Chapter 37

The hood of the raincoat fell off during the hug. Han Shuo was a straightforward person. After realizing his feelings for Meng Yuxiu, he felt extremely sorry for Meng Yuxiu when he saw Meng Yuxiu's ears, which were red from the cold.

"Sigh, I really don't understand you. One minute you say you can't see it but you like it, the next minute you say you can see it." Han Shuo complained, as if he had no temper with a willful child, but he put down the bicycle kickstand and propped it up in the snow. Then he grabbed Meng Yuxiu's hands and breathed on them to warm them.

"Are you cold?" he asked, breathing out warm air as he looked up.

Meng Yuxiu stared at Han Shuo's face without saying a word. He shook his head, but his eyes were filled with an uncontrollable smile.

Seeing his dazed expression, Han Shuo couldn't help but say speechlessly, "What are you laughing at? What were you planning to do if I hadn't gone out today or hadn't seen you?"

"I don't know," Meng Yuxiu replied truthfully.

"...I'm really impressed with you." Han Shuo complained, but when he thought about seeing Meng Yuxiu standing alone in the snow after he went out, he felt extremely sad.

Han Shuo was well aware of Meng Yuxiu's stubborn temperament. If he hadn't gone out, Meng Yuxiu would likely have continued standing there, perhaps for several hours, or even until dark.

After dark, he would do the same thing as before, dragging his bicycle alone through the snow and feeling his way back in the dark.

Thinking of this, Han Shuo suppressed the throbbing pain in his heart and pressed Meng Yuxiu's hands deep inside his cotton-padded coat, letting his body heat warm him.

Meng Yuxiu tried to pull his hand back, but Han Shuo held it firmly.

"Tsk, stop moving around."

"You're cold." Meng Yuxiu looked at the snow falling all around and said, "You should go back now, I'm going back too."

Han Shuo looked at him with heartache, but said irritably, "With such heavy snow, how are you going to get home? Come on, let's go to my house."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yuxiu almost instinctively blurted out, "No."

"What do you mean, 'don't'?" Han Shuo understood when he saw his expression. He raised an eyebrow and teased, "Are you afraid of my brother? Afraid he'll beat you up?"

"No," Meng Yuxiu said awkwardly.

Han Shuo chuckled, "Look at you, so cowardly. You're so scared, yet you still dare to come here. What if it wasn't me who bumped into you, but my brother? What were you going to do? Run away? I really don't understand you."

As they were talking, Han Shuo suddenly remembered something and asked him, "Where did you get this money?"

Meng Yuxiu said that after the winter vacation started, he went to Gutang Village to tutor several senior high school students.

Han Shuo clicked his tongue and said, "I heard from my brother that there's a high school senior in the neighboring Gutang Village who's tutoring students. I guessed it might be you, and it really is you. What's wrong? Gutang Village is close to my house, so you made some money and immediately came to pay me back?"

Meng Yuxiu suddenly said, "No."

"Um?"

Meng Yuxiu looked at Han Shuo, and after a few seconds of silence, he said somewhat awkwardly, "I want to see you."

Han Shuo couldn't help but feel tenderness for Meng Yuxiu, who was so innocent and adorable. Now, he didn't even want Meng Yuxiu to ride his bike back in the snow; he wished he could carry Meng Yuxiu to his own home and let him warm up in his own bed.

"Let's go." Han Shuo grabbed the handlebars of his bicycle and said to Meng Yuxiu, "Let's go to my house. Don't worry, if my brother dares to touch you, I'll definitely stop him."

Meng Yuxiu insisted on going home. He told Han Shuo that he had promised his father that he had to be back by evening.

Han Shuo had no choice but to say, "Fine, I'll take you there."

"Go back, it's too cold."

"Enough with the nonsense," Han Shuo said firmly. "I'll just take you to the intersection. I don't have a bicycle, so I can't take you any further."

He glanced at the village covered in white, told Meng Yuxiu to wait for him a moment, and then ran home to get an umbrella.

The intersection is quite a distance from the village. In the past, Han Shuo had to walk for more than ten minutes to wait for the bus to return to school. Back then, he was exhausted and wished the bus could drive right into the village.

