Chapter 19: 19 You obviously like her, but whether she likes her or not...
A corner was piled high with plump, green watermelons. A few hours ago, they'd been bouncing around on a rusty tricycle. Fu Yu's grandfather had ridden the heavy load of fruit from his old house to Sanxi Bridge, selling a few along the way. In the end, he refused to sell any, telling everyone he met that the fruit was for his grandson and his wife.
Fu Yu was accustomed to his grandparents treating their family of four as if they were eight, and whether it was vegetables grown at home or fruit picked from the greenhouse, they always gave him generous portions. Now that he had married, his grandparents had indeed intensified their generosity, sending him a whole cart of food, the watermelon seeds in it probably totaling more than the grains of rice he ate.
Since there wasn't enough space at home, Qiu Yanfang suggested sending some to her in-laws, and then having her son take some back to District XX to show his affection to his wife. Fu Yu followed his instructions and made a trip to his mother-in-law's house. He still had four or five watermelons left to take back to their home in District XX, figuring out how to show Tang Ke his grandfather's hospitality in a natural way.
He sent a message to Tang Ke, but she didn't reply. Her WeChat status showed "feeling good" with a barbecue and beer in the background. Fu Yu thought she was out for a late-night snack, which was a good opportunity.
He made a video call - it was not necessary to meet her face to face to convey the message to her. A photo and a phone call were enough to complete the task. After all, everyone knew what a watermelon looked like. The purpose of his unnecessary move was to consolidate the social relationship of the newlyweds through formal channels, build a community of shared destiny for the family, and also, he kind of wanted to see her.
Fu Yu sat in front of a pile of watermelons. Half of the screen was watermelons, and the other half was himself sitting cross-legged. He repeatedly adjusted the camera position, like a host selling watermelons.
During the half minute of waiting for the call to be connected, he predicted whether Tang Ke's first words would be "Wow, so many watermelons" or "Dude, you changed your career."
After waiting for a long time, the other person's image finally appeared on the screen. He straightened his back, but only saw a vast expanse of white and fog, which was beyond his expectations.
The camera panned left and right, sweeping across her hair, hazy forehead, and then rushing to her slightly red face, moving away, then moving forward, suddenly falling down, and tilting towards a steamy mirror.
Fu Yu was stunned and looked dazed for a moment. He asked her what she was doing. The scene looked more like a bathroom than a barbecue stall.
The bathroom... that mirror...
The camera returned to her ear, and the sound of her slippers was heard, she was whispering to her friend, and finally she fell on the bed with her whole body relaxed, a comfortable sigh came from her throat, and then the mattress shook twice.
"..." Fu Yu felt that if he didn't remind her, moisture would flow through the phone screen and onto his lenses.
"This is a video call, hold your phone away."
She was embarrassed and hung up the phone within a second.
Fu Yu leaned to the side, resting his arm on the watermelon, holding his forehead as he tried to digest it, feeling very depressed.
Tang Ke looked through the chat history and realized that Fu Yu wanted to show her the watermelon his grandfather had given her. Stereotyped thinking is deadly. Who would just video chat right away these days? She regained her composure and leaned against the bedside to call back.
"I drank a little, and my mind is not clear." Tang Ke said, blaming it on the alcohol without blushing or beating his heart. Then he immediately changed the subject to put an end to the awkwardness. "So many watermelons, how many did your grandfather give you?"
Fu Yu simply couldn't bear to look at her in her pajamas. Her exposed collarbone and damp temples were more eye-catching than the flesh in the center of a watermelon. He stared at the ceiling nonchalantly, pretending to think, and said, "About twelve or thirteen, some big, some small."
"They all look pretty big to me. Cut one for me to see." Tang Ke didn't need to be mentally prepared when he ordered people around.
Fu Yu picked up a watermelon and went to the kitchen, where he cut the watermelon live. When he heard the crisp sound of the skin and flesh coming apart, he knew it was the best watermelon.
"I'm so greedy!" Tang Ke licked his lips. "When will it be delivered? Thank Grandpa for me."
"Are you and your friends going out to play tomorrow?" Fu Yu wrapped half of the watermelon in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator, and cut the other half into small pieces.
"Yes, let's go to the game city. The coupon is about to expire." Tang Ke said. Attracted by the fresh and juicy watermelon, she felt a little thirsty and stretched out her arm to get the water cup on the bedside table.
