Together Forever - Chapter 24
Volume 2, Chapter 24: Washing Hands and Making Soup (3)
The aroma from the kitchen wafted in.
She turned her head, looking at the kitchen light, and murmured, “Clearly did something wrong, but still acting innocent.”
He rested his chin on her shoulder, dramatically sniffing the air. “What are you muttering about behind my back?” She shook her head, feigning innocence. Gu Pingsheng sniffed again. “I think I smell something burning?”
Tong Yan gasped and ran to the kitchen, only to discover that the beef was indeed burnt.
Her first attempt at braised beef had met a tragic end in the garbage can.
She had wanted to salvage what she could, scraping off the burnt parts, but Gu Pingsheng firmly lectured her about the carcinogenic properties of burnt food, effectively shattering her hopes of being frugal.
Fortunately, there were other dishes.
Especially the one she was certain he would love.
Silky smooth tofu pudding, sprinkled with cilantro and drizzled with a savory sauce.
Tong Yan placed it in front of him.
It definitely tasted good; she had snuck a taste.
Gu Pingsheng smiled, took a spoonful, then another, and another, without looking up. She couldn't ask for his opinion, so she pulled up a chair and watched him expectantly.
From this angle, she could see him smiling, his dimples deep. She rested her chin on her hand, watching him until he finished the entire bowl of tofu pudding and looked up at her. Only then did she ask, “Was it good?”
“Very good,” he took a napkin and wiped his mouth. “Excellent.”
That single word, “excellent,” kept her happy for a long time, even as she watched him wash the dishes after dinner, a secret smile playing on her lips.
Gu Pingsheng's home wasn't far from the supermarket where she worked. Earlier in the week, he had suggested she stay at his place on Saturday night so she could sleep in on Sunday.
Initially, she felt a little shy, but then she figured it wasn't a big deal.
However, when she stood in his bathroom, holding her clothes, ready to take a shower, she realized it was a very big deal. She was nervous, truly nervous. Thankfully, the water was warm, and he had provided everything she needed.
The shower itself was uneventful.
It wasn't until she was fully dressed that she breathed a sigh of relief, looking at herself in the mirror.
A misty film covered the glass. Because the room was warm, it showed no signs of dissipating. She reached out and absentmindedly drew on the glass, writing the character “Gu.”
Before she could admire her handiwork, the room plunged into darkness.
The sudden darkness startled her.
A power outage?
Power outages still happened these days?!
She instinctively called out, “Mr. Gu!” then immediately realized it was pointless. After a few seconds, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she reached for the door. As her hand touched the doorknob, a knock startled her. “Tong Yan?”
His voice was loud, laced with concern.
She quickly opened the door and saw him standing there in the darkness.
“There seems to be a power outage,” he said.
“Can you see me when I talk?” she asked.
It was quite dark, with no natural light; it must be difficult.
As expected, he said, “Wait till I find something to provide light. I can't see you when you're speaking.” She nodded vigorously and turned back to grab a towel from the vanity, wrapping it around her wet hair.
Just as power outages were rare these days, most people no longer kept candles at home.
He searched for a while but couldn't find any source of light. Finally, he took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and placed it on the coffee table.
“Do you need some dry towels?” he asked, noticing her wet hair.
She had brought a hairdryer, but without electricity, she had to rely on more traditional methods. “Yes, one or two would be enough.”
Gu Pingsheng returned with a large white bath towel.
She took it and carefully dried her hair, trying to absorb as much moisture as possible.
It was a cloudy day, and the windows offered only a dim, gray light. The only illumination inside came from his phone.
She dried her hair, and he simply sat there, keeping her company.
A quiet, comfortable silence.
Worried he might be bored, she started talking. “I remember when I was little, we always had candles at home. Grandma would only light them during power outages. I loved playing with fire as a child, so I always looked forward to blackouts. I’d sneak around and set things on fire when the adults weren’t looking.”
He surprisingly didn't respond, only smiled.
Tong Yan noticed he had been rather quiet for a while. “What are you thinking about?”
“Come here, let me hold you,” he said suddenly.
Tong Yan paused, then obediently put down the towel and moved closer, putting her arms around his waist.
In the darkness, Gu Pingsheng held her close. Tong Yan could hear his heart beating erratically; her own was probably even faster. Gradually, the heartbeat in her ear steadied, becoming strong and rhythmic.
Through his shirt, she felt his comforting warmth, a faint, almost imperceptible scent, and her own heartbeat began to calm. “I was thinking about my mother,” his voice was even, but she could detect a hint of sadness. “The day she… had her accident, I could have found her sooner. If I had been more attentive, if I had listened more carefully to the sounds coming from her room, maybe she wouldn't have… passed away so soon.”
