Chapter 17
Yu Le didn’t know what Uncle An wanted with Lu Yao, but he saw that Uncle An left shortly after he went upstairs.
He sat by the window, watching as Uncle An walked away. The weather had been gloomy for two days, and the road was dry. Two rows of moss extended along the eaves, following the road ahead.
Without wind, the copper bell was silent. Yu Le reached out and gave it a gentle nudge, making the bell ring with a crisp sound.
“Don’t lean out too far.”
Yu Le looked down at the sound and saw Lu Yao, who had come out with a broom to sweep the few scattered leaves at the doorstep.
“I know.” Yu Le withdrew his hand. “I won’t fall.”
Lu Yao swept the leaves into a pile at the base of the large tree by the door, shook the broom, and left a message before going inside: “The watermelon is cut. Come down and get it yourself.”
“Coming!”
Before heading downstairs, Yu Le glanced around and unexpectedly spotted a petite white figure running toward him. He squinted to see more clearly as the person got closer.
Xiao Ya?
Why does she look a bit off? Did she get scolded?
Yu Le went downstairs and didn’t see the watermelon on the kitchen counter or the table. He was about to ask Lu Yao where it was when he was suddenly shouted at by the young girl.
“I don’t believe you like men! You’re just saying that to reject me, aren’t you?!”
Yu Le was taken aback. So Uncle An came over to propose…?
But Xiao Ya is only 18, right?
“No.” Lu Yao’s voice sounded a bit helpless, “It’s the truth.”
Xiao Ya: “But, but you’ve never mentioned it before, and you’ve never had a boyfriend!”
Lu Yao: “But I’ve never had a girlfriend either, have I?”
It turns out that feelings can be one-sided.
At seventeen or eighteen, young girls were often hard to refuse. From what Yu Le could hear, even without seeing it, he knew how difficult this situation must be for Lu Yao.
It’s hard to explain or convince. In rural communities, saying something harsh might hurt someone’s feelings, yet it’s also hard to accept. If it were him, he’d be in a tough spot too.
The little dog, Shui Cai, barked twice from its bed. Yu Le turned to see Da Huang sleepily emerging from its bed and noticed a basket with the watermelon under the locust tree.
Lu Yao was clearly distressed, facing a stubborn girl who wouldn’t listen and was ready to get upset over harsh words. He truly felt powerless.
“Xiao Ya, you’re still young—”
“I’m not young!”
Xiao Ya pouted, “I knew you’d say that. That’s why I kept my feelings hidden before, but now I’m an adult. I can take responsibility for my actions!”
She sniffed, her eyes reddening as she stared at Lu Yao, “Brother Lu, just tell me directly. Is it because you think I’m too young for you?”
“Xiao Ya, it’s not about your age.”
Lu Yao sighed, “I’m gay. You shouldn’t waste your time on me.”
“But you’ve never been in a relationship, so how can you be so sure you won’t have feelings for a woman?”
Xiao Ya: “Brother Lu, I’ve liked you for many years. You might not like me now, but you can’t just dismiss me with some unverifiable statement about liking men. I’ve decided to pursue you!”
“……”
Lu Yao had no words and simply turned to leave.
Xiao Ya followed, “You never know what might happen in matters of the heart. Since you don’t have anyone you like, I can—”
“Lu Yao!”
The girl’s voice was interrupted as Lu Yao saw Yu Le running toward him, smiling brightly in the summer sun. Instinctively, he opened his arms to catch the person leaping into his embrace.
“What’s going on?” Lu Yao looked up at Yu Le.
Xiao Ya stood frozen behind them, unsure whether to continue or not.
Yu Le, holding Lu Yao’s waist, looked down from above and held him with one arm while using his other arm to brace himself on Lu Yao’s shoulder. He held a slice of watermelon in his hand, trying to keep water from dripping on Lu Yao.
“Be honest.” Yu Le’s fingertips touched Lu Yao’s back, “Did you steal my watermelon?”
Lu Yao’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he calmly denied, “No.”
“Hmph, whether you did or not isn’t decided by you. I’ll check myself.”
Yu Le bent down, his nose almost touching Lu Yao’s mouth, and sniffed carefully.
