AFMWDX Chapter 19

TL: Hua

Chapter 19: Moving In

During the renovation period for the new apartment, Xu Baizhang prepared dinner for Yu Qingtang every day after work and then drove back home after the meal. No one brought up spending the night, and no one took the initiative to stay.

Two weeks later, Yu Qingtang received the expected call from the interior design company, asking him to inspect the apartment when convenient.

They had kept the original design, and the interior design company only needed to furnish it with some furniture and daily necessities.

The empty apartment now felt like a home. The dining room had a round crystal chandelier, the entrance had couple-style slippers, the fabric sofa was adorned with matching throw pillows, and even the umbrellas and toothbrushes were ready, all in pairs.

What Yu Qingtang liked best was the pair of couple’s mugs. They were printed with two small fish in oil-painting colors. He recognized the species: one was a blind cave fish, and the other was a kissing fish.

Yu Qingtang touched the chipped tail fin on the porcelain cup, feeling understood by someone thoughtful. He was pleasantly surprised—he truly hadn’t chosen the wrong company.

After checking the apartment, they saw the staff off.

They deleted the previous fingerprint records on the door lock and re-recorded both their fingerprints.

Yu Qingtang was extremely satisfied with the new apartment and could hardly wait. “When should we officially move in?”

Xu Baizhang: “Isn’t it today?”

Yu Qingtang hadn’t expected it to be so soon, although the apartment had everything. “My clothes haven’t been brought over yet, and some things in the old apartment need to be tidied up.”

“That’s true,” Xu Baizhang quickly added, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”

Yu Qingtang: “…Alright.”

He needed to quickly pack tonight.

A certain someone seemed to be in a great hurry.

The next morning, Yu Qingtang received a message from Xu Baizhang saying he was downstairs.

Yu Qingtang was still in bed, not quite awake. He got dressed, washed up, and carried his luggage downstairs.

The new home was fully equipped, so Yu Qingtang only brought changes of clothes and bedding.

He pushed his luggage into the master bedroom, which was large and sun-facing. He liked the style of both the bed and the curtains.

Yu Qingtang opened his suitcase and hung his clothes one by one in the wardrobe.

The master bedroom came with a small walk-in closet, but Yu Qingtang wasn’t that particular. He rushes to and from work every day, so he simply hung all his clothes in the bedroom wardrobe.

The wardrobe custom-made by the interior design company was also very thoughtful; there were specialized sections for socks, underwear, ties, and tie clips, making them easy to access and keep organized.

This orderly arrangement was very relaxing. Yu Qingtang was humming as he packed, but halfway through, he suddenly stopped.

He crumpled the underwear into a ball in his palm, his neck stiff, but his face began to burn. Yu Qingtang turned his head and noticed the double pillows on the checkered bed sheet, where a pair of kissing fish dolls were placed, their lips touching, each with a pair of pink cheeks.

His fingers tightened and then loosened. Yu Qingtang let out a breath, having almost forgotten about this.

He moved some of his hung clothes to the walk-in closet and also left half of the storage grids for his underwear and socks empty.

Before he finished tidying up, Xu Baizhang called him for lunch.

Yu Qingtang rubbed his stomach and looked at the clock. It was quite early, but he was indeed hungry.

Three dishes and a soup: one meat, two vegetable. Master Xu’s culinary work was complete in color, aroma, and taste.

After finishing a second bowl of soup, Yu Qingtang asked, “Is it healthy to eat lunch this early?”

It was not yet eleven-thirty.

Xu Baizhang placed a piece of meat on his plate. “Lunch can be eaten on time, but since you skipped breakfast, we’re starting lunch early.”

Yu Qingtang stopped his chopsticks. “You can even tell that?”

“You didn’t just skip eating today; you haven’t eaten at all recently.”

After his last stomachache episode, Yu Qingtang had “turned over a new leaf,” maintaining a regular schedule and three normal meals a day under Xu Baizhang’s supervision.

Later, when Xu Baizhang was in danger, his routine was completely disrupted. Concerned for Xu Baizhang’s safety, Yu Qingtang had no mind to focus on his meals, got lazy, and reverted to his old habits.

Yu Qingtang readily admitted his fault but offered a small playful defense. He smiled and said, “We’ve only just moved in, and you’re already pointing out my flaws?”

Xu Baizhang: “It’s not pointing out a flaw; it’s a reminder. From now on, wake up fifteen minutes earlier every day, and I’ll prepare breakfast for you.”

Yu Qingtang felt like he’d swallowed honey and nodded, agreeing to the arrangement.

“Oh, right.” Yu Qingtang remembered. “Do you have many clothes? The hangers reserved in the wardrobe are limited; we can go buy more.”

“No need.” Xu Baizhang avoided his gaze and lowered his head to pick up a dish. “Those are for you. I have mine here.”

Yu Qingtang wasn’t sure what he meant until he found Xu Baizhang’s suitcase and clothes arranged by the bed in the secondary bedroom.

Seeing how eager Xu Baizhang was to move and how early he had come to pick him up today, Yu Qingtang had thought he was rushing to…

Yu Qingtang chuckled to himself; he was overthinking it. Doctor Xu wasn’t that shallow.

This was good, too. Although they were married, they hadn’t spent much time together and didn’t understand each other’s living habits. Moving in together suddenly might invade each other’s privacy. They could take it slow.

But when it came time to sleep, Yu Qingtang lay in the large double bed and couldn’t help but complain. An overly thoughtful interior design company could also be irritating.

The master bedroom mattress looked normal, but lying on it, it tended to slope towards the center, allowing two people’s bodies to naturally lean in close. But right now, he was alone on the bed.

Furthermore, the master bathroom had a double bathtub, specially installed with a full-body glass mirror and soundproofing material, plus a Bluetooth speaker and a dozen adjustable light effects.

