Red Envelope

Grandma Zhou's house was too run-down; either the pipes were leaking or the bed cabinet was moldy. After delivering the dumplings, Jiang Xu helped fix the television and was then pulled into a conversation by her for a while before he could finally break free and go upstairs.

Gu Qingzhou wasn't very eloquent, and Jiang Xu was worried he'd feel awkward being with Mother Jiang, so he had deliberately hurried home. But when he opened the door, he saw the two of them sitting on the sofa, chatting and watching TV just fine. It was actually quite lively.

Jiang Xu felt slightly relieved and changed his shoes at the door. "I've delivered the dumplings."

Mother Jiang said, "Perfect. On your way in, you passed the kitchen, so you might as well wash the dishes."

Jiang Xu paused at her words, unable to figure out how Mother Jiang interpreted the words "might as well." He glanced at the pile of bowls and plates stacked in the sink and muttered, "I also passed the bathroom, why don't you have me scrub the toilet?"

Then, he resignedly rolled up his sleeves and started washing the dishes.

Jiang Xu wasn't used to such delicate work. He clattered and bumped things while washing the dishes, making a lot of noise. Every time Mother Jiang heard it, she couldn't help but turn her head to nag him a few times before continuing her conversation with Gu Qingzhou, telling him bits and pieces of stories about Jiang Xu's childhood, from teasing cats to chasing dogs.

Gu Qingzhou listened very attentively, then quietly peeled an orange and handed it to Mother Jiang. His demeanor was gentle and polite, without a hint of impatience.

The Chinese New Year's Eve dinner was very sumptuous. Although three people couldn't eat that much, Mother Jiang still made ten dishes for the occasion, for the auspicious meaning of perfection. They ate while watching the Spring Festival Gala on TV, so it didn't feel too lonely.

The company's new year holiday wasn't many days long. In the past, Jiang Xu couldn't stay for long before having to return to Hai City. During the meal, Mother Jiang asked, "Have you booked your ticket? When are you planning to go back?"

Jiang Xu thought for a moment and said, "We'll go back tomorrow."

There was no need for a ticket; he could just go with Gu Qingzhou.

Mother Jiang nodded upon hearing this. Although she was reluctant to see him go, she had grown used to it over the years. Besides, the two places weren't far apart, and they could still call each other regularly. "It's good that you two are together, you can look out for each other."

Her hair was streaked with a bit of silver, and she had kind eyebrows and smiling eyes. Upon closer look, it seemed a few more wrinkles had appeared on her face. Gu Qingzhou wanted to say he could help buy an apartment in Hai City and have Mother Jiang move there, so they wouldn't have to be apart so much each year. But considering his and Jiang Xu's current relationship couldn't be brought to light, he had to dismiss the thought.

After dinner that night, Jiang Xu was in his room packing his luggage while Gu Qingzhou lay on the edge of the bed, quietly watching him bustle about. He thought that such days were so wonderful they felt a little unreal. Unfortunately, they still had many obstacles to overcome, so they could only take it one day at a time.

Gu Qingzhou called out his name lazily, "Jiang Xu."

Jiang Xu took a moment to look back at him. "Hm? What's wrong?"

Gu Qingzhou said, "If you can't bear to leave, it's fine to go back in two days."

Jiang Xu didn't react much. He just zipped up the suitcase and said, "It's fine, I'm not a three-year-old who hasn't been weaned. If we stay for two more days, the roads here will be blocked. It'll be full of people returning to the city, and we won't be able to get the car out."

After he finished speaking, he got up, locked the door from the inside, and then dived into the bed, bringing a gust of cold air with him. He was clearly freezing from being downstairs earlier. Gu Qingzhou didn't mind the cold and burrowed into Jiang Xu's arms as usual, then clutched his collar to demand a kiss.

Jiang Xu turned his head to avoid it, not letting him succeed, and chuckled in a low voice, "Let's be clear first, if things get heated, I'm not taking responsibility."

Gu Qingzhou kicked him lightly under the covers, telling him to cut the crap.

