Chapter 19 Aesthetics
[Aesthetics: the cognition and judgment of various things.] 】
The two returned to the underground parking lot of the community. Fu Guanshan asked as he was reversing the car, "Don't you plan to buy a car?"
"Yes," Meng Chu said, "but I was delayed by various things."
"Then we can go and see it together," Fu Guanshan said, "While I'm here, I can also take you to test drive the car. It's free labor, so it's a waste if you don't use it."
Just as Meng Chu was about to say "No need to bother", Fu Guanshan stopped him.
"Don't force me to compete with you for the money to buy the car," Fu Guanshan said, "You know you can't beat others in paying the bill - don't even mention Hong Kong, I failed that time - this is much more troublesome than sending you to the Auto City."
Meng Chu's eyes widened. He didn't expect the other party to threaten him like this: "I bought a car, why should I ask you to pay?"
"I also bought the car for my great-aunt's grandson," Fu Guanshan said, "He and I are five generations of relatives, so we can get married. You are still my legal wife."
Meng Chu was surprised to find that desensitization training was indeed effective. He had become immune to this name: "Why do you want to buy your cousin's grandson's car?"
"When my mother was in junior high school, I lived in her house for three years. She took good care of her," Fu Guanshan said. "Let's not go off topic. Anyway, the test drive is settled."
Meng Chu thought about it and did not refuse. Fu Guanshan has a strange ability: no matter how big the interpersonal burden is, when it comes out of his mouth, it becomes a light-hearted joke.
"Oh, by the way," Fu Guanshan asked, "Do you go to school on weekends as well?"
“Most of the time.”
“The university is exploiting the labor force too harshly!”
“There are no holidays in scientific research.”
“Do you have to use a lab, or can you work from home?”
"In fact, you don't necessarily have to go to school to process data or write books, but the office can help people concentrate."
"That means I can stay at home," Fu Guanshan said, "Can you come back this weekend?"
Meng Chu was embarrassed to say that in fact, Fu Guanshan was the biggest source of noise when working from home. "What's the matter?"
"I boasted at the wedding banquet that I was an excellent cook," Fu Guanshan said. "My reputation has spread out, and I can't just talk and not do anything."
Meng Chu stared at him, like a rabbit that senses any disturbance: "Then I'll wash the dishes."
"Excuse me," Fu Guanshan unlocked the car door, "I just bought a dishwasher today."
Meng Chu digested the news for a while, then realized that the person had gone far away, so he hurried to catch up.
The two men walked into the elevator of the underground garage. When the door was about to close, another man rushed in with a cigarette in his mouth.
The elevator is not big and there is a lot of smoke. Meng Chu coughed twice and frowned.
He hated the smell of cigarettes, but since they were almost home, he just had to put up with it.
However, when the elevator door was about to close, Fu Guanshan stretched out a hand and pressed the door-opening button: "Wait, sir, do you want to bring in cigarettes?"
The man felt puzzled and shook his cigarette butt a few times: "What?"
Fu Guanshan pointed to the sign in the elevator and said, "No smoking here. Please put out your cigarette."
"Who are you to care if I smoke? Who are you?"
"In an elevator, such a closed place, the smell of cigarettes can linger for a long time," Fu Guanshan said. "This is a public place. If you want to smoke, go to a place where smoking is allowed."
The man sneered: "I am indestructible, what can you do to me?"
Fu Guanshan shrugged, reached out to take the cigarette out of his mouth, threw it on the ground and stomped it out.
The man was stunned for a moment, then he became furious and grabbed him by the collar: "Are you fucking sick?"
"I don't care if you get lung cancer, but don't drag others down," Fu Guanshan grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from his collar. "If you really want to fight, I'll accompany you, but I remind you that I don't like studying. I have spent all my spare time for the past 16 years practicing Taekwondo."
The man's chest rose and fell, as if he couldn't swallow this anger, but Fu Guanshan's words made him ponder.
Fortunately, at this moment, with a ding sound, his floor arrived.
