CH 27

When the older sister next door closed the door, Chen Yuncheng looked at Ning Junyan and said, “It may take another day.”

Ning Junyan just replied, “Okay.”

Chen Yuncheng felt terribly sorry. As he went down the stairs, he said, “I wanted to go back today, but I’ll have to delay you for another day.”

Ning Junyan said, “It doesn’t matter, I have a day off tomorrow too.” After they had silently descended the stairs, Ning Junyan said again, “It’s not a waste.”

Chen Yuncheng held back from turning back to look at him.

It was only after three o’clock in the afternoon when they came out of the neighbourhood.

Chen Yuncheng stood by the side of the street in a bit of a daze, not knowing where to go. This was an ordinary small county town with no tourist spots around and nothing special in the city. He didn’t know how to spend the rest of the time with Ning Junyan.

Ning Junyan waited quietly for a while, then said, “Why don’t you go find a hotel and rest first?”

Chen Yuncheng hesitated a little and said, “Alright.”

When they got back to the car, Chen Yuncheng took his mobile phone to find a better hotel nearby. The most expensive hotel he could find in the small county was only about three hundred yuan a night.

He handed the phone to Ning Junyan and asked, “How is this place?”

Ning Junyan just glanced at it, and Chen Yuncheng even suspected that he didn’t see it clearly at all before hearing him say, “Sure, show me the way.”

The hotel was better than what Chen Yuncheng imagined. Although it was not too big, at least it looked new and had a large parking lot.

When it was time to get a room, Chen Yuncheng was a little hesitant. He asked Ning Junyan, “Should I get two rooms?”

Ning Junyan asked him, “Why? No double room1?”

Chen Yuncheng said, “I’m afraid you won’t have a good rest.” He was a little worried that Ning Junyan was not used to living in a room with others.

Ning Junyan said, “No need, just take a normal double room.”

So Chen Yuncheng took his ID card and went to open a room.

The environment of the hotel room was also good; at least it looked clean. After Chen Yuncheng entered, he first opened the window to blow away the dreary air in the room, and then he asked Ning Junyan, “Which bed do you sleep on?”

Ning Junyan sat beside the bed by the door and said, “Whichever you want.”

Chen Yuncheng just lay down on the bed by the window. He didn’t take off his shoes. He stretched his feet out of the bed and stretched his arms over his head. He exhaled a long breath and said, “You could use some sleep for a while.”

Ning Junyan gave a soft “um”.

Chen Yuncheng thought Ning Junyan was sleepy, so he didn’t speak anymore. So he closed his eyes and fell asleep by himself.

Chen Yuncheng didn’t sleep for too long, but he slept soundly. When he woke up, he was a little dazed. He stared at the ceiling for a while before remembering that he was in a hotel room.

He raised his head and glanced at the bed next to him, only to find that Ning Junyan was not sleeping but sat beside the bed and looked at him silently. He didn’t even look away when he noticed that he was awake, just calmly said, “Are you awake?”

Chen Yuncheng woke up instantly. He sat up from the bed, raised his hand to ruffle his messy hair, and asked, “Have you been awake for a long time?”

Ning Junyan said, “I didn’t sleep.”

Chen Yuncheng took out his mobile phone and checked the time. He calculated that he had slept for about 40 minutes and then asked Ning Junyan, “Then what are you doing? Why don’t you turn on the TV to watch?”

Ning Junyan replied, “I don’t like watching TV.”

The lights in the room were not turned on, and by this time in the afternoon, the light was already a bit gloomy.

Chen Yuncheng got up and said, “I’m going to the bathroom.” When he finished saying that, he had already walked towards the bathroom and closed the door from the inside. After a short hesitation, he locked the door again.

He leaned in front of the sink, raised his hands to cover his face, rubbed lightly, and didn’t move his hands away after that.