He spoke vaguely, omitting many details.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. A voice called out, “Mr. Gu, are you there?”
Tong Yan instinctively shifted. He noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”
She hesitated for half a second, then looked up at him. “Nothing.”
She then rested her head against his chest, tightening her embrace.
For some people, it was difficult to open up and share their feelings. Tong Yan felt that he, like her, was such a person. So she didn’t want to interrupt him.
The building manager knocked twice more, and a voice seemed to say something about Mr. Gu having returned that afternoon and probably being asleep by now. Soon, silence returned.
“From now on, when you’re here, leave the lights on in the room you’re in. If you feel unwell, or if there’s an emergency, just flip the light switch. If I see the lights go out, I’ll come check on you,” he changed the subject. “Okay?”
Something melted within her. She traced “OK” on his back with her index finger.
“Are you sleepy?” he chuckled softly. “Why are you too tired to even look up and speak?”
Tong Yan nuzzled his shirt, not answering.
He touched her hair; it was still damp. “Let me dry your hair some more. Sleeping with wet hair can give you a headache.”
She remained silent as he released her with one arm, picked up the discarded towel, and began drying her hair. Despite being pampered, Tong Yan couldn't stop replaying his words in her mind, his brief mention of his mother.
A pang of sympathy welled up within her, and she sat up in his arms.
He had also just showered. Because his hair was short, it was almost dry. As he looked down at her, the hair at his forehead fell softly, partially obscuring his eyes. She remembered him sitting outside the ICU many years ago, looking much the same. Back then, perhaps because he was younger, his hair was longer, covering most of his face, concealing his expression.
The image of him now overlapped with the memory of him then.
She suddenly reached out, cupped his face in her hands, closed her eyes, and kissed him.
After that, everything became a blur. Although she had initiated the kiss, he was the one who pulled her close, against his chest, stealing her breath away. His mouth tasted of fresh toothpaste, minty. When they briefly parted, she could even feel a slight coolness on her lips.
“What do you want?” he carefully kissed the outline of her lips, as if savoring a sweet treat.
She simply smiled, her tongue tangling with his for a few seconds before leaning back against the sofa, exhaling. “Don’t overthink it.”
She had returned his words from earlier that afternoon.
“Alright, I won’t overthink it,” Gu Pingsheng chuckled, holding her close, his nose brushing against hers. He turned his head, deepening the kiss. Tong Yan’s back pressed against the sofa, their heartbeats mingling. It seemed no force could calm the tumultuous rhythm…
The next day, the first thing Miao Miao said to her was, “Oh my god, Tong Yan, didn't you sleep at all last night? Those bags under your eyes!”
Tong Yan opened the cash register and placed some change inside. “Yeah, I’m exhausted.”
Gu Pingsheng, worried about her, had slept fully clothed on the sofa in the guest room.
Sharing a room like that, she hadn’t dared to move, unable to sleep. She’d tossed and turned until dawn around six, finally drifting off for about half an hour. Before she could even dream, he had woken her up…
The tragic consequence was that she was in a daze all day.
At lunchtime, in the break room, Miao Miao finally asked with a mischievous grin, “Where did you go last night?”
Tong Yan placed her lunchbox in the microwave, shut the door with a bang, and set the timer for two and a half minutes. “Nowhere special. I stayed at a… friend’s place. There was a power outage, and we stayed up all night.”
“Oh, a friend,” Miao Miao's smile widened. “Stayed up all night.”
Tong Yan sighed. “Please, married woman, have some self-respect.”
“This has nothing to do with being married,” Miao Miao flicked her forehead. “When it comes to relationships, things naturally progress at their own pace.” Tong Yan was speechless.
Thankfully, the manager came to talk to Miao Miao, leaving her in peace.
Sitting in a corner of the dining area, eating her leftovers from the previous night, Tong Yan recalled his words.
They hadn't been together long, but everything had felt so natural.
Their first date, their first kiss.
Last night, she had even thought he might… do something.
But in the end, he had simply let her go, poured himself a glass of warm milk, and then, as they were about to sleep, he had mentioned that while he wasn’t Christian or Catholic, he strongly believed in one of their tenets.
Curious, she’d asked him to explain. He sat on the edge of the bed, in the darkness, and told her:
“God gave sex as a gift to mankind, but only within marriage is it the ultimate expression of intimate love. Any sex outside of marriage is wrong.” He then kissed her deeply before whispering, “Unless you really want to… at the very least, we should wait until you're no longer my student.”
Even now, Tong Yan blushed at the memory, poking at her rice with her chopsticks.
Did I seem like I really wanted to…?
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