In fact, the roads are even more difficult to travel in the snow, but Han Shuo felt that he had only been chatting and laughing with Meng Yuxiu for a few words when they reached the intersection.

Meng Yuxiu had to leave. Han Shuo watched the figure riding away on his bicycle into the distance, and stood there for a long time, suddenly feeling a sense of emotion.

Although he can talk a lot of nonsense, he has never been in a relationship. He has occasionally wondered what it would be like to date a girl, or what it would be like to like someone.

But at this moment, he felt he understood. It turned out that Xisen could warm his heart and make him smile with just a short sentence from the other person.

It turns out that liking someone means that even though they've gone far away, you can still stand in the same place and reminisce about the journey you took together, and even want to accompany them on the next leg of the journey.

Han Hong suddenly noticed that his younger brother had started studying. Although he couldn't compare to Xiao Qiang, the best student in the village and the good kid that the parents talked about, Han Shuo had no posture. He would look around or tease Han Ting after reading for a while.

But in Han Hong's eyes, his younger brother was at least able to sit and read books, which was already a huge improvement, a stroke of good luck.

After the New Year, Han Hong didn't let Han Shuo go visiting relatives with him, letting him stay home and study in peace. Now, he happily tells everyone he meets at his relatives' houses, "Our little Shuo is about to take the college entrance exam, and he's studying at home."

Then, when he got home in the evening, he saw Han Shuo still sitting at his desk. Like all parents, he quickly cooked a bowl of steaming noodles, added a poached egg, and brought it upstairs.

Watching his younger brother eat noodles with his eyes still glued to his textbook, Han Hong sat beside him, feeling extremely gratified. At the same time, he thought to himself, "Luckily, I broke up with that Xiao Meng, otherwise Han Shuo wouldn't be able to concentrate so much."

"Xiao Shuo, which school are you planning to apply to?"

While eating his noodles, Han Shuo casually said, "Let's go to Hecheng."

"Hecheng?" Although his younger brother didn't like studying before, as a parent of a senior high school student, Han Hong had discussed college with other parents whose children were taking the college entrance exam.

Which university in Hecheng?

Han Shuo hadn't thought about it before; his interest in studying had only recently begun. He remembered Meng Yuxiu mentioning that he wanted to apply to Jinhua University in Hecheng. Although he hadn't paid much attention to universities in this world, he still knew that Jinhua University was the most famous in the country; in any case, it was the school that teachers and students talked about the most.

Han Shuo doesn't expect to get into Jinhua University, but getting into any other ordinary university in Hecheng would be enough. Even if he doesn't get into university, he can work there.

So he said to Han Hong, "I don't know yet. How can someone like me be picky? I'd be lucky to get into any school, and even then, I might not be able to pass the exam."

Han Hong chuckled and said, "Okay, as long as we've tried our best, it doesn't matter which school we end up in."

Han Shuo finished his noodles and put the empty bowl aside. Just as Han Hong was about to pack up and go downstairs, Han Shuo looked up from his book and asked, "Brother, what's the date tomorrow?"

Tomorrow is the eighth day of the first lunar month.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Han Shuo remembered that Pan Xiaodong had told him before the holiday that he was getting married on the eighth day of the first lunar month. He hurriedly told Han Hong that his classmate was getting married tomorrow and that he had to go to the county town for the wedding banquet at noon.

Upon hearing this, Han Hong put down his bowl and prepared to take out money from his pocket to give to Han Shuo.

Last time Meng Yuxiu came, he gave him five yuan. On New Year's Eve, Han Ting used up all the firecrackers he bought at the market. Han Ting insisted on setting off more, so Han Shuo spent two yuan to buy a few more sky rockets. Now he has three yuan left in his pocket.

So he told Han Hong, "No need, I still have extra money from the hot water I gave my classmates before, enough for the bus fare."

"So when your classmate gets married, you're not allowed to give a monetary gift when you go to the wedding?"

"Oh dear, he said I don't need to give any money as a gift, I can just go and eat and drink for free."

As Han Shuo spoke, he reached out and pinched Han Ting's cheek on the bed next to him, "Your uncle will bring you wedding candy when he comes back tomorrow."

