Chapter 1, Chapter 1: Don't
Chapter 1
Since winter began, it gets dark earlier and earlier.
Yu Pan threw a handful of thin twigs into the stove. As the twigs crackled and popped from the flames, the sound of the water in the pot grew louder and louder.
He put the book aside, picked up the kerosene lamp, walked to the wall clock, brought the lamp close to the dial, and squinted at the position of the hour hand. It was 6:15.
Shen Yanzhou usually doesn't get back until 6:40, so there's still some time.
Back at the stove, Yu Pan placed the kerosene lamp on the tall wooden chair next to it and dragged a low stool over herself.
By the light of the kerosene lamp and the firelight from the stove, he continued to flip through the book he had just finished reading.
The book that Yu Pan is reading now is less a book and more a booklet that someone has collected and bound together from loose pages.
The cover consisted of only two thin, yellowed sheets of paper, without even a title.
Yu Pan read several articles in a row and guessed that it was probably a collection of travelogues.
He was captivated by the scenery described in the book and the stories he had never heard before.
They didn't even hear Shen Yanzhou opening and closing the door when he came home.
It wasn't until the book in her hand was taken away that Yu Pan realized the kitchen light had been turned on sometime earlier.
He looked up at Shen Yanzhou, and in the bright light, Yu Pan could clearly see Shen Yanzhou's expression and face.
I'm very unhappy.
Yu Pan blinked slowly.
Shen Yanzhou tapped Yu Pan's head with the book in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Panpan, what did I say to you when I left at noon?"
"You need to turn on the light when you read." Yu Pan gestured with her hand, her lips slightly pouting, her eyes fixed on the book in Shen Yanzhou's hand, hoping he would return it to her.
"Anything else?" Shen Yanzhou pressed, his gaze fixed on his face.
Yu Pan pursed her lips and winked slowly at Shen Yanzhou again, trying to deceive him.
"Don't give me that." Shen Yanzhou flicked Yu Pan's cheek with his finger, his tone fierce: "Didn't I tell you that you're not allowed to use a kerosene lamp at home?"
“I love the taste! And I’ll be careful!” Yu Pan’s eyes widened, her hands gesturing rapidly. “I’m not saying I won’t turn on the lights, I…”
"you?"
"I...I'm just a little scared of it."
"Then we'll keep it on until you're no longer afraid, then we'll turn it off."
As Shen Yanzhou spoke, he bent down to blow out the kerosene lamp, closed the metal plate on the stove, and turned to walk out, saying, "Wash your hands and eat."
“My book…” Yu Pan got up and chased after him, gesturing to Shen Yanzhou with a face full of reluctance.
"What books?" Shen Yanzhou glanced at him sideways and said expressionlessly, "You're even afraid of electric lights, what kind of books are you going to read? You'll ruin your eyes sooner or later."
After saying that, Shen Yanzhou locked the book that Yu Pan had just been reading in the drawer, put the key in his pocket, and walked straight to the living room.
...
-
There are quite a few books at home. Apart from Shen Yanzhou's textbooks from elementary school to the first year of high school, most of the rest were left by Teacher Ji next door.
Teacher Ji is a volunteer teacher from the north who has lived here for many years.
Anyway, Shen Yanzhou has lived next door since he can remember.
Yu Pan learned sign language from Teacher Ji, and the two also share similar interests, both reading.
Especially after Yu Pan started learning some characters in school, she would go to Teacher Ji's place every day. The two of them would get together and quietly read books, and they were very familiar with each other.
Last year, when Teacher Ji finished her teaching assignment, she only took the necessary books with her and left everything else to Yu Pan.
To accommodate these books, Shen Yanzhou went up the mountain to cut down trees and made a bookcase that was one meter wide and half a wall high, which barely held them all.
Shen Yanzhou only locked the book that Yu Pan was reading, and wasn't worried at all that Yu Pan would read other books.
