Life Story (I)
At midnight, everything was silent.
He Shu was stuck at the border between sleep and wakefulness, his consciousness floating up and down.
Behind him, Qingshan's even and shallow breathing brushed the skin on the back of his neck, bringing reassuring warmth, like a gentle barrier, completely isolating him from the cold winter night.
Just when he was feeling drowsy, he suddenly felt the source of warmth that tightly wrapped him move slightly, and the mattress under him made a slight friction sound.
Then, the warmth of their embrace was completely gone, and the cool air instantly invaded, causing his shoulders and arms exposed outside the quilt to be covered with a layer of tiny goosebumps.
He Shu groaned unconsciously, and his heavy eyelids struggled to open a crack.
In the hazy vision, I could only catch a vague figure, which was carefully moving off the bed. Every movement was very light, as if afraid of disturbing the sleep of the person next to him.
This time, he was completely awake and all sleepiness was gone.
He Shu did not say anything to stop him, but just lay there quietly.
Qingshan's footsteps were barely audible as he walked towards the door. The wooden door was gently pushed open, making a deliberately suppressed creaking sound. A wisp of cool winter wind took the opportunity to sneak into the room, bringing a slight chill.
Then, the door was completely closed from the outside, completely isolating the figure from outside.
The bedroom returned to silence, even more empty. He Shu suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze clear. He turned his head and subconsciously looked toward the window.
The winter windows were tightly closed and covered with thick window paper. As far as the eye could see, there was only a chubby orange cat curled up by the windowsill, fast asleep.
"Jin Wu..."
He Shu called softly, his voice hoarse from just waking up, and it was particularly clear in the silent night.
He sat up, stretched out his long arms, and gently held the soft little body in his arms.
“Meow…”
The little guy grumbled in dissatisfaction in his sleep, adjusted his chubby body in his arms, found a more comfortable position and continued to sleep soundly.
Back then, they took in the four cats left by Fu Qingle. The mountain raccoon that always loved to run wild in the mountains and forests was never found. As for Yunzhi and Xueji, one died suddenly due to an acute illness in his early years, and the other also died of old age not long ago and never woke up after falling asleep.
Now, only the orange cat named "Jin Wu" is left with them. Although old, he is still energetic, kind-hearted and plump.
However, He Shu also realized that Jin Wu had already developed intelligence and human nature. So, to help it transform quickly, he would usually find some mild and nourishing spiritual herbal dew to feed it.
I guess in a few days, there will be a chubby boy in the family, right?
Thinking of that scene, a very faint smile involuntarily escaped from the corner of He Shu's mouth.
He shook his head with a smile, lowered his eyes to look at the cat sleeping peacefully in his arms, and gently rubbed its warm and soft belly, which rose and fell slightly with its breathing, with his fingertips.
The soft fur felt so good to the touch that he couldn't let it go. However, the gloom in his heart caused by Qingshan's quiet departure from him again did not dissipate at all. Instead, it pressed down heavily like the night outside the window.
"Jin Wu..."
He Shu's fingertips paused, and his voice gradually lowered, with a hint of imperceptible fatigue and worry.
"Your brother is disobedient again. In the middle of the night... he actually ran out to practice..."
"It's the coldest time of the year, and the night wind is like a knife. I see he's dressed so lightly, only wearing a not-so-thick cloak. He's definitely going to be cold..."
"He has to teach in a private school during the day and refuses to rest well at night. I really don't know where he gets all this endless energy from."
He murmured something, as if talking to the cat, or as if talking to himself.
In the end, he lay back down again, holding the warm Jin Wu in his arms, and resting his chin gently on its furry head.
"Jin Wu... tell me, I caught him red-handed again this time... should I be angry with him?"
He Shu's voice was full of entanglement and helplessness.
"But... this is his own choice, the path he is willing to take. No matter how reluctant I am, I..."
The second half of the sentence dissipated on his lips, turning into an almost inaudible sigh.
I don’t know how long I tossed and turned in bed. The quilt beneath me had been warmed by his body temperature, but the uneasiness and chillness from the bottom of my heart could not be shaken off.
Until the blue-gray layer reflected on the window paper looked like dissolved ink, with a very light fish belly white appearing on the edges.
The faint light seeped in with difficulty, barely illuminating a few inches of the room, casting sparse and cold shadows, but he still couldn't fall asleep.
The familiar footsteps came from far away and finally stopped outside the door.
He Shu opened his eyes. This time, he did not choose to continue dozing off. Instead, he sat up directly, moved to the edge of the bed, put his feet on the cold floor, and stared straight at the tightly closed wooden door.
