Chapter 33
After soaking in the hot spring, perhaps because he had figured some things out, Jiang Qingyu strangely felt a little hungry.
So he scanned the QR code in the room to order food, and while he was at it, surfed the internet to check the recent situation.
There was a lot of news about the new type of flu. There were also quite a few marketing accounts and seemingly serious scientific articles being posted, but after all was said and done, they were all telling everyone to take precautions.
Don’t go to crowded places, wear a mask when going out, pay attention to keeping warm, eat light meals, and other such standard suggestions.
But there was one thing: the mainstream advice was still reminding everyone to stockpile medicine and food in case of emergencies.
In a way, it invisibly raised the survival rate of ordinary people after the apocalypse arrived. Some sharper people, sensing that the population density in big cities was too high, had already packed their luggage and planned to go live in their rural hometowns for a while.
At the same time, days of continuous heavy rain had appeared in various places. City drainage systems could barely keep operating. Most places had begun working from home, and schools had suspended classes.
The instant noodles on supermarket shelves had been swept clean. Instant hotpots, eight-treasure porridge, and the like were also popular items for stockpiling.
Usually, whenever abnormal weather occurred, apocalypse theories would start becoming popular online. Perhaps because the pressure of reality was too great, there were actually many people looking forward to the arrival of the apocalypse.
After roughly understanding the general situation, Jiang Qingyu went to Taobao and checked the entertainment-resource hard drives he had hired people to download for him. The packages were already on the way, and the logistics showed that they would arrive tomorrow.
Not only that, for some comedy shows and variety shows that Jiang Qingyu especially liked to watch while eating, he had bought several external hard drives himself and directly downloaded them into local storage.
When the time came, even if he watched offline, he would still be able to see comments and bullet chats. The fun would not be reduced at all.
Jiang Qingyu put away his phone in satisfaction. Just then, his late-night snack arrived. He used the room’s projector equipment to find a drama to watch while eating, and once again ate the local specialty roasted beef skewers.
There was also a box of crispy rice shrimp paste. Although it was called crispy rice, it was actually more like beef potstickers. The layer of skin wrapped around the shrimp paste was so thin it was almost transparent, pan-fried until crisp, with juicy filling inside. Jiang Qingyu rated it very highly.
The hotel also sent over a pot of apricot peel tea. It was sour and sweet, especially good for cutting through grease.
After eating and drinking his fill, his worries were also resolved. Jiang Qingyu lay on the bed and played two rounds of games, while Fu Jingqiu was still fiddling with his phone and reading something. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
They had come here to relax and pass the time. When Jiang Qingyu played until he was about tired, Fu Jingqiu reminded him that it was time to sleep. Jiang Qingyu actually tossed aside his phone to charge it, looking so obedient that Fu Jingqiu suddenly wanted to pat his head.
He thought this, and he really did it.
Jiang Qingyu: ? What are you doing?
Fu Jingqiu pretended nothing had happened. “Which side do you sleep on?”
Jiang Qingyu pointed with his head to the other side. “Here.”
Fu Jingqiu subconsciously raised his brows slightly.
Just like when Jiang Qingyu had come to the hot spring pool earlier, he had thought this kid would feel a little embarrassed after seeing the big bed. He had not expected him to accept it quite quickly.
This was how it should be—open and natural.
They were both men. What was wrong with sleeping in the same bed?
Fu Jingqiu sat down on the empty half on the other side. Jiang Qingyu flopped down with a thud, throwing himself into the soft bed. His posture was a little improper, and his pajama pants had ridden up quite a bit, revealing his long, slender calves. He neatly kicked the quilt over. “Here, sharing it with you.”
Fu Jingqiu smiled. “All right. Thank you.”
Jiang Qingyu neither had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds nor would he be so nervous because Fu Jingqiu was lying beside him that he could not sleep.
On the contrary, because he had figured things out, he became even more composed. He obediently pulled the quilt up to his chest, adjusted his breathing, and softly said to the person beside him, “Good night.”
Fu Jingqiu lay down as well. His breath lightly brushed past Jiang Qingyu’s cheek, and his voice became much gentler. “Good night.”
