warm winter

Yuan Yuan didn't deliberately avoid Ye Qing to talk on the phone, but her voice did get farther and farther away.She first walked to the living room, looked carefully at the sofa and a massage chair in the corner, and then glanced at the TV cabinet.After that, she walked to the guest bedroom that had been half vacant.

She is further introducing the details of these furniture to the person on the other end of the phone, such as what brand, time and place of purchase, and whether there is color difference in the picture, etc.Ye Qing was still standing by the kitchen door, with almost all of his body weight leaning on the door frame.

She remembered that Yuan Yuan used her mobile phone to take pictures at home from time to time a while ago, when she asked why, Yuan Yuan only said that it happened on a whim.Ye Qing always thought that these furniture were arranged by the landlord, but Yuan Yuan actually bought them.

Not only did she rent this high-end apartment for herself, but she also purchased all the furniture thoughtfully and meticulously.After living here for so long, although Yuan Yuan never deliberately mentioned it, Ye Qing could feel that she really liked these furniture and arrangements.

Now, because of his own reasons, Yuan Yuan wants to sell these well-prepared furniture one by one at a low price.In North America, labor is relatively expensive, so during the peak season of moving, there will be people selling second-hand furniture at extremely low prices, not to get money back but to save labor costs for moving furniture.

While Ye Qing was still in a daze, Yuan Yuan had already walked to the master bedroom.But her stay was short and she walked out quickly.Ye Qing saw that she had hung up the phone, the phone was still in her hand, and hurriedly walked towards the kitchen.

"Why are you looking at me like this? Are you hungry?" Yuan Yuan came to the kitchen door and gently stroked Ye Qing's cheek.

"Yuan Yuan, are you going to sell all these furniture?" Ye Qing remained calm, with a hint of sadness in his heart.

Yuan Yuan went back to the sink, quickly cleaned up the remaining ingredients and put them on the dish preparation tray.The phone call just now took a lot of time, and today's dinner time must be late.

Yuan Yuan quickened his hands, turned his back to Ye Qing and replied: "Yes, I have selected several good apartments this week, and I plan to go and see them together on the weekend. If it is suitable, maybe we can move there next month. With so much furniture in the house, I will put it up online for sale in advance.”

Yuan Yuan cracked two eggs into the bowl, added some salt and black pepper, and stirred them with chopsticks.Seeing that Ye Qing was silent, she turned around and smiled at her, and said, "I thought it would take a long time to sell so many furniture, but I didn't expect that person just now to say that they are all interested, and they want to pack and buy them."

It's rare to be so lucky that someone responded shortly after the information was released, and almost all of them were bought in one go.For Yuan Yuan, this saved a lot of time and energy, and he could give some small concessions in terms of price.

Ye Qing suddenly took a few steps forward, hugged Yuan Yuan's waist, and pressed his face tightly against Yuan Yuan's back.

"It's okay, we can't take these furniture to the new apartment. Selling them earlier will save you a lot of trouble, and you can get back a lot of money. You can buy new furniture and put it in the new house." Yuan Yuan's tone was light. Indifferently, not sad at all.

"Yuan Yuan, I don't want to part with it."

"Don't want to part with these furniture?" Yuan Yuan stopped and pondered for a while, but he didn't expect Ye Qing to like them so much.

"I don't want you to become like this for me."

Ye Qing couldn't go on, she couldn't tell that Yuan Yuan changed from a rich lady to a poor student who wanted to sell furniture in order to be with her.She once said that she would protect Yuan Yuan, but now she could hardly guarantee her basic life.

When she works, she is in a state of full devotion, and sometimes she doesn't even care about food.Not only did Yuan Yuan have to buy vegetables to cook, but sometimes he had to wait for an hour or two for his own meal, until he couldn't stand it anymore before heating up the food and eating a few mouthfuls indiscriminately.But the portion left to myself will always be delicate and delicious.

Ye Qing knew that Yuan Yuan was left out in the cold these days, she was so tired that she could hardly open her eyes when she touched the pillow, and sometimes her dreams were all about design revisions and color adjustments.All his thoughts were on the manuscript, and even the daily communication with Yuan Yuan was almost impossible to guarantee.

But Yuan Yuan didn't complain at all, usually pestering her to hug and kiss people even when she didn't talk much, but silently took care of everything behind her.Silently, so many tedious and trivial things have been completed, but each of them must be handled by someone.

