Xie Jiaran had a fulfilling New Year.
After spending New Year's Eve and New Year's Day at home, I went with them to my grandparents' hometown.
The small town nestled in the mountains and facing the water has never been developed. The water is as clean as the air, the people are simple and honest, and it has the most natural and authentic flavor of an ancient town.
Liang Sunian, Liang Cong and their friends come here every year. This is where they grew up and they are very familiar with the town.
Xie Jiaran was led by them to leave footprints everywhere:
Take a walk along the bluestone path along the river and see the waterwheel.
Go to the old wine-making house and smell the aroma of wine.
I went to the old man's house to make bamboo weaving and got a chance to get a bamboo goat.
Bring a basket and go to the nearby mountains to dig bamboo shoots.
Xie Jiaran felt that everything was new and interesting. When he left with a trunk full of local specialties, he was reluctant to leave and kept looking back every few steps.
Liang Sunian joked that he was like a precious cat that grew up in the city and returned to the countryside for the first time: "It played in the mud and got covered in dirt. It couldn't be called back. So I carried it home by the scruff of its neck and it looked unhappy."
"I didn't get dirty playing in the mud."
Xie Jiaran refused to admit it, "It's not like I can't call him back. He has to be held by the neck before he leaves. Don't wrongly accuse me."
"Oh." Liang Sunian: "Will you come again next time?"
Xie Jiaran: "... Come."
Nian Xuelan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was amused by the conversation between the two childish ghosts, and she scolded Liang Sunian: "Why do you always bully Ranran? Believe it or not, I will just leave you at the highway service area and let you walk back by yourself."
Liang Sunian had long been accustomed to the fact that his status at home had plummeted since Xie Jiaran came.
Xiao Liang didn’t know what it meant to be stubborn. He admitted his mistake quickly and with a positive attitude: “Ok, I’m sorry. I was the one playing in the mud. Please forgive me.”
Xie Jiaran looked at Xue Lan in the rearview mirror and smiled.
When Xie Jiaran finally learned all the playing methods of Jincheng Mahjong, the happy winter vacation was over.
They returned two days before school started, and when they left, Nian Xuelan stuffed a car full of food, including dried goods, cured goods, local specialties, and fresh goods.
There were so many boxes that they couldn’t even fit in the trunk, so we had to squeeze into the back seat of the car.
It took me most of the day just to sort it out when I got home.
"These can be preserved for a long time if dried, and it's okay to eat them slowly, but what should I do with these?"
Xie Jiaran was referring to the freshly picked vegetables and some meat: "If you don't eat them quickly, they will go bad."
But there was too much, and the two of them couldn't finish it in such a short time.
It would be such a waste to throw them away. These were all carefully picked out by Nian Xuelan for them, and he couldn't bear to do so.
"Don't worry, there is a way to solve it."
Liang Sunian wrapped the vegetables in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator: "If we can't finish them, we can ask someone to help us eat them."
Xie Jiaran: "Li Tang and the others?"
Liang Sunian: "That's right. Aren't they always clamoring to come over to our house to play? It's a good opportunity to invite them all over and cook hot pot at home."
This is a good idea.
The hotpot was very popular. There were eight people in the two dormitories plus their families. One meal could solve his urgent needs.
Xie Jiaran was happy and wanted to go and inform them right away. Liang Sunian suddenly sighed, patted his shoulder with his hand, and said he was very tired.
Indeed, although the two of them had always been together, Liang Sunian was the only one who did all the heavy, tiring and troublesome work, and he was only willing to be assigned the easiest tasks.
For example, counting, or handing him the torn plastic wrap.
Xie Jiaran felt embarrassed: "Let me rub your shoulders for you, it will be fine in a while."
"No, I just need to take a rest."
Liang Su Nian stood up and said this. Xie Jia Ran thought he was going to lie down on the sofa in the living room, so he quickly made way.
Liang Sunian picked him up and sat him down on the screen cabinet, then bent down and kissed him.
... ... So this is what someone means by "rest".
Before Xie Jiaran was dizzy from his kiss, she angrily poked his back with her finger.
This gangster got it again.
Considering that the monkeys would definitely drink, in order not to be late for school, the day for eating hot pot was set on the night before school started, which was the day after they returned to Jincheng.
The ingredients bought online were quickly delivered to the doorstep. They had everything ready, or rather, when Xie Jiaran watched Liang Sunian get everything ready, the doorbell rang.
The people from the two dormitories must have made an appointment to come here together. As soon as they entered the door, they all sniffed in unison.