Chen Yuncheng didn’t want to admit it. He was a little scared when he woke up and saw Ning Junyan’s eyes. He didn’t know what he was afraid of. Perhaps because he was still a bit confused at the moment he woke up. Anyway, his heart skipped a beat unconsciously. Then he talked incoherently with Ning Junyan for a bit and hurriedly made an excuse to hide in.

After a while, Chen Yuncheng calmed himself down. He opened the bathroom door, went out, and asked Ning Junyan in a natural tone, “Do you want to go out for a walk?”

Ning Junyan got up from the bed and said, “Sure.”

They left the hotel on foot. The county town was not big, and it took only 20 minutes to walk from the hotel to the neighbourhood where Zhou Yan’s parents lived. Although there was not much to see, the small town had its own atmosphere. The small town naturally had the smell of food being cooked in the air. The liveliest streets in the city come alive at the beginning of the day when the lights come on, and the streets are lit up by starbursts.

The dinner was a treat from Chen Yuncheng. He found a well-known local mutton soup on the internet, which was very suitable for cold winters.

There was no menu in the shop, and the two men sat down while the boss lady stood by with a book and pen to give them their orders.

“How about a catty of meat and a catty of other stuffs?” The boss lady helped to arrange it for them skillfully.

Chen Yuncheng replied, “Okay.”

The boss lady said again, “Would you like a plate of stir-fried lamb liver?”

Chen Yuncheng glanced at Ning Junyan and replied, “Yes, I’ll take it.”

The boss lady took a pen and wrote it down, and said at the same time, “In addition to the vegetable dishes delivered, it might be enough for you two boys. But if it is not enough, you can add more meat.”

Chen Yuncheng heard her outspoken and straightforward voice, so he smiled and said, “Okay.”

The boss lady put away the pen, turned around and went to the kitchen. After a while, she held the bottom of the pot full of milky white mutton soup and put it on the table for them. While calling for the waiter to help start the fire, she said to them, “Young men, eat more mutton for good health and energy.”

Chen Yuncheng could not speak for an instant and could not help but look at Ning Junyan’s expression.

Ning Junyan was very calm. For the first time, he struck up a conversation with the boss lady and asked, “Is that so?”

The boss lady probably looked at them because they were good-looking and looked at Ning Junyan twice more in particular and said, “Are you from out of town?”

Ning Junyan said, “From Chongfeng.”

The boss lady nodded, “Judging from the accent, it seemed that you’re not from here. Mutton is our speciality here. Our mutton doesn’t really smell2, and it is especially suitable for soup. If you can drink more mutton soup, you will not feel cold all winter.”

Ning Junyan smiled lightly and said, “Okay.”

After the boss lady had enough talk, she went to take the food order for the new table of guests.

Chen Yuncheng watched in silence as the soup in the pot began to gradually tumble and bubble, and felt a little complicated.

When Ning Junyan saw the soup boiling, he picked up the spoon and took the initiative to help Chen Yuncheng put the mutton soup into his bowl.

Chen Yuncheng came back to his senses, raised his hand to grab the spoon, and said, “I’ll do it.”

Ning Junyan easily avoided it and insisted on ladling the soup into Chen Yuncheng’s bowl, saying, “You can drink a little more.”

Chen Yuncheng laughed to ease the embarrassment and said, “I’m in good health too.”

Ning Junyan only said, “Is that so?”

Chen Yuncheng said, “Otherwise, what do you think? Do I look like I’m weak?”

Ning Junyan said, “You can’t tell by looking.” After saying that, he quickly added, “But I don’t think you are.”

In an instant, Chen Yuncheng felt the suffocating feeling that he had in the afternoon.

Ning Junyan said gently, “Yuncheng, drink the soup first.”

Chen Yuncheng picked up the bowl, took a sip, and said, “It’s hot.”

Ning Junyan still said to him gently and seriously, “Then let it cool for a while, I’ll remind you later not to let it get too cold.”

The author has something to say:

How can a hotel in a small county only have one room of double bed left? Am I an author with little life experience?

It’s not easy for me to catch up with today’s update.