Pan Xiaodong's wedding banquet was scheduled for 11:30 a.m., and the village was an hour and a half away from the county town. However, Han Shuo still got up at 5:30 a.m. the next day because he wanted to go to Xiqiao Village in Baishan Town to invite Meng Yuxiu.

Previously, when Pan Xiaodong asked Han Shuo to take Meng Yuxiu to a wedding banquet, Han Shuo was furious. But ever since he realized his feelings for Meng Yuxiu that day, Han Shuo now wants to take him along to everything good to eat and fun to do.

After breakfast, Han Shuo took a car to Xiqiao Village. He hadn't seen Meng Yuxiu for several days, and Han Shuo was in a good mood while sitting in the car.

As soon as he got off the bus in Baishan Town, his legs seemed to have wheels, and he couldn't wait to run towards Xiqiao Village.

He arrived too early, before seven o'clock. Everyone in Xiqiao Village was still eating breakfast. The weather was nice today, and the sun came up early, so many villagers were sitting outside eating under the big tree next to Meng Yuxiu's house, with bowls in hand and chairs.

Everyone was eating and chatting when they saw the unfamiliar boy enter the village, so they all stopped eating and looked over.

Han Shuo had been to Meng Yuxiu's house before, so he didn't care about the scene at all. However, he felt a little intimidated when he saw Meng Yuxiu's father standing at the door.

There was no way around it; Meng Yuxiu's father was just too intimidating. Everyone else was chatting and laughing in the morning, but he stood at the door with his arms crossed, his face stern and unsmiling. In addition, Meng Yuxiu had mentioned to him more than once that his father was very strict.

But having come this far, Han Shuo had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "Uncle, is Meng Yuxiu home?"

Meng's father did not answer immediately. He looked Han Shuo up and down, and just as Han Shuo felt his scalp tingling from his gaze, he suddenly turned around and shouted into the courtyard.

"Xiao Xiu!"

The loud voice, coupled with Meng's father's face, made Han Shuo's heart pound. He felt a bit of a headache, realizing that he was getting more and more like a child. After being in school for so long, he had really gotten used to being an eighteen-year-old high school student, and he was starting to feel apprehensive when he saw other people's parents.

But after thinking about it, Han Shuo realized that it was probably because his relationship with Meng Yuxiu was no longer innocent, not only physically but also mentally. That's why he felt guilty when he visited. Once he thought about it this way, he could understand why.

Meng Yuxiu should have been eating inside. After his father called out, he came out carrying a bowl, having already taken a bite of the meat in it.

When he saw Han Shuo, the fear in his eyes was even greater than Han Shuo's, because he stood there frozen, not knowing what expression to wear.

A mix of emotions—surprise, shock, and tension—flashed in his eyes, but the instant he caught sight of his father's serious face, they all turned into a blank, awkward silence.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little stiff. Meng Yuxiu wanted to ask Han Shuo to go outside, but there were a bunch of elderly people outside. They could only stand in the courtyard, which was quite small, and Meng's father wasn't leaving either, standing to the side watching the two of them.

They could have chatted openly, but they both subconsciously felt that the other's gaze was ambiguous. In that brief exchange, the stickiness that only the two of them could see was already entwined in the air, so they both felt they should find a secluded corner to whisper to each other.

Meng Yuxiu pursed his lips, picked up the bowl, and slowly walked to the corner of the courtyard wall. As if on the same wavelength, Han Shuo immediately followed suit.

Then the two of them turned slightly to the side, their backs to Meng's father, and spoke in hushed tones towards the corner of the wall.

Han Shuo spoke first, and since Meng's father was present, he made a perfunctory request, "Have you had breakfast?"

Meng Yuxiu nodded slightly and exchanged a few polite words with Han Shuo, but his voice was even softer, "And you?"

"have eaten."

"Hmm." Meng Yuxiu nodded again, and just then his eyes met Han Shuo's. Like a student secretly having a crush under the watchful eyes of his parents, he gripped the chopsticks tightly, his thumbs pressing down hard, revealing his nervousness and excitement.

