BH (QT) – Phoenix Man (7)

Chapter 7 – Phoenix Man (7) *edited

Although half a year ago, Yan Jingze confessed his feelings to Jiang Pingxiu, Jiang Pingxiu didn’t really believe that Yan Jingze truly liked him. He thought that Yan Jingze’s confession was probably just a way to get money from him.

Of course, he didn’t mind at all, since he genuinely liked Yan Jingze a lot.

Yan Jingze had told him many sweet words before, such as wanting to live with him in a big city and even saying he would bring his grandmother along. Jiang Pingxiu would always repeat these words in his mind to boost his confidence, but deep down, he was never sure.

Yan Jingze had never held his hand before, and he didn’t act like he liked him.

But as long as Yan Jingze was willing to coax him, that was already enough. He had never been likable since childhood, being a effeminate man who liked men. No one would ever like him.

However, recently, Yan Jingze changed.

Yan Jingze held his hand, bought him things, and took care of him.

He felt like Yan Jingze was like a different person.

But it was indeed still Yan Jingze, and he couldn’t be mistaken about that.

Why did Yan Jingze suddenly treat him so well?

Yan Jingze even brought his grandmother over and rented a house for him…

He actually wanted to leave that village too, considering that he and his grandmother were always b*llied there. Could it be that Yan Jingze knew about this and that’s why he was doing all this? Was he trying to separate from him?

He had given Yan Jingze a lot of money before. Was Yan Jingze trying to repay him?

Jiang Pingxiu felt like his heart was hanging in mid-air, and he was trembling all over.

Fortunately, this awkward moment didn’t last long. After he asked, Yan Jingze almost immediately said, “Why would I not want you? I love you the most, you are my treasure.”

Yan Jingze did have some objections to becoming a scum person, but after falling in love at first sight with Jiang Pingxiu, he didn’t mind anymore.

Jiang Pingxiu was so adorable!

Seeing Jiang Pingxiu looking at him with eager eyes and trembling, Yan Jingze embraced him and said, “We’ve agreed to be together for a lifetime. I never tell lies.”

Jiang Pingxiu was confused. They had never actually agreed to be together for a lifetime… Yan Jingze had never said such words before!

But “a lifetime”… that phrase sounded so nice!

Jiang Pingxiu stopped trembling. After Yan Jingze hugged him, he felt that this person was really thin.

Not just thin, he also looked very young. Even if someone said he was only fourteen or fifteen years old, others might believe it.

From now on, he would definitely take good care of this child, make him gain a bit of weight, and ensure he continued his education…

The original owner had initially taken some time to understand Jiang Pingxiu in order to win him over.

Children in the countryside usually started school later, but Jiang Pingxiu had started early. His grandmother couldn’t read, and there were no adult men in the house, which led to many hardships. She particularly hoped that her grandson could study well.

Jiang Pingxiu’s performance in school was considered good.

Most rural children couldn’t sit still and refused to pay attention in class. Teachers had a hard time controlling them and often ended up ignoring them, focusing on teaching instead.

In such a situation, the grades of students with poor self-discipline were even worse, but Jiang Pingxiu always listened attentively, and his grades were actually quite good.

Unfortunately, because he received praise from the teachers, his classmates intensified their b*llying towards him.

When he entered junior high school, he became even thinner and smaller, and he was b*llied even more. In their junior high school, no student managed to get into a high school. At most, one or two students were sent to a regular high school in the county. Jiang Pingxiu was definitely not in line for that, and even if he were, he couldn’t afford it. So, he simply stopped going to school.

Yan Jingze even felt that Jiang Pingxiu’s support for the original owner’s education might be because the original owner was continuing his dream.

Overall, Jiang Pingxiu did have a natural talent for studying, and he was still quite young… He had to keep going to school!

Thinking this, Yan Jingze pinched Jiang Pingxiu’s arm and then his hand.

His arms were too thin, and his hands were too rough. He needed proper care.

To raise a child, one needed money. He must work hard and earn money!

Jiang Pingxiu didn’t know what Yan Jingze was thinking. He was held by Yan Jingze, who was constantly pinching his hands. Jiang Pingxiu’s whole body felt like it was on fire!

Why was Yan Jingze… acting like this?

And also, were his hands a bit ugly?

Yan Jingze held him for a while before letting go, saying, “Alright, let’s go take a shower and then go to bed early.”

Jiang Pingxiu nodded.

Yan Jingze added, “By the way, tonight we’ll sleep together, and from now on, we’ll sleep together.”