"It smells so good! I just finished a piece of cake and I feel hungry again."
"You're here to eat hot pot and you're eating cakes beforehand?"
“It’s such a waste if you don’t eat it.”
"Brother Liang is a very talented person. He actually has such a good skill."
Liang Sunian came out with the plate of tripe: "Where can I show you in the dormitory?"
"Yeah, haha."
Xie Jiaran had been forced to "work with eyes" for the entire day, and now he finally found something to do to share the burden. He put down the pillow, stood up, and said he would help them cut fruit, his steps brisk.
Li Tang looked at his back and asked Liang Sunian in a low voice: "Hey, Brother Liang, what did you do to Jia Ran during the holiday? Why do I feel that after the winter vacation, he has become a lot more cheerful?"
"Nothing." Liang Sunian said.
“Is this true or false?”
"Really? I just took him home to celebrate the New Year."
"Um???"
Li Tang took a deep breath and said, "Oh my god, you're bringing her home to meet your parents for the New Year? You guys are moving fast! How was the process? Was it smooth?"
"What do you think?"
"That's right. If things weren't going well, Jia Ran wouldn't be so happy. I just asked a nonsense question."
He chuckled: "That's great. Jiaran has come alive since he's been with you."
After saying that, he sighed again: "I really envy you guys for being able to spend the New Year with your partner."
Liang Sunian: "You didn't spend the New Year with your girlfriend?"
Li Tang: "No, I wanted to, but Xiaotu was shy and said it was too early and she wanted to wait a little longer. I haven't seen her for the entire winter vacation. Of course, videos don't count."
Liang Sunian then remembered something and looked around: "Are you here alone? Without your family?"
Li Tang: "Xiao Tu won't be back until tomorrow."
"Brother Liang Jiaran, your house is so big!"
“The decoration is also beautiful, which is my favorite style!”
"The balcony view is also—woc! There's a cat down there!"
"Meow~"
They finally found Xie Xiaonian.
Xiao Chi was so excited that he saw stars: "Brother Liang, if you hadn't told me earlier that you have a cat, I could have brought Xiao Guoqing here to make friends with it!"
"Is this a three-flowered flower? Such a beautiful three-flowered flower is rare."
"Let me see, let me see!" Li Tang also ran over.
A room full of grown boys surrounded a kitten that was only a few months old and meowed. The scene was so cute that it was eye-catching.
"Did you buy it?"
"No, I adopted her."
"Oh great! What's your name?"
"Thank you, Xiaonian."
"Fuck, you're showing off your affection even after naming your cat."
Xie Xiaonian gave up struggling as soon as he was carried out, and turned over his belly to let them touch him.
Xie Jiaran came out with some cut fruits. There were many people at home, so Liang Sunian opened the window a little and turned around to say to him, "Ranran, go inside and put on another sweater."
Xie Jiaran put down the fruit plate and went back to his room, but he couldn't find the white sweater he often wore.
He reopened the cabinet door next to him, and the door of the room was opened again. Liang Sunian slipped in, held his face and kissed him, smiling, and no one knew what he was happy about.
"What's the matter?" Xie Jiaran asked him.
Liang Sunian: "I just ate a piece of very sweet melon, let me give you some too."
Xie Jiaran: "I cut the cantaloupe?"
"Oh, you cut it." Liang Sunian pretended to smack his lips and said, "I thought so. No wonder it's so sweet."
"... ..."
Xie Jiaran pushed his face away: "Classmate, you are so childish."
Liang Su Nian Le: "Of course, there will be another guest coming soon."
Xie Jiaran: "Who? Do I know him?"
"I know him." Liang Sunian said, "but I haven't seen him yet."
Xie Jiaran still couldn't find the white sweater in the end. He probably thought it had been washed but not put away, so he just put on Liang Sunian's sweater and went out.
Halfway through the lively meal, the doorbell rang. Liang Sunian got up to open the door, and welcomed in a pretty girl with short hair.
"Let me introduce you to my high school classmate, Chu Sisi. You can just call me Brother Chu."
Chu Sisi.
Miss Sisi.
Xie Jiaran understood. It was indeed a guest he knew but had never seen before.
Xiao Chi called Niu Wan in a vague voice, "It's rude for us to call you girl brother when we first meet, isn't it?"
Liang Sunian: "Is it polite to call me sister?"
Xiao Chi thought about it and agreed. He grinned, "Brother Chu, nice to meet you. Hello!"
One person started, and the rest greeted each one one by one, each calling out more fluently than the other. Those who knew them thought they were new friends meeting, while those who didn't know them thought they were the leaders of some underground organization gathering together.
