Perfect

Jiang Xu didn't usually stay at home much, and he had borrowed the motorcycle from a neighbor. He sped back home, parked the bike, and while taking off his helmet, he teased Gu Qingzhou: "Don't cry in front of my mom. People who don't know any better will think I bullied you."

Gu Qingzhou got off the back seat and tossed the helmet into his arms. The back of his fair hand was slightly red from the cold wind, but his expression was already back to normal. The emotional shift on the road just now seemed to have lasted only an instant. Hearing his words, he retorted, "Haven't you bullied me before?"

Jiang Xu lowered his voice and chuckled, "That depends on the situation. What are you referring to? The times in bed? ...Hey, why are you walking so fast? Do you even know which door is my family's?"

Gu Qingzhou's steps faltered slightly at his words, and he had no choice but to stand there and wait for Jiang Xu to catch up from behind. The hallway was dimly lit, the walls covered with small advertisements. Some people's doors weren't shut tight, and the lively sounds of a television could be faintly heard. Jiang Xu's footsteps were heavy, triggering the sound-activated lights, and then he led Gu Qingzhou upstairs. "You, don't be nervous. My mom's temper is alright. She likes three-good students like you the most."

When Jiang Xu praised others, it never felt like a compliment. Gu Qingzhou followed behind him, feeling like he had a stomach full of questions to ask, yet he didn't know what to ask. His soul and mind had already separated. It wasn't until Jiang Xu knocked on the door that his reason instantly returned.

Mother Jiang had clearly been waiting for them. She came to open the door as soon as she heard the knock. She pulled the door open, her gaze sweeping past Jiang Xu and instinctively landing on Gu Qingzhou behind him. Seeing a handsome child with neat features, she couldn't help but break into a smile. "Aiyo, you must be Xiao Gu. It's so cold outside, come in quickly. Have you eaten?"

Gu Qingzhou was a little nervous, but he managed not to let it show. His attitude was extremely meek and polite. "Thank you, Auntie. I ate outside just now. I might be troubling you by staying here for the next couple of days. These are some supplements for your health. I hope you won't mind."

As he spoke, he handed over the few gift boxes of supplements he was holding. Mother Jiang didn't know how much they cost, but just from the packaging, they certainly weren't cheap. She quickly pushed them back. "Aiya, staying for a few days is no big deal. You child, why waste money buying these? Quick, take them back—"

Seeing this, Gu Qingzhou instinctively looked at Jiang Xu. Jiang Xu closed the door with a backhand motion and said to Mother Jiang, "Mom, just take them. He already bought them, and they can't be returned."

Jiang Xu always had a way of speaking that was rather provoking. Mother Jiang hadn't thought much of it before, but when contrasted with Gu Qingzhou's polite attitude, the difference was suddenly stark. She had no choice but to accept the items, shooting Jiang Xu a glare as she did. She said irritably, "So what if they can't be returned? Does that mean you let Xiao Gu waste his money for nothing? If it really comes to it, he can keep them and eat them himself."

Jiang Xu found a pair of slippers for Gu Qingzhou and muttered upon hearing her, "What's a grown man going to do with bird's nest."

...

Perhaps it was because Gu Qingzhou was there for comparison, but Mother Jiang found Jiang Xu particularly displeasing to the eye today. She tidied up the kitchen a bit, thinking that her presence in the living room would surely make Gu Qingzhou uncomfortable. She ladled out two large bowls of pork rib soup for them, told them to finish it, and then went back to her room to rest.

When Gu Qingzhou saw Mother Jiang close her door, his tense figure finally relaxed slightly. He sat on the sofa, and only then did he have the mind to survey the living room's decor. He found it warm and elegant, not quite like the environment he had imagined.

Jiang Xu sat down beside him and handed him a pair of chopsticks. "Have some soup. My mom's cooking is pretty decent."

Mother Jiang was sleeping just inside, separated by a thin door. Gu Qingzhou couldn't possibly do anything. He took the chopsticks and buried his head in the soup. Seeing how well-behaved he looked, Jiang Xu reached out to rub his head, but his hand was intercepted mid-air by Gu Qingzhou.

Without looking up, Gu Qingzhou said, "Be careful, Auntie might see."

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow, thinking, 'You're quite cautious.' He deliberately leaned close to Gu Qingzhou's ear and asked, "Then later when we go back to the room to sleep, should we put a pillow between us to avoid my mom seeing?"

Gu Qingzhou said with a faint smile, "Putting a pillow between us is so troublesome. Wouldn't it be easier if you just slept on the floor?"

