Chapter 24
The raindrops were dripping.
A hint of frustration appeared on Fang Xu's face. He scratched his head and pushed open the door: "Come in first."
You follow him inside. The room is small and poorly lit, so the windows are wide open, revealing a square patch of gloomy sky in your field of vision, with a few emerald green banana leaves extending into the corners.
Several scallions and garlic sprouts are growing on the windowsill using Coca-Cola bottles.
You placed the small gift you brought on the low cabinet by the door and quietly observed the entire room.
A sense of stagnation, which had been building up, was suddenly sparked by curiosity, and a hint of amusement emerged.
The rough cement floor, with its numerous water stains, was spotless and had been mopped very clean. Directly opposite was a white curtain that covered the entire wall.
There's a long, comfortable off-white sofa. The area around it is cluttered but not messy, packed full of plants. On both sides are various plants transplanted in a rough and ready way, some with pretty little white flowers. On the right, the display shelf is piled with books and DVDs, stacked up and sorted by color.
A cold wind rushed in, fading the scent of the burning incense in the room.
Standing in the room, one has a subtle feeling of being surrounded by clutter.
Fang Xu extinguished the incense sticks and pulled a VCD from the shelf: "I'm not kidding you, it really was filmed by my friend."
You politely agreed, "I believe it."
Fang Xu chuckled, then turned back to fiddle with the projector. You waited nearby for a while, getting a little bored: "Can I look at the things around here?"
"See, it's alright."
You turned your head, looked around, and went to look at the books on the bookshelf.
There are many kinds, including online novels, classical literature, plant appreciation, and several hair care magazines. You find it very interesting. When you see a new type, you silently count it in your mind, subtly raising your eyebrows as you continue reading.
Four-panel comics for kids, horror stories for high school students—some of them, I think, are notebooks, and I've put them on a separate bookshelf because I really like them. They're always spotless.
After reading part of it, you consciously turned your gaze away from the bookshelf and watched him fiddling with the projector, then went over to help.
Fang Xu patted it several times: "I just finished setting it up this morning."
Men love to tinker with these things. You examined it for a while, then slowly rolled up your sleeves: "It's nothing, a couple of pats and it'll be fine."
Fang Xu squatted down next to you, arms crossed. He had an arrogant look, but his demeanor was surprisingly unassuming. Although you weren't very familiar with each other and he had just been rebuffed, he wasn't embarrassed at all. He moved closer to you in a very boyish way, his breath warm: "I didn't ask before, but you're the same as me, right?"
You were engrossed in your work, and after a while you looked up and asked, "Which one?"
Fang Xu chuckled and took a cigarette from the pack.
You're adjusting the machine, without any emotion: "What, doesn't it seem like it?"
Fang Xu seemed to have taken an interest. At first, he was somewhat reserved, but once he got to a place he was familiar with and had something to say, his expression became very relaxed and leisurely, like a child eager to get started.
“Yes, do you know what Ah Chao said about you? He said you look like his dad. When we met, I thought, no way, is his old man really that young and handsome? Maybe it's just his own sexual fetish and he wants to call me dad.”
You glanced at him, and he looked back at you. For a moment, your teacher instinct kicked in, but you quickly suppressed it and explained, "I haven't had anything happen between us, so I don't know about his fetishes."
Fang Xu said, "I was just kidding. You look so ethereal. If I were to talk to A-Chao, I would think of Fahai and Xiaoqing... just a low-budget version of Xiaoqing."
Do you know Bilibili?
"have no idea."
"..."
...
Fang Xu seemed to have a lot to say, and he would speak again after a while.
Do you want some candy?
"I won't eat."
...
"Would you like a drink? We have cassia seed tea and oolong tea."
"Need not."
...
"Aren't you tired of wearing a suit and tie? Why don't you change into a pair of slippers? I'll go outside and get you a pair of disposable ones."
"It's no trouble at all."
...
You fixed the loose thread, finally figured out where the remaining problem was, disassembled the key parts, and found a layer of dust inside. Without looking up, you looked down and searched in the toolbox, then asked him, "Do you have a rag?"
Fang Xu said, "No need." Then he mustered all his strength and blew hard.
As you straighten up, the light, fine dust disperses like a mist.
"Cough...cough cough cough..."
Fang Xu also got some ash on his face. Seeing you cough, he quickly patted your back and reached out to wipe the ash off your face: "I'm sorry, are you alright?"
You can't see anything clearly, and while coughing, you say, "Towel."
Fang Xu ran off with a pattering sound, then ran back with a pattering sound: "Are my clothes okay?"
You refused without hesitation: "No...cough cough...wet towel..."
Because I was unwilling to compromise, I waited for a full two minutes before I received the damp towel that Fang Xu had found. Fortunately, it was warm, so it wasn't too uncomfortable.
After wiping away the dust, you and Fang Xu were both covered in dirt. You looked at each other, but there was no hint of romance between you.
But once the machine is debugged and all that effort has been put into setting it up, it would be a huge waste not to check it.
With this in mind, neither you nor Fang Xu objected. You crossed your arms, pushed the VCD player in, and sat down on the sofa together.
The rain was pouring down outside. I wasn't interested at first, but the documentary was very well made. It introduced several kinds of mushrooms that grow in the mountains and are hard to find, so I gradually got into watching it.
Fang Xu was well-behaved and focused throughout, which relieved you, and you felt good when it was time to leave.
The other person carefully took out a glass flowerpot containing nutrient-rich wood from the dark corner.
You admit that the plump, bright red poisonous mushroom was quite cute, sweeping away some of the gloom that had been lingering in your heart.
Fang Xu, carrying the gifts you brought, saw you off at the door amidst your friends' teasing. Halfway there, he pointed to a patch of potato seedlings outside and said, "Why don't you stay? The rain has stopped. You can stay for dinner and we'll dig them up fresh."
Just as you were about to refuse, your phone beeped. You picked it up and it was a new number from out of town, but the location was familiar. You had a feeling it was someone calling, and your expression froze for a moment.
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