TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 35

After lunch, Ji Zhiyuan, like he was patrolling his own territory, had Zhuang Yanyu take him around to look at everything. Eventually, his gaze landed on the rooftop of Old Zhuang’s house.

The Zhuang family’s house was just an ordinary red brick house, but it didn’t have tiles or even a layer of cement on the outside. The exposed red bricks made it look like they had run out of money before finishing the renovations. The house had only two floors, and the roof was paved with cement, mainly used for drying rice, peanuts, and beans.

Zhuang Yanyu explained, “The things my dad grows are dried on the rooftop first, then stored inside. As for those that can’t be exposed to the sun…”

He pointed to a glass room by the stairway. “There’s a drying machine in there, so they’re put in first.”

Ji Zhiyuan nodded in approval. “Nice, nice. I like this rooftop. In the summer, we could set up a barbecue grill, have some drinks—wouldn’t that be amazing? Xiao Yu, why don’t we have a barbecue tonight?”

Zhuang Yanyu immediately replied, “I don’t eat barbecue.”

Ji Zhiyuan’s eyes widened. “What? You don’t eat barbecue? Have you never had it before?”

Zhuang Yanyu: “No.”

Ji Zhiyuan couldn’t believe it. “You’re 23 years old… In middle school, high school, and college, you never went out for barbecue, beer, and crayfish with your classmates?”

Zhuang Yanyu: “No.”

Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi exchanged a glance, both looking a little heartbroken.

Old Wen had said this kid didn’t have many friends. At the time, they thought he was exaggerating.

A 23-year-old must have at least a few close classmates and friends, right?

But it turned out—he really had none.

Thinking about it again, it wasn’t too hard to understand.

Back in school, they’d seen how students from rural areas often got bullied.

Not to mention, Xiao Yu was from a single-parent family…

That was something even more likely to make a child feel inferior.

Maybe that was why he didn’t have any friends and couldn’t blend in with his classmates.

The more they thought about it, the sadder it felt.

Feeling sorry for him, Ji Zhiyuan was determined to let Zhuang Yanyu experience the joy of having fun with friends. He slammed the table and declared, “We’re having a barbecue tonight! Xiao Yu, your big bro is going to show you how to enjoy life!”

Zhuang Yanyu said seriously, “Barbecued food is extremely unhealthy. Under high heat, especially when burnt, proteins and fats transform into carcinogenic compounds like benzo[a]pyrene. Starches that are burnt produce acrylamide, which is also carcinogenic…”

Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi listened quietly at first.

After a while, they exchanged glances—why was this kid still talking?

“The incidence of cancer nationwide is becoming more and more common among younger people. It used to mainly affect people in their fifties and sixties, because by that age, the human body has already…”

Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi: “…”

Wow, has he been talking for three minutes now?

“The reason cancer is affecting younger people is that they not only stay up late but also love eating high-fat, high-salt foods—especially barbecue…”

Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi: “…”

Confirmed. Xiao Yu was reciting a research paper!

Both of them suddenly recalled the nightmares of writing papers in university.

Ji Zhiyuan smacked his forehead. “Ah, I just remembered—I kinda feel like camping here.”

Li Xi immediately followed up. “Camping does sound like a great idea.”

The two of them were terrified Zhuang Yanyu would continue reciting his dissertation.

One of them said, “Camping here means we can stargaze! The weather is perfect, and we’ll see tons of stars tonight.”

The other added, “The rooftop has been heated by the sun all day, so it won’t be too cold at night. There’s also a breeze, so it won’t be too hot either. Perfect spot for camping!”

Zhuang Yanyu frowned at them.

They felt his stare drilling into their skulls, and a cold sweat formed on their backs.

Oh no… Oh no, he’s going to start again, isn’t he?

Please, no, Zhuang Xiaoyu!

Luckily, Zhuang Yanyu only stared at them for a moment before silently taking out his phone and lowering his head to look at it.

Both of them let out a breath of relief.

Zhuang Yanyu stared at Wen Chenxi’s contact info. The more he looked at it, the more he realized…

He missed A’Xi.

