EAY Chapter 66

by Volare

Frequently Expressing Gratitude

“Yeah, I’m eating. It’s not takeout. My roommate made it for me. I can just heat it up when I get back tonight. Here, I’ll show you if you don’t believe me.”

Shi Ran rarely got off work early, and he was video chatting with Grandpa while eating.

“It’s chicken leg rice, isn’t it great? It was originally supposed to be my lunch today, but there was a company dinner at noon, so I didn’t eat it. Have you eaten?” Shi Ran asked him.

“I ate, I ate much earlier than you,” Grandpa Shi said. “I transferred some money to your card. Remember to spend it.”

“Why are you giving me money?” Shi Ran frowned. He had just given Grandpa some pocket money last time, so why was he sending it back to him again?

Grandpa Shi said, “You have a lot of expenses outside, your rent, utilities, and food. Even if you cook yourself, you still need to buy groceries, and groceries are expensive these days.”

Shi Ran was too embarrassed to say that he hadn’t cooked at all. Of course, he often went grocery shopping with Qi Ye, but Qi Ye always did the cooking.

Grandpa Shi continued, “And there are social expenses, like going out to eat with colleagues, treating friends, it’s all unavoidable. And if you go out to eat, you have to dress nicely, wearing old clothes makes people uncomfortable. There’s so much I haven’t even calculated. You, in the future, don’t give me money anymore. It’s good enough if you have enough to spend yourself. If you run out, you can tell me, I still have some savings.”

Shi Ran said, “It’s not as much as you say. I rarely go out to eat with friends. They’re all busy, and if they have time, they come to my place to freeload.”

Grandpa Shi said, “It doesn’t matter if others don’t invite you, but you must treat that roommate of yours. Qi Ye takes care of you so much on weekdays, even if he’s your best friend, you should express your gratitude frequently. If you take what people do for granted, the relationship will gradually deteriorate.”

Shi Ran said, “Grandpa, we take care of each other.”

But he reflected inwardly, even if they were in a relationship, Qi Ye had been doing too much lately. His own work often required him to work overtime, and Qi Ye was doing all the cooking and housework. Occasionally, when he wanted to help out, Qi Ye wouldn’t let him.

It was naturally good to be spoiled by his boyfriend, and Shi Ran secretly enjoyed it. Friends like Li Tianyi and Meng Nan, who knew about their relationship, would also envy and tease them about their relationship.

Over time, Shi Ran might think this was normal and might not see Qi Ye’s efforts.

Fortunately, Grandpa reminded him. Although in Grandpa’s eyes, they were just friends, regardless of the relationship, he should express gratitude for the other person’s efforts.

“Then I’ll find some time to treat him to a meal,” Shi Ran said.

It had been almost a month since the two of them last went out to eat and watch a movie. After hanging up the phone, Shi Ran was almost finished eating. He went to wash the lunchbox, and while washing, he suddenly realized that his kitchen was really clean. This was the place most prone to grease and grime, but the range hood was spotless, and the small, checkered white tiles were as clean as when they had just moved in.

Then he extended his observation from the kitchen to the entire apartment: the living room, study, bedroom, and balcony were all neat, tidy, and orderly.

The bed automatically made itself, the trash automatically disappeared, and the dirty laundry automatically became clean, imbued with the scent of sunshine.

If it weren’t for Qi Ye, he would have really thought there was magic in his life.

Shi Ran was still in a daze when he heard movement at the entrance. Qi Ye said in surprise, “I thought you were joking. You really came back this early, even earlier than me.”

Shi Ran immediately rushed into his arms and hugged him tightly.

Qi Ye was about to take off his bag, hanging it loosely on his arm. “What’s wrong? Did something happen at work?”

Shi Ran mumbled, “When we first moved in, we agreed that we’d take turns doing the housework, one person cooking and the other washing dishes, but you’ve been doing it all by yourself.”

Qi Ye breathed a sigh of relief and put down his black backpack. “I thought something happened. Just because of this?”