From Meng's father's perspective, he could only see his son's handsome profile and ears. But Meng Yuxiu, still feeling guilty, pretended to be calm and asked Han Shuo, "What do you want with me?"

"Pan Xiaodong is getting married today, and I'd like to invite you to come along."

"Where?" Meng Yuxiu asked.

"His family is from the county town," Han Shuo said quietly, glancing over as he did so.

Actually, Han Shuo didn't mean anything by those words. It was just that when Meng Yuxiu saw Han Shuo's eyes, he inexplicably made all sorts of connections, especially with the addition of the word "county town." What does "county town" mean?

The county town meant a hotel, at least that was the first thing that popped into Meng Yuxiu's mind.

So he immediately blushed and his heart pounded.

"Do you want to come along?" Han Shuo looked at Meng Yuxiu's slightly trembling eyelashes as he looked down, and said, "Pan Xiaodong mentioned it to me before the holiday. He said he wanted me to take you to a wedding banquet. I heard the banquet is very lavish, with lots of fish, meat, and shrimp, hehe. Why not go if you don't want to?"

"I do," Meng Yuxiu said.

Han Shuo secretly glanced at Meng's father, who was still staring at the two of them, and said to Meng Yuxiu, "Then... then should I wait until you finish eating or what? Shouldn't you tell your dad?"

Meng Yuxiu nodded, looked up at Han Shuo, took a deep breath, and then walked over to his father with the bowl in his hand.

Han Shuo didn't follow. He pretended to act very naturally, looking at the courtyard and then up at the sky, but he didn't look in the direction of Meng Yuxiu and the others.

During Meng Yuxiu's conversation with his father, Han Shuo tried his best to act as if he were invisible.

Meng Yuxiu stopped in front of his father. In fact, Meng Yuxiu was much taller than his father, but he was too young and inexperienced, so even so, he still looked like a child in his father's eyes.

"Dad, I have to go out today."

Mencius' father asked, "Where are you going?"

"My classmate is getting married, and I have to go to the wedding banquet."

Mencius' father asked, "Which classmate is getting married?"

Meng Yuxiu: "A classmate got married."

Meng's father glanced at the boy in the corner of the yard who had his back to them, frowned and asked Meng Yuxiu, "Is that one of your classmates?"

Meng Yuxiu's dark eyes slowly moved, and he nodded, "Yes, he's my classmate."

Meng's father said "Oh," then reached into his inner pocket and pulled out some money. He then counted it in his palm and handed Meng Yuxiu a five-yuan bill and two five-jiao bills.

“If your classmate gets married, you give five yuan as a wedding gift, and the rest is for your round-trip transportation.”

Meng Yuxiu reached out and took it.

After putting the money away, he thought for a moment and said to Meng's father, "Dad, could you give me some more money?"

Meng's father asked, "I've already given you the gift money and the travel expenses, why do you need more money?"

Meng Yuxiu couldn't answer immediately. He twitched his lips slightly and said, "I want to buy some food to eat while traveling."

"Isn't there food at home? Why don't you take some to eat in the car?"

"Oh." Meng Yuxiu nodded, but did not move.

Meng's father urged him, "Since you're going to the wedding banquet, don't dawdle. Hurry up and eat breakfast; your classmate is waiting."

"Oh." Meng Yuxiu shifted his body, but just as he was about to move his foot, he suddenly stopped.

"Dad," he said, looking at Meng's father, "please give me some more money."

Meng's father frowned and asked, "Why do you need money again? Didn't I already give you some? Why do you need to spend more money?"

Meng Yuxiu pursed his lips, his eyes flickering, and said, "I'd like to take a stroll around the county town after the wedding banquet."

Meng's father shook his head and sighed, then took out another dollar from his pocket and gave it to him, asking, "Is this enough?"

Other children would have happily gone out with their classmates, but his son asked him, "Can you give me some more, Dad?"

Meng's father couldn't believe it. His son, who usually didn't care much about money or material things, was talking about money all the time today.

But he never spoiled his son, so he said, "That's all. What kind of student spends money like that? Tell your mother what you need and she'll buy it for you."

