Chapter 90: I Also Want to Buy a Washing Machine
On Friday, when Zhou Yuejun came to the dorm to pick up Yu Deng, Xie Yangjun was also there.
Xie Yangjun was also a student at Nanda, two years ahead of them. His father was Jian Ling’s father’s driver.
As soon as Zhou Yuejun entered the dorm, he came face to face with Jian Ling, who was about to leave.
Yu Deng sat on the bottom bunk, legs crossed, packing up a box of flying chess.
Jian Ling was a neat freak and didn’t allow anyone to sit on his bed, but Yu Deng could. It was because Yu Deng was genuinely clean, white and tender, and smelled fragrant when touched.
Seeing Zhou Yuejun, Yu Deng couldn’t wait. He shoved the box away haphazardly, slung his small bag over his shoulder, and stomped his feet.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go home. I want to eat grilled fish tonight.”
Zhou Yuejun wasn’t in a hurry. He grabbed Yu Deng’s clothes, bent down, and sniffed as if no one else was there. Instantly, his sharp, sword-like brows furrowed in displeasure, towering like a mountain and leaking an oppressive aura.
“Where are the clothes you washed earlier? Let me see.”
The smell of laundry detergent completely covered the natural fragrance on Yu Deng’s body.
Yu Deng didn’t let Zhou Yuejun come often, so all his clothes were washed by himself.
Clothes that weren’t washed clean would only feel stiff and itchy when worn. Yu Deng’s skin was so tender that a simple brush would leave a red mark. How could he live so roughly?
Yu Deng pouted, smoothing his collar with one hand while pointing at the wardrobe. “They’re all inside, on the top shelf. I folded them.”
The wardrobe was on the side of Yu Deng’s bed. There were three iron wardrobes with double doors. Each person got half a door; Yu Deng and Jian Ling shared one wardrobe.
Zhou Yuejun had even bought a padlock for Yu Deng.
Zhou Yuejun yanked all the clothes out and went to the balcony to get a bucket.
“Wait a bit longer. Ten minutes. I’m going to scrub and rinse them through water once.”
That was just how Yu Deng washed clothes. He used too much detergent, and after washing, he didn’t wring them out properly. With the residual detergent clinging to the clothes, how could there not be a smell?
Fortunately, Zhou Yuejun had bought Yu Deng quite a few clothes before, enough for him to change into a different outfit every day for the five-day week.
Zhou Yuejun was highly skilled at chores, his movements crisp. With nothing to do, Yu Deng simply handed Zhou Yuejun clothes hangers.
When they finished, Yu Deng saw Yang An still sitting at his desk. His head was buried very low, seemingly writing something.
As a roommate in the same major, Yu Deng still frequently spoke to Yang An. “Are you not going back this week?”
Yang An knew Yu Deng was talking to him. His back straightened a bit, but it remained very tense. He still didn’t raise his face, only shaking his head, his hand pinching the corner of his book.
“No, I’m going to look for a part-time job this weekend.”
Yang An didn’t hide his family situation.
His family was from a rural village, and he had four younger siblings. Because his grades were good, his family had borrowed money from everywhere just to gather enough for his tuition.
“Oh.”
Lately, Yang An spoke less and basically never initiated conversations with Yu Deng.
Yu Deng was happy for the peace and quiet; at least he wouldn’t be annoyed.
As soon as they stepped out of the dorm, Yu Deng couldn’t close his chatterbox.
“Actually… Jian Ling asked me if I wanted to have Yang An fetch water for me, and I could pay him.”
“But I didn’t agree.”
Baking under the scorching sun felt like being roasted over a fire. Zhou Yuejun quickly clamped the sun hat onto Yu Deng’s head.
“Mhm.”
“You two are classmates, and roommates. In his bones, he feels he is equal to you. If you hire him, he’ll feel a notch beneath you and will be uncomfortable in his heart.”
“Perhaps he would even feel that you are deliberately humiliating him.”
It wasn’t to say that Yang An was a bad person, but being sensitive and having an inferiority complex was a certainty.
He originally thought meeting Yu Deng, who also came from a rural village, would bring mutual sympathy. But not only did Yu Deng not live frugally, he even associated with rich second-generation heirs like Ning Qian.
Yang An’s feelings must definitely be complicated.