A’Xi would never be like this.

Only his real brother would listen to him patiently and then say, “Yes, Xiao Yu is absolutely right. We should all change these bad habits.”

Zhuang Yanyu was truly confused. Now that everyone was human, why didn’t they care about their health at all? What if they got sick?

Meanwhile, Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi had already made up their minds—they were camping on the rooftop tonight.

Seeing that Zhuang Yanyu was sitting there quietly like a lonely kid, they started feeling guilty again.

Had they been ignoring him too much?

So Ji Zhiyuan walked over and invited Zhuang Yanyu to camp with them that night.

Zhuang Yanyu asked, “You’re staying here tonight?”

Ji Zhiyuan: “That’s right, I plan to stay here for the night.”

Although most of the villagers had started running farm stays, there were very few actual inns. The nearest one was 1.5 kilometers away.

Ji Zhiyuan thought that staying in that small inn, without knowing if it was clean or not, was not as good as just setting up a tent on the roof of the old Zhuang family’s house and staying there directly.

Zhuang Yanyu said curiously, “But you didn’t bring a tent.”

Ji Zhiyuan looked at Zhuang Yanyu with the gaze one would give a naive child, affectionately saying, “Xiao Yu, why are you so cute? I may not have brought one, but I can have my family’s bodyguards send it over.”

Thinking about those bodyguards who appeared and disappeared like ghosts, Zhuang Yanyu simply responded, “Oh.”

Ji Zhiyuan had actually noticed that the Zhuang family didn’t have guest rooms, and staying at Uncle Liu’s house felt a bit inappropriate. So, he simply came up with the idea of camping.

Ji Zhiyuan asked them, “Do you want me to have the bodyguards bring a few more tents so the three of us can camp on the rooftop together? I checked—it’s big enough to fit four tents.”

Zhuang Yanyu was the first to refuse. “I don’t want to.”

Ji Zhiyuan was slightly disappointed but understood—this was Xiao Yu’s home. He had a place to stay, so why would he need a tent?

Li Xi thought about Wen Chenxi coming over later and said, “Just bring one tent.”

Ji Zhiyuan: “One? That’s not enough.”

Li Xi replied, “I can squeeze in with you. Why bring so many?”

Most importantly, if they had too many tents and Old Wen arrived, Uncle Zhuang might tell him to sleep in one as well. That possibility had to be eliminated.

With only one tent, at most two people could sleep in it. If Wen Chenxi came, he’d have to either share a bed with Xiao Yu or take the secondary bedroom.

However, after carefully checking, Li Xi realized that the Zhuang family only had two bedrooms—one for Old Zhuang and one for Zhuang Yanyu. The other rooms were used for storing grain, medicinal herbs, and various farming tools.

Old Zhuang farmed so much land that even his house barely had enough space for storage.

So, if Wen Chenxi came, there was only one possibility—he’d have to sleep with Zhuang Yanyu.

Ji Zhiyuan didn’t think much of it. He just called his bodyguard and asked him to send over a double tent along with toiletries and clothes.

Meanwhile, he teased Li Xi. “Li Xi, has it been too long since you last slept with your big brother? Are you missing his embrace?”

Li Xi laughed and cursed, “Miss it, my ass! Don’t gross me out.”

Zhuang Yanyu, however, nodded in agreement—he really hadn’t slept with his best friend in a long time. He did miss A’Xi.

Ji Zhiyuan burst out laughing and went to Uncle Liu’s house, asking him to slaughter a goose for dinner. He also transferred a large sum of money to Uncle Liu, asking him to buy some beef and lamb for a barbecue that night.

He was always generous. Every time Uncle Liu tried to return the extra money, Ji Zhiyuan refused, leaving Uncle Liu helpless.

If not for the concern of wasting food, Uncle Liu would have bought even more ingredients with the money Ji Zhiyuan gave him.

Because of this, Uncle Liu always bought the best ingredients, not wanting to feel guilty about taking so much money.

Ji Zhiyuan didn’t think too much about it. After asking Uncle Liu to prepare the barbecue ingredients, he grabbed his fishing gear and boldly declared that he would definitely catch a big fish today.