After the lights were turned off, everything sank into darkness. The sound of breathing began to grow clear, and his heartbeat made trouble inside his chest. Jiang Qingyu’s eyelashes trembled. He held himself back and tried hard to ignore all of this so he could hurry up and fall asleep.
The theory about falling asleep in seconds that he had mentioned to Fu Jingqiu a few days ago had been far too arrogant. At least right now, he had no way of falling asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.
There was nothing he could do about it. This bed was not large enough for there to be a Chu River and Han border between the two of them. Moreover, they still had to share the same quilt. If they stayed too far away from each other, wind would leak in between them.
He secretly struggled with himself. After lying in one position for a few minutes, he felt tired and wanted to turn over.
But turning over would inevitably make some movement. If he slept on his side, the distance between the two of them would seem even farther.
Helpless, Jiang Qingyu could only speak first to break the silence. “Are you asleep?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “No. What’s wrong?”
Jiang Qingyu turned the tables. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Fu Jingqiu exposed him mercilessly. “I saw that you seemed a little unable to sleep.”
Jiang Qingyu was silent for a few seconds. “I haven’t really slept in the same bed with other people before.”
“I see,” Fu Jingqiu said. “When booking the room, I didn’t pay attention. Should I go to the front desk now and change to a twin room? They seem to still have many empty rooms.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “Big brother. It’s almost twelve o’clock now. What are you talking about, changing rooms?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “Or I can sleep on the floor?”
“…” Jiang Qingyu sat up with a whoosh. “Comrade Fu Jingqiu, I’ve discovered that your train of thought is very strange. In the past, how exactly did you get along with, with friends? I’m very curious.”
Fu Jingqiu sat up as well and stared at Jiang Qingyu’s facial outline in the darkness. His voice sounded puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Too unromantic!
No, he had to adjust him.
Jiang Qingyu said seriously, “I’m just a little nervous, that’s all. In this kind of situation, you only need to comfort me. What do you mean by directly saying you’ll change rooms or sleep on the floor? That’s very impolite.”
He slightly dragged out the ending tone of the last sentence, making his voice very cute.
Because of that syllable, the corners of Fu Jingqiu’s lips curved up unconsciously. “Sorry. I misunderstood. I thought you were hinting at me by saying that.”
You had better truly understand what a hint is!!
Relying on the fact that the lights were off, Jiang Qingyu rolled his eyes at him without holding back.
What he did not know was that Fu Jingqiu’s night vision was very good. They were not far apart, and every expression and small movement on Jiang Qingyu’s face could be seen clearly. Naturally, Fu Jingqiu did not miss that little eye roll.
He held back a laugh and pressed further. “Wasn’t that the case?”
“Of course not!” Jiang Qingyu’s face was full of unhappiness. “This is a normal reaction. It definitely hasn’t reached the point of disliking it. Also, you still haven’t answered me. How did you get along with other people before?”
Fu Jingqiu thought briefly, then answered truthfully, “Just normal interaction. Whatever was said was what was meant.”
Jiang Qingyu asked, “What about people you had a better relationship with?”
Fu Jingqiu furrowed his brows slightly, seeming to think about who could count as someone he had “a better relationship with.”
After a long while, he said, “Straightforwardly.”
Jiang Qingyu asked, “Nothing a little more delicate?”
Fu Jingqiu probably rarely dealt with this word. He might have needed to think about the previous questions, but he could give an immediate answer to this one. “No. Except with you.”
Jiang Qingyu: “…”
He lowered his head and scratched his hair. “Ah… that…”
That left him not knowing how to respond.
The topic was hard to continue. It seemed too early to guide things toward ambiguity right now. Jiang Qingyu thought about it and simply removed the firewood from under the pot. “Anyway, I didn’t mean that just now. You misunderstood.”
“Okay.” Fu Jingqiu did not dwell on it and did as Jiang Qingyu requested. “You don’t need to be nervous. Just be like usual.”
You don’t even know what I’m nervous about.
Jiang Qingyu waved his hand. “Enough talking. Hurry up and sleep. What time is checkout?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “Twelve.”
Jiang Qingyu, who had just lain back down, suddenly sat up again. “Isn’t it two?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “Every hotel is different.”
