TVDC 17: Blushing

He Zhiyuan didn’t say anything, and Qiu Xuning held the test paper in his hands without speaking either.

After a while, He Zhiyuan said, “You did pretty well.”

Hearing that, Qiu Xuning sniffled and said hoarsely, “It’s fine, just didn’t get a full score.”

He had lost a point in math because of carelessness, both chemistry and physics had deductions of varying degrees, but all were still above 95 points.

He Zhiyuan said quietly, “You’ll have another chance.”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment, then couldn’t help but look up at He Zhiyuan. Even though his eyes were swollen and red, the gaze he cast over was still clear. His lips moved slightly as he whispered, “Thank you.”

He Zhiyuan looked at his face. “Thank me for what?”

“Just… just thank you.” Qiu Xuning pinched at the soft flesh of his fingertip. Since he had just wiped away his tears, his fingers were still a little sticky. “Thank you for helping me piece the test paper back together, and also…”

He spoke in a low voice, forcing his eyes wide open to meet He Zhiyuan’s gaze. “And… thank you for what you just said.”

He was really trying hard to keep his eyes open now. Though his gaze trembled slightly, he still managed not to look away, staring straight into He Zhiyuan’s eyes as he said that “thank you.”

He Zhiyuan held Qiu Xuning’s gaze for a long while, until the boy finally shut his eyes for a moment as if he couldn’t bear it anymore. Only then did he look away and say, “No need to thank me.”

Qiu Xuning pressed his lips together and smiled. Sniffling, he said softly, “I’m going back to my room to do homework. Goodbye.”

He Zhiyuan gave a quiet “mm.” Qiu Xuning lowered his head and walked past him, but before he got far, he stopped, turned back, and said to He Zhiyuan, “Actually, I really don’t like crying.”

His voice was so soft that if you weren’t listening closely, you would hardly catch it. As soon as he finished, he ran off.

He Zhiyuan stood where he was, and for once, the corners of his lips lifted in a faint smile.

…

The matter of Qiu Shuohai tearing up Qiu Xuning’s test paper was brought up at the dinner table by Zhou Mingmei, who also mentioned that Qiu Xuning had cried. Qiu Shunming’s face immediately darkened. “You’ve got too much time on your hands. You’re coming with me tomorrow to find a job!”

Qiu Shuohai had never expected that just teasing Qiu Xuning a little would get him ordered to work. His face was full of reluctance. “I’m not going. Why should I work? It’s not like our family doesn’t have money.”

Qiu Shunming said, “This isn’t about money. When your grandma or aunt asks, I’m embarrassed to admit you’re just leeching off us! Grown as you are, still freeloading at home—when people ask, it makes your old man lose face!”

Qiu Shuohai stayed silent.

Turning his head, Qiu Shunming said to Qiu Haiyan, “Haiyan, does your pig farm still need workers?”

Qiu Haiyan said, “Dad, the pig farm is always short on hands, but hasn’t Shuohai already been there? He couldn’t stick with it.”

Qiu Shunming replied, “Even if he can’t stick with it, he has to. All he does at home is to bully his brother. If your brother doesn’t get into a good high school, just wait and see if I don’t beat you half to death.”

Qiu Shuohai protested, “If Qiu Xuning can’t get into a school, isn’t that just because he’s dumb? What’s it got to do with me?”

Qiu Shunming’s hand came down in a slap. “Still talking back?!”

“…” Qiu Shunming, too angry to vent it on the other two, secretly shot Qiu Xuning a glare.

Qiu Xuning was shaken by his glare, his heart giving a tremor, and he couldn’t eat anymore. In a low voice, he said, “I’m full, you all go ahead and eat.”

Seeing he had eaten less than half a bowl of rice, Qiu Shunming frowned. “That’s all you’re eating? Have another half bowl, hurry up. You’re already so short, and you still don’t like to eat?”

Saying that, he shoveled half the rice from his own bowl into Qiu Xuning’s.

Qiu Xuning: “……”

Seeing him not move, Qiu Shunming said casually, “What, not eating? Don’t tell me you’re looking down on your old man?”

“…” Qiu Xuning forced the words out with difficulty: “I don’t want to eat. I can’t eat anymore.”

Zhou Mingmei said, “If he can’t eat, then he can’t. Leave it.”

Qiu Xuning let out a breath of relief, quickly set down his chopsticks, and stood up right away and left without even daring to look at Qiu Shunming.

Qiu Shunming pulled the rice back in front of him again and snapped at Zhou Mingmei, “Ningning’s already 17 and still this short. No kid in our family’s ever been this small. You’ve spoiled him too much. If he doesn’t grow taller, just watch how I deal with you.”