He gave a warning look and got off the elevator. Looking at his angry back, Meng Chu thought that as soon as the elevator door closed, he would definitely turn around and curse.
But they couldn't hear it anyway.
The small conflict in the elevator was over, and Fu Guanshan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great, I don't want to be on the hot search for injuring a passerby."
Meng Chu looked at the floor going up little by little and smiled slightly.
Fu Guanshan turned around and asked, "Do you think I'm irritable?"
Meng Chu's expression was more shocked than when he heard that he was going to buy him a car: "Why?"
"It's just... it's not a big deal... it's not necessary... do you think so?"
Meng Chu took a deep breath: "Of course not."
This is a lie. The truth is, he was very envious.
He has rehearsed in his mind countless times about how he might step forward to protect others, such as when he encountered queue cut-ins, when the child in the back seat of a high-speed train kept kicking the back of the seat, or when he saw someone smoking indoors, but in the end, nothing happened.
Fu Guanshan didn't know that a confrontation like the one just now was his long-cherished, secret wish. The other party's simple help was a dream that he would never be able to achieve in his lifetime.
Thinking of this, he felt a warm current rising in his chest.
Then, the moment the living room came into view, the heat was extinguished.
How can a person turn an empty coffee table into a grocery store in just one day?
Aftershave and sunscreen, which he could recognize, but there were also some strange bottles and jars that he had no idea what they were.
He shifted his gaze to the sofa and found a coat spread out on the back of the chair, shirts and sweaters placed on the cushions, and trousers hanging on the armrests.
Other than that, the house is very clean.
"I have hired a housekeeper." Fu Guanshan said proudly.
It was obvious that the housekeeper only cleaned and did not tidy up.
"This..." Meng Chu picked up a bottle and looked at it carefully, "Essence lotion, why not put it in the bathroom?"
"I let it go," Fu Guanshan said, "but I can't let it go."
How many bottles of the stuff does he have? !
"Put it on the table. It will be more convenient to pick up." Fu Guanshan demonstrated it to him.
"Clothes too?"
"It's easier to choose when it's spread out," Fu Guanshan said, "and it won't fit in the bedroom."
Meng Chu asked hopefully, "When will the new wardrobe arrive?"
"Tomorrow," Fu Guanshan said, "but the remaining clothes will arrive tomorrow."
Remaining...remaining? !
Meng Chu looked at him in disbelief, trying to find any signs that this was a joke. But no.
The next day, accompanied by the sound of a truck horn, Fu Guanshan's belongings arrived.
Meng Chu stared in amazement as the porters brought up the clothes and hung them one by one on the metal racks. The racks slid past his eyes. He carefully tried to distinguish between several dark grey coats, but was met with failure.
"The cut is different," Fu Guanshan said, "Look, the cuffs here are wider, and the waistline design over there..."
Meng Chu shook his head vigorously. He was so dizzy from trying to find the difference.
Fu Guanshan looked at him in disbelief: "You're working on circuits, but you can see the difference at the nano level. How can you not see the difference between two such obvious clothes?"
When the second row of clothes slid by, Meng Chu became even more speechless. "These are all sportswear, right?" he asked. "What do you need so many of them for?"
"What if someone recognizes me while I'm running and asks me to sign for him?" Fu Guanshan said righteously, "At all times, I must present my best image. Even if I'm sleepwalking, I must put on mousse before opening the door."
Meng Chu didn't know how to respond. Looking back, whenever he saw Fu Guanshan, the other party was dressed up from head to toe, as if he had just crawled out of an idol drama filter.
Even when wearing sunglasses and a mask, this person still dressed himself up very beautifully - others couldn't even see his face!
"Stars create dreams," Fu Guanshan showed him, "Being like a beautiful dream anytime and anywhere is my job."
Meng Chu nodded slowly. If you say so, then so be it.
"Look at you," Fu Guanshan crossed his arms and looked him up and down, "You are a professor after all, how can you be so casual? I haven't seen you change clothes in the past few days."
Why is the criticism suddenly directed at me? "I changed," Meng Chu said, "The inner one is different from yesterday, just the coat, but the coat doesn't need to be changed every day."