Jiang Qingyu closed his eyes. “Then let’s stop talking and hurry up and sleep. We still have to get up tomorrow morning and tidy up a little before checking out. Oh right, does the room you booked include breakfast?”
This string of words came out without even taking a breath and without any pause, making Fu Jingqiu need a few seconds to react before he spoke to comfort him. “It’s fine. We can pay some overtime fees, or we can just stay here for two more days. There is breakfast. Can you get up?”
Jiang Qingyu said, “I can eat and then come back to sleep.”
This was something he had learned from his university roommates. As long as breakfast was included, even if one had to set an alarm, one still had to get up to eat. After eating, one could return to the room and continue sleeping.
Fu Jingqiu found it both funny and helpless, but did not refute Jiang Qingyu’s words. He reached out and tugged the quilt for him. “All right. Then are you no longer nervous now?”
Jiang Qingyu closed his eyes. “In three seconds, I will no longer be able to answer you.”
Fu Jingqiu did not immediately understand his playful remark. He sat beside him and pondered for a few seconds before silently laughing in the darkness.
Jiang Qingyu got his wish and ate breakfast at the hot spring hotel.
Putting everything else aside, the desserts and noodles were delicious!
Obviously, there were many people like him who had set an alarm and come to the restaurant for breakfast in their pajamas, still bleary-eyed from sleep.
Among them, Fu Jingqiu was the only odd one out. He sat upright, full of energy, with proper table manners. This caused Jiang Qingyu, sitting opposite him, to have his attention briefly drawn away. He stared at Fu Jingqiu for a while, then suddenly smiled.
“?” Fu Jingqiu asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Qingyu played dumb and turned his face to look at the scenery outside the window. “It’s still raining.”
Fu Jingqiu asked, “Then do you want to stay here for two more days?”
Jiang Qingyu hesitated a little.
Actually, he did not want to stay here too long. After all, if zombies broke out, cities would be relatively more dangerous.
No matter how powerful his vehicle was, if they encountered crowds or traffic jams, they would not be able to leave.
Just as he hesitated, a mechanical system voice suddenly sounded in his mind, reminding him that the RV could be upgraded again.
System: “Congratulations on upgrading again! RV oxygen supply or enhanced wading performance. Please choose!”
Huh?
These two both seemed very useful.
If he enhanced the wading performance, it would be very useful for dealing with the continuous heavy rain coming next. However, that would only be necessary if there was urban flooding. If they drove out, it would not be that essential.
On the other hand, this RV oxygen supply… seemed a little more useful next.
After all, according to the upcoming itinerary, they would be crossing several mountain passes. The altitude would rise and fall, and climbing to four or five thousand meters was a very normal thing.
This was the fastest Jiang Qingyu had ever made a decision. He quickly completed the RV upgrade, took a bite of beef pie, and said, “Forget it. Let’s set off after finishing our business.”
In any case, his RV would have hot springs and spa facilities to enjoy after upgrading in the future. There was no need to rush at this moment.
After packing up and checking out, they drove away from the hot spring hotel.
As soon as they drove out of the garage, the rain that had lasted for two days came crashing down over their heads with crackling sounds. The windshield wipers quickly began working, and the RV split the accumulated water on the road like a shark, diving into the stream of traffic.
After picking up the packages, there seemed to be no reason to continue staying here.
Most of Jiang Qingyu’s impressions of this place came from descriptions by netizens: desert starry skies, magnificent and stunning murals, and the wind and sand of the great northwest.
He had wanted to go sandboarding and stroll through the night market to try many snacks, but because of this unexpected heavy rain that had not existed in his plan, those ideas had ultimately run aground.
Thinking of this, melancholy inevitably rose in his heart. He lay on the sofa and emoed alone for a while.
A moment later, Fu Jingqiu came over and called him. “Come eat something.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “I’m not hungry.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “It’s dessert. Sweet taro soup. Do you want some?”
Jiang Qingyu sniffed but did not smell much. He still lay on the sofa without moving and asked in confusion, “Where did it come from?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “The vehicle stopped by the roadside just now. When we passed that shop yesterday while buying things, I saw delivery riders carrying a lot of orders out, so I went in and took a look.”
It had been raining the whole time, and the road conditions were not very good. Stop-and-go traffic was completely normal.
