Chapter 51: I Like You 

There weren’t many pedestrians on the street, occasionally one or two people with umbrellas came and went, and no one noticed Shen Jize on the street, only the people going in and out of the Internet cafe, when they saw him, they would look at him a few times.

The people in the town were familiar with each other, and Shen Jize looked like a foreigner. He was a handsome young man with a mature and youthful temperament, a tall body and a handsome face that made people unable to take their eyes off him.

Shen Jize bought two sausages and a bottle of pure water and asked the boss where to find a car if he wanted to go up to Longquan Village while eating.

The boss was wiping the dust on the counter with a rag and asked, without looking up, “Are you going to Longquan Village?”

Shen Jize nodded and said, “Yes.”

“Longquan Village is long gone…” The boss wiped the dust unhurriedly.

“Longquan Village is gone?” Shen Jize’s heart sank and he asked, “Uncle, what do you mean by that?”

Before the boss made a sound, an old man sitting on a recliner watching the rain suddenly interjected, “A few years ago, a mudslide flooded the whole village, and Longquan Village was lost like that.”

Shen Jize clutched the mineral water in his hand, and asked, “What about the people in the village? Did something happen to the people?”

The mineral water was just out of the freezer, so the water droplets on the bottle trickled down the back of his hand, dripping coldly on the ground. His tone was so nervous that the boss stopped plastering and gave him a curious look. After seeing the boy’s pale face, he realized that he might have had relatives in Longquan Village and hastily explained, “Don’t worry, it’s okay, everyone in the village is fine.”

Shen Jize secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his face eased up.

Across the street, a few half-grown teenagers rushed over with their clothes over their heads, screaming. They were probably going to enter the Internet cafe, all crowded around Shen Jize, laughing and swearing, while ruffling their wet hair with their hands.

“Do you know where the people of Longquan Village have moved to?” Shen Jize stood to the side and then asked the boss.

When one of the half-grown teenagers heard about Longquan Village, he looked sideways at Shen Jize and poked his elbow at the person beside him, indicating that they should look.

The boss thought for a moment and said, “They have all moved to Yulu Village, which is not part of our town, and it’s a half-hour bus ride to get there.”

Shen Jize asked, “Do you know Grandpa Cai, the village head of Longquan Village? Did his family also go to Yulu Village?”

“What do you want with the savages of Longquan Village?” A gruff male voice in the voice change stage suddenly interjected.

Shen Jize turned his head to see that it was a chubby teenager who looked about the same age as him.

Hearing him refer to the people of Longquan Village as savages, Shen Jize frowned before not answering and turned back to continue his conversation with the boss.

“Fat brother, this guy is too much, he’s ignoring you.” A teenager skimmed his mouth.

This Fat Brother was the same Fatty Chen who had torn up Lu Rong’s remittance slip before. He was going to take the group into the Internet cafe, and when he saw Shen Jize looking like a city dweller, he wanted to strike up a conversation. He didn’t expect this person to ignore him at all. Feeling that he had lost face in front of his little brother, he had a surge of irritation.

“Are you looking for Grandpa Cai of Longquan Village?” Fatty Chen walked up to Shen Jize.

Shen Jize heard this and immediately turned his head to look at him, “Do you know Grandpa Cai?”

“Of course I do, our two families used to be very close, when he came down from the mountain, he often had dinner with my father.” Fatty Chen gave a friendly smile, “Are you any relative of his family?”

Shen Jize heard him say this, the dissatisfaction with the wild man at the beginning also instantly dissipated, some eagerly asked, “Then you know where their family is now? Is it in Yulu Village?”

Fatty Chen’s eyes bounced around, “Of course I know, but you haven’t answered my question. Are you a relative of his family?”

Shen Jize could only respond, “I’m a relative of his family, Lu Rong’s brother.”

Several teenagers behind Shen Jize, after hearing Lu Rong, turned their attention to Fatty Chen, squeezing their eyebrows and mouthing words. Fatty Chen nodded in a small way, meaning he understood.