"..." Fu Yu was speechless for a moment, swallowing his bitter pills, successfully playing the role of the pearl who bought the box and returned the pearl. He had clearly been reminding her with the subtext of recommending himself, but now, he had made things difficult for others.
Tang Ke remembered that when they were having dinner and chatting, Xue Jiayin had mentioned when she would have the chance to meet her husband. As her best friend, there was no need to even investigate. It was definitely necessary to just give him a banana and get to know him.
I don’t know who enlightened this highly educated researcher, but Xue Jiayin actually looked at her chosen marriage partner with the eyes of “what’s in the zoo”. Well, she has to “take the guy out for a walk to find out whether he is a mule or a horse”.
"Hey." Tang Ke stopped Fu Yu, who was engrossed in cutting watermelon, and said, "Would you like to come with me tomorrow? And bring the watermelon over."
"Me?" Fu Yu pricked up his ears, retreating to advance: "Will I disturb you?"
"Why bother her? It's a good opportunity for her to see you." Tang Ke glanced at the bathroom, put his face close to the screen, and whispered stealthily, "I want to save face. When you go out, dress up a little and give me some face, okay?"
Fu Yu didn't know whether she was really nice or just looking for an excuse to tease him. He didn't nod or shake his head, so he just replied indifferently, "Oh."
"But you don't need to feel too stressed. She knows our situation. She is a friendly force, 100% friendly." Tang Ke put a vest on his best friend to prevent accidental injury.
"Yeah." Fu Yu walked from the sink to the dining table. Upon hearing this, even his hair became a little dull.
Tang Ke: "We may need to pretend in front of your colleagues, but not in front of my friend. Just relax and be relaxed. Really, don't be nervous."
"I'm not nervous." Fu Yu picked up a piece of watermelon and put it in his mouth.
"Take two steps without being nervous."
The little figure of Fu Yu stood up in the picture, took two steps back, then two steps forward, and sat back in his original position.
A smile spread across Tang Ke's brows, and he muttered, "Who invented this?"
The sound of a hair dryer rang out in the bathroom. She sat up and said goodbye to Fu Yu: "Let's not talk about it for now. I'm going to find my friend. I'll text you later. Bye!"
"Bye-Bye."
Fu Yu sat in the kitchen for a long time before he finished a big bowl of watermelon, and it also took him a long time to get rid of the heat caused by the first video call.
Tang Ke explained the next day's itinerary to Xue Jiayin in a big way, but was met with a deep disdain.
"Are you talking about the game city? Sister, how old are you and you still go to the game city? It's okay if you go to junior high or high school, but you are still going to the game city when you are 27. Do you want to be the largest shareholder of the game city?" Xue Jiayin is not interested in game console entertainment. It is not as exciting as scratching lottery tickets.
Tang Ke cried bitterly, "I'm addicted to claw machines. Once I get hooked, I can't quit!"
Once, she and Xue Jiayin caught more than 50 dolls in a claw machine shop in an afternoon, and each took half of the spoils home. To be precise, she forced half on Xue Jiayin, otherwise her mother would see her carrying a pile of useless cotton behind her when she got home, and she would inevitably scold her.
"No, no, play with me, play with me!" Tang Ke lay on the bed, kicking his legs and swinging his arms to do hip bridges.
Xue Jiayin was well-versed in using the cold shoulder to deal with unreasonable children. Furthermore, this child had even known to pull at the hem of his clothes to cover his navel while throwing a tantrum to avoid catching a cold. He was a man of few words. Although catching dolls was boring for her, Xue Jiayin was also very curious about something she wanted to explore herself, so she agreed to Tang Ke's suggestion.
Until the next morning, when the curtains were illuminated by the dawn, Tang Ke still believed that Xue Jiayin was moved by the fact that nine yuan and ninety-five coins could not buy a loss or a scam. When everything was ready, the doorbell rang. Standing outside was Fu Yu, holding a large watermelon in each hand.
Tang Ke's eyes lit up. He took her words in. Today's outfit was very different from usual. Upon closer inspection, it resembled his brother's. He wore a crisp white printed T-shirt, paired with a thick silver necklace, loose-fitting smoky grey jeans, and a wide black leather belt. He also exuded a familiar perfume.
"Come in, no need to take off your shoes, just put the watermelon on the ground." Tang Ke said.
