FIMA Ch110: Borrowing Money

“Xie Yiyang…” Xie Jinyu widened his eyes.

Xie Yiyang slowly turned his head, raising his eyebrows: “Hehe, so it’s you again, what a coincidence!”

Xie Jinyu’s gloomy gaze swept over the two of them: “What coincidence? I come here every day. You, a country bumpkin, being able to come to the department store is what’s strange, right? Is that bit of wages earned by that one from your family enough for you to squander? Oh, no, today is a workday, ah. With both of you here, could it be he’s already been fired by the agricultural repair factory?”

Xie Yiyang smiled and looked askance at him: “I never knew you cared so much about our family’s life. That will be convenient from now on. When you have nothing better to do, just buy some things and come visit me at the courtyard next door to the soda factory.”

Xie Jinyu frowned: “You… what do you mean?”

Xie Yiyang smiled, narrowing his beautiful eyes, and said with a perfectly innocent and naive appearance: “Ah, it doesn’t mean anything. I just wanted to tell you that my husband made a major contribution at the agricultural repair factory, has already been promoted, and was allocated a dormitory in the courtyard next door to the Xie family. We happened to move in today. If you still care about me so much in the future, we can frequently come and go…”

“…”

Xie Jinyu opened his mouth wide, almost vomiting out his breakfast directly.

H-how is that possible?

This country bumpkin actually got allocated a dormitory in the courtyard next door?

You have to know, his father, this accountant, also worked at the soda factory for seven or eight years before being allocated a dormitory.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Xie Yiyang rolled his eyes cutely, saying huffily: “Who has the mood to spout nonsense with you?”

“Impossible, I don’t believe it.” Xie Jinyu shook his head fiercely.

He didn’t believe that this guy Xie Yiyang could actually have a day where he crawled back into the city again.

Just at this moment, Xie Jinyu saw that tall and indifferent man standing beside Xie Yiyang suddenly hold Xie Yiyang’s hand, saying coldly: “Who is this person, is it necessary to waste time with him? Today is the first day moving to the new dormitory, there are still many things to buy.”

Xie Yiyang blinked, immediately hugged Gu Siyuan’s arm in reverse, and deliberately acted spoiled: “Right, oh! Husband, let’s hurry up and go buy things. The agricultural repair factory managed to free up this day off for you with great difficulty today. The factory truly can’t do without you for a single day right now, and is still urging you to hurry back and give lessons to the comrades, right?”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Wife, this ability of yours to immediately climb up the pole when given the chance is truly enough.

However, Gu Siyuan was willing to satisfy this bit of vanity.

He nodded, gently pinching Xie Yiyang’s face: “Mm, then why aren’t we going quickly?”

Xie Yiyang giggled a few times, following behind Gu Siyuan and walking toward the display area ahead.

Watching the backs of the two leaving, and remembering Xie Yiyang’s appearance just now, Xie Jinyu’s expression became increasingly ugly.

Since childhood, Xie Yiyang looked better than him. So even though he had a shrewish temper and would hit and scold people for no reason, there was always a group of people running after him.

But, ever since Xie Yiyang went to the countryside…

He consciously felt that from then on, the fates of the two of them were clearly divided. Xie Yiyang would become a mud-legged peasant, blown by the wind and baked by the sun, turning into a vulgar farmer.

But why looking at him now, he instead looked even more spirited and better-looking? His skin was still fair and tender, his brows and eyes still glowing and full of spirit, without any traces of a hard life at all?

This was too unfair.

Xie Yiyang was just a wild breed without a father or mother, on what basis could he compare with himself, and even live better than himself?

…

Xie Yiyang, however, completely stopped paying attention to behind him, and instead wholeheartedly threw himself toward the counter in front of him.

It was full of various daily necessities, including towels, soap, thermos flasks, and so on.

“Does this look good?” Pointing at a red thermos flask with large flowers on the shelf, Xie Yiyang excitedly turned around to ask Gu Siyuan.

“…” Gu Siyuan brewed for a long while, and nodded: “Looks good.”

Mm, reasons of the era, not because the wife’s aesthetic was naturally a country bumpkin’s.

“Hehe… I knew it.” Xie Yiyang nodded, saying to the salesperson: “Comrade, we’ll take that one. Also, trouble you to ask…”

The salesperson took down that thermos flask, and pointed the way for him again.

“Alright, let’s go, advancing toward the next spot!”

Xie Yiyang held onto Gu Siyuan with high enthusiasm.

Then, Gu Siyuan watched as his country bumpkin wife bought two water-red towels exclusively for old ladies, plates and bowls with colorful flowers and green willows in a profusion of colors, and was even extremely complacent and smug about it…

“Looks good, right? Look how festive it is!”

