Chapter 7
The moment they kissed, Han Shuo thought to himself, "It's definitely more comfortable to kiss in the wild." Now, the two of them were squatting on a narrow path in the rice paddy, with layers of rice ears as cover. They didn't have to worry about Meng Yuxiu's thin skin. The kiss during the ten-minute break between classes had really exhausted them both.
Meng Yuxiu, in particular, would push him at the slightest sound. It was as if being discovered was as shameful as having his pants pulled down.
"That feels so good, finally we can talk while kissing." Han Shuo sighed. "Oh right, Meng Yuxiu, we get a day off this afternoon, what about Saturday and Sunday?"
Meng Yuxiu didn't speak; he kept his mouth tightly shut, only his eyes moved slightly.
"?" Han Shuo waved his hand beside his face. "Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Are you mute?"
Meng Yuxiu then pushed away the confused Han Shuo and said, "You can say whatever you want. I don't want to accidentally have your tongue stuck in my throat again."
Han Shuo chuckled: "No, why are you so petty? I'm the one who had my tongue stuck out and I don't even have a problem with it."
Seeing the arrogant expression on Meng Yuxiu's handsome face, Han Shuo pleaded in a low voice, "Okay, okay, I didn't think before I spoke last time. I won't talk nonsense this time. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Don't worry! This time, even if you stick your tongue up my throat, I'll still say you have a powerful tongue!"
"How about it?"
Meng Yuxiu disliked Han Shuo's coaxing tone, and he awkwardly said, "If we're going to kiss, why do we have to chat?"
"Kissing without chatting is so boring, isn't it? Time flies when you're kissing and chatting at the same time, right?"
Meng Yuxiu was pondering Han Shuo's words when suddenly his lower lip was bitten. He widened his eyes in shock, "What are you doing?"
Han Shuo said with a smile, "If you're really worried about your tongue sticking out of my mouth, I'll hold your lower lip in my mouth. That way you can speak freely without worry. Even if your tongue comes out, it will only touch my nose at most."
"..."
Meng Yuxiu thought it made some sense, so he let go of his mental burden and could finally have a proper chat.
Han Shuo asked him, "How about we meet up on Saturday or Sunday? Oh, by the way, where do you live? Let me see how far apart we are. I live in Xiaoshi Village, Qingshi Town."
Meng Yuxiu said he lived in Xiqiao Village, Baishan Town.
In fact, Han Shuo's question was pointless, as he had no idea of the distances between these towns. Meng Yuxiu, on the other hand, had done some research and told Han Shuo that Baishan Town was probably about 15 or 16 kilometers away from Qingshi Town.
"Damn, that far? I was thinking if we lived closer, we could arrange missions during the day." Han Shuo asked, "Is there a bus or tractor that goes to your town? If so, come find me."
Meng Yuxiu frowned. "Why didn't you come to find me by car?"
Han Shuo said bitterly, "My brother gives me a dollar every Sunday so I can take the bus to and from school or home. If I had extra pocket money, would I need you to run errands for me? If you want me to run errands, then lend me some money."
Hearing this, Meng Yuxiu felt even more miserable and said, "I don't have any money either. I don't even have a single dollar."
Han Shuo asked in surprise, "Didn't everyone say your family is well-off?"
"That's only because the conditions are relatively good in the village."
"So how do you get to school every week? Don't tell me you run here on foot?"
"I came by bicycle."
Han Shuo said "Oh", "The conditions are indeed quite good. Why don't you ride your bicycle to the village to find me on Saturday and Sunday? Or you can just come back with me today, and then we can go to school together on Sunday. That way, you won't have to travel back and forth."
Meng Yuxiu resolutely refused, saying, "I have to go home first. My parents are very strict now, so I have to tell them first. I'll go to your village tomorrow and stay at your house for one night."
Han Shuo was amused by his childlike remarks, but he could only suppress his laughter as he was kissing him.
Meng Yuxiu felt as if his lower lip was being held by a turtle, and he pointed to his lips, which had been stretched out by Han Shuo's grip, with dissatisfaction.
"Oh." Han Shuo immediately moved closer and took his mouth in again. He complained to Meng Yuxiu, "Hey, wait a minute, you're supposed to be from the 21st century, how can you be so cowardly? They're not your biological parents, is it really necessary?"
Meng Yuxiu gave him a frustrated look. "If you don't listen, I won't even be able to ride a bicycle."
"Damn, from what you're saying, it seems like you're having a tough time here. Are your parents treating you badly?"
Meng Yuxiu: "No, they are very nice to me, they just don't give me pocket money."
"Why?"
"They were afraid that if I had money, I would want to play around and neglect my studies."
Han Shuo asked, "What do your parents do now?"
Meng Yuxiu said that his current father is the principal of a primary school in Baishan Town and a Chinese language teacher, and his mother is a math teacher.
Now that you mention it, Han Shuo is no longer surprised.
"How about I go to your house with you today?"
Meng Yuxiu refused again, "No, they'll keep knocking on my door. I'll go to your house tomorrow instead."
"Alright then."
The two made plans, and Meng Yuxiu raised his wrist to check the time; they could kiss for another twenty minutes.
The late summer heat was fierce, and the two of them squatted under the blazing sun until their legs went numb. The hot-blooded young men were sweating profusely from the sun.
Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu could only keep wiping the hot sweat rolling down their cheeks.
"It's so hot," Meng Yuxiu couldn't help but say. "I can hardly breathe."