Yu Pan has a stubborn streak when it comes to reading; she will absolutely not touch the next book until she has finished the one she is currently reading.
“I was wrong, Shen Yanzhou,” Yu Pan gestured.
Shen Yanzhou was looking down as she took the food out of the lunchbox, not paying attention to him.
So Yu Pan stretched out her hand in front of Chen Yanzhou and gestured again.
"I can give you the book, but..."
Yu Pan was initially quite happy upon hearing the first part of the sentence, but the word "but" at the end instantly dispelled her joy.
Her happy little face immediately fell.
Shen Yanzhou finished setting out the last dish, sat down, looked up at Yu Pan, and said calmly, "You need to explain to me clearly why you're afraid of electric lights."
Shen Yanzhou remembers how happy Yu Pan was the night the electric lights were installed.
Shen Yanzhou never allowed Yu Pan to read at night, since kerosene lamps were only good enough for lighting at night.
It's too dark to use for reading, and it's easy to hurt your eyes.
Electric lights were a different story; their village had just been connected to electricity, and electric lights were still a rarity.
Moreover, most of the villagers installed 15-watt light bulbs at this time, but Chen Yanzhou bought 40-watt bulbs. With the light cord pulled, the whole bedroom was very bright.
Yu Pan was so happy that he read for two hours straight that night. Shen Yanzhou tried to talk to him, but he didn't even look up, acting as if he hadn't heard a word.
However, only three days after the lights were installed, the situation changed.
Yesterday evening, when Shen Yanzhou returned from work, he saw Yu Pan sitting on a small stool in front of the stove, reading a book by the light of a kerosene lamp.
He didn't say anything at the time, assuming that Yu Pan wasn't used to it yet.
So before he went to work at noon, he told Yu Pan that if he wanted to read after dark, he had to turn on the light.
Yu Pan nodded vigorously in agreement.
And what happened? When he came home from work in the evening, he saw the man again, as usual, sitting by a dim kerosene lamp, turning the pages of a book in front of the stove.
It was hard for Shen Yanzhou not to be angry.
Yu Pan lowered her eyes, refusing to look at Chen Yanzhou.
Seeing Yu Pan like this, Shen Yanzhou didn't force him. He just told him to sit down and eat, while he picked up the homework he had assigned to Yu Pan that day and started looking at it.
This is their family's standard dinner routine.
Yu Pan ate first, while Shen Yanzhou used the time to grade his homework. After Yu Pan finished eating, Shen Yanzhou ate the rest.
This habit was formed because Shen Yanzhou worked at a fireworks factory, where the factory would provide a meal in the afternoon.
Shen Yanzhou wasn't hungry when he finished work, so he could just have a few bites in the evening.
Shen Yanzhou usually cooks breakfast and lunch at his family's house, while he buys dinner on his way home from work.
If I get off work late, I'll buy fast food; if I get off early, I'll buy groceries and cook myself.
Yu Pan wasn't very good at cooking, and Shen Yanzhou didn't plan to let him learn.
...
-
Yu Pan sat down next to Shen Yanzhou, holding her chopsticks, but didn't touch a bite. She just bit the end of the chopsticks and stared at Shen Yanzhou in a daze.
Seeing that Shen Yanzhou still ignored him, Yu Pan's gaze involuntarily drifted to the light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
These electric lights didn't come easily. A power station had just been built in the town, and families lined up to have them installed, village by village.
Now that we've finally arrived at their village, their family was originally supposed to wait until after the New Year to get their turn.
There were two lines for installing lights. Those in a hurry could pay five yuan to cut in line. This was usually done to make things easier for businesses. Ordinary families could just wait patiently.
Their original plan was to wait patiently.
Just a few days ago, Yu Pan was carrying a kerosene lamp and wanted to go to the hall to find something. She tripped over the threshold between the bedroom and the hall without noticing.
