Chapter 20: Exclusive on Jinjiang 1/4

The days after marriage seemed to have little difference from before.

Song Fuzhi still stayed up late and woke up early every day, engaged in intellectual battles with adolescents going through puberty, returned home alone, and slept after checking updates.

This week, Shi Zhang didn’t contact him; both WeChat and calls remained silent. Professor Shi was probably busy as usual.

If it weren’t for the rings being moved to the ring finger, Song Fuzhi probably wouldn’t even remember that he was already married.

The only call came from his parents. Old Song, upon hearing that they had obtained the certificate, became very happy and then asked when they were planning to have a wedding.

In fact, Song Fuzhi and Shi Zhang hadn’t discussed this issue. It seemed that neither of them had considered a wedding.

At other people’s weddings, there would be a VCR showcasing the couple’s love story. What could he and Shi Zhang possibly showcase? The time they spent together probably wouldn’t even add up to the length of a movie.

The newlyweds also needed to make vows and kiss in front of numerous guests, and just thinking about it made Song Fuzhi uncomfortable.

Clearly lacking a strong emotional foundation, they would have to pretend to have a deep connection. Song Fuzhi couldn’t do that.

Old Song insisted on having a wedding. Not having one was unacceptable, in his opinion.

Song Fuzhi returned to his previous state. No matter how much you persuaded him with emotions and reason, he would only say two words: “Not happening.”

This time, it was Teacher Wang who acted as a mediator, saying that if he didn’t want a wedding, it was fine, as organizing the venue and going through various procedures would be troublesome.

“But it’s still a good idea to come back for a meal,” Wang Huilin said. “Just at home, with your aunt and uncle’s families, let our own family have a meal together.”

Song Fuzhi still said, “I’ll ask Shi Zhang if he wants to come.”

Wang Huilin agreed, telling him to check with Shi Zhang.

Soon, the weekend arrived. Song Fuzhi lazed in bed for almost half an hour before getting up to wash. While brushing his teeth, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t arranged with Shi Zhang where to meet.

After all, they had decided to use the same car for environmental reasons.

Brushing his teeth, he roamed around the house, toothbrush in his mouth, picked up his phone from the living room, and typed to Shi Zhang with one hand, “Good morning, Professor Shi. Where would it be convenient for us to meet?”

Shi Zhang replied, “I’m downstairs in your community.”

Then he added, “Take your time, no rush.”

Song Fuzhi was momentarily stunned, dropped his phone, and rushed into the bathroom to rinse. His speed was more than twice as fast.

He was still half-naked on the upper body, wearing only boxer briefs.

As the weather got warmer, Song Fuzhi liked to sleep naked in the summer. He didn’t like wearing a robe at night; it was too hot. The feeling of his skin directly against the cotton quilt was very comfortable, so he usually got up almost naked.

He was still bare above, and the professor was already waiting downstairs.

Song Fuzhi quickly tidied himself up, put on a shirt and pants, adjusted the collar, and finally checked his image in the mirror for two seconds, confirming that he looked decent before swiftly leaving the house.

Shi Zhang’s car was parked at the entrance of the community, and the elegant and heavy car model was very conspicuous. Song Fuzhi saw it as soon as he stepped out.

The man sat in the car, saw Song Fuzhi, and after a brief gaze, he smiled naturally at him.

“How did Professor Shi know I lived here?” Song Fuzhi asked.

Shi Zhang said, “Last time, when you had a headache, I ordered medicine for you online; it was in this community.”

“Your memory is too good.” Song Fuzhi murmured softly, feeling a sense of being remembered.

Although it was probably because Professor Shi naturally had a good memory,

“Get in the car.” Shi Zhang clicked the car lock.

Song Fuzhi opened the car door, and a hot and steaming breakfast aroma greeted him.

In the car were two well-filled multigrain pancakes, a bowl of pan-fried buns, a bowl of wontons, two portions of vegetable salad, and two cups of freshly squeezed fruit juice. It was a balanced and visually appealing breakfast.

Song Fuzhi stood by the car door, momentarily stunned.

“I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I bought something random,” Shi Zhang said.

“Thank you, Professor Shi; it’s very thoughtful.” Song Fuzhi sincerely expressed, “Did you get up very early?”

Shi Zhang laughed lightly. “Not at all. As you get older, you sleep less, and when you can’t sleep in the morning, you might as well get up and buy breakfast.”

Song Fuzhi got into the car, and the two of them opened the windows to have breakfast. The things Shi Zhang bought were very convenient and wouldn’t easily mess up the car.