Zhou Mingmei said, “You’re never home all day, and now you blame me for spoiling him? If I didn’t look after him, he would have no father and no mother. What’s so bad about height anyway? Kids grow in high school. Chunying’s son Qiaoqiao was even shorter than Ningning in middle school, only 154, and once he got to high school, he shot up twenty centimeters. Our Ningning’s already 162, how could he end up worse than Qiaoqiao?”

Qiu Shunming said, “That’s true. Buy a few hens soon and make some tonic for him.”

Zhou Mingmei agreed, and Qiu Shuohai muttered sourly from the side, “So only he gets the tonic? What about me?”

Qiu Shunming shot him a look, his face darkening. “Get lost. Living off us for nothing and you still have so many demands.”

“…” Same parents, yet both of them always leaned toward Qiu Xuning. Qiu Shuohai’s heart was full of sourness, leaving him deeply uncomfortable.

Qiu Xuning had no idea that after he left, Qiu Shuohai had quietly added another mark of resentment against him.

He hadn’t been eating properly these past few days. The reason was simple. When Zhou Mingmei and the others went to the banquet last time, they really did bring back some leftovers—braised pork, stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat, stewed chicken with mushrooms, and a few other odds and ends, all packed up in plastic bags.

For the past few days, Zhou Mingmei hadn’t cooked at all. They just kept eating those dishes with rice. The weather was cold, so the food could last for days, leaving Qiu Xuning with no choice.

When he ate, he was used to using serving chopsticks, but no one else had that habit. He didn’t have the heart to ask Zhou Mingmei and the others to start using them with him either. The Qiu family had never done that, and if he suddenly insisted, it would feel strange and might even hurt their feelings.

Because of this, Qiu Xuning naturally lost his appetite.

By nighttime, though, his stomach started to growl.

“Grrr…” His belly rumbled, and Qiu Xuning turned over, unable to stay still any longer.

He sat up, put on his clothes, and counted out a few bills from under the mattress. Pinching one corner of the money between two slender and pale fingers, he carefully folded it and slipped it into his pocket. Then he pulled out a wet wipe and cleaned his fingertips.

He carefully opened the door and saw that all the lights were off. A glance at the digital watch on his wrist showed it was already half past ten at night.

Qiu Xuning let out a soft puff of white breath—the night was really freezing. He hurried back into his room, dug out a thick sweater, and pulled it on.

When he was about to go downstairs, Qiu Xuning stopped in his tracks and turned his head toward He Zhiyuan’s room. Sure enough, a sliver of light was shining through the crack beneath the door.

He hesitated for a moment, then shuffled his steps over to He Zhiyuan’s door. Maybe because he had cried earlier, his nose had been running nonstop, and it felt like he had caught a cold. Sniffling, he raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door.

He only knocked a few times before stopping. He knew He Zhiyuan would answer, and he didn’t want to keep knocking and annoy him.

After waiting a moment, the door opened.

Facing He Zhiyuan, Qiu Xuning was still a little tense and cautious, but he had already started daring to meet He Zhiyuan’s eyes. His expression carried a kind of forced calm, as if trying to appear relaxed. “I’m hungry. Do you want to go eat something with me?”

He Zhiyuan asked, “You didn’t have dinner?”

Qiu Xuning paused for a moment, then stammered awkwardly, “I didn’t have an appetite.”

He Zhiyuan was silent for a moment. “Outside?”

Qiu Xuning nodded and said softly, “At this hour, there’s a night market outside. We can get something to eat.”

He Zhiyuan seemed to think it over before finally saying, “Wait for me.”

Qiu Xuning’s eyes lit up. He gave a firm “Mm” in response, his voice a little louder than before. “I’ll wait for you!”

He Zhiyuan glanced at his face a few more times, then turned and pulled the door almost shut before going to change clothes.

The door wasn’t closed tightly and in fact, it was left with a wide gap. Through it, Qiu Xuning could see He Zhiyuan standing by the bed, taking off his shirt, the broad expanse of his wheat-colored back exposed.

Qiu Xuning’s face flushed red. He quickly averted his eyes and fixed them on the pink rabbits on his slippers.

After a while, He Zhiyuan came out. He had changed clothes and put on a thick coat, his whole outfit in black, carrying a commanding presence.

“Let’s go,” He Zhiyuan said to Qiu Xuning.

Qiu Xuning answered softly with an “Mm,” just about to turn around when He Zhiyuan spoke again. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Ah?” Qiu Xuning froze, lifted his head to look at He Zhiyuan, and stammered, “Wh-what do you mean, what’s wrong?”

He Zhiyuan looked at his blushing face, a faint gleam flickering in his eyes, and said quietly, “It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Qiu Xuning gave a dazed “Oh,” then followed behind He Zhiyuan. He touched his burning cheeks, and the image he had just seen came back to him, making his face heat up all over again.

Don’t think about it. Forget it, forget it!