Love to Perfection Chapter 5

"My old house in town was a bungalow. You know the kind of red brick house that was very common in the 1970s and 1980s? It's not big, but it has a small garden."

"My grandfather planted roses, grapes, and various vegetables in the small yard. There was also a small piece of land outside the gate, and I planted mint with him."

"Tomatoes are difficult to grow. Each plant has to be built with a small wire frame to facilitate climbing."

"So, in the summer, the whole yard is covered with plants. The stone brick path leading through the yard is tightly covered with grape leaves, and when the wind blows, it feels like rain. The sun doesn't shine into the house, so it's very dark inside. It's cool. Roses are actually very strong flowers that can bloom when the temperature is high. The roses grown by my grandpa bloom like peonies, and are golden and fragrant. When I was very young, my grandpa would tie a small stool to the grape trellis. Let me play on the swing."

"Then in the evening, when it was not too hot, we ate corn under the grape trellis. At seven o'clock in the afternoon, the radio station in the town announced the time. At that time, the beautiful color of the sky seemed to be burning."

"In the future, I will also have to build a yard and grow whatever I want...grapes, mint, and various vegetables."

Elden Qi lay on the bench, dazed.

I don’t know what time it is. I'm probably going to have trouble sleeping tonight.

Elden Qi felt that he had passed the restless stage of youth.

But just now I actually dreamed of a small courtyard, covered with thick grape leaves, and when the wind blew, it felt like rain.

Both quiet and happy.

That day Elden Qi accidentally discovered that Ethan Luo was planting pomegranates in a flower pot, and originally wanted to make fun of him. Ethan Luo took off his glasses and said seriously that his dream since childhood was to save money to buy a big house with a garden, and then grow vegetables and fruits in the garden.

Elden Qi felt a little confused for a moment.

Ethan Luo asked with a smile, "You are very ambitious, aren't you?" When we were in elementary school, our class teacher asked us about our ideals. My classmates all said they wanted to be astronauts, etc., but I was the only one who stupidly said I wanted to grow vegetables at home, and was laughed at for a long time.

Elden Qi said, not at all. It’s a great dream, are you about to realize it?

Ethan Luo put on his glasses, smiled confidently, and then lowered his head to flip through the documents.

Elden Qi randomly took out a book from his bookshelf and read it. Unknowingly, they became more comfortable getting along with each other. If it weren't for the fourth floor in between, they would almost be living in a duplex. Luo Jing and his company took on a big business, and he didn't even have enough time to sleep in the past two days. Elden Qi volunteered to cook, but was stopped by Ethan Luo, who then called to order takeout. Elden Qi didn't know the reason until a long time later. The kitchen was regarded as a private sacred place in Ethan Luo's eyes, and Elden Qi would only ruin things if he went in.

As a result, Ethan Luo hit a pillow.

But at that time, this kind of thing was obviously not that important.

Until one day when Elden Qi opened the door, he suddenly saw Noah Li, that rare and handsome man, Ethan Luo's high school classmate and current boss.

Noah Li stood outside the door and looked at him doubtfully, who are you? Why are you at Qinghe's house?

Only then did Elden Qi realize that he seemed to have crossed the line a bit. The relationship between him and Ethan Luo was too strange and too dangerous.

He almost forgot that there were only a few people like him in the world.

Ethan Luo didn't seem to notice the embarrassment between him and Noah Li. He put his arm around Noah Li's shoulders and laughed: "Boss, don't be so sullen as a boss in my house, right? This is the neighbor I told you about, and I'm about to introduce it to you."

Noah Li looked at Elden Qi, nodded, and said nothing.

Elden Qi noticed that Noah Li's attitude towards him was not friendly. Although it was not obvious, Noah Li was very unhappy. He was about the same height as Ethan Luo, and looking down at Elden Qi made him feel oppressed.

Later, Ethan Luo called him to have lunch with him, but he said that something was wrong. Ethan Luo said regretfully on the other end of the phone, "You started busy just after I finished my work." I have cooked a lot of dishes, and I thought you would like them.

Elden Qi held the phone and laughed dryly. He couldn't laugh for a long time, so he had to say yes, yes, yes.

When I walked out of the library, I met that person.

Elden Qi was actually not surprised. He also wondered why Wu Qingzhi showed up after so long. He was standing by the tree-lined avenue of T University. The maple trees on both sides of the road all turned red, and the wind blew and the maple leaves were flying. Wu Qingzhi seems to be in good condition and still looks handsome. Should I pretend I didn't see you, or should I go up and say hello?

Wu Qingzhi walked over silently. He looked at Elden Qi for a long time before smiling and saying, "You look good."

Elden Qi nodded: "Very good."

Next, there was still silence. Each other didn't know what to say. There was too much trouble a year ago. No matter whether I was extremely sad and angry or out of control and angry at the time, it seemed that all the enthusiasm was wasted "at that time".

Now between them, there is no energy left to even talk.

"I've found a job now. It's not bad." Wu Qingzhi said.

"Aren't you going to continue your studies?"

"I'll probably take the civil service exam."

"Um."

"Are you... still alone?"

"one person."

During the silence, only the maple trees were rustling overhead. Elden Qi sighed, "If you don't have anything to say, just leave it alone. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

Wu Qingzhi said nothing. Elden Qi walked forward, and there were more people on the road. Several girls carrying violins passed by him with a smile. After walking a long way, Elden Qi couldn't help but looked back. Wu Qingzhi did not leave, but still stood under a fiery red maple tree, looking at his back. The maple leaves are flying and falling, and people are coming and going. They were just passing by.

This time he really left. Elden Qi turned his head and left quickly.

"Hello?" The male voice on the phone was gentle and calm.

"Ah, it's me. Um...are you free to cook today?"

Ethan Luo seemed to be smiling: "Yes, yes. What's wrong?"

"Sigh... After eating in the cafeteria for so many days, I feel a little pitiful..."

"Um."

"Hey, hey."

"What."

"Ahem, I mean... inside..."

"Which one?"

...I just discovered today that Ethan Luo's character is actually quite bad.

...

"I'm not kidding you anymore. Today I asked a friend to get a box of authentic hairy crabs. The crabs are the fattest around the Mid-Autumn Festival. Come and eat the crabs together tonight. That's it."

"Ah ah ah don't wait!"

"What's wrong?"

"That boss of yours...will he come?"

"He's not coming. You want him to come?"

"No, no, I'm afraid of him. I get scared when I see him."

"Such an exaggeration." The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly sounded distant and seemed to say, "Secretary Li, please type out this document." Then the voice became clear again: "Then it's settled tonight. Oh, that's right. "Bring a bottle of wine. Shaoxing's is the best."

"Oh. Then I won't disturb you. You can go about your business."

After hanging up the phone, Elden Qi suddenly felt better again. Ethan Luo didn't know what tricks he could come up with for the crab feast in the evening. Ethan Luo is a warm person, and Elden Qi just wants to get close to him. It's just human instinct not to think too much and to stay close to warmth.