Old Things
After a night of wind and rain, the sound of raindrops against the window lattice continued all night, but the sky cleared up the next morning. The sun shone into the house through the small window. Jinnan rubbed his eyes. Xu Zhiyuan was not at home. He had taken his phone with him, leaving behind his suitcase and keys.
Message from Mr. Xu on the phone: Do you want vegetable buns or meat buns?
Jinnan: Beef vermicelli bun.
Jinnan was wearing his school uniform as pajamas. When he got up to wash up, his neighbor happened to go out. He looked at him curiously, and Jinnan felt that he looked unfamiliar.
Xu Zhiyuan came back with soy milk buns, and he even wore a mask.
"I didn't want to wear it at first," Xu Zhiyuan said. "Some people surrounded me to take pictures, and some aunties wanted to introduce their daughters to me."
The tone is quite aggrieved.
Jinnan held the bun in his hand, took a small bite and blew slowly: "It's so pretty, there's nothing I can do about it."
"What?"
A big man rushed over to snatch the bun from Jinnan. Jinnan almost lost his grip. In the end, Xu Zhiyuan bit his cheek and gave him a bite.
The vermicelli spilled onto his hands, and Jinnan licked it off in a few bites, and couldn't help but sigh: "There wasn't much meat in this bun before, and now there's even less meat."
Xu Zhiyuan wiped his hands with paper, then poured a cup of soy milk and placed it in front of Jinnan: "Youyi called me just now. His parents knew we were coming and wanted to treat us to a meal."
"Then we are going to do some big shopping. Can we carry enough?" Jin Nan, holding a bun in his mouth, began to think about what to wear today.
Xu Zhiyuan: "Youyi will come to pick me up."
Jin Nan couldn't help laughing: "You are such a good boss. You still exploit your subordinates even on vacation."
Xu Zhiyuan: "Same here."
Jinnan, who was eating the buns bought by his subordinates: ...
Why didn’t I realize that Xu Zhiyuan was so good at choking before?
After dinner, the two of them bought a bunch of things together: a fruit basket, milk, and bird's nest for the elderly. They took everything they could carry. When the cruiser arrived, he was surprised: "Did you stay here last night?"
"My old home. I came back to experience it." When I got in the car through the Nankai Gate, I found that You's mother was sitting in the passenger seat. She had dyed her hair a trendy reddish-brown color, and her face was full of star quality.
"Auntie is here too?" Jin Nan greeted her warmly and made some space for Xu Zhiyuan. There were several boxes and bags between the two of them, and there were more in the trunk.
He glanced in the rearview mirror and frowned: "What are you doing? There's a lot of food at home and we can't finish it."
"Don't refuse them, these are all bought with your own money." Jin Nan said with a smile, "Don't say that the company's benefits are bad when you go out."
Mother You laughed out loud: "Xiao Nan's mouth is still so powerful."
When the group of four returned home, You's father was stewing beef and the aroma of meat could be smelled at the door.
The three-bedroom apartment is not big, and it is kept clean from inside to outside. From the marks on the walls and the furniture, it can be seen that it is a new house.
When Jinnan asked about it, Youyi was a little embarrassed. Youyi's mother, on the other hand, praised her son profusely, and as they chatted, the topic somehow turned to marriage and love.
"I'm not worried about you two. You're handsome guys with good families. Girls will definitely fight over you. I'm worried about our Xiao Yi. He's so old, but he's never been in a relationship..."
"Oh, Mom... stop talking."
"Okay, okay, I won't say any more. You should be more anxious too."
Youyi finally dealt with his mommy and gave an apologetic smile to his two leaders and junior classmates. Jinnan always felt that there was something deeper behind his smile.
I don't know if there's a specific meaning, but the beef stew and pork elbow are very meaningful. Jinnan took out his phone and copied a recipe. Dad You generously shared it, describing the glorious days of beef stew from the 1980s when he joined the factory.
Beer mixed with coconut milk was used to finish all the meat dishes on the table, even the bones were wrapped up by Youyi.
