ICY Chapter 20
by VolareChapter 20
Besides Su Zhao Li and Jiang Shi, Father Chu, Mother Chu, and Chu Nan Du also went to the memorial day for Su’s parents.
The five of them went together in a car, and the atmosphere on the way was relatively silent. Su Zhao Li leaned against Jiang Shi, holding his hand and closing his eyes in a pretended nap.
Mother Chu glanced at the two of them in the rearview mirror. Jiang Shi’s hand reached behind Su Zhao Li and gently patted his back.
It’s pretty good too.
After arriving, Father Chu, Mother Chu, and Chu Nan Du went to the hotel first, while Su Zhao Li took Jiang Shi to his house.
The house had not been cleaned for a long time. Usually, Su Zhao Li would come here to clean and then stay for the night. Today, he had Jiang Shi’s help.
Since his parents passed away, he didn’t want anyone to enter his home, but this time, he subconsciously wanted Jiang Shi to come and stay with him.
The workload of cleaning an entire house was still quite large, so the two of them only cleaned the first floor and Su Zhao Li’s room on the second floor.
The house that used to take a whole day to clean until midnight was cleaned by the afternoon. The bedding on the bed was also changed. Jiang Shi settled Su Zhao Li, who was so tired that he could barely walk, on the bed, and then went out to a suburban convenience store not far from the house to buy groceries.
The unfamiliar handsome young man attracted the attention of the convenience store aunt. “Young man, I haven’t seen you before? Are you new here?”
“Yes, just arrived.”
“Which family are you from?”
“Um… the Su family.”
“The Su family, I thought so. It’s the anniversary of their death again.”
“Child, are you…?” The aunt asked uncertainly.
“A Li’s friend.”
“That’s good. When their family had just had the accident, a group of people came, smashing and cursing. Now we are too vigilant whenever we see strangers, so I asked a few more questions. Didn’t scare you, did I?”
“It’s okay, Auntie. I should thank you for caring about A Li’s family.”
“Oh, Lao Su and Shu’er from his family helped us a lot too, what a pity…”
“Auntie, that’s all, let’s pay.”
When he left, the small shop aunt insisted on giving Jiang Shi a lot of vegetables.
He walked on the way back to Su Zhao Li’s house, feeling even more admiration for the elders he had never met.
If they were still here, A Li would always be happy, right?
After Jiang Shi got home, he first quietly went to the room to see Su Zhao Li, who was already fast asleep.
When he walked through the living room towards the kitchen, he stopped in front of the cabinet for a long time. The photo frame, with a buckle, had already gathered a thick layer of dust. After thinking for a while, Jiang Shi still didn’t uncover it.
The water and electricity in the house were always on. The kitchen utensils and tableware were well sealed. They could be used after a good cleaning.
They had been busy all day, and the two of them were so busy cleaning at noon that they didn’t eat well. They should eat some carbs in the evening.
With the rice cooking, Jiang Shi also made a portion of boiled beef, a portion of Coke chicken wings, two vegetable dishes, and a yam and rib soup.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Shi, who was cooking, was hugged from behind by Su Zhao Li.
“Nothing.”
“Are you hungry? It will be ready soon.”
“Okay.”
Su Zhao Li was obviously not fully awake, burying his face in Jiang Shi’s back and staying still.
He just followed Jiang Shi step by step as he moved.
Jiang Shi was a little amused, letting him hug him.
“Be good, take the chopsticks and spoon and wait first, okay? I’ll be right over.”
“Okay,” Su Zhao Li nodded with squinted eyes.
Today, Su Zhao Li was very clingy. Jiang Shi took a step, and he followed.
“Are you tired today?” Su Zhao Li asked him when they were holding hands and taking a walk outside.
“Is it always necessary to take care of me when you are with me? I can’t do anything and always make you do this and that.”
“How could that be? I’m willing to take care of A Li, willing to revolve around A Li, willing to do everything for A Li, and these things can only be done by me, A Li, not by others.”
“A Li is not someone who can’t do anything. A Li will make me cookies, bring me dinner, remind me to keep warm, cook for me, urge me to study and do homework, and give me hugs, making me very, very happy.”
“Silly, how can that compare to what you do.”
“Everything I do is voluntary. As long as A Li likes it, I’m happy. As long as A Li is happy, I won’t be tired.”
Su Zhao Li looked at him, his eyes seeming to shine in the lamplight.
“I’ll carry you on my back,” Su Zhao Li said to Jiang Shi.
“Okay.”
Jiang Shi lay on Su Zhao Li’s back, his hands crossed in front, pressing the weight of his upper body on Su Zhao Li, his footsteps following Su Zhao Li step by step.
Su Zhao Li was amused, “No wonder you agreed so quickly.”
Jiang Shi was still acting coquettishly on his back, “I’m so tired, A Li, hurry up and carry me back.”
