Crossdress Ch67part1

Xu Yan woke up very early. In truth, he hadn’t slept well the entire night and had several dreams.

His grandma and Shang Jia were still sleeping, so Xu Yan rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning.

Even though the furniture at home was a bit old, after wiping off the layer of dust, the place emitted the warm, comforting scent of aged wood, making it feel cozy and pleasant.

Halfway through cleaning, the other two in the house woke up. Shang Jia helped tidy the yard while Grandma went to the kitchen to make breakfast. She simply cooked three bowls of plain noodles. The three of them sat at the small table in the yard, happily enjoying breakfast together.

The morning sun was warm and gentle. Xu Yan stretched lazily.

Life in the small town was slow-paced. For once, he didn’t look for a part-time job during the break and could enjoy this rare, peaceful time with his grandma.

The only downside was that he didn’t have a smartphone. The flip phone Shang Jia gave him could only make calls and send texts, it couldn’t go online.

Still, he couldn’t just sit still. He fenced off a small area of the yard to prepare a plot for raising animals. He planned to visit the market to see if there were any chicks or ducklings for sale. He used to raise three chicks and two ducklings, but when he left for school and his grandma got hospitalized, he had to give them away to Auntie Zhuang next door.

Now that he had the time, he wanted to raise them again.

Before long, Zhuang Sheng arrived carrying some gifts.

“Grandma, my mom asked me to bring this over. She heard you were discharged. Are you feeling better?”

“Much better, though I’m not as strong as I used to be. Thank your parents for me. But take all this back, I won’t be able to finish it, and it’ll just go to waste here.”

Every year, his grandma refused the gifts, and like always, Zhuang Sheng dropped them off and ran away.

As he reached the front gate, he called out to Xu Yan, who followed him out and chatted with him at the doorway.

“I thought you said you weren’t coming back for New Year’s?” Zhuang Sheng asked. “Did you guys fight?”

Xu Yan shut the door behind him so his grandma wouldn’t overhear. He lowered his head, kicking at pebbles along the roadside without saying a word.

Zhuang Sheng had a gut feeling this time was different. For someone as easygoing as Xu Yan to come all the way home, that guy must’ve seriously messed up.

Zhuang Sheng couldn’t help but be a little gleeful and nearly laughed. “Don’t tell me… you broke up?”

Xu Yan kicked a big rock down the path, his head still down, puffed up like an angry dumpling, and said nothing.

Zhuang Sheng couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Does he even know you came back?”

Xu Yan thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m not telling him.”

Zhuang Sheng figured as much, they hadn’t broken up.

“It’s normal to have friction when you’re with someone all the time,” he said earnestly. “Running away doesn’t solve anything. If there’s a misunderstanding, you’ve got to clear it up early. Cold wars are worse than arguments.”

Xu Yan looked like he kind of understood. “But I’m really mad.”

Zhuang Sheng said, “Then he must’ve done something really bad to make you this angry.”

Xu Yan nodded. “Very, very bad.”

“Then tell him that. Explain why you’re angry and what he did that made you uncomfortable. Sometimes people don’t realize what they did wrong unless you speak up. Even if you end up in a big fight and get everything out of your system, it’s better than bottling it up. Don’t let it fester.”

Xu Yan listened carefully. He felt like what Zhuang Sheng said made sense.

After Zhuang Sheng left, Xu Yan sat in the yard, deep in thought.

Shang Jia came out to find him, phone in hand. “It’s Nan Li,” she said, handing it to him.

As soon as he answered, Shen Nanli’s excited voice came through: “Yan Yan, you’re really back! And the senior came too! Come to the market and hang out! My dad and I are at our stall. It’s super lively here and there’s a ton of good food!”

Xu Yan had already planned to take Shang Jia for a walk through the market to experience the small-town vibe. His grandma was resting at home, so the two of them set out.

The market wasn’t far, no need to drive. Xu Yan rode his little electric scooter, with Shang Jia riding pillion.

He wore a helmet similar to the one he wore at the café, with two little dragon horns on top, adorably cute.

The scooter zipped through alleyways, turning a corner and passing a black luxury car parked by the roadside before disappearing.

Inside the car, Wen Sinian held a cigarette between his fingers, still burning.

It was a five to six-hour drive. He had arrived at 3 AM.