Gu Siyuan nodded, saying indifferently: “Mm, looks good. With these colors, those who don’t know would think the two of us are about to get newly married!”

Xie Yiyang glared at him: “What do you mean?”

Gu Siyuan said calmly: “Praising you for having taste and being fashionable!”

Puffing his cheeks, Xie Yiyang said huffily: “Do you think I’m an idiot? I’m telling you, I’m angry, the kind that can’t be coaxed well.”

Glancing at him, Gu Siyuan said unhurriedly: “When passing by the state-run restaurant just now, it seemed to have written there is roast duck for lunch today. I wonder if we go buy it later, will we still make it in time!”

“We’ll make it, we’ll make it!”

Swallowing his saliva, Xie Yiyang grabbed Gu Siyuan in one go, saying seriously: “Let’s hurry up and buy all the things, and then go to the state-run restaurant. We moved today, we have to eat a good meal.”

“Mm…” Gu Siyuan deliberately dragged out his voice, responding extremely leisurely.

Truly an idiot.

After a long while, when the two exited the department store, they basically had no empty space left on their bodies, all hung full of things.

Xie Yiyang, the person who usually loved acting spoiled the most, now had strength all over his body, tightly hugging a full armful of things, following behind Gu Siyuan dashing left and right, and then successfully snatched the limited supply of roast duck at the state-run restaurant.

Qingshui County town wasn’t a large place. Both the department store and the state-run restaurant weren’t far from the agricultural repair factory dormitory. Carrying a pile of things, the two walked for about twenty minutes and returned to the dormitory courtyard.

Hiding in a corner, Xie Jinyu watched as those two really walked near the courtyard, and even saw them take out keys to open a door on the second floor. Only then was he finally certain. Afterward, he left unwillingly and entered the gate of the neighboring courtyard.

Inside dormitory 205.

Coming out after washing his hands in the bathroom, Gu Siyuan saw Xie Yiyang still maintaining exactly the same posture as before he left, sitting on the sofa hugging that pile of things, happily fiddling around with them.

He walked over and sat down, casually saying: “Reverting to childhood, playing with toys?”

Xie Yiyang looked up and glared at him: “Reverting to childhood, am I very old now?”

Gu Siyuan: “Not young anyway.”

Xie Yiyang got angry again.

Pushing aside all the things originally hugged in his arms, his whole person pounced onto Gu Siyuan, humming and grumbling: “Comrade Gu Siyuan, this is the second time you’ve made a mistake today! Are you disdaining me? Is this what the ancients meant by ‘the affection breaks off before the beauty fades’?”

“…” Pinching his puffed-up cheek flesh, Gu Siyuan: “Teacher Xie using words randomly will lead students astray.”

Opening his mouth, Xie Yiyang gently bit his fingertip, looking straight at the person and saying: “I truly can’t think of how, Classmate Gu, since you are already this thoroughly bad now, how could you become any worse?”

Lowering his head slightly, Gu Siyuan whispered a few sentences softly by his ear.

Xie Yiyang abruptly jumped away from his body, his large, moist eyes glaring fiercely at Gu Siyuan. But his whole person was like a pitiful dried shrimp, almost turning entirely red from the roots of his ears to his bare feet.

Raising his eyes slightly, Gu Siyuan looked at the person and let out a few low laughs.

This virtue of his wife, it’s just loving to tease but also being cowardly.

Hearing this laughter, Xie Yiyang’s face turned even darker red.

He hurriedly found a matter to divert attention, deliberately reprimanding Gu Siyuan lightly: “Still sitting? Lazy ghost! First day moving here, doesn’t the house need to be tidied up? The bought things are just randomly piled up like this, huh?”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

Tsk, striking a counter-blow!

And failing to see who was just acting like a fool, sitting on the sofa not moving.

Of course, these words couldn’t be said explicitly.

His wife was currently flying into a rage out of humiliation. If he said it out loud, it would probably turn into thunderous fury.

Gu Siyuan slowly stood up, picked up the coal stove he just bought, and went to the corridor.

In this era, there were no induction cookers, and coal gas hadn’t been popularized yet. Living in the city, cooking meals and boiling water all used coal stoves.

With just a few pieces of honeycomb coal briquettes, the stove could burn for a whole day.

Squatting on the ground, he used a few pieces of waste paper, plus gathered dry leaves to start the fire.

Only when the fire truly burned up, did he use fire tongs to pick up a piece of honeycomb coal and put it in.

