Chapter 13
The two brothers, Han Hong and Han Shuo, had been sitting on the porch by the door all morning.
Han Hong is usually very reluctant to smoke. Even though he knows how many cigarettes are left in a pack, he always opens the pack from time to time to count them. But today, he was so worried about Han Shuo that he smoked several cigarettes.
Fortunately, their house was a detached dwelling next to the mountains, with no neighbors. And fortunately, few people passed by on Meng Yuxiu's escape route early in the morning; otherwise, such a commotion would have been enough to make Han Shuo the subject of gossip in the village.
"What else did you two do besides kissing?"
"I'm really fed up!" Han Shuo picked at his ear with his fingers. He felt that he had been hearing the same few sentences all morning and his ears were almost calloused from picking at them.
"How many times have you asked?" Han Shuo said speechlessly. "Besides, it's just a kiss. I'm a man, I'm not afraid of being taken advantage of."
Han Hong's eyes widened. "Isn't this a loss?!"
Han Shuo was both amused and exasperated. He pointed to himself with his thumb at Han Hong and said, "Look at me. I'm not saying I'm not handsome, but with my goofy face, and then you think about Meng Yuxiu's delicate skin, it's clear he's the one who's at a disadvantage, right? Brother, don't be so biased towards your brother."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Han Hong took another puff of his cigarette, looking troubled. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he pulled a 50-cent bill from his shirt pocket and handed it to Han Shuo.
Han Shuo was taken aback.
Today he was going back to school, and Han Hong had already given him a dollar for the round trip fare, but then suddenly gave him an extra fifty cents.
Han Shuo asked, puzzled, "Huh? What's going on? Didn't you already give it to me?"
"I'll give you another fifty cents," Han Hong said, his brows furrowed deeply.
"what?"
Han Hong sighed and said to Han Shuo, "Shuo, you know our family's situation. I don't have much money. You've never been as well-fed or dressed as others since you were little. Now I think about it, and it's really not good. From now on, buy whatever you want to eat. Don't give away a little food or money that someone gives you and then talk big about it."
"..." Han Shuo's lips twitched. "You're overthinking it. They didn't spend any money on me, and I didn't give in to them for money..."
Han Hong reacted even more strongly to this, "He didn't spend a single penny on you, and you're already stupidly going to kiss him?"
"Kissing won't hurt you, and besides, me and him..." Han Shuo thought it was too lazy to tell Han Hong about his mission with Meng Yuxiu, because it would be pointless to say it, and Han Hong would probably think he was making excuses.
"Oh dear!" Han Shuo waved his hand, exasperated. "Never mind, never mind, I won't talk about it anymore. You wouldn't understand. Anyway, my relationship with Meng Yuxiu has nothing to do with money."
Seeing his younger brother's attitude, Han Hong's frown deepened. He became even more convinced that it was because he hadn't raised Han Shuo well that Han Shuo was willing to give away so much even to people who hadn't put in much effort.
Han Hong was extremely disappointed in Han Shuo and lectured him all morning, but Han Shuo ignored him completely, and all his spittle was dry.
He was somewhat relieved that this incident had happened right under his nose, but Han Shuo still had to go to school and live on campus for a week, so no matter how far he stretched his arm, he couldn't reach him.
If they did something like that at school...
Han Hong felt a sudden jolt in his heart.
After thinking for a moment, he began to say to Han Shuo, "Xiao Shuo, actually I don't mean to break you two up."
In the six months since Han Shuo transmigrated into this book, Han Hong had always given him the impression of a straightforward and tough guy. This was the first time he had seen Han Hong speak so earnestly.
"Brother, just say what you mean, don't be so..." It was getting too emotional, and Han Shuo felt uncomfortable all over.
Han Hong sighed to himself, "Xiao Shuo, do you know why I don't let you date right now?"
Han Shuo didn't take Han Hong's forbidding him from dating seriously. First of all, he himself didn't have that idea at all, not to mention that Meng Yuxiu was a man.
Secondly, in his view, it's normal for Han Hong, as his parent, not to let him have a relationship early, even though getting married and having children at his age isn't unusual in this era.