“This isn’t a small matter,” Shi Ran said. “Doesn’t it bother you to do all this by yourself?”

“What’s there to bother about?” Qi Ye found it amusing, hugged him, and patted his back. “Think about it, even if I lived alone, wouldn’t I still have to clean the apartment and cook? One more of you isn’t a big deal at all.”

“It’s not the same,” Shi Ran said.

“What’s not the same?”

“Living alone is different from living with someone,” Shi Ran said. “When you’re alone, you can be lazy and do things when you feel like it. But with me, you have to do things even if you don’t want to, to take care of me. Take cooking, for example. You always make what I like to eat.”

Qi Ye smiled and stroked his head. “Your food is the easiest to make. You’re not picky at all. You like just a few things, and you never get tired of them. It’s really rewarding to cook for you.”

Shi Ran said, “No, I can’t let myself be fooled by your sweet talk anymore. Do you have time tomorrow? I’m treating you to dinner, a fancy meal!”

“Of course, that sounds great. Oh, but it might not work,” Qi Ye suddenly remembered something. “Qi Xue sent me a message saying that my parents are coming to visit tomorrow.”

Shi Ran suddenly became nervous. “They, they’re coming to our place?!”

“I’m not sure, they just said they’re coming to the area to hang out. Qi Xue also asked if you had time to have dinner together,” Qi Ye said.

“Of course I do!” Shi Ran immediately said. “Then I’ll book a restaurant. What do Uncle and Aunt like to eat?”

Qi Ye said, “They won’t want you to treat them.”

Shi Ran said, “That won’t do. I’ve freeloaded off you guys for so many meals, and I haven’t even returned the favor once. You have to give me a chance this time. Okay, stop nagging and come help me choose a restaurant.”

“Okay,” Qi Ye reluctantly agreed.

Shi Ran and Qi Ye found an old Cantonese restaurant. The two arrived early. When the waiter asked what kind of tea they would like to drink, Shi Ran turned to look at Qi Ye. Qi Ye said, “Pu-erh, I guess.”

“Should we order a few dishes first and let Uncle, Aunt, and Sister order the rest?” Shi Ran said.

Qi Ye smiled. “I asked, and they said to leave it all to us. They’ll eat whatever we order.”

“Really?” Shi Ran felt a little overwhelmed. He felt more pressure than when he went out to eat with his boss.

Qi Ye said, “What are you afraid of when you have me? I can tell you what they don’t eat.”

After they ordered, Qi Xue and her parents arrived. As soon as Qi Xue arrived, she enthusiastically wanted to hug Shi Ran. Qi’s mother, not wanting to favor one over the other, hugged both of them.

Qi’s father said, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think you haven’t seen each other in months.”

Qi’s mother said, “It’s been more than a month, right? These two kids are so busy with work, they’ve both lost weight.”

Shi Ran said, “It’s good to lose weight, it makes you look more refreshed.”

“They’ve become more handsome,” Qi’s mother nodded, then looked at the two of them with a smile. “Is it because you two have been spending too much time together? Why do I feel like you’re starting to look more and more alike?”

Shi Ran’s heart skipped a beat. Qi Ye just smiled and said, “Mom, you’re so funny.”

“There’s some truth to that, but handsome guys naturally have things in common,” Qi Xue teased.

Fortunately, the topic soon shifted to work, and Shi Ran’s tense mood was relieved.

Then came the food. Although he had Qi Ye’s help, he still wasn’t sure if he could satisfy Qi Ye’s family.

Fortunately, Qi’s mother was someone who provided a lot of emotional value. Some people just eat without commenting, and their expressions don’t even change, so you don’t know if they like it or not. Qi’s mother was different. As soon as the food entered her mouth, whether it was good or not was immediately apparent, and she kept praising Shi Ran.

Shi Ran was a little embarrassed by all the praise. Qi Ye picked up some food for him. “Stop looking at other people all the time, eat something.”