With a creaking sound, the wooden door was still forced open a narrow crack, and Qingshan tiptoed in with the morning dew still on his body and the biting cold air on his body.
He gently placed the still dripping fish basket he was holding on the floor by the door. Just as he was about to turn around and take off his half-wet coat, his eyes suddenly met He Shu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him motionlessly.
Qingshan's movements stopped for a moment, and a trace of surprise flashed across his face, which he couldn't hide in time.
"Why did you wake up so early today?"
His eyes followed He Shu's gaze downwards and landed on the wet fish basket. Then his expression returned to his usual gentleness and he asked calmly, without any trace of discomfort at being caught.
"Don't you want to sleep a little longer? It's still early."
He Shu did not answer, but just lowered his head completely.
There was a rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other at the door. I guess Qingshan took off his outer coat, followed by the sound of metal colliding.
He Shu snorted softly and subconsciously tried to avoid the approaching touch, but the hand on his knee was turned over by the other party without any explanation.
"Why are you angry?"
Qingshan deliberately softened his tone, with a faint smile on his face, and gently coaxed the person who had been silent since just now and was obviously sulking.
"Could it be that I woke you up too early and didn't get enough sleep? If that's the case, then it's definitely my fault. I should apologize to Wuming."
He leaned forward slightly, walked closer, with a flattering look in his eyes, and spoke in a softer voice:
"Qingshan, I dare to beg for mercy. I hope you will be magnanimous and not bear grudges against me, okay?"
As he spoke, he handed the warm hand warmer to He Shu, then took two steps back, as if he was afraid that the lingering coldness in his body would disturb the person who was only wearing thin pajamas beside the couch.
After a cool touch, He Shu felt the warmth from the hand warmer wall to his palm.
"I saw you craving fish porridge the other day, so I've been getting up early these past two days to try my luck at Yangchun Creek. We caught a few squid today, and I've also learned a new recipe. How about pan-fried fish for breakfast?"
He Shu still tilted his head and refused to look at him.
Just at this moment, Jin Wu, who had been curled up in the quilt and woke up at some point, walked slowly between the two of them. With a light leap, it jumped onto the lap where the heater was placed, curled up contentedly, pressed close to the heat source, and snored comfortably.
"It seems that Jin Wu is craving this fried fish."
Seeing this, Qingshan squatted down, first brought the shoes to Heshu's feet, and then stroked the back covered with soft orange fur.
But the coldness of his palm startled the cat so much that it turned its head suddenly and bared its teeth at him and let out a "ha" sound.
"Hey, you still have a bad temper!"
With a light laugh, he grabbed the skin behind Jin Wu's neck and lifted it up.
"Fat Jinwu, don't you know how much you weigh? You're so heavy..."
Qingshan stood up as he spoke, holding the cat that was still twisting and turning in his arms, and walked towards the door.
"Where did you go to practice in the middle of the night?"
He Shu suddenly spoke, his voice was not loud, but it clearly stopped Qingshan's steps.
"Why...why don't you want to put on more clothes? It's a cold and windy night. Do you think this is a spring outing?"
He raised his head and saw that the person in front of him had obviously stiffened. Then, a helpless chuckle escaped from his lips. The person did not turn around or answer.
Jin Wu, who was held in Qingshan's arms, took the opportunity to struggle, jumped out of his arms nimbly, and ran back to Heshu's arms in a few steps, meowing to express her grievances.
He Shu ignored Mao'er's complaints at this moment. He stubbornly followed the figure who was bending down to pick up the fish basket and preparing to leave again. His voice was low and trembling with a hint of repression:
"Didn't we... agree that..."
He paused, his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and the following words became difficult and fragmented, even the blame seemed so weak.
"...You grew legs yourself, and you insisted on going... I... I couldn't stop you."
He finally picked up the hand warmer on his lap and gave his place completely to the cat that jumped up.
Jin Wu sighed complacently, stretched out his body, and slowly lay down on the still warm legs. He snored twice, closed his eyes again, and prepared to continue his sweet dream.
"I won't stop you from now on."
He Shu's voice gradually calmed down, and his eyes fell on his fingers clasped tightly together on the hand warmer.
"If you want to go, go ahead. There's no need to avoid anyone. If you're worried about waking me up in the middle of the night, just set up another bed in the study and I can move in and sleep there. If it really doesn't work out... there should be a place for me at Xuantongzi's place."
"nameless--"
Qingshan turned around suddenly, his tone urgent.
"alright!"
He Shu interrupted him harshly and continued speaking to himself, his speech fast and clear, as if he was reciting words he had prepared long ago.
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