Ah Zhong's father lived in a house with three rooms.
Beds were placed in the north and south rooms for use as bedrooms, with the middle room serving as the living area.
Because Zhou Jinbei's arrival was unexpected, Ah Zhong hadn't planned for her to stay there. Thus, besides his own room, he genuinely had no place for her to stay at the moment.
It was a winter morning, just past five in the morning, and the sky was a hazy gray.
To avoid waking his father, the two tiptoed into the house.
Ah Zhong turned on the light, pointed to his bed to show her, and then took a coat from the closet, preparing to go out.
"You sleep in my bed first. If you need to use the restroom, go to the bathroom outside. I'll stay in the living room for a while."
Zhou Jinbei quickly stopped him, "Why are you going to the living room in such cold weather?"
There was only one bed in the room. As they were of opposite sexes, it was clear they couldn't share.
Ah Zhong said, "There isn't enough space to sleep. It's almost dawn anyway, I'll just stay outside for a bit."
"...You haven't slept all night, and the living room outside is chilly, so you can't sleep there either. Aren't you tired?"
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tired.
But he couldn't stay just because of that, could he?
Ah Zhong forced himself, "It's fine, I'm used to staying up late. I'm not tired."
Zhou Jinbei felt bad.
"But that's usually when you're working, and my second brother paid you. Now that it's finally a holiday, you can't even get a proper sleep."
"..."
"I know what you mean. It's about propriety between men and women, right? Don't worry, I won't do anything to you even if you let me."
"If I'm not afraid, why are you? At worst, we can both sleep with our clothes on. It'll be fine."
Ah Zhong was already an older man, and he was in his own home. He wasn't afraid of gossip.
But Zhou Jinbei was so young?
She was a delicate young lady. Sharing a bed with him didn't seem appropriate, did it?
Ah Zhong still wanted to insist, but Zhou Jinbei pulled a face.
"What? You dislike me? Afraid I'll do something to you?"
"..."
"Or are you trying to make me feel guilty, finding ways to drive me away quickly?"
Ah Zhong was speechless, "I didn't mean that..."
"Then stop the nonsense. Hurry up, the bed is cold. You go warm up the covers first."
She said it as simply as a child playing house, without any hint of romantic involvement. If he refused any further, it would make him seem lewd.
Ah Zhong had no choice but to hang his coat back. "Alright then. We'll make do for now. I'll tidy up another bed tomorrow during the day."
He lay down on the bed fully clothed. Zhou Jinbei went to the bathroom, turned off the light, gently lifted the quilt, and lay down beside him.
Although they weren't touching, and it wasn't the first time Ah Zhong had lain next to a woman, his heart couldn't help but pound uncontrollably, making him utterly unable to sleep...
Zhou Jinbei was genuinely tired. She felt inexplicably at ease and soon fell asleep after snuggling into the quilt.
However, this simple house made of corrugated iron had no air conditioning and wasn't insulated against the cold, making it truly frigid.
She could only squeeze closer to Ah Zhong.
"It's cold... Why is your arm so warm?"
"..."
"Let me lean on you for a bit to get warm."
She hugged his arm.
Ah Zhong's heart pounded even more, unsure of what to do.
Soon, Zhou Jinbei, hugging his arm, rested her head on his shoulder and fell into a deep sleep.
Half of her face was buried in the quilt, and the warm breath from her mouth sprayed onto Ah Zhong's shoulder.
Ah Zhong was so warm that his back began to sweat.
One person slept, while the other lay awake, staring blankly.
Soon, dawn broke.
The diligent Ah Zhong's father's sounds of waking up could be heard. After washing up, he went to feed the cattle and sheep.
Then came the clanging symphony of pots and pans as he began to prepare breakfast.
Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Ah Zhong thought of helping his father.
But when he tried to pull his arm away, Zhou Jinbei held on tightly, as if afraid he would run off.
To avoid waking her, he could only continue to lie there.
Perhaps his father would come in to call him for breakfast after the meal was ready. Ah Zhong didn't want his father to see an awkward scene or to overthink things.
So, using his free hand, he picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to his father.
Unexpectedly, his father saw it very quickly.
He replied with a "Okay" in a very cooperative manner.
With no one to disturb him, and as time passed, Ah Zhong gradually relaxed.
At some point, he actually fell asleep.
The two of them slept until past two in the afternoon before waking up.
Feeling a movement beside him, Ah Zhong quickly opened his eyes and saw Zhou Jinbei propping herself up on her arm, about to get out of bed.
"You're awake?"
He quickly sat up as well.
Zhou Jinbei's face was flushed from sleep, and her eyes were incredibly wide and bright.
She brushed back her dark hair, "Mmm. I'm awake. I slept so comfortably and warmly."
"..."
"But I'm hungry. I wonder if it's still snowing outside. I want to get up and see."
Ah Zhong went down first, handed her a down jacket, and climbed to the window to take a look.
"The snow has stopped. There's only a thin layer of snow on the ground. It's unlikely we can have a snowball fight."
"I'll go make you some food first. While there's still time, if you want to go to Harbin, it's still possible."
In the living room, his father wasn't there, but the fire in the stove was burning brightly.
A pressure cooker was placed on the stove, and he didn't know what was being stewed or for how long, but a sweet aroma filled the air.
Ah Zhong opened the living room door to look for him, while Zhou Jinbei put on her clothes and went to the bathroom.
There were only two toothbrushes in the bathroom, both blue.
One had its bristles splayed out, and its handle bore the marks of time; it was clearly his father's.
The other was clean and neat, with an electric handle; it was clearly Ah Zhong's.
Zhou Jinbei didn't have a toothbrush. Since she didn't mind Ah Zhong's bad breath, she took his, rinsed it a few times casually.
She squeezed toothpaste onto it and started brushing.
When she finished brushing her teeth and washing her face, she came out of the bathroom. The room was quiet. Ah Zhong and his father had disappeared somewhere.
Zhou Jinbei was uncomfortably hungry. Seeing two covered meal plates on the table, she opened them to take a look.
Inside were two leftover dishes, one meat and one vegetable.
Although not particularly fancy, they looked good. She directly took a pair of chopsticks from the side, squatted down, and began to eat.
It was delicious.
Ah Zhong's father was indeed an experienced chef who had raised his child alone, and his cooking was truly delicious.
With a creak, the door was pushed open.
Zhou Jinbei was just putting food into her mouth when she met the eyes of the person who entered.
Ah Zhong's father had just returned from a friend's house. Upon seeing a young and beautiful girl squatting in his home, he was startled.
Ah Zhong had said he brought a friend back, but hadn't specified if it was a girlfriend.
This...
Zhou Jinbei quickly stood up, holding her chopsticks. "You must be Uncle Zhong?"
"Hello, I'm Zhou Jinbei, Ah Zhong's friend. I apologize for the unannounced visit and for disturbing you."
That brat! He didn't say his girlfriend was coming!
And I haven't washed my hair or changed into new clothes!
Although Zhong's father was surprised, he was even more delighted.
Seeing Zhou Jinbei extend her hand towards him, he wiped his hand on his coat and quickly shook hers.
"Not at all, Xiao Zhou, you're too polite. I'm delighted to have you as a guest in my home. How could you be disturbing me?"
"Quick, quick, sit down! Did you just wake up? Are you hungry? Where's Ah Zhong? That brat, how could he let you eat leftovers? And cold ones at that!"