Lu Yao kept his face raised for the inspection, though his breathing became slightly uneven, and his arms gradually tightened around Yu Le.
“Alright, you didn’t.”
Yu Le smiled again and held the watermelon in front of Lu Yao, “Here, have a bite as a reward.”
Lu Yao smiled, took a bite from his hand, and the refreshing sweetness instantly filled his taste buds.
It was only then that Yu Le seemed to notice there was someone else. He looked past Lu Yao at the stunned Xiao Ya, “Ah, you are?”
Xiao Ya looked at him, then at Lu Yao, understood something, and with tears in her eyes, turned and ran away without a word.
Yu Le stretched his neck to look and saw that Xiao Ya had run out of the inn. He quickly stuck out his tongue apologetically.
Looking back at Lu Yao, his smug expression faltered as soon as he met Lu Yao’s eyes.
Those eyes, dark and lazy, seemed unmoved by the wind. Beneath the calm surface, there seemed to be emotions Yu Le couldn’t quite understand.
The hands supporting him suddenly felt very present, so much so that Yu Le, who had been so confident, suddenly felt awkward.
His grip on Lu Yao’s shoulder tightened and then loosened, his gaze shifting uncomfortably as he tried to keep his voice steady, “Am I impressive, aren’t you going to thank me?”
Lu Yao replied with a soft “Mm” and threw the question back at him, “How do you want me to thank you?”
Yu Le glanced around but avoided looking directly at Lu Yao, “That’s your business. How would I know?”
Noticing Yu Le’s evasiveness, Lu Yao purposely remained silent for a few seconds. Seeing Yu Le truly had nothing left to look at, he finally spoke, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Le could no longer hold back and blushed, “Actually, I feel a bit embarrassed with you holding me like this. How about you let me down first?”
Lu Yao smiled slightly and put him down as requested.
Standing on the ground, Yu Le felt more comfortable and thought for a moment before pointing to the courtyard, “Then steam some locust blossoms for me. They were quite tasty last time.”
Lu Yao agreed and took the slice of watermelon Yu Le had bitten from him. “But you’ll have to wait until evening. I have something to do right now.”
Yu Le said it was no problem. “No hurry, I’ll eat the watermelon first.”
Lu Yao nodded and turned to head back to the hall, taking another bite of the watermelon.
It was still cold, but the sweetness was not as good as the first bite.
Yu Le thought he had fully unlocked Lu Yao’s skills, but when he saw Lu Yao tutoring Ye Bao on homework behind a screen, he realized his understanding was still too narrow.
“Are you the true successor of Doraemon?” he said, then corrected himself. “No, Doraemon relies on high-tech. You’re genuinely impressive.”
“You flatter me.” Lu Yao smiled. “Ye Bao is only in third grade.”
Third grade?
That made Yu Le a bit eager. He had never taught children before.
“But my homework is already finished, and there’s only this last one left.”
Ye Bao thought for a moment, then pulled out a homework book from his small backpack and handed it to Yu Le, “This is for you.”
Yu Le took it and asked, “What’s this?”
“It’s a homework problem that my brother doesn’t understand.” Ye Bao said, “He took a photo and sent it to Mom. This is what Mom wrote down for me to help my brother figure it out.”
Yu Le looked at the problem with confidence at first, but his enthusiasm waned as he read it, “…What grade is your brother in?”
Ye Bao: “He’s in second year of high school.”
Yu Le coughed awkwardly and pushed the homework book back to Lu Yao: “Boss Lu, you handle this.”
The math problems that seemed extremely difficult to Yu Le were easily solved by Lu Yao in just a few moments.
After helping Ye Bao pack his backpack and send him out, Yu Le thought it was over.
Then he watched as Lu Yao pulled out more than ten high school math simulation papers from a delivery package.
“……”
Yu Le twitched his mouth, “You’re still doing mock exams for the college entrance exam?”
Lu Yao could tell what Yu Le was thinking and found it amusing, “They’re not mine. They’re my sister’s. She’s going into her third year next semester.”
Yu Le awkwardly responded. “Oh, so you’re helping her with her homework?”
Lu Yao: “These are the ones she copied and sent over. I’m just helping her organize her thoughts.”
