Hearing the sound of the elevator, Mu Nan hurriedly ran to the door and cracked it open. Seeing that it was indeed Qin Huai, he quickly opened the door wider and asked, "Why were you down there so long? Was there a lot of people?" When he saw the small cart full of shrimp that Qin Huai had brought up, he was astonished. "Are there really this many shrimp in ten pounds?"
Qin Huai smiled. "I saw that there weren't many people around, and the vendor had brought extra, so I bought ten pounds more. You should step aside and not block the door. I need to take off my protective suit first."
Mu Nan grabbed the disinfectant and sprayed it thoroughly, even on the bags containing the shrimp. After they were done, they soaked the shrimp in a large wooden basin filled with saltwater. They covered the top with a net to prevent any from escaping. They would change the water every two hours and continue soaking until the shrimp were ready to be cleaned and prepped for cooking.
Looking at the large basin of still lively shrimp, Mu Nan felt both satisfied and overwhelmed. "It looks like we have a big task ahead of us tonight. With so many shrimp, cleaning each one individually is going to be backbreaking work."
Qin Huai, washing his hands, said, "If you want delicious food, you have to put in the effort. If you find it too tiring, you can sit on the side and cheer me on."
Mu Nan laughed. "How could I be so heartless? Can salt really make the shrimp dazed? I won't get my hands pinched while washing them, will I?"
Qin Huai replied, "No, they'll be pretty limp after soaking for a while."
Seeing Mu Nan crouched down and poking at the shrimp, Qin Huai suddenly asked, "Do you have any stomach medicine at home?"
Mu Nan quickly stood up, looking at Qin Huai with concern. "What's wrong? Is your stomach upset? I have painkillers, anti-gas medicine, and antispasmodics here." He hurriedly retrieved a large medicine box from his space, crouching on the floor and rummaging through it. "We have medicine for gastritis, stomach soothers, and..."
Qin Huai took his hand and pulled him up from the floor, glancing at the pile of medicine with a slight frown. "Which of these do you usually take?"
Mu Nan looked confused. "Hmm? What do you mean?"
Qin Huai explained, "I ran into Uncle Zhong from the 19th floor in the elevator. He mentioned that he once saw you alone in the small clinic downstairs, struggling with pain and unable to sit still. Have you ever seen a doctor for it? Did you just take medicine on your own, or did a doctor prescribe anything?"
Mu Nan felt a bit embarrassed under Qin Huai's gaze. As a child, he had been pampered and overly sensitive, wanting all the family's attention at the slightest discomfort. Once he was alone, he had grown accustomed to enduring illness and discomfort by himself. Over time, he became reluctant to show such personal issues, feeling that revealing them would only trouble others.
Now, facing Qin Huai's question, Mu Nan instinctively tried to downplay the issue. "It's not that serious. It's just an upset stomach from eating something bad."
Qin Huai looked at him seriously. "When you lie, you unconsciously lick your lips. Is there anything else you're hiding from me? We'll be living together for a long time. If you're unwell one day, I won't even know which medicine you take."
Mu Nan cautiously glanced at Qin Huai. Seeing that he seemed upset and his expression was a bit frightening, he pointed to the medicine box. "Just take the tablets in the small box for now. If that doesn't help, take the painkillers after an hour or two. It should get better."
Qin Huai sighed and carefully examined the medicine Mu Nan pointed out. "Is this from the hospital?"
Mu Nan nodded. Qin Huai took a photo of the medicine box with his phone. "How much of this medicine did you buy? Why didn't you note it down?"
Mu Nan said, "This is a prescription medicine, only available from the hospital. The doctor only prescribes a few boxes at a time, so I didn't keep track of it. I only had three months to prepare after I came back. With so many things to buy, I often forgot to get medicine until my condition flared up once. I didn't have time to make multiple trips to the hospital. Stomach issues aren't life-threatening if you miss medication; you just endure the pain. But I did stock up on other over-the-counter medicines and painkillers."
Qin Huai looked at him, noting how thin he had become, and continued to ask, "What's the issue? Do you often experience pain?"
Mu Nan shook his head. "Actually, it's not too bad. Last time, the check-up showed some ulcers, so I occasionally feel uncomfortable after eating, but it usually passes. The time Uncle Zhong saw me in pain was because I forgot to eat after working on a drawing. I was hungry all day and just had some instant noodles to save time." Seeing Qin Huai's concerned expression, he quickly added, "But since then, I've learned my lesson and haven't missed a meal again. Really."
Qin Huai pulled Mu Nan into a tight hug, holding him close. The feeling of powerlessness, facing something that had already happened and couldn't be changed, deepened his resentment toward the man who had hurt Mu Nan. He wished he could turn back time. Looking back, there were ways to refuse the man, but at that time, his world was so limited that he had no strength to resist.
At this moment, he felt acutely the years he had missed. His Nan Nan had not had an easy time while he was away; it had been very hard.
Mu Nan felt a bit overwhelmed by Qin Huai's intense reaction. He hadn't expected such a strong response. When he felt the wetness on his shoulder, it was like his heart was being squeezed. "Brother?"