Yuan Yuan put down the bowl in her hand, and instead held the hand around her waist: "Don't be reluctant, Ye Qing." She paused, then sighed softly, "This is life, this is our life .”

The vows of the mountains and seas, the lofty sentiments, thousands of words are not worth the ordinary trivial things in the past.Yuan Yuan has already completed the role change unconsciously, becoming Ye Qing's reliance in life.

Ye Qing stopped talking, but the hand around her waist did not let go.They hugged each other quietly in the kitchen, Yuan Yuan gave Ye Qing unlimited strength with his ungenerous back, and Ye Qing also gave Yuan Yuan 100% trust and love with his fiery beating heart.

I don't know how long it took, but it was completely dark outside the window.Yuan Yuan knew that if she didn't speak, Ye Qing would keep hugging her like this.While enjoying it, she has important things to accomplish.

"Wait for me obediently, otherwise we will all be hungry tonight." Yuan Yuan patted the hand tightly wrapped around his waist.

A rare and soft coquettish voice came from behind: "Then don't eat dinner."

Yuan Yuan laughed and teased her: "Wouldn't you be too hungry to sleep if you don't eat?"

"Eat you."

Yuan Yuan was startled, and turned back meaningfully: "Eat me? How many times have I brought it to my mouth, have you eaten it?"

"I..." Ye Qing was completely at a loss for words.

Of course she wants to eat, and she really wants to eat.Whenever Yuan Yuan did whatever he wanted to her at night, when she was extremely happy, and when the fireworks bloomed in her mind, this was what she thought about.

But right now, she can't.

Yuan Yuan understood Ye Qing's forbearance, so he only teased her but never forced her.Seeing her silence again, Yuan Yuan was afraid that she would blame herself again.

"Either go to the living room to take a rest, or watch me cook, which one do you choose?"

Ye Qing reluctantly let go, she still has to work on the manuscript at night, and Yuan Yuan also has homework to finish.

"I'll watch you cook here, and rest by the way." Ye Qing returned to the position just now, leaning against the door.

It's not that she doesn't want to get closer, but she knows Yuan Yuan too well.If she is too close, Yuan Yuan will always pay attention to whether she is scalded by oil or by the fire. In short, tonight's dishes will be out of standard.

This is not only today's dinner, but also the lunch that Yuan Yuan will bring to school tomorrow.She couldn't make Yuan Yuan not eat well for two consecutive meals, but she was really reluctant to end this short tenderness.

Seeing that Ye Qing's mood had almost recovered, Yuan Yuan chatted with her about the recent house hunting.

"According to our previous plan, I took a look around the school. There are about four or five apartments that meet the requirements. I can go and see them this weekend. If it is suitable, we will make a decision."

Yuan Yuan picked up the asparagus from the boiling water, then poured olive oil into the pan, then poured the eggs in and stir-fried, and finally poured the asparagus in and quickly fried a few times.

"You just make up your mind, I trust you." Ye Qing smelled the aroma of vegetables and realized that she was hungry.

Yuan Yuan handed the plate to Ye Qing subconsciously, and Ye Qing turned around and brought it to the dining table.Then she went to the kitchen again, turned on the rice cooker, and started serving rice.

Yuan Yuan opened the other pot and took a look, then turned down the heat a bit: "Steaming the fish will have to wait a little longer."

The topic returned to the matter of the house just now, Yuan Yuan did not agree to let it be completely up to him.

"The two of us live together in this house. How can I be the only one who has the final say. I made a mistake when I chose this apartment. Do you want me to be a poor student who knows my mistakes and never corrects them?"

Ye Qing walked out with two bowls of rice, and when she heard Yuan Yuan's words, she gave her a long and affectionate look.

"In my eyes, you are the best top student, No.1."

Yuan Yuan was so happy that he sent a kiss across the air, Ye Qing just smiled.But Yuan Yuan knew that Ye Qing accepted it.

**

Because of an appointment to see the house on the weekend, Ye Qing worked overtime continuously on Thursday and Friday, finally freeing up time on Saturday.But her thick dark circles made Yuan Yuan feel distressed, especially drinking a cup of espresso to refresh herself before going out, which made Yuan Yuan hesitate for a while whether to reschedule.

Ye Qing wore a pair of big sunglasses, which almost covered half of her face, but her supermodel temperament became more obvious.

