Chapter 57
Fine.
Being forced into things really did make Jiang Qingyu feel a little uncomfortable, and Fu Jingqiu’s words were like a calming pill. After hearing them, even his body relaxed along with it. He could not help raising a hand and stroking the other man’s chest.
Yes. Just like this. Let nature take its course.
His earlobe was pinched and slowly rubbed, hot and burning. Rough fingertips then brushed over his cheek. Jiang Qingyu thought his face would be lifted and that he would receive a real goodnight kiss, but in truth, Fu Jingqiu only stroked his cheek with tender pity. His breath brushed against the side of Jiang Qingyu’s forehead, and it seemed as though he received a kiss at his hairline.
“Goodnight,” he said.
Jiang Qingyu closed his eyes in satisfaction.
He had always been committed to turning his little nest into a comfortable, warm little world. He was already the type to fall asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, and now that Fu Jingqiu had joined him, not only did he fall asleep faster, he also felt even more at ease.
Unfortunately, his comfort was disturbed early the next morning. It was almost as if he was forcibly dragged out of a sweet dream. What woke him was a loud pounding on the door, especially piercing in such a quiet environment.
He had discussed some of the RV’s functions with Fu Jingqiu, and they both agreed that unless they were in an absolutely, absolutely safe environment, it was best not to set the soundproofing to its highest level, in case something unusual happened while they were resting.
Jiang Qingyu sleepily poked his head out from Fu Jingqiu’s arms. Realizing that the sound was coming from outside, he dazedly stretched out an arm, wanting to pull open the curtain and see what was going on.
But before his hand could even fumble out from beneath the blanket, it was held down. An arm reached past him from behind and pulled open the privacy curtain first.
It had probably only been a few hours since they had fallen asleep. The sky outside was still dark, the whole canopy of heaven a misty blue-black. The most eye-catching thing nearby was the uncleared snow, glowing faintly white in the night.
There were around seven or eight people blocking the entrance of the inn, suitcases and piles of luggage by their feet. They were frantically smashing and pounding on the door of the “Convenience Inn,” making loud clanging noises, as if they wanted to tear the whole door down.
Jiang Qingyu mumbled unclearly, “…Who are they?”
Even if they were here to stay, they did not have to be so rough, right?
The city was sealed off last night. At this hour, there should not be any tourists coming in. Where had these people come from to seek lodging?
They were so anxious. Could it be that the temperature outside was almost minus eighty degrees?
Even someone who slept very deeply would probably be woken by all that pounding. Soon, lights began turning on one after another inside the inn. Jiang Qingyu narrowed his eyes, struggling against his drowsiness, and saw Quini come out in a coat to open the door. He was then pushed inside, and the group filed in one after another.
So sleepy… Jiang Qingyu really could not keep his eyes open. He struggled to hold on for a minute or two, trying to make out the movement inside the inn. Since he did not hear any arguing, smashing, or fighting, he felt slightly relieved.
Half-asleep and half-awake, the privacy curtain was lowered, and darkness returned before his eyes. Fu Jingqiu hugged him from behind, seeming to say something.
Jiang Qingyu did not hear clearly. Once darkness returned, he had almost no ability to resist and was swept back into his dreams again.
It was hard to say how long he slept this time, but it was deep. He slept until he was ravenous, his stomach already protesting in his dreams, before he had no choice but to return to the real world and open his eyes with lingering reluctance.
After his consciousness returned, he instinctively reached beside him. The blanket was still warm, but Fu Jingqiu was not there.
Had he overslept again? At this hour, Fu Jingqiu had probably already finished a whole basket of work.
Did something happen today?
Jiang Qingyu was dazed for a few seconds, then abruptly sat up. As he got out of bed and put on his shoes, he called out, “Fu Jingqiu! Brother Fu! Brother!!”
He had barely taken a few steps after getting out of bed when he suddenly crashed into a chest. Looking up, he met Fu Jingqiu’s gaze. The other man frowned slightly. “Does it hurt?”
What was there to hurt? He had only bumped into him. How painful could that be?
Jiang Qingyu grabbed his arm with his other hand. “Did someone come to the inn in the early morning?”
He had been too sleepy at the time. Now that he thought about it, he could not even tell whether it had been a dream or reality.
Fu Jingqiu said, “Yes. They’ve already checked in.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “I think I saw them push Quini. Is everything okay?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “For now.”
