Chapter 8 Insects
Chapter 8
The car swayed from morning until afternoon, and it was only when Yu Pan was about to get off that she realized her bones were stiff from sleeping so much.
When Yu Pan was a child, she asked Teacher Ji why the villages and towns around them all had the character "溪" (xi, meaning stream) in their names.
Teacher Ji said that their ancestors had relied on the Qingxi River for their livelihood for generations. The river nourished people and also nurtured these towns and villages.
Despite having "stream" in its name, Qingxi is actually a wide river.
Shen Yanzhou explained to him that, in terms of upstream and downstream, Baixi Town is upstream, and the river flows down from here, taking a very, very long way to pass by their house.
After grabbing my luggage, I was hit by a cold wind mixed with unfamiliar air as soon as I got off the bus.
Shen Yanzhou first went to ask the station staff for directions to the hotels in town.
The man pointed in the direction of the station entrance, "There are only two houses, both on the side, you'll see them after you turn the corner."
The hotels in Baixi Town are cheaper than those in the city, costing only three yuan a night, but the conditions are visibly worse. For example, a standard room in the city has two beds, while in the town there is only one.
Yu Pan followed Shen Yanzhou into the room. Just as he bent down to sit on the bed, the bed creaked and screamed as he moved, as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.
Yu Pan withdrew her hand, looked up at Chen Yanzhou, her eyes full of questions like, "Can you sleep in this?"
Compared to the sturdy beds in the city that cost nine yuan, this three-yuan bed definitely looks rather flimsy.
Yu Pan wrinkled her nose and sniffed. The room was filled with an indescribable smell. To put it more concretely, it smelled a bit like old cotton mixed with mold.
He followed the smell and discovered that the source of the smell was actually the pillows and duvet cover on the bed!
Shen Yanzhou had obviously smelled it too. He tugged at the duvet cover, touched the rough fabric, and frowned slightly. "Let's go out first and buy a new duvet while we're at it."
Yu Pan nodded, thinking to herself that she should have brought her big cotton quilt from home.
However, this idea was a bit far-fetched. The large cotton quilts they used were made by buying cotton and having it made at a shop. They weighed about twelve pounds and were thick and fluffy when folded.
When these quilts were made, they were packed with sheets and folded up to carry home. They couldn't fit into woven bags, let alone be carried to a place as far as Baixi Town.
Baixi Town is small, consisting of three streets running horizontally, connected by a main road that divides it into left and right halves.
Shen Yanzhou held the route map given to him by Liu Wei, stopping every now and then to check the direction. Yu Pan followed beside him, curiously looking around.
After walking two streets, he finally understood: the closer to the main road, the denser the crowds; as you walk to the side, the fewer people there are, and the houses gradually become lower, revealing the ridges of the fields behind them.
They walked intermittently, stopping in front of a large iron sign that read "Baixi Town Fireworks Factory" and had an arrow pointing inwards. Behind it was a winding dirt road that stretched into the mountain valley.
Seeing that Shen Yanzhou had folded the route map and stuffed it into his pocket, Yu Pan gestured to him: "Go in there, is that where you'll work from now on?"
“Yes,” Shen Yanzhou nodded, having memorized the location. Along the way, he had seen many buildings with “Rooms for Rent” signs posted on the walls, some even including “Bed and Cabinet Included”.
But he wasn't in a hurry; he needed to get Yu Pan to fill her stomach first.
Yu Pan had vomited these past two days, and her stomach was probably still weak, so Shen Yanzhou found a small porridge shop and ordered two bowls of vegetable porridge.
The porridge was very thick and light, with added green vegetables. Yu Pan held the bowl and sipped it slowly.
After finishing their porridge, the two went to the town's supply and marketing cooperative to buy bedding.
Shen Yanzhou didn't have high requirements for the quilt; as long as it could cover him and keep him warm, that was enough.
But Yu Pan is different. His skin is delicate, and even slightly rough fabric will easily turn red after a few rubs. The things he wears close to his body must be soft.
The workers at the supply and marketing cooperative greeted them warmly when they saw them standing at the door, asking, "What would you like to order?"
Shen Yanzhou didn't speak, but reached out and touched the hanging quilt cover.
The fabric is rather stiff and has a slightly washed, rigid feel.
The craftsman, with his sharp eyes, noticed his pickiness and quickly pulled out an unopened package from under the counter. "This one's good, all fine cotton..."
As she spoke, she unpacked the package and took out the duvet cover, sheets, and pillowcases. "This thin one is the mattress protector, and this one contains the quilted mattress pad..."
Shen Yanzhou rubbed the fabric; it was indeed softer and more comfortable than the previous ones. Then, looking at the bright red set in the craftsman's hand, he asked, "Do you have other colors?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The craftsman quickly laid out other colors of the same style. "Blue, light green, and this one with little flowers and grass, take a look?"
Shen Yanzhou turned to look at Yu Pan, "Which one do you like?"
Yu Pan pointed to the blue outfit.
“Okay,” the proprietress said, quickly picking up the blue four-piece bedding set, putting it in a bag, and adding, “Let me calculate the total price for you.”
After saying that, the proprietress started calculating on her abacus, muttering, "Ten pounds of cotton quilt is twenty-eight, five pounds of mattress is twelve, pillow core is six, four-piece set is thirty-three, blue one is two extra, totaling eighty-one, I'll charge you eighty."
Shen Yanzhou was about to take out his money when Yu Pan stopped him.
Yu Pan stared wide-eyed. Eighty?!
Unable to speak, he could only gesture anxiously to Chen Yanzhou, "It's too expensive, let's look again..."
The shopkeeper noticed his hesitation and chuckled, trying to smooth things over, "If you don't care about the color, this red four-piece set can be three yuan cheaper."
