Chapter 8 Sharing a Room: I have no intention of sharing a room with you.
"Are we going to sleep at different times like this from now on?"
That was indeed a good question. Zhou Jinqin was speechless and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Seeing her staring with embarrassed eyes, Liang Minghe suddenly bowed and laughed, "Don't worry, there's no need for shared beds. I've booked another bed, and it will be delivered later."
Zhou Jinqin suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but now she faced a new problem: where to put the bed?
The apartment is fairly spacious, more than enough for two people and a cat, but Liang Ming and his many odd and wonderful little things add up to thousands of dollars worth of belongings. Making room for a bed in this house is no easy task.
Liang Ming casually scooped up the cat that was passing by his feet, patted it roughly, and said nonchalantly, "Put it in the study. I'll have my master move a few cabinets from the corner to another room later."
This is not good. Zhou Jinqin's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. She did not want to change Liang Minghe's original lifestyle because of her arrival.
Moreover, that's where he works and finds inspiration; even a small change could affect his mindset.
She thought for a moment and asked, "Can we not move?"
“I have no plans to have separate rooms.” Liang Minghe lifted the cat and placed it between the two of them. “So, who will Tuantuan live with? Will she stay with you on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and with me on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays? How about we play rock-paper-scissors on Sundays?”
Do artists' thoughts always wander like this?
The two, a man and a cat, had sharp, scrutinizing eyes, leaving Zhou Jinqin, the tortured prisoner, both amused and exasperated.
“I don’t have one either…” she whispered. “The bedroom is quite spacious. If you remove one bedside table, you can actually fit a bed in there.”
A place with too many colors is not good for sleep, so for this reason, the bedroom has become the only peaceful place in the house.
Fearing he might have concerns, Zhou Jinqin proactively explained, "I'm very used to having roommates, so you don't need to worry about that."
“Besides,” Zhou Jinqin lowered her eyes, her voice growing weaker, “we’re husband and wife, aren’t we?”
When the mover saw the bed that was already in the bedroom, he hesitated to speak, but before leaving, he couldn't help but quietly say something.
"Why are you sleeping in separate beds at such a young age?" The master glanced at Liang Minghe's lower body intentionally or unintentionally, and said meaningfully, "Young man, don't be afraid to seek medical help."
The mechanic tapped his phone and whispered, "I have some folk remedies from my hometown. If you need them, you can contact me. I'll give you a friendly price and guarantee you'll regain your virility."
"Do you want aphrodisiacs? Do you want aphrodisiacs? Do you want..."
"No!" Liang Minghe shouted impatiently, annoyed by the noise.
Zhou Jinqin was startled by his sudden shout. She pulled her hand away from his blanket and said apologetically, "Don't you want to? I'm sorry, I just noticed you hadn't gotten up to eat, so I thought I'd come and ask..."
The annoying mover had transformed into his beautiful and gentle wife. Liang Ming, still dazed, took a long time to realize it was all a dream. It seemed the incident that morning had left an indelible mark on him…
He sat up abruptly, grabbed Zhou Jinqin who was about to leave dejectedly, and hurriedly tried to salvage the situation by saying, "I'm sorry, I was just talking in my sleep, I didn't mean to criticize you."
Zhou Jinqin looked at his wildly flying hair, resisting the urge to smooth it down. She understood that it was normal for people to be a little grumpy when they first woke up. She shook her head and awkwardly rotated her wrist: "It's okay, I understand. It's just that irregular eating habits aren't good for your health..."
Liang Minghe glanced at the sun-shaped clock on the wall. He had slept until three in the afternoon, almost seven hours after his first meal of the day.
He released Zhou Jinqin's somewhat stiff arm and asked, "Have you been waiting for me? Are you hungry?"
“It’s alright,” Zhou Jinqin shook her head. “I used to be quite busy with work and often forgot to eat, so I didn’t really notice it.”
Liang Minghe threw off the covers, got up, and drew back the curtains. The rain outside had started to intensify again sometime earlier.
He turned around, and even the backlight couldn't hide the absolute power of his face. On the contrary, it seemed that the sensible contouring made his already exquisite features even more three-dimensional.
“Irregular eating habits are not good for your health.” He leaned against the windowsill, looking at her, her blurry image in his eyes. “Teacher Zhou, wouldn’t setting a good example be more convincing?”
Zhou Jinqin was speechless for a moment. As a doctor, she hated patients who did not follow medical advice and lived an unhealthy life. However, the person who knew the most knowledge had the lowest requirements for himself.
Liang Minghe got up and picked out a pair of pants from the wardrobe. The clothes hanger was attached with two cute, chibi-style hippos with strong bites.
He asked, "Won't you get bored staying at home all the time?"
Zhou Jinqin thought he was annoyed that she was always doing nothing at home, which was why she had just done this "meddling" thing.
