around a couple of times before running and getting on his bicycle.

As a result, Meng Yuxiu's bicycle was in a gliding state while waiting for someone, and Han Shuo couldn't get on it at first.

He could only run with his legs spread apart, aiming at the back of the bicycle, looking for the right moment to sit down.

Meng Yuxiu didn't dare to stop, because besides the burly man, there were also his neighbors who had been called over by his shout.

"Damn!" Han Shuo quickened his pace and forcefully jumped onto the back seat of the bicycle.

Meng Yuxiu noticed the bicycle sink, followed by another scream from Han Shuo.

"What's wrong with you?!" Meng Yuxiu thought Han Shuo had been grabbed by the people catching up from behind, and he wanted to turn around to look.

Han Shuo yelled, "Faster...faster ride! Fuck, I'm being fucked by that thing on your back seat, ahhhhhh!"

Upon hearing that Han Shuo had not been caught, Meng Yuxiu breathed a sigh of relief and rode his bicycle very fast.

There was snow on the ground, and the bicycle would slip from time to time. When it slipped, Meng Yuxiu would nervously control the handlebars, while Han Shuo would grab his waist on the back seat and howl like a banshee.

Although the journey was thrilling, it was also exciting and exhilarating. Even the cold wind blowing in our faces felt incredibly pleasant.

Han Shuo couldn't help but yell from behind, "Damn! That's fucking awesome!"

Hearing his voice, even without turning around, Meng Yuxiu could almost see Han Shuo's beaming, youthful smile.

However, after returning to school, Han Shuo felt strangely relaxed. He even needed Meng Yuxiu's help to walk.

Because his testicles were pinched when he got on the bus.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Meng Yuxiu helped him up and asked worriedly when he saw that he was in so much pain that he couldn't close his legs.

"What do you think?... Hiss."

Meng Yuxiu helped Han Shuo to the dormitory of Class One. There was no other way; in Han Shuo's condition, let alone climbing to the upper bunk, he would probably have to waddle up to the lower bunk like a duck.

"You sit down first, I'll go ask the gatekeeper if he has any iodine."

"Hey," Han Shuo called out to him, "Put your bicycle out in the hallway first, don't leave it outside and it'll get stolen again."

Looking at Han Shuo's swollen cheek, Meng Yuxiu felt a mix of emotions. He nodded silently, then moved the bicycle to the corridor and went to the guardhouse to ask the old man for a bottle of iodine.

Han Shuo lay on Meng Yuxiu's bed with his legs wide open. When he saw Meng Yuxiu holding iodine and about to go over to wipe him, his thick skin couldn't hold back for once.

Although he had met Meng Yuxiu before, and Meng Yuxiu had met him before, it was only twice. The first time was in the restroom, and the second time was at Meng Yuxiu's house. Both times, it was just a quick glance, and there was no time for embarrassment.

But now it's different; now Meng Yuxiu's two eyes are watching his two eggs.

Han Shuo wanted to apply the iodine solution himself. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but even the slightest movement was excruciatingly painful.

Meng Yuxiu, however, was still worried and insisted on checking his injuries.

"Well... alright then..." Han Shuo had no choice but to take off his pants, but as soon as he moved, he yelled again.

“I’ll do it,” Meng Yuxiu said.

"Alright, alright, alright..." Han Shuo reluctantly let Meng Yuxiu carefully take off his pants.

When he pulled down to his underwear, Han Shuo blocked him with his hand.

He awkwardly reminded her, "Well, don't take your underwear all off, just pull it to the side."

"Okay." Meng Yuxiu grabbed the fabric and was about to move it to the side.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Han Shuo spoke up again, "Can you...can you just look at the egg? Don't look at the whole thing."

"..." Meng Yuxiu said speechlessly, "I don't have that kind of fetish."

Han Shuo twitched the corners of his mouth and gave a dry laugh. "That's hard to say. You like me so much now that you can get aroused even with your clothes on, you'd probably explode if you saw my little brother."

“I…” Meng Yuxiu retorted, his ears turning red, “Right now I only care about your injury, I’m not that despicable.”

Seeing that Meng Yuxiu was getting anxious, Han Shuo said repeatedly, "Oh, oh, oh, I won't say anymore, please take a look for me."

Meng Yuxiu then parted the fabric, and the next second Han Shuo saw that his eyes were wide open.

Han Shuo was startled and hurriedly asked, "What happened?! Did your balls break?"

Meng Yuxiu shook his head solemnly, then looked up at Han Shuo and said, "It's not broken, but... it's turned into a black egg."

"Black..." Han Shuo almost fainted. He rubbed his forehead and said, "Forget it, a black egg is fine. It's better than no egg at all. Hurry up and apply the medicine."

"Okay." Meng Yuxiu nodded, but since there were no cotton swabs, he could only use his index finger to dab some dark iodine solution and then carefully apply it to the wound.

However, Han Shuo let out a low hiss with each application of the paint.

Meng Yuxiu really wanted to be a virtuous gentleman, but he couldn't help but secretly glance downwards.

Actually, he didn't understand why he was looking down so much. He figured it must be because Han Shuo kept telling him he wanted to sleep on his butt, and yesterday he even said he'd help him crawl under it, which made his thoughts all jumbled up.

After the medicine was applied, Meng Yuxiu's ears were completely red.

Han Shuo hadn't figured out what was going on yet. He leaned back on the pillow, stared at him, and chuckled, "You brat, did you peek at my big eagle?"

Meng Yuxiu snorted in response to Han Shuo, "Do you?"

Han Shuo laughed and scolded, "Damn! We haven't even started the second task yet, and you're already looking down on it? Yes, yes, I'm not as big as yours, but you can make do with it from now on. As long as it works, don't be so demanding."