"It's not secondhand, it's just a bit dark in color. People here like to use bright red for weddings, nobody wants this dark red, it's been sitting there for half a year."
She added, "I bought these four pieces for 28 yuan each, so I don't make much profit."
After hearing the explanation and seeing how much cheaper it was, Yu Pan decisively decided not to take the blue bed sheet.
In the end, it came to seventy-six, but the proprietress gave them a discount of one yuan, making it seventy-five. She also gave them a large bag to carry their blankets, saying it was for good luck.
Back at the hostel, the two quickly removed the mattress and blankets from the bed and put them aside. They also wiped the bottom of the mattress clean before changing into their own new bedding.
The only problem was that the hostel bed was too small. The bedding they bought was 1.5 meters long, which was too long, so they had to fold it in half to make it fit properly.
Yu Pan spread out the sheets, plopped down on them, then leaned back and comfortably closed her eyes.
This feels almost like my bed at home...
Shen Yanzhou stood by the bed, watching him like a satisfied kitten, and couldn't help but smile.
The next day, the two of them got up a little late, which was unusual, after traveling for two days straight and they were exhausted.
After breakfast, they went to look at houses without stopping.
Most of the buildings in the town are for rent, and Shen Yanzhou had a specific purpose: he wanted good lighting and the floors couldn't be too high.
Yu Pan didn't have any particular thoughts; she just followed along, nodding if she thought it was appropriate and shaking her head if she didn't.
After wandering around most of the street, I finally found a one-bedroom apartment on the third floor that I liked.
The living room has two large windows, and when they went to look, most of the living room was filled with sunlight.
There was a small bookstore downstairs with eight rows of large bookshelves, and stationery was also sold at the counter.
When Yu Pan passed by, he couldn't move his feet and stared straight inside. Only when Shen Yanzhou pulled him did he reluctantly follow.
The landlady was a kind old lady who led them upstairs. "The furniture is all there, including a table, bed, and wardrobe. You can move in as soon as it's cleaned up."
Shen Yanzhou checked the doors, windows, and water and electricity, and found nothing wrong.
The rent was fifteen yuan a month, with a deposit of one month's rent paid in advance. After paying the money and getting the keys, the two went back to the hostel to pack their things, check out, and head to their new home.
Shen Yanzhou was used to working hard and moved very quickly, and Yu Pan was just as fast.
After all, in Xishan Village, when Shen Yanzhou went to work, he could take care of all the housework himself. Except for places that were too high to reach, Shen Yanzhou never had to worry about anything else.
They booked the room at noon, and by the afternoon they had finished decorating the bedroom.
The room is really well-lit; the two large windows in the living room let in light, making the whole living room bright and airy.
There is also a large window in the bedroom, and a small desk is placed by the window. Yu Pan is most satisfied with this place; it is simply a great place to read.
The lights in the room were just as bright as the ones Shen Yanzhou had installed before.
That evening, the old lady and her men carried a honeycomb briquette stove and an aluminum kettle for them.
"This stove is for you to use. It's convenient for boiling water and cooking. I'll teach you how to use it."
After explaining, the old lady patiently demonstrated to them how to start a fire and adjust the air damper, and only left with peace of mind when Shen Yanzhou said he had learned it.
The coal stove was placed on the small balcony near the kitchen, and the flames licked the bottom of the pot, quickly boiling a kettle of water.
They hadn't had a proper shower since leaving home, at most just wiping themselves down with hot water at the hotel. Now they were all looking forward to a good hot shower.
Yu Pan even subconsciously stopped biting Chen Yanzhou when she was rubbing against him.
After taking a shower, Yu Pan lay on the bed wearing an undershirt, looked at the wooden lattice on the ceiling, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Shen Yanzhou entered the room while drying his hair. Seeing him lying there in just a base layer, he frowned and said, "Not wearing a coat or a blanket, do you want to catch a cold again?"
Yu Pan quickly wrapped herself in the blanket and sat up, only her head, neck and hands showing, and gestured with her legs crossed: "I forgot."
Shen Yanzhou's gaze fell on his face, and he paused for a moment.
He never knew that red suited him so well.
Yu Pan's skin was naturally fair, but she hadn't noticed it last night in the dimly lit hotel. Now, with the better lighting, the red hue reflected in the lamplight made her skin look like warm jade soaked in water, fair with a hint of pink.
He reached out and pinched Yu Pan's cheek, said nothing, and turned back to continue drying his hair.
Yu Pan put on a sweater, ran out of bed, found the copy of "Story Collection" he had bought, and lay down on the bed to read it while covered with the blanket.
He only put the book aside when Shen Yanzhou told him to go to sleep.
Perhaps because she had finally settled down, Yu Pan slept exceptionally soundly that night, without a single dream.
When Yu Pan woke up, she felt a little pain in her collarbone. She got up and looked in the bathroom mirror. She saw that several red rashes had appeared on her collarbone, as if she had been bitten by something.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed red rashes on her face as well!
Startled, Yu Pan quickly ran back to the bedroom and woke up Shen Yanzhou.
When Shen Yanzhou opened his eyes, he gestured with a mournful face, "Brother! There are bugs!"
After gesturing, he pointed to his collarbone and both sides of his cheeks, his fingers trembling with anxiety.
Shen Yanzhou blinked, pulled the person sitting on his lower abdomen down, wrapped him in the blanket, and held him tightly with his arms. "Hmm... I'll find you some bugs after I wake up."
Hearing him say that, Yu Pan's panic subsided considerably. She drifted off to sleep again, her thoughts lingering on whether the bugs would bite her again and how comfortable the bed was…
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