Previously at the department store, they also bought an aluminum pot. Gu Siyuan first used the aluminum pot to boil a pot of water and poured it out, and then began stir-frying dishes.

It was the great hot weather of June, and facing a fire stove in such a cramped place as the corridor.

By the time two dishes were finished stir-frying, Gu Siyuan’s whole person was like he had been fished out of the water.

Finishing tidying up the things inside the room, Xie Yiyang stuck his head out, and at a glance saw his own husband’s whole body drenched in sweat, his face roasted red.

The heart that was originally still angry with the person completely turned into inability to bear it. He hurriedly took a towel, fetched a basin of water, and brought it over.

Reaching out to touch his cheek, Gu Siyuan: “Thank you, Teacher Xie.”

Xie Yiyang gave a light humph: “Is Classmate Gu a stutterer?”

“It’s still Teacher Xie whose surname is too good!” Gu Siyuan retorted.

Nowadays, there were quite a few bare-chested men in the large courtyard.

Gu Siyuan wasn’t particular either. He directly took off his top, dipped the towel in water, first wiped his face, and then began wiping his upper body.

Along with the movement of raising his arms, the sturdy and fit muscles on his shoulders, back, and arms also undulated slightly.

Standing behind like this, Xie Yiyang narrowed his eyes, looking fascinated.

Gu Siyuan was naturally sharp. After wiping his upper body once, he threw the towel into the basin, turned his eyes to look at his own wife, and said faintly: “Very good-looking?”

Puffing his cheeks, Xie Yiyang said extremely reluctantly: “Cough, cough, just… okay, I guess!”

Raising his sword-like eyebrows, Gu Siyuan pulled the person into his embrace with one hand, while the other hand stroked his soft belly and arms, saying seriously: “Indeed not as delicate and soft, with fine skin and tender flesh, as Teacher Xie.”

“…” Xie Yiyang exploded with anger.

Why would his husband just never yield to him verbally!

He curled his lip secretly: What’s wrong with being delicate and soft? You dead闷骚 (outwardly cold, inwardly passionate), don’t you exactly like this kind? When touching and kissing under the covers at night, you don’t disdain it the slightest bit! Dog man.

Bah! How did he become so unreserved, he’s been completely led astray by Gu Siyuan!

Opening his mouth, Xie Yiyang indignantly left a neat row of small tooth marks on Gu Siyuan’s bare shoulder.

Gu Siyuan gave the person a helpless glance.

The next moment, exerting a slight force in his arm, he directly picked the person up and hoisted him onto his shoulder.

“Ah…”

With the sudden weightlessness, Xie Yiyang couldn’t resist screaming: “Gu Siyuan, what do you want to do to me? Are you deceiving your master and destroying your ancestors, huh?”

Gu Siyuan patted his buttocks: “Right, seems quite stimulating. Fattened up, time to slaughter.”

“…” Xie Yiyang.

Here, Gu Siyuan and Xie Yiyang were flirting and bantering.

However, in the Xie family in the neighboring courtyard, things weren’t that harmonious.

Mother Xie had just returned from getting off work. Hearing the news told by Xie Jinyu, she was instantly stunned for a good while.

“You’re saying Xie Yiyang moved into the agricultural repair factory courtyard next door to live?” Putting down her keys, she frowned and asked while tying her apron, “Didn’t you bump into him a couple of months ago, and say that one of his had just entered the agricultural repair factory? How could they be allocated a dormitory so quickly? The dormitories over at the agricultural repair factory are even tighter than the soda factory’s, ah!”

Curling his lip, Xie Jinyu said unwillingly: “Listened to Xie Yiyang say, his husband seemed to have made some thing and rendered a merit, and was promoted by the agricultural repair factory.”

“Promoted so quickly, he is quite a capable one!” Mother Xie’s eyes were deep.

Curling his lip, Xie Jinyu: “He just had good luck.”

Mother Xie nodded, and affectionately tapped Xie Jinyu’s nose with her finger: “He is capable. Having run all the way to the countryside, he actually still managed to find such an outstanding partner? You, ah, if you had half of his ability, your dad and I would be satisfied.”

“Mom!” Xie Jinyu cried out unwillingly, hugging her hand and acting spoiled: “Mom, why are you still helping him, ah?”

He told this matter, not to hear people praise Xie Yiyang and then scold himself.

Looking at her own son’s naive and spoiled appearance, Mother Xie couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. Raising her hand to rub his head, she said warmly: “Alright, darling, don’t mind Xie Yiyang. No matter what, he can’t compare to you. Your father-in-law is someone from the Revolutionary Committee, and Zexin also works in the government. That one surnamed Gu is merely a small worker, even whipping a horse he couldn’t catch up. You just need to get along well with Zexin.”