Every time they visited the countryside, Ji Zhiyuan and his friends felt the most relaxed.

Ever since Zhou Baishu told them that this village had an experimental research field, Ji Zhiyuan started seeing the place through rose-colored glasses. He had already thought it was better than other villages, but now his admiration had increased tenfold. He even wanted to buy a piece of land, build a house, and use it as a weekend getaway spot.

Li Xi had a similar thought and even asked Zhuang Yanyu, “Xiao Yu, is it easy to buy land in your village? Or does anyone want to sell their house? We could buy one.”

If they bought a house and renovated it, they wouldn’t have to commute back and forth every time. They could stay here on weekends—it sounded like a dream.

Zhuang Yanyu answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

He had only been in this village for less than half a year. The only family he was really familiar with was Uncle Liu’s. He didn’t know much about the others.

Li Xi said, “Then I’ll ask Uncle Liu later. He should know better.”

There was no point in asking Old Zhuang—everyone knew he was too focused on farming to keep track of real estate in the village.

That afternoon, they went fishing. Zhuang Yanyu had a great haul, and Li Xi also caught several fish. Ji Zhiyuan, however, didn’t catch a single one.

Despite spending tens of thousands on various fishing gear, Ji Zhiyuan still lost to Zhuang Yanyu, who was using an ordinary fishing rod!

Zhuang Yanyu said seriously, “No matter how much gear you have, if you don’t have the skill, it’s useless.”

Ji Zhiyuan: “…”

Li Xi burst out laughing. “Hahaha, Xiao Yu is absolutely right! No matter how much fancy gear you have, if your hands are clumsy, it’s pointless! Hahaha!”

Ji Zhiyuan looked at Zhuang Yanyu with a forlorn expression. “Xiao Yu, you’ve changed! You actually learned how to mock people!”

Zhuang Yanyu looked confused. “That was mockery?”

Ji Zhiyuan: “…”

That hurt even more than an actual insult.

The three of them spent the entire afternoon by the river, while Uncle Liu had already prepared everything at home, including setting up the barbecue grill.

Originally, they planned to barbecue on the rooftop, but Li Xi rejected the idea, considering that Old Zhuang needed to use the rooftop for drying produce.

By 5:30 PM, everyone was gathered in the Zhuang family courtyard, starting the barbecue. Ji Zhiyuan even enthusiastically invited Uncle Liu’s family to join, saying that barbecue was best enjoyed with a lively crowd.

However, Uncle Liu’s family didn’t like barbecue and declined. Instead, they invited Old Zhuang over for dinner.

So Old Zhuang went, telling the young ones to have fun on their own.

Zhuang Yanyu sat there, staring at the food sizzling over the charcoal fire, his brows furrowing so much they nearly formed a “川” shape.

The flames were nearly touching the grilled meat—this could easily burn and become carcinogenic.

The ashes from the charcoal fire were drifting onto the meat—carcinogenic.

That skewer had a piece of meat that was burnt black—carcinogenic.

Even the smoke rising into the air was one of the known carcinogens.

There were scientific studies that explained why even women who didn’t smoke or drink could develop lung cancer.

It was because they spent long hours cooking in the kitchen, constantly exposed to cooking fumes, which led to similar mutations.

Then, just as these thoughts ran through Zhuang Yanyu’s mind, he saw Ji Zhiyuan handing him a slightly charred skewer of grilled meat.

This skewer, with “I am highly carcinogenic” practically written all over it, was now being offered to him.

“Xiaoyu, try this. It’s the first skewer of the night—no one else is allowed to eat it first, only our Xiaoyu! Thank you for helping me out today.”

Zhuang Yanyu stared at the skewer without moving, just staring, staring, and staring some more.

Ji Zhiyuan: “Xiaoyu?”

Zhuang Yanyu listlessly took the skewer, as if he were walking to the gallows, his left cheek saying “I have no will to live” and his right cheek reading “I am committing slow suicide.”

His father had said that he considered Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi his own people, his closest brothers.

