CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: TWO ROOMS OR ONE ROOM

The long-distance bus ambled forward, with the two people leaning against each other listening to music, occasionally engaging in a brief conversation, while the sun slowly moved from directly overhead toward the west.

As the saying goes, the sun shifts with the day, and the moon wanes with its phase; too much or too little is to be avoided in everything, and this principle also applies to love.

It’s just that love has such a high ceiling, it’s virtually impossible to see the top, and no one has ever heard of loving too much that it turns to not loving; normal people probably could never touch that ceiling—it’s the abnormal that are oftentimes seen, with yanderes being an example.

At the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, there was a small shop.

The shop wasn’t crowded, with just a few tables of customers. Qin Guanglin and He Fang sat on the side near the door. After completing their long bus ride, both of them were hungry. They decided to fill their stomachs before seeking a place to stay.

On the table were two steaming bowls that the server had just brought over, one filled with lamb stewed bun, and the other... also filled with lamb stewed bun.

Oh no, that’s not right, according to the menu’s name, it should be called the special nourishing lamb soup stewed bun.

The buns were broken up by He Fang, each piece the size of beans, even and consistent, with the occasional larger chunk indicating where Qin Guanglin had tried his hand, only to be stopped by He Fang shortly thereafter, as his were both ugly and so big that they reduced the dining experience.

"You’re really skilled with your hands," Qin Guanglin complimented, then scooped up a spoonful of soup and tasted it, "Delicious."

He was indifferent to meats other than chicken, fish, and pork, not that he wouldn’t eat them, but he wouldn’t actively choose them either—if available, he wouldn’t refuse.

This Luo City specialty he had tried a few times before; it always seemed that the small shops made it more flavorful and authentic, unlike the larger establishments that typically set up traps for out-of-towners, always lacking something in taste.

"I’ll get you another baked bun," said He Fang, knowing his appetite well; she waved at the owner ordering another large baked bun for him.

Baked bun paired with lamb soup was aromatic; Qin Guanglin took several hearty bites, then lifted the baked bun and offered, "Do you want some too?"

He Fang declined, "Do you think everyone can eat as much as you?"

"Having a good appetite is a blessing, plus we’ve been on the bus for so long."

Qin Guanglin, who wouldn’t miss a chance to eat more, couldn’t understand those with smaller appetites—how could they get full with so little?

"How much do you weigh now?" He Fang suddenly asked after eating for a while.

"I think... around 130?" Qin Guanglin scratched his head, "About 130 pounds or so."

"Then eat a bit more."

With a smile, He Fang lifted her own bowl and slid most of its contents into Qin Guanglin’s. His bowl, which was half empty just a moment ago, was now brimming again.

"Stop... will you be full enough?" Qin Guanglin looked at her bowl, which now contained only a little over half of the original amount.

"My appetite is small; I can’t finish it anyway," He Fang responded, reaching over with her chopsticks and taking back a few slices of meat from Qin Guanglin’s bowl, "All the meat ended up in your bowl."

"I’ll give you more of it," said Qin Guanglin, transferring most of the meat from his bowl to hers, "If you get hungry tonight, tell me and I’ll buy you a late-night snack."

He was genuinely concerned that she might not be full and wouldn’t say anything, suffering from hunger in the night.

"Don’t worry, I won’t be hungry."

After finishing a bowl and a half of lamb stewed bun, plus a large baked bun, Qin Guanglin felt much fuller than usual. Comfortably patting his stomach and seeing that He Fang had finished eating too, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and pulled their suitcase as they left the shop together.

"Shall we find a place to stay now?" He asked this question and suddenly realized he had overlooked an issue.

As boyfriend and girlfriend on an outing, should they book one room or two?

He dared not even think of a room with a large bed, but a double room should be fine, right? To wake up in the morning and see each other upon opening their eyes... Qin Guanglin was conflicted, hesitating over whether this was proper or not.