“Okay.”
* * *
The next morning, Su Zhao Li and Jiang Shi woke up early. The two of them lay in bed, doing nothing.
They would go to the cemetery in the afternoon to visit their parents. In the morning, Mother Chu and the other two would go to worship Su’s parents.
This seemed to have become a habit. The two would leave half a day for each other.
After that, Father Chu, Mother Chu, and Chu Nan Du would leave here, and Su Zhao Li would stay at home for a few more days.
Jiang Shi turned to hug Su Zhao Li, pressing him tightly in his arms.
“Are you hungry?”
“Not hungry, stay with me for a while.”
“This time, I want you to stay here with me for a few days. Will your parents be unhappy?”
“No, they told me to take good care of you.”
Su Zhao Li raised his head and poked him, “My mother used to tell me that she couldn’t imagine who I would be in love with in the future. I have so many problems, who besides them and Mother Chu and Father Chu’s family can stand me, who would spoil me? She said I should be raised by them for the rest of my life. Look, I still found someone.”
“So I brought you back to meet them. They can’t not see what my partner looks like. Very handsome.”
Jiang Shi didn’t refute. That was a mother’s love for her child for a lifetime.
“I also wanted to come and see them, to see what kind of people could cultivate A Li,” Jiang Shi said, stroking his hair.
“Do you want to talk to me more about you and your parents?”
“…”
The afternoon sun was still scorching hot. Su Zhao Li and Jiang Shi took a taxi to the cemetery. The empty cemetery was vast and heavy. They climbed up the steps one by one. Su Zhao Li held a bouquet of carnations, and Jiang Shi held a bouquet of chrysanthemums.
The flowers lying in front of the tombstone were bright and vibrant. Jiang Shi didn’t go forward, waiting for Su Zhao Li to talk to his parents.
“Mom, your favorite carnations, and Dad, I don’t know what kind of flowers you like. Last year, I brought you the same carnations as Mom. This year, I’ll give you chrysanthemums. If you don’t say anything, next year I’ll give you broccoli.”
“The boy who came with me is called Jiang Shi. He’s my boyfriend. I’ll introduce him to you later. I’ll read you a letter first. The letter mentions him, so you’ll have a recognition of him before you even meet him.”
“After the start of senior year…”
“I seem to have been lucky since I was born, meeting parents like you, and very, very good Mother Chu and Father Chu. My brother is also very good to me. Later, I also met A Shi. His parents are also very good people.”
“Mom and Dad, if you were here, I would be even luckier, right…”
The sound was interrupted by tears, choking him and making him shaky.
“A Shi.”
He called out softly, but now he couldn’t make a sound.
But Jiang Shi still heard it and ran over quickly to support him.
Jiang Shi lovingly wiped away his tears with his hand, “Are you okay?”
Su Zhao Li smiled and shook his head at him.
Su Zhao Li leaned against Jiang Shi for support.
“Mom and Dad, this is A Shi.”
While Jiang Shi supported Su Zhao Li with one hand, he unconsciously stood up straight. He looked at the man and woman in the photo seriously, their smiles kind.
“Hello, Mom and Dad.”
Su Zhao Li smiled, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll be unhappy calling them that?”
“No, I believe A Li has already introduced me to Mom and Dad. I will guarantee them forever that I will be with A Li for a lifetime, and I will protect and love A Li for a lifetime.”
Su Zhao Li wiped away the tears that flowed again from his eyes, “So, I’m sorry, I had no worries, but I still dragged you down.”
Jiang Shi shook his head, “You should be in my arms now.”
He hugged Su Zhao Li tightly, “I’m very happy that A Li is with me. Besides, I was the one who confessed to A Li first. I was the one who fell in love first. A Li was the one who was dragged down by me.”
Su Zhao Li laughed through his tears, “Do you think it’s not good for us to be like this in front of them?”
“Oh, yes, but A Li is so weak now. Mom and Dad will understand.”
“Smooth talker.”
“…”
The scorching sun shone on them, and soon both of them had beads of sweat on their heads. A cloud covered the sun, the light dimmed, and brought coolness to the two.
The two didn’t stay here for too long. When tidying up the letters on the ground when they left, Su Zhao Li asked him, “A Shi, do you want to see what’s written on this?”
What’s written on this is my crush on you, what I’ve done for you, my scheming, everything in my heart. I’m willing to dissect everything for you now.
Jiang Shi shook his head, “This is what you wrote to your parents. The content is your privacy, it’s your and your parents’ secret. I won’t read it.”
“Okay, if you remember one day and want to read it, I’ll take it out.”
“But A Li, is there a lot about me inside?” Jiang Shi asked teasingly as he walked.
“You’ll know when you want to read it.”
At the last step of the stairs, Su Zhao Li looked back at the tombstone illuminated by the sun. Is the coolness on my head you?