bedtime counseling

Chapter 20 The Long Marathon

The author says:

Hearing this, Liang Ze felt sore, stood awkwardly for a while, and finally forced a little smile.

Sooner or later, Wu Ke will become a husband and a father, and he will never have any contact with him again. Liang Ze has already prepared for this matter.He didn't know when this day would come, and he didn't know if he could bear the blow at that time, but he knew very well that sooner or later, this day would come.

After chatting with me for a while, I started to prepare lunch.Although I didn't expect Zhai Zhuyin to arrive so early, but fortunately, the dishes to be prepared were planned two days in advance, and the ingredients were bought enough, so there was no rush.

As soon as the kitchen door was closed, the living room fell silent.

Zhai Zhuyin's eyes slowly retracted, and he drank his saliva thoughtfully.She was originally thinking about why this classmate looked younger than Wu Ke, but she suddenly stopped drinking and lowered her head to take a look into the cup.

The water is cold, not ice, with a faint sweetness of honey. There are two thinly sliced ​​green lemons at the bottom of the cup, and the seeds of the lemons have been removed in advance.

"You are a classmate, you are very careful. I remember you said, are you a high school classmate?"

Things have been busy in the past two days, Wu Ke lowered his head and answered his work emails on his mobile phone, and gave a no-nonsense hum.

"Auntie is talking to you."

"I am listening."

She sighed: "You, you are such a workaholic. I refused to ask you to come to me when I returned to China. Now that I have graduated and worked, I have told you many times to come to the company to help me, but I still don't listen. What is your temper? So stubborn?"

Unlike her eldest sister who graduated with a master’s degree, Zhai Zhuyin was one of the first batch of foreign trade clothing in China. She opened stalls in the market and operated physical stores in the early days. At the time, there were more than 40 stores at the same time.Probably because she has seen too much in the world, and her vision is higher than others. She is still unmarried, living a chic and contented life by herself.

After answering the important emails, Wu Ke put the phone back on the table, "I'm fine now, auntie, don't worry about me."

Zhai Zhuyin knew that it was useless to say it, so he simply didn't bother with it.The two chatted about the recent situation in the past few months, the topic turned around, and then turned back to the extra person in the house——Liang Ze.

"What does Xiao Liang do? I think he looks quite simple. He probably doesn't work in an office."

Wu Ke looked as usual: "He is a chef."

"chef?"

"And still learning."

He is very stupid, and he is still an apprentice after a few years.

Zhai Zhuyin was slightly surprised, and turned his eyes to the kitchen, "I mean, you can tell by your posture that you have some kung fu on your body. Have you been lucky recently?"

Thinking of those new dishes that he was forced to try, Wu Ke raised his eyebrows while leaning on the sofa. Although he didn't praise Liang Ze, his expression was not as cold as before.

While chatting here, Liang Ze suddenly opened the kitchen door, lowered his head and walked quietly to the master bedroom.Wu Ke's eyes immediately focused on his face: "What are you doing?"

He trembled as if being grabbed by someone: "I took a Band-Aid, my fingers were pinched by crab claws just now."

Wu Ke frowned, and walked straight over to check the injury on his finger.Liang Ze looked over his shoulder and glanced in Zhai Zhuyin's direction.But Wu Ke was engrossed, and he was the only one in his heart, "Won't you be careful?"

"Be careful." The voice was very soft.

Zhai Zhuyin also stood up: "It doesn't matter, right? The crabs are really fierce now. I bought them once, but I couldn't figure it out after a lot of messing around. In the end, the nanny helped me fix it."

"A little injury, it's okay."

When the Band-Aid was brought, Liang Ze wrapped it up as quickly as possible, turned around and walked to the kitchen.

"Wait, you still want to brush crabs?" Before he could answer, Wu Ke turned to Zhai Zhuyin and said, "Auntie, sit down for a while, and I'll help him."

Liang Ze weakly expressed his objection, but the objection was ineffective.

Seeing the back of the two entering the kitchen together, Zhai Zhuyin felt a strange feeling in his heart, but it was fleeting.

Wu Ke obviously disliked brushing crabs. Not only did he frown all the time, but his body posture was also quite resistant.Liang Ze said several times: "Why don't I come." He didn't respond, until the fifth time when he was splashed into the water by a struggling crab, he said in a slightly reproachful tone: "I told you that a light meal is fine." , my aunt doesn't care about these."

Liang Ze pursed his lips, lowered his head and stopped talking.

After finishing, Wu Ke was still washing his hands, so he yelled outside: "Zhouzhou, come out and turn off the TV for me."

He went out, but the TV was not turned on at all, and Zhai Zhuyin sat on the sofa and looked at him, as if asking questions.

"You sit down."

