Chapter 31 It's all your fault for spoiling me
Chapter 31
Zhang Yingqun was overjoyed at their sudden return. He went up to the roof, grabbed a chicken, and quickly killed and stewed it.
The rich aroma of chicken soup soon filled the kitchen.
After stewing the chicken, Zhang Yingqun rubbed his hands together, looking at the dishes on the table. He felt that it wasn't plentiful enough, and muttered, "You've come all this way... and this is all you have? No, I'll go to the alley entrance and get some braised meat."
Thinking of the braised and cooked foods that Yu Pan used to love, Zhang Yingqun was about to take off her apron and go out.
"Grandma, this is enough." Shen Yanzhou stopped the old woman. "Please sit down and rest, and talk to Panpan. If you really want more vegetables, I'll go buy them."
Zhang Yingqun couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she nodded, "Then...okay, you know the place, it's the restaurant that Xiao Pan liked to eat at before."
Shen Yanzhou replied, "I know," and at the same time said to Yu Pan, who was helping to peel garlic, "Panpan, I'm going to buy groceries."
Yu Pan looked up, her eyes crinkling with a smile, "I know, brother."
Shen Yanzhou nodded as well. This place was a familiar and safe environment for Yu Pan, and even if he left, Yu Pan would not panic.
However, Shen Yanzhou's journey took longer than expected. Zhang Yingqun had already cooked the chicken and served the chicken soup, but Shen Yanzhou was still nowhere to be seen.
She couldn't help but peek towards the door, muttering with some puzzlement, "Xiao Pan, this shop is right at the alley entrance, it'll take at most fifteen minutes round trip, has your brother gotten lost?"
Yu Pan was setting the table when she heard this and shook her head firmly, "No, my memory is excellent."
No sooner had he finished speaking than familiar footsteps came from the stairwell.
Zhang Yingqun looked up and saw Shen Yanzhou carrying several bulging bags and boxes as he entered.
"Oh my, why are you carrying so much stuff?" the old lady greeted her in surprise. "Weren't you just going to buy some cooked food?"
Yu Pan quickly ran over and took the box from Shen Yanzhou's hand. "Not much, not much! Grandpa and Grandma, these are all things my brother bought for you!"
As he spoke, he put down his things, opened one of the largest cardboard boxes, and revealed a black radio inside.
After plugging it in and skillfully adjusting the channels, the radio soon emitted a series of melodious opera singing sounds.
Zhang Yingqun loved listening to traditional opera. Her family always invited opera troupes to perform in front of the government building during festivals, and she never missed a single one. So, she was quite surprised to suddenly hear opera playing from the big black box.
"This... black box can even play songs!" The old lady was both surprised and delighted, looking at the radio again and again.
“Yes.” Yu Pan nodded vigorously, a little smug on his face, as if he had invented this novel gadget.
He then picked up another, slightly smaller box and handed it to Yang Yongfu, who was watching with a smile. "Grandpa, this is for you."
Inside was a pair of glasses frames; Yang Yongfu's previous glasses had their temples wrapped with tape several times.
Zhang Yingqun looked at the things Shen Yanzhou put down one after another. Besides the cooked food he had asked him to buy, there was a beautifully packaged ginseng gift box, a bottle of medicinal wine that looked expensive, and several boxes of pastries...
Seeing this, she felt a pang of heartache and couldn't help but mutter, "It's fine to come back, just visit us is enough, but you brought so much stuff... How much money did this cost? It's such a waste..."
“It’s not a waste, Grandma.” Yu Pan picked up the box of ginseng, carefully looked at the instructions on the back, and tried her best to explain in her own words: “This is good for your health, it replenishes your vital energy… and this…”
He then pointed to the dark-colored medicinal wine, "This, the doctor said, is right, it's very effective for rheumatism and bone pain..." Yu Pan remembered that in Baixi Town, whenever it rained, the old lady would massage her legs while working.
“And this…” Yu Pan touched the black radio, “With this, I can listen to operas every day to relieve boredom… These are all useful things, not a waste of money.”
"You... sigh!" The old lady looked at his earnest expression, feeling both touched and helpless. In the end, all she could say was a sigh tinged with a smile, "You two children..."
During the meal, Yu Pan chattered away to the elders, talking about the tall buildings in Lanzhou, the tutor his brother had hired for him, the huge wall of books in his house, and his first time on an airplane...
When the conversation turned to their medical treatment in Lanzhou, the old lady was heartbroken to hear that they had to queue up to see one doctor today, queue up to pay for this test tomorrow, and then go see another doctor. She kept saying, "Why are doctors in big cities so picky about their patients? They can't treat this one, and they can't cure that one..."