Zhuang Yanyu thought: If being brothers with them required such a price, then he really didn’t want this kind of close friendship…

One good brother was enough. Quality over quantity.

All he needed was A’Xi.

While Ji Zhiyuan busied himself with grilling, Li Xi was off to the side, smiling mysteriously as he sent messages on his phone.

Ji Zhiyuan glanced back and frowned. “Li Xi, stop messing with your phone and come help. Don’t tell me you want your big brother to grill for you too?”

Li Xi cheerfully put his phone away and said, “Alright, alright, I’m coming.”

Ji Zhiyuan looked at him suspiciously. “Why do I feel like you’re hiding something from me?”

Li Xi blinked. “Am I?”

Ji Zhiyuan: “Then what were you just looking at?”

Li Xi replied, “After last week’s high-end fashion show, we received a lot of private couture orders.”

Ji Zhiyuan: “…Fair enough.”

That was indeed something to be happy about.

Having smoothly handled Ji Zhiyuan’s inquiry, Li Xi turned his attention to Zhuang Yanyu, who was still locked in a staring contest with his skewer.

Li Xi chuckled. “Xiaoyu, let’s switch seats. I’ll sit where you are—the smoke is all blowing toward you.”

Zhuang Yanyu didn’t move. “If we switch, then the smoke will blow at you.”

Li Xi said nonchalantly, “That’s fine. I actually like the smell of barbecue.”

Zhuang Yanyu’s expression became indescribable again.

He realized that he still knew too little about human beings.

How could someone willingly enjoy inhaling this slow-acting carcinogen?

It seemed that in addition to studying normal human behavior, he also needed to research their strange preferences.

Since Li Xi liked it, Zhuang Yanyu hesitated for a moment before giving up his seat.

After the swap, Li Xi was now facing the courtyard entrance while Zhuang Yanyu sat with his back to it.

The wind blew from outside, carrying the barbecue smoke straight into Li Xi’s face, making his nose itch. He sneezed repeatedly, his eyes watering from the irritation.

But for Lao Wen, it was worth it!

Zhuang Yanyu really didn’t want to eat the barbecue. He glanced at Ji Zhiyuan, then at the skewer in his hand.

The grilled meat was glistening with oil. Even after being cooked over charcoal, its quality was evident—it was premium meat, not the cheap, water-injected kind.

It was sprinkled with cumin and various spices, its rich aroma mingling with the scent of the meat itself. It didn’t smell like poison; in fact, it smelled… quite good.

Ji Zhiyuan had said this was the first skewer of the night…

It was grilled especially for him…

Zhuang Yanyu slumped into the wicker chair, looking utterly dejected, before slowly taking a reluctant bite.

Maintaining friendships was so exhausting.

The moment the grilled meat touched his tongue, the distinct smoky barbecue flavor spread across his taste buds.

Zhuang Yanyu paused, looked down at the skewer, and realized… it was actually kind of delicious.

He chewed, chewed, and chewed—thirty times—then swallowed.

Staring at the skewer in his hand, he began to hesitate.

So this was why humans, even knowing something was carcinogenic, still couldn’t resist eating it?

Zhuang Yanyu sank into another round of internal conflict, completely unaware that at some point, Li Xi had suddenly clamped a hand over Ji Zhiyuan’s mouth.

Ji Zhiyuan, on the other hand, was staring at something with wide, astonished eyes.

The courtyard fell silent, except for the sizzling sound of meat grilling over the coals.

A breeze carried the scent of cumin, mingled with another faint fragrance, into Zhuang Yanyu’s nose.

Amidst the wind, he faintly heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

At first, he thought it was his father returning from dinner at Uncle Liu’s house.

But… the scent in the wind wasn’t his father’s.

Zhuang Yanyu froze, then lifted his head—only to see Li Xi and Ji Zhiyuan both looking toward the entrance. One of them was staring in shock, while the other had a mischievous smile.

That familiar scent grew stronger as the person approached.

Zhuang Yanyu’s eyes lit up instantly. He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.

Sure enough, the next second, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

“Xiaoyu, how’s the barbecue?”