Fu Guanshan looked as if he had just suffered three heavenly tribulations. He tried to accept this fact: "But this one you wear is too..." He hesitated again and again, "It's too old-fashioned."
Meng Chu pulled the hem of his sweater and looked down. Really?
"I just bought one for my uncle during the Chinese New Year, it's similar to this."
Meng Chu blushed. He knows nothing about fashion, and since Fu Guanshan said so, it should be like this. “But it’s quite comfortable…”
"Comfort and good looks are not contradictory," Fu Guanshan thought for a while and suddenly realized, "You are dressed so casually, are you trying to reassure me? You don't have to care about my feelings so much." His eyes filled with tears.
Meng Chu was already used to his being touched anytime and anywhere. After a moment of silence, he said, "No, it doesn't matter if I dress nicely anyway. No one will look at me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Really," Meng Chu said, "I don't have a strong sense of presence. One time I walked in front of the automatic door and it didn't even open."
Fu Guanshan clapped his hands heavily, as if he wanted to shake the damn door open from a distance: "Nonsense, it's obviously because you always keep your head down, so others can't see you even if they want to."
Meng Chu didn't think so, but when he thought about how Fu Guanshan had always done his best to support him and always made him "someone to show off", he felt that he had an obligation to make him feel better: "Then... pick a few pieces for me online, send me the links, and I'll buy them."
“How can you tell that on the Internet?”
“I don’t like going to physical stores to buy clothes.”
Fu Guanshan stared at him for a while, then shook his head helplessly: "You can't stand the salesman's sales pitch, right?"
“I always buy a few things I don’t want.”
Fu Guanshan does know someone who provides door-to-door service, but Meng Chu probably wouldn't agree to the price.
"Then I'll try," Fu Guanshan narrowed his eyes and used his fingers to form a vernier caliper, "My eyes are still very sharp."
Meng Chu felt that the other person was measuring him with his eyes, and suddenly felt uncomfortable. He fumbled for his cell phone and swiped the screen meaninglessly a few times, indicating that he was going to work.
Fu Guanshan stopped him and said, "I told you I would cook, but I haven't asked you about your taste yet."
"I can do anything."
"When a chef hears these words, it's the most troublesome," Fu Guanshan said, "It's impossible for me to like everything the same. There must be some that I like more, right?"
"You're the one cooking, just make what you want to eat."
Fu Guanshan looked at him, and his fatigue briefly accumulated to a peak. "The eaters are happy, and the cooks feel a sense of accomplishment," he decided to give up the persuasive approach, "Choose one of the two, fish or meat?"
Meng Chu hesitated for a moment: "Meat."
“Pork or beef?”
"beef."
"Spicy or not spicy?"
“No.”
"Light or strong?"
“Heavy.”
“Sweet and sour or salty and fresh?”
“Salty and fresh.”
"That's it," Fu Guanshan looked at him, "Is it so difficult for you to say what you like?"
Meng Chu hesitated for a while before answering: "I'm used to saying whatever."
He knew that the dishes on the table would not be to his taste, so he said "anything is fine".
His opinion has never been very important, and over time, he also feels that his opinion is not important.
Fu Guanshan looked at him and said, "Well, even if your family usually focuses on your brother, shouldn't we cook your favorite dishes on your birthday?"
“I never had a birthday.”
For a few seconds, Fu Guanshan seemed not to understand this sentence. He looked at Meng Chu as if she was a little match girl.
Meng Chu saw Fu Guanshan's sympathy. Compared to ignoring and watching, pity made him more overwhelmed and more difficult to respond. To prevent the other party from thinking he was too miserable, he quickly said, "There is no tradition of celebrating birthdays in my family, especially since our family became poorer and poorer, no one celebrated birthdays." He thought for a moment and then made amends, "Besides, the date on my ID card may not be my birthday."
This sentence had no effect at all. Fu Guanshan stared at him for a long time, as if the last match in his hand was about to go out: "Go to work, I'll call you when it's time to eat."
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