ICY Chapter 25
by VolareIf Su Zhao Li’s Parents Were Still Alive
“Dad, Mom, hurry up! I see Godfather and Godmother!” Su Zhao Li, carrying two large suitcases, ran swiftly, occasionally turning back to urge his parents, who were lagging behind.
“Godfather, Godmother!” Su Zhao Li called out crisply. The three people waiting in front of the school gate turned around, their faces beaming with smiles.
“Hey, don’t run, don’t run! Look at you, drenched in sweat.” Mother Chu said, taking the suitcase and handing it to Chu Nan Du, who was standing behind her, while also taking out a tissue for Su Zhao Li.
“Shu’er!” Mother Chu called out loudly towards the back, quickly walking over to hold the hand of Mother Su, who wasn’t carrying anything. “The kids’ dorm is on the third floor, very convenient. We’ve already cleaned up the dorms. Let’s put the stuff inside and then go out for a walk together. You guys went on vacation all summer this year. I haven’t seen you in ages!”
Mother Chu, holding Mother Su’s hand, rested her head on Mother Su’s shoulder like a little girl. “Honey, don’t we video chat every day? I brought you a gift!” Mother Su winked at Mother Chu.
“My bestie is still the best to me. Honey, quickly go help Old Su. Look how slowly he’s walking in the back.”
Father Chu obediently walked behind them, picking up a bag from Father Su’s hand. His arm drooped under the weight. “Did you guys move the whole house over here?” Father Chu was shocked.
“It’s A Li’s first time living away from home. Of course we need to prepare everything he might need. I told you to work out when you’re not flying. Look at you, all weak. Here, carry this one.” Father Su handed the easier-to-carry suitcase to Father Chu.
Mother Chu and Mother Su walked in front, relaxed and looking around, while Su Zhao Li and Chu Nan Du each carried a suitcase, excitedly listening to Chu Nan Du’s pre-made school guide. Father Su and Father Chu trudged along behind them, looking miserable. “Didn’t you always say you wanted to send your A Li abroad? Why did you change your mind?”
“A Li didn’t want to go himself, and we were worried about him being alone overseas. Can the food overseas compare to what we have here?”
“So many people!” Su Zhao Li exclaimed, looking at the people coming and going in front of the dorm building. “This elevator must be packed.”
In fact, it was just as he expected.
“Good thing we’re on the third floor. Let’s take the stairs.”
There were quite a few people on the stairs as well. Su Zhao Li followed behind slowly, dragging the suitcase step by step, making a “thump thump” sound.
“Is it going to break?” Su Zhao Li asked Chu Nan Du, turning his head while going upstairs.
“I’m dying here.” Su Zhao Li was weak, the third floor is only four sets of stairs? What’s so hard about it! What’s so hard about it!!
“Haaah!” Su Zhao Li used all his strength to throw the suitcase directly onto his floor.
“Careful!” Su Zhao Li’s pupils shrank in shock. If the person in front of him hadn’t dodged quickly, he would have almost thrown the suitcase at him.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Su Zhao Li apologized quickly. Chu Nan Du also rushed up and apologized along with Su Zhao Li.
“It’s okay.” Jiang Shi glanced at them and waved his hand.
“Let me help you carry it.” Jiang Shi said to Su Zhao Li. The young man in front of him was flushed, and covered in sweat. He couldn’t bear to watch.
“No need, no need. There’s only one set of stairs left.” Su Zhao Li refused quickly, but even though that’s what he said, the expectation in his eyes was obvious.
Jiang Shi found it a bit funny and directly reached out to take the suitcase from Su Zhao Li’s hands. “Let me help you after all.”
Su Zhao Li followed behind Jiang Shi, feeling embarrassed, and thanking him incessantly.
Chu Nan Du, who was originally waiting for Su Zhao Li to finally free his hands to help him with his suitcase, was really sour. Whose suitcase was this anyway?
“Here you go, I’m leaving.” Jiang Shi handed the suitcase to Su Zhao Li and turned around to go downstairs. He didn’t notice the light in Chu Nan Du’s eyes as he passed by. Really sour, Chu Nan Du thought.
“Dad, Mom, everything’s cleaned up. Let’s go.” Jiang Shi said to his parents who were waiting for him downstairs.
When they arrived at the dorm, Mother Su and Mother Chu were already inside. “Where’s your dad?” Mother Su asked Su Zhao Li.
“Still in the back.”
“Okay, let’s make your bed first.” With that, Mother Su and Mother Chu started to work, shooing Su Zhao Li and Chu Nan Du to the side, not letting them help.
“Honey, quickly, the mattress is in the bag you’re carrying.” Father Su trembled as he dragged the bag in his hand. He was exhausted.
Soon, Su Zhao Li’s things were all packed up, and the rest of them had rested. The group went to walk around the school. This was a necessary process for every freshman and their parents.
·
The two days of leisure time passed quickly.
“Mom~” Su Zhao Li secretly tugged on Mother Su’s sleeve as they were about to return to school.
“Hmm?” Mother Su looked at him.
“I… I” Su Zhao Li didn’t want this to happen, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he couldn’t hold back anymore, and tears streamed down his face.
“Good baby.” Mother Su put Su Zhao Li in her arms. “Mom will come to see you every month from now on. Don’t me when I’m here.”
“Yeah, Mom, can you come every day…” Su Zhao Li knew that his mother was ing him, but he couldn’t help but cry continuously.
The people in front stopped and waited for the mother and son. Father Su stood silently to the side.
Infected by the atmosphere, Mother Chu looked at her own son and was about to cry. Her son, whom she had raised for eighteen years and never been apart from, only had this little bit of time left.