She pursed her lips and explained, "Don't worry, I'll be back at work soon..."
Liang Minghe didn't know how she could interpret it that way. He smiled helplessly and said, "I'm not urging you to go back to work. Being a doctor is very hard, isn't it? It's good to take some time to rest since you rarely have free time."
Humans are but a drop in the tide, always being pushed along, and no one tells them that stopping is not a luxury.
Zhou Jinqin stared intently at the man in front of her, a strange feeling rising in her chest that she had never experienced before.
Liang Ming tilted his head and asked her, "I was just saying, do you want to go for a walk?"
Looking at the surging clouds outside, Zhou Jinqin had second thoughts: "But it's raining outside."
Liang Minghe suddenly smiled: "So humans invented the umbrella."
No one could refuse Liang Minghe.
Moreover, this is a rainy city, with an average of 130 days of rainfall a year. Since she has chosen to settle here, there is no reason for her to avoid being confined indoors; she has to adapt eventually.
The two went out in the heavy rain, but they didn't stay outside for long.
Liang Minghe's suggestion to take Zhou Jinqin out this time was actually just to familiarize her with the basic facilities in the area, such as transportation, shopping districts, and medical care, as she would need them in the future.
After taking a short walk around the neighborhood, the two went to a nearby supermarket to buy groceries before heading home to cook dinner.
Zhou Jinqin had already roughly decided on the menu, but because Liang Minghe was sleeping, she couldn't confirm the tastes with him. In addition, she didn't know the password to her house, so the shopping trip was delayed.
Liang Minghe stared at the recipes prepared by Zhou Jinqin and made his choices almost without thinking. He checked all the vegetarian dishes, selectively checked the meat dishes, and crossed out all the dishes containing fish.
"Okay." He handed over the answer sheet.
Zhou Jinqin stared at the final result and said helplessly, "Actually, you don't have to cater to my tastes all the time."
Liang Minghe looked at her and smiled, "Really? It seems my appetite is exactly the same as yours today. What a coincidence."
As he spoke, he pushed the shopping cart into the supermarket, not giving her any more chance to hesitate.
It was still early, and there weren't many people in the supermarket. Liang Minghe took a tiger-skin cake from the tasting area and handed it to Zhou Jinqin: "It's still early before dinner, have something to eat first."
Zhou Jinqin took the packet and took a small bite. The smooth and sweet taste burst in her mouth, and only then did she realize that she had been hungry for a long time.
While she was eating, Liang Minghe took the initiative to pick out the vegetables.
Perhaps it's his innate aesthetic sense at work, but he insists on picking tomatoes that are plump and uniform in color. At first glance, people might think he's a highly skilled chef, but little do they know that he barely has any rice left at home.
The two quickly finished buying groceries and went home. On their way back, they ran into their neighbor, an older woman, in the elevator.
Her gaze lingered on Zhou Jinqin for a moment, then she asked Liang Minghe curiously, "Xiaoming, is that your girlfriend? She's so beautiful! You have great taste!"
Liang Ming and Xiao Xiao explained, "Aunt Zhou, we've already registered our marriage. This is my wife, Zhou Jinqin."
This was the first time Zhou Jinqin had heard him speak Cantonese. The nine tones of the pronunciation made it more complex than Mandarin, but he still enunciated clearly without any slurred or unclear pronunciation. Coupled with his already superb timbre, it was an ultimate enjoyment to listen to.
There was even a hint of tender ambiguity, especially when he methodically uttered the word "wife"...
Zhou Jinqin blushed. She greeted the person shyly, but the other person was so enthusiastic that she was a little overwhelmed. Fortunately, the elevator arrived quickly, and she was saved. She felt completely limp.
Seeing her like this, Liang Minghe smiled and said with his eyes crinkling, "You seem to be easily embarrassed."
Zhou Jinqin glared at him, then quickly changed into slippers, hugged the cat, and hid to the side, her voice muffled: "It's all because you said some strange things."
"I'm just telling the truth. Aren't you trying to put me in a difficult position?" Liang Minghe shrugged. "Then what will you say when you introduce me to your sisters?"
He completely disregarded Zhou Jinqin's life or death, and proceeded to give examples: "This is my husband, this is my husband, this is my husband-in-law, this is my husband..."
Zhou Jinqin knelt down on the sofa and covered her ears with a star-shaped pillow, giving off a self-deceiving feeling.
Liang Minghe chuckled softly, amused. He removed the pillow that was pressed against her head and asked, "Aren't you hot?"
Shenzhen in July is like a natural sauna; you can get a free hair treatment just by going out.
He looked at the slight sweat on her forehead and said, "If you don't like it, I won't say it again."
Liang Minghe knelt down beside the sofa, mimicking her posture. The two of them lay on the sofa at the same time, very close to each other, almost able to feel each other's breath.