She has lost weight these days, but the radiance on her face is more than doubled than before.Thin but not badass, with obvious happiness on her face, her charm value has exploded.

Yuan Yuan led Ye Qing down the street, although no one would stare at them blatantly.But some people turned their heads quietly from time to time, but they were very clear.

"Ye Qing, I'm so beautiful with you." Yuan Yuan lifted the hands they were holding, and the white hands intertwined under the sun, which was dazzlingly beautiful.

"It's my beauty." Ye Qing looked sideways, with a look of pride on the corner of his mouth.

Yuan Yuan's beauty and Yuan Yuan's excellence cannot be hidden in the crowd.In the past, with the eyes of a designer, she discovered this piece of rough jade at a glance.Now, with the eyes of a lover, she cannot miss the light of her lover.

"Okay, okay, let's be proud of each other. From now on, we will be the proudest and brightest couple in F City!"

The apartments near University B are mainly for students, and some are newcomers who have just graduated and have limited economic strength.Therefore, not every rental house is released through an intermediary, and some are recruited directly by the landlord.

Yuan Yuan picked out a few rooms that met their requirements in terms of location, size and budget, and planned to make a decision after reading it with Ye Qing today.The first apartment is the cheapest to rent, but the interior is not flattering.Probably the previous tenant was too exaggerated, and the landlord would rather evict them than the last month's rent.

The first second Yuan Yuan and Ye Qing stepped through the door, they smelled a faint special smell in the room, and their hearts sank.This room is unlivable, and the surrounding environment is also complicated.They reached a consensus after looking at each other, and left after a brief chat with the landlord.

The second apartment is not far from the first one, but the landlord changed his mind temporarily, saying that he had found a tenant the day before yesterday, so he would no longer rent it out.

Yuan Yuan stomped her feet angrily while holding the phone, Ye Qing advised her from the side: "Forget it, this kind of thing happens often, let's just go and see the next one."

Although she knew what Ye Qing said was reasonable, Yuan Yuan was still not angry: "How can this be so? You don't talk about the spirit of the contract at all! You clearly agreed to go to see the house on weekends, but you didn't tell me if you rented it out in advance. I made a trip for nothing!"

Yuan Yuan had little contact with such people in the past, and her consumption level determined that her service attitude would never be bad.

Ye Qing stroked her back to comfort her, seeing her angry look, wanted to laugh but was afraid that Yuan Yuan would get angry.

"Aren't you angry?" Yuan Yuan was still angry, but he couldn't bear to get angry at Ye Qing.

Ye Qing suppressed her smile, looked at the busy road in front of her, her thoughts drifted a little: "I was looking for a house in Paris before, and the unreliable things I encountered were more exaggerated than this. And after work, being missed appointments is even more common."

When Yuan Yuan heard this, she suddenly felt that she was coquettish and hypocritical just now.She was a little embarrassed, wishing to go back 10 minutes in time, as long as she deleted the clip where she stomped her feet continuously just now.

Ye Qing guessed what she was thinking by looking at her awkward appearance, and smiled and dragged her to the next apartment.

The third apartment was shown by the broker, and it is good in every way, but the landlord is a bit demanding.Requires background checks on tenants and requires a high occupancy bond.

Yuan Yuan frowned and muttered, "Isn't this the miniature version of the apartment we live in now?"

It was precisely because they wanted to save all kinds of unnecessary expenses that they chose to move, and this apartment was naturally passed.

After bidding farewell to the manager, Yuan Yuan continued to send messages on his mobile phone.It was already past lunch time, but the landlord's appointment time could not be changed, so they had to rush there hungry.

This apartment is not too close to University B, but the community has a very artistic atmosphere, and Yuan Yuan liked it at first glance.

"There is a very artistic atmosphere here, and you may have more inspiration living here."

Yuan Yuan pointed to the graffiti on both sides of the street, Ye Qing looked at it, smiled and said nothing.

The landlord is a middle-aged man, wearing a suit and combing his hair very neatly. He exudes the aura of Wall Street elites and seems out of place with this community.

At first Yuan Yuan thought that he had identified the wrong person, but he didn't believe that this was the person he wanted to meet until he dialed the other party's number.The other party saw the astonishment in her eyes, and explained politely: "This is my uncle's house. He has moved to a nursing home, so let me rent it out for you."

"So it is."

