Chapter 57 "Brother likes it very much."
Chapter 57
Seeing Yu Pan's frightened expression, Shen Yanzhou closed his eyes, exhaled, and when he opened them again, most of the anger in his eyes had dissipated.
He walked over, raised his hand and wiped Yu Pan's face twice, saying irritably, "Why are you crying? Weren't you pretty brave when you ran over here?"
It would have been better if he hadn't asked. As soon as Shen Yanzhou asked, Yu Pan's tears started flowing even more uncontrollably. Yu Pan already knew that he had done something wrong, but Shen Yanzhou didn't even wait for him to apologize and instead scolded him so loudly.
This time, Shen Yanzhou didn't comfort him or let him cry. He wiped away his tears a few times and then turned and left. A short while later, he returned carrying a cardboard box filled with medicine.
Working on a construction site inevitably involves bumps and sprains, and these emergency wound medications are always on hand. Shen Yanzhou squatted down and carefully helped Yu Pan up one of her legs.
Both the jeans and the thermal underwear underneath were torn when the fall occurred. The large tears were stained with yellowish-black mud and blood. Shen Yanzhou picked up the scissors and carefully cut off the pant legs above the knees.
Without the fabric to cover it, the cold air gave my skin goosebumps and completely exposed the abrasion on my knee.
Shen Yanzhou pursed his lips and began to clean Yu Pan's wound with hydrogen peroxide. The cold liquid stung the broken skin.
Yu Pan was crying so hard when she suddenly hissed. She instinctively tried to pull her leg back, but her calf was held by Chen Yanzhou and she couldn't move it at all.
Shen Yanzhou didn't speak, but he tried to be as gentle as possible in treating the wounds on Yu Pan's two knees.
After applying the medicine and wrapping the gauze, Chen Yanzhou looked up and saw Yu Pan still with tears streaming down her face. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Still feeling wronged?"
“No, I’m not wronged,” Yu Pan replied, sobbing.
"If you're not upset, why are you crying?"
"It hurts," Yu Pan attributed her incessant tears to her wound, "It hurts so much."
"Now you know what pain is?" Shen Yanzhou's voice turned cold again. "What did I teach you before? Huh? What should you do when you encounter someone trying to steal your things?"
"Preservation, preserving life is the most important thing."
"And what about you? How did you do it this time?" Mentioning this, Shen Yanzhou's temper flared up again.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry," Yu Pan stammered, her tears, which had been somewhat contained, beginning to flow again. "Next time, it won't happen again..."
"There will be a next time?" Shen Yanzhou's voice suddenly rose.
Yu Pan was startled and shook her head and waved her hands, denying it three times: "No, there will absolutely not be a next time!"
Shen Yanzhou dragged a stool and sat opposite Yu Pan, staring at him for a long time until he stopped crying. Then he got up, took a basin, went outside to get cold water, went back inside, added hot water from the thermos, tested the temperature, and then took a towel, soaked it, and wrung it out.
"look up."
Yu Pan obediently tilted his head back, letting Shen Yanzhou gently wipe away the tear stains on his face with a towel. The warm and soft touch made him relax a little.
After wiping his face, Shen Yanzhou was about to turn around to pour water when Yu Pan grabbed her arm.
Yu Pan pointed to the cut on his right knuckle from the beating and said, "I'll put some medicine on you too."
"It's alright." Shen Yanzhou tried to pull his hand back, but Yu Pan held on tightly, causing Yu Pan to lean forward. Her knee involuntarily tensed, and Yu Pan gasped in pain.
"Yes, I want it," Yu Pan insisted, enduring the pain.
Shen Yanzhou sat down helplessly and stretched out his hand, "Fine, you do it."
Yu Pan followed the steps he took to treat her wound, slowly and carefully. Just as she was wondering whether she should also wrap some gauze around her wound, Tan Ming came in carrying Yu Pan's backpack.
"Oh, so you've made up already?" Tan Ming put Yu Pan's backpack on the table and glanced at the two brothers, whose atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Shen Yanzhou didn't respond to his question, but asked instead, "How are things going with those two?"
"Don't worry, I've already spoken to them over there. They'll be in for a rough time." Tan Ming chuckled, walked over, and casually ruffled Yu Pan's hair. "You're lucky, kid. Your brother didn't slap you, did he?"
