Chapter 19
Traveling…
Fu Jingqiu did not know.
To be honest, his current emotions were not actually in a very good state. It was just that he managed them well, so they did not leak out.
Besides, Jiang Qingyu was his lifesaver. He had yet to repay him, so how could he truly treat the other person as his emotional trash can? That would be very impolite.
A chance meeting, and then traveling together?
Fu Jingqiu originally wanted to say whether that was a little too hasty, but then he thought about how he had nearly lost his life during a family trip. It seemed he had no right to say anything about being hasty.
However, in the short term, he truly did not want to go back.
Fu Jingqiu looked at Jiang Qingyu. Just as Jiang Qingyu had been secretly observing him, Fu Jingqiu had naturally also made his own judgment about this young man.
The RV was very clean and tidy. Everything was neatly arranged and stored. The shape of his eyes was very beautiful, and his pupils were bright, especially obvious when he smiled.
He would feel indignation on behalf of strangers, and he could sense and understand other people’s emotions.
From the moment they had first met until now, even when Fu Jingqiu took the initiative to bring it up, Jiang Qingyu had never said anything about repayment, nor had he responded to the monetary compensation Fu Jingqiu mentioned.
Overall, he was a very kind child, though his guard was a little low.
Of course, he was also a little pretty.
Fu Jingqiu did not really want to shatter the expectant look on his face. After a brief moment of thought, he said, “All right.”
“However, can I borrow your phone?”
What was there not to lend?
Yay! He had a teammate now!
Jiang Qingyu hurriedly unlocked his phone and handed it to him. His whole face was smiling, with a tiny dimple beside his cheek, making him look very cute.
Fu Jingqiu said, “I’ll make a phone call.”
“Oh, oh. Okay, okay.” Jiang Qingyu stood up. “Do you need me to step away?”
“No need,” Fu Jingqiu said. “There’s nothing you can’t hear.”
This sentence successfully aroused Jiang Qingyu’s curiosity. His butt, which had been about to move away, sat back down again. He pretended not to care and went to touch his tablet, but in reality, one ear had quietly perked up.
Fu Jingqiu had said he could listen!
Most importantly, considering everything that had happened before, this call he was making now had to be very important.
No matter what, he had to strike back a little, right? Right, right?
Fu Jingqiu dialed a number. As soon as the call connected, he gave a concise explanation, telling the person on the other end the password to his home and the location of some documents.
He asked the person on the phone to act as his full representative and sell the properties under his name.
There was no need to ask for too high a price. Speed was all that mattered; profit did not.
Throughout the whole process, his expression was calm, and his tone was decisive. There was almost no unnecessary small talk, no polite exchanges of “mm,” “ah,” or “right.” In just a few minutes, he had wiped out more than half of his mother and younger brother’s plans. Listening to it, Jiang Qingyu could not stop feeling excited.
That’s right! That was exactly how it should be!
Let them know you are not easy to bully!
Although the person on the other end was puzzled, they did not ask too many questions. Fu Jingqiu hung up the phone and said to him, “Tomorrow, I need to report the loss of my ID card and apply for a replacement. Also, I need to transfer the money in my bank card out.”
Jiang Qingyu nodded happily. “Sure. I’ll go with you.”
Although asking this question was not beneficial to their later itinerary, Jiang Qingyu still added one extra question. “Is there anything at home that you absolutely have to take back?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “My friend will help me put away the important things. As for anything else, they’re just external possessions.”
For the past two years, he had spent most of his time living in the hospital and had hardly had any chance to go back.
Jiang Qingyu said, “Oh, okay.”
“Then…” Jiang Qingyu handed the tablet over to him. “The business halls should all be closed at this hour, so you can’t get your SIM card replaced. I don’t know whether you can sleep if I make you rest this early, so just use this to pass the time.”
Jiang Qingyu had not thrown away his previous phone, but without a SIM card, many apps could not be logged into, so giving it to Fu Jingqiu would be useless.
Besides, that phone was something he had used for several years. It was really too shabby to take out. The tablet was new, and there was not much private information on it, so Fu Jingqiu could play with it as he liked.
Fu Jingqiu hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it. “Thank you.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “No need, no need. The bathroom is over there. I have new toiletries here, so I’ll get them for you later. I should also be able to dig out a large set of pajamas. They’ve all been washed and dried, very clean.”
He switched into muttering mode, his little face full of seriousness. “The temperature difference between day and night here is big, so you have to use thick bedding at night. Tomorrow, you’ll go handle those things, and I’ll go purchase some supplies, like clothes and personal items.”
Fu Jingqiu smiled slightly. “All right. I’ll transfer the money to you then.”
Jiang Qingyu originally wanted to say there was no need, but when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.
They had only just started getting along, and it was still the inspection period. It was best not to give everything for free at first. He could also take the opportunity to see what this person was like.
As the saying went, money was the best way to test a person. Sometimes, small amounts of money could better reveal someone’s character.
Using the excuse of returning to the bedroom, he searched through his space and found soft bedding, pillows, and a thin latex mattress. He stacked them high and carried them out in his arms. A huge mound like a little mountain blocked the front, and when Fu Jingqiu looked over, he could not even see Jiang Qingyu himself.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t take over!” Jiang Qingyu heard Fu Jingqiu’s footsteps and hurriedly stopped him aloud.
In any case, it was only a few steps. He would just carry them over in one go. Handing them over halfway would only make things more troublesome.
Fu Jingqiu said, “You could have called me to carry them.”
Jiang Qingyu waved his hand. “Aiya, I was too lazy to call you again. You can make the bed yourself. They’re all clean.”
