Tea of Summer - Chapter 35: Winter Warmth 3.2

Chapter 35

Winter Warmth 3.2

“Aren’t you coming in?”  Song Qiyan asked with uncertainty after he had already changed into his slippers as Xia Liang stood at the door dumbfounded.

Xia Liang felt like she had just woken from a dream. She walked in and shut the door.

On the way here, they had continued to argue, but finally settled on going to Song Qiyan’s apartment together first to let him take his medicine. After he rested, then they would discuss whether he should take her home or not.

After she took off her boots, Song Qiyan already placed a pair of cotton slippers in front of her.  “I wear them in winter.  You can wear them for now.  I’ll buy a new pair in your size next time.”

“Uhm, it’s ok.”  Xia Liang put on the slippers without thinking too much of it.  Oh, so big……Her feet could swim inside them. ==

She followed Song Qiyan to the living room.  Then she pondered.  Ah, it seemed that there was something not quite right with their conversation just now……

She looked around this small apartment she was visiting the first time.  It was not a large apartment, just about several hundred square feet.  But there was a kitchen, dining table, small living room, bathroom and a bedroom.  The apartment was very clean.  It was quite plain.  There was not even a TV in the living room, only a couple of magazines on the coffee table.  The only thing which could be counted as decor was probably the green plants on the small balcony.

“Shixiong, do you live by yourself?”

Song Qiyan poured two cups of water for him and Xia Liang. “En.” He drank water to soothe his throat. “I like it quite.”  Then he plugged in the power cord of an electric kettle to boil water.

Xia Liang smiled and said light-heartedly, “I can tell.”

He looked like he was the quiet type of man who didn’t like noise.

“Uh?”

“Nothing.” Xia Liang waved her hands. “Right, you go check your temperature right now.”  She pushed Song Qiyan.  He obediently followed her onto the couch.  “Where is the medicine box?  I will get it for you.”

Song Qiyan gently looked at her. “It’s in the drawer below the TV stand.”

Xia Liang followed his direction and walked over.  She squatted in front of the stand and muttered lightly. “A TV stand without a TV……”

Song Qiyan happened to hear it.  He gave an earnest reply. “The TV was not included when I rented the apartment.  I don’t watch TV much, so I didn’t buy one.”

Xia Liang took out the medicine box.  She walked over and put it on the coffee table.  She looked at inside and picked up the thermometer.  Then she picked up the alcohol swab and rubbed the thermometer carefully.

“Uhm, I don’t watch TV much either……Especially after I got my own laptop.  It’s much more convenient to use a computer.”  Xia Liang gave the cleaned thermometer to Song Qiyan.  “But occasionally I go to the movie with friends.  I find the large screen to be a more immersive experience.”

Song Qiyan already put the thermometer into his mouth.  His deep, black crystal like, almond eyes attentively watched the girl before him, who was busy tidying up his medicine box. There was a subconscious want to indulge her even more, something even he didn’t realize.

Because it was an electronic thermometer, a “Di” sounded after about 10 seconds when it was done.

Song Qiyan took out the thermometer and looked at it without much expression.

“How high is it?”  Xia Liang looked at him with concern.

Song Qiyan said lightly, “It’s ok.”

Xia Liang looked at him in confusion.  Then she simply stretched out her hand to grab it.

Probably because he was indeed sick plus his exhaustion, Song Qiyan was exceptionally obedient.  But he also became somewhat childish, he struggled a little bit before he put the thermometer into Xia Liang’s hand.

Xia Liang looked at the display, 102 degrees. She panicked a bit before realizing that it was in Fahrenheit

Not right……

She had heard that anything over 100 Fahrenheit was treated as fever.

She took out her phone and opened a unit converter app.  She typed in 102.  Then she almost jumped up after she saw the converted number.  She stared at Song Qiyan mercilessly and said angrily, “It’s almost 39 Celsius degrees!  How can it be ok!”

Song Qiyan looked at her with his beautiful eyes.  He blinked his eyes innocently.

Xia Liang was frustrated.  She puffed up her cheeks unhappily. “Shixiong, you really don’t take care of your own body!”

At that moment, the sound of water boiling came from kitchen.  Xia Liang stared at him again and then walked with her slippers to the kitchen to pour the water.  Not too long later, she came out holding a cup of hot water.  She put it on the coffee table in front of him.  She commanded, “Drink it up.”

Song Qiyan winked his beautiful almond eyes again.  Then he obediently held up the cup and blew off the steam.

Xia Liang squatted again.  She looked around inside the medicine box.  Then she held one bottle of medicine in each hand.  Both bottles were labelled “fever reducer”.  She lifted both hands looking at Song Qiyan. She asked with a hash tone, “Which one?”

Song Qiyan pointed to the left bottle.

Xia Liang put down the bottle in her left hand on the coffee table and the other bottle back to the medicine box. She picked up the bottle on the table and looked at the instructions.  She passed it  to Song Qiyan. “Two pills.”  She saw that the cup of hot water in Song Qiyan’s hand was still full, she couldn’t help raising her eyebrows again. “Why haven’t you finished it yet?”

Song Qiyan coughed lightly. “Uhm, hot……”

Xia Liang, “……” After hearing the word “Hot” in such a pathetic tone , Xia Liang deflated like a popped balloon, losing all her steam.