Yu Pan shook his head; Shen Yanzhou wouldn't hit him.
"Tsk, it seems that..." Tan Ming looked at Shen Yanzhou mischievously, but was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
"Tan Ming, don't you have anything to do?" Shen Yanzhou interrupted him. "If you have nothing to do, grill me two chicken legs, thanks."
"Don't be so polite with me, it's only right," Tan Ming said. "Panpan, would you like some chicken legs? I'll grill you a couple too."
Yu Pan didn't dare to agree immediately, and secretly glanced at Shen Yanzhou.
Seeing this, Tan Ming also looked at Shen Yanzhou.
Eat whenever you want.
"Yes, I will," Yu Pan whispered to Tan Ming.
"I really don't understand you two." Tan Ming shook his head with a smile, then turned and left.
As soon as the door closed, Yu Pan couldn't help but linger on the bed, wanting to get up.
“Sit down,” Shen Yanzhou said. “Don’t move around.”
Yu Pan pursed her lips, her eyes swollen from crying, and looked at Shen Yanzhou. "But I want to hug you."
Shen Yanzhou couldn't bring himself to be hard-hearted at Yu Pan's appearance. He sighed, resignedly bent down, and put his arms under Yu Pan's armpits and knees, lifting her up steadily.
Then he sat down on the edge of the bed, let Yu Pan sit sideways on his lap, and pulled a piece of blanket to cover his calves.
Since Shen Yanzhou was willing to hug her, it meant he wasn't so angry anymore. Yu Pan sat with her head on Shen Yanzhou's shoulder for a while before looking up, leaning over, and rubbing her nose against Shen Yanzhou's chin. "Brother, give me a kiss."
Shen Yanzhou lowered his head and kissed his forehead as instructed.
Yu Pan, however, was not satisfied. She wriggled in Shen Yanzhou's arms, whimpering, and mumbled, "Not here..."
"Where is that?" Shen Yanzhou asked deliberately.
Yu Pan pouted and mumbled, "Here."
Shen Yanzhou stopped teasing him, cupped the back of his head in his hand, and lowered his head to kiss Yu Pan's lips.
The kiss initially carried a hint of punishment, with Shen Yanzhou nibbling at Yu Pan's lower lip, but it quickly transformed into gentle licking and deep penetration in Yu Pan's response.
Only when Yu Pan's breathing became labored and he let out a soft sob did Chen Yanzhou step back slightly, wipe away the tears that had welled up in the corners of his eyes with his thumb, and ask in a low voice, "Are you still afraid?"
Yu Pan nodded vigorously, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you worry... I just missed you so much..."
They last met on December 2nd. Shen Yanzhou returned in a hurry and stayed for three days. Counting today, they have not seen each other for a full month and a half.
Even though they had agreed to come back for the Chinese New Year, for Yu Pan, being alone in the empty house made every day feel too long and too unbearable.
“Brother was also at fault,” Shen Yanzhou kissed Yu Pan’s wet eyes, “It’s because I didn’t tell you about the situation here, you didn’t know…”
If he had told Yu Pan more often about the poor security situation in the area, Yu Pan wouldn't have come alone, and even if she had, she wouldn't have dared to walk alone at night.
"No," Yu Pan quickly shook her head, taking the blame upon herself, "It was my fault for being disobedient, and I even lied to you..."
"Well, we were both at fault this time," Shen Yanzhou ruffled Yu Pan's hair. "Now tell me, how did you get through this?"
Yu Pan sniffed and told Shen Yanzhou her plan in fits and starts: how to buy plane tickets, how to take a bus to the bus station, how to get on a bus, how to get to Qingyu, and how to ask someone for directions.
After listening, Shen Yanzhou didn't scold him. Instead, he frowned and brought up the incident of Yu Pan being pulled onto a bus at the bus station, saying, "Aren't you afraid that it's a human trafficker? That they'll just drag you onto the bus and sell you?"
"I was... a little scared at the time," Yu Pan honestly admitted. "When she was pulling me away, I was thinking that if something went wrong, I would run away..."