Xie Jinyu puffed his cheeks unhappily: “I just hate Xie Yiyang. He’s a picked-up child, and his temper is so bizarre. On what basis can he compare with me, actually even able to turn his life around?”

Mother Xie naturally knew her own son’s thoughts.

Because she had the same thoughts. This Xie Yiyang, a thing of unknown origin, on what basis should he, whether in looks or studies, be better than the child she gave birth to herself? Where is he worthy?

Narrowing her eyes, she reached out and pulled Xie Jinyu into her embrace, gently patting and comforting: “Darling, so what if Xie Yiyang lives well? Isn’t his surname still Xie right now? Your dad and I raised him in vain for over a dozen years. If we say a word, would he dare not listen?”

Xie Jinyu immediately looked up, his eyes widening: “Mom, you mean…”

Mother Xie gave a cold sneer, her tone carrying disdain: “Ultimately not my and your dad’s seed, don’t know who this temper takes after either. Since he returned to the county town, and lives so close, he surprisingly didn’t even know to come home and take a look. Truly impolite and uneducated.”

Xie Jinyu instantly smiled, narrowing his eyes. From childhood to adulthood, what he liked most was watching his mother scold Xie Yiyang in this tone.

…

For the joy of moving into a new home, the dishes Gu Siyuan prepared today were considered quite abundant.

Aside from the roast duck bought earlier, there was additionally braised pork, steamed eggs, stir-fried cabbage, as well as seasonal sponge gourd soup, everything needed was there.

Smelling the aroma of the food, Xie Yiyang narrowed his eyes happily.

The next moment, he pounced onto Gu Siyuan: “Husband, I truly love you so much!”

Without showing any mercy, Gu Siyuan pulled his own wife’s cheek flesh, his tone indifferent: “The ups and downs of your love are truly vast.”

Just now he was scolding him for deceiving his master and destroying his ancestors?

Neither deaf nor mute, cannot be a family patriarch (turn a blind eye to minor things).

Xie Yiyang decided to pretend he didn’t hear it.

With delicious food in front, seizing the time to gorge oneself was the proper thing.

Only, before the two even picked up their chopsticks, a commotion of people talking rang out from outside.

Frowning his pretty eyebrows, Xie Yiyang stood up.

Turning his head, Gu Siyuan asked: “Is that your adoptive mother’s voice outside?”

With this, Xie Yiyang’s heart full of displeasure actually transformed into curiosity: “Husband, how did you know?”

Gu Siyuan casually said: “If it weren’t an acquaintance, how would your emotions change so greatly?”

Xie Yiyang puffed his cheeks.

Narrowing his eyes, Gu Siyuan said: “Bring the lunchbox next to your hand over.”

“Ah…” Xie Yiyang was slightly dazed, yet still honestly handed it over.

In the corridor outside, Mother Xie was currently talking to the people living on the left and right.

Of course, talking wasn’t the goal, applying eye drops (speaking ill of someone covertly) was the truth.

“Aiya, this eldest ger of mine stubbornly insisted on marrying to the countryside back then, I truly had absolutely no way at all. Today I heard he actually returned to the county town again, didn’t I just eagerly seek him out? Sigh…”

The people to the side felt a burst of regret and anger.

Originally they thought this young Gu and young Xie couple was a reliable one. Didn’t expect they surprisingly abandoned their parents to marry into the countryside, this was too unreliable and unfilial.

Just at this moment, the door of dormitory 205 opened.

Holding a lunchbox in his hands, Xie Yiyang appeared in front of everyone. Gu Siyuan followed behind him out, and casually closed the door.

“Eh, little Xie came out?” Someone said enthusiastically.

When Xie Yiyang looked up, at a glance he saw the two familiar figures standing beside a few neighbors.

Mother Xie immediately was about to open her mouth to say something.

The next moment, however, she saw Xie Yiyang rush over fiercely, hugging her in one go, almost knocking her into staggering.

However, before Mother Xie even stabilized her body…

Xie Yiyang’s eyes directly turned red, and holding her arm, he began crying and complaining: “Mom, did you come to find me? I thought you didn’t want me anymore! After you sent me to Aunt’s house in the countryside, Aunt told me, because I am not your biological child, you were afraid I would fight over the family property with Jinyu. You also wanted to leave the job position at home for Jinyu, and also give the previous marriage agreement I had with Director Chen’s son to Jinyu. Afraid of people gossiping, that’s why you sent me to the countryside, right? Mom, is it like this?”

“…” Mother Xie opened her mouth.