Fatty Chen looked him up and down, “Are you from the capital? Looking for Lu Rong?”

Shen Jize didn’t use the local dialect and his Mandarin was standard, reminding him that the remittance slip he once tore up showed the address of the capital.

It wasn’t a small thing for a child to have more than a hundred yuan back then, and the annoyance of not getting the money had stuck with him. Although they were scared to mess with Lu Rong, if they could get a little revenge behind the scenes, it was also a kind of compensation.

The person who was sending the money was the one in front of him, and even if he wasn’t, it didn’t matter, he wouldn’t lose anything after all.

Shen Jize heard him mention the capital city, now having more than doubt, and said, “Yes, I’m here to find Lu Rong, I’m his brother.”

“So you’re the brother Lu Rong always talks about?” Fatty Chen, who had already acquired a lot of social habits, reached out and patted Shen Jize’s shoulder affectionately.

Shen Jize didn’t turn his body, and didn’t move to remove the thick arm that was holding him.

Fatty Chen didn’t care as he continued, “Lu Rong often mentions you, so we all know.” Not waiting for Shen Jize to speak, he came closer and whispered, “But I advise you, Lu Rong this kid looks good, but in fact, his heart isn’t good, you can’t be fooled by him.”

Shen Jize was slightly stunned, then sank his face.

Fatty Chen added, “He often told us that he recognized a brother in the capital, and that the man is a bit stupid, and would believe everything with a few coaxing words. He said that his brother and him aren’t related by blood, and they aren’t relatives, but he really thinks that he is his brother.”

When Fatty Chen said all these things, Shen Jize didn’t believe any of it.

Lu Rong was so good, they were so close, he couldn’t believe that these words would come out of the mouth of that little boy who was clearer than a mountain spring.

Fatty Chen saw the anger on his face and knew he didn’t believe him, so he said in a serious tone, “Do you think I’m lying to you? That child has changed, and became bad. Did you send him money? With one of those money orders?”

Shen Jize abruptly turned his head and stared coldly into Fatty Chen’s face, saying, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

His mouth was scolding Fatty Chen, but his heart was still a bit shocked.

Because of the matter of sending money, Lu Rong had to hide it even from his grandfather. Even if his classmates knew about the remittance slip, Fatty Chen was much older than him and obviously wouldn’t be a classmate. If Lu Rong didn’t say it himself, how would he know?

A few teenagers behind him also followed, all looking sincere and with a look of regret, “That kid has really learned badly and has all kinds of bad habits after arriving at the town elementary school. How else would we know that he has an ingrate brother who sends him money?”

“Yeah, so once you said you were his brother, we knew who you were, the idiot he was talking about.”

“Grandpa Cai’s kid, at a young age, stole his grandfather’s money, and he knows how to fall in love.”

A teenager seemed to want to laugh, but he held back and added, “Yes, early love.”

“Early love?” Shen Jize couldn’t help but ask sensitively in return.

“Yes, in love with a girl in their class.” Fatty Chen tsked, “Those children are very affectionate with each other, holding hands after school to go to the river bank, it’s unbearable to watch.”

“But if you want to look for him, we can give you the address. He now lives in Yulu Village, and has to change the shuttle bus, an hour later to arrive.”

“Yeah, yeah, his house is in Yulu Village right now.”

A group of teenagers all echoed.

When Fatty Chen entered the Internet cafe with satisfaction, Shen Jize was still standing dumbfounded under the eaves of the room.

A sentence of early love disturbed his thoughts and he didn’t have the heart to distinguish the truth of this matter. The teenager’s destroyed self-esteem and the disappointment of his hopes left him empty and confused.

The boss, who had finished watching an episode of the TV series, suddenly called him, “That student, did you just ask me how to get to Yulu Village? Look, there’s the bus to Yulu Village over there.”