To be honest, ever since the first time he let autonomous driving take over the RV, Jiang Qingyu had never touched the steering wheel again. If anyone touched it, it was Fu Jingqiu, who sometimes felt uneasy and took over for a while.
Jiang Qingyu treated the RV purely like a train with a fixed route. On the vehicle, he did whatever he wanted, so he had completely failed to notice that Fu Jingqiu had gotten out just now.
He lifted his eyes and glanced at the other man. From this angle, Fu Jingqiu’s figure looked very tall. He lowered his eyes to look at Jiang Qingyu, his expression gentle, as if he had prepared ample patience to coax him.
Jiang Qingyu slowly sat up. “Fine, then I’ll try some.”
Fu Jingqiu pushed the food box in front of him and handed him a spoon.
A layer of osmanthus floated on top of the sweet soup, and small taros were crowded together at the bottom of the bowl. Jiang Qingyu touched it; the food box was still a little hot, so it must have just come out of the pot.
The sweetness was just right. Even after drinking a few mouthfuls, he did not find it greasy. Instead, it was refreshing and addictive.
The taro was dense, fragrant, and sweet, one small piece per bite.
Jiang Qingyu was immediately coaxed back into a good mood. He got up and went to the cabinet to get a small bowl, wanting to share it with Fu Jingqiu. The latter did not refuse either, and the two of them shared this large box of sweet taro soup, their stomachs warm.
Only after Jiang Qingyu finished eating did Fu Jingqiu ask while tidying up, “Just now, I saw you lying there without saying anything. Were you unhappy?”
Jiang Qingyu was already fine now. “Actually, it was nothing.”
It was just his childlike temper flaring up.
There were so many places in the country. He had no way of visiting them all anyway. Things were already pretty good now.
After figuring this out, Jiang Qingyu quickly became lively again. He rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out Meimei’s toys to play with her. For quite a while, the RV was filled with the sound of the little cat’s footsteps and the movement of the cat teaser being waved around.
Fu Jingqiu sat at the edge of the sofa and quietly watched this scene, a faint smile hanging on his face.
His phone was placed beside his hand, screen facing down. On the still-lit interface was the WeChat message his mother had tentatively sent him today.
Perhaps she had discovered that the family card could no longer be used to spend money and therefore suspected that Fu Jingqiu was still alive. Or perhaps she was putting on a show. She acted as though she knew nothing about what had happened before, asking where he was now, saying that she was very worried, and things like that.
In truth, Fu Jingqiu was someone who softened very easily.
Previously, when he had conflicts with his younger brother, or when his mother said things that hurt him, afterward, if they sent messages showing weakness and asking him to stay, Fu Jingqiu would think there was no need to argue with family and would lightly let it pass, not taking it to heart.
His father’s death had left him with some shadows, so he especially cherished the existence of family.
But no matter what kind of warmth they tried to use, it had an expiration date. Fu Jingqiu no longer had anything to say to them. Not even words of reprimand.
From now on, unless it was in court, he would not see those two people again.
Jiang Qingyu played until he was tired, then carried Meimei over and placed her in Fu Jingqiu’s arms. She was a large, soft, warm, fluffy bundle. Instinctively, she used her white-gloved paws to cling to his shoulder and gave a quiet “meow.”
Fu Jingqiu hurriedly held her and looked toward Jiang Qingyu as if asking for guidance.
Jiang Qingyu lazily leaned back on the sofa. “You play with her for a while too. She really likes being petted.”
Meimei, like her owner, had a very considerate personality. Usually, she might not be very willing to be held for long periods, but today, she obediently lay on Fu Jingqiu’s lap for a long while.
The sound of rain continued without stopping, and the sky outside the vehicle gradually darkened. Jiang Qingyu dragged Fu Jingqiu into wasting an entire afternoon with him. When night fell and the inside of the RV was brightly lit, he took the initiative to stand up and roll up his sleeves. “Time to make dinner!”
Before Fu Jingqiu could respond, he crooked his finger at him. “You. Come here and help me.”
Fu Jingqiu could not help smiling. He gently placed Meimei on the seat beside him, stood up, and said seriously, “Yes, as you command.”