She couldn’t figure out for the life of her, how come before she even spoke a single sentence, Xie Yiyang was able to shake out all these matters in one breath?

The onlookers to the side also felt a burst of shock. Surprisingly… it was actually like this?

Little Xie was this pitiful?

Just at this moment, Xie Yiyang shook Mother Xie fiercely again, still crying and complaining in a way that aroused pity: “Mom, why don’t you speak? Could it be what Aunt said is true? Do you guys really think this way? Mom, I don’t believe it.”

“Although from childhood to adulthood, you only scolded and hit me alone, and only ordered me around for chores at home. Every time I got first place in exams, you also felt I was stupider than Jinyu, and felt my looks were inferior to Jinyu’s. But I know, you were doing it all for my own good, afraid I would get proud, hoping I would become a down-to-earth person, right? Mom, you definitely didn’t do it on purpose…”

“Cough, cough…” The onlookers to the side couldn’t resist coughing lightly.

This Little Xie looks like quite a lively person, surprisingly he’s this naive and simple-minded, ah.

The adoptive mother already acted this obviously, and he still thought it was for his own good?

Hearing this commotion, Mother Xie finally recovered her senses as well.

Having been accustomed to Xie Yiyang’s shrewish and stubborn appearance for the previous dozen years, she surprisingly didn’t know he was actually also someone who could play the victim and pretend to be pitiful.

She hurriedly put on a face full of sadness and said: “Yangyang, how could you think so? Of course Mom cares about you! Mom treats you and Jinyu the same. Your aunt was just spouting nonsense to tease you! When you went to the countryside back then, Mom was heartbroken to death! You child, now that you’ve come back, why didn’t you even think of going home to take a look…”

Raising his eyes, Xie Yiyang reached out to wipe the tears he had just faked, and held up the lunchbox in his hands, saying: “Mom, really? Are you really still thinking of me? That’s wonderful! I was just preparing to go see you and Dad too! This is the food I just made, I was just about to bring it over!”

Mother Xie almost curled her lip, who would value those few dishes of yours.

However, in front of so many people, she said extremely amiably: “You being able to come home, your dad and I are already satisfied, why bring dishes? We only wish you could live at home for a few more days, that would be good…”

Saying so, Mother Xie even emotionally wiped the corners of her eyes.

“Live at home? That’s wonderful!” Xie Yiyang excitedly pulled her sleeve.

“Mm, uh… of course.” Mother Xie nodded, inexplicably feeling somewhat uneasy again.

Sure enough, the next moment, she saw Xie Yiyang with red eyes, hesitating and stammering: “Mom, you don’t know, back then after you sent me to the countryside, I was forced by Aunt to marry someone. Now I moved over following him.”

“However, he’s only been working for two months. Previously, just buying this stove and thermos flask cost more than half his wages. I really missed you guys so much, so I used all his remaining money and tickets to buy some meat and vegetables, thinking of personally making food to bring over and gift you guys. So, there is absolutely no surplus grain at home right now! Originally I was planning to borrow money from you and Dad to tide over, now being able to directly live at home is even better!”

“Ah!” Mother Xie’s expression instantly changed: “What did you say? You want to borrow money from me, and really want to return to the Xie family to eat and drink for free?”

Xie Yiyang seemed startled, stepping back a few paces, before looking at her pitifully and saying: “Mom, didn’t you say you wanted me to live at home? Moreover, isn’t Jinyu also living at home right now?”

“Can Jinyu be compared with you…” Halfway through speaking, Mother Xie seemed to remember she was outside, and immediately shut her mouth.

“Haha…”

This time, the onlookers to the side truly started laughing.

This truly is… if you’re going to pretend, then pretend to the end, ah! What does this count as?

The crowd dispersed.

Standing in the corridor, Xie Yiyang silently watched Mother Xie’s back fleeing in panic downstairs, and grinned with satisfaction.

Next, turning around with a fierce pounce, he jumped onto Gu Siyuan and giggled: “Husband, you are right. The best way to make a person reveal their true face is to borrow money.”

Money truly is a good thing, ah…

Gu Siyuan nodded: “I still have to thank Teacher Xie for the inspiration you gave me!”

Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Xie Yiyang: “Classmate Gu Siyuan, what do you mean?”

Hugging the person and bouncing him, Gu Siyuan turned to walk into the room, while replying extremely calmly: “Don’t mean anything. Anyway, it absolutely doesn’t mean that our Teacher Xie is a very pragmatic person who often inadvertently reveals his own essence in front of money.”

“…” Xie Yiyang.

It’s because he hasn’t shown his might as a lion for too long, that he’s being treated as a sick cat by Gu Siyuan.

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