Han Shuo comforted him, "There's nothing we can do. Every job is hard work. Just hang in there. Think about it, the farmers have to work in this sweltering heat. Compared to them, we're nothing."
Meng Yuxiu frowned: "Can these be compared together?"
"Why not? You just don't know how lucky you are," Han Shuo said seriously. "There are so many people who want to kiss but can't find anyone to kiss."
Meng Yuxiu was somewhat depressed.
Han Shuo encouraged him: "Just hang in there. Think of this as practice with me. When you go back to the 21st century and grow up and start dating, your partner will praise your kissing skills."
"..."
However, after persisting for a few more minutes, Han Shuo couldn't take it anymore. He was sweating profusely, and he felt that his underwear was soaked.
He glanced around out of the corner of his eye and saw a small patch of sweet potatoes planted at the end of the rice paddy, the sweet potato leaves of which looked similar to lotus leaves.
Han Shuo had a sudden inspiration and told Meng Yuxiu to pick a taro leaf to use as shade.
Upon hearing this, Meng Yuxiu was about to get up, but Han Shuo grabbed him.
Meng Yuxiu was puzzled.
Han Shuo explained, "Don't let go, or we'll waste a few more seconds."
"Then how do we pick them?"
Han Shuo thought for a moment and came up with an idea, "Let's stick our mouths together and then walk sideways like crabs."
"..." Meng Yuxiu had no choice but to cooperate with Han Shuo.
However, it was troublesome for the two of them to stand up at the same time while keeping their mouths close together. You held my arm and I supported your hand, just like two patients in a rehabilitation hospital.
Finally, Han Shuo said he would count to three, then stand up together.
"three."
"two."
"one!"
But as soon as he stood up, he heard a man roar from not far away.
The two of them didn't react for a moment, still holding hands and kissing as they stood up.
It turned out that the director of the teaching affairs office had skipped his lunch break and gone to smoke on the ridge behind the teaching building, where he happened to be caught.
"Which class are you two in?! Let go!!!"
Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu exchanged a glance, then took off running.
"Hey! Which class are you two in?! Aren't you supposed to be studying and instead you're dating?! Stop right there!!"
Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu were not going to listen to him. Meng Yuxiu was shy, while Han Shuo was afraid that if they were caught, they would become the focus of the teachers' attention. It would be too conspicuous for him to do something sneaky with Meng Yuxiu. They already didn't have much time to do the task, and he didn't want to cut it any further.
Fortunately, the two seventeen-year-old bodies were agile, and the two ran wildly through the fields. Before they knew it, the headmaster couldn't even see the two rascals anymore.
"Stop running, we've shaken them off!" Han Shuo's lungs ached from running, and he braced himself against his knees to catch his breath. "Meng Yuxiu, what time is it?"
Meng Yuxiu glanced at his watch and said, "Class starts in fifteen minutes."
Han Shuo asked if they wanted to continue in another location.
After what had just happened, Meng Yuxiu was unwilling to comply. So Han Shuo had no choice but to follow him back to the dormitory building. The two of them were covered in sweat, their hair was soaked, so they went to the bathroom and rinsed their hair and faces directly under the tap.
“I’ll come to your village to find you tomorrow,” Meng Yuxiu said, then paused abruptly. He turned to Han Shuo beside him and asked, “How is your brother? Is it alright if I come empty-handed?”
Han Shuo chuckled and teased, "What? You're planning for your son-in-law to bring all those gifts when he visits?"
Meng Yuxiu said speechlessly, "I'm serious, don't give me that joking look. After all, I'm going to your house for dinner tomorrow and stay overnight."
Han Shuo put his arm around his shoulder and said, "It's okay, just come empty-handed. Just don't mind my food and my old bed."
Meng Yuxiu said he wasn't very concerned about food and lodging.
Han Shuo raised an eyebrow. "I can see that. You care most about going to school. You're such a bookworm."
Meng Yuxiu was too lazy to argue with Han Shuo's cheeky words, and simply said, "I'm going to the classroom, class is about to start."
"Go ahead," Han Shuo waved his hand.
However, Meng Yuxiu stopped in his tracks as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, turned back and asked, "You have time on Saturdays and Sundays, right? You don't have to work, do you?"
Han Shuo reassured him, "My older brother doesn't require me to do any work, so I usually stay home with my nephew on weekends. My nephew is only five years old and doesn't understand anything. Even if I don't have time during the day, we can still do tasks together at night while lying in the same bed."
Meng Yuxiu nodded and then left.
There were only two classes in the afternoon, and before the bell rang, Han Shuo and the others had already packed their bags. Unlike Meng Yuxiu, who rode a bicycle to and from school, most middle school students in this small county town either took the school bus or walked home.
When Han Shuo first came into this world, he learned a lesson the hard way. It was his first time experiencing a Friday after school, and Pi Dan Doufu told him to hurry up or there wouldn't be any seats on the bus. Han Shuo didn't take it seriously, but when he got to the station and saw the bus that looked like an Indian train, he was stunned.
On Fridays, the buses are packed with students. When the bus arrives, the door is so crowded that it shakes and wobbles. Han Shuo has the illusion that if there's even a crack in the bus, a student could squeeze in. The last minibus was so packed that the door couldn't even be closed.
So as soon as the bell rang, Han Shuo and Pidan Doufu grabbed their bags and rushed out of the classroom. When they ran down from the third floor, they saw Meng Yuxiu walking out slowly. Han Shuo didn't even have time to greet him before waving at him.
Don't forget!
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