The man led them into the apartment. The decoration inside was old, but it could be seen that a lot of thought was put into it back then, and it was also maintained with great care over the years.Yuan Yuan held Ye Qing's hand all the time, and asked Ye Qing's opinion wherever he went, the intimacy between the two was obvious.

The landlord had been standing at the door and did not follow them in. Suddenly he coughed twice.

Yuan Yuan turned his head when he heard the sound, which meant that the other party had something to say.She was thinking, maybe she saw their liking for this place, so she had to formally discuss the lease.

Yuan Yuan led Ye Qing towards the door and stopped in front of the landlord with a smile on his face.

She was about to speak, but she heard the other party say: "May I ask, what is the relationship between the two?"

Yuan Yuan glanced at Ye Qing with a smile, then turned her head quickly, she moved so quickly that she ignored the worry in Ye Qing's eyes.

She replied very frankly: "We are a couple, and she is my partner."

As soon as Yuan Yuan's words fell, he clearly felt a slight tingling pain from the back of his hand, which was the tactile sensation of Ye Qing's nails scratching the skin.

Before he had time to ask Ye Qing what's wrong, a heavy and stern voice came from his ear: "I'm really sorry, I'm afraid I can't rent this house to you two."

Yuan Yuan was stunned, he hadn't talked about anything yet, why can't he rent it all of a sudden?

The other party remained polite, but she could see an expression of extreme restraint on the other party's face, which was called disgust, or disgust.

"Because of different beliefs, our family cannot accept same-sex relationships, please understand."

The other party's words were restrained enough that they didn't even include any dirty words, but Yuan Yuan's heart was inexplicably suffocated.

She wanted to argue and explain, but was held back by Ye Qing.Ye Qing, who hadn't spoken much all this time, jumped at this moment: "Thank you for your frankness. The layout of this apartment is very special. I'm very glad to be able to appreciate it today."

After finishing speaking, Ye Qing pulled Yuan Yuan away quickly without looking back.

Ye Qing didn't slow down until he passed two street corners.Yuan Yuan's face turned from red to white, and the original anger turned into sadness.

"Ye Qing, I'm sorry. I didn't expect to have such a landlord. Taking you out today is to accompany me to suffer." Yuan Yuan scratched her hair angrily, and lowered her head, very frustrated.

Ye Qing was silent for a few seconds.She fixedly looked at Yuan Yuan, pulled off her hair-holding hand, and held it in her palm.

"It's nothing, this is the state of society. In the past, you lived in a certain class and met mostly the same kind of people. Now when you come out of your comfort zone, you will inevitably meet all kinds of people."

Ye Qing was extremely calm, without any sadness or embarrassment in her eyes.

Yuan Yuan looked at her curiously: "You don't think that just now..."

It's annoying, but there's nothing you can do about it?

It was only at this time that Yuan Yuan realized what Jiang Zhilan and Jian Xinhe both mentioned, other people's colored glasses.She never felt that their relationship was wrong, but she neglected that in society, she was doomed not to be able to live with Ye Qing alone.

In society, if someone agrees, someone will oppose it, and if someone blesses it, someone will despise it.For the first time, Yuan Yuan really felt the pressure he would face in the future.

Ye Qing could see Yuan Yuan's frustration, she knew there would be such a day earlier than Yuan Yuan, but when she chose to hold hands without hesitation, she had no reason to back down now.

"Isn't there another one? Let's hurry up and finish reading and go to lunch, okay? I'm so hungry." Ye Qing's soft voice aroused Yuan Yuan's desire to protect.

"Why don't you push the last one, let's go eat first." Yuan Yuan thought to himself, today's luck is really bad, maybe the next one will be even worse.

Ye Qing did not follow.She was even urging her to hurry up: "Are you going to break the appointment just like the previous landlord did?"

Thinking of her anger just now, Yuan Yuan certainly didn't want to become that kind of person.

The last one is actually Yuan Yuan's least expectation among the five candidate apartments. There are two reasons: it is the closest to University B, and the large number of students means that the surrounding environment is noisy; the other is that the landlord is an old lady who lives alone. Opposite them, it is said that both apartments belong to her.

Although she doesn't have much experience in renting a house, she has seen a lot of complaints and posts on the Internet.Anyone who lives too close to the landlord will not be too comfortable.But the other conditions are met, so it is put in the last one.

Unexpectedly, none of the first four were suitable, and the last one, Yuan Yuan, just wanted to take a casual look.