Liang Sunian left an empty seat and arranged for Chu Sisi to sit down.
"There are too many people. I won't introduce them to you one by one. I can't remember them all anyway."
Liang Sunian returned to his seat and put his arm around Xie Jiaran's shoulder: "Let me introduce you to the most important person, this is my boyfriend, Xie Jiaran."
Xie Jiaran politely said hello to her, and Chu Sisi also replied with a smile.
She had known that Liang Sunian was in a relationship, and she finally met him today. She couldn't help but keep her eyes on Xie Jiaran's face for a while, and sighed: "All the good-looking boys are already bought internally, no wonder it's so difficult for us girls to find boyfriends."
"Well, I think my internal digestion is pretty good."
Xiao Chi said happily: "Brother Chu, you don't know, just the two of them have captured the hearts of half of the girls in the school. Now that they are together, the girls have no chance, and the chances of us single guys finding a partner are much greater!"
Liu Maomao: "Oh? How old are you? Then why are you still single?"
"Does fate come just as it is said?"
Xiao Chi glared at him: "If you keep arguing, I will eat all the duck intestines you boiled!"
Chu Sisi: "What if girls also digest it internally? That's also good?"
Xiao Chi: “…”
As expected, only when you stand in the same position can you look at the incident from the same perspective. He thought about it from another perspective: "Ono, I think I understand your feelings a little bit..."
"Fuck, which of you ate all my fat beef and tripe?"
"What do you mean by eating yours? Logically speaking, once it's in the pot, it belongs to everyone."
"Then at least leave some for me, for you to eat, Shen Xuehao, you dog..."
Spring comes slowly in Jincheng, and even now the cold wind is still howling outside the window.
However, as long as you get together with the people you love, no matter how bad the weather is, it can't affect your good mood. The warm temperature indoors, the fragrant air, and the noisy laughter are the best evidence.
Xiao Chi had stomach pain these past two days and couldn't drink or eat much, so he quickly slipped into the living room to play games during the intermission.
That was the game disc Liang Sunian bought. In the two-player combat mode, the combat power of the column with Xie Jiaran's name on it was ridiculously high, and Liang Sunian was crushed into pieces.
"Wow! I didn't know you were so good at playing games, Jiaran!"
Xie Jiaran's phone was charging. He squatted beside it and looked through the start-of-school documents sent in the class group. Hearing this, he said, "That game is very simple."
"Easy? But I watched the live broadcast before and everyone said it was difficult. Brother Liang, an all-round player in the game, played like this, and you actually said it was easy?"
His curiosity and competitive spirit were aroused: "Come on, Jiaran, let's play a few games! I want to feel it too."
Xie Jiaran walked over and picked up another controller, and habitually chose the most difficult mode.
Xiao Chi: "Awesome! I'm ready to give it my all!"
—Three minutes later.
Xiao Chi looked at Xie Jiaran's body falling for who knows how many times and fell into silence for a long time.
"Jia Ran." He said tactfully, "You don't have to give in to me."
"... ... I don't."
Xie Jiaran was also very confused. It was usually very easy to play with Liang Sunian, so why did it suddenly become so difficult today
He didn't believe it and tried again, but he still couldn't make it through two levels and fell to the ground.
"Is there something wrong with the model?" Xiao Chi asked.
Chen Wenyao watched from the side for a while, thinking: "Could it be the opponent's problem?"
Then Liang Sunian was pulled over.
When Xiao Chi's handle fell into Liang Sunian's hands, Xie Jiaran's level rose sharply at a speed that was outrageous even to the naked eye.
Seeing that the little man controlled by Liang Sunian died at the hands of Xie Jiaran after another subtle freeze, the mood of several onlookers also changed subtly.
Oh, so this is how Xie Jiaran achieved his amazing performance.
Only the parties involved are completely unaware.
Xie Jiaran said: "Brother, do you want some food?"
Xiao Chi could beat him to death, but Liang Sunian couldn't.
Liang Sunian turned his head and looked at Xiao Chi with a kind smile: "Brother, want to have a go?"
Xiao Chi took the handle with mixed feelings. Looking at the little man being pressed to the ground and rubbed, he felt extremely calm inside, because he knew it would be like this.
A child who is not loved by anyone is like a weed.
Something went wrong in the chain of logic.
He couldn't beat Xiao Chi, but he could beat Liang Sunian.
Liang Sunian couldn't beat him, but he could beat Xiao Chi.
Xie Jiaran blinked his eyes, oh, he seemed to understand something.