Sleep together? Jiang Pingxiu was taken aback. Yan Jingze gave him a push, and he suddenly jumped up and rushed into the bathroom.

While Jiang Pingxiu was taking a shower, Yan Jingze went to prepare the bed.

They had only two bedrooms, and the living room was too small. It could barely fit a dining table. So, he and Jiang Pingxiu would share a bed.

But the blankets would still be separate.

Jiang Pingxiu was too young. At least for the next two years, he wouldn’t do anything intimate.

Speaking of which, the original owner actually went after such a young child. Truly despicable!

Yan Jingze often criticized the original owner!

When Jiang Pingxiu was packing up at the car wash, he forgot to pack the blankets. But Yan Jingze had prepared them. He brought all his blankets from school and bought new ones.

Now, on the queen-sized bed, he had spread out two sets of bedding. By the time he finished, Jiang Pingxiu had also finished his shower and came out.

“Blow-dry your hair. I’m going to take a shower,” Yan Jingze said.

Jiang Pingxiu nodded. Seeing the two sets of bedding on the bed, he felt a little disappointed.

But he quickly cheered up. Yan Jingze didn’t mind him, and being able to share a bed was already good enough. Why was he overthinking things!

This time, he had brought his own toiletries and face cream. He took them out and carefully applied the cream and hand lotion to himself before blow-drying his hair.

He had never thought about skincare before, but now… Yan Jingze probably hoped he would look better?

Thus, when Yan Jingze lay down to sleep, he smelled the scent of face cream coming from the person beside him…

After making a trip back to his hometown, Yan Jingze was actually quite tired. Ultimately, he fell asleep quickly amidst this scent.

As for Jiang Pingxiu, he only let out a sigh of relief and dared to move after Yan Jingze fell asleep.

As long as he thought about Yan Jingze sleeping next to him, his heartbeat got faster and faster. He couldn’t sleep at all, and he was also afraid he wouldn’t be able to wake up tomorrow…

He set a vibrating alarm on his phone and placed it under the blankets, ensuring it wouldn’t wake Yan Jingze but would wake him up. Only then did Jiang Pingxiu feel a bit more at ease.

Yan Jingze wasn’t the type to sleep in. He usually woke up around seven in the morning.

When he used to sleep in the dormitory, getting up early was considered unusual.

However, when he woke up today, there was no one beside him. When he went outside, he saw Jiang Pingxiu and his grandmother talking in hushed voices, “Pingwa, that high-speed train is so long. It’s beautiful inside too. I thought there were no toilets there at first and was worried. Luckily, Yan Da asked me if I needed to use the toilet.”

“So there are toilets on the high-speed train! I didn’t know that! I was too afraid to go then,” Jiang Pingxiu said.

“The air conditioning here is really nice, it’s so warm.”

“Grandma, even the flush toilets are amazing!”

“The kitchen stuff, I don’t know how to use them. I don’t know how to cook for you.”

“I don’t know either…”

“Eating a scallion costs money in the city. Money is really not easy to come by.”

“Yeah, I bought a steamed bun before and it cost one yuan!”

….

As they conversed, marveling all the while, Yan Jingze listened with sheer delight. Additionally, he noticed that there were already some steamed buns on the table.

“You bought steamed buns,” Yan Jingze inquired.

Jiang Pingxiu suddenly stood up, “Yes, I bought some steamed buns… They’ve cooled down a bit. I’ll steam them.”

Yan Jingze said, “The kitchen has a microwave. I can heat them up.”

Yan Jingze heated the steamed buns and then added, “Pingxiu, in the next couple of days, I’ll teach you how to ride a bicycle and then buy one for you. So that you can come and sleep here after work.”

Jiang Pingxiu got off work quite late, so having him stay over was a bit troublesome, but Yan Jingze still wanted him to.

This way, it would be easier for them to bond and also allow Jiang Pingxiu to spend time with his grandmother.

“Yeah!” Jiang Pingxiu nodded.

With this decision made, Yan Jingze spent time talking to Jiang Pingxiu and his grandmother, explaining how to use various things in the house. He also turned on the TV in Jiang Pingxiu’s grandmother’s room for her to watch.

Although Jiang Pingxiu’s grandmother couldn’t understand Mandarin and didn’t fully comprehend the TV, she was content to watch.

In the blink of an eye, it was already 8 o’clock. Jiang Pingxiu said, “I need to go to work.”

“I’ll accompany you,” Yan Jingze said.

Jiang Pingxiu wanted to decline, but Yan Jingze insisted on escorting him to the car wash.