Even the bay window was specially furnished with soft cushions so his knees wouldn’t hurt when kneeling on it. It even had a padded area designed to be grabbed when bending over, and the glass was covered with a one-way film.

In reality, he had only emphasized that it was a wedding room and hoped for some atmosphere. He hadn’t expected so many “humanized” derivative products. Yu Qingtang was both relieved and grateful that they hadn’t placed condoms and lubricants on the bedside table.

He turned over, his head facing the other side. The bed was empty, and the pair of kissing fish dolls sat on the pillow. He had slept alone for more than twenty years, so why did he suddenly feel annoyed?

Fortunately, Yu Qingtang was not bothered by a new bed and slept soundly until dawn.

He remembered Xu Baizhang’s instruction and specifically woke up half an hour early. Breakfast was on the table, but the person who made it was not.

On the plate were small pieces of apple and orange, cold-tossed green vegetables with lean meat, a boiled egg, and toasted bread.

A sticky note was attached to the refrigerator:

[The milk is in the microwave. Heat it for forty seconds before drinking. Don’t just eat the orange and skip the apple. Baizhang 10.26]

Xu Baizhang’s handwriting was neat, with a distinctive stroke, unlike the scribbled handwriting commonly associated with doctors in traditional stereotypes.

Yu Qingtang drew a chibi cartoon face in the blank area and wrote down [Received!].

*

Due to his long-established routine, Xu Baizhang woke up at five every day, exercised downstairs for forty minutes to an hour, and came upstairs around six to prepare breakfast. When he lived alone, his meals were simple, but now, with a new anticipation, he changed the menu every day, hoping to get a pleasant surprise on the sticky note the next day.

Xu Baizhang put the egg pancake into the thermal pot, carefully peeled off the sticky note, and traced the area below the text with his fingertip. It had the same “Received” as the day before, along with a different cartoon figure.

He put the sticky note into a box and wrote a new one to stick up.

For the first week of moving into the new home, the newly married couple was acting more like pen pals or online friends.

Xu Baizhang left early, and by the time Yu Qingtang woke up, he was already gone.

Yu Qingtang ate lunch at the cafeteria, and dinner was unpredictable. If he had to work overtime, he would send a WeChat message beforehand; if he got home on time, they would eat together.

Xu Baizhang would peel shrimp for him and serve him rice and vegetables. The family relationship was harmonious and warm, and they treated each other politely. Something felt off, but he couldn’t pinpoint the problem.

This way of interacting finally took a turn this morning. At the crack of dawn, Yu Qingtang got up to drink water and bumped into Xu Baizhang, who was getting ready to leave, in the living room.

The two stared at each other, Yu Qingtang rubbing his eyes, thinking he hadn’t woken up properly.

Until Xu Baizhang said, “Good morning.”

Yu Qingtang looked him up and down again. “Going for morning exercise?”

Xu Baizhang: “Yes.”

Yu Qingtang couldn’t help but glance at him. “Are you… practicing martial arts?”

Xu Baizhang was wearing a pure white, loose-fitting martial arts uniform¹I think he’s wearing sth like this?, and he wasn’t wearing his glasses. Although he didn’t look bad, compared to his usual appearance in a dark suit and gold-rimmed glasses, it was quite special. It was like going on an adventure to find treasure, but instead of finding the treasure, you dug up a one-hundred-yuan grocery coupon from the supermarket at your doorstep.

Unexpected, but a pleasant surprise.

“Running, and doing Tai Chi by the way,” Xu Baizhang noticed his gaze. “Do I look strange dressed like this?”

“No, but it’s very unique.”

Yu Qingtang recalled the day they first met, when Xu Baizhang mentioned practicing Tai Chi on WeChat. Initially, he thought it was just casual entertainment, but he didn’t expect the other person to have such a complete “set of gear.”

Xu Baizhang put on his shoes. “I’m leaving. I’ll prepare breakfast when I get back.”

“Are you in a hurry? Should I wait and go with you?”

Yu Qingtang rarely exercised but wasn’t against it.

He didn’t have a martial arts uniform, so he had to wear his sportswear. When he came out again, Xu Baizhang was wearing the same clothes as before but had put his glasses back on.

He had noticed last time that Xu Baizhang wasn’t nearsighted, and it wasn’t strange for people to wear non-prescription glasses now, so Yu Qingtang hadn’t asked.

But today’s action seemed a bit deliberate, and Yu Qingtang was curious. “Why the sudden change to glasses?”

Xu Baizhang: “I was afraid you wouldn’t be used to it.”

He meant he was afraid he wouldn’t like him without glasses.

“What is there not to be used to?” Yu Qingtang walked up to him.

Xu Baizhang was slightly less than half a head taller than him. Yu Qingtang raised his arm, pinching the arm of the glasses as if touching a precision instrument. He slowly took the glasses off. They looked at each other, and for a dozen seconds, neither spoke.

Yu Qingtang sounded like a professional appraiser, who, after a long, deep study, slowly said, “With glasses, you look a bit cool and scholarly. Without them, the coolness has a hint of allure.”

Yu Qingtang had just woken up, and there were faint sleep lines pressed onto his forehead. The flesh-colored lines were etched onto Xu Baizhang’s heart. He didn’t get to sleep by his side, but he was fortunate enough to see what he looked like when he woke up.

The extreme proximity made him dizzy, and the warmth in his chest swelled. Xu Baizhang’s eyes remained still, but his entire body was boiling.

He wanted to press this moment into a specimen and hide it under his pillow.

Immediately after, he heard Yu Qingtang say, “Whether my husband wears glasses or takes them off, I like him all the same.”

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  I think he’s wearing sth like this?