Another voice said, "Go back."
Gu Chen stared at his back, feeling a mix of emotions. Her boyfriend was clearly hiding something, but he just wouldn't tell her.
The two entered the room with their own thoughts on them. Anyone with eyes could tell at a glance that something might have happened between them. Although their way of getting along was largely the same as before, the atmosphere was very strange.
“…” Wang Zehao glanced at the awkward way the two were getting along and quietly took out his phone.
Wang Zehao: Holy crap, did they have a fight?
Yang Shuhuan: How would I know?
Yang Shuhuan looked up at Gu Chen, who was talking to Xiang Yu about something while holding a calligraphy copybook, smiling as brightly as ever. The latter pursed his lips, pointed at the copybook, and said something.
If I had to pinpoint something amiss, it would be that there was absolutely no eye contact between the two of them.
To be precise, Xiang Yu's gaze wandered, looking at the book, the table, and the water glass, but she never once looked at Gu Chen.
“…” Yang Shuhuan lowered his head and tapped his phone.
-Yang Shuhuan: It looks like Brother Chen angered Brother Yu.
-Wang Zehao: Just a moment ago?
-Wang Zehao: Tsk, love is such a magical thing. Normally, the person who could make Yu Ge angry is now lying on the ground.
-Yang Shuhuan: Your brother Yu's patience and gentleness are only reserved for brother Chen.
-Wang Zehao: What do we do now?
-Yang Shuhuan: Study.
Wang Zehao: "???"
Looking up to the side, Yang Shuhuan had already turned off his phone and put it in his pocket, and was consciously memorizing the knowledge points of politics, history and geography.
The atmosphere inside was so intense that the group studied intently for hours, losing track of time. It wasn't until Grandma Jiang returned, lifted the curtain, and exclaimed "Oh!" that they snapped out of their reverie.
"Hey, did I disturb your studies?" Grandma Jiang had just returned from her neighbor's house and seemed to be in a good mood.
"No, no."
The group shook their heads, noticing it was lunchtime. Gu Chen encouraged them to pack up their study materials and prepare to cook.
Grandma Jiang wanted to drive her electric wheelchair into the kitchen to cook a meal to reward Gu Chen and the others who had studied all morning, but the kitchen space was limited, making it easy for the wheelchair to go in but difficult to get out; even turning around was a problem.
"It's alright, Grandma. You can go chat with Grandpa and have some fun. Leave the cooking to us." With so many people, it's impossible for everyone to go to the kitchen to cook. Gu Chen paused, then remembered something and said, "Didn't we not wipe Grandpa's body last night? Song'er, you and Luozai can help Grandpa wipe his body."
"Can you cook?" Jiang Wensong expressed doubt about the other people's cooking skills. To be honest, none of them looked like they knew how to cook.
"Sure," Gu Chen replied confidently.
Meanwhile, the others remained silent.
"I can help out, but I can't cook." Yang Shuhuan had helped her mother in the kitchen at home. "Forget about the rats, I'd lose a lot of flesh just peeling a potato."
“Then come to the kitchen to wash the vegetables. You peel them, and I'll cook.” Gu Chen said, putting his arm around Xiang Yu’s shoulder. “You can help out, my deskmate.”
Xiang Yu: "Hmm."
He made clear arrangements for everyone else, but he forgot about Xu Youqing.
Xu Youqing, feeling quite relaxed, yawned and said, "I'll sunbathe in the yard. Call me if you need anything."
Gu Chen: "Okay."
Jiang Wensong moved the rocking chair from the storeroom in the yard into the sunlight, felt the outdoor temperature, and asked, "Would you like to get another small blanket?"
“…No need.” Xu Youqing lay down in the rocking chair and swayed back and forth, facing the sunlight, and squinted as she said, “Thank you, you can go ahead and do your work. Call me if you need anything.”
Gu Chen decided on the dishes to make in the kitchen and began assigning tasks to everyone.
They were making ordinary home-style dishes. The kitchen was indeed crowded with four boys who were all 180cm tall. Wang Zehao took a stainless steel basin, filled it with water, and squatted down at the kitchen door to wash the vegetables. Yang Shuhuan took the washed vegetables to peel and process them. After the two finished, they sensibly left the kitchen and sat on the steps under the opposite house to bask in the sun, leaving Gu Chen to have some space.
Gu Chen, wearing an apron, was chopping vegetables at the cutting board, not letting Xiang Yu touch anything.