They were dating, but had only progressed to kissing and hugging; sleeping in the same room upon further consideration seemed a bit inappropriate.

"Yes, let’s find a hotel to stay in," He Fang said, not aware of the twists and turns in Qin Guanglin’s mind, leading him toward a distant hotel.

"Do you want a roujiamo?" a while later, Qin Guanglin stopped in his tracks and asked He Fang, pointing at a roujiamo shop on the road.

"You’re still not full?" He Fang was surprised.

"I’m full. I’m just worried you might not be. Want to eat more?"

"Let’s go. If you’re hungry at night, come down and buy something for me."

"Sure thing."

Qin Guanglin didn’t meddle further and followed her to the hotel ahead. He had made up his mind; whether it was one room or two all depended on He Fang’s plan. If she said one room, it would be one room; if she said two rooms, it would be two rooms.

Having a girlfriend with ideas was really great; there was no need to waste time guessing what she might be thinking. When she said no, it meant no. There wouldn’t be any of that annoying stuff where she says no but then gets angry if you actually go along with it.

They entered a hotel named "Home Hotel" together, and Qin Guanglin pulled out his ID card from his wallet and pushed it to the front desk. He Fang also took out her ID card from her little suitcase and pushed it forward. The front desk swept the cards through the machine and then looked up to ask, "A double room or...?"

Qin Guanglin turned his head to look at He Fang, letting her decide.

He Fang turned to look at Qin Guanglin too, smiled at him, and said, "Twin room."

Fool Qin was instantly thrilled and wanted to pick her up and give her a kiss. But after a second thought, he held back, knowing they would soon be staying in the same room anyway.

Staying together... Just thinking about it made him happy. At night he could watch her fall asleep, and in the morning, he could watch her wake up. Most importantly, this was a big step forward in their relationship.

"Okay, room 310."

After paying and receiving the room card, Qin Guanglin casually walked towards the elevator, pretending not to see He Fang’s teasing eyes. She must have guessed his thoughts already, probably holding back some naughty plan to tease him.

"A man and a woman together in one room, oh~"

As expected, He Fang said this while looking straight ahead in the elevator, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"It’s not like we haven’t done this before. Isn’t it always like this at my place?"

Qin Guanglin, feeling quite at home, replied nonchalantly without a blush or skip of the heartbeat. The whole man-and-woman-alone scenario was a minor thing; last time, they were still separated by clothes...

"Is beiing at home the same as being outside?"

"How is it different?"

"What do you think?"

"It’s the same, all the same," Qin Guanglin said as he stepped out of the elevator and checked the room number, making his way down the corridor.

"Don’t you dare touch me," He Fang leaned to the side waiting for him to open the door. "If you go too far, I’ll get another room."

"Alright, no touching."

Qin Guanglin went in to put down his things, then turned to see she was still closing the door. He took two steps to hug her from behind, "Kissing is okay, right?"

This girlfriend was too cute; he had to kiss her.

"That’s not okay either. Behave yourself," He Fang playfully pushed him away. "What if we end up with a baby?"

"If we were meant to have one, we would have one by now." Qin Guanglin lowered his head, not wasting any more words. He had almost been unable to hold back downstairs, but now was the time to enjoy a good bite.

"..."

He Fang bit her teeth, uncooperatively pursing her lips tightly.

Men always take an inch and look for a mile; she needed to let him know what it meant to be obedient.

"Teacher He?"

"It’s no use."

If it was no use, then no use it was... Qin Guanglin slowly pushed his boundaries using the knowledge he gained from tutoring.

"Hey, why can’t I keep my lips tight anymore?" A while later, he pretended to be surprised as he looked up, unable to suppress his upward-curving lips.

Hmm, he couldn’t help himself, could he?

He Fang glared at him with embarrassed annoyance, "Move aside; I want to rest now!"

"Hehe."

There was no way he was going to move. He had just cracked open the door and hadn’t even gotten a taste yet.