Zhuang Yanyu shot to his feet. “A’Xi?”

He turned around—only to meet Wen Chenxi’s smiling face.

The reflection of the courtyard lights in Wen Chenxi’s glasses obscured most of his expression, making it impossible to see the emotions hidden in his eyes.

But the slight upward curve of his lips still revealed his good mood, along with a tenderness and longing that even he hadn’t realized.

Zhuang Yanyu’s heart suddenly skipped a few beats. He had no idea why it was racing so fast, but before his rational mind could catch up, he had already stepped forward, standing right in front of Wen Chenxi.

“You’re really back?”

The human body was capable of experiencing hallucinations, unlike chip-based machines, where data was simply data—clear and immutable, with no room for illusions.

He was worried he might be hallucinating.

As if to reassure him, Wen Chenxi opened his arms, intending to pull Zhuang Yanyu into an embrace.

Zhuang Yanyu’s face pressed against his chest, and he could feel Wen Chenxi’s hand resting on his back.

Then, suddenly, something occurred to him.

Zhuang Yanyu: “Wait.”

Wen Chenxi: “Hm?”

Zhuang Yanyu took several quick steps back, placed his skewer of grilled meat neatly back on the plate on the table—making sure it was perfectly aligned—before running back.

This time, Wen Chenxi didn’t need to make a move. Zhuang Yanyu threw himself into his arms, pressing close to listen to his heartbeat.

A strong, steady rhythm, full of life. The unmistakable proof of existence for all living beings.

And the proof that Wen Chenxi was truly here.

Listening to that familiar heartbeat, Zhuang Yanyu was finally certain—his brother had really come back.

Wen Chenxi murmured, “Sorry, I won’t be gone for such a long trip again.”

Zhuang Yanyu looked up at him and said, “It’s just part of your job. I understand.”

Wen Chenxi chuckled, rubbing his head. “Looks like you guys were having a barbecue. Having fun?”

Zhuang Yanyu pursed his lips and softly replied, “Not as happy as I am about you coming back.”

Hearing that, Wen Chenxi couldn’t resist tightening his hold, pulling him into another embrace with a deep sigh.

This little fish… still knew how to say all the right things.

Across from them, Ji Zhiyuan and Li Xi had been watching them hug—for nearly five minutes now.

Ji Zhiyuan was exasperated. “What’s with you two? Why are you still holding onto each other like it’s the end of the world…? It’s not even the first time Lao Wen’s gone on a business trip. Is all this really necessary?”

Wen Chenxi shot him a glance and slowly let go of Zhuang Yanyu. “What? Jealous? Go find someone to hug you.”

Ji Zhiyuan shuddered. “Hell no! I’m not like Xiaoyu, still a kid who throws a tantrum when he doesn’t get his way.”

Back when he was young, if he didn’t get to see his dad or brother for a long time, he’d throw himself into their arms the moment they returned from a trip. But that was when he was a kid!

He was thirty now.

Zhuang Yanyu: “I’m not throwing a tantrum.”

He was just really happy his brother was back.

And wasn’t it normal for brothers to hug?

There were even songs about it.

Ever since Zhuang Yanyu had helped him out earlier today, Ji Zhiyuan had been feeling extra indulgent toward him. So the moment Zhuang Yanyu insisted he wasn’t being clingy, Ji Zhiyuan gave him a doting, fatherly smile. “Sure, sure, our Xiaoyu isn’t. Now hurry up and sit down, the barbecue’s about to burn.”

Zhuang Yanyu was just about to return to his seat when Wen Chenxi pulled him back.

In a low voice, Wen Chenxi said, “Xiaoyu, I brought you a gift.”

Zhuang Yanyu’s eyes lit up. “What is it?”

Wen Chenxi held his hand and led him outside the courtyard, stopping at Uncle Liu’s house, where his car was parked.

Zhuang Yanyu suddenly understood why he hadn’t noticed any headlights approaching earlier—Wen Chenxi had parked over here.

Wen Chenxi opened the trunk. It was a long vehicle, and inside was a car fridge, much larger than the ones commonly available on the market. The freezer compartment was also significantly bigger than usual.