After entering, Fu Yu nodded to Xue Jiayin, whom he had just met, and put down the watermelon with a slightly awkward gesture. Tang Ke caught a glimpse of a red mosquito bite on his arm, and his thoughts suddenly clicked. It turned out to be his old partner, Six God. No wonder he smelled so familiar.
Fu Yu was the driver, and the two ladies sat in the back seat and chatted about random things. The conversation had never been so healthy. You know, they were far away from the age of "the sun was shining on the flowers and smiling at me".
The game city is on the third floor of a shopping mall. Looking around, most of the people there are parents bringing their children and young couples on dates. The combination of the playful third sister and her best friend who is willing to risk her life to accompany a gentleman, and her husband who came by the order of the Emperor, is extremely rare.
Tang Ke and Xue Jiayin were holding hands and waiting at the claw machine area, while Fu Yu went to the front desk to exchange game coins.
"How is it, did you see it?" Tang Ke's tone was filled with a sense of relief as if he had just handed in an assignment.
Xue Jiayin nodded intriguingly, dragging out the last word: "Hmm..."
"What do you mean? Am I not worthy of him or is he not worthy of me?" Tang Ke questioned.
Xue Jiayin still didn't elaborate, only spouting meaningless interjections: "Hmm..."
"Tsk." Tang Ke thought she was crazy from writing her paper and pulled his hand out of her arm. "I'm going to go out and play. You continue to stay here, um - um - I have no objection."
Xue Jiayin laughed briskly and followed her closely. She said nothing because it would be useless to say anything. Some people don't know the true face of Mount Lu and don't know they are in it.
Each of the twenty claw machines was different. The pretty plush dolls were too soft to grab, while the oddly shaped, ugly dolls were sharp and easy to grab. Tang Ke was fascinated. When her small basket ran out of coins, she fished in her best friend's and her husband's baskets. Xue Jiayin wasn't a fan herself, so she didn't mind. Fu Yu wanted to play, but seeing Tang Ke's eagerness to get into the machine, he suddenly felt that it was right to forgive him.
"Fu Yu, did you see that? Was it looking down on me just now?" Tang Ke was filled with righteous indignation. She couldn't believe that a stuffed pig, which she had firmly grasped, fell down a second before reaching the cave entrance, and turned its butt towards her in a mocking manner.
"Don't look at what's indecent, don't look at what's indecent." Fu Yu tacitly filled her hands with ammunition, "One more time."
"I just don't believe it!"
Xue Jiayin knew she was already furious when she said that. She always failed the test, that's just how she was. She was more interested in the man named Fu Yu, who Tang Ke had said "didn't have that kind of intention towards me." Was he really that way? She didn't think so.
A blank expression can conceal the emotional ups and downs, but a look in the eyes can't. Xue Jiayin already strongly suspected that Fu Yu couldn't withstand Tang Ke's character, and after an offline investigation today, she confirmed 80%.
The remaining twenty percent is in one sentence.
Tang Ke finally caught the plush pig. She moved on to another machine. At this moment, Xue Jiayin called out to Fu Yu.
"Hey, let me ask you something."
Fu Yu stopped and asked, "What?"
"Do you want to go on a date with her alone?"
Fu Yu looked in Tang Ke's direction. Although they were friendly troops, he didn't want to reveal too much, so he said ambiguously: "We haven't reached that point."
Xue Jiayin leisurely put the empty basket aside and said, "You obviously like her, but I don't know whether she likes you or not."
"No, we haven't reached that point." Fu Yu still said the same thing.
"Oh." Xue Jiayin looked at her phone. "We have to go to the movies tonight. Give me fifty and the seat is yours."
“…”
The noisy environment of people coming and going in the game hall served as a cover for Fu Yu's strong inner shock.
"What? I didn't hear clearly?" Xue Jiayin's interrogation method was very sophisticated. In fact, the man surnamed Fu Mingyu did not open his mouth.
“…”
Fu Yu took out his cell phone from his pocket.
“Payment code.”
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Author's Comment: Fu Yu: Could it be that I'm the one who should download the anti-fraud app? [Joker]
Tang Ke: Catch, catch, catch, catch the doll! [Angry]
Research Dead: "An Experimental Study on Helping Stubborn Couples Open Up and Realize a Happy Marriage Sooner" by Xue Jiayin, 0 citations [Eat Watermelon]
Author: Who would quote this! [Scared]
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