Yuan Yuan's enthusiasm was hit, and she walked lazily, but in the end it was Ye Qing who pulled her forward.

The old lady was already waiting at the intersection, they were 5 minutes late, Ye Qing apologized repeatedly, but the old lady smiled tolerantly and said it was okay.

"Actually, I have clearly written the information about this apartment on the Internet, and there are quite a few people who have come to inquire about it." The old lady led the way and started chatting with them.

Yuan Yuan lacked interest, but Ye Qing took the initiative to talk to her, and she didn't stand in the cold along the way.

This is a small four-story apartment building with huge graffiti on the side. It can be seen that it has been maintained every year, and the color is as new as possible.

"Actually, this building is all mine, but I want to keep a few apartments downstairs so that my grandchildren will have a place to live when they come back, so I only rent out one."

Although the old lady is old, she speaks clearly and has a strong body.

The corridors are cleaned very clean, and the wooden floors are also very historical.It's not common in North America and has a European feel to it.

"The interior design of this house was done by my sister, who liked to travel around the world when she was young. She went to many places, but she didn't stay anywhere, and finally came back here."

The interior of the apartment is small, but perfectly laid out and filled with light.On a sunny day, the sun will shine in from the balcony and the large windows in the living room, making the whole house warm.

The living room is not big, but there is a beautiful fireplace, and there is even a vinyl record player next to it.Yuan Yuan and Ye Qing took a closer look, this is not a retro machine that was released in recent years, but something really old.

"There are basic furniture in the room, but there is no bed. If you need it, I can buy it for you." The old lady was also standing by the door, but her eyes were always smiling.

Yuan Yuan suddenly remembered something, hesitantly glanced at the hands they were holding, and after thinking about it, they still did not let go.If you let go of Ye Qing's hand today because of renting a house, you may let go of it for more other things in the future.

Ye Qing sensed her gaze, and her gaze also fell on the interlocking hands.She comforted her with a smile, then shook her head lightly to signal her not to worry.

The old lady saw them looking carefully inside the house, as if she was very interested in this apartment.

But she still didn't urge her. Yuan Yuan sneaked a glance at her and saw her smiling.This kind of laughter comes from the unique generosity and tolerance of the elders, and it is the warmth tempered by time.

This calmed Yuan Yuan's restless heart inexplicably, and she suddenly had the urge to live here, not only because the apartment was really nice.And the old lady's smile gave her a sense of intimacy.

She tested Ye Qing's meaning with her eyes, and the other party nodded to her with a smile, expressing that she liked it here too.

The next step is to talk about renting a house. The old lady has high requirements for tenants, and she has written clearly on the Internet.She hopes that the tenants can be quiet and polite, that the social relations of the tenants are simple, that they do not bring messy people back for the night, and that the tenants do not smoke or take medicine.

She also hopes that the tenants can have a stable job and social relationship, and the last point is that they can rent for a long time.

Yuan Yuan thought that they all met the requirements, but after going through the past, in order to avoid embarrassment if she really came here in the future, she simply made it clear in advance.

After she awkwardly stated her intentions, the old lady waved her hand unexpectedly, with a look of indifference: "It's no big deal, I saw it when you first appeared."

Oh so peaceful.

Yuan Yuan couldn't get back to his senses, originally thought that older people might be more conservative and stubborn.

"Renting to you guys is no different to me than renting to other couples, but my request is the same, no loud fights, let alone fights in my house."

Yuan Yuan quickly made a promise: "Please rest assured about this, I love my girlfriend very much, and I will never quarrel with her, let alone fight."

Ye Qing was afraid that she would be speechless, so he quickly stopped her.

Yuan Yuan blinked inexplicably, not understanding why Ye Qing didn't allow her to continue talking.It wasn't until the old lady looked at her with a smile for a long time that she slowly came back to her senses, as if she had accidentally said what was in her heart just now.

Coming out of the old lady's house, Yuan Yuan seemed to have had a dream.What was the least expected turned out to be the most suitable.

"Ye Qing, I learned another truth through renting a house today." Yuan Yuan excitedly grabbed Ye Qing's hand and couldn't wait to share today's experience.

"What is it?" Ye Qing was also in a good mood.

"Even if there is only a glimmer of life left, don't give up easily, no matter how much darkness you have experienced."

Regardless of still being at the corner of the street, Yuan Yuan leaned over and kissed Ye Qing on the cheek: "It's like our love."

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