“How many meals did you eat at the cafeteria this week?”
Yu Deng calculated in his heart and held out both of his hands.
Ten fingers were lustrous and pinkish, as delicate and white as scallion stalks, without the slightest hint of roughness. It was evident just how spoiled and pampered he had been from childhood to adulthood.
Ten meals. That was quite a lot. Zhou Yuejun knew perfectly well that the missing meals were breakfast.
Yu Deng loved to sleep in. If Jian Ling hadn’t been shouting by his bed, out of a five-day week, he’d probably have been marked tardy five times.
He had also seen earlier that the pastries he brought for Yu Deng were almost finished.
He would bring some more for Yu Deng over the weekend, so Yu Deng could take them to his roommates.
Raising Yu Deng was truly like raising a child. He had to be meticulously cared for in every aspect.
On the weekend, the bus stop was packed with a dense crowd of people, all fighting desperately to squeeze on. People were practically being squashed into pancakes.
Zhou Yuejun grabbed Yu Deng’s arm, blocking the crowd rushing onto the bus and shielding him. “We’ll take a taxi.”
Immediately, he raised his hand and hailed an approaching taxi.
The taxi had no air conditioning, but it wasn’t overly stuffy. However, the mixture of various smells was overpowering to the nose.
Zhou Yuejun rolled down the car window. As the car started moving, although the wind felt like a heatwave, it was still more comfortable than being suffocated.
“From now on, I’ll give you an extra twenty a week to take taxis back and forth. Don’t squeeze onto the bus anymore.”
Yu Deng had a small frame and couldn’t out-squeeze others.
If he ran into someone rough who elbowed him to the ground, landing him on his bottom and scraping his skin, who knows if he wouldn’t start shedding tears pitter-patter.
Taking a taxi was expensive. Even Yu Deng felt that spending four or five hundred of Zhou Yuejun’s money a month was a bit…
No, no. The money Zhou Yuejun earned all had to be spent on him!
Zhou Yuejun’s dark eyes focused in thought for a moment before he decided that taking a taxi was too troublesome.
“When I come back next week, I’ll look at apartments near the school. We’ll rent a place closer, so it’s more convenient for you to go home.”
This way, if Yu Deng had free time on Wednesday, he could bring his dirty clothes home for him to wash.
Nanda had a great location, and being in a school district, the housing prices were definitely going to be outrageously expensive.
Yu Deng hadn’t even actively begged and pleaded to spend money, yet Zhou Yuejun was spending it on him just like this. The greedy little villain naturally wouldn’t let this go.
Yu Deng immediately made a demand. “I want one with a bathtub. If it doesn’t have a bathtub, you’ll have to build one for me. I don’t care.”
Since he was a bad guy, he couldn’t be too understanding. Some unreasonable requests were perfectly logical.
Bossy and overbearing!
“Alright.”
Actually, without Yu Deng even bringing it up, Zhou Yuejun was already thinking the same thing.
In the bathroom, Yu Deng was always trembling, unable to stand steady. If he held him, Yu Deng didn’t like it, complaining that it was uncomfortable and saying he was going to fall.
With a bathtub, Yu Deng would be more comfortable.
Besides, when the weather turned cold, soaking in a tub would be nice and warm.
Yu Deng worked hard to practice his villainous career. His pitch-black eyes spun around, and he had another bad idea.
“I also want to buy a washing machine!”
Without waiting for Zhou Yuejun to veto it, Yu Deng’s body went soft as he leaned against Zhou Yuejun’s arm. His dark, almond eyes rippled with pleading as he began to bombard him with sugar-coated bullets.
“I have to change clothes every day now, and my pajamas also need frequent washing. Washing them is such a hassle. And when winter comes, the clothes will be so thick. Washing them in cold water will ruin your hands.”
“My heart aches for you. Let’s buy a washing machine, okay?”
First acting spoiled; if acting spoiled didn’t work, getting angry; and finally, shedding tears. This was Yu Deng’s consistent technique for coaxing Zhou Yuejun.
Usually, it only ever stopped at the first step.
Zhou Yuejun didn’t understand any sweet talk or flattery. He only knew that his heart was filled with honey, feeling warm and sweet.
The warm body clung to him, fragrant, soft, and crisp. Those pure and translucent eyes weren’t demonic, but they could snatch away a person’s soul.
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