Chapter 12

Having a female insect didn't change much in my life.

Apart from some anticipation of going home, there is still the daily life of going to and from get off work.

But recently the living room and bathroom at home seem to be particularly clean.

015 also cleans daily, but it is just a simple sweep of garbage and tidying up, far from being dust-free. The bathroom is also always kept dry and tidy, without any stagnant water or hair.

The little robot housekeeper seems to have malfunctioned less frequently recently. The leakage sparks that used to occur frequently are now rarely seen. It has even learned how to cut carrots.

Regarding this change, 015 just foolishly said that it might be the new chip that played a role.

Until one dinner, when the food served by 015 smelled faintly burnt, which was so normal that it seemed very strange.

Yael held down the round head seriously.

"Tell me the truth, did you secretly update the system? The repairman said before that your memory is so small that the update is likely to cause a complete crash."

015 blinked his electronic eyes and said a little slowly, "No."

Yael suspiciously opened its skull to check, and when he saw that the parts inside were not melted or broken, he reluctantly believed it, "…but why didn't the dinner today get burnt?"

While they were talking, Cesar sat on a chair nearby, slowly stirring the nutritious meal in the bowl with a spoon, and eating quietly and quickly.

"Have you repaired it?" Yer suddenly turned his head.

Xi Ze was caught off guard and paused. After hesitating for a few seconds, he admitted, "Yes."

"Are your eyes better?" This was the only thing Yael could think of.

Hughes said the female worm's right eye is nearly blind, and her left eye is infected. If she continues to take medication, there is a chance that she will recover.

This time, Caesar neither nodded nor shook his head, but just clenched the spoon in his hand.

Seeing that he didn't want to talk, Yael changed the question, "Do you also clean the living room and bathroom?"

"What hygiene? I didn't see anything!"

015 was shocked and jumped out of Yael's palm, "You are still recovering from your injury, you can't do strenuous exercise!"

This time the female insect hesitated longer, but finally nodded, because Yael had previously "ordered" her not to intentionally lie or conceal anything, not to mention that asking the question almost meant confirmation.

Even if there are no conditions for growing snails, we have to create the conditions to grow snails, right?

Yael almost laughed out loud.

But seeing the way Caesar pursed his lips and remained silent, you knew he wouldn't obey.

"I want to find something to do. I can't..."

The female worm rarely spoke, her voice was harsh and hesitant, trying to make Yael understand his thoughts, "doing nothing all day, like a shameless parasite."

The female soldier's proud nature prevents her from just lying there and taking it for granted, eating the male insects, wearing the male insects, and recuperating in the male insects' houses while doing nothing.

A sword can be worn and broken, but it is a shame to be buried in the gentle countryside and lose its sharpness. This is the principle and pride engraved in the bones.

Yael was stunned. He had indeed never thought about this question before.

The female insect may be too bored and should be given something to do, but blindness is a big obstacle.

He pondered for a moment, then got up and went to the balcony.

After a long time, Yael came back from outside. His sweater was still cold. He sat back in his seat and unpacked the things in his hands one by one.

He didn't notice that the female insect in front of him looked a little flustered, and her hands on the table were clenched into fists.

"I'm sorry, I won't do that again..."

"What?" Yael said ignorantly, and put something into the female insect's hand, "This is for you."

The female insect suddenly stopped talking, looking a little dazed, and carefully touched the thing in her hand, as if it was something dangerous.

"I got this as a gift with something I bought a few days ago. The supermarket owner said it was easy to raise and could survive in winter, but within a few days I raised it to the point where it was nearly dead."

Yael looked at the small plant in the pot with some guilt. The beautiful green leaves and red vines had now turned mostly yellow, with the tips drooping wilfully. It was indeed about to die.

"Can you help me loosen the soil and water it every day? Maybe I can still survive."

Cize paused, raised his eyes and looked at Yael, his vision was dim and he could only vaguely see a blurry black shadow.

The male insect forgot to remove its fingertips from the back of his hand. It felt cool and soft, just like the small clay pot in the palm of his hand.

