What Are Your Tastes? chapter 80

 Extra: Grasslands (A travelogue)

A year later, in summer.

“The GPS signal is gone.” Zhou Yanchuan stopped the car by the roadside.

“What do we do now?” Lu Yunchu looked around in confusion at the endless grassy slopes.

He and Zhou Yanchuan were on a road trip to the grasslands, driving north and exploring as they went. That day, Zhou Yanchuan had a sudden whim to find a more pristine grassland, deviating from their planned route. Initially, they had a sense of direction, but they were drawn further into the endless green landscape, becoming increasingly unsure of their location, with not a soul in sight.

“It’s all your fault.”

“You didn’t oppose it,” Zhou Yanchuan remained calm, still smiling, “since we can’t find the way for now, let’s hang around here for a while.”

“Haven’t we already explored this area?” Along the way, they would occasionally get out to walk and take photos. Lu Yunchu even brought a sketchbook to draw sometimes.

“Let’s drive up to that higher spot,” Zhou Yanchuan pointed to a nearby hill, “the view from there must be fantastic.”

Lu Yunchu had no other options. Maybe they could see some houses from a higher vantage point, or perhaps the cell phone would get a signal. So he told him to drive the SUV up the hill.

The two got out of the car, and Zhou Yanchuan looked down through binoculars. “Hey, look, there seems to be a settlement over there.”

“Where?” Lu Yunchu quickly took the binoculars from him. Indeed, in the opposite direction from where they came, there were some round white buildings. Looking more closely, he saw some cattle nearby.

Not far away, a darker “jade belt” meandered through the green field—that was the stream flowing across the grassland. Where there’s water, there are often cattle, horses, and sheep.

“See, I told you we’d find someone,” Zhou Yanchuan said smugly.

“So, should we go over and ask?”

“What’s the rush?” Knowing they weren’t in some isolated place, he felt much more at ease. “The scenery is so beautiful, let’s stay a bit longer.”

“It really is nice here.” Lu Yunchu let go of his earlier worries about getting lost and took a few steps through the grass, just like him.

The wind was strong on the plateau, whistling in their ears. Even with hair spray, Lu Yunchu’s hair was slightly tousled by the wind. After an accident last year, he had cut his hair, but it had grown back quickly. He had slightly changed his hairstyle—it was now a bit shorter than before, just long enough to cover his neck, and he no longer tied up a tuft, but let it all hang loose.

The sky was clear and transparent, with a few wisps of cloud drifting by occasionally. Looking down at the grass below, it wasn’t all green. There were white, yellow, and other unknown plants in bloom. Stepping on the ground, he could feel the movement of the grass through his thin trousers, tickling his legs like a gentle tease.

The summer temperature on the grassland was similar to autumn in Sen city, but for convenience, they didn’t wear heavy clothes—just T-shirts and thin casual pants. When the wind was strong, adding a shirt was enough. After walking a full circle around the small hill, Zhou Yanchuan even started to sweat a little.

After stopping, Lu Yunchu suggested, “How about I draw a picture of you?”

“Sure!” Zhou Yanchuan agreed without hesitation, “I’ll sit right there!”

He found a relatively flat spot, sat down, bent his left leg, and wrapped his arms around his knee, turning his head to the side.

“How about this pose?”

“Perfect!”

Lu Yunchu returned to the passenger seat, opened his sketchbook, and began to draw. With the car door wide open, he could clearly observe Zhou Yanchuan’s pose and expression from a few meters away. The man in the green grass had a dazzling smile.

However, Zhou Yanchuan got impatient after holding the pose for less than two minutes. “Are you done yet?”

“Almost!” Lu Yunchu replied, maintaining his pace and not intending to stop immediately.

“I want to stand up.”

“No!”

“My stomach hurts.”

Lu Yunchu guessed he was faking it and laughed, “Bear with it!”

“My stomach really hurts…” Zhou Yanchuan said, then slumped into the grass, seemingly in pain with his eyes closed.

“Yanchuan?” Lu Yunchu immediately put down his sketchbook and ran to his side, seeing him lying there with his eyes closed, seemingly in great pain. “Are you okay?”

As he squatted down, his wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly, and he lost his balance, falling into Zhou Yanchuan’s arms.

“You… you were faking it?”