Jiang Xu thought to himself that he was really asking for it. He pulled the covers up over them, sealing off the cold air from outside, and then accurately found Gu Qingzhou's lips in the darkness. His hot breath sprayed against the side of his neck, provoking a slight shiver.

Gu Qingzhou was never very good at suppressing his emotions, and this was even more so when he was with Jiang Xu. For the past two days, they hadn't dared to be overly intimate out of consideration for Mother Jiang. It was originally just a simple kiss, but once it started, it couldn't be stopped, and even the surrounding temperature began to gradually rise.

Gu Qingzhou's kisses always carried a hint of biting, the pain stimulating all of Jiang Xu's senses. His rationality gradually shattered amidst this intimate entanglement. He tightly gripped Gu Qingzhou's fingertips, pinning them to the headboard so he couldn't move. Then he lowered his body slightly, freeing one hand to grope for the hem of Gu Qingzhou's clothes, lifting it up slowly and deliberately.

Gu Qingzhou's voice was muffled. "Don't... be careful not to be heard..."

Jiang Xu looked at him with a half-smile. "If you don't make a sound, no one will hear."

Gu Qingzhou really didn't dare to make a sound. Even when Jiang Xu flipped him over in the dark, he didn't dare to struggle too much. His limbs were firmly pinned by the other man; anything he did would be in vain. He said in a low voice, "Jiang Xu, don't mess around..."

Jiang Xu just felt that Gu Qingzhou was too easily frightened. Although the old house had poor soundproofing, it wasn't that bad. He gently kissed Gu Qingzhou's most sensitive earlobe, then slid down along his smooth nape. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

It was easy for the one on top to hold back, but the one on the bottom was suffering. Gu Qingzhou had tried his best to swallow his sounds, but occasionally, a few shallow gasps would still escape. To make things worse, Jiang Xu's movements were slow, which was an invisible form of torture, like death by a thousand cuts. A single, quick strike would have been more merciful.

Gu Qingzhou bit his lower lip hard and finally couldn't help but close his eyes, letting out a rare, low curse, "Can you fucking hurry up!"

He just wanted Jiang Xu to finish quickly.

Jiang Xu gave him a peculiar look upon hearing that and said with a half-smile, "Alright, as you wish."

As he said this, he didn't move immediately. Instead, he reached out to cover Gu Qingzhou's mouth, muffling his unexpected groan, and only then, as per the other's request, did he go faster.

Gu Qingzhou finally, belatedly, realized that he had dug a huge pit for himself. He shivered all over, trying to pull Jiang Xu's hand away, wanting to say that slower was also fine, but the other's arm was unmoving, impossible to push away. Gu Qingzhou didn't dare to struggle forcefully and could only endure it all. Before long, his eyes were red from the stimulation. He whimpered and shook his head with difficulty, his eyelashes soaked with tears, which also wet a thumb-sized spot on the pillow beneath him.

Jiang Xu only felt a warm liquid on his hand, which soon turned cold. He kissed Gu Qingzhou's ear reassuringly, and after a moment, he finally stopped moving and released his hold.

Gu Qingzhou was limp all over, no different from a dead fish. His eyes were vacant and unfocused, and he could only gasp for air. On a cold winter's day, even his hair was damp with sweat. His throat was so dry and sore from holding back that he couldn't make a sound.

Jiang Xu called his name twice but got no response. 'Did I fuck him stupid?' he wondered.

Mother Jiang was already asleep, and the living room was silent. Jiang Xu went out to take a look, then came back, draped a piece of clothing over Gu Qingzhou, and carried him to the bathroom. At that moment, a certain person finally came to his senses and reflexively clung to Jiang Xu's neck.

Jiang Xu was nearly suffocated by Gu Qingzhou's hold. He walked through the dark living room without issue and only put the man down once they were in the bathroom. Then he closed the door behind him and said, "Loosen your grip, you're going to kill someone."

Gu Qingzhou's temples throbbed with anger, but he hadn't recovered his strength yet. The corners of his eyes were flushed as he whispered tremblingly by Jiang Xu's ear, "Hurry up and wash..."