“Hah.” Chu Nan Du rubbed his eyes and let out a huge yawn, causing physiological tears to well up in his eyes. “Mom, you don’t need to come see me every day, ha.”
“Slap.” Mother Chu slapped her son. He was ruining the atmosphere.
After saying goodbye to the children, Su Zhao Li and Chu Nan Du walked back to the dorm. “Here.” Su Zhao Li handed a tissue to Chu Nan Du.
“What for? I didn’t cry.” Chu Nan Du was stubborn.
“Yeah, yeah, you didn’t cry. Those are tears from yawning. Take it. This is a tissue from Godmother’s pocket. Do you want it or not?”
“Yes, give it to me.”
When they received the call, both families discussed arranging Su Zhao Li and Chu Nan Du in the same dorm, so they could take care of each other.
After returning to the dorm, both of them were silent. After washing up, they went straight to bed.
But whether they could actually sleep was another matter.
Jiang Shi on the other side had also just sent his parents back. The elevator was empty, but he still took the stairs.
Walking to the door of his own single dorm, Su Zhao Li looked at the dorm next door, which had already turned off the lights. It seemed that they had already gone to sleep. So he slowed down and quietly unlocked the door and entered.
When he received the call, he mentioned that he hoped to live in a dorm that allowed cooking. He didn’t expect to be assigned a single dorm. His previous vision of sharing delicious food with others in a dorm was shattered.
After entering the room and turning on the lights, Jiang Shi collapsed on the bed, smelling the reassuring scent of home on the blanket, and then cheered himself up to take a shower.
Su Zhao Li felt that putting him and Chu Nan Du in the same dorm was a reckless decision. Chu Nan Du usually slept until right before class, while Su Zhao Li, with his good habits, woke up early and couldn’t stay in bed at all. Although Chu Nan Du definitely wouldn’t complain about him disturbing his sleep, he still felt bad.
So, in order to take care of Chu Nan Du, Su Zhao Li would stay in the school library when he didn’t have class. Sometimes he would return to the dorm and bring back a meal for Chu Nan Du. Then the two of them would sit in the dorm for an afternoon, considering whether to eat dinner and what to eat. This was the only point where they were compatible.
“Jiang Shi is cooking again?” A fellow student in the kitchen greeted Jiang Shi.
“Yeah.”
The fellow student touched his nose, almost immune to his cold attitude. It had only been a week since the start of school, and Jiang Shi cooked about every other day. The aroma of the food could waft for miles, making many people in or passing by the kitchen extremely envious. But no one dared to talk to Jiang Shi, because who would have thought that this guy who made countless delicacies always had a cold face? This alone discouraged many people.
Jiang Shi was also confused. Wasn’t the appeal of his cooking great enough? Why were there so many people surrounding him every time, but when he turned around to share, no one looked at him. Jiang Shi was frustrated, but he became more courageous, and his cooking skills improved by leaps and bounds, and his reputation spread further and wider.
“What are we eating tonight?” Chu Nan Du asked Su Zhao Li, lying slumped on the bed. Su Zhao Li stopped working on his group assignment. Eventually, he had to face this question.
“Do you think I should learn to cook? I heard there’s a cold-faced cooking god in our building. If I could cook, wouldn’t we not have to think about it?”
“True, then we should eat whatever we have.”
“Don’t talk big. I’m placing an order now to cook for you later. You go to the cafeteria and buy me a meal tonight. I’ll eat whatever you buy.”
“Okay.”
It was indeed time to eat dinner. Maybe he would know what to eat when he walked to the cafeteria.
Su Zhao Li knew that there was a kitchen downstairs, but he had never been there before. After hearing Chu Nan Du’s words, he was a little curious and changed direction on the first floor, planning to take a look.
The aroma wafted from afar, and Su Zhao Li was enticed. He followed the scent and quickly walked to the kitchen. Looking inside from the door, it was indeed stir-fried shrimp.
Su Zhao Li swallowed his saliva. The school didn’t sell stir-fried shrimp, and the ones outside the school weren’t authentic. But he knew from the smell that this was the real deal.
Su Zhao Li unconsciously walked into the kitchen, walking closer to the person in black clothes who could only see his back and his skilled movements. There was no one else in the kitchen. Su Zhao Li’s goal was clear. Although it was a bit presumptuous, he just wanted one.
“Um…” Su Zhao Li wondered how to start speaking. Jiang Shi, who heard his voice, turned his head.
Both of them were stunned to see each other. Su Zhao Li was very excited that it was the person who had helped him on his first day at school. He had been wanting to thank him properly ever since, but he hadn’t encountered him. After a long time, Su Zhao Li even thought he was a parent sending a student to school. He didn’t expect to meet him here.
Jiang Shi was also a little stunned to see Su Zhao Li. The person who was sweating and flushed that day was so fair and good-looking. Especially now that he was looking at him with a smile, he was even more attractive.
“It’s you. I’ve been wanting to…” Su Zhao Li opened the floodgates, but his eyes kept glancing at the stir-fried shrimp in the pot, and he pretended to lick his lips from time to time.
“Want to eat together?” Jiang Shi asked him. He naturally saw through the true intentions of the person in front of him. Jiang Shi was very happy. This was the first person in a long time who had directly shown that they wanted to eat.
“Yes.” Su Zhao Li’s eyes lit up, but he suddenly realized that he was being too presumptuous. “Is it okay?”
“Of course.”
Su Zhao Li showed Jiang Shi a big smile, satisfied. The crescent moons of his eyes were filled with starlight.
“Together then.”