Shen Jize stood in the same place, lost in thought, without any response. The boss saw him like this, so he stopped paying attention and turned his head to continue watching TV shows.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, but a van stopped in front of him, and the driver asked enthusiastically, “Young man, are you going into the city? This is the last bus of the day, hurry up if you want to go.”

Shen Jize woke up and looked around blankly. After the driver asked once more, he finally gritted his teeth and got into the car without looking back. The van drove fast to the county, the car was empty, the only passengers were Shen Jize and a middle-aged woman on the passenger side. The middle-aged woman and the driver were talking all the way, and Shen Jize was staring at the rain on the window.

Lu Rong’s naive face appeared in front of his eyes, ‘Brother, it counts! All your words should be true, so the marriage is also true.’

Shen Jize leaned his head against the car window, swaying slightly with the bumpy body.

The number was always the same.

The promises were engraved in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come all the way back from abroad and taken a few days’ drive to Longquan Town.

But what about Lu Rong?

Lu Rong was still so young, he didn’t understand those promises, and wouldn’t be as serious as him, who always remembered them in his heart… 

The 14-year-old boy, who has been living in a simple environment, obviously innocent but thought he already knew all the world, didn’t understand that there was actually a lot of nastiness and malice in this world. His sincere and passionate feelings were splashed with ice water, and he could only think of escaping, wanting to get out of there quickly.

Shen Jize directly bought a train ticket back to the capital, this time, fortunately, bought a sleeper, no longer suffering the same kind of torment like on his way here. But when he was lying on the bed, his mood was very different from when he came.

Across the bunk were two young boys, both with local accents. The older one was in his early teens, and the younger one was seven or eight years old, supposedly two brothers, who took advantage of the holidays to go to the capital to look for their working parents.

The older brother was very patient, taking care of his younger brother all the way and peeling apples for him. The younger brother leaned his head on his shoulder and said sweetly, “You’re so nice, Brother.”

He noticed Shen Jize’s eyes, chewing on an apple, and looked over curiously, his two big eyes shining.

Shen Jize glanced away indifferently and thought to himself, Little boys are all liars.

… 

Lu Rong listened to Shen Jize’s full account of what happened and took a step back, breaking free from his embrace. His dark eyes were foggy, and he asked, somewhat aggrieved and sad, “Why do you believe in people’s words so easily? Why didn’t you come to me? I never lied to you, those words are false! He found the money transfer slip accidentally because he wanted to extort money from me, but I didn’t agree. I also didn’t have a relationship with a young girl, nothing. When you arrived in Longquan Town, why didn’t you come to ask me?”

He remembered Fatty Chen, who had always bullied the town’s children, and went out to work after only one year of high school, and was said to have done some treacherous things and gone to jail. He and Shen Jize didn’t know each other, but after just a short conversation, how could Shen Jize believe him?

Shen Jize reached out to hold Lu Rong, but he swatted him away with hatred. He moved his fingers, looked at Lu Rong’s red eyes, and stood still as he whispered, “It was only after I left the country on the plane that I realized I had been fooled by that fatty Chen. Since they said your family moved to Yulu Village, an hour’s drive from Longtan Town, how could you be studying at the town elementary school and how do they know you?”

“Besides, you’re not even that kind of kid, so how could you be like that? It’s possible to fall in love, but it’s impossible that you would steal Grandpa’s money…”

Lu Rong turned his head to look at him, his gaze was cold, and Shen Jize changed his mind, “It’s also impossible for you to fall in love…”

“Then why didn’t you look for me later?” Lu Rong stubbornly turned his head to the side, as he was accusing him.

Shen Jize said, “My parents didn’t allow me to go back to China again, so I was sent to a strict school, and I usually had a lot to study, so I didn’t have the chance to look for you again.”

“What about after you graduated? You didn’t look for me after graduation either.” Lu Rong wasn’t so easily fooled, followed by the question, “You obviously still don’t trust me, and still hold a grudge against me.”