From the very beginning, Xiang Yu stood by and did nothing, watching Gu Chen raise and lower the cleaver. He wanted to speak up about what happened during the day, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only keep his mouth shut.
Xiang Yu knew very well that he was the one who was being awkward with Gu Chen, while the other party was still treating him the same as always.
She must have realized that something was wrong with her emotions, and was even more gentle and attentive than usual.
"Hey, come on, open your mouth." Gu Chen finished cutting and arranging the vegetables on a plate, glanced at the candied tomatoes he had made earlier, picked up a slice with a pair of clean chopsticks, and fed it to Xiang Yu in a small bowl.
Xiang Yu was a little distracted, doing whatever Gu Chen said without even realizing what was being fed to him. As he chewed, his tongue was enveloped in a sweet and sour taste.
The sweetness comes more from the sugar marinating process than from the natural acidity of the tomato.
Is it sweet?
"Mmm." Xiang Yu didn't know what to say, her ears turning red again, and she nodded gently. "Sweet."
Seeing her boyfriend's shy expression, Gu Chen gently wiped the tomato juice from Xiang Yu's lips with the pad of her thumb, and then, in front of Xiang Yu, brought her fingertip close to her lips and pursed it.
He smiled and said, "It is quite sweet."
"..." A blush spread across his face, and Xiang Yu's mind went blank, losing his ability to speak on the spot.
Gu Chen wanted to hug him, but was afraid that the apron would get the other's clothes dirty, so she could only lean over and press her forehead against Xiang Yu's.
"They say dessert can cheer you up." Gu Chen gently kissed the corner of his eye and coaxed softly, "Boyfriend, are you feeling better?"
Xiang Yu felt that she had absolutely no principles when facing Gu Chen. One second she was feeling awkward, and the next she was blushing with embarrassment because of him.
"I'm feeling better," Xiang Yu said in a muffled voice.
call.
Gu Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was his first time dating and he had no experience. He had been clueless all morning, but fortunately, this was the age of technology.
Baidu is really useful.
Gu Chen kissed Xiang Yu's lips again, "Can you tell me why you were unhappy during the day?"
Xiang Yu nodded, and was about to speak when, after the system notification sounded in his mind, a voice suddenly squeezed in.
Xu Youluo: Brother Yu, would it be convenient for you to come over?
[Author's Note: Gu Chen: Just Google it, and you'll know.]
Chapter 72 I'm a Little Bit Angry About Being Left Out
Chapter 72 A Little Bit Angered
When Xiang Yu entered the main bedroom, Xu Youqing stopped at the door. Xu Youluo had already informed both of them.
"Go in and take a look." Xu Youlu simply invited the two of them over without explaining what had happened. They were probably still wiping Grandpa Jiang's body inside, and it wasn't convenient for Xu Youqing to go in at this time. "Call me if you need anything."
"Um."
When Xiang Yu entered, he was carrying a kettle of hot water. He and Xu Youlu had conspired to leave the kitchen under the pretext that Grandpa Jiang's bath water was a little cold and they were bringing him hot water.
"Oh my, it really came! What a bother for Xiaoyu!" Grandma Jiang slapped her thigh from her wheelchair, surprised that she had already troubled these children to this extent.
"Hey, I just sent a message to ask, and Brother Yu actually brought it over." Xu Youluo pretended to put her phone in her pocket, reached out to take the thermos from Xiang Yu's hand, and whispered, "Look at Grandpa Jiang's back."
Xu Youluo poured hot water from the kettle into the basin little by little, asking Grandma Jiang and Jiang Wensong what water temperature was suitable. Both of them focused their attention on the basin of water, while Xiang Yu quietly moved to Grandpa Jiang's side.
The old man sat hunched over on the edge of the bed, wearing heavy cotton trousers on his lower body and thin and bony on his upper body. Illness had left its mark on his face, which was etched with the marks of time. His cheeks and eye sockets were slightly sunken, and the eyeball in the middle of his eye slowly moved as he approached Xiangyu.
Xiang Yu, feeling his gaze fixed on her, turned her attention to the area behind the old man.
Even though his body was as thin as skin and bones, the tattoo was still so lifelike, as if it were deeply engraved on his bones, protruding from the skin and flesh to show the domineering and imposing white tiger stripes that were branded there.
'Of the other constellations, two died and one was paralyzed.'
Xu Youqing's words from a few hours ago suddenly echoed in my ears.
Is that you?