The nephew sat beside her, and she lowered her voice: "How can you talk to your classmate like that? He entertained me out of politeness and enthusiasm. If you don't help or don't appreciate it, you'll throw cold water on it. It's up to you whether he will live here or not." face?"

Look at his face?

Have it.

Since Liang Ze moved in, the water temperature in the bathroom has dropped several degrees, and many things are all according to his habits.

Wu Ke lowered his jaw slightly: "We've always gotten along like this."

"You're still quibbling, how can there be any friends who get along like you do? You don't treat others like this. You don't want to step on the grass on the road. Why do you treat Xiao Liang so badly?"

Are you treating him badly?

Zhai Zhuyin looked at him like a judge: "I met him downstairs when I came here. He was carrying so many things by himself. How about you? You sleep at home. When you get home, they wake you up and ask you three times. Reaction, there is no need to do anything after waking up, someone has poured the water, and someone has cut the fruit, whose aunt am I?"

"Zhouzhou, this is not how you make friends. You can be honest with each other, you can't be condescending, domineering, and you can't treat each other differently because of their status."

Wu Ke didn't refute.

Even though he knew that he didn't underestimate this person because of his status, he couldn't explain why he always treated Liang Ze like that.Just because of what happened back then, or because of something else?

After pondering his thoughts for a while, he said frankly, "It's not his problem, it's my problem."

"What's your problem?"

Unexpectedly, the rare words are poor.

Wu Ke couldn't explain his relationship with Liang Ze, and it was even more difficult to describe his feelings for Liang Ze, so he could only tell the most sincere thoughts in his heart to the people closest to him: "Maybe because he is not an outsider to me, so I I am more relaxed in front of him. But I will pay attention to my attitude towards him in the future, and try to correct what is wrong."

When he said this, his face was light, without much expression, but his tone was intimate, and there was deep emotion in his eyes, as if the person mentioned in the words was not a classmate, but someone who had been with him for a long time the other half.Looking at his appearance, Zhai Zhuyin's surprise that had just left for a while came back to his eyes in an instant, and he couldn't move his eyes away from his face for a long time.

For a while, several thoughts and possibilities ran through my mind.She rang the bell in her heart, but her face quickly calmed down: "That's good, you are not allowed to ask Xiao Liang for rent."

Wu Ke smiled: "Of course not."

At noon, the meal is ready.

Liang Ze simmered the freshly steamed crabs in the pot, and served the rest of the dishes one by one. He also served a bowl of chestnut black-bone chicken soup for the elders in advance.

After entering the restaurant, Zhai Zhuyin naturally pulled Wu Ke to sit next to him, so Liang Ze sat on the opposite side alone, and occasionally a piece of food would be caught in the bowl.

"Xiao Liang, eat more, you have worked hard today."

"Don't be too busy, I'll do it myself."

"I heard from Wu Ke that you are a chef?"

The chewing movement slowed down, and Liang Ze lowered his voice, "I'm still an apprentice at the moment, and I'll have to study for at least half a year before I can become a teacher."

"Being a chef is not easy. You must have suffered a lot, right? Is your place of work far from here? Wu Ke will send you there or go there by yourself?"

"It's not far. I'm on the night shift. I'll take the bus there in the afternoon."

She nodded slightly: "In the future, you can also look around when looking for a house. I think the transportation around here is convenient, the environment is generally good, and the law and order are good."

Liang Ze opened his mouth, but made no sound.

Wu Ke said: "He won't move out in a short time."

"Aren't you going to go abroad soon, Xiao Liang will continue to rent your house?"

"It's not renting, it's living." He looked flat, "He will live with me for a few years, and then move when the economic conditions improve."

Zhai Zhuyin looked at Liang Ze, and after a moment of silence, he continued, "That's fine. It must be a few years before Wu Ke gets married. The house is empty and empty during this time. Xiao Liang can just live here with peace of mind."

Liang Ze lowered his head.

From the very beginning, he felt that he had no reason to live in Wu Ke's house for a long time.Now Wu Ke's real relatives are sitting across from him, telling the truth about some things that he didn't want to think about before, and he suddenly feels ashamed.

"Actually, I don't plan to stay long."

He whispered.

"I've troubled Wu Ke for too long. When the economic conditions improve after a while, I plan to move out and share with friends I know."

Wu Ke frowned, looking at him with a condensed expression.

"Xiao Liang, don't get me wrong, Auntie doesn't mean to drive you away, you follow what you discussed."

"Well." His shoulders drooped slightly, "I just think that Wu Ke will definitely use this house for marriage in the future. No matter how much I cherish it, living in the house will still cause more damage than leaving it empty. I feel very sorry."

Zhai Zhuyin put down his chopsticks and turned to look at Wu Ke: "Zhouzhou, you have made a good friend. Not only is he very backbone, but he also considers you in every way."

"I have no plans to get married at the moment."

Wu Ke's words were surprising.