The large pajamas he had struggled to dig out from the space were also placed on top of the quilt.
But…
Jiang Qingyu scratched his head. “I, uh, I probably don’t have any underwear here that you can wear. How about going to a nearby convenience store later to buy a couple pairs?”
They were both men, so there was nothing they could not talk about. Fu Jingqiu said okay and asked Jiang Qingyu to pay on his behalf. He would transfer the money to him together tomorrow.
These were all small matters. Besides, how much could a pair of underwear cost? Jiang Qingyu did not take it to heart. He dug out a hardshell jacket one size too large and gave it to Fu Jingqiu, then the two of them got out of the RV together to look for a convenience store.
There was nothing Jiang Qingyu particularly wanted to buy in the convenience store. For now, he did not want Fu Jingqiu to know that he was stockpiling supplies. After symbolically wandering around once, he went over to Fu Jingqiu’s side, wanting to see what he was planning to buy.
Jiang Qingyu had plenty of daily necessities like toothbrushes, cups, and towels. There was no need to spend more money buying those. After walking around, it seemed only personal undergarments were urgent.
Jiang Qingyu casually glanced over and saw Fu Jingqiu take a box from the shelf. It was finely packaged underwear, and the size printed on it seemed to be—pfft!!
He hurriedly turned his face away, pretending he had seen nothing as he took out his phone from his pocket and operated it randomly, secretly muttering to himself: good grief!
When he had applied medicine earlier, he had seen half of Fu Jingqiu’s body. Although the other man’s shoulders could be called double doors, and his chest muscles were full, his waist was narrow, his hips were firm, and his legs were long. His proportions were a perfect inverted triangle.
For someone with that kind of figure to buy underwear of that size, it could only mean that, cough cough, he was very impressive.
For some reason, his face felt a little hot. He did not quite dare to look at what Fu Jingqiu was doing, so he hurriedly slipped over to the cashier counter and waited for him to bring the items over to pay. The hand tucked in his pocket unconsciously picked at itself, and he stretched his head to look outside the convenience store.
When Fu Jingqiu came over with the items and saw him like this, he thought he had made Jiang Qingyu wait too long, so he first apologized. “Sorry. I couldn’t think of what else I might be missing for a moment, so I wasted a little time.”
Jiang Qingyu suddenly turned his head back. The heat on his face had not fully faded. Hearing him say that, after thinking about it briefly, he guessed what Fu Jingqiu meant and quickly said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I was just craving something. There are lots of food stalls around here.”
He took the initiative to reach for the items in Fu Jingqiu’s hand, wanting to help him pay. Only after taking them did he realize what they were. It would be awkward to immediately stuff them back to Fu Jingqiu. Now, it was not just his face that felt hot; even his ears began heating up too. Bracing himself, he said to the cashier, “Please ring these up. Um, and give me a bag.”
For just these two things, he could have simply held them in his hands. The cashier was an older auntie. As she tapped at the keyboard, she suggested, “Plastic bags cost money. It’s just two pairs of underwear. Just carry them in your hands. Don’t waste that money.”
Jiang Qingyu: “………………”
And yet Fu Jingqiu was also extremely calm and immediately accepted the auntie’s suggestion. “All right. Then no bag.”
Hey!
I have money! I can afford it! I’m willing to pay for the plastic bag!!
Jiang Qingyu’s silent cry in his heart was suppressed by the auntie’s swift hands. Along with the words “scan the code,” he instinctively handed his phone over. After a beep, the two boxes were tossed into his arms. The auntie was even very thoughtful. “It’s going to cool down recently, young man. Wear more clothes!”
Jiang Qingyu held the two boxes and stiffly turned toward Fu Jingqiu.
Seeing him like this, Fu Jingqiu roughly guessed what he was thinking. Without giving him much face, he laughed softly, making Jiang Qingyu even more embarrassed and annoyed. He somewhat wanted to throw the things at him.
Fortunately, Fu Jingqiu’s ability to read the room was strong enough. He took the items from Jiang Qingyu’s hands in time. “I’ll carry them.”
Jiang Qingyu gave him only the back of his head in return.
Night fell early here. On top of that, tourists often came here to rest, so it was still very lively at night. Jiang Qingyu saw a little cart selling salty milk tea. Three yuan per cup.
Jiang Qingyu visually estimated the capacity of that insulated barrel and thought that this was truly very conscientious. He turned and asked Fu Jingqiu if he wanted some.
Fu Jingqiu stuffed the two boxes into the oversized pocket of his hardshell jacket and said without changing expression, “We can try it.”
The stall owner heard their conversation and first took out two disposable paper cups, pouring a little for them to taste, so they would not buy it, dislike it, and end up wasting it.
Jiang Qingyu had already tried salty milk tea when he was in Ningxia, and personally, he quite liked it. After tasting it, he felt that the one from this stall was sweeter, but not to the point of being cloying.
On a night like this, drinking a warm cup of salty milk tea was just right. Jiang Qingyu paid in satisfaction and walked back to the RV with Fu Jingqiu while drinking. His whole body warmed up. Then he buried his face into his collar and only felt so comfortable and content.
He turned his head and saw Fu Jingqiu holding the paper cup, slowly drinking that small half-cup of salty milk tea. His brows had relaxed slightly.
It looked like Fu Jingqiu could accept it too.
Tomorrow, the two of them would split up to handle their own tasks. Jiang Qingyu could just come buy some more.
It would be best to clean out all the salty milk tea at the auntie’s stall and pack it up. Whenever he wanted to drink it, he could have a cup.
Thinking about it, tomorrow should be a good day.