“Xiao Shuo, you’re still young and grew up in a small town. You’re going through puberty, so it’s normal to like someone. But I’m worried about you. Just because you haven’t been to other good places, you think someone like Xiao Meng is perfect. If you leave our village, leave our county, or go to a big city and then realize there are always people better than you, and then you regret it, then you’re really doomed.”
Han Shuo finally understood his elder brother's earnest advice. It turned out he was worried that Han Shuo's limited experience and short-sightedness might lead him to mistake Meng Yuxiu, a glittering country bumpkin in a small county, for a phoenix. Once he saw the real phoenix, it would be too late to turn back.
No wonder he was given fifty cents; Han Hong's behavior is similar to that of many parents raising daughters in modern times.
"Break off with him for now, okay?" Han Hong advised again. "Wait until you graduate and get into university in the city. Even if you don't get into university, go out and see the world before deciding whether or not to be with Xiao Meng, okay?"
Han Shuo was both amused and exasperated. He asked, "No, brother. Is Meng Yuxiu really that bad? Let me tell you, you might not find many people like Meng Yuxiu in big cities."
"..." Han Hong felt that he had talked himself hoarse, but his brother was still going astray.
"Let's listen to your brother first and cut ties."
"Okay, okay." Han Shuo just wanted to end the topic as soon as possible, so he nodded repeatedly to appease him, "I will definitely break up with him, don't worry."
Anyway, once they're back at school, far from the emperor's reach, he and Meng Yuxiu can do whatever they want.
Han Hong certainly couldn't completely believe it, but he had no other choice. So he cooked a pot of fragrant tea eggs before Han Shuo went to school and asked him to take them to school, to spoil him a little within his means.
After lunch, Han Shuo went to school. As soon as he arrived, he put his backpack in his dormitory and immediately went to find Meng Yuxiu.
He first went to Meng Yuxiu's dormitory and inquired, learning that Meng Yuxiu had already returned to school and was in the classroom. So he quickly went to Class 1's classroom.
On Sunday, the students returned to school, still feeling the effects of the holiday. They preferred to stay in their dormitories or play on the playground. Even in Class 1, there were only a few particularly studious students sitting in their seats reading and reviewing, one of whom was Meng Yuxiu.
Han Shuo stood at the back door of the classroom, peeking inside, while Meng Yuxiu sat upright in the last row, reading a book.
He noticed a figure at the back door and glanced over instinctively. Just a second later, as he was about to look away, his handsome brows furrowed, and he looked over again.
Han Shuo noticed that his narrow eyes suddenly turned resentful.
Han Shuo's heart skipped a beat, thinking, "It's over, it's all over!"
Last time, just a simple remark about sticking out her tongue was enough to infuriate a princess like Meng Yuxiu. After what happened this morning, wouldn't things be even worse?
As expected, Meng Yuxiu's initially resentful gaze gradually turned icy cold, and his lips tightened, as if he would open his mouth and tear Han Shuo apart at any moment.
However, he was the civilized Meng Yuxiu, and he wouldn't do such a thing. He would just stare intently at Han Shuo like a good boy.
Han Shuo grinned, gave him an awkward smile, then walked over, pulled out a bench, and sat down next to Meng Yuxiu.
He felt quite guilty, to be honest. So, with a humble air, he tilted his head slightly, looking up at Meng Yuxiu's fair and handsome face.
"I'm sorry..." Han Shuo said quietly, knowing there were several other students in the classroom.
Meng Yuxiu didn't even give him a cold sneer, probably because he was furious.
Han Shuo felt he had never been so humble in either of his lives. He asked in a low, apologetic voice, "How are you? Did you fall when you ran...walked this morning? Was your bike ride alright?"
Have you eaten yet?
"You really didn't fall? If you did, let me see..."
"Hey, hey, hey?" He waved his hand in front of Meng Yuxiu's eyes. "Meng Yuxiu? Hey? Don't be angry..."
"I know you were assigned a task this morning..."
"Get out!" Meng Yuxiu finally spoke, spitting out a single word through gritted teeth.
The word "get lost" actually made Han Shuo feel much more at ease. He thought to himself, as long as he can speak, that means we can communicate.
