Chapter 5: I Must Have Meat Every Day
After bathing, Zhou Yuejun wore a sleeveless vest. Water droplets trickled down his body, and he carried a slight scent of soap.
Zhou Yuejun approached Yu Deng from behind. Just by getting a little closer, the delicious, dense sweetness on the boy became even more fragrant.
Even though he had sweated a bit, the sweat was fragrant, making one wonder if the boy was actually a sachet that, once touched by water, released an even stronger scent.
His skin, as white and smooth as silk, was tender and soft. His cheeks, tinged with pink, were still puffed out, making one want to take a bite. His dense, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, sending ripples through one’s heart.
Zhou Yuejun swallowed. He was at the age where his blood was hot, and it was the height of the sweltering season. With the boy right in front of him, he was completely entranced, his soul snatched away.
How could someone be born with such a beautiful appearanceâvivid, flushed, and yet so young.
After getting close, the heat radiated onto Yu Deng. Yu Deng, having a bad temper, immediately started pushing him away.
“Get further away! It’s too hot. You’re like a furnace, you’re going to roast me to death!”
He pushed once but didn’t budge. Instead, his hand was hurt by the muscles on the manâs body, which were as hard as iron. He withdrew it in a huff.
“Why is your body so hard? It hurts my hand.”
Despite the rejection, Zhou Yuejun wasn’t annoyed. The boy’s delicate scolding had no lethality at all; instead, it made one even more unwilling to leave.
Air conditioning. He had to buy air conditioning.
Zhou Yuejun had heard people say that once the air conditioner was on, the whole room would be cool, just like winter, and much more comfortable than an electric fan.
By then, when the air conditioning was on and he held Yu Deng, Yu Deng wouldn’t complain about him being hot and refuse to let him touch him.
For their first meal after moving, Zhou Yuejun had intended to cook at home. However, it was already almost noon. If they went to the market now, he was afraid Yu Deng would go hungry.
“Let’s go out to eat.”
Hearing Zhou Yuejunâs invitation, Yu Deng immediately put away his comic book and got up from the chair.
With the electric fan, shoes, and clothes, Yu Deng didn’t mind showing Zhou Yuejun a bit of kindness.
“Let’s go! I definitely want to eat meat!”
He would eat all kinds of fish and meat, working hard to be a vampire and squeeze Zhou Yuejun dry.
But in Zhou Yuejunâs ears, his request only sounded like he had suffered too much in the past ten or so years, not even having much meat to eat. Otherwise, how could he have grown so thin and small?
His heart ached for him.
For convenience, Yu Deng slipped the new slippers onto his feet.
Even though they were made of plastic, because they were paired with those exquisite, jade-like feet, they looked like glowing crystal slippers.
Because they were new shoes, Yu Deng walked with a “tada tada” sound, showing off.
If his clothes hadn’t been scrubbed by Zhou Yuejun, he would have worn those out too.
Zhou Yuejunâs face was solemn and old-fashioned: “Put your hat on. It’s hot outside.”
Yu Deng was like a bouncing puppy, very cute. Zhou Yuejun secretly made a resolution to buy more things for Yu Deng in the future.
Zhou Yuejun found a nearby restaurant.
It was noon, and there were three tables of people in the small restaurant. One of the tables had safety helmets next to it; they looked like workers from a construction site who had come to improve their meal.
Just as Yu Deng was about to sit on a bench, Zhou Yuejun grabbed his wrist and lifted him up: “Wait a moment.”
He had brought tissues. After dampening them slightly with water, he wiped the bench and the table.
The tabletop was not only covered in grease and sticky, but someone might have stepped on the bench. Zhou Yuejun couldn’t stand the thought of Yu Dengâs bottom sitting on it or his hands touching it.
Immediately, someone at the construction workers’ table let out a sneer: “Having the body of a maidservant, but putting on the airs of a young lady.”
Zhou Yuejun wasn’t a social person. At the construction site, he was the type to bury his head and work hard. Not only was he liked by the foreman, but he also did more work and earned more money, so it was inevitable that he would attract jealousy.
“Sit down.”
Yu Deng didn’t care what people said. In this heat, he didn’t even want to talk to Zhou Yuejun, let alone give outsiders a second look.