She coughed dryly unnaturally.  She turned her head and reached out with her hand towards  Song Qiyan. “Then, I will pour some cold water in for you.”

Song Qiyan held the cup and moved back a little bit.  His right hand pushed her left hand back to her side.  “It’s ok. The temperature is just right now.”

She watched Song Qiyan take the fever reducing medicine and breathed a sigh of relief.  She couldn’t help using the back of her hand to feel the temperature on his forehead.  Her cold little hand touched his forehead.  It still seemed to be burning hot.

Song Qiyan had a helpless expression.  “Xia Xia, the medicine won’t work that fast.”

Xia Liang retracted her hand embarrassed.  She murmured in low voice, “Oh……”

Song Qiyan raised the corner of his lips. He used the back of his left hand to touch the back of the girl’s hand.  “Your hand is too cold.”

Xia Liang didn’t quite care.  “Oh, I’m a little anemic.  My hands and feet are cold usually.  I’m used to it.  Ah, what are you doing?”  She looked at Song Qiyan who was getting up.

Song Qiyan held his own cup in one hand, the other hand held the wrist of Xia Liang’s right hand.  He led her into the kitchen.

He released Xia Liang’s wrist to take out a glass from the cupboard.  He washed it with the cold water first, then poured the hot water from the kettle to rinse the glass.  Finally he filled it up with hot water and handed it to Xia Liang.

The glass was already warm when Xia Liang got it.  The warmth passed from her palm to her body.  It felt warm.

Song Qiyan leaned on the kitchen counter and gently looking at her.  He stared right into her eyes.  “Drink more hot water and hot milk.  A girl needs to know how to take care of herself.”

Xia Liang stuck out her tongue embarrassedly.  “Hot water is alright.  Hot milk……I don’t like it.  I only drink cold milk.”  She always felt that hot milk had a strong smell.  It was difficult to swallow it.

Song Qiyan’s disagreement showed through his frowning eyebrows. “Don’t drink cold milk in the winter.  It’s not good for the stomach.”

If these words were from her parents, she definitely would make some fun of it or argue back occasionally.  But it was from Song Qiyan who took everything seriously, she was unable to refuse him.  She could only nod obediently. “Ok.”

Song Qiyan by then released his frowning eyebrows and drank some hot water.

Xia Liang blew on the hot water and took a sip.  It was obviously just ordinary hot water, but somehow it tasted better than usual.

The small apartment was quiet for the time being.  Only the quiet sound of of two people sipping water could be heard.

Xia Liang was distracted by her thoughts.  Song Qiyan must have had a very close relationship with his grandmother.  Therefore his grandmother’s passing obviously saddened him.  Even his physical body was affected.

Xia Liang drank the water, put down the cup, then took another sip again, and put down the cup again. She glanced at Song Qiyan, then subconsciously lifted the cup and drank again.

“What’s wrong?” Song Qiyan asked.

Xia Liang accidentally choked and began to cough incessantly.

Song Qiyan hurriedly put down his own cup on the counter and patted her back lightly to help her breathe better.  He said softly. “Be careful.”

Xia Liang calmed down after a long period of time.  She realized that she had been making quite a fool of herself today and could not stop herself from blushing.

Fortunately Song Qiyan was merely watching her eyes earnestly with concern.  There wasn’t an ounce of derision on his face.  That made her relax somewhat.

“What were you thinking about just now?”  Song Qiyan resumed the subject of their conversation before. “You were in a daze.”

Xia Liang honestly answered, “I was thinking just now, that you must have a very close relationship with your grandmother.”  After she said it, she felt very stupid.  It might make him feel sad again to bring up this topic.

Song Qiyan’s seemed to look into the distance after hearing her.  He seemed to be pulling up more memories.  “Uhm, grandma really liked me.  I have another cousin.  He is the son of my eldest uncle.  But grandma always favored me, the youngest grandson.  My father is a doctor.  My mother is a lawyer.  They’re both very busy.  So basically I was brought up by grandma.  Grandma was an English teacher before.  She taught me English when I started to learn……Though I have grown up in recent years, before I came abroad, she was still lecturing me before I departed like lecturing a child.  Telling me to take good care of myself.”

Song Qiyan had drunk more than half of the cup, so he turned around to fill up some more hot water.  His face was hidden behind the rising hot steam.  Xia Liang could not see his face clearly and his expression.  She just saw some poorly concealed yearning and sadness from this tall and silent man.  And……some fragileness.

She put down her cup and turned to face him.  She patted his arm. “Shixiong, you will get better.  Everybody has many important people in their lifetime.  They will all eventually become a passersby in our life.  What we need to do is to move forward bravely. Be worthy of their expectations.”

Song Qiyan’s face was still hidden among the rising mist.  After a while, the perturbed Xia Liang heard him laugh lightly.

Song Qiyan also put down his cup.  His clear and handsome face was in front of Xia Liang’s eyes again.  He tenderly looked at Xia Liang.  Then he held her in his arms.  His left face touched her hair.  His voice was warm. “Thank you.  Xia Xia.”

Xia Liang was frozen in shock for a while after Song Qiyan embraced her into his wide and warm arms.  She was hot from her ears to her face.  She finally recovered after his voice sounded beside her ears.  She lifted her hands slowly and tried to put them on his back.  She patted him slightly and hugged him back. “En.”