“Grandma, you can’t say that,” Shen Yanzhou explained. “Everyone has their own area of expertise, and doctors are no exception. They each have their own areas of specialization.”
"That makes sense." The old lady nodded after listening, and then touched Yu Pan's hand. "Fortunately, Xiao Pan is almost fully recovered now. She looks healthy and speaks well!"
Yu Pan, feeling embarrassed by the praise, rubbed against Chen Yanzhou's leg.
After finishing dinner, the old lady slapped her forehead and realized she needed to go to bed.
"Oh dear, look at my memory! I was so happy! Where do you sleep tonight? I always sweep your room, it's clean, but the blankets..."
“It’s alright, Grandma,” Shen Yanzhou interrupted her. “We can just tidy up a bit and go to sleep.”
"No, that won't do. I have clean sheets in my closet. I'll get them for you..." the old lady said, turning to go back into the house.
“No need, Grandma, we brought them,” Shen Yanzhou said.
The old lady asked suspiciously, "Are you lying to Grandma again? You're going on a long trip and you're bringing blankets?"
“Grandma, it’s true.” Yu Pan chimed in, running to their suitcases and pulling out a bag from the top compartment. “This sheet is what we’ve always carried with us.”
Shen Yanzhou was worried that Yu Pan wouldn't sleep well, so he brought her out specifically.
The old lady was relieved to learn that they hadn't spent any extra money on it.
-
Ever since she learned that Yu Pan's hearing had improved, Zhang Yingqun had been cleaning their house, just in case they suddenly came back.
The blankets and such aren't aired out often, but now that it's so hot, even sleeping with the fan on is too hot.
The room remained exactly as it had been when they left. Yu Pan plugged in the fan that Shen Yanzhou had used as an award for outstanding employee and pressed the button.
The electric fan started spinning with a "hum."
After taking a shower and getting into bed, Yu Pan looked at the familiar ceiling and felt an indescribable sense of comfort and peace.
They're back.
As soon as Shen Yanzhou lay down next to him, Yu Pan rolled over and snuggled up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face against his shoulder.
"Isn't it hot?" Shen Yanzhou asked in a low voice. The weather in Baixi was hotter and stickier than in Lanzhou. The fan had limited power, and it was indeed hotter for the two of them to be close together.
Yu Pan rubbed against Shen Yanzhou's shoulder, her voice muffled, "It's hot, but I'll stay close to you even if it's hot."
Shen Yanzhou chuckled and pinched his nose. "You're so spoiled."
Yu Pan snorted defiantly, "It's because you spoiled me."
-
Their return this time wasn't just to visit the bookstore owner and the landlady.
The next day at noon, after lunch, Shen Yanzhou drove the old-fashioned bicycle that Yu Pan had bought for him, with him on the back. It had been so long since he had ridden it that the whole bike rattled as soon as he pedaled, but it didn't fall apart. He rode off to find Tan Ming, creaking and groaning.
As luck would have it, Tan Ming was on his way to help someone transport a batch of goods when he was stopped at the door by his younger brother Tan Bai's homeroom teacher.
Looking at his younger brother behind the homeroom teacher, whose face was bruised and swollen, with a large tear in his sleeve, and who still had a stubborn neck and a defiant look on his face, Tan Ming felt his temples throbbing and his blood pressure rising sharply.
After saying goodbye to the teacher, they led the person home.
"Did you get into trouble again?" Tan Ming asked, rubbing his forehead. Clearly, this question was unnecessary.
Tan Bai snorted, turned his face away, and said in a very aggressive tone, "They provoke me every day, they're always asking for trouble, so what if I beat them up? They deserve it!"
"What are you yelling for? It's not like I'm forbidding you from fighting." Tan Ming took out some safflower oil from home and pressed it hard on the obviously swollen bump on his forehead, annoyed. "But you should at least improve a little, instead of hurting yourself every time! Isn't that a waste?"
"Ouch!" Tan Bai winced in pain, gasping for breath, but still wouldn't back down, "They...they're just taking advantage of their numbers! If they came one by one, who knows what they'd be like in bed..."
"Knock knock knock".
Before Tan Bai could finish speaking, a slow, deliberate knocking sounded at the door.
"Who is it..." Tan Bai muttered irritably, "In broad daylight."
Tan Ming put down the safflower oil, glanced at his younger brother, and said, "Heh, who else could it be? It must be the parents of those kids you beat up."