Jiang Qingyu: “For now?” Why put it that way?
Fu Jingqiu explained, “Those people came from another inn. They still had injuries on their faces. They probably had a conflict with someone before coming here, and it was most likely a serious one. That’s why they were driven out in the middle of the night.”
“I don’t know what happened at the previous place, but here, there’s only Rena’s family and a few relatives staying at the inn to help out. If a fight breaks out, the situation probably won’t be good.”
Jiang Qingyu’s expression did not look good. “Don’t tell me they’re planning to bully people.”
After saying that, he suddenly thought of something. “How do you know so much? Did you just go into the inn to ask around?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “When they checked in, I went over to take a look.”
Jiang Qingyu subconsciously answered, “Oh, no wonder.”
Wait. Checked in?
Wasn’t that when he had been woken up? So Fu Jingqiu had let him keep sleeping, while he himself got up to go back Quini up?
Jiang Qingyu said, “Then why didn’t you call me?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “You were too sleepy. It wasn’t really anything serious.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “They looked like they were about to come knocking down the door. You call that nothing serious?”
Fu Jingqiu laughed. “They had been outside for quite a while. Where would they get the strength to fight?”
That was true.
Jiang Qingyu stretched his shoulders and neck as he walked toward the living area, casually lifting the curtain to glance outside. Sure enough, even though it was almost noon, in such cold weather, no one was wandering outside.
Jiang Qingyu was still a little uneasy. “Why don’t we go to the inn for lunch today? I wonder if Rena is still open today.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “She’s open as usual.”
This morning, they had still been making baked buns, beef-filled ones. Jiang Qingyu should like them very much.
“Go, go, go.” Jiang Qingyu muttered while putting on clothes and shoes. “Perfect. I’m too lazy to cook today anyway, so we can eat at the inn.”
Fu Jingqiu smiled knowingly. “Okay. Rena told me she made blueberry jam today too. She wants to give you some to pour over yogurt.”
Jiang Qingyu got off the RV without looking back. “At a time like this, she shouldn’t give it. It’s a little sensitive.”
It was probably because Fu Jingqiu had gone to “help” this morning, and Jiang Qingyu had benefited from it in a roundabout way.
He had gotten up late today, and it was about mealtime now. Everyone in the inn probably knew about what happened last night. Since they did not know whether the newcomers were friends or enemies, almost everyone in the inn had gathered in the dining room for this meal, scattered in groups of twos and threes, watching the new guests warily.
Causing such a huge commotion as soon as they arrived, they probably were not good people.
Jiang Qingyu had eaten several meals at the inn these past two days and had more or less memorized the faces of the other guests. Although he did not have a photographic memory, his memory was not bad either, and he could still tell which faces were new.
He really was not judging people by appearance. It was just that the other party’s personal style was too obvious. Each of them was burly and rough-looking, with both sides of their hair shaved flat and fierce faces. Whether intentionally or not, they had even rolled up their sleeves so everyone could see their tattooed arms. They were practically a walking collection of stereotypes.
Jiang Qingyu could not help muttering, “What are they even showing off? That doesn’t even count as muscle hidden under fat.”
He even suspected that if the heating in the room were a bit stronger, or if they got carried away from eating and drinking, this group might lift their shirts to show everyone their beer bellies.
Fu Jingqiu said flatly, “To make everyone think they’re not easy to mess with.”
He had seen people like this before. They loved causing trouble at late-night barbecue stalls the most. They had brute strength, got more excited the more people there were, and especially liked shouting about brotherhood and saving face.
The apocalypse would amplify the evil in human nature. He had no doubt about that.
Perhaps these people had already started solving problems through force.
Jiang Qingyu had not been awake for long and was not very hungry. Saying that he wanted something light, he did not order baked buns and instead chose thin-skinned beef shaomai. The steamed wrappers were translucent, and after being dipped briefly in vinegar, they tasted rich and fragrant without being greasy, filled with plenty of meat juice.
But after only eating a few, he began holding a bowl of soup and drinking it. Rena had made beef soup today. Aside from radish and green onions, nothing else had been added, and it tasted very fresh and savory.
As he ate, he secretly observed the new guests. Everyone else was doing the same.
For now, aside from being a bit loud, not caring whether others heard their conversations, and using crude words, they did not seem to have any major problems.
But anyone with a brain knew that since they had appeared with such an entrance, they were destined to cause trouble.