A gentle breeze blew through the door curtains of his teenage years, and the wind chimes Lido brought back tinkled on the porch of Liancheng. Jinnan pointed out the streets he had walked one by one for more than ten years. Only those who had experienced them could describe in detail the stories that happened at that time.
Xu Zhiyuan listened intently as Youyi and his mother frantically carried their drunken father back to his room. The history of the beef stew wasn't finished yet. The sun was setting.
You Yi rolled up his sleeves and was sweating all over. He put his hands on his hips and was still panting.
"Will I send you back to the family area later?"
Jinnan nodded, Youyi hesitated for a moment, and then sighed and said, "Then be careful. Call me if anything happens."
On the way back, Jinnan decided to walk home.
After half an hour of climbing uphill and stairs, I suddenly arrived at a familiar small place from the big city. The longitude and latitude of the world seemed to have suddenly become smaller, and each coordinate was very close.
They walked slowly along the way, Jinnan always had endless things to say. In fact, their communication had never been as free as it was now. Jinnan always had many concerns, and Xu Zhiyuan rarely responded.
In a small, unknown mountain town, Xu Zhiyuan held Jinnan's hand and didn't intend to let go.
Jinnan was very happy: "Tell me, does Youyi know?"
"Maybe." Xu Zhiyuan replied.
"To be precise, he's also our matchmaker. Give him a big red envelope later, and then...how about introducing him to someone?"
"Don't." Xu Zhiyuan tapped his knuckles. "What if they don't like each other? We'll both be offended."
"That's true, but who dares to make things difficult for the boss?" Jin Nan said, his eyes gradually moving towards Xu Zhiyuan. Xu Zhiyuan seemed to be indifferent and silently looked away.
What's making things difficult for the boss? It definitely isn't him.
Playing dirty, feigning innocence—these words had nothing to do with Xu Zhiyuan. Jinnan was curious and tried to get more favors from him, but Mr. Xu was stingy, even his smile was restrained. He only whispered inappropriately.
Jin Nan was moved by what he heard.
"Shall we stay out tonight? Let's go back and get our luggage and buy some food?"
Xu Zhiyuan remained silent.
The lights downstairs in the residential building in the factory area were still dim. I walked up the stairs and saw that the cold windows of the corner room were covered with green ivy, which faintly reflected the moonlight.
"Don't underestimate me. I could run from home to..."
Jinnan stopped talking and leaned against the door of his small rental house. He had a half-beard on his face. When he saw someone coming, he glared at him sinisterly with a pair of triangular eyes made of fat.
Jin Nan had met this person before, not only had he met him before, but he also had a grudge against him. Although many years had passed, Jin Nan still remembered this special face that was deeply engraved in his memory.
He is Lu Yiqing's father, Lu Guozhong, the domestic violence offender who was sent to prison by Jinnan himself.
Jin Nan subconsciously took a half step back, his back bumped into Xu Zhiyuan's chest, and he stopped.
He held Xu Zhiyuan's hand tightly and lowered his voice: "Call the police, call the police quickly."
"Mr. Jin, long time no see." Lu Guozhong's voice came from the corridor, with a slight smile, but also sounded like sarcasm.
Jinnan broke out in a cold sweat, but Xu Zhiyuan didn't move. He just put his arms around Jinnan's waist and said softly, "Don't be afraid."
Don't be afraid? Why not? Jin Nan, a teenager, had walked past the grease-stained window of the Lu family countless times, hearing the cries of girls and women, as miserable as cats' meows.
The bravest thing he had ever done in his life was dragging Lu Yiqing, who had escaped, to the police station.
Back then, Jin Nan dared to risk everything and raise his sword against the evildoers because he had nothing to fear and nothing to lose. But now it's different.
Now Xu Zhiyuan is behind him. What will Xu Zhiyuan do if that guy takes action?
"He's got electronic shackles on him, so he doesn't dare to do anything rash." Xu Zhiyuan whispered in Jinnan's ear, "Besides, I've taken good care of him over the past few years, so he doesn't dare to do anything."
"care?"