He quietly tightened his fingers and whispered, "...Okay."

As if afraid of disturbing a butterfly that had landed on its eyelashes.

*

That small plant is called Ruby Vine. When it grows up, the vine is red all over like jade. It is very important to pay attention to the frequency and amount of watering. It will easily die if it is raised by a novice.

Xi Ze seemed to have experience in growing flowers. Although he was blind, he managed to get started with it.

Every few times when Yael walked past the living room, he would see Cize carefully loosening the soil for the ruby ​​​​vine. With a slightly wrinkled brow, he didn't look like he was tending flowers, but rather like he was calculating on a sand table or correcting some confidential documents.

After a few days, Yer went over to observe for a while, then hummed and said, "It seems that there is no change."

In fact, the boy's complexion has improved a lot, and he has straightened up a little from being a little depressed.

Caesar lowered his eyes and avoided his gaze. After a while, he whispered, "There are still some changes. The stem has grown half an inch taller, with an extra leaf, and the vine has become a little smoother to the touch..."

The silent passive resistance seemed to be completely forgotten by the main body. The female insect explained its changes as if she was carefully explaining the performance and structure of a mecha, with concentration and seriousness between her brows.

Yael was holding his chin with his hand and smiled silently when he heard this.

He reached out and touched the newly grown tender leaf, snorting and laughing, "I hope you don't be ignorant and grow up quickly."

When the first sentence was uttered, Xi Ze was startled and stopped talking for a moment. Only after hearing the second part did he realize that the male insect was talking to Ruby Vine.

Although it was a tone of reproach, it was accompanied by a light and intimate smile, and the ending tone was slightly upturned, as if a kitten stretched out its claws and tickled the tip of my heart, causing a slight tingling sensation.

After "threatening" Little Ruby Teng, he narrowed his eyes and said in a softer voice, "You have to get well soon too."

Xi Ze's hand on the tea table trembled suddenly, and then his fingers tightened.

He didn't realize that his ears were red. His cold and serious expression was replaced by a little panic. He opened his mouth and said hesitantly for a while, "...um...ok..."

"Forget it. This kind of thing can't be accomplished just by wanting to do it. I'd better change your dressings more diligently. I hope you can feel better before the New Year. Otherwise, you will still have to eat tasteless nutrition meals."

Yael yawned sleepily, stood up, ruffled Caesar's hair as usual, and then left leisurely.

…

The weather in Etal has been very good recently. It has been sunny for several days in a row. The long-awaited sunshine pierces through the gloomy clouds, making the endless snow shine brightly.

The small red-leaf vine was exposed to the sun for a few days and its branches and leaves gradually spread out.

The injuries on Xi Ze's body also showed signs of healing, the most obvious being the large laceration on his back.

The female insect's bony wings are connected to countless blood vessels and nerves. When they are uprooted, it is like pulling a tree out of the soil, with the flesh and blood torn into pieces. The pain is unbearable and difficult to describe in words.

After about a week of rest, the wound went from bloody to inflamed and swollen, from oozing dirty blood to seeping with tissue fluid.

But no matter what stage it is, soon after the dressing is changed, the gauze will stick to the wound and will be torn off abruptly during the next dressing change, which is like a torture.

Every time he changed the dressing, Yael would sweat all over, and the female insect lying on the waterproof sheet would be even more nervous.

The shallow piece of honey was covered with tiny water droplets, like a pot of melting maple syrup, but it was far less thick and boiling. The edges of the turned-out flesh were white and trembling slightly as if in extreme cold.

Leaving the aftermath to 015 to clean up, Yael stood up and stretched his sore muscles. Caesar took a break, then sat up reluctantly, grabbing a coat beside him and putting it on.

"Thank you."

A low, hoarse voice came, and Yael turned to look at him, "It feels like the wound is healing, and it may scab over soon."

Xi Ze hummed, but looked a little confused, not knowing what to say in response.

The wound healed slowly, but he and Yael still didn't know what was going on.

After all, neither of them is so naive as to ignore numerous obstacles and be honest, they just try to get along with each other in a relatively peaceful way.