Everyone tacitly waited quietly in the dining room for the moment things would explode, even secretly communicating with their eyes.
“When do you think they’ll start trouble?”
“Definitely after eating, right?”
“Are they going to dine and dash, or nitpick?”
Jiang Qingyu thought perhaps both.
Sure enough, after this group had eaten and drunk their fill, the man with a face full of coarse flesh “lived up to expectations.” He slammed the table and shouted loudly, “Boss lady, bill!”
Rena was sitting behind the counter. Quini came over to collect the payment. He was, after all, over 1.8 meters tall and not exactly weak. He came up and properly stated the price.
As expected, the coarse-faced man was unhappy after hearing the price. “Why is it so expensive? The place we stayed before was much cheaper. Don’t you try to rip me off!”
This was clearly deliberately picking a fight. If it had been any other time, Quini might not have swallowed it, but there were many of them now, so he did not immediately argue back. He even “humbly” asked, “Then how much do you think you should pay?”
The coarse-faced man raised his hand and gestured a number. “Fifty!”
Jiang Qingyu nearly choked on his beef soup.
There were seven or eight of them. They had eaten meat and naan, each had a plate of pilaf, plus milk tea and beer, and they only wanted to pay fifty? Even without zombies and extreme cold, that price would be impossible!
Wasn’t this just bullying honest people?
Sure enough, Quini was furious. “Why don’t you just rob us!”
The coarse-faced man was actually quite self-righteous. “I am robbing you right now. Can’t you tell?”
Everyone: “…………”
Indeed, it fit their imagination perfectly!
How could they allow this? If they did not pay today, they probably would never pay in the future. Once this precedent was set, they would only become worse.
Quini said, “If that’s the case, our inn can’t host you. Please pack your things and leave.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the group of burly men by the long table all stood up with a great clatter.
War was about to break out.
Seeing this, Rena ran out from behind the counter, wanting to hold her husband back. Quini stiffened his neck, clearly unwilling to indulge this group of bullies. Just as a fight was about to start, a voice suddenly drifted over. “Um, I already called the police just now. Are you sure you want to fight?”
The coarse-faced man turned to look and saw Jiang Qingyu still holding his soup bowl. He shook his phone at him. His face was delicate and handsome, and he did not look aggressive at all.
The man looked down on this kind of man the most. No masculinity, skinny, speaking softly and gently, not even enough for one punch from him.
They had made up their minds to settle here. Among all the inns, this one was the smallest and looked the most rustic.
Before coming, they had searched online. This inn had quite a lot of good reviews. The food was delicious, and the inn was run by a young couple, with the relatives helping out being rather old. How could they fight against strong young men like them?
It was a perfect place, suitable for staying long-term.
At a time like this, anyone who interfered would become the first bird to stick its head out.
And just so happened, this bird he looked down on very much had stepped forward.
Sure enough, the coarse-faced man ignored Quini and walked toward their table.
However, Quini had been blocking his line of sight just now. Once he moved aside, the man happened to meet Fu Jingqiu’s gaze.
They had met that morning.
At that time, they had just entered the inn, cursing foully. Although they had been badly frozen outside, they still wanted to stir up some trouble first, so the owner and his wife would behave.
Who would have thought that before they had even caught their breath, this tall man followed them in?
Usually, people around them often commented that their clothes and appearance looked fierce and not easy to get along with. They had always been quite pleased by that. After all, whoever was fiercer was the boss. Everyone carried the attitude of “can’t afford to offend them, but can avoid them,” which only made them act even more unscrupulously.
But the moment the coarse-faced man met Fu Jingqiu, he secretly thought something was wrong.
They were the type who fooled around in society. Everyone knew how much weight the other carried. They were only relying on whoever dared to go further. Acting fierce and ruthless—who did not know how to do that?
But Fu Jingqiu was clearly different.
His face was dark, and he looked as if he had just come out of bed. Maybe he had morning temper, because his expression looked extremely fierce, and not in the showy, posturing kind of way. His aura was very strong, making the man inexplicably think of the police.
But Fu Jingqiu did not take out any identification. His gaze on them was cold as hell. One of the more quick-witted ones wanted to go up and greet him, but the tall man blocked him. The first thing he said was, “What are you making trouble here for?”
The vibe was too authentic.
Either plainclothes police or ex-military. His way of speaking and his bearing were different from ordinary people.
