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Chapter 43: Pajamas
By the secluded riverbank in the valley, summer cicadas sang from high trees. After the wind and rain had passed, only the oppressive heat of summer lingered. While those toiling outdoors might have detested such conditions, no student ever found fault with summer vacation.
A few months quietly slipped by. Dorm 503, whose occupants had only recently reunited, now, in the blink of an eye, faced the melancholy of parting once more.
“Damn it! Third Brother, did you use my toothpaste?”
“No, I didn’t?”
“Damn it! Yesterday there was still a bit left! How is it completely empty today? You squeezed it dry!”
Zhou Haochen, having put on his rimless glasses, watched Li Qingyu and Wu Di bicker. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Stop bickering, I still have some.”
Li Qingyu darted over to him instantly. “Second Brother, why didn’t you say so sooner!”
No matter how many times he saw it, Li Qingyu found Zhou Haochen’s rimless glasses incredibly flashy. The guy clearly didn’t need a prescription; they were purely for charming younger sisters—or rather, older sisters.
“I say, Second Brother, are you going to crash at Sister-in-law’s place again this summer vacation?”
Sun Weijie, who was packing his luggage nearby, said with a laugh, “This semester, was the probability of seeing him in the dorm higher than the probability of you finding a partner?”
Zhou Haochen, hugging his laptop, retorted, “Look who’s talking. His probability of finding a girlfriend is infinitely close to zero, alright?”
Sun Weijie had also improved his situation. Apparently, Lily had a falling out with her family, and her demands had significantly lowered. Consequently, they were preparing to move in together off-campus next semester.
“You have the nerve to talk about me? Next semester, we’ll be in a three-person dorm.”
Sun Weijie raised an eyebrow, challenging, “If you’re so capable, why don’t you go live at Sister Bai’s place too?”
At this point, the two of them simultaneously looked at the other two.
The bachelors, Li Qingyu and Wu Di, who had just been bickering over toothpaste, were the two men who would soon be sharing a double room. They exchanged a wry smile.
“Ah, First Brother, we truly are kindred spirits.”
“Exactly, they’re just too cheap.”
Li Qingyu – Wu Di: [Please turn on your microphones to communicate!]
****
This time, Bai Sha still brought the little one to pick him up.
Sun Weijie also came along, as the apartment they rented had been found with Bai Sha’s help. It was located in the same complex, just one building apart.
Initially, they hadn’t intended to rent it because of the distance. However, Bai Sha had secured a ‘friend’s price’ (TL Note: A discounted price offered through a personal connection) for them, and the apartment was conveniently close to both of their workplaces, so they ultimately decided to grit their teeth and take it.
By the car at the school gate, the two men were loading luggage into the car, while Bai Sha chatted with Lily.
Bai Sha’s thoughts drifted to the child in her dream. If that dream held any predictive value, it would be a matter of the next two years. Thus, she turned to Lily and asked, “Are you two planning to have children?”
Lily glanced at the little one inside the car, then replied negatively, “Children are quite cute, but we’re not married yet and still in school. We definitely haven’t prepared for that.”
Bai Sha silently mourned for ‘Little Sun’ (TL Note: A nickname for Sun Weijie, also a pun on ‘little grandchild’ or ‘little offspring’ in this context, implying an unplanned pregnancy) in her heart. She reminded them, “Then, since you’re cohabiting, you must take proper precautions. Be careful not to let things get out of hand.”
Lily nodded, regarding this as genuine advice born of experience. What she didn’t know, however, was that Bai Sha was an even bigger novice (TL Note: ‘厨’ is short for ‘厨房杀手’ (kitchen killer) or ‘感情白痴’ (emotional idiot), implying inexperience, here referring to inexperience in relationships/s*x) than she was.
Their interactions over these past few months had almost been akin to cohabitation. Although they hadn’t taken that final step, Bai Sha had still discreetly prepared a mosquito repellent (TL Note: A euphemism for condoms or birth control, literally ‘buzz-eliminator’) at home.
Zhou Haochen stepped forward and asked, “What are you two talking about?”
Bai Sha pulled Lily aside. “What are you doing here? Go away!”
Seeing Bai Sha’s face flush slightly, Zhou Haochen immediately knew they were definitely discussing something inappropriate for children.
So he returned to the car’s trunk and said, “Sister-in-law, please don’t lead my Xiao Bai astray.”