The hot water from the showerhead poured down on them. Droplets flowed over his fair shoulders and back, dyeing them a faint red like rouge. Jiang Xu's gaze roamed inch by inch over Gu Qingzhou's somewhat bony back, and he suddenly thought it would be very suitable for a painting. But well, maybe next time.

The two of them quickly finished showering and then returned to their room and got into bed like thieves. Fortunately, Mother Jiang was a deep sleeper and didn't notice anything. The next morning, she got up as usual to make breakfast and, worried they would be late, even knocked on their door.

Gu Qingzhou and Jiang Xu both woke up late. The latter, being thick-skinned, felt nothing, but the former felt a little stealthily guilty. Gu Qingzhou subconsciously straightened his collar before sitting down at the dining table, his tone apologetic. "I woke up a bit late today."

Mother Jiang said, "What's there to be embarrassed about? It's still early, only seven. I was just worried you'd get stuck in traffic if you left late."

Breakfast was light: white congee with youtiao and a plate of salted duck eggs. Gu Qingzhou peeled one egg for Mother Jiang first before starting on a second one for himself. For some reason, when Jiang Xu saw the combination of youtiao and duck eggs, he was unconsciously reminded of getting a zero on a school exam and couldn't help but glance at Gu Qingzhou a few more times.

Jiang Xu quite liked salted egg yolk but didn't like the egg white. Gu Qingzhou noticed his gaze, misunderstood his meaning, and habitually used his chopsticks to pick out the yolk for him. After doing this, Gu Qingzhou's body stiffened slightly as he suddenly remembered that Mother Jiang was still there.

He subconsciously looked up and, as expected, found Mother Jiang looking at him. His fingertips tightened slightly, and he came up with a lame lie, "Jiang Xu likes the yolk, and I like the egg white, so we usually share them at the company..."

As if.

Gu Qingzhou hated egg whites the most; they were so salty it gave him a headache. Normally, he would just throw it away. However, in front of Mother Jiang, he couldn't help but hesitate, afraid she would think he was wasteful, so he could only brace himself and eat it.

Mother Jiang didn't seem to suspect anything and continued eating her own food.

For some reason, Jiang Xu muffled a laugh. Seeing that although Gu Qingzhou's expression was normal, his eating had clearly slowed down, he pulled out a tissue and, when Mother Jiang wasn't looking, wrapped up the half-eaten egg white in his hand and threw it into the trash can.

Gu Qingzhou was greatly relieved and let out a discreet sigh before continuing to eat.

Breakfast didn't take long. After a quick clean-up of the dishes, Jiang Xu and Gu Qingzhou had to leave. Mother Jiang's legs weren't good, so she didn't go downstairs to see them off, only standing by the window to watch them for a while.

The snow on the road had melted some. The air was filled with the faint smell of gunpowder from firecrackers, along with fine red paper scraps. Jiang Xu dragged the suitcase and walked side by side with Gu Qingzhou. "The station isn't far from here, how about we just walk?"

Gu Qingzhou wasn't that delicate. In fact, he quite enjoyed this unhurried pace. He nodded and said, "Whatever you want."

As he spoke, he habitually stuck his hand into his coat pocket but suddenly touched a hard paper packet. He couldn't help but pause. When he pulled it out, he saw it was a brand-new red envelope containing five hundred yuan. He subconsciously looked at Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu just smiled. "Yo, you got quite a bit. I only got three hundred."

Gu Qingzhou thought back for a moment. Most likely, Mother Jiang had secretly stuffed it into his pocket when they were leaving. For the first time in his life, he felt that this money was a bit too hot to handle and was momentarily stunned and at a loss.

Jiang Xu said, "My mom gave it to you, just take it."

Gu Qingzhou was still hesitant. After all, Mother Jiang was not well-off. Seeing this, Jiang Xu helplessly scratched his hair, his smile both helpless and teasing. "I'll pay her back later, that should be fine, right?"

Gu Qingzhou didn't say anything, which was taken as agreement. He silently stuffed the red envelope back into his pocket. His dark hair was a little messy from the wind, and with his eyes lowered, it was impossible to know what he was thinking.