Meng Yuxiu said dejectedly, "Okay."

Then he called out to Han Shuo, who was standing in the corner of the courtyard, "Han Shuo, wait for me."

Han Shuo waved his hand hastily, "Ah, okay, okay, go and get ready."

After Meng Yuxiu brought the bowl into the house, he stood in front of the table and quickly finished the rest of the rice in the bowl.

After finishing his meal, he put his bowl on the table, then found a floral cloth bag in the house and went up and down the stairs several times. In no time, the bag was half full.

Mencius' mother was folding clothes on the second floor when she saw her son running up and down the stairs. Curious, she asked, "Xiao Xiu, what are you doing?"

Just as Meng Yuxiu was about to go downstairs, he heard his mother's words and suddenly remembered something. He went over to his mother and said, "Mom, can I have the five yuan in New Year's money that Grandma gave me this year?"

"Huh?" Meng's mother asked, "When Grandma gave it to you last time, Mom said she would keep it for you, but you said it didn't matter."

“We need to use it now,” Meng Yuxiu said.

Mencius' mother thought that her son was now eighteen years old, and it was indeed time for him to distribute the New Year's money himself. So she didn't say anything and went to the bedroom to take the money out.

Meng Yuxiu went downstairs quickly after receiving the money.

After a while, Meng's mother came downstairs and asked Meng's father, "Where is Xiaoxiu rushing off to in such a hurry?"

At this time, Meng Yuxiu and Han Shuo went out. Meng's father said, "He went to a classmate's wedding banquet and asked me for an extra yuan. He said he wanted to buy food and go shopping in the county town."

Mencius' mother: "Really? I saw him open the bag of peach shortbread that the relatives gave him and put two tubes of it in his bag. Oh, and he also took the New Year's money that my mother gave him."

"What?" Meng's father exclaimed.

When Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu first left the village, they didn't dare to let loose. They kept their backs straight and walked forward seriously. Only when the village was getting further and further away did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing Meng Yuxiu's instantly relaxed expression, Han Shuo couldn't help but bump his shoulder with his own as they walked. "Look how nervous you are. It's like we're having an affair. I've caught your nervousness."

"No way," Meng Yuxiu denied, but when he turned his head to look at Han Shuo's smiling face in the sunlight, he couldn't help but feel a smile in his eyes as well.

After the person walking towards him had passed by, Han Shuo put his arm around Meng Yuxiu's shoulder and then leaned close to him to speak: "It's been a long time since I've seen you. Did you miss me?"

Hearing the other's intimate tone and hearing his lips so close to his, Meng Yuxiu could hardly contain the heat rising in his heart. It was as if Han Shuo's lips were a magnet, ready to pull him to his lips at any moment.

However, he was too embarrassed to do anything else outside of the mission. Although he and Han Shuo had done all the intimate things, they had only just begun to understand each other emotionally, and he was still shy.

So he could only swallow hard, laugh, and reply, "Mm."

Upon hearing this, Han Shuo happily put his arm around him and strode forward.

The two arrived at the intersection and waited a short while before the bus came. When they first got on, there were two empty seats. After the bus stopped at several villages, it became packed, and the entire journey to the county town was filled with the lively chatter of people.

The air inside the car was stagnant, so Han Shuo slightly opened the window, and instantly, fresh, cool air rushed in from outside.

They were still about an hour away from the county town. Han Shuo got bored and shifted his position. Seeing this, Meng Yuxiu untied the cloth bag from his arms.

Han Shuo leaned closer for a look, "Oh wow, you brought so much food?"

"Hmm." Meng Yuxiu replied, taking out a tube of peach shortbread wrapped in oil paper, tearing open a strip of paper, taking out a piece of peach shortbread and handing it to Han Shuo.

If this were in the 21st century, this kind of peach shortbread would almost be obsolete in the market. But in this era, it's a rare treat, something most families wouldn't dare buy. Han Shuo took a bite, and the crisp, fragrant aroma instantly filled his mouth, with crumbs of the biscuit fluttering onto his clothes.

Meng Yuxiu also took out a piece and ate it politely.