So their planned trouble died down. They were indeed sleepy and cold, too. After thinking it over, they decided to sleep first and talk later.
After waking up refreshed, they had actually forgotten about this matter. Now that he saw Fu Jingqiu, the memories from the early morning came rushing back, leaving him unable to move forward or retreat.
Forget it. In any case, there were only two of them. Did they really think this was still peacetime?
Just as the coarse-faced man was about to keep walking forward, the door curtain was suddenly lifted, and a man in police uniform walked in. The moment he opened his mouth, his vibe was even more authentic. “Hey, hey, hey, what are you all doing!”
Coarse-faced man: “…”
Social order had not collapsed yet, so why insist on using violence against violence? Jiang Qingyu was not stupid.
Fu Jingqiu had been the one to call the police. After the matter was resolved, as the person who made the report, he chatted with the officers for a while. Jiang Qingyu stood by the counter watching, patting Quini on the shoulder. “All right, it’s fine now.”
Quini lowered his head, looking very dejected. “I shouldn’t have let them in this morning.”
Jiang Qingyu comforted him. “The situation was special back then. If it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to react either. Besides, if they really tore your door down, wouldn’t you still be the one to fix it?”
Rena was also deeply worried. “But even the police can’t drive them out of here. From the look of them, they’re determined to cling to this place.”
“They won’t,” Jiang Qingyu said, pointing at Fu Jingqiu. “I just heard them talking. The shelter will be set up soon, so they’re persuading them to leave.”
There had already been similar trends online over the past two days. Jiang Qingyu had not expected the officials to move so quickly. Whether for homeless people or locals, this was a good thing.
And the measures seemed quite forceful too, with a strong implication that if they did not go to the shelter now, they should not expect to go later.
To be honest, in the current environment, there were definitely quite a few people who had thought about things like declaring themselves king or taking advantage of the chaos to do something big, but very few of them could truly go all out.
Who did not want to live a stable life?
The appearance of shelters could make most people who were wavering over whether to “rebel” give up that idea and peacefully get through this cold winter inside the shelters.
After all, the public atmosphere on the surface was still very positive, things like sharing warmth and joining hands to resist natural disasters.
This was good news for Rena and the others.
No one wanted to encounter this kind of customer. They had operated this place for years and only wanted to run a small business steadily, providing travelers passing by with a place where they could eat hot meals, sleep, and have heating.
This couple was truly kind-hearted. Jiang Qingyu could not bear to see them bullied by those hooligan-like people.
As the conversation reached this point, Rena thanked him again. At that time, the situation had truly been only one sentence or one look away from a fight. If Jiang Qingyu had not spoken up to interrupt, Quini might already be injured now.
And Fu Jingqiu too. It had been so cold in the early morning, yet he had come over to help hold the situation steady. Otherwise, trouble might have broken out that morning.
Rena took the initiative and said, “Jiang, from now on, your food and lodging here will be covered by us. We won’t take a single cent from you!”
She only knew Jiang Qingyu’s surname was Jiang and did not know his full name, so she directly called him that. Her expression was sincere and did not seem fake. “You and your… is he your brother? Stay here with us. From today on, we are friends, brothers. Don’t worry. I have rooms here for you!”
Jiang Qingyu’s heart felt warm. He smiled brightly and said, “Yes, he’s my brother. But we’re quite comfortable living in the RV. We’re used to it and are a bit picky about beds. Don’t worry, there’s enough heating. As for food, your prices aren’t expensive. We can afford it.”
Quini, however, refused. He took Jiang Qingyu’s hand and clumsily tried to persuade him. “No! We won’t let friends pay. You helped us. If we don’t repay you, God will condemn us.”
Jiang Qingyu did not know whether to laugh or cry. “But I don’t want to be someone who eats and drinks for free either. How about this? I’ll bring over some ingredients, and you help me cook them, okay?”
When Rena heard this, she still shook her head, wanting to persuade him further. Fu Jingqiu had already finished communicating with the officers and walked over. “This is fine. If you insist on more, he’ll probably be too embarrassed to stay here.”
Jiang Qingyu nodded like a chick pecking rice. “Exactly, exactly.” He pretended to be serious. “I’m the kind of person who would secretly drive away in the middle of the night.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the back of his neck was pinched. Jiang Qingyu looked up at Fu Jingqiu in confusion. The other man was staring at him, his lips moving as if silently mouthing something.