He pulled out a blank sheet of paper and handed it to Yu Le, also giving him a pen in case he got bored and wanted to draw.
Yu Le asked, “Aren’t you using it?”
Lu Yao: “I don’t have the habit of drafting.”
Yu Le had no words to respond, not quite understanding the world of a top student.
The hall was quiet, with the breeze carrying the fragrance of locust blossoms flowing in waves.
Yu Le doodled a figure casually, adding a few strokes to depict clothes. When he finished, he was quite surprised.
It was a new style, immature but distinctive. He added two locust flower patterns to the skirt, giving it a rustic charm.
While folding his legs, he accidentally kicked a bag under the table. Looking down, it seemed to contain a black garment.
He asked, “Newly bought?”
“No.” Lu Yao flipped through the test papers, “It’s an old shirt with a torn hem. I planned to ask Aunt Lu next door to help mend it.”
“Sewing.”
Yu Le held the pen with both hands, tapping on the table, feeling a bit smug that he knew something Lu Yao didn’t.
“I can do that.”
Lu Yao looked up.
“No need to trouble yourself. I’ll help you.” Yu Le put down the pen and stood up. “Where’s your sewing kit?”
Lu Yao: “The second drawer from the left behind the counter.”
Yu Le retrieved the sewing kit, took out Lu Yao’s shirt, and placed it on the table. He felt the fabric and said, “So stiff?”
“Yeah.”
Lu Yao: “It’s for working, so the fabric is more durable.”
That made sense. Yu Le found the tear and matched the thread color to the shirt, then started stitching it up.
At some point, Lu Yao stopped writing, his pen resting on the test papers, seamlessly switching from test mode to watching Yu Le mend his shirt.
Yu Le glanced at him. “Are you done?”
Lu Yao, with several blank test papers under his hand, replied calmly, “Almost.”
Yu Le was confident in his sewing skills, “Do you believe that when I finish, you might not even be able to find where the tear was?”
Lu Yao: “I believe it.”
“……”
Yu Le was speechless, “You’ve made it hard for me to continue the conversation.”
As he spoke, he made a mistake with the needle. He quickly pulled back his right hand, rubbed his fingers, and muttered, “Damn, almost pricked myself. Luckily, I reacted quickly.”
Lu Yao tapped his fingertips and, realizing something, got up to fetch something from behind the counter. He quickly returned and sat down again, “Give me your hand.”
Yu Le, confused, extended his right hand: “What are you doing?”
Lu Yao took his hand and carefully put a thimble on his index finger.
The thimble-covered area felt like tiny insects crawling, making Yu Le blink and feel uncomfortable.
He joked: “What’s this, a proposal?”
A glimmer of light flickered in Lu Yao’s eyes, but he maintained a nonchalant smile, “So, will you marry me?”
Yu Le straightened his hand in his palm and, not one to shy away from a joke, replied. “Since I’m already wearing it, what do you think?”
Lu Yao’s gaze lingered on his hand for a moment before he lowered his eyes, “Don’t be cheeky. I’m just lending it to you. Remember to return it when you’re done.”
Yu Le laughed and retracted his hand to continue working: “You underestimate me. Am I the kind of person who defaults on debts?”
Just as he was finishing up and tying the last knot, his phone, which he had left on the side, rang.
Seeing that it was from Yan Jia, Yu Le answered and put it on speaker: “Hello, what’s up?”
“Did you know Cheng Xiwu’s engagement ceremony has been moved up?” Yan Jia’s tone sounded a bit strange.
“It’s been moved up by two days.”
Yu Le hesitated for a moment but quickly continued stitching as if nothing happened, “Oh, what does that have to do with me?”
Yan Jia, “It originally wouldn’t, but I heard he wants to set up a live video stream so that friends and family who want to attend but can’t make it can still witness the ceremony and give their blessings in person.”
Yu Le’s heart sank, and a bad premonition arose: “And then?”
Yan Jia’s tone was slightly sympathetic, “I glanced at the list, and you’re first.”
Yu Le: “……”
Yan Jia: “Cheng Xiwu will likely contact you in the next few days. You should think about how to respond.”