Han Shuo noticed there was still a tube in the bag and asked Meng Yuxiu, "You brought too much, didn't you? The two of us can't finish it."

“You can eat on the way back. If you can’t finish it, you can take it back to your nephew,” Meng Yuxiu said.

If the carriage hadn't been so crowded, Han Shuo would have loved to pull Meng Yuxiu's head close and give him a big kiss. How did he manage to meet such an understanding person like Meng Yuxiu?

"Holy crap, Meng Yuxiu, you're too good to be true!" Han Shuo exclaimed happily, putting his arm around Meng Yuxiu's shoulder.

Meng Yuxiu put down the peach shortbread, looked into Han Shuo's eyes, and hesitated, pursing his lips, "Han Shuo, are we doing a mission today?"

Han Shuo was taken aback. He turned his head and shifted his gaze to Meng Yuxiu's face.

Seeing the other person's slightly flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, Han Shuo immediately understood. It seemed that the young virgin couldn't hold back anymore. No wonder the boy had such a lustful look in his eyes after they came out of the village.

Although Han Shuo's relationship with Meng Yuxiu is different now, he sincerely wants to get closer to Meng Yuxiu. However, when he thinks about Meng Yuxiu's big thing, he can't help but feel a little resistant, mainly because his butt hurts too much.

He could refuse directly, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"You want to do a mission?"

Meng Yuxiu nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Han Shuo's lips twitched twice, and he said with difficulty, "But Pan Xiaodong's wedding banquet is at 11:30, there won't be enough time..."

Meng Yuxiu glanced at his watch and said confidently, "We'll make it. It's only 7:30 now. We'll be in the county town by 8:30. It's still early."

"..." I'm impressed. This kid even planned out the time. Han Shuo then asked, "Wait, you have the money to book a hotel room?"

"Yes, I asked my dad for a dollar and also took this year's New Year's money," Meng Yuxiu said to Han Shuo with a bit of embarrassment. "But... I might have to borrow money from you again."

"..." Han Shuo's eye twitched. "How much?"

"Two pieces..."

Goodness, he's not going to save those two dollars.

In fact, Han Shuo wouldn't argue with Meng Yuxiu about money right now. But even if he made an excuse that he had no money, Meng Yuxiu would probably tell him to think of another way. After all, he had six yuan, not seven or eight. At worst, when they got to the county town, he could just say he wanted to find a cheaper hotel. What could Han Shuo say then?

Besides, Han Shuo felt that he really liked Meng Yuxiu now and couldn't bear to see him looking disappointed and sad, especially since Meng Yuxiu had happily brought a bag of peach shortbread today and asked him to take it back to his nephew.

Han Shuo was a little conflicted, and just as he was hesitating, Meng Yuxiu suddenly took something out of his bag. It was a round white ceramic jar with an iron lid and flowers printed on its surface.

"What is this?"

Meng Yuxiu blushed and whispered, "My mom's face cream."

"Don't tell me this is also a gift for my nephew?"

Meng Yuxiu's eyes flickered slightly. He said, "I know you're afraid of that...that pain, so..."

He found it difficult to continue.

Han Shuo immediately understood, and even with his thick skin, he couldn't hide the burning heat on his face. He was truly impressed; this kid had everything planned out!

"You really are your mother's dutiful son, you're so thoughtful." Han Shuo was speechless, but his tone also contained a hint of compromise.

Looking at Meng Yuxiu like this, he found it quite novel. This kid's brain was clearly full of yellow thoughts, but how could he still maintain such a shy face?

Han Shuo suddenly had a mischievous thought. He glanced down and leaned closer to Meng Yuxiu, whispering, "What, you really want to do it? Don't tell me you're already hard?"

Meng Yuxiu was startled. He quickly looked around at the people, especially those standing in the aisle, but his worries were completely unnecessary. Everyone was chatting about their daily lives and had no time to notice what was going on in their area.

"No," he quickly denied.

"Really?" Han Shuo seemed not to believe it, and he secretly slipped his hand into Meng Yuxiu's pocket.

Meng Yuxiu immediately opened his eyes wide, because Han Shuo was scratching him with his fingers through the thin fabric of his trouser pocket.