He finished the soup in a few gulps, then got up and went to the kitchen to wash the bowl. It was only when he was about to shower that he realized he had left in such a hurry he hadn't packed any change of clothes. Jiang Xu found a set of his own clothes for him and leaned against the bathroom door, smiling. "It's almost twelve. Why don't we just shower together? It'll save time."

If this had been back in Hai City, Gu Qingzhou might have agreed. However, he had a guilty conscience. Remembering that Mother Jiang was sleeping in the next room, he didn't respond. Hot water trickled down over his head. Through the frosted glass shower door, he could vaguely make out the silhouette of Jiang Xu leaning against it, which gave him an inexplicable sense of security.

Gu Qingzhou finished his shower quickly, then opened the door and went out. The cold air outside immediately made him shiver. He said to Jiang Xu, "You go wash up. I'm going back to the room first."

Jiang Xu let out a noncommittal "oh" at his words. The two words "bed warmer" inexplicably popped into his mind, but he was tactful enough not to say it out loud. He just smiled and went into the bathroom to wash up.

Afraid of disturbing Mother Jiang's rest, Gu Qingzhou deliberately slowed his steps as he passed her door, then got into bed as quietly as possible. He lay under the covers, then rolled over, surveying the somewhat unfamiliar surroundings. A wave of indescribable emotions suddenly washed over him.

Gu Qingzhou sank down, slowly pulling the blanket over his head, thinking, 'How did I end up here so muddle-headedly? I've never done anything this crazy in my life...'

When Jiang Xu came out of the shower, he saw Gu Qingzhou curled up in a ball again, not even showing his face. He closed the door with a backhand motion, turned off the light, and then, carrying a chill with him, lifted the covers and slid in. After quietly feeling the temperature inside for a moment, he said, "Mm, it's quite warm."

Gu Qingzhou snapped back to his senses at those words. He glanced at him in the darkness, instantly getting Jiang Xu's meaning, and raised an eyebrow. "You're really treating me like a bed warmer."

Jiang Xu adjusted his pillow's position, then lay down next to Gu Qingzhou. For the first time, he felt that this person also carried warmth. He said lazily, "What's the use of warming the bed? I'm cold, and I don't see you warming me up."

Gu Qingzhou snuggled into his arms and said with his eyes closed, "Sleepy."

Jiang Xu was actually quite sleepy too. He had been so busy these past few days that he'd barely had any rest. Hearing him, he said, "If you're sleepy, then sleep. Tomorrow is Chinese New Year's Eve, we'll be busy."

Fireworks still exploded in the night sky outside. For the most brilliant instant, even the room lit up. For some reason, Gu Qingzhou opened his eyes in the dark, rustled closer, and gave Jiang Xu a light kiss on the corner of his lips before closing them again.

Mother Jiang was getting old, and her stamina wasn't what it used to be. When she had insomnia, she would lie awake all night. When she did manage to fall asleep, it would be hard for her to wake up for half the day. She had a habit of setting an alarm clock every day. The next morning, she remembered they had a guest and deliberately got up a little earlier than usual to make breakfast. But when she walked out of her room, she saw three steaming hot dishes already on the table.

Mother Jiang always called her son by his full name: "Jiang Xu?"

Jiang Xu was in the kitchen watching Gu Qingzhou cook. Hearing her, he answered from a distance, "Mom, what is it?"

Mother Jiang raised her voice slightly and asked, "Did you cook?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she felt it was impossible. Draping a piece of clothing over her shoulders, she walked to the kitchen and saw Gu Qingzhou washing vegetables, while Jiang Xu just stood there staring blankly. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Aiya, Xiao Gu, why are you two cooking?"

Gu Qingzhou said, "It's nothing, we woke up early. We didn't have anything else to do anyway. The congee is already cooked. Auntie, you should go wash your face and eat."

Jiang Xu also said, "Mom, you go ahead. There's only one more dish left."

Mother Jiang hadn't expected Gu Qingzhou to know how to cook. She already had a good impression of him, and now she was even more satisfied. She felt that Jiang Xu had finally made a presentable friend. She shook her head with a smile and had no choice but to go into the bathroom to wash up.

Some of the kitchen utensils were a bit old, incomparable to the place in Hai City. Jiang Xu saw that Gu Qingzhou's sleeves were splattered with specks of oil from stir-frying, and the back of his hand had been burned in a few places. He pulled him a little further away and asked in a low voice, "Don't you feel wronged?"

Although Gu Qingzhou usually cooked, he wouldn't go so far as to crawl out of bed before dawn, wash vegetables with cold water in such cold weather, and immerse himself in a kitchen full of oily smoke. This was undoubtedly a great challenge to his mysophobia, and he was doing all this for no other reason than to please Mother Jiang.