He walked over to open the door as he spoke, his words already prepared in his mind.
However, when the door opened, the person standing outside was someone he never expected.
"Shen Yanzhou!?" Tan Ming exclaimed in surprise, his anger instantly replaced by delight.
"What Shen Yanzhou?" Tan Bai, inside the room, was baffled. He endured the pain and limped over to take a look, thinking to himself, "I didn't beat up anyone like that..."
"When did you get back?" Tan Ming stepped aside to let him in.
Shen Yanzhou smiled. "Just a couple of days ago."
"Brother Tan!" Yu Pan peeked out from behind Shen Yanzhou and called out in a clear voice. But when she saw Tan Bai, who had a bruised face and an unfriendly expression, behind Tan Ming, she froze for a moment and silently shrank back behind Shen Yanzhou.
Tan Ming immediately peeked behind Shen Yanzhou, his face filled with disbelief: "Who was speaking just now? Let me see, who was speaking..."
He looked at Yu Pan carefully, "Is she cured?"
Shen Yanzhou smiled and nodded, leading Yu Pan into the house. "I suppose so, she's recovered quite well."
Once inside, Yu Pan, who didn't know Tan Bai, sat down awkwardly next to Shen Yanzhou, while also curiously peeking at the boy opposite him with bruises all over his face.
"My brother, Tan Bai," Tan Ming introduced briefly, his tone tinged with helplessness.
Shen Yanzhou nodded to Tan Bai as a greeting. He had heard Tan Ming mention his younger brother, who was going through a rebellious phase, when they were running errands before.
Tan Ming was overjoyed to see Shen Yanzhou after so long, and he kept asking her all sorts of questions. As they chatted, Shen Yanzhou learned that Tan Ming was no longer working at the Baixi Fireworks Factory.
"Driving a car all by myself is no fun." Tan Ming picked up a cigarette, but didn't light it, just toying with it in his hand. "Your brother's doing well now, what are his plans for the future? Still staying in Baixi?"
Shen Yanzhou hesitated for a moment, then said frankly, "I'm currently working on an engineering project in Lanzhou."
Then he briefly told Tan Ming about his encounter with Lin Siyuan in Lanzhou.
"Wow, this guy's got some serious connections?" Tan Ming clicked his tongue, looking admiringly. "You're lucky... no, you're also capable, otherwise you wouldn't be able to make a living like this. It's really fate."
Shen Yanzhou and Tan Ming didn't hide their conversation from their two younger brothers.
Yu Pan wasn't very interested in these business strategies or career plans; her attention was completely drawn to the peanut candy on the plate on the table. After quietly asking Shen Yanzhou, she took a piece and ate it in small bites, her cheeks bulging as she ate.
Tan Bai was equally uninterested in the topic. He leaned back in his chair listlessly, enduring the pain in his body while observing the two brothers opposite him.
He'd heard his brother mention Shen Yanzhou a few times, and knew he was a buddy he'd met last year while driving trucks together. He was quite capable, and there was also the guy next to him who ate like a squirrel…
Wasn't he supposed to be mute?
The brothers were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't realize the sky outside the window was turning yellow. It wasn't until the old-fashioned wall clock struck six that they realized it was already six o'clock.
Tan Ming then belatedly realized what was happening, exclaimed "Ouch!" and slapped his thigh as he stood up. "We've been so busy chatting! It's already this late. Let's go out to a restaurant! We have to have a couple of drinks!"
However, since they wanted to discuss some things privately, they didn't eat at the noisy restaurant. Instead, they went to a restaurant and ordered a few hearty dishes, a case of beer, and a bottle of liquor, before returning to Tan Ming's house.
The four of them sat down around a small table. Tan Ming enthusiastically poured drinks for Shen Yanzhou, filling his glass with both beer and liquor, while Yu Pan received a glass of Jianlibao.
Tan Bai had just finished a fight today, and his face was bruised and swollen, looking quite frightening. Tan Ming was afraid that drinking alcohol would aggravate his wounds, so he didn't let him touch any alcohol. Just like Yu Pan, he only poured him a glass of Jianlibao.
This annoyed Tan Bai again, but he couldn't embarrass his brother in front of others, so he could only silently gnaw on his chicken leg.
"Speaking of which, aren't your brother and my brother about the same age?" Tan Ming took a sip of beer and glanced at Tan Bai. "My brother, that rascal, is already seventeen this year."
“Panpan is two years older than him,” Shen Yanzhou said, picking up a piece of roasted duck wing for Yu Pan.
