TT Chapter 39. Two Cups of Ginger Tea

As the saying goes, joy often leads to sorrow. Chen Ting had been so delighted by Pei Yiyao’s “first love” answer that he completely forgot about his stomachache. But before they even made it back to campus, he was already clutching his belly again, feeling things take a turn for the worse.

He glanced back at Yang Shulin, Lin Juan, and Juan-mei with a slightly resentful look. They had all gotten rained on and sat on the same cold stone steps. So why was he the only one suffering?

It was not fair.

Chen Ting’s expression took on a pitiful cast.

Pei Yiyao was still driving and could not offer comfort directly, but when he saw the look on Chen Ting’s face, he felt a strange twist in his chest. It was the same feeling as when he could not solve a math problem.

Love had no formula. The answers changed freely. For someone whose brain ran on logic and calculation, that was a terrifying thing.

As they passed a subway station, Pei Yiyao pulled over. “You all take the subway. I’m bringing Chen Ting to the hospital.”

Chen Ting shook his head immediately. “Why the hospital? I’ll be fine if I drink more hot water. Worst case, I can just go to the campus clinic…”

Pei Yiyao and Yang Shulin spoke at the same time. “No.”

“This is over the top. Who goes to the hospital just for a stomachache?” Chen Ting still thought they were being ridiculous.

“If you ignore a small illness, it turns into a big one. Did you already forget what happened in first year?” Yang Shulin was firm. He opened the car door and got out with Lin Juan and Juanmei, then said to Pei Yiyao, “Go on and take him. I’ll help cover at the café.”

Chen Ting had no way to protest, and so Pei Yiyao brought him to the hospital.

The results of the exam showed nothing serious. He had simply caught a chill, and with a naturally weak stomach and low immunity, his body was reacting badly. In short, there was no major problem, but plenty of minor ones.

After they left the clinic, Chen Ting carefully watched Pei Yiyao’s expression and forced a dry laugh. “See? It’s nothing serious. Just a bit of a chill. I just need more hot water.”

But Pei Yiyao’s face showed no relief. He had Chen Ting sit down on a bench in the hallway and asked, “What happened in first year?”

Chen Ting knew he would not be able to dodge it. He gave in. “It wasn’t a big deal. Just a case of tonsillitis that gave me a fever. I went for an IV drip.”

“How long?”

“About… a month?”

“A month?” Pei Yiyao’s brow furrowed.

In that instant, the air pressure seemed to drop. Chen Ting quickly reached out and grabbed Pei Yiyao’s hand. “It’s freezing in here. Can we go home now?”

Gao Duo once said that showing weakness was the secret weapon of love. It worked especially well between males.

Sure enough, Pei Yiyao’s stern expression softened a little. He slipped Chen Ting’s hand into his coat pocket and interlocked their fingers. “Come on. I’ll take you back.”

But “back” did not mean campus. It meant Pei Yiyao’s house.

Chen Ting clung to the car door and refused to get out. “If Aunt Ruan finds out I’m not feeling well, it’s the same as my mom knowing. She’ll definitely call and nag me to death.”

Pei Yiyao looked helpless. “My dad’s away on a business trip, and my mom went with him.”

“Really?” Chen Ting looked doubtful.

Pei Yiyao gave no answer. He simply picked him up from the car and carried him straight into the house without breaking stride.

“I can walk by myself!” Chen Ting struggled. This was honestly too shocking. What if his uncle and aunt were actually home? Even getting spotted by the housekeeper would be embarrassing.

But Pei Yiyao was determined. If not for the gentleness with which he set Chen Ting down on the sofa, Chen Ting might have thought he was being abducted to be someone’s forced bride.

Cool guys were good. But sometimes, they were just too domineering.

“Sit tight. I’m going to make you some soup.” Pei Yiyao handed him a throw pillow to hold. Then, after a second thought, glanced at Beef Noodle who had come trotting over, scooped the dog up, and gently deposited her in Chen Ting’s arms. “Warm your hands.”

One man and one dog stared at him blankly. Only after Pei Yiyao’s figure vanished into the kitchen did Chen Ting slowly look down at Beef Noodle.

“Woof!” Beef Noodle twisted her neck to look up at him, big dark eyes full of confusion.

“Beef Noodle,” Chen Ting whispered as he stroked her soft, round, bun-shaped bottom. “Why is your owner so completely lacking in tenderness? He’s a total… controller, isn’t he? Could you maybe talk to him for me? Let him know I actually think I’m pretty healthy…”

“Woof woof!” Talk like a normal person and take your hand off my butt!

Beef Noodle struggled with all her might, but the more she resisted, the more her backside wriggled, making it even harder for Chen Ting to let go. He held her in his arms, petting her like this and like that, and then again like that and like this.

“Woof-woo! Woof-woo!” Beef Noodle let out a series of helpless yelps, but her owner never came to save her.

She, a high-class dog who had been on an airplane, had been completely abandoned.

So when Pei Yiyao returned from the kitchen, what he saw was a peaceful scene between man and dog. Beef Noodle lay calmly on Chen Ting’s lap, letting him massage her backside and stroke her ears. When she noticed Pei Yiyao walk in, she even deliberately turned around and showed him her butt.

Beef Noodle and Chen Ting were getting along just fine. Excellent, Pei Yiyao thought.

“Drink some hot water first.” Pei Yiyao set a suspiciously colored drink down in front of him.

“What is this?”

“Ginger, jujube, and brown sugar tea.”

Chen Ting was skeptical. Pei Yiyao did not exactly seem like the nurturing type. The last time he made something, it was pear syrup, and that had only happened under Aunt Ruan’s guidance. So who was the advisor this time?