Jiang Xu seemed to catch a glimpse of Gu Qingzhou's former self again—for the person he liked, he would lower his stature inch by inch, bend his back, and finally bow his head, leaving no room for himself.

Gu Qingzhou clearly didn't understand why Jiang Xu would suddenly ask such a thing. He glanced at him and said, "What's there to feel wronged about? I'm cooking for your mom, not for someone else."

He wasn't very used to this kitchen. After making a few dishes, his hands had suffered in many places. They were also a bit red from being soaked in cold water. Seeing that Mother Jiang was still in the bathroom, Jiang Xu took Gu Qingzhou's hand to warm it up, but this startled the latter, who quickly snatched his hand back as if he were a thief.

Gu Qingzhou instinctively glanced at the closed bathroom door, then shot Jiang Xu a glare, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

But Jiang Xu just looked at him and smiled, then helped serve the dishes and rice.

Today was the 30th of the Lunar New Year. The Jiang family didn't have many relatives and rarely kept in touch. Mother Jiang often chatted with Grandma Zhou who lived on the first floor. She packed some prepared dumplings from the fridge and had Jiang Xu take them down to her. "Granny Zhou has no children, and her husband passed away early. She's always very frugal and reluctant to even buy vegetables. Take these to her, and while you're at it, help the old lady put up her couplets."

Jiang Xu agreed. He quickly finished the rice in his bowl, grabbed the items, and prepared to go downstairs. Gu Qingzhou saw that he was only wearing a thin sweater, so he handed him his jacket from the sofa and said with a frown, "It's cold outside, put your jacket on."

Jiang Xu took the jacket, put it on, and then went downstairs. Seeing this, Mother Jiang swallowed the words she was about to say. She looked at Gu Qingzhou with a kindly gaze. "Jiang Xu is always so careless. If he could be as steady and polite as you, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams."

Gu Qingzhou was always courteous, with "thank you" constantly on his lips, unlike Jiang Xu, who would say "your grandpa" one moment and "fuck your mom" the next. Mother Jiang could never teach it out of him. It was only when Jiang Xu got older that he became a bit more mature.

There was a stack of red paper on the cabinet against the wall. Mother Jiang took a look and realized they were window decorations. She shook her head at Gu Qingzhou and said, "Look, I just said he was careless, and I wasn't wrong. I told him to put up the couplets yesterday. He put up the couplets, but the window decorations are still sitting here."

After saying this, Mother Jiang found tape and scissors in a drawer and sighed. "We can't forget the window decorations. They have to be put up. It looks more festive from the outside that way."

Seeing that her legs and feet weren't very mobile, Gu Qingzhou quickly took the items and said, "Auntie, I'll help you put them up."

Mother Jiang didn't refuse and helped by cutting the tape on the side. Seeing that Gu Qingzhou was well-dressed and spoke elegantly, she couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Gu, what do you do for work? Aren't your family members upset that you're not going home for the New Year?"

Gu Qingzhou's movements paused for a brief moment upon hearing her words, then he smiled. "I have many brothers at home, so it doesn't matter if I go back or not."

He added, "Jiang Xu and I are colleagues. We work at the same company."

Mother Jiang nodded. Seeing that he seemed unwilling to talk about his family situation, she didn't press further. After all, there were too many divorced and single-parent families these days; who knew what kind of unspoken difficulties there might be. If he were truly happy at home, who would run out for no reason?

With this in mind, Mother Jiang couldn't help but feel a bit more affectionate toward Gu Qingzhou. "So you're colleagues, that's great. Next New Year, if you're free, you can come back with Jiang Xu too."

Gu Qingzhou had never really been looked after since he was a child. Mother Gu was always out playing mahjong, or else shopping and attending parties. He didn't really know how to get along with elders. Hearing her words, he subconsciously glanced at Mother Jiang and saw that her features bore some resemblance to Jiang Xu's. She was looking at him with a smile, and he nodded a beat too late and replied, "Okay..."

It didn't take long to put up the window decorations. Gu Qingzhou saw that the bowls and chopsticks on the table hadn't been cleared yet. He rolled up his sleeves to wash them but was stopped by Mother Jiang. "You child, you're too earnest. You've been busy all morning, take a rest. I'll wash them."

Of course, Gu Qingzhou couldn't let an elder do this kind of work. "It's fine, Auntie. It'll be done in a moment."

Mother Jiang still felt bad about it; it made no sense to have a guest wash the dishes and cook. The two of them were at a stalemate, neither willing to back down. It wasn't right for either of them to do the work, and to make matters worse, the kitchen was too small for two people.

A moment later, Mother Jiang wiped her hands on her apron and finally came up with a solution. "...Why don't we just leave them there. We'll have Jiang Xu wash them when he gets back."

Perfect.