Zhou Yanchuan slowly opened his eyes, revealing a mischievous smile. “I just wanted to lie here for a while.”

It was Lu Yunchu’s first time lying on such tall grass, and wearing only light clothes, he felt the prickliness all over.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?” he asked, knowing Zhou Yanchuan was afraid of tickling.

“If you don’t think about it, it’s fine,” Zhou Yanchuan opened his left arm for him to rest on, and they lay there together, looking up at the sky. “The sky is so blue.”

But they couldn’t stare for long; their eyes would start to hurt. With no thick clouds to shield them, the sunlight poured down fiercely, so they closed their eyes.

The sound of the wind became clearer, like the rustling of fabric being shaken vigorously.

“Yunchu,” Zhou Yanchuan took a deep breath, “I really like it here.”

“Then we’ll come again next time.” Lu Yunchu gradually got used to the light prickliness from the grass, relaxing and stretching out his limbs.

“No, next time you pick the place.”

“I’ve already been to all the places I wanted to go… can’t think of anywhere else.”

“Take your time,” Zhou Yanchuan continued, “So… did you enjoy this trip?”

“Of course.”

Lu Yunchu had seen vast plains in Europe, but the grasslands in China had a different kind of majestic beauty. Moreover, he wasn’t alone. Having someone to share this experience with doubled his joy.

Zhou Yanchuan turned to his side, probably because his eyes were still sore from the sun. He blinked several times, slowly focusing on the face beside him.

Lu Yunchu also opened his eyes, and as if they had a mutual understanding, he propped himself up halfway, seemingly unintentionally getting closer, their noses almost touching. Zhou Yanchuan pressed the back of his head firmly, closing the remaining distance.

The warm breath rushed in, and Lu Yunchu took the initiative again, using his advantage of being above him to deepen the kiss.

They came down from the hill and headed towards the dwellings they had seen earlier.

The cell phone signal had returned, but they didn’t plan to leave immediately, as the settlement provided dining services, and it was time for lunch.

The owner of the house was a herdsman, who only did some tourist hospitality during the travel season. This uncle’s exact age was hard to tell. He had high cheekbones, a ruddy complexion, and bright eyes. Only when he smiled did his deep wrinkles show, and his speech had a slight accent but was easy to understand.

Everything they made at home was sourced locally, rich in local characteristics. Before serving the main course, the uncle brought a pot of milk tea to the table. The brownish liquid steamed as it was poured into bowls, and they added a spoonful of roasted barley, sipping it slowly.

Since entering Inner Mongolia, they had already drunk this kind of milk tea several times. Initially, they found the salty, slightly fishy taste hard to appreciate, but today, their taste buds had adapted, and unlike sweet drinks, it didn’t become cloying with repeated sips.

The main course was hand-held lamb. The owner brought out several large pieces of bone-in meat on a metal tray and skillfully helped them carve it. The freshly slaughtered lamb was stewed in a large pot, needing few seasonings, and the flavor was fresh and delicious without any gamey taste.

Neither of them had tried such a simple way of cooking lamb before, and both ate quite a bit. In addition, they had two cold dishes and grilled lamb skewers, feeling exceptionally full as they were about to leave.

Even though the GPS was functioning normally, to be cautious, they asked the homeowner for the most convenient route to the highway. They didn’t wander around in the afternoon and reached their next destination city smoothly before evening.

They hadn’t booked a hotel in advance, considering it was a road trip, and they weren’t sure if their daily schedule would align perfectly with their plans. So, they decided to go with the flow, not rushing, which made the trip more enjoyable.

Of course, they occasionally encountered some hiccups regarding accommodations.

Visiting an unfamiliar city without knowing the situation, Zhou Yanchuan thought it was safer to go to a highly-rated star hotel. Upon entering the city, their SUV headed straight to their chosen hotel, only to be informed by the front desk that all the regular rooms were fully booked, with only the presidential suite remaining. Even after a discount, the price was still quite high, but they were too lazy to search further. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy some comfort while on vacation?

Zhou Yanchuan’s daily life wasn’t luxurious, and it was his first time staying in a presidential suite. The elegance of the room truly surprised him. The flat suite was no smaller than their current duplex. The foyer was connected to the living room, with two rooms on each side, all very spacious and could accommodate several people. The classical European-style furniture had dark tones, and the carpet was thick, making footsteps silent even in slippers.