He hadn’t gotten out. Instead, he sat in the car all night, smoking one cigarette after another, watching the closed wooden door in the dark.

He could feel the cold creeping into the car, but imagining Xu Yan sleeping peacefully on the familiar bed inside, his childhood bed, slowly calmed his restless heart.

He didn’t dare park too close. His luxury car didn’t belong in the cramped, humble alley, just like him, he thought, who didn’t belong in Xu Yan’s world.

That morning, he saw Xu Yan chatting with Zhuang Sheng at the door from behind the windshield and smoked two more cigarettes in silence.

He had successfully quit smoking, but rushed out this time without his medication. All he had in the car was a pack of Marlboros for emergencies.

He forcibly suppressed his maddening urge to see, hug, kiss, and possess Xu Yan. He feared that if he didn’t, he’d break down that fragile wooden door.

He had thought: as long as he treated Xu Yan a little better, even if Xu Yan eventually found out about his dirty secrets, it wouldn’t matter. Xu Yan would be unable to leave him, and he wouldn’t be able to live without Xu Yan either.

Maybe he’d just wait until they were married to confess. Xu Yan was so traditional; once he had a marriage certificate, he probably wouldn’t file for divorce.

He’d have him forever.

It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.

Now Xu Yan, with those little dragon horns, was already long gone down the road. Wen Sinian stubbed out his cigarette, started the car, and followed at a distance.

If Xu Yan had to come back here, then he’d see for himself what this town had that he didn’t.

His Aston Martin stood out on the small-town streets. Even strangers could tell the car was out of place.

But Xu Yan and Shang Jia didn’t notice a thing.

Xu Yan, happy again, introduced things along the road: the egg pancakes he loved, his old elementary school, the tiny cake shop, the old open-air movie nights…

Everything.

People they passed greeted him, and he cheerfully greeted them back.

Once at the market, they parked and joined the crowd.

Since it was close to New Year, lots of young people who worked or studied elsewhere were back, making the usually quiet town bustling.

Shen Nanli spotted them from afar and waved them over. His booth was full of fireworks. His dad had left, and his job was to sell everything before going home.

“I’ll pay you both if you help,” he joked.

“How much?” asked Shang Jia.

“I’ve got enough to treat you to snacks,” Shen Nanli said. “Yanyan, remember the pancakes I love? That grandma’s at the head of the market today. Let’s buy one later.”

“Absolutely!” Xu Yan’s eyes lit up.

He handed them stools, and the three sat like potatoes growing out of the ground.

Business was okay, Shen Nanli was a natural at it. But selling out would be hard.

Then suddenly, a middle-aged man came over and said without asking the price, “I’ll take all of it.”

Shen Nanli nearly choked on his water. Xu Yan quickly confirmed: “All of it? Even the firecrackers?”

“Yes. Name a price,” the man said.

It was like a jackpot. Thankfully, Xu Yan and Shang Jia helped tally up the total.

After paying, the man left with his helpers and the booth was cleaned out in no time.

“You guys coming tomorrow?”

Xu Yan nodded blankly. “Yeah, I’ll come again.”

The middle-aged man looked at Xu Yan. “You too?”

Xu Yan glanced at Shen Nanli and nodded. “Yes, I’ll come.”

The man said, “Alright then. I’ll come again tomorrow. I still want all your goods.”

After speaking, he swaggered off, leaving the three of them to cheer in excitement.

Having exceeded expectations, Shen Nanli generously pulled out two red bills. “Come on, even if you eat the whole market clean today, I’ll foot the bill.”

Xu Yan and Shang Jia didn’t hold back, eating from one end of the market to the other. Before leaving, each of them even got an egg-stuffed pancake.

After they left, another young man arrived at the pancake stall. He was dressed in a suit, exuding an air of sophistication completely out of place in the night market.

The old woman at the stall asked, “Handsome, what kind would you like?”

Wen Sinian replied with a question: “What did the three from earlier get?”

“Oh, them? All three ordered the same, extra sausage and a piece of pork loin. Want the same as them?”

Wen Sinian looked at the dirty little food cart and said calmly, “Yes.”

Xu Yan had always loved eating this, and he had even once cried to him because the stall near their school had closed.

When he saw Xu Yan earlier, beaming from ear to ear, he couldn’t bring himself to disturb him. He just quietly followed from a distance, watching him.