The moment the task was mentioned, Meng Yuxiu's blush and heartbeat stopped. He put away the iodine in a depressed mood and went to the bathroom to wash his hands.

Han Shuo was injured and had to rest in bed, so Meng Yuxiu went to the guardhouse to get his dinner.

Seeing him packing rice and vegetables into two lunchboxes all by himself, the gatekeeper asked in confusion, "Where's Xiao Han?"

“He’s injured and can’t get out of bed,” Meng Yuxiu told him truthfully.

The gatekeeper was immediately stunned when he heard this. After Meng Yuxiu left, the old man was worried in the gatehouse, "Oh dear, students these days are so open-minded. They're already fooling around before they're even married."

Han Shuo, despite his injury, thoroughly enjoyed Meng Yuxiu's service. He sat on the bed eating the meal Meng Yuxiu handed him. After he finished eating, Meng Yuxiu prepared hot water, wrung out a towel, and handed it to him to wipe his face.

Not long after lunch, snowflakes began to fall again outside, gloomy and overcast. With nothing to do in the afternoon, Meng Yuxiu sat on the bed next to him and pieced together a note. Han Shuo looked at it for a while, then suddenly remembered something and asked Meng Yuxiu to help him take the things out of his schoolbag.

Meng Yuxiu took the schoolbag and took out a scarf that was mostly knitted and a ball of yarn.

He asked, "What is this?"

"A scarf? Don't you recognize it?"

Watching Han Shuo skillfully crochet the scarf after receiving it, Meng Yuxiu exclaimed in surprise, "You can knit scarves?"

"I just learned this a few days ago, how was it? Was it alright?"

Meng Yuxiu glanced at the indigo scarf in his hand. It was clearly a men's scarf. In fact, he had a vague feeling that the scarf might be for him, but he was worried that he was just imagining things.

It would be quite awkward if Han Shuo wove it for himself or for his brother Han Hong.

He replied "Very nice," and then pretended to be nonchalant as he continued to piece together the note, though he couldn't help but sneak a peek every now and then.

Finally, unable to resist, he tentatively asked Han Shuo, "Did you knit this scarf for yourself?"

Since he couldn't wait until his birthday to give him a gift, Han Shuo didn't hide anything and said frankly, "What do you mean by 'I knitted this for myself'? This is for you."

Meng Yuxiu had already guessed the outcome, but he was still moved.

"Why are you giving it to me?" he asked, looking at Han Shuo.

While crocheting a scarf, Han Shuo said casually, "I was originally planning to give it to you as a gift for your birthday, but it's been snowing these past two days, so I'll give it to you earlier, so your neck won't be exposed."

Meng Yuxiu remained silent. He looked at the usually boisterous man, now looking serious and focused with his eyes down, and at his slightly swollen cheeks, recalling the scene of stealing the bicycle earlier that day.

Suddenly, Meng Yuxiu realized something: although Han Shuo was glib and always tried to take advantage of him, it seemed that he was the one who had been taking advantage of Han Shuo's efforts.

Whether it was the emotional enjoyment of being coaxed or the thoughtful treatment on his birthday, he had been annoyed to no end by Han Shuo. But upon reflection, all the joy he had experienced since coming into this world was given to him by Han Shuo.

But what did he give Han Shuo? He couldn't think of anything.

Seeing that Meng Yuxiu hadn't moved for a while, Han Shuo looked up in confusion and asked, "What are you spacing out about?"

"No."

Han Shuo asked smugly, as if seeking praise, "How was it? Were you touched by my gift? Do you want to do a task with me?"

Meng Yuxiu fell silent again.

Just as Han Shuo was wondering why he hadn't won over the girl after giving her gifts, Meng Yuxiu suddenly asked him, "Han Shuo, if the mission required you to be down there, what would you do?"

Han Shuo was taken aback, but he wasn't as conflicted as Meng Yuxiu. Since there were no "ifs" or "assumptions," he, as the superior, naturally said without a care in the world, "If I were on the bottom? Then I'd let you do whatever you want. I'd just spread my legs and lie down without offering any resistance!"

"..."

Han Shuo, afraid that he wouldn't believe him, leaned closer and emphasized, "I'm serious. Actually, I don't really care about who's on top or bottom. It's just that the novel requires it that way, and we can't just break the rules, right? But I guarantee that if the novel didn't have these rules, for your sake and for mine, I definitely wouldn't act like you. What's wrong with that? Besides going to the toilet, that butt has another function. We should be proud of it. At least we're making the most of our bodies, right?"

After hearing all this, Meng Yuxiu actually began to feel confused, but he denied that it was because of the nonsense Han Shuo had said.

His confusion stemmed from the belief that sincerity should be reciprocated. He felt Han Shuo's efforts deserved equal reward.

Just like on Han Shuo's birthday, he liked Han Shuo and also hoped that Han Shuo would like him back.

Han Shuo waited for a long time but didn't get a reply, so he went to bed.

Meng Yuxiu, however, remained confused.

After a long while, he glanced at Han Shuo, who was fast asleep beside him, and finally sighed deeply before continuing to piece together the note.

I don't know if it's because I was too anxious before, which is why I haven't been able to find a solution. Or perhaps I'm just preoccupied with other things, which is why I'm so careless.

When Meng Yuxiu looked down, he realized that he had already pieced together a string.

As he looked at the pieced-together content, his pupils almost trembled.

After staring at the contents repeatedly to confirm them, it was as if a problem between him and Han Shuo had finally been solved, and he was so excited that his heart was trembling.

"Han Shuo!"

Wake up!! I have good news for you!