Zhou Jinqin blushed, turned her head to the side and buried her face in the sofa, and said in a muffled voice, "It has nothing to do with you. I just haven't gotten used to my new identity yet, so I need to take my time."
"Okay, take your time, I'll go cook." Liang Ming and Xiao Xiao stood up.
Zhou Jinqin suddenly looked up at him: "You can cook?"
"Doesn't it look like it?" He raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Jinqin honestly said, "It doesn't seem like it."
Although his kitchenware was complete, its excessive cleanliness and newness inevitably aroused suspicion.
Moreover, his face clearly screams "nouveau riche" who only knows how to spend money to buy services...
Liang Minghe said, "I was sent to study in England in high school. In order to satisfy my pitiful appetite, I had to learn to do things myself."
Despite saying that, Zhou Jinqin was still worried and insisted on going to the kitchen to be his cooking partner.
You wouldn't believe it until you see it. This guy's cooking style is completely out of this world. While the tofu was still dripping wet, he threw it all into the oil pan. As expected, hot oil splattered everywhere, landing on his bare arms, making him grimace, but he forced himself to remain calm for the sake of his damn dignity.
Zhou Jinqin sighed helplessly and quickly grabbed his hand, placing it under the sink to rinse it with running cold water.
"Keep rinsing it under running water for a while," Zhou Jinqin instructed.
"Mmm," Liang Minghe responded sullenly, unusually obedient.
His entire arm felt cool from the water, but the hand held by the woman was burning hot. Liang Minghe looked up at the woman standing next to him. She was looking intently at the skin on his arm with her eyes lowered. For some reason, his entire arm felt warm.
He stammered as he explained, "I'm not usually like this, maybe I've been neglecting to cook for a while..."
Like a kindergarten teacher, Zhou Jinqin indulged and agreed with him, her lips curving into a smile: "Well, remember to be careful next time."
"Okay." Liang Minghe blinked.
Fortunately, there was nothing seriously wrong. Under Zhou Jinqin's instructions and supervision, Liang Minghe finally managed to complete the arduous task of preparing three dishes and a soup, albeit with some difficulty.
To be honest, the taste was actually quite good, but the process was rather bumpy.
After dinner, the two of them washed up and lay down on their respective beds without saying a word. This was their first time "sharing a room". To cover up the embarrassment, Liang Minghe specially moved Tuan Tuan's cat bed into the room temporarily.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop after the lights were turned off early. Even the specially invited kitten didn't meow to ease the atmosphere, and everyone just closed their eyes in tacit agreement.
In fact, Zhou Jinqin was not as accepting of her roommate's presence as she had imagined. She went through the articles she had published years ago in her mind again before she could barely manage to drift into a state of confusion.
However, things didn't go as planned. Without any warning, a strong warm current suddenly surged in my lower abdomen, and unsurprisingly, my period unexpectedly arrived.
Zhou Jinqin was stunned for a moment before she remembered that she should go to the toilet to clean herself up.
She found the wardrobe in the dark and groped for her change of underwear and pajamas.
Just as I was searching desperately, the ceiling light in the room came on.
"What's wrong?" Liang Minghe asked, not quite fully awake.
Zhou Jinqin awkwardly explained, "I think I've started my period. Did I disturb you?"
“No,” Liang Minghe shook his head, “I slept too much during the day, I’m not asleep yet.”
"Oh, that's good. I'll go to the restroom first." The unusually strong urge made Zhou Jinqin forget everything else.
Fortunately, it was discovered in time, and only the underwear was stained with blood. Otherwise, having to clean the bed in the middle of the night would have been quite a hassle.
Zhou Jinqin breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the underwear she had just changed, and walked towards the sink in the drying area.
I happened to run into Liang Minghe coming out of his room. He said, "The sink on the balcony doesn't have hot water."
“It’s okay, I want to use cold water.” Out of habit, Zhou Jinqin subconsciously explained to him, “The proteins in blood denature and coagulate when exposed to high temperatures, and using hot water will make the bloodstains more stubborn…”
She spoke for a while, then realized it was abrupt—who does science popularization in the middle of the night?—and finally shut up in frustration.
She emphasized again, "In short, I used cold water."
Liang Minghe appeared calm and composed, seemingly unconcerned about the inappropriateness of their conversation. He nodded and asked, "Do you need any help? I've heard that women are prone to stomach aches when they touch cold water during their periods."
Zhou Jinqin pursed her lips, and finally, embarrassed, politely declined, "Thank you for your kindness, but I need to wash my underwear..."
A note from the author:
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Thank you everyone for the nutrient solution! [Hands clasped in prayer]
Husband, husband, sir, husband-in-law—we won't say what he's implying with all those terms. [doge emoji with rose in hand]
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