Unlike the others, Lu Lin didn't look around the small pigeon coop as he entered the room. He walked to the sofa and waited for Yan Heqing to invite him to sit down before he did.
Yan Heqing took a set of loungewear. "Please wait a moment, I'll change my clothes."
He quickly went into the bathroom.
The sound insulation is poor; even though it's just a wall away, you can clearly hear rustling noises coming from the bathroom.
Yan Heqing changed quickly, coming out of the bathroom in about a minute.
He wore a large crew neck sweater and black trousers. The sweater was so big that it was almost empty, but even so, his two prominent shoulder blades were still visible.
When Yan Heqing is wearing a coat, it's not particularly noticeable, but once he takes off his clothes, his thinness is shockingly obvious.
Yan Heqing had a dry towel draped around his neck. He casually wiped his hair a few times; it was a little frizzy. He wiped his hands and said, "I'll go boil some water." Then he went into the kitchen next door.
There was a book on the coffee table, a copy of "Cellology" written entirely in Russian.
Clamped with a bookmark, No. 1 Primary School patch of green leaf decoration peeks out. Lu Lin's gaze sweeps over it; he's already read most of it.
In the kitchen, Yan Heqing poured two bottles of purified water into the kettle and turned on the stove to boil the water.
Then I took out the rice washing basket, scooped out three cups of rice, rinsed it four or five times, poured the washed rice into the rice cooker, and turned it on to cook.
There was still a piece of lean meat in the freezer. Yan Heqing took it out and soaked it in cold water to thaw it.
Just then, the kettle on the stove boiled. Yan Heqing took a clean cup, poured in some hot water, and then took a few apples from the refrigerator, washed them, and carried them out.
Lu Lin was still sitting in the same position as when he left. "The water is very hot, let it cool down for a while." Yan Heqing placed the water glass and fruit plate on the coffee table in front of Lu Lin.
Lu Lin asked him, "Are you studying biology?"
Yan Heqing also noticed the books on the coffee table. He picked them up and put them in the drawer. "Not for now. I'll transfer departments next semester."
Lu Lin's brow twitched slightly. The requirement for transferring to a different department is usually being in the top five of the grade. It seems that Yan Heqing's grades are outstanding.
He glanced at the pile of books on the sofa armrest; they were all textbooks. There was no TV or game console in the room. "Besides work, you just study?"
"I read novels occasionally." Yan Heqing pulled out a small stool from under the coffee table, sat down, picked up an apple, and peeled it. "The school library is free, and it has a wide variety of books."
Yan Heqing peeled the apple with practiced ease, leaving a thin peel that didn't break. Lu Lin watched the apple peel grow longer and longer. "What type is it?"
The original text didn't mention Lu Lin reading suspense novels, but Yan Heqing saw it in Lu Lin's tent last time at the frozen lake. He had peeled an apple and carefully cut it into small pieces. "Suspense and mystery, I really like Agatha's works."
He emptied No. 1 Primary School handful of toothpicks from the toothpick box, stuck them into an apple, and handed it to Lu Lin, saying, "This apple is crisp and sweet, please try it."
Lu Lin rarely eats fruit, especially apples, but he still took a piece of apple.
In the quiet room, the occasional sound of a small heater burning could be heard—a common problem with inferior electrical appliances.
Next to the sofa was a large vase containing a large bouquet of dried plum blossoms, which still faintly smelled of plum blossoms. Beside the vase was a conspicuous electronic scale.
This is relatively uncommon in boys' rooms.
Yan Heqing did not eat the apple.
Lu Lin recalled the scene from earlier: on the muddy street near the orphanage, the boy stood under the eaves of a convenience store, intently munching on a simple piece of bread.
He swallowed the apple. "You're only having a piece of bread for dinner?"
Yan Heqing seemed a little puzzled by his question. After a second or two, he understood, his eyes curving slightly. "You misunderstand. I haven't been skimping on food. On the contrary, I've been gaining weight recently, eating at least two bowls of rice at every meal."
He stood up. "The rain is still heavy. Why don't you stay for a simple meal? The rice is already cooking, and we'll stir-fry some broth for hot pot. It'll be ready soon."
Lu Lin raised his wrist to check his watch; it was 6:40. Thunder rumbled outside the window, and the torrential rain continued to pound against the glass, so he didn't refuse.
Yan Heqing went into the kitchen again, and soon the sounds of cooking filled the air.
The water had cooled down a bit. Lu Lin picked up his glass and took a few sips when his phone rang.
" Old Lu, you're not at the company?" Chu Ziyu, full of surprise.
"Without."
"Well, I was on my way, so I brought you a box of butterfly cookies." Chu Ziyu sighed. "Now that it's pouring rain, I'm stuck at your company. I'll have to figure it out myself. These things taste completely different when they're cold. I'll hang up now--"
" Mr. Lu, do you eat spicy food?" A familiar voice suddenly rang out.
Lu Lin turned his head and saw Yan Heqing peeking out of the kitchen.
He was wearing an apron, black, with a white sheep on it.
His black hair gradually dried, and it really wasn't so curly anymore, falling smoothly over his forehead.
Lu Lin replied, "I won't eat."
Yan Heqing nodded and went back to the kitchen.
"Holy crap—" Chu Ziyu yelled on the other end of the phone, "Was that Little Master Yan's voice just now? It definitely was! Old Lu, where are you?"
Lu Lin slightly moved his phone away. "At a friend's house."
"What's going on between you two?" Chu Ziyu's gossip instincts reached their peak. "I went to the bar yesterday and heard that Little Master Yan resigned. Did you make him resign?"
Lu Lin looked towards the kitchen; he was unaware that Yan Heqing had resigned.
He did say something at the bar last time, "You're not suited to work in a bar."
However, Lu Lin did not believe that those words would make Yan Heqing resign; the young man was a very opinionated person.
"Hey, are you taking him to Old Xie's wedding?" Chu Ziyu was still shouting, " Old Xie reserved a suite for you, why don't you ask him to convert it into a single bed--"
Lu Lin hung up the phone, and the room finally became quiet.
No. 1 Primary School while later, Yan Heqing came out carrying a pot of soup, along with a small induction cooker.
The induction cooker was a second-hand item that Yan Heqing bought from an appliance repair shop; he cleaned it until it was very shiny.
The clear broth was filled with evenly sized pork meatballs, a few slices of fresh tomato, a few cruciferous mushrooms, and bright green garlic leaves.
Yan Heqing went back to the kitchen and brought out two bowls of rice, two dishes of peanut dipping sauce, and a basket of fresh vegetables.