The man with the flesh on his face wore a wicked smile. The moment he turned the stairs and saw Xu Zhiyuan in the light, his face turned pale and he dropped the knife in his hand to the ground with a crisp sound.
"You...why are you here?" Lu Guozhong's voice was trembling.
"I can't be here?" Xu Zhiyuan asked with a sneer.
The atmosphere was tense for a moment. Lu Guozhong didn't know why he dared not move. He tried to peek behind Xu Zhiyuan, but as soon as he raised his head, he was stared at and lowered his head again.
At this time, Xu Zhiyuan finally took out his mobile phone, took photos in front of Jinnan as evidence, and sent them to a WeChat friend who he obviously contacted frequently and was marked as a police officer.
"It's so late, Mr. Lu, are you out for a walk?" Xu Zhiyuan asked calmly, quietly holding Jinnan's slightly trembling hand. He didn't want to cause a conflict here.
Lu Guozhong gritted his teeth, nodded frustratedly, and slowly backed away.
Jin Nan was finally safe. After he opened the door and entered the house, his heart was still beating fast. He turned on the light and whispered to Xu Zhiyuan, "What did you do?"
Xu Zhiyuan sat on the bed and held out his hand to Jinnan. As soon as Jinnan put his hand on it, Xu Zhiyuan pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Are you still scared?"
"Um."
The kiss landed on Jin Nan's forehead, soothing her gently. Jin Nan squinted his eyes as he kissed her, and the panic in his heart gradually dissipated, turning into another kind of restless beating.
"A few years ago, when I was still waiting for the trial, that guy was out on bail for a while and came to bang on the door every day."
"And then?" Jinnan asked.
Xu Zhiyuan took a deep breath and said slowly, "You know, the street lights here are dim and the stairs are quite steep. Well... it's normal to fall."
Jinnan's eyes widened: "Did you hire someone to beat him up?"
"No, he really fell down by himself." Xu Zhiyuan said innocently, "He was just unlucky. He fell into a garbage dump and broke two bones. He was sent to prison right after he got out of the hospital."
Jinnan finally laughed out loud. At that moment, the sirens of police cars echoed outside, their bright lights casting a large, dark shadow on their windows. Before they could react, the officers rushed over, handcuffed them, and took them away.
It took a long time before the surroundings returned to silence.
"What happened next?" Jinnan asked.
"I don't remember."
Xu Zhiyuan didn't want to answer, but leaned forward to kiss him. Jinnan was pinched on the waist and couldn't dodge, and he didn't want to hide in the first place. After two kisses, he felt dizzy.
"Do you want to stay in a hotel?" Jinnan said in a hoarse voice.
"Why?" Xu Zhiyuan asked knowingly.
"The soundproofing here is not good, and I can't even take a shower. If I can't control myself later, everyone will hear it."
"I'll help you bear it." Xu Zhiyuan tapped the soft spot, and there was a loud sound, and Jin Nan's face turned red.
"No, go to the hotel, not here..."
He has no say in it.
Jin Nan was held tightly, and all the pain and panic of the past melted away in the warm tears that Xu Zhiyuan gave him. Xu Zhiyuan kept his promise and kissed him so tightly that Jin Nan could hardly breathe.
He swallowed all the sobs and cries. Jinnan's body trembled uncontrollably. Xu Zhiyuan held his hand and pressed it against his cheek. Those eyes, usually as calm as water, seemed to be hiding waves.
"Konami, Konan."
Jinnan couldn't hold him anymore, his arms dropped, and he could only raise his hands to cup Xu Zhiyuan's face as he leaned forward. He closed his eyes deeply, feeling the tide recede, the waves surge up, and drown him.
When Jin Nan first met Xu Zhiyuan in front of the small door of this room a few years ago, he never imagined that such a day would come.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, tears of joy.
Xu Zhiyuan wiped it off for him and gave him gentle kisses.
"I'll take you somewhere tomorrow, okay?"
Jinnan said nothing, just hugged Xu Zhiyuan and nodded, his heart already softened into paste.
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