"When that time comes, you won't have a choice. You won't be able to run away even if you want to," Shen Yanzhou said seriously, patting his bottom. "Remember, from now on, when you go out and take the bus, you can only buy tickets at official stations, understand?"
Yu Pan knew he had made a big mistake. He wrapped his arms around Shen Yanzhou's neck, leaned in and kissed Shen Yanzhou's lips gently, vaguely promising, "I know."
"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now," Shen Yanzhou said, biting the person who was messing with his lips, his words carrying a hint of viciousness. "I'll settle the score with you properly when we get home."
"Huh?" Yu Pan was displeased, and said with a bitter face, "Can't it just be completely over?"
"No." Shen Yanzhou rejected him without hesitation. Just then, he heard Tan Ming shouting that the chicken legs were ready. He carefully put Yu Pan back on the bed and sat her down. "I'm going out to get some food. You sit still and don't move around, understand?"
"I heard you." Yu Pan obediently replied, then remembered something and pointed to the backpack on the table, "Brother, could you bring my bag over here for a moment?"
"Okay." Shen Yanzhou replied, taking Yu Pan's bag and handing it to him before turning to leave.
When Shen Yanzhou returned with a plate of fragrant roasted chicken legs and wings, he saw that Yu Pan had already placed his backpack on a stool to the side and was no longer holding it. "Aren't you going to look at your precious bag?"
Yu Pan chuckled twice, her eyes flickering slightly, "I'm not watching anymore."
Seeing his slightly guilty and secretive look, Shen Yanzhou knew he must have something on his mind, but he didn't rush to ask. He simply put the deboned chicken legs and wings into a small bowl and handed them to him to eat.
Yu Pan picked up a piece and took a bite, but the smell and taste didn't match. She glanced at her own bowl, then looked at Chen Yanzhou's, and immediately protested, "Why doesn't mine have any seasoning?"
"Why aren't there any seasonings?" Shen Yanzhou raised an eyebrow. "Isn't salt a seasoning?"
"Yours has chili powder!" Yu Pan said, pointing to the roasted chicken leg in Shen Yanzhou's bowl, which was sprinkled with cumin and chili powder and looked much more appetizing.
"You have an injury, so you need to avoid spicy and stimulating foods."
Yu Pan muttered softly, "Is barbecue still barbecue if there's no chili powder?"
"Oh? Then you won't eat?" Shen Yanzhou pretended to take his bowl away.
"Eat! I'll eat!" Yu Pan quickly held the bowl to her chest.
After finishing his meal, Yu Pan licked his lips with satisfaction. Although he hadn't added much seasoning, the chicken was roasted until it was crispy and fragrant, and he still ate it all up.
He secretly glanced at Shen Yanzhou, who was cleaning up the trash, and pondered the right moment.
Shen Yanzhou tidied up the trash and took it out to throw it away. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Yu Pan looking at him with bright eyes and an expression of barely suppressed anticipation.
"Brother..." Yu Pan called him softly.
"Hmm?" Shen Yanzhou wiped his hands clean. "What else would you like to eat?"
Yu Pan shook his head, pulled a small, square black box from under the blanket, held it with both hands, and handed it to Chen Yanzhou. "This is for you."
Shen Yanzhou took it with some surprise, lifted the lid, and a pair of silver cuffs lay on the black cloth.
He froze, picked up one of the coins, and looked up at Yu Pan, who looked nervous. A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Seeing his complicated expression, which made it impossible to tell whether he liked it or not, Yu Pan said from the side, "The sales assistant said that these cufflinks symbolize 'hunting.' I think when you're working, you're like a hunter—very focused and very skilled..."
His voice trailed off as he spoke, and finally he asked, "Brother, do you like it?"
Shen Yanzhou took a deep breath, gripped the cuff in his hand, the metal edges digging into his palm. He raised his hand and pulled the person in front of him, who both angered and pained him, into his arms, holding him tightly.
“I like it,” Shen Yanzhou whispered in Yu Pan’s ear. “I really like it.”
Yu Pan finally felt completely relieved, and a big smile bloomed on her face. "Then, brother... can we not settle the score when we get home?"
Shen Yanzhou also laughed, "No, this debt must be settled."
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Author's Note: Panpan [Cat Head]: Please tell me how to not do accounting! [Please][Please][Please][Please]
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, my darlings!
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