Xiang Yu met Grandpa Jiang's gaze. Deep within his cloudy, yellowish eyes, a ripple seemed to be conveying something to Xiang Yu.
"Brother Yu?" Jiang Wensong mixed the water in the basin, wrung out the towel until it was about half dry, and looked up to see Xiang Yu standing straight next to his grandfather.
The two looked at each other, Xiang Yu's eyes glistening with tears. When Jiang Wensong called him, he snapped out of his reverie, their eyelids met, and something slid down his cheek.
"Oh dear, Xiaoyu, why are you crying?" Grandma Jiang took two tissues from the small cabinet next to her. She wanted to hand them over herself, but the two were too far apart, so she could only stuff the tissues into Xu Youluo's hands, who had nothing in her hands. "Xiaoluo, go and see Xiaoyu. Why are you still crying?"
Grandma Jiang was very anxious.
Xu Youluo did the same without understanding why, stuffing the paper into Xiang Yu's hand. The latter only realized he was crying when he received the paper.
"I'm fine." Xiang Yu wiped away her tears and first comforted the anxious Grandma Jiang. "It's just that seeing Grandpa Jiang made me miss my family."
Xiang Yu wasn't good at lying, so she couldn't match Xu Youqing's ability to lie through her teeth. She kept her head down and her eyes darted around, afraid of being discovered that she was lying.
"You scared Grandma to death! I thought something had happened to you." Grandma Jiang looked at him with heartache, and even wrote a tragic story about Xiang Yu in her mind.
The story of left-behind children and elderly people living alone who depend on each other for survival.
Jiang Wensong was unaware of Xiang Yu's family situation. When Grandma Jiang asked about Xiang Yu's family, besides the relationship between Li Yifan and Xiang Yu, he only mentioned that the other party had previously lived with his grandmother in %2FB%2F City.
Grandma Jiang thought that perhaps the other person had once had a grandfather they liked.
"Xiao Yu, don't be sad." Grandma Jiang looked at Grandpa Jiang, her aged face full of tenderness, lost in a memory of the past.
"Don't let your grandfather's appearance fool you, he was quite formidable when he was young. Although he wasn't as tall as you young people today, he was a force to be reckoned with when it came to dealing with thugs and hooligans." As he said this, Grandpa Jiang's gaze, which had been fixed on Xiang Yu, turned to Grandma Jiang. His mouth was slightly open, and his expression was blank, but he was listening intently, clearly moved.
Seeing him like this, Grandma Jiang's wrinkled eyes twitched up even more, as if she had returned to the old days.
“I come from another province. I have no one to rely on back home. I met him when I came here to work. Before we got married, he told me that he had a history of stroke, but that he would not have another one. He asked me if I was willing to marry him.” Grandma Jiang told the story of their generation in a gentle and detailed manner. Xu Youluo listened very attentively. Jiang Wensong had heard many of these stories. While everyone was listening to and telling stories, he quietly helped Grandpa Jiang clean up his body and put a thick cotton coat on him.
"...Later he said he was going out to meet some friends, and he had a stroke at the dinner table, but thankfully he survived. His friend gave him a lot of money at the time, saying that he was responsible for the dinner party since he was the one who arranged it." After saying that, Grandma Jiang sighed, "I told him that Old Jiang had a history of stroke, but he still insisted on giving money. Thanks to him, our burden of taking care of Old Jiang has not been so heavy over the years."
While Grandma Jiang was still lamenting, she thanked the kind friend who gave her the money. But only Xiang Yu knew that the money was Grandpa Jiang's life-saving money.
He clenched his fists, a surge of unknown rage rising to his head. Xiang Yu just wanted to find that person as soon as possible, regardless of age, and give him a good punch.
"Phew—" Xiang Yu let out a long breath, trying to suppress the rage in his heart, and made an excuse to go out for some fresh air, "I'll go see if the food is ready."
Ignoring Xu Youluo's expression as if she wanted to stop him from saying something, he left the bedroom and closed the door, only to find Xu Youqing standing right next to him against the wall.
"When are we going to squat for the previous Xuanwu this afternoon?" Xiang Yu was trying very hard to control her emotions, but the low pressure emanating from her body was impossible to suppress.
Standing next to him, feeling the overwhelming pressure, Xu Youqing worried that she might be suddenly grabbed and beaten, so she adjusted her posture to stand properly.
"After we finish eating and studying, shall we each find an excuse to slip away?" Xu Youqing suggested, watching Xiang Yu's expression.