Liang Ze's right hand holding the chopsticks froze, and the tip of the chopsticks was floating above the mouth of the bowl.Raising his head, he found that Wu Ke was sitting opposite with his eyes closed, without saying a word, with an ugly expression on his face.

Is he serious?

Liang Ze's eyes trembled slightly, his fingers slowly tightened, and his chest was filled with a sour feeling.

"It's okay not to get married, but not getting married doesn't mean you don't fall in love. No matter how old you are or where you are, you have to allow yourself to love others, and you have to allow others to love you. You can't lose the ability to love someone." Zhai Zhuyin slowly leaned towards The back of the chair, "Xiao Liang, what do you think?"

After a brief absence, Liang Ze calmed down: "You're right. But I think Wu Ke has the ability to love someone, but he hasn't met the person who makes him fall in love. If he does meet one day, he will love you. She's fine, don't worry too much."

Wu Ke is excellent and even more gentle. He has the ability to love someone and knows how to love someone.Even though the one he loves is not Liang Ze, Liang Ze can be sure that he has this ability.

Zhai Zhuyin nodded silently, not knowing whether he agreed or didn't want to say more.

The topic ends here.

After dinner, Zhai Zhuyin, who had been suffering from headaches, wanted to take a nap, so Wu Ke put her in his room, and called the driver to bring over the headache medicine she had left in the car.

Liang Ze was tidying up in the kitchen when he heard footsteps and raised his head.

"Is your aunt resting?"

"Ah."

There are various bowls piled up in the sink, and there are steamers and soup pots waiting to be cleaned on the floor.Wu Ke frowned: "Why don't you use a dishwasher?"

"Let's deal with it first."

Wu Ke walked over to help, packed the leftover food on the table in crisper boxes, and placed them neatly on the upper shelf of the refrigerator.When his back was facing the kitchen, Liang Ze suddenly called out to him with a very gentle voice.

"Ake."

He paused: "Huh?"

Turning around, Liang Ze was squatting on the ground, lowering his head to sort garbage.

"What's wrong."

"It's nothing, I'll call you."

His curled back was a bit lonely, his spine protruding from his jacket, and his arms were dangling in the empty sleeves.Thinking of breaking up with him soon, Wu Ke's heart seemed to be torn by something, "Are you really looking for a house?"

Liang Ze nodded lightly: "That's right. It's okay for me to rent you here, but if you leave, I don't think I can live. Recently, thanks to you, my income has increased, and I can afford to rent with friends. Do not worry."

When he said this, it was obviously after careful consideration, not on impulse, and Wu Ke couldn't find a reason to disagree.But Wu Ke stood in front of the refrigerator, forgetting to close the door, and couldn't say the word "agree" for a long time.

After a long time, Liang Ze's legs became numb, he got up and supported the kitchen counter to move around a few times, then turned around and smiled at him: "Why this expression, I don't live here, it's not that I don't want to be friends with you anymore. Those words before are still valid, when you go abroad, you can still contact me if you are bored, and I will talk with you."

This free and easy contrasted Wu Ke's reluctance embarrassingly.

He collected the trash without saying a word, turned and went downstairs.Liang Ze watched him change his shoes and go out from behind, his eyes were slightly astringent.After watching for a long while, there was no one left, so he turned around and continued to clean up the mess in the kitchen.

When he came back more than half an hour later, Wu Ke smelled of cigarettes.When Liang Ze came out after washing his hands, he was sitting on the sofa with a laptop in front of him.

"at work?"

He didn't answer.

Feeling lost in his heart, Liang Ze had no choice but to take out his mobile phone, wanting to check the current rental price in advance.

The afternoon sun is very bright, shining in from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the right.After watching for a while, he felt his eyes slightly sour, put down his phone and rubbed his eyes.

"Don't look, I asked for you."

Slightly stagnant, he turned his head.Wu Ke's eyes were still on the computer screen, but his hands on the keyboard had stopped.

"Just now I went to three intermediaries nearby. Recently, it is the peak season for fresh graduates to rent houses. The supply of cost-effective houses is very tight. You'd better look for them later. Here are a few business cards, please save the phone number."

The agency's business cards were placed on the coffee table, and Wu Ke pushed them to Liang Ze's eyes with a slight force of his fingers.

"And the 1000 yuan from last time, I have already transferred it back to your card." He said the few words very slowly, "You don't need to be burdened by what you owe me, and live your life well first. "

I've been used to it for a long time, trying my best to be nice to a person may not necessarily get the return I want, and I don't plan anything.

Life is very long, a long marathon, only you on the runway, it is too lonely.It would be great if Liang Ze was willing to run together, no matter how far he fell, Wu Ke was willing to wait.If Liang Ze chooses to change the track, that is also his right, and Wu Ke is willing to let him take the only bottle of water left.