Zhou Yanchuan curiously toured the suite, while Lu Yunchu spread out their luggage in the bedroom they would stay in, organizing items for the night. The hotel had hot springs and provided two complimentary tickets, so they planned to go after dinner.

That was the plan.

In reality, they didn’t have time to decide where to eat because Zhou Yanchuan’s stomach started acting up.

Zhou Yanchuan, who rarely got colds or fevers and seemed quite strong, had a rather weak stomach. Just like today at noon, eating the same amount of lamb as Lu Yunchu, he ended up with severe abdominal cramps, breaking out in a cold sweat, and making two trips to the bathroom without any significant improvement.

“How about we go to the hospital?” Abdominal pain could be minor or major, and if there were other issues, it wasn’t something to joke about.

“It’s nothing,” Zhou Yanchuan had encountered this problem frequently before, though it had been less common since he had been with Lu Yunchu over the past year. He knew the reason well. “It’s just overeating and indigestion.”

“But you can’t just tough it out.” Lu Yunchu pondered for a moment. “Do you know which medicine to take? I’ll go buy some.”

“Yes.” Zhou Yanchuan didn’t want to visit a hospital in an unfamiliar city, and it wasn’t severe enough to warrant that, but he did need medication. He gave Lu Yunchu the names of two medicines that were effective for him.

Before heading out, Lu Yunchu boiled some hot water and left it to cool by the bed, turning on only a small lamp in the room. He asked the front desk and found out that the nearest pharmacy was just a few hundred meters away. To save time, he drove there and back in less than ten minutes, also instructing room service to deliver two bowls of congee to their room.

If not for the need to take medicine, Zhou Yanchuan might not even have eaten the congee. Feeling a bit guilty seeing Lu Yunchu also making do with it, he suggested, “You could order something better for yourself.”

“It’s not right for me to have a feast while you’re eating congee,” seeing Zhou Yanchuan’s face not as pale, Lu Yunchu relaxed a bit, “I’m not that mean.”

“Have I ever done something that mean?”

“You’ve said it before.”

Zhou Yanchuan searched his memory and vaguely recalled a time when Lu Yunchu had just been discharged from the hospital and went out to eat with Wu Lan, teasing him about it. This kid sure held grudges.

“Alright, I also felt stuffed at lunch, so having something light tonight is good,” Lu Yunchu resumed his serious tone. “Eat up and take your medicine.”

After drinking a small bowl of hot congee and taking the medicine, the severe cramps in Zhou Yanchuan’s stomach gradually subsided, but a hot spring soak was out of the question as he still felt weak.

Naturally, Lu Yunchu wouldn’t leave him alone, so that night they went to bed early, talking for a while before preparing to sleep.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hot springs?” Zhou Yanchuan asked for confirmation.

“No, we can soak anywhere,” Lu Yunchu replied, glancing at his phone and suddenly brightening up. “Do you want to watch a video of Scallion?”

“Sent by Xiao Feng?”

“Yes.”

“Sure, let’s see our girl.”

Scallion had been staying at a pet store recently, and the video was shot by the store owner. Compared to other pets being boarded, the little one was adapting well, but she inevitably showed some emotions from being away from her owners and occasionally made a fuss.

The first half of the video was filled with its incessant barking, but it gradually quieted down after a new little dog was placed in the cage, likely a good match for Scallion.

The video quickly ended, and Lu Yunchu glanced at Zhou Yanchuan, “Does your stomach still hurt?”

“Not much, just a bit bloated.” It was getting late, and Zhou Yanchuan sighed with regret, “My first time in a presidential suite, and I end up just lying around.”

“That’s what you get for not being careful.”

Despite that, Zhou Yanchuan felt a soft, comforting emotion enveloping him, making him feel at ease. He exhaled lightly, “But it’s still pretty good.”

“It’s not bad,” Lu Yunchu laughed, pulling up the covers over them, “How do you want to celebrate your birthday this year?”

It had been a year since that abduction incident, and Zhou Yanchuan’s birthday was coming up again in a few days.

“How to celebrate…” Zhou Yanchuan mused. “No need to overthink it.”

“Really? No wishes?”

“Just being together with you is enough.”

“What?”

Zhou Yanchuan turned his head, looking innocent like a child.

“I mean, as long as we’re together, it’s good enough for me.”

(THE END)