Tan Ming looked at Yu Pan, who was gnawing on a duck wing next to Shen Yanzhou, and said, "Wow, I can't believe it, she looks so young."
"Yes, you look young." Shen Yanzhou's tone carried a hint of doting affection.
The brothers continued chatting, but Yu Pan's attention was entirely focused on the food, occasionally listening in.
The dishes on the table were quite heavily seasoned, and Yu Pan felt increasingly thirsty as she ate. She reached out and touched the cup containing Jianlibao (a popular Chinese herbal tea brand) in front of her.
Just then, Tan Ming said something that made Shen Yanzhou laugh, and Yu Pan turned to look at him.
In that brief moment of distraction, he touched the cup without looking at it closely, picked it up, and took a big gulp.
An extremely spicy and stimulating taste exploded in my mouth instantly, burning all the way down my throat.
Yu Pan's face flushed red instantly, she choked and coughed, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Shen Yanzhou was the first to react, patting his back to help him catch his breath.
Yu Pan coughed until her eyes were filled with tears. She barely managed to suppress the burning sensation, but she could still feel the burning sensation lingering from her tongue to her stomach.
He looked up at Shen Yanzhou, his voice full of grievance, "Brother...it's so spicy it's killing me..."
Shen Yanzhou then looked at the cup that Yu Pan had just used, and after taking a sniff, he was both amused and exasperated.
Tan Bai was a little dumbfounded. He had been drinking with his brother since he was eight years old, and this was the first time he had ever seen someone become like this after just one sip of baijiu.
His face and neck were as red as a boiled shrimp, and he was coughing so hard it was almost unbearable. He looked pitiful yet somewhat comical. And it seemed he had grabbed the wrong cup himself.
Tan Ming laughed too, "Panpan is even helping your brother fend off drinks now? But she'll have to work on her drinking capacity, hahaha!"
Shen Yanzhou ignored Tan Ming's teasing. Seeing the person in his arms staring blankly, he knew the alcohol was taking effect, and felt both helpless and distressed. He put his arm around Yu Pan's shoulder to make him more comfortable and asked in a low voice, "Are you dizzy?"
Yu Pan nodded first, then shook her head vigorously, leaning against Shen Yanzhou's chest as if she had no bones. Her head was slumped on his shoulder, and her breath reeked of alcohol. "Brother, don't move, don't, turn me around."
"Okay, okay, I won't move, I won't turn you." Shen Yanzhou softened his voice and gently patted his back like he was coaxing a child, trying to make him feel better.
However, Yu Pan only stayed still for a short while before snuggling into Shen Yanzhou's arms again, one hand tightly gripping the fabric of Shen Yanzhou's shirt at the waist as if afraid he would run away, and mumbling indistinctly, "Brother, I'm sleepy, I want to sleep."
The drunk Yu Pan was even more clingy than usual. In just a short while, she was almost sitting on Shen Yanzhou's lap, rubbing against him so much that two buttons on Shen Yanzhou's shirt came undone.
Shen Yanzhou remained calm, soothing the restless little drunkard in his arms, and turned to Tan Ming, saying, "It seems we can't drink anymore. I'll take him back to rest first."
Tan Ming nodded quickly: "Okay, okay, shall I drive you there?"
“You’ve had quite a bit to drink too,” Shen Yanzhou reminded him. “It’s alright, it’s not far. I’ll take him back slowly.”
After saying that, he tried to help Yu Pan stand up, but the drunken man was uncooperative. When he felt that Shen Yanzhou was going to move him away, he immediately hummed in dissatisfaction and clung to Shen Yanzhou.
"I can't get up... Brother, hold me..." Yu Pan buried her face in Shen Yanzhou's neck, completely ignoring Tan Ming and Tan Bai watching from the side.
"Okay, I'll carry you, but you have to get up first, right?" Shen Yanzhou coaxed him.
Yu Pan frowned, seemingly considering the suggestion, then straddled his lap. "Like this, hug me."
Shen Yanzhou leaned against him, his arms steadily supporting his hips and legs, and stood up. He adjusted his posture so that Yu Pan could lean more comfortably on his shoulder, and said goodbye to Tan Ming.
Tan Bai, who hadn't said much, looked at Yu Pan, who was excessively beautiful but was now so drunk that she was unconscious and clung to someone's arms without any regard for her image, and was even being carried away like a child.
He subconsciously raised his hand to touch the throbbing bump on his forehead, and a strange, indescribable feeling welled up inside him.
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Author's Note: Tan Bai: My dear brothers, is this how brothers get along?
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