Chapter 21: Exclusive to Jinjiang 2/2

Seeing the bathtub take up space, Song Fuzhi frowned, and seeing the price, he frowned again.

“It takes up space, is expensive, is not used frequently, is wasteful of water, and maintenance is troublesome,” Song Fuzhi casually listed the five drawbacks of the bathtub.

“Because my parents installed one at home, and they used it maybe twice a year. They ended up using it to raise turtles,” Shi Zhang said after a moment of silence, but he remained firm. “Professor Song, I want to buy a bathtub.”

“Do you enjoy taking baths?” Song Fuzhi asked.

“I don’t have a bathtub in my current home,” Shi Zhang admitted, “so I want to have one in the new house.”

“What if you realize you don’t actually like taking baths after installing it?” Song Fuzhi asked.

Shi Zhang looked at Song Fuzhi calmly and said, “I will like it.”

Song Fuzhi didn’t respond and looked at the product page for the bathtub brand.

Shi Zhang suggested, “Professor Song, how about this: two bathrooms in the house, one with a shower and one with a bathtub. That way, we each have what we like. I’ll pay for the bathtub and take care of maintenance.”

“It’s not about the money.” Song Fuzhi lightly furrowed his brow.

But the Shi Professor’s proposal was indeed sensible and fair. Each person gets a bathroom, they each enjoy what they like, and he pays for his side of the expenses and takes care of future maintenance. In the end, Song Fuzhi wasn’t at a loss.

However, it felt somewhat awkward, as if they were just roommates sharing a place, not legally recognized partners, needing to allocate even the bathroom evenly.

Song Fuzhi inexplicably felt a bit stifled but quickly smoothed it over within himself.

Considering their current relationship, a clear division was probably the most reasonable solution.

So, they compromised.

The second disagreement was about choosing a mattress.

Song Fuzhi wasn’t picky about beds and thought most mattresses were fine. However, Shi Zhang mentioned a European brand, and the price for even an ordinary one was several thousand.

Song Fuzhi tried one in their store, and while it felt comfortable, it didn’t seem to justify the exorbitant price.

Song Fuzhi realized there were some differences in their spending habits.

Well, let’s be realistic. They might still have some economic distance.

Shi Professor made the same proposal: “Put this mattress in the master bedroom, and I’ll cover the cost.”

Song Fuzhi chuckled lightly, not showing his emotions. “We have two bedrooms, one with a good mattress and one with an average one. You sleep in the master bedroom, and I’ll take the guest bedroom. Perfect.”

Shi Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, “That’s not what I meant.”

“I was just joking,” Song Fuzhi teased. “I didn’t expect Professor Shi to be quite a spender.”

Shi Zhang tried to explain, “I just have higher quality requirements for these two things.”

Song Fuzhi had already figured it out by now.

“Understood. After all, a third of a person’s life is spent in bed, so the mattress should indeed be the best.”

Originally, Song Fuzhi hadn’t intended for Shi Professor to bear the entire expense of nearly one hundred thousand yuan for these two items. But Shi Zhang swiftly placed orders for both the bathtub and mattress, not allowing Song Fuzhi to contribute.

“This isn’t right, Professor Shi.” Song Fuzhi playfully took out his phone, ready to scan Shi Zhang’s payment code.

Shi Zhang gently held Song Fuzhi’s shoulder and fixed him in place.

“If I said I’d pay, then I’d pay.”

Shi Zhang earnestly proposed, “If Professor Song really wants to share the expenses, you can.”

“Use it first. If you end up liking the bathtub and mattress, feeling they are good, you can pay me back in installments. How about that?” Shi Zhang looked at Song Fuzhi calmly and said, “It’s not a money issue.”

Song Fuzhi silently smiled.

Professor Shi was behaving like the person who gave him a hard sell on Amway, Luo Luli.

“I’ll pay for your VIP membership. Watch this first; I guarantee it’s good. If it’s good, renew it yourself.”

“Okay.”

He wanted to see how comfortable this bathtub and mattress could make him.

Time gradually approached the end-of-term exams for the