Tonight’s dishes were apple-braised pork chops, pan-fried golden pomfret, seaweed shrimp-paste pancakes, and fragrant egg fried rice.
It was Jiang Qingyu’s first time making apple-braised pork chops. The ingredient he used was pork shoulder butt, cut into thick slices, then tenderized with the back of a knife so the texture would be better and the flavor would penetrate more easily.
Then he added black pepper, salt, and olive oil to marinate it for a while. The apples were sliced without peeling, and half a small onion was shredded.
He heated oil in the pan and first pan-fried the pork chops. Keeping the heat at medium the whole time, he fried garlic cloves until fragrant, then spread shredded onion and apple slices on top, placed the fried pork chops over them, added a little brown sugar, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce, poured in water, and simmered for around ten minutes. Then he reduced the sauce over high heat until it was sticky and thick. The fragrance made both people in the RV’s appetites surge, making them wish they could first shovel down a bowl of rice with the pork chops.
These two ingredients did not clash at all. The flavor was stunning. The pork chops even carried a faint fruity aroma. Cut into strips and placed over rice, it was not inferior to pork cutlet rice at all.
The pomfret had all been fresh goods wholesale bought at the seafood market back then. Needless to say, pan-fried fish was good. If someone liked vinegar and added a little dipping sauce, eating it would feel like eating crab meat, and there were hardly any bones.
As for the pancake, he placed a large sheet of no-wash seaweed into the pan without oil and dry-fried it until it turned slightly green and tasted crisp.
The shrimp paste was mixed evenly with a little corn and minced carrot, then slowly spread over the seaweed with a small spoon. It only needed to be pan-fried over low heat until cooked, and then it could be taken out.
This was a quick dish, but the taste was beyond reproach. Jiang Qingyu fried two large pieces. He ate two-thirds of his own, and gave the rest to Fu Jingqiu.
As he ate, he was so happy that his eyes narrowed slightly. “Although eating outside is very nice, and taking food back is convenient too, sometimes making it yourself feels more special.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “It smells better, right?”
Jiang Qingyu said, “Of course. Everyone gets a sense of accomplishment, so naturally it tastes especially good.”
This meal took more than two hours from preparation to finishing eating. In any case, they were not in a hurry, so they simply calmed down and enjoyed it properly.
Before cooking, Fu Jingqiu had parked the vehicle in a service area parking lot. As usual, he avoided most of the other vehicles and chose a relatively remote spot.
Once the privacy curtain inside the vehicle was drawn, people outside could not even tell whether the lights were on.
Of course, in this kind of heavy rain, no one would come out and wander around aimlessly anyway.
After eating and drinking his fill, Jiang Qingyu collapsed on the sofa in a daze, watching as Fu Jingqiu cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, wiped the table, started the dishwasher, tidied the kitchen, mopped the floor, changed the trash bag, then finally washed his hands and took off the apron in one smooth sequence.
So diligent. So virtuous.
The roof of the vehicle was being battered with crackling sounds, but the atmosphere inside was incomparably warm. Jiang Qingyu watched for a while, then said, “I have to get you a bed.”
“?” Fu Jingqiu said, “I have a bed.”
Most RV booth seats had a sunken design and could also be used as spare beds. This was not rare.
Moreover, Jiang Qingyu’s RV interior had actually cost a lot to modify. Just the expandable compartments on both sides had already increased the activity space quite a bit.
Fu Jingqiu did not feel that the vehicle was cramped. On the contrary, the inside was actually quite spacious.
Later, he could even spread out the yoga mat and do some fitness exercises.
Jiang Qingyu said, “I just feel like making you sleep here is a little unfair to you.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “This bed is already very big. I think it’s very good.”
In the past, he had stayed in especially poor places because of missions and had still slept just fine.
Now Jiang Qingyu stopped talking.
Actually, well, he was thinking about that.
Although he had been a little nervous when first lying down last night, he had later slept quite soundly. There was no issue of him being unable to adapt to sharing a bed with someone else—no, with Fu Jingqiu.
For a relationship to progress, there had to be some physical contact. What were they doing, always having one person in the living room and one person in the bedroom?
His bed was super large. It was not as if Fu Jingqiu would not fit.