Shen Jize lowered his head in silence for a moment and said, “I believe you, we experienced those things together, said those words, I will never forget, and you will certainly not forget. It’s just that you were too young to understand the meaning behind those promises, so I was a little worried that if I didn’t bother you, you’d grow up to fall in love with someone else, and I’d be just as happy for you…”

“And what about you? What kind of feelings do you have for me now?” Lu Rong turned back and his dark eyes looked at him without a moment’s hesitation.

Shen Jize was faced with such clear eyes that would want to give some leeway, when they rejected you, you could still save face, but he was unable to say a word. He said softly, “If the previous promise was just a simple promise, then when I saw you again for the first time, I knew that you would always be the most special to me.”

After saying these words, he reached out and caressed Lu Rong’s face, gently rubbing it, with all the cherish and caution.

Lu Rong didn’t avoid it this time, only looked at him with bated breath.

Shen Jize’s eyes burned with undisguised emotion as he whispered, “That promise has now taken on a new meaning…”

Shen Jize recognized Lu Rong from the first moment he saw him. He was standing in his office, wearing a plain T-shirt and pants, with sneakers of an unidentifiable brand on his feet. There was nothing special about his outfit, it was too ordinary. But he himself was like a piece of crystal, reflecting the dazzling light, that moment made Shen Jize breath stagnant, his emotions like a flood overturned, destroyed and drowned him.

“Rong Rong, I’m sorry…” Shen Jize looked at him intently, “You were so honest and straightforward, and I kept running away. I like you, and my feelings for you are not like between brothers, they are for the love of my life, for the person I want to be with for the rest of my life.”

Lu Rong’s breath caught and a thin layer of red rose to his face. He looked at Shen Jize with fascination, his eyes were like he was intoxicated, both misty and bright.

Shen Jize was going to ask him how he felt, but felt that there was no need to ask anything, and just sighed and held him tightly in his arms. He felt the soft body in his arms, his body was glowing with heat, and his blood was flowing faster. After taking a deep breath, he lifted Lu Rong’s chin with his hand and swiftly kissed him on the lips.

Lu Rong’s body went limp and slid down, tilting his head helplessly. Shen Jize held him firmly in the crook of his arm, holding his sliding body, and his warm tongue pried open the gap between his teeth.

Lu Rong whimpered and gasped, and could only cry out for his brother over and over again in the gap of near suffocation. And those broken and out-of-tune sounds were instantly swallowed by Shen Jize.

… 

The two separated only after a long time, both clinging to each other to calm their fierce heartbeats and breath, when Lu Rong realized that he had been pressed against the wall of the box by Shen Jize, with one of his hands on the back of his head.

“Brother…” His voice was too sweet to be true, both like a petulance and a plea for mercy, which made Shen Jize’s eyes darken even more.

He barely maintained his sanity, reaching out to wipe the saliva stains off Lu Rong’s lips, and pecked him on his red and swollen lips, saying in a hoarse voice, “Rong Rong, let’s find a way out first. This illusion is too bizarre, I’m afraid it will be dangerous if we stay too long.”

Lu Rong still didn’t know how to behave and continued to whimper, “Brother…”

Shen Jize fiercely pressed his head into his arms and let him listen to the fierce heartbeat, saying unsteadily, “Stop calling me brother, or we won’t get out.”

The two bodies were so close together, they could feel each other’s breath. Lu Rong sensed something then finally closed his mouth with a blush. Shen Jize let go of his hand and squirmed a bit, turning to his side to calm himself and his body, while Lu Rong stood by, glancing at him with his eyes and then quickly averting them.

The atmosphere was awkward and sweet at the same time.

A few moments later, Shen Jize, finally recovered, agilely flipped up to the edge of the suitcase, pulled Lu Rong up, and jumped down to the floor to catch him.

Lu Rong was obviously nimble on his own, at this time, he was too delicate, and he had to test two times timidly for fear of falling down before he jumped into Shen Jize’s arms.

With his husband, he instantly became a little kid.