Chu Sisi was leaning against the side holding a glass of water and watching. Her eyes stayed on Xie Jiaran for a moment, then turned back to Liang Sunian.
He couldn't help but shook his head in self-mockery, lowered his eyes and laughed.
"It feels a bit like an old married couple."
Chen Wenyao sat at the dining table and sighed: "It's really different to have someone by my side. It makes me want to fall in love."
Liu Maomao picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and said, "Then go find it, don't just talk about it."
"If I want to find it, I can find it. This kind of thing can only be encountered by chance."
He smacked his lips and said, "I really envy Brother Liang. Ever since he started dating, I feel like he has taken off."
Liu Maomao was amused by his description, took a bite of the dish, and tapped the edge of the bowl:
"Hey! Hurry up over there, the fish is cooked. You guys haven't rested enough during the halftime break yet!"
"Hey, here it comes!"
"Leave me a yellow croaker!"
None of the people in the group had good intentions. They poured wine and forced each other to drink. By the end of the meal, almost everyone was drunk and saw double images on the lights.
There was no guest room at home, so it was not convenient to let them stay overnight. Fortunately, my home was close to the school, so it was quick to walk back, and the wind could help them get rid of the smell of alcohol.
Xiao Chi, the only sober one among them, naturally took on the responsibility of taking care of them.
Liang Sunian sent them to the elevator, then turned back and asked Chu Sisi: "Brother Chu, shall I take you home?"
Chu Sisi: "No need, my sister will come to pick me up later, I'll help you clean up first, it's such a mess."
Xie Jiaran, who was planning to go over to help clean up, stood at the door and took a look, then quickly turned back to the room and gently closed the door.
"Do you know that when the news of your relationship came out, everyone was shocked?"
Chu Sisi said: "Of course I am included. I can't believe you can fall in love too?"
Liang Sunian laughed: "It's not that exaggerated, right?"
"That's what you think." Chu Sisi said, "Let me give you an example. If one day you saw a piece of steel plate bloom, would you find it unbelievable?"
Liang Sunian: "..."
Chu Sisi: "But after seeing it with my own eyes today, I don't think it's that rare for you to be in a relationship. What's more rare is that you can actually take care of others like this. Apart from anything else, you didn't take care of me like this when we were in a relationship."
Liang Sunian expressed his injustice: "Brother Chu, this accusation is too big. Didn't I buy you food?"
Chu Sisi: "If Jia Ran asked you to buy it, would you only buy one? And then run off to play basketball after giving it away?"
Liang Sunian thought about it and it seemed that it really wouldn't happen.
He would either buy two servings and eat with Ranran, or take Ranran out to eat directly. In any case, he would not leave him alone.
“See, the differences between people are revealed, right?”
Chu Sisi was really moved: "I didn't mean any harm. I thought you wouldn't be able to fall in love, and I felt a little sorry for your partner. I didn't expect that I was wrong. You really take good care of him."
"Love can really trigger a lot of instincts. My cognition is too one-sided and my understanding is narrow. You are not low in emotional intelligence in love, you just don't like me."
"Brother Chu—"
"Hey, don't think too much about it. I just thought about it and sighed a few words."
Chu Sisi smiled and put the dishes into the dishwasher, then turned to look at him: "Don't you always feel guilty? Well, I'll give you a chance to make it up to me. Promise me one thing?"
Xie Jiaran fell asleep holding Chanchan in his arms.
But he was a light sleeper and woke up when his cheek was gently touched.
"elder brother?"
He called him dazedly.
"Yes, it's me." Liang Sunian bent down and touched his head: "Why don't you take off your clothes before going to bed?"
"I'm not asleep yet. I'm still waiting for you." Xie Jiaran said, "I saw you guys were talking, so I didn't go over to disturb you."
"I won't bother you. We were just chatting about some stuff from high school."
Liang Sunian kissed his dazed eyes and said, "By the way, I wanted to discuss something that concerns you."
Xie Jiaran: "What?"
Liang Sunian: "Brother Chu said that when we get married, she should be one of the best men. Is that okay?"
Xie Jiaran nodded obediently: "Okay."
Xie Xiaonian was disturbed by their noise. He yawned, staggered to the other side of the pillow and continued to sleep.
Xie Jiaran raised his hands and hugged Liang Sunian: "I haven't taken a shower yet."
Liang Sunian: "Can I carry you to wash?"
Xie Jiaran hummed.
Liang Sunian narrowed his eyes: "Together?"
"good."
The author has something to say: Here I come~