Chapter 32 Part 2

After saying that, he stood up and went back to his phone call.

Zhou Muyao knew they were definitely in contact, but he didn't ask for more details. It was pointless to ask anyway; He Lezhi was now someone beyond his reach.

Before leaving, the two of them even remembered to wash the basins and spoons they had used and to take out the trash.

Not only did Han Fangchi not politely tell them to stop washing, he even said, "Don't splash water everywhere."

"Got it," Zhou Muyao said.

"I'll splash all I want," Xiao Yao said. "Don't you have a floor scrubber?"

Han Fangchi shot him a glance. Seeing his annoying look, he remembered He Lezhi saying that Xiao Yao didn't get jealous anymore. He wanted to send He Lezhi a message to tell him that if someone was petty as a child, they wouldn't change when they grew up.

And he really sent it.

After the two left, he took a shower. Before going to bed, after tidying up, he sent a message to He Lezhi: Xiao Yao was just bringing up the floor scrubber again.

He Lezhi had also just finished getting ready. He received the message and replied: How did he bring it up?

Fangchi: He was being sour.

Lezhi: Hahaha, I'll definitely buy him one for the New Year this year.

Fangchi: Why should you?

He Lezhi hadn't been home for several days, and the two hadn't seen each other. Now they were messaging back and forth, chatting for a little while.

Han Fangchi asked him about the food and lodging conditions on the mountain.

He Lezhi said he wasn't used to the food, but could barely get enough to eat.

Han Fangchi asked what day he was coming back.

He Lezhi said next Tuesday.

Fangchi: Time?

He Lezhi sent a screenshot; it was for nine in the evening.

Fangchi: I'll pick you up.

He Lezhi originally wanted to say there was no need, but then he worried it would be held against him later, so he silently deleted it without sending.

He Lezhi was currently on a long-term project. For the next period of time, he might have to come here frequently for business trips, and he might even have to live here for a few months after the project started.

The person he was coordinating with was an engineer from the local municipal State Grid. He was a sturdy man from Northwest China with a heavy accent, but he was very interesting. He had built a small stone stove and was roasting sweet potatoes with He Lezhi.

"When I get back, I'll report this to the leadership and have them send us a good cook," said the engineer, whose surname was Ma.

He Lezhi held a sweet potato that was roasted black and asked with a smile, "You're not used to the food either?"

"It's so bad, who could get used to it? It's just plain bad. We don't usually eat this stuff either." He was a pure Northwesterner, and with his accent, he seemed very simple and honest.

"This is very sweet." He Lezhi pointed to the sweet potato to show him. "Thank you."

"You've worked hard." Engineer Ma promised, "Next time you come, you'll definitely be able to eat your fill."

"No, no, I can get my fill this time too," He Lezhi said with a laugh.

He took out his phone with his less dirty hand and sent a photo of the simple stove and the sweet potato to Han Fangchi.

It was still light out on his end, but it was already completely dark on Han Fangchi's side.

Han Fangchi asked: You didn't eat enough?

He Lezhi replied: I'm full. Someone else roasted them and called me over to eat.

Fangchi: Is it cooked?

Lezhi: It's half-cooked.

Fangchi: Don't get sick from it.

Lezhi: Okay haha.

Actually, if he ignored the rather harsh living conditions, He Lezhi quite liked the location of this business trip. Blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and herds of cattle and sheep. Moreover, the signal was stable, and the internet speed was decent. A previous business trip had taken him to a place with almost no signal, which truly made him feel cut off from the world.

It took He Lezhi a whole day of travel to get back from there. The plane landed a little early, arriving before nine o'clock. Getting off the plane and returning to his own city was still a very happy feeling.

He Lezhi told Han Fangchi that he had arrived.

Fangchi: I've arrived too.

After getting his luggage and coming out, He Lezhi was pushing his suitcase with one hand and holding his phone with the other, talking to He Qi.

When a hand grabbed the hood of his clothes and pulled it over his head, He Lezhi stopped in his tracks and looked to the side.

"You were about to run into me and you didn't even look up."

With half his face hidden by the hood, He Lezhi tilted his chin up to look at Han Fangchi, his expression instantly lighting up with pleasant surprise. "You actually came inside?"

Han Fangchi left his hand on his hood and didn't take it off, using it to guide his head forward as they walked. He said, "You don't watch where you're going?"

"I don't know anyone here, so what's there to see," He Lezhi said with a laugh. "I didn't know you came in."

He Qi said on the phone, "Are you coming back this weekend? Ask Fangchi to come along, we'll have something good to eat."

He Lezhi said, "I'll be back. I don't know if he's free."

He Qi: "Ask him."

Still with his face obscured by the hood, He Lezhi turned to Han Fangchi and asked him, "My mom is asking if you're free this weekend to come over for dinner."

Han Fangchi moved closer and said loudly, "I am, Auntie."

He Lezhi: "He is."

"I heard," He Qi laughed. "Alright, I'm hanging up now."

"Okay," He Lezhi said.

"Bye, Auntie," Han Fangchi said.

Putting the phone away, He Lezhi said to Han Fangchi, "You could have just waited for me in the parking lot. Why did you come inside?"

"I was tired of sitting, so I wanted to stand for a bit." Han Fangchi lowered his hand, taking off his hood for him in the process.

He Lezhi's hair was already a mess from the hood, but he wasn't angry and didn't even bother to fix it, figuring it would sort itself out in the wind outside.

The spring winds had started blowing recently. As soon as they stepped out of the airport, the wind hit them head-on. He Lezhi's breath caught, and the force of the wind made him instinctively lean back.

Beside him, Han Fangchi put his hood back on and kept a hand on it as they walked.

"Fangchi," He Lezhi called him.

The wind snatched his voice away, making it unclear. Han Fangchi heard it but didn't respond, so He Lezhi just kept calling, "Fangchi, Fangchi."