He opened the freezer, took out a plate—it was just a regular plate—but on it sat something small, slightly smaller than the size of a palm.

Zhuang Yanyu’s eyes widened. “A little snowman!”

Wen Chenxi smiled. “It snowed a little where I was on my trip, but not much—just enough to make this small one…”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “I still can’t take you to see the snow or build snowmen together, so I figured I’d bring this one back for you. I made it myself—it’s not very well done. But in a month or two, when the snow gets heavier, we’ll go build a bigger one together, okay?”

Zhuang Yanyu stared blankly at the tiny snowman. It had red eyes, a red nose, a red mouth, and even a tiny little hat on its head.

Honestly, it was more like a small block of frozen snow than a proper snowman.

It wasn’t even well-shaped—it was obvious Wen Chenxi had really tried his best.

But Zhuang Yanyu loved it.

He gently touched the tiny hat, then poked its little nose.

It was cold to the touch. So this was what snow felt like?

Yet, despite the coldness against his fingers, his heart felt warm.

He looked up at Wen Chenxi and asked, “Did you see my social media post?”

Wen Chenxi replied, “Yeah. And when I realized it happened to be snowing where I was, I thought I’d make one for you.”

Zhuang Yanyu blinked. “You can bring this on a plane?”

Wen Chenxi chuckled. “On a private jet, yes.”

It had just been a coincidence—he had planned his return trip early and arranged the private jet’s flight path weeks in advance, which was how he’d been able to bring the little snowman back.

Zhuang Yanyu carefully set the snowman aside, then hugged Wen Chenxi tightly once more.

“A’Xi, you’re the best.”

He really, really loved this gift. It was such a wonderful surprise!

See? Brotherhood wasn’t the same for everyone.

A’Xi and Ji Zhiyuan weren’t the same at all.

A’Xi was family.

Wen Chenxi’s lips curled into a smile as he gently patted his back. In a soft voice, he murmured, “Xiaoyu, do you really think I’m that good?”

Zhuang Yanyu nodded vigorously: “Mm.”

Wen Chenxi felt relieved. He had been worried that he wasn’t good enough.

This little fish was even more exceptional than he had imagined.

If the other person loved money, he could have used it to keep them close.

But Zhuang Yanyu didn’t care for money at all. So, Wen Chenxi could only try to hold on in his own way.

“By the way,” Zhuang Yanyu suddenly said, “Can you see my social media now? Did you manage to get your WeChat back?”

Wen Chenxi’s expression froze.

Zhuang Yanyu took out his phone, unlocking it while saying, “If you couldn’t get it back, it’s okay. I’ve already written an antivirus program. I’ll just install it for you, and we can recover your stolen WeChat.”

Wen Chenxi, feeling helpless, had no choice but to take out his phone and said, “…Got it back.”

Zhuang Yanyu relaxed. “As long as it’s back, that’s all that matters. I’ll send you the antivirus software.”

He sent the software to Wen Chenxi and even carefully explained how to install it.

Finally, he reassured him: “I can guarantee that, for now, no one will be able to break through my program.”

The implication being, there was no need to worry about his WeChat account being hacked again!

That was the final barrier blocked.

Wen Chenxi could only say, “Thanks, Xiaoyu.”

Zhuang Yanyu smiled. “No need to be polite, A’Xi.”

He opened the “Loving Family” group chat and added Wen Chenxi. When he saw Wen Chenxi didn’t immediately leave the group, he was finally at ease. “Okay! Now you can stay in the group forever!”

Wen Chenxi stared at the group name and couldn’t suppress his irritation.

He looked, and looked again.

“Well, since we’re family…”

Wen Chenxi gritted his teeth, made a bold decision, and added his dad, mom, his younger brother Zhou Qingcheng, and Uncle Zhou to the group.

Aren’t we a family?

Fine, then. Let’s all be in the same group.

–

Author’s Note:

PS——

Wen Chenxi (going crazy): Here’s my younger brother and my dad.

Zhuang Family (Father and Son): ???

Wen Family: ????

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