Qin Huai hugged him tighter, as if trying to merge him into his own body. Feeling the warmth and heartbeat of the person in his arms, Qin Huai spoke hoarsely, "I'm sorry, Nan Nan. I'm so sorry..."
Mu Nan smiled and hugged Qin Huai back, patting him on the back. "It's okay, brother. As long as you're back, I have no regrets."
After the incident with Jiang Xuan, Qin Huai had been preoccupied with the relief of his return and the anger from being deceived by Jiang Xuan. He was also thrown off by Mu Nan's dreams about the future, which disrupted all his plans. He was busy organizing assets, remotely coordinating with people in City B to buy supplies, and trying to rebuild his relationship with Mu Nan after years of estrangement. Consequently, he hadn't had time to look into things too closely.
Looking back now, Jiang Xuan must not have seen Mu Nan in years. The photos were likely staged, and the details about Mu Nan's life were probably fabricated. Even the annual health reports might have been fake. He had once been grateful to Jiang Xuan for helping him with the check-ups, as Mu Nan had always disliked going to the hospital. He had even needed Jiang Xuan to persuade Mu Nan to go for check-ups. Jiang Xuan sent him reports every year, and he had been grateful for that. If no one had persuaded Mu Nan to get check-ups, he would have never gone. He had thought that Mu Nan listened to Jiang Xuan because their relationship was close, and Jiang Xuan must have taken good care of him.
If not for the details of Mu Nan's life, the sunny disposition, and the healthy body, Qin Huai might have stayed abroad for years. He probably would have returned immediately when that man abandoned him.
Mu Nan, seeing Qin Huai lost in self-reproach, tried to shift his attention. "I'm hungry. When are we having dinner?"
Qin Huai slowly released Mu Nan, his eyes reddened but showing no other signs of crying. He asked Mu Nan to put away the medicine box and reminded him to keep some emergency medicine outside, not all in the space. Then he went into the kitchen to cook. To comfort Mu Nan, he had been making dishes that Mu Nan used to love, but now that he knew about Mu Nan's stomach issues, he needed to change the menu to include more stomach-friendly dishes.
Mu Nan, who was used to being able to eat and drink whatever he wanted, knew that those days were ending. He obediently put away the medicine box and set up an emergency kit. Then he went to the kitchen door to watch Qin Huai cook. This sense of waiting for a meal had a homely feel, and despite the worsening state of the world, Mu Nan wished life could always be like this.
After dinner, they didn't immediately start cleaning the shrimp. Qin Huai first changed the water for the shrimp and then turned on a variety show Mu Nan had been watching recently. He laid Mu Nan on the bed and massaged his stomach. He had consulted a doctor who advised that gently massaging the stomach in a clockwise direction after a meal could help with digestion and reduce post-meal discomfort.
However, as soon as Qin Huai touched him, Mu Nan burst into laughter, as if tickled. "Maybe not, brother. My body isn't in that bad of shape. Really, I'm not in pain now. I'm fine."
Qin Huai frowned. "Come on
Qin Huai saw that Mu Nan was genuinely ticklish and wasn't resisting his touch out of discomfort. He reluctantly released him and said, "If you're feeling unwell, you must tell me. You can't hide it from me, and you certainly shouldn't take medicine secretly and pretend everything is fine."
Mu Nan quickly nodded in agreement.
Qin Huai insisted, "Promise me."
Mu Nan raised his hand and weakly said, "I promise."
With that, Qin Huai let him rest on the bed while he watched the computer. After half an hour, Qin Huai planned to walk on the treadmill to help with digestion, and then he took a brush and a small stool into the bathroom to clean the shrimp.
Once Qin Huai was finally out of sight, Mu Nan sighed in relief. He placed his hand on his stomach and felt it for a moment. He wasn't sure if it felt different because he was touching himself, but it wasn't itchy at all. It seemed that whenever Qin Huai touched him, he felt so ticklish that it was almost unbearable.
When he saw the message chain in the group chat, Jian Chu knew that the torment from the crawfish was imminent, but he didn't expect it to come in the middle of the night.
Recently, the weather had been getting hotter, and with the doors and windows tightly closed, the room became stuffy and hot. To save on electricity bills, Jian Chu had moved Yu Zibai into his room when the air conditioner was on. It saved a bit of power, so now, smelling the spicy crawfish from next door, Jian Chu couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
Yu Zibai, who was also awake, heard the commotion and couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you hungry?"
Jian Chu sighed. "Do you think it's a sign that they're making late-night snacks, like they have a newspaper office tendency?"
Yu Zibai asked, "Do you want to get up and eat something? I could make some noodles."
Jian Chu was extremely hungry. Recently, he hadn't eaten much meat, only rice and vegetables, and he felt like he wasn't getting enough oil. Being a growing young man, he was very hungry if he didn't have snacks with his three meals a day. Without hesitation, he sat up and looked at Yu Zibai. "Yes, make some noodles. I'm so hungry."
Yu Zibai smiled and, with a good-natured demeanor, got up to cook the noodles. So, the two of them sat on the floor around a small round table, savoring a big bowl of noodles while enjoying the aroma of the spicy crawfish from next door.