What did he say?
Rena hesitated. “But you probably don’t have much stuff either…”
Jiang Qingyu: …
This was questioning a hoarding hamster who had bought things like crazy!
He vowed confidently, “Don’t worry about that. We have plenty of food and supplies. If worse comes to worst, we can still go out and buy more. But we really can’t eat here for free. Don’t try to persuade us anymore.”
After much tugging back and forth and another round of persuasion, they finally managed to soothe the couple.
That group of hooligans was persuaded away by the police, with the intention of sending them now to the shelter that had not yet been fully built.
Their plan had been disrupted before it had even begun, and the group looked wilted and somewhat unconvinced.
When no one was paying attention, the coarse-faced man walked a few steps closer to Jiang Qingyu and cursed viciously, “Damn sissy!”
Jiang Qingyu: ? What the hell.
Insulting him right to his face?
Fu Jingqiu’s expression darkened as he took a step forward, as if he wanted to warn the man about something, but Jiang Qingyu moved faster and pulled him back first. “Wait.”
When it came to cursing people, Fu Jingqiu might not necessarily be the other party’s match. But how could Jiang Qingyu, a little internet-surfing expert, let this dead ugly man curse him? He immediately swept his gaze over the other man from head to toe with a contemptuous, disdainful look, his eyes stopping on the coarse-faced man’s beer belly.
Then a little lower.
Jiang Qingyu chuckled softly. “Can you usually see your own feet?”
Coarse-faced man: ?
Jiang Qingyu gave another “Oh.” “Sorry, that wasn’t what I wanted to ask. What I’m curious about is…”
In front of everyone, he made a gesture at the coarse-faced man, bringing his index finger and thumb close together, leaving a pitifully short distance between them.
“Aiya.” Jiang Qingyu shook his head repeatedly, clicking his tongue several times in great pity, looking especially punchable.
Everyone: “…………”
Thinking of the coarse-faced man’s expression, as if he had eaten a fly, Jiang Qingyu kept laughing even after returning to the RV.
That reaction proved he had mocked the right thing.
Although Jiang Qingyu could no longer really be considered a straight man, he still knew very well what kind of insults would stab a man’s heart the most.
Wasn’t the man calling him a sissy? With that kind of “capital,” he was probably even worse than a eunuch.
Hahahaha!
The more Jiang Qingyu thought about it, the funnier it became. He collapsed on the sofa, clutching his stomach while laughing. As he laughed, he said, “Did he think calling me that would make me break down? Bet he didn’t expect I’d hit his sore spot first, haha!”
Now that was truly a fat tree hanging chili peppers.
Fu Jingqiu sat down beside him. Seeing Jiang Qingyu thrashing back and forth until his sock had rubbed half off, he reached out, held his ankle, and pulled the cotton sock back up. At the same time, he said, “Brother?”
Huh?
Jiang Qingyu stopped trying to roll around and looked up at Fu Jingqiu in confusion. “Aren’t you older than me? You’re three or four years older than me, right?”
Fu Jingqiu did not speak, only quietly looked at him.
What was he doing? Playing riddles again?
Jiang Qingyu suddenly remembered that back at the inn, Fu Jingqiu had mouthed something to him. It seemed to be “brother.”
Oh. He understood.
Jiang Qingyu said, “You heard what I said to the boss lady?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “Mm.”
Jiang Qingyu said matter-of-factly, “Saying you’re my brother sounds closer than saying we’re friends.” He grinned and kicked Fu Jingqiu’s leg with his foot. “Aiya, it’s not a big deal. Don’t be petty.”
He could not exactly say Fu Jingqiu was his boyfriend, right? She had not asked, and voluntarily revealing private things like that felt strange.
“No,” Fu Jingqiu said. “Usually, you call me by my full name. When you’re begging for mercy, you call me brother. But this is the first time you’ve called me older brother.”
Jiang Qingyu’s eyes were round. “You like me calling you that?”
The small patch of skin he was holding grew slightly hot. Fu Jingqiu said, “A little.”
It had been said before that Jiang Qingyu was the type who liked acting spoiled once he became close to someone. Since Fu Jingqiu had already said that, there was nothing wrong with cooperating and teasing him a little. So, with his ankle still being held, he struggled to sit up and hooked both arms around Fu Jingqiu’s shoulders. “Sure. Then how about I call you that often from now on? Brother.”