But either way, the tea had been made with Pei Yiyao’s own hands. Chen Ting decided not to question the details. Moved, he picked up the cup. The warmth in his palms gave him a new appreciation for Pei Yiyao’s thoughtfulness. To show his gratitude, he took two huge gulps right away.

After drinking, he sat in silence for a few seconds. Then, with complete sincerity, he asked, “How much ginger did you put in this?”

Pei Yiyao also paused for a few seconds before replying, “Ginger dispels cold.”

Chen Ting stared. “Drink a sip yourself.”

Pei Yiyao responded. “No.”

Where was the love?

Chen Ting was so annoyed he almost wanted to make Beef Noodle bite him. He no longer held out any hope for the soup either.

Pei Yiyao did not press him to finish it. Instead, he leaned down and kissed the corner of his lips. “If you’re not feeling well, go lie down upstairs. Take Beef Noodle with you.”

“Alright.”

“Go on.”

Once Chen Ting went upstairs with Beef Noodle in his arms, Pei Yiyao returned to the kitchen and started typing on his phone.

Pei Yiyao: How much ginger are you actually supposed to use?

YogurtYiming: What happened? Was one whole root not enough???

Pei Yiyao: Is your family even really in the medical field?

YogurtYiming: Of course!

YogurtYiming: I’m still learning though!

YogurtYiming: How about you make Ting-ge some cola ginger tea? Doesn’t he love cola?

Pei Yiyao: …

Cola ginger tea. He had no idea such a magical thing even existed. But magical things should pair well with his magical little Ting Ting. Maybe it would spark some magical chemical reaction.

After pondering for a moment, Pei Yiyao decisively poured the ginger-red date-brown sugar concoction out of the pot. He grabbed a bottle of cola and dumped the entire thing in. Then he tossed in fresh slices of ginger and turned on the heat.

Fifteen minutes later, the magical ginger tea met its magical Ting Ting in the bedroom.

Pei Yiyao stared in silence at Beef Noodle, who had claimed the spot that used to belong to him.

Chen Ting stared in silence at the ominously steaming drink on the tray.

Beef Noodle, who had taken over the pillow, lay sprawled out in comfort and let out a smug “woof!”

“What is this now?” Chen Ting asked warily, suddenly filled with a deep sense of foreboding.

“Cola ginger tea.” Pei Yiyao sounded hopeful.

“No.” Chen Ting shook his head. “No, no, no. You’re telling me you took cola, you mean actual bubbling cola and boiled it with ginger?”

“Yes.”

“No, no, no, no, no…” Chen Ting immediately dove under the blanket to make his refusal clear.

“Woof woof woof!” Beef Noodle dove in after him, poking her head out from under the covers to peek at Pei Yiyao, visibly excited.

Pei Yiyao gave her a cold stare, picked her up, and carried her downstairs. He set her down in front of her food bowl and placed the mug of cola ginger tea on the floor. “Want some?”

Beef Noodle tilted her head. What???

The cola ginger tea had failed. Chen Ting would not even go near it, let alone taste it. A complete disaster.

Pei Yiyao blocked YogurtYiming and turned his full attention to making soup. Soup was a technical task, and also the only dish he could actually pull off.

After blanching the chicken, he placed it into the pressure cooker and added goji berries, red dates, star anise, and other herbs in precise order. With the right timing and measurements, anyone could produce a fragrant pot of chicken soup.

Pei Yiyao might not be good at much else, but he was excellent with weights and timers.

Since the soup did not require constant attention, he spent the rest of his free time upstairs with Chen Ting.

Beef Noodle refused to be left out. She had quickly realized that this new curly-haired human was much better than her original owner. He let her into the room, even onto the bed. If she played her cards right, there might even be beef jerky in her future.

For the third time, Pei Yiyao picked Beef Noodle up and set her back down on the floor. Then he turned to look at Chen Ting, who had already fallen asleep. He reached out to tuck the blanket more securely around him. The room was warm, and Chen Ting lay curled under the thick covers, his complexion rosy once more. His lips parted slightly as he slept soundly.

“Mmm…” he murmured, turning over just enough to bump into Pei Yiyao’s arm braced against the mattress. He wrapped his arms around it and rubbed his cheek against the skin, finally settling with his face resting on the back of Pei Yiyao’s hand.

Pei Yiyao shifted slightly, and Chen Ting, still asleep, followed the movement with a soft whimper. The more he moved, the more he seemed to tease him, until Chen Ting’s brows drew together in a pitiful little frown, as if he were being bullied.

Pei Yiyao felt a pang of tenderness, but he still could not help wanting to tease him just a bit more. That was when Chen Ting’s hand suddenly came down and slapped his wrist in his sleep, a soft little smack that landed right on target.

“Woof?” Beef Noodle peeked her head in through the door again.

Pei Yiyao glanced back and gave her a warning look, telling her to stay quiet. Then he turned back to the guy who had forcefully flipped over his hand and was now using it as a pillow.

His large palm cradled that round, soft cheek perfectly, as if made to fit.

Pei Yiyao’s heart stirred. Afraid of disturbing the dream, yet unable to resist, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Chen Ting’s face.

Beef Noodle trotted inside, watching her owner perform this series of strange behaviors. She tilted her head in deep confusion. “Woof? Woof!”

Pei Yiyao ignored her completely. He brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen across Chen Ting’s forehead. His eyes were dark, calm, and full of warmth. He kept watching him, occasionally brushing his hand lightly against him, before finally reaching over and turning Beef Noodle’s eager little head away from the bed.