The shop hadn’t opened yet, so Yan Jingze stayed by his side to teach Jiang Pingxiu how to ride a bicycle.

Learning to ride a bicycle was quite straightforward for adults who weren’t afraid of falling, and Jiang Pingxiu wasn’t.

He hadn’t ridden a bicycle before, but after this brief lesson, he picked it up right away.

Once he had grasped the skill, Yan Jingze rode his bicycle away.

By this time, the car wash staff had already arrived for work.

As Brother Wang yawned and approached, he saw Yan Jingze leaving and was taken aback, “Is your brother here this early today, Pingxiu?”

“It’s not that his brother came early today. It’s just that he didn’t stay here last night. His brother took him away last night,” Xiao Zhang explained.

“Took him away? Where did they go?” Brother Wang was somewhat surprised.

“My brother… my brother rented a house, and we’re going to live together!” Jiang Pingxiu’s eyes sparkled. “Brother Wang, my brother brought my grandmother too. We’re all going to live together!”

“Isn’t your grandmother his grandmother?” Brother Wang yawned again.

“He’s not my real brother. I just call him that,” Jiang Pingxiu clarified. He had long known that these people misunderstood Yan Jingze to be his actual sibling. He hadn’t bothered to explain before, but suddenly he felt like explaining now.

“He’s not your real brother, but you still supported his education?” Brother Wang was speechless.

Xiao Zhang and Master Chen were similarly rendered speechless. Jiang Pingxiu had been giving money to his “brother,” and they had all thought it was his actual brother. Didn’t that suggest something more?

“My brother has found a part-time job now. I don’t need to support him anymore,” Jiang Pingxiu said. “He’s been very good to me. He rented a house and brought my grandmother over.”

“Did he pay you back?” Xiao Zhang asked.

Jiang Pingxiu pondered for a moment and said, “He did… He didn’t have money before, so he borrowed from me. But now that he’s renting a house, he’s covering the expenses himself. He won’t let me contribute.” In truth, Yan Jingze hadn’t repaid the money, but Jiang Pingxiu didn’t want to hear others speak ill of Yan Jingze.

“He’s treating you really well,” Xiao Zhang said.

“Yeah!” Jiang Pingxiu nodded. “Brother Zhang, the house my brother rented is great. It has two rooms. My grandmother lives in one, and my brother and I live in the other…” Jiang Pingxiu couldn’t help but smile as he spoke.

Xiao Zhang said, “Your brother, on the other hand, lives at school, and you live at the shop. Think about how much money you could save! Renting a place is so expensive nowadays. Instead of giving money to the landlord, it’s better to spend it on yourselves.”

“You only know how to spend money… It’s nice of him to bring his grandma closer and take care of her,” Master Chen said.

Xiao Zhang always adhered to the principle of “spend, consume, and be happy.” He would spend all his monthly salary as soon as he got it and couldn’t save any money. Master Chen, on the other hand, valued his family. He gave most of his earnings to his family. Even if he didn’t spend money on himself, he wouldn’t mistreat his family.

At this moment, Master Chen said to Jiang Pingxiu, “Your brother is treating you quite well. Now focus on earning money and saving up. It’ll be easier to find a partner in the future.”

“Yeah, when the time comes, I’ll introduce you to someone!” Brother Wang added.

Jiang Pingxiu blushed, “No need to introduce.”

“Don’t be shy! But it’s really too early for you to find a partner. It’s like young love!” Brother Wang said.

Jiang Pingxiu blushed even more, but he didn’t say anything more.

In reality, he already had a partner! Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell anyone!

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7 thoughts on “BH (QT) – Phoenix Man (7)

  1. They’re so warm and fluffy to each other, like an old couple ;o; (moved to tears) (rolling in fluff) I MTL’ed a bunch of chapters, but your translation clarified a lot of confusion I had at certain parts of the story. So glad to see a quality translation of such a heartwarming story <3

  2. As a 16 year old who still doesn’t know how to ride a bike, i tell you guys with experience- THAT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS😭😭😭
    You can’t learn how to ride a bike in a moment or two, and you DEFINITELY can’t learn it just by “believing you won’t fall”. I didn’t learn how to ride it when i was a little kid so i’m learning now but it’s hARD.
    Tried several times, not as easy as it sounds. Gravity is an enemy. 💀

    1. So true. You should learn it when you’re kid. If not, when you get a bit old it’s hard to learn things specially cycling. I tried so hard but still couldn’t. Now, I regret

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