He looked at the menu and ordered poached sliced pork in chili oil (shuizhu roupian), ginger-fried duck, braised ribs, and pork with green peppers.
He was about to order more when the owner quickly stopped him: “There are only two of you. You’ve ordered too much, you won’t finish it. It’s hot, and without a fridge, it won’t keep long if you take it back. Itâs a waste.”
This restaurant served large portions. Others could get full on a single rice bowl dish. Although they were in business, people at this time were generally frugal.
Zhou Yuejun: “It’s fine. I can finish it. Add a tomato and egg soup.”
His appetite was much larger than Yu Dengâs. Between lunch and dinner, he could finish it.
The gap between urban and rural living standards was large. Yu Deng had suffered enough in the village, so naturally, he wanted to eat and dress well now that he was in the city.
There was no reason for someone to come to the city to find him and be his boyfriend if he couldn’t even provide decent meals.
The owner saw that Zhou Yuejun was built strongly and knew he must have a large appetite, so he didn’t say anything more.
Yu Deng spoke up slowly: “Then we don’t need the ginger-fried duck and the ribs.”
The four dishes Yu Deng had ordered were what he wanted to eat, without considering the portions. There was no fridge at home; if they couldn’t finish it and took it back, it would surely go sour.
Being extravagant wasn’t the same as being wasteful.
Turning his head, Yu Deng winked at Zhou Yuejun mischievously: “I’ll come back and eat those two dishes tomorrow.”
“I want to eat them every day!”
If he came to eat every day, he could definitely spend more of Zhou Yuejunâs money, making him feel the pressure of supporting a household and thus making him work even harder.
When Yu Deng said this, Zhou Yuejun didn’t frown in displeasure. Instead, a smile appeared between his sharp, cold brows.
“Alright.” He could eat as much as he wanted.
There weren’t many people in the restaurant, and the food was served quickly. The workers from earlier had finished and left, which gave Yu Deng a good mood for eating.
The poached sliced pork came in a large bowl, covered in a thick layer of red chili oil. It was both numbing and spicy, and the taste was incredibly addictive.
It was just so spicy that sweat poured down his face. Large droplets flowed from his forehead, gathering at the tip of his chin before being wiped away by Zhou Yuejun.
Zhou Yuejun didn’t move his chopsticks much; he spent his time fanning Yu Deng and wiping his sweat, serving him with absolute devotion.
“Eat slowly. If it’s spicy, have a sip of soup.”
Yu Dengâs face and neck were moist. His lips were red from the spice, and he even stuck out his tongue.
Once the pale red, moist, tender tip emerged, Zhou Yuejun felt a craving of his own.
He felt more and more that Yu Deng was like an enchantress from some strange tale, incredibly good at bewitching people. One smile from his bright, clear eyes could snatch away his soul.
When it was time to pay, Zhou Yuejun didn’t feel any sting. He also took the two unfinished meat dishes back with them.
Back at the rented apartment, Yu Deng turned the electric fan to its maximum setting and aimed it at himself.
His slightly oversized clothes puffed up, making him look like a little ball.
Zhou Yuejun spoke from the kitchen: “I’ll boil some water. You should rinse off before taking a nap.”
The boy was delicate and loved being clean; sleeping while sticky would surely be uncomfortable. Since he was still here, he would boil some hot water for Yu Deng to mix.
In the living room, Yu Deng spun around in front of the fan. His damp hair was blown up, and he even lifted his shirt to let the wind blow directly on his belly.
His small belly had a patch of soft white flesh. It wasn’t too bulging, but because he had eaten his fill, it had a slight curve.
However, it was still too thin and narrow. It felt as if Zhou Yuejunâs large, calloused hand could easily wrap around it.
Moreover, Yu Deng was so close to the fan that it felt like the entire room was filled with his sweet fragrance.
Suddenly, a force landed on Yu Dengâs bottom.
It didn’t hurt; on the contrary, the manâs scolding sounded even more ominous: “Put your shirt down and sit further back.”
Translator’s Note:
Hi everyone! I hope you’re enjoying this new story so far. I’m a big fan of this “spoiled shou vs. doting gong” dynamic.
Enjoy!Â
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