Or maybe this is part of the male insect's game process, a gentle yet cruel game of playing house. Whether it's the ruby ​​vine or changing the dressing, they are all props and daily routine tasks in the male insect's game.

Just like watering and fertilizing a tree, waiting for it to mature, and then picking the freshest and juiciest fruit.

He didn't know whether what awaited him when that time really came would be a new life or total destruction.

The heater in the living room was turned on very high, but it was still cold without clothes. Caesar sat on the sofa in a daze, not noticing that his hair was soaked with cold sweat and his lips were incredibly pale.

Then a towel was placed over the head and Yael's voice was heard.

"Wipe off the sweat and don't catch a cold. Ask 015 to feed you some hot milk later. Go to bed early tonight."

Xi Ze's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he suddenly decided not to think about it anymore.

…

The itching when flesh and blood grow is more unbearable than severe pain, like the tender sprouts drilling into the bone gaps and shuttling through the blood vessels. It is difficult to breathe when an attack occurs.

In order not to break the newly formed scab in his sleep, Xi Ze kept his eyes closed all night, and his suppressed breathing passed through the crack in the door, from the quiet living room to the room.

The room was dark. Yael lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze, and then fell asleep to the sound of Caesar's gradually becoming lighter breathing.

Until one day after get off work, Yael brought home a long puppy pillow.

As 015 screamed, he stretched his fluffy tail in front of the female insect and asked, "Touch it?"

"What is it..."

Caesar seemed a little hesitant, and froze the moment his fingertips touched the delicate fur. He tilted his head and asked in a low voice, "Is it alive?"

Yael chuckled and stuffed the long dog into his arms. "Let you hold it. It's not good for your legs to curl it up. It will be more comfortable to hold this."

The injury on his back made it difficult for Xi Ze to lie flat, but if he slept on his side he would curl up unconsciously, which was bad for his legs and the injuries on his front. As a result, his posture became somewhat twisted and the discomfort was almost visibly noticeable.

Yael discovered this one morning when he suddenly woke up and walked into the living room to drink water.

Xi Ze touched the doll subconsciously. Compared with his fingertips which were full of stiff cords, the fabric and fur seemed unusually delicate, and the cotton-filled interior was as soft as a cloud.

"……Thank you."

He seemed a little at a loss, facing the things in his arms and the male insect in front of him with a gentle tone.

He had been sure that he would not be fooled by lies and masks. No matter how sweet the words and pretense were, his true nature could not be concealed and would be revealed in his eyes and breath in an instant.

It is difficult to have sex on a casual basis, let alone being together for a long time and in close proximity.

Malice cannot be hidden, nor can tenderness and kindness.

Countless arrows coated with honey were hitting his defenses, casually, softly and lightly, like a stone that had been soaked in a honey pot for a long time. Even the most indestructible shell was slowly eaten away.

"I'll take you to the hospital for a follow-up visit when it's convenient for you, and also..."

Yael didn't notice his complicated emotions and began to calculate when he could have the second round of review.

"I will be on New Year's leave soon. I will have more than half a month of free time. I need to prepare some things for the New Year."

"I don't think there's much rice and noodles left at home. I can buy some flour..."

015 responded as always, "You can try making snacks. I recently downloaded a new recipe!"

Yael tapped 015's iron head with his fingers and couldn't help laughing, "Well... just don't blow up the kitchen."

This very homely conversation happens every day.

Just like other ordinary and warm residents, we chatted with our close friends, planned what to eat and buy, and laughed and joked with each other.

Xi Ze had almost never experienced this kind of life. It was nothing special, but it was like a glass of rich and mellow golden wine.

The sweet fragrance fills the mouth and nose, penetrating every pore like the air. Every cell is addicted to it, and every nerve can't help but relax its vigilance.

Xi Ze touched the curled tip of the red jade vine with his fingertips.

Just like succulent plants will burst out of the pot and divide, which are all evidence of vigorous growth, even though they were on the verge of death not long ago.

Although life is hard, life is tenacious.

For the first time, he had hope.