“Heh, easy for you to say.”
Once the luggage was loaded, Zhou Haochen took the wheel, with Bai Sha naturally settling into the passenger seat. The little one, meanwhile, found herself squeezed between her uncle and aunt in the back.
“Ah, Sister Bai, where are you two planning to go for the holidays?” Lily asked.
They were going to work summer jobs, so they wouldn’t have time to play.
“We don’t have any plans yet. You can ask him.”
Bai Sha indeed had no specific plans. As she had to look after the child, many things would be inconvenient. She was actually considering sending the little one to her grandparents’ house for a few days, or perhaps even to her great-uncle and great-aunt.
Zhou Haochen, who was driving, suggested, “How about we go to the beach? Or travel to Dali for a trip?”
“Yay! Swimming, swimming! Traveling, traveling!” The little one, it seemed, wasn’t picky at all; anywhere would do.
Bai Sha said from the side, “You’re the head of the household, so what you say goes.”
‘Huh?’ Zhou Haochen thought, feeling helpless. ‘Now I’m the head of the household again? Then who is it that gets kicked out of the bedroom every day?’
“Actually, you don’t need to feel too much pressure. Since it’s vacation, you should properly set aside a few days to have fun. Work can always be found.”
Seeing Lily’s somewhat envious expression in the back seat, Bai Sha quickly tried to persuade them.
The two nodded, though it was unclear if they had truly taken it to heart.
They soon arrived at the residential complex. The young couple got off first, as they weren’t in the same building.
“Bye-bye, see you next time!” x2
“Bye-bye.” x3
****
Back at home, Bai Sha, carrying the little one on her back, quietly asked Zhou Haochen, “How about we send Xiao Yu to her aunt and uncle’s place for a few days?”
‘Aren’t you the little one’s best mother? Bai Sha, you rogue!’
“Aren’t we taking her out?” Zhou Haochen felt this was a bit inappropriate, didn’t he?
“It’s not that we’re not taking her; it’s for after we get back.” Some things are simply inconvenient with a child around.
“Then let’s first decide where we’re going to play.”
“How about we just look around this area? I don’t really like traveling.”
Especially during holidays, traveling was simply asking for trouble. Every cell in Bai Sha’s body resisted the idea.
“Alright.”
It was still the same old saying: outside, he was the head of the household; at home, she was the Empress Dowager (TL Note: A figure of ultimate authority, often surpassing the emperor himself).
****
In the evening, Zhou Haochen, carrying a blanket, tried to enter the bedroom, but Bai Sha quickly stopped him.
“What are you doing?”
Zhou Haochen honestly replied, “The bed in my room broke.”
Bai Sha didn’t believe him. She got up to check the guest room, only to find that one side of the bed had indeed collapsed, with a bed leg clearly cracked.
Seeing the guy’s innocent expression, Bai Sha suspiciously asked, “You didn’t break it on purpose, did you?”
“Heaven and earth bear witness, if I broke it on purpose, may I be struck by lightning.”
Zhou Haochen was truly innocent in this matter. No matter how much he wanted to sleep with Bai Sha, he wouldn’t intentionally ruin the bed. Was he that kind of person?
Bai Sha pondered for a moment, then, her face flushing, said, “Then you can sleep with us tonight.”
Zhou Haochen’s eyes lit up. He immediately placed his belongings in the master bedroom, afraid Bai Sha would change her mind.
Bai Sha, meanwhile, covered her crimson face, comforting herself: ‘It’s just sleeping in the same bed with him. I was a man before, it’s no big deal.’
Yet, she could have easily made him stay in another room or the living room. How had she, in a moment of impulse, agreed to this?
Bai Sha walked into the bathroom and deliberately changed into a lace nightgown. The neckline was semi-low, subtly revealing the ample scenery of her northern hemisphere, while her fair, slender legs were exposed.
Bai Sha smiled at her reflection in the mirror. ‘You little rascal, I’ll charm you to death.’
The little one was on the bed reading. Seeing her father walk in, she curiously asked, “Is Daddy sleeping with us tonight?”
Zhou Haochen sat on the bed and said, “Daddy’s bed is broken, so I’m sleeping with you all tonight.”
Bai Sha tiptoed into the bedroom.
Both father and daughter looked towards the doorway.
“Wow! Mommy, that nightgown is so pretty.”
Zhou Haochen, meanwhile, was utterly dumbfounded.