Chapter 14 – Change
Novel Title: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)
*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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“I want to buy a car.”
Wu Yang took off his apron and walked back to the front. Yao Jinxi was playing a go-kart game but heard the bell on the glass door ring.
It meant there was a customer entering.
Yao Jinxi didn’t lift his head. He just stretched his neck a bit. “Wu Yang—”
Wu Yang smiled silently and went over to greet the customer. During this period, the two of them no longer made plans to go out on Sundays. Wu Yang would bring groceries and spend the entire day at Yao Jinxi’s tea shop.
He visited frequently and his observation skills and memory were excellent. He had a good grasp of the prices of items in the shop and was better at interacting with customers than Yao Jinxi. Of course, Yao Jinxi wouldn’t ignore such a valuable helper and would sometimes kick him out when he wanted to slack off.
As expected, Wu Yang not only sold tea but also managed to sell a tea set. He handed over the money to Boss Yao without counting it.
“Ah, I lost again.” Yao Jinxi ended the game, took the money without counting it, and put it in his pocket. “Did you say something just now?”
Wu Yang, in a good mood, repeated, “I said I want to buy a car. Can you help me with some advice?”
“Buy a car?” Yao Jinxi scratched his cheek. He knew that Wu Yang had a driver’s licence but had been advised not to drive due to his depression. However, lately, Wu Yang has been feeling more cheerful. His smiles seemed genuine rather than superficial.
Seeing Wu Yang emerge from the shadows, Yao Jinxi felt genuinely happy for him. “Sure. What kind of car are you thinking about? But I’m not really familiar with cars. So I might not be much help.”
That was the truth. Yao Jinxi had never been interested in cars and hadn’t learned to drive. He didn’t pay attention to cars in his daily life and couldn’t even name a few brands on the road.
Wu Yang looked at him with a light smile. “It’s okay. Just pick one that you like.”
Yao Jinxi, with his fingers lightly tapping the keyboard, made an imperceptible twitch on his face. This man always left him speechless. How could he be so oblivious?
He thought to himself that maybe he was overthinking things.
Yao Jinxi pushed away these strange feelings from his mind and thought for a while. “If you’re looking for someone who knows about cars, I do know one person. Isn’t Wang Peng in the car business?”
Wu Yang also remembered the corresponding person with this name – Xia Ruonan’s boyfriend. “Then let’s talk to him.”
“Tell Ruonan about it.” While it wasn’t necessary to find Wang Peng to buy a car, helping him earn money would indirectly assist Xia Ruonan. Yao Jinxi started a Baidu search to help Wu Yang with some initial information. “But the cars at Wang Peng’s dealership are from reputable brands. What’s your budget?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Wu Yang said, peering at the computer screen. “The main thing is that it’s good.”
Yao Jinxi: “…”
He then thought; Oh my god! I completely forgot this guy is actually wealthy!
They browsed through some professional forums. The opinions were relatively unanimous. Since Wu Yang didn’t need to consider a budget, his options were wide open.
Yao Jinxi jotted down a few choices he thought were suitable. “Let’s go take a look this Sunday.”
The choice of Sunday was based on Wu Yang’s schedule. But to Yao Jinxi’s surprise, Wu Yang suggested, “How about we go tomorrow? Are you free?”
Yao Jinxi was puzzled. “You guys have a day off tomorrow?”
“Oh, I forgot to mention.” Wu Yang nodded as if he had just remembered. “I’ve taken half a month off, starting from this Monday.”
“Half a month?!” Yao Jinxi was extremely surprised. It was not easy to get such a long vacation approved. Especially at Xia Ruonan’s company, which was known for closely monitoring work hours.
Wu Yang, with a contented smile, squinted his eyes and explained, “The manager’s child got chickenpox and there was no one to take care of him, so she had to bring him to the office. I told her I hadn’t had chickenpox yet. So she couldn’t bear to leave her child alone and she approved my leave.”
Yao Jinxi was getting increasingly uneasy. “Are you sure you’re okay? Chickenpox is highly contagious. Especially to people who haven’t had it…”
“Don’t worry,” Wu Yang reassured him. “I’ve had it before. I just told her that I haven’t.”
Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He felt like he was having trouble understanding this person more and more.
He noticed that Wu Yang yawned, which was unusual for him. Wu Yang usually looked energetic. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Sorry,” Wu Yang said as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, making his dark circles more prominent. “Because I’ll be on leave for so long, I had to prepare and submit work handover reports for the next half month last night.”
“Did you end up working for too long by accident?” Yao Jinxi sympathetically continued, slightly furrowing his eyebrows. “You should be resting at home today.”
Wu Yang put his glasses back on and looked at him intently, with a gentle smile on his lips. “But I wanted to see you.”
“…” Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but feel exasperated. This man’s way of speaking made it so easy for people to misinterpret his meaning. Did all straight men talk like this? Or was it because he was speaking to another man that he felt comfortable saying such things?
Yao Jinxi seriously considered whether he needed to have a conversation with Wu Yang about his own sexual orientation. But if doing so would distance Wu Yang from him…
Honestly, Yao Jinxi didn’t think he could stay indifferent to that outcome.
He sighed inwardly, realising that this was not a good sign for him. Subconsciously, he might develop thoughts he shouldn’t have. Feeling uncomfortable about it, he suggested, “If you want to sleep, you can go upstairs for a nap.”
“Is that so?” Wu Yang seemed a bit surprised. “You mean your room?”
