translated_Chapter 98

98: Hometown.

98: Hometown.

Qiu Ci also enjoyed Jing Yueming revolving around him.

Taking it one step at a time, perhaps Jing Chu was right, it wasn’t that he was returning to China, but that he wanted to return to China.

After finishing dinner, he took his medicine under Jing Yueming’s urging.

Qiu Ci wasn’t sleepy; he had slept very well last night.

He was used to spending time alone.

But now he wasn’t alone. Jing Yueming got bored after playing on his phone for a while and turned to see Qiu Ci sitting alone, lost in thought.

“Qiu Ci, I’m so bored.”

The other man looked up at Jing Yueming. “Are we leaving today?”

Jing Yueming shook his head. “No, tomorrow will be safer. Talk to me.”

Qiu Ci closed his eyes again, clearly rejecting Jing Yueming.

“Qiu Ci, what’s in your suitcase?”

“Changes of clothes, toiletries, electronics…”

“I’ll help you organize it.” Jing Yueming got up to move.

“And your letters.”

Jing Yueming paused, surprised that Qiu Ci had seen through his trick so easily.

Qiu Ci smiled helplessly. “If you want to read them, just take them out.”

After receiving permission, Jing Yueming quickly went over and rummaged through Qiu Ci’s suitcase, finding a small bag containing not only letters but also a notebook.

“What’s this? Can I read it?” Jing Yueming held up the notebook.

“Bring it over, let’s read it together.”

Qiu Ci came over with the letters and notebook. Just as Jing Yueming was still guessing, Qiu Ci opened the notebook himself.

Strong and forceful fountain pen writing, Qiu Ci’s handwriting.

“I originally wanted to write you back, there’s quite a bit.”

Jing Yueming stared blankly at the contents of the notebook. Each line had a date corresponding to the dates of Jing Yueming’s letters, but Qiu Ci wrote in a reminiscing tone.

“I actually don’t know how to face you, and I shouldn’t be writing these replies.” Especially since the final result was separation, Qiu Ci found it difficult to harden his heart and drive this guy away.

Jing Yueming flipped through a few pages, his nose already stinging. “Is it so difficult to be with me? We clearly agreed at the beginning, and I really thought we liked each other. What are you worried about?”

Qiu Ci silently opened a letter, pointing to the date and saying, “This year was my third year in Finland. This month, I seemed to have gotten some green yarn, that kind of dark green, very Christmas-y.”

Jing Yueming sensed that Qiu Ci was changing the subject but didn’t know what to say, so he wiped away a tear and continued reading.

He had only brought about twenty unopened letters, intending to slowly write replies alone. It just so happened that he was with Jing Yueming, so they reminisced and caught up together.

Jing Yueming’s five years were very rich. He shared whatever he thought of with Qiu Ci, such as the blunders he made when he first arrived in Italy, knowing nothing.

Qiu Ci listened patiently, occasionally giving some responses.

The two spent the whole day like this.

Later, Jing Yueming called a car to take them home.

He had notified his mother in advance. Being in the same province, they arrived home in less than a day.

Qiu Ci had come in a hurry and hadn’t prepared anything. He originally wanted to go to the mall to pick out some jewelry for his aunt, but Jing Yueming stopped him.

The hometown was full of simple, honest relatives. If Qiu Ci gave a bunch of gold and diamonds, it would scare his mother.

In the end, under Jing Yueming’s recommendation, Qiu Ci brought some nutritional supplements and fruit baskets home.

Arriving in the village, they were surprised to find that it was full of two- and three-story Western-style buildings, built quite beautifully.

“I thought it would be like brick houses, the kind of hometown,” Qiu Ci said, taking a few photos with curiosity.

“Rural revitalization has been going on for a long time. My mother remarried Uncle Liu, and his family built the house,” Jing Yueming introduced to Qiu Ci.

Knocking on the imposing iron gate, after a while, a middle-aged woman with a perm came out. “Yueming, you’re finally back. This is the… this… um… friend you mentioned?”

Qiu Ci reached out and shook hands with the woman. “Auntie, hello, I’m Qiu Ci.”

“Qiu Ci, good, good.”

The two were welcomed home.

“Li Yuhang! Come out, your brother is back!” The woman shouted into the house.

Qiu Ci had never heard this name from Jing Yueming and was momentarily confused.

Jing Yueming explained softly, “It’s my mother’s child from her second marriage, fifteen years younger than me…”

“Oh, I see.” Qiu Ci nodded, wanting to see this ten-year-old child.

Their mother, the middle-aged woman in front of them, was surnamed Zhang and was also from Yunnan. Many years ago, she married far away to the north and had Jing Yueming. After divorcing, she returned to Yunnan and remarried, having Li Yuhang.

Mother Zhang chatted with Qiu Ci. “Yuhang isn’t as good as Yueming, not as smart. He’s always near the bottom of his class, it’s so worrying.”

The little boy sat on the sofa holding his phone, “Tch~” and continued playing games.

Jing Yueming peeled an orange for Qiu Ci to ease the awkwardness. “It’s okay, it’s normal for kids to be playful.” He also comforted his mother.

Mother Zhang glared at Li Yuhang. “Put down the phone and tell your brothers how you did on your winter break exams.”

“Ugh, it’s not like studying is the only path…”

“Okay, okay, do whatever you want.” Mother Zhang put away her angry expression and turned to smile at Qiu Ci. “You must be tired, I’ll go get you some food.”

Jing Yueming wasn’t much better off than Qiu Ci. He hadn’t been back for many years and was also extremely awkward, especially with a younger brother he had hardly ever met.

Dinner consisted of five or six dishes, and Mother Zhang warmly welcomed everyone.

The only one here they hadn’t met was the man surnamed Li, who was said to be returning the day before the New Year.

Li Yuhang ate a few pieces of ribs and crispy pork and then pushed his bowl away.

“Don’t just play on your phone. You haven’t even touched the piano since we bought it. Go play for a bit, perform for your brothers.”

Qiu Ci asked curiously, “Yuhang plays piano?”

Mother Zhang was a little embarrassed. “We’re trying to cultivate the child’s hobbies. We spent over three thousand on an electric piano for him.”

“Oh~” Qiu Ci’s “Oh” might sound like a simple response to ordinary people, but discerning individuals could hear other meanings.

After being forced back to his room, piano sounds came from Li Yuhang.

The difference between an electric piano and a real piano was quite large.

Mother Zhang proudly but humbly chatted with Qiu Ci, “The child has spent a lot of money learning this. The piano alone was three thousand, and each term’s tuition is ten thousand, and all he’s learned is this.”

To be honest, Qiu Ci had heard the piano playing of masters like Bern, and listening to a ten-year-old play was a big difference.

Moreover, Li Yuhang was also much worse than other children his age learning piano. One conclusion:

Lacking in talent and not working hard enough.

Qiu Ci sensed Jing Yueming’s disappointment and placed his hand on Jing Yueming’s knee to ease his embarrassment.

“As long as you’re willing to support your child’s hobbies, liking something is the greatest talent.”

Clearly, Li Yuhang didn’t even like it. After a brief burst of enthusiasm, he left the piano again.

Mother Zhang took Qiu Ci’s words as a compliment.

Two guest rooms were cleaned up in the house, but Jing Yueming insisted on squeezing in with Qiu Ci.

The bed was small, only one and a half meters wide.

Qiu Ci asked him, “Are you sad?”

“Huh? Why?” Jing Yueming clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

“When you were that age, you were still sneaking into classes at the mall,” Qiu Ci helped him recall.