"I'm really embarrassed. I didn't know this would happen." Han Shuo continued to coax him. "If I could have foreseen it, I swear I would never have let you come to my house and suffer like this! Really! Although I may seem unreliable at times, I am definitely very serious when it comes to missions, and I think you know that to some extent."
Meng Yuxiu stopped staring at Han Shuo and turned his gaze away, coldly focusing on the book in his hands.
Han Shuo patted his arm, "How about this, next time I go to your house, I'll be the one who steals chickens and dogs, okay?"
A barely perceptible hint of mockery appeared at the corner of Meng Yuxiu's mouth. He twisted his arm away from Han Shuo's hand, thus drawing a line between them.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry." Han Shuo felt like he was coaxing a sullen girlfriend. At this moment, he was particularly concerned about Meng Yuxiu's feelings, afraid that the gazes of those around them would make the other person feel uncomfortable.
So he took a book that Meng Yuxiu's deskmate had and used it to block himself and Meng Yuxiu from view.
It's fine if Meng Yuxiu ignores him; he's thick-skinned and can keep pestering him. What he's afraid of is that Meng Yuxiu is traumatized by what happened this morning and decides to stop doing missions with him and just stay in this world.
He used to hear his male college roommates say that if he had a fight with his girlfriend, he should resolve it immediately and not leave it overnight until the next day, otherwise it would turn into a disaster.
Han Shuo thought about it and realized that he and Meng Yuxiu were in similar situations, so it would be best to finish before evening self-study, because there was no time to wash up and turn off the lights after evening self-study.
He silently gazed at Meng Yuxiu's sharply defined profile, his high nose bridge and long eyelashes, wondering how to continue the conversation and appease him, when suddenly he remembered something and touched his pocket.
Meng Yuxiu was aware of Han Shuo's gaze fixed on him, but he didn't want to pay attention to it; he didn't want to see Han Shuo for the time being.
Han Shuo was looking down at something, and a few seconds later, Meng Yuxiu's hand was suddenly pulled over, and then something was stuffed into his hand.
He looked down and saw a tea egg, already peeled, with cracks all over the egg white, showing that it was cooked very well.
But without thinking, he pushed it back into Han Shuo's hands.
"What are you doing?" Han Shuo tried to shove it in again, but Meng Yuxiu clenched his fist to refuse.
"Go ahead and eat. I took them out of the bag secretly after I got back to the dorm, otherwise my roommates would have seen them and I wouldn't have been able to keep them." Han Shuo whispered, "I brought them especially for you. I still have a few more in my bag, you can have them all."
The playful pushing and shoving in the classroom drew attention, and Han Shuo insisted that Meng Yuxiu eat. In Han Shuo's view, only by eating his food could they begin to reconcile.
Finally, having no other choice, Han Shuo used his soft, tender egg white to gently touch Meng Yuxiu's lips, blocking the book behind him.
Meng Yuxiu was getting impatient with him; he kept pursing his lips and doing the same thing. Han Shuo was still trying to coax him in a low voice, which made him even more uncomfortable.
"Take a bite, then you take a bite..."
"You..." Meng Yuxiu was caught off guard and had barely opened his mouth when Han Shuo seized the opportunity and quickly stuffed the tip of the oval into his mouth.
Meng Yuxiu was caught between a rock and a hard place, staring blankly at the food.
"Eat up..." Han Shuo said, "Take a bite and taste it. If you don't like it, give it to me."
Han Shuo coaxed Meng Yuxiu like a girlfriend for a long time, and even the toughest man was softened by it. Moreover, Meng Yuxiu was not a petty person. In fact, on his way out of Han Shuo's house, although he was very angry, he understood that the incident happened suddenly and no one could have predicted it.
Seeing Han Shuo's expectant eyes, he awkwardly took a bite.
Han Shuo's eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly asked, "How is it?"
"Yes, it's fine." Meng Yuxiu's expression gradually softened. He nodded slightly and took the egg from Han Shuo's hand, slowly eating it.
Han Shuo chuckled contentedly and said, "You know what? My brother was afraid I'd run off with a guy after receiving a little favor, so he specially cooked me eggs today."
Meng Yuxiu almost choked.
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