Saturday morning for Qin Guanglin was no different from weekdays, except he got up an hour later, washed up in the bathroom, changed clothes, and was ready to head out, full of energy.
Oh, and he would wear the clothes Teacher He had bought for him to avoid looking mismatched in case He Fang wanted to go shopping together.
"Why are you getting up so early on a Saturday?"
Qin’s Mom had already returned from her walk, empty-handed—not bringing any breakfast since He Fang moved out from the school.
"Of course, it’s to have fun." Qin Guanglin smiled cheekily at her, "You’re deliberately asking even though you know the answer."
"You’re hardly ever home, I think you might as well move in with her, so you’ll stop hovering around here and annoying me."
Whether staying home all day watching him made her anxious or him being out all the time and not coming home irritated her, Qin’s Mom always found something to dislike. She turned on the TV to watch the morning news, continuously mumbling, "Next time I’ll change the locks, eat and drink well all by myself, and you won’t even be able to get in—then I’ll have some peace..."
"Hey, I’d like that, but she’d definitely kick me out." Qin Guanglin finished changing his shoes, stomped his feet a couple of times to settle them, looked toward the bedroom to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, and then got ready to leave.
"I’m heading out now."
"You sure have a thick skin now," Qin’s Mom said disdainfully, raising her voice as he walked out, "Not coming back for dinner tonight?"
"Probably not, if I come over with her, I’ll call."
"Alright."
Qin Guanglin closed the door behind him and stepped outside. The sun, at just past nine o’clock, was already strong, its heat intense on his skin. He stood under the shade of a roadside tree and made his way to the breakfast stall at the corner of South Fly Road, casually ordering two bowls of millet porridge and two servings of hand-grabbed pancakes to take away, then headed to the market to buy groceries.
Saturday noon was when He Fang would cook a sumptuous lunch, and they’d eat together.
The landlord had moved a refrigerator in the previous week; they’d paid a two hundred yuan deposit, which would be partially refunded—one hundred yuan upon moving out, and the other hundred taken as a wear and tear fee.
Considering that leftovers could be stored in the refrigerator, Qin Guanglin lingered a bit longer at the market, buying an extra amount of groceries, and carried bags back to He Fang’s place.
After cramming the groceries into the fridge to organize them and putting vegetables that didn’t need refrigeration like potatoes in the kitchen, he quietly pushed open the bedroom door, placed the millet porridge and hand-grabbed pancakes on the desk, and turned toward He Fang’s bed.
It was odd today—she was properly covered by her quilt, unlike her usual habit of kicking it aside and just holding onto a corner.
Something seemed off... Qin Guanglin frowned, sensing something wasn’t right. His hand reaching into the blanket halted abruptly, and instead, he lifted it up to playfully flick her lips, "Time to wake up."
He Fang made no movement, seemingly still deep in sleep, but Qin Guanglin clearly saw her closed eyes move.
Heh... she’s learned to play possum.
He chuckled silently to himself,
"Humph, I’ll give you credit for behaving."
He Fang hummed contentedly as she opened her eyes and sat up, giving Qin Guanglin’s performance a satisfactory nod.
"Hm?" Qin Guanglin feigned confusion, "What do you mean?"
"I just went to the bathroom and wasn’t asleep when you came." He Fang looked at him smugly, shaking her head, "I was pretending to sleep just to see if you’d behave yourself every morning when you come over, to check if you do anything naughty while I’m asleep."
"You’re so sly!"
"Hehehe, Classmate Qin is very well-behaved, huh."
He Fang took a bite of the breakfast he handed to her, "You’ve surprised me."
She had planned to catch Qin Guanglin off guard and leverage some demands out of him, but unexpectedly, he had been so well-behaved.
Her plan had backfired.
"Of course, I am nothing but a gentleman," Qin Guanglin stated matter-of-factly, like an honest man.
That was close, luckily she hadn’t sneaked under the quilt just now.
He Fang rolled her eyes, "Gentlemen" indeed. "Gentlemen" certainly wouldn’t massage a lady’s calves every day under the guise of a massage.
But even if he had sneakily touched her a bit just now, it wouldn’t matter. The daily effort of bringing her breakfast deserved a little indulgence after all.
For a man, nothing is happier than coming home from work to a lit house, hot dishes on the table, and someone already waiting with utensils set, ready to have dinner with him. For a woman, it’s waking up lazily in the morning to a breakfast delivered right to your mouth, without having to get out of bed.
It wouldn’t be much trouble to get up and buy breakfast herself, but it was the feeling of being loved and pampered that could melt her heart.
He Fang took a bite of her pancake, sipped some millet porridge, and sighed contentedly.
Although she had breakfast on weekdays too, Qin Guanglin would have already gone to work by the time she woke up. It was only on weekends that she could enjoy this satisfying feeling of him being by her side.
"Love you," she pulled Qin Guanglin over and pecked him on the cheek, "Did you get the groceries?"
"Be careful," Qin Guanglin warned as he carefully held the millet porridge, nearly spilling it when she pulled him, "I did, they’re all in the fridge."
"What all did you buy?"
"Ribs, chicken wings, okra, potatoes, carrots, eggs, tomatoes, and... green peppers."
"Great, no need to go out then."
Feeling even happier, He Fang took the millet porridge from Qin Guanglin and brought it to his lips, "Here, let me feed you."
"I’ve got my own, you drink," Qin Guanglin shook his head. His bowl was still untouched on the table.
"Drink," He Fang insisted.
"Alright, alright."
Qin Guanglin took a small sip, "You eat."
"You only drank that little..." He Fang wrinkled her nose, took a large gulp from hers, and then hugged him, "Mmm, mmm."
"?"
Before Qin Guanglin even realized what she was up to, she hugged him over and fed him a big gulp, then intentionally grimaced, "Aren’t you grossed out?"
He remembered finding such things quite disgusting when he saw them in the school cafeteria, but now that he was experiencing it, hey, it didn’t seem so bad.
Speaking of the school cafeteria, they had once debated this very issue. He Fang had called him shameless then.
Ah, women.
Always say one thing and mean another.
"Now you find me disgusting? You didn’t mind when you were snatching my candy. No way, I have to feed you another spoonful."
"..."
Qin Guanglin was resigned. The bowl they were using wasn’t large, and after two big gulps from her, it was already half-empty. He had no choice but to open his bowl and handed it over, "Drink this."
"You’re hooked now?" He Fang slurped from the edge of the bowl, looking up to feed him again, "Mmm."
"That’s not what I meant..." Qin Guanglin, seeing her pouting, couldn’t resist being fed another spoonful before continuing, "You drink this bowl, I’ll have the small half you’ve left."
"Oh," He Fang swapped her small half-bowl with the half-bowl he was holding, "Want more?"
"...One more mouthful, please."