Outside the window, the morning light poured in, and the birds chirped. They leisurely sat in the car, eating breakfast, and the items Shi Zhang bought were convenient, not likely to make a mess in the car.

“My parents want to have a meal at home again and invite a few relatives.” Song Fuzhi chatted, “Professor Shi, do you want to go?”

“Because we got married?” Shi Zhang asked.

“Mm, they think it’s necessary to have a meal with the family after getting married.” Shi Zhang nodded.

“Next time, I’ll drive to pick you up,” Song Fuzhi said.

Shi Zhang agreed.

The two of them finished breakfast in the car and then drove to the pre-arranged real estate agency to view houses.

House hunting was actually quite a troublesome task, much more laborious than imagined.

Location, floor, orientation, community environment, supporting facilities, price, and various other considerations needed to be taken into account, one by one.

When buying a house before, he only had to consider his own preferences, so it was relatively less complicated. Now, considering the work and preferences of two people, they were not entirely satisfied with several houses they had viewed.

After coming down from another newly built apartment building, Song Fuzhi held a thick stack of housing information in his hand, marked with many notes.

“Sorry, both of you, I need to take a call,” the agent bowed slightly, pointing to the ringing phone.

“Go ahead.”

While the agent moved away, Song Fuzhi opened the information paper and straightforwardly discussed his thoughts on each house with Shi Zhang: “The first one we looked at had too low a floor, there will definitely be a lot of mosquitoes in the summer, and the privacy is not great. The second one has an average orientation, probably won’t get much sunlight, and to be honest, it’s a bit overpriced. The one at the back is good, but it needs to be renovated from scratch.”

Song Fuzhi spoke quickly, his forehead slightly wrinkled, expressing his objective and somewhat unhappy views of each house.

The temperature wasn’t too hot yet, but the midday sun was intense, shining brightly on them.

Shi Zhang noticed that Song Fuzhi’s back was sweating a bit, his white shirt becoming somewhat transparent, revealing the lines of his well-built back muscles.

Shi Zhang’s gaze became warm for a moment.

He silently averted his eyes, forcing himself to focus on the housing information.

“Professor Shi, what do you think?” Song Fuzhi had said a lot, and he looked at Shi Zhang for his opinion.

Because he had spoken so much, his lips were somewhat dry. Unconsciously, Song Fuzhi licked his lips.

Shi Zhang didn’t express his opinion on the houses; he just lightly placed his hand on Song Fuzhi’s arm, leading him to the shade of the roof. The glaring sunlight was significantly weakened.

It was only then that Shi Zhang took the housing information from Song Fuzhi’s hand and discussed the pros and cons of each house with him.

Song Fuzhi listened attentively, his brows slightly furrowed.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve looked for a house,” Song Fuzhi, after listening to Shi Zhang’s thoughts, smiled somewhat helplessly and tilted his head back. “I need to do a lot of homework. I’ll study it when I get home.”

“Uh, it’s quite troublesome.” Shi Zhang closed the information, holding it in his hand without giving it back to Song Fuzhi.

“Take your time; you’ll find the right one.”

In the evening, Shi Zhang dropped Song Fuzhi off at home before returning to his own place.

Several messages from Tong Tong were piling up on his phone. Shi Zhang read them and replied, “Something came up; let’s talk later.”

After replying to Tong Tong, Shi Zhang sat at the desk, cleaned his glasses, spread out the stack of housing information from the daytime, and opened his computer.

Although Professor Shi might not be good at many things, writing summaries of field investigations was definitely his strong suit.

He neatly listed the messy housing options in the document. When viewing times, locations, and various advantages and disadvantages, all the data was organized very clearly.

Shi Zhang wrote intermittently, occasionally checking information. He increasingly felt that buying a house shouldn’t be done casually; otherwise, it would be easy to make mistakes.

Before, when he was alone, it didn’t matter. But now, he couldn’t let Song Fuzhi step into pitfalls with him.

So, Shi Zhang planned to call Ouyang Xi, as their family had moved into a new house a few years ago and they had ample experience buying houses.

After the call connected, Ouyang Xi’s nonchalant voice came through: “Oh, Professor Shi is taking the initiative to contact me; is it something important?”

“Just seeking advice, Mr. Ouyang. Do you have any experiences in buying a house to share?” Shi Zhang asked.

“Oh, buying a house—there’s a lot to say about that,” Ouyang Xi sighed.

He and his wife were struggling every day when buying a house, doing renovations, and taking care of their child after work, leaving them with no time to rest. Family chores could wear a person down.