Chapter 33: Fell into the Water

Chapter 33: Fell into the Water

Looking at the neatly hung clothes across the yard, Cheng Miao, standing on a stool, couldn't help but sigh, "At a mere 1.6 meters, I still can't reach that high! Don't underestimate a young man's potential—wait until I grow to 1.8 meters tall."

"Right, Brother Lu?" he said, using the stool's height to his advantage to pat Lu Yu on the head from above.

"I can grow to 1.85 meters," Lu Yu said with a blank face, looking at him.

"You're not going to be that tall. I'm 1.8 meters," Cheng Miao said with a face full of doubt.

Lu Yu didn't bother to argue, his expression unmoved, as if to say, "Believe it or not."

The two returned to the room, looking at the floor covered in water and footprints everywhere.

Sighing, Cheng Miao thought, "Well, guess we gotta keep going."

At that moment, he really missed the era of fully automatic washing machines. Indeed, technology frees up our hands; technology is the primary productive force.

The washing machine drained straight into the sewer, but the water in the basin was too heavy to lift and dump out. He had to scoop it out little by little with a small bowl until there was less water, then pour it out.

Feeling glum, Cheng Miao scooped up a full basin of water, holding it with both hands, ready to stand up straight and pour it into the drain.

Not watching where he was stepping, he slipped and fell face-first into the big basin, the water from the small basin in his hands splashing onto him.

Completely soaked through, Cheng Miao was on the verge of tears. He sat there in the basin, dazed, not fully registering what had happened, while his clothes soaked up a good chunk of the water.

Cheng Miao thought distractedly, "Well, no need to scoop water anymore; there's not much left."

Lu Yu was startled. Seeing Cheng Miao completely drenched, he hurried over to help him out. Cheng Miao, soaked and heavy, was hard to drag. With great effort, Lu Yu managed to haul him out of the basin.

Soon, Cheng Miao began to feel cold. The wet clothes, carrying a biting chill, seemed to seep into his skin.

Seeing Cheng Miao shiver, Lu Yu quickly grabbed a thick towel. "Get those wet clothes off."

Cheng Miao was taken aback. "Why take off my clothes?"

"They're all wet, just get them off," Lu Yu said with urgency. In such cold weather, wearing wet clothes would definitely make him sick.

He helped Cheng Miao take off his coat first, then his sweater, while Cheng Miao struggled to get his pants off.

Winter pants were thick—thermal underwear, wool leggings, and the outer pants—that's three layers total. Cheng Miao couldn't pull them down no matter how hard he tried.

Lu Yu sat him down on a small stool, took off his shoes and socks. Then, holding one small foot with one hand and pulling at the waistband of the long johns with the other, he yanked hard and finally got one leg out. He did the same for the other leg.

The pants, once removed, stubbornly stood up on their own even after being thrown on the floor.

Cheng Miao was left with only a tank top on top and a pair of briefs on the bottom.

Lu Yu checked the undershirt and briefs—they weren't completely soaked, but still a bit damp.

He frowned. "These need to come off too..."

Cheng Miao looked at him in disbelief. "Then I'd be completely naked!"

"Take off your clothes and get onto the kang first," Lu Yu said.

Cheng Miao thought he couldn't get on the kang in wet clothes, so he quickly pulled off his undershirt, awkwardly removed his briefs, and quickly covered himself with his hands. Before Lu Yu could hand him the towel, he scrambled onto the kang.

Once on the kang, he wrapped himself in the warm quilt, clutching it tightly, feeling secure again.

He stuck his head out, looking at Lu Yu, who was adding firewood to the stove for the kang, and couldn't help teasing, "Well, you've seen me naked again, Brother Lu. You've got to be responsible for me!"

Lu Yu paused mid-motion. "I didn't look."

"Ha, man, you not only saw my strong 18-year-old body but also had your eyes on my fresh 10-year-old body, and now you won't admit it."

Lu Yu remained unmoved, continuing to add firewood. "Stay wrapped up. If you get sick, you won't be able to enjoy the New Year."

Cheng Miao instinctively pulled the quilt tighter around himself. There's so much good food at New Year's; it would be a shame to be sick.

The fire gradually burned brighter, and the temperature on the kang slowly rose. Wrapped in the thick quilt, Cheng Miao gradually fell asleep in the growing warmth.

Lu Yu went back to the outer room and washed Cheng Miao's wet clothes again. Halfway through, Mother Cheng returned. Seeing the yard full of clothes, she was surprised and quickly asked Lu Yu what had happened.

Lu Yu explained that Cheng Miao had wanted to wash clothes since the weather was nice, and they had washed them together. Later, Cheng Miao accidentally fell into the water, got his clothes wet, and was now lying on the kang.

Mother Cheng was caught between laughter and frustration. She hurried inside to check on him, saw that Cheng Miao was sleeping soundly, then came out to take the clothes from Lu Yu. She felt his cold hands and, worried, urged him to go back to the room to warm up by the fire.

Lu Yu added a few more pieces of firewood to the stove and warmed his hands by the fire.

Looking at the sleeping Cheng Miao, he suddenly thought of the first time he met him. Flustered and helpless, covering himself with a small towel, face flushed red, like a deer that had wandered into a crowd. Not much different from how he was back then.

In his sleep, Cheng Miao seemed restless, as if feeling hot, and he tried to kick the quilt off.

Lu Yu pulled the quilt down a bit and accidentally touched his forehead, which felt a bit hot. Could he be running a fever?

Lu Yu placed his whole palm against Cheng Miao's forehead. It did feel a bit warm. Maybe his own hands were just cold?

He put his hand on his own forehead but couldn't tell the difference.

After a moment's thought, he went to find Mother Cheng. "Auntie, Cheng Miao's forehead feels a bit warm. Could he be getting sick?"

Mother Cheng hurried into the room to check. His forehead was indeed warm. She got a thermometer, woke Cheng Miao up, and got ready to take his temperature.

Cheng Miao woke up, saw Mother Cheng, and quickly boasted, "Mom, I washed all the clothes for you."

Mother Cheng tucked the thermometer under his armpit. "And ended up in the water yourself?"

Cheng Miao smiled sheepishly, leaning against her. "So, admit I did a good job, right?"

Seeing the yard full of clothes, Mother Cheng felt a warm glow. She patted Cheng Miao's head and said affectionately, "Good, how could my son not be good?"

"Then, your darling son ate a few extra candies—you won't hit him, will you?" Cheng Miao seized the opportunity. Mother Cheng seemed to be in a good mood now, so he probably wouldn't get hit.

Mother Cheng poked him in the head in exasperation. "Those candies are for the New Year. You had to eat them now. When the New Year comes and there are none, you'll be out of luck."

Cheng Miao grinned. "I'll go to other people's houses to eat; they'll have plenty anyway."

After a while, Mother Cheng took out the thermometer. Lu Yu came over to look too. The mercury was hard to see because of the glare, so he asked, "Is he sick?"

Mother Cheng looked carefully. It's not too high. "37.2°C, but he might have caught a bit of a chill."

"Keep playing around, and when you really get a fever and lose your sense of taste, then you'll be happy!"