Yao Jinxi gestured towards the ceiling. “Just go upstairs from the back, it’s right there. After you wake up, just help me fold the blanket and do some cleaning.”
Wu Yang didn’t refuse and simply said, “Alright, I’ll go up now.”
“Sure, go ahead,” Yao Jinxi nodded with his chin resting on his hand. His gaze returned to the computer screen. He closed several tabs with a rapid click. “Remember to clean and fold the blanket, okay?”
Wu Yang acknowledged and headed upstairs from the back. Despite visiting several times, it was his first time entering Yao Jinxi’s room. The wooden staircase was somewhat narrow. Occasionally, he’d step on a less sturdy board, making it creak slightly.
The room upstairs was the same size as the store below. Though small, it had everything one needed. It was divided into a living room and a bedroom. Wu Yang stood in the living room for a moment, absorbing the ambiance, before entering the bedroom.
The bedroom had tatami mats covering the floor. A row of potted plants sat on the windowsill. Against the wall, there was a wooden bookshelf, with handmade crafts placed on the first row, showcasing that the owner had a taste for a cultured life.
However, at the moment, magazines and books were strewn all over the floor. The bed linens and pillows weren’t neatly arranged. The room didn’t look tidy at all.
Wu Yang understood now why Yao Jinxi emphasised the cleaning and folding of the blanket. He couldn’t help but smile with a hint of indulgence and amusement. Instead of immediately going to sleep, he began tidying up the scattered items and rearranging them, showing a keen interest in this small space.
Yao Jinxi’s interests were broad and not limited. The bookshelf was filled with books on various subjects. They include travel, handicrafts, traditional Chinese culture, folklore, and, of course, a significant number of books related to tea and its professional knowledge.
Lying on the bed, Wu Yang took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He found peace and tranquillity. Such a luxurious feeling was rarely experienced in his usual life. But whenever he was with Yao Jinxi, it felt perfectly natural.
He fell asleep quickly.
He slept until four o’clock in the afternoon. When he woke up, Wu Yang sat up, still savouring the sense of contentment. He folded the blanket and then went to clean the living room, taking out the trash as well.
Yao Jinxi was browsing the web and watching anime in the living room. When he saw Wu Yang coming down and about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. He lazily instructed, “When you come back, please bring a bag of salt.”
“I think we’re running low on vinegar too,” Wu Yang added as he collected the kitchen and tea table trash together. He asked, “Should I bring a bottle of vinegar as well?”
Yao Jinxi responded with a “No need. That’s going to be troublesome.”
He then realised something. But by then, Wu Yang had already left.
This conversation is so casual, it’s as if they are living together. Yao Jinxi gazed at the doorway, lost in thought. He could somewhat feel that Wu Yang was enjoying this.
In fact, wasn’t he enjoying it as well?
Being alone was undoubtedly liberating. He never felt like he couldn’t go on living independently. However, it was also undeniably lonely. Even though Xia Ruonan and him had reached such a point in their relationship, she still had her own home, which had nothing to do with Yao Jinxi.
When he had first come to terms with his sexual orientation, he was still young and had idealistic notions about love. He thought that even two men could have a fulfilling lifelong relationship.
As for what happened later…
–Ding-ling!
The doorbell interrupted his train of thought. Wu Yang entered with a bag of watermelon, saying, “I’m back.”
“Welcome back!” Yao Jinxi greeted him cheerfully. “Oh, watermelon! Where did you get it?”
The watermelon was already cut, revealing its vibrant red flesh, looking very sweet. Wu Yang smiled and said, “Here, take a piece now. I’ll put the rest in the fridge to chill.”
He handed a piece to Yao Jinxi and took the others into the kitchen. Yao Jinxi held the watermelon, taking a few bites. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Wu Yang brought some items out from the kitchen. “I’m not a big fan of this stuff.”
Yao Jinxi raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit awkward. It was clear that Wu Yang had bought the watermelon especially for him. As a friend, this guy was being unusually considerate. Yao Jinxi wondered if he treated others the same way. Perhaps he should have a more detailed conversation with Xia Ruonan about it.
Wu Yang, looking pleased with himself, remarked, “I had a feeling you’d like it.”
Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “…”
He could only continue munching on the watermelon in silence.
Wu Yang sat down across from him and asked, “I cleaned up your room. Do you like travelling?”
After saying this, he quickly added, explaining himself to avoid any misunderstanding that he might be the type to rummage through someone else’s things, “I noticed a lot of travel-related books and magazines when I was tidying up.”
Yao Jinxi replied, “Somewhat. But I don’t usually like to wander around by myself. So I unintentionally ended up buying more of these books.”
Having finished a piece of watermelon, Yao Jinxi wiped his mouth with a tissue, still savouring the taste.
Wu Yang picked up the note he had just written and said, “In that case, let’s go with an off-road vehicle.”
Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but ask, almost reflexively, “Why is that?”
Wu Yang casually replied, “It’ll be more convenient for the two of us when we go on road trips together.”
Yao Jinxi was left speechless.
What’s going on here?!
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*Author’s Note: Because my dear readers often check in early every day, I’ve set the scheduled posting time to 7 a.m. -3-
-YXF
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*GLOSSARY:
Baidu Search is a web search engine developed and operated by Baidu, Inc., a Chinese multinational technology company. It is one of the most popular and widely used search engines in China and is often referred to as the ‘Google of China’ because it serves a similar function to Google’s search engine but is primarily focused on the Chinese market.
☝🏻In case some people didn’t know what tatami mats looked like…😅
Next update: 2023.10.09
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