The lamp slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a 'clatter,' shattering the glass lampshade and chipping the bottle opening. Kerosene spilled everywhere, instantly igniting upon contact with a spark.
Fortunately, their living room had few items, only a table and chairs for dining, and fortunately, Shen Yanzhou was home at the time.
The air still smelled strongly of kerosene. After extinguishing the fire, Shen Yanzhou stared at the charred area on the ground with a heavy gaze.
It's fortunate that he fell in the living room while he was at home.
Shen Yanzhou dared not think about what would happen if Yu Pan fell in the bedroom while he was not home one day.
Clothes were hanging in the bedroom, a wooden box for storing odds and ends was placed in the corner, the bed was a wooden bed, and there was a large shelf of books.
If lamp oil were to splash anywhere, the consequences would be unimaginable.
So the next day, Shen Yanzhou went to the power supply bureau, paid to cut in line, and hired someone to install electric lights.
They installed three lamps at once, and with the extra money for cutting in line, it cost a total of eighteen yuan.
Shen Yanzhou earns seventy yuan a month, which is a considerable expense for his family.
Yu Pan was really happy when the electric light was first installed. He sat under the light with his book in his arms, and even in the middle of the night, he could see the rough edges of the pages clearly, something he had never dared to imagine before.
Yu Pan assumed that once the light bulb was installed, it could be used indefinitely.
But when his grandmother came to his door yesterday morning and talked to him about the electricity bill, his happiness vanished.
Yu Pan had already spent so much money on the lights, but she never expected that she would have to pay extra for them while they were on.
Thinking of this, Yu Pan stared intently at the light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
A strange thing that eats money.
...
-
Shen Yanzhou was unaware of the complex thoughts in Yu Pan's mind. He looked at the handwriting Yu Pan had practiced on the manuscript paper. Compared to her scrawled handwriting when she first started learning, Yu Pan's handwriting was now quite beautiful.
The lines are straight and clean, and it looks very orderly. It looks a lot like Yu Pan.
He didn't finish high school, but that didn't stop him from giving Yu Pan homework using his junior high school workbook.
As he was looking, a pair of hands suddenly reached out in front of Shen Yanzhou.
“Electric lights are really scary,” Yu Pan tried to convince Shen Yanzhou, “they eat money.”
Shen Yanzhou raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Seeing that Shen Yanzhou seemed unconvinced, Yu Pan quickly emphasized, "It costs a lot of money!"
Shen Yanzhou put the things in his hand aside, reached out and put his arm around Yu Pan's waist, and used the momentum to lift him up, so that he was lying sideways on his thigh.
"Who said he'd spend a lot of money?" Shen Yanzhou narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Grandma said so." Yu Pan tilted her head, rested her head on Shen Yanzhou's shoulder, and gestured to him with her face up.
"Grandma said that as long as this light is on, it will eat money, a lot of money, so even rich people rarely turn it on."
Fearing that Shen Yanzhou wouldn't believe her, Yu Pan gave another example: "Isn't the owner of the restaurant at the village entrance rich?"
After gesturing, she raised an eyebrow at Chen Yanzhou, with an expression that said, "I know this very well." She continued, "That boss only turns on the lights when it's very, very dark, and very dark for a long time."
"...Can our family be like his?" Shen Yanzhou wasn't swayed by him and interrupted Yu Pan's random gestures. "How many lights does he turn on at once? How many do we have to turn on?"
There's another reason Shen Yanzhou didn't mention: the restaurant turns on its lights late because they don't want people to use them for free.
It's winter now, and it gets dark just after five o'clock. At that time, there aren't many people leaving work, and the streets are deserted.
Leaving the lights on at this time not only wastes electricity, but also easily attracts a group of old men and women carrying fire baskets.
They squat by the door chatting without eating, sit there smoking their pipes, huddle together playing cards and swearing, and they all smell bad. Naturally, customers don't want to come into the shop when they see them.
The restaurants, after a while, stopped being so clever. They would only turn on the lights when most people had finished work, by which time the elderly would have all gone home for dinner.
The "very dark, very dark, dark for a long time" that Yu Pan mentioned actually refers to around 6:30.
Seeing that Shen Yanzhou hadn't been fooled, Yu Pan lowered her eyes and pretended not to understand again.
Shen Yanzhou smiled helplessly, rested his chin on Yu Pan's forehead, gently squeezed his hand, and said in a very soft voice, "Panpan, don't be afraid to spend money."
Yu Pan nuzzled her head and nestled against Shen Yanzhou's neck, shaking her head.
Shen Yanzhou lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against Yu Pan's nose. "Money is meant to be spent. If I were really afraid of spending money, I wouldn't have installed this light."
Yu Pan remained curled up in Shen Yanzhou's arms, her fingers tracing circles in his palm.
He knew in his heart that Shen Yanzhou cared for him, but he also knew how tired Shen Yanzhou was from working.
Ever since she heard that one kilowatt-hour of electricity could buy one kilogram of rice, Yu Pan felt that every second the light was on was draining Shen Yanzhou's energy.
Yu Pan didn't want to tell Shen Yanzhou these thoughts, so she just tilted her head back and gently nibbled on Shen Yanzhou's chin.
"Hiss." Shen Yanzhou chuckled softly, scratching Yu Pan's nape with his fingertips. "You bit me again."
Yu Pan sat up straight and looked at Shen Yanzhou with a focused gaze: "I will turn on the light when I read at night from now on."
“Mm,” Shen Yanzhou replied.
"Don't be angry," Yu Pan gestured.
Shen Yanzhou pinched his cheek. "I'm not angry."
"Then... give the book back to me." Yu Pan blinked.
"No, you're not behaving yourself today. I'll keep this book for two days." Shen Yanzhou patted Yu Pan's thigh. "The food's getting cold. Come down and eat."
Yu Pan wrinkled her nose, puffed out her cheeks, and snuggled into Chen Yanzhou's arms, gesturing with her hands: "No! I want to sit on your lap and eat."
"Alright, alright," Shen Yanzhou moved Yu Pan's food over and teased him deliberately, "Panpan, do you want me to feed you?"
Yu Pan, furious, bit Shen Yanzhou's chin again and gestured fiercely:
"don't want!"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Setting up a stall: "After Transmigrating into a Book, the Protagonist Became the Top."
A clueless, do-it-or-die uke vs. a younger, brooding male ghost uke (not a real ghost).
Zhao Yu woke up with a sharp headache, and the unfamiliar memories flooding his mind instantly brought him to his senses.
He transmigrated into the book.
She transmigrated into the body of the villain in the book who met a tragic end.
The original owner was infatuated with the protagonist, Yan Ci, and took him home when he was down on his luck, euphemistically calling it "keeping a beauty in a golden house".
In reality, he used underhanded methods to imprison and entangle the protagonist, who eventually brought him down by a consortium of others.
And now, it was the first day he brought his words home. The young man sat in the corner of the sofa, his old T-shirt faded from washing, but he pursed his lips tightly, exuding a wary and gloomy aura.
Thinking of the original owner's tragic ending, Zhao Yu shuddered and decided to take good care of the protagonist until he became independent and then leave.
...
With downcast eyes and a forlorn expression, he said, "I want to go to school."
Zhao Yu waved his hand dismissively: Go! I'll get the paperwork done for you tomorrow!
...
Yan Ci returned with her textbooks, her fingers clenched so tightly they turned white: "I want to study acting."
Zhao Yu waved his hand dismissively: Learn! You can choose any teacher you like!
...
Late at night, Zhao Yu was playing games on the sofa when Yan Ci suddenly squatted down in front of him, her voice hoarse: "I want to sleep with Zhao Yu."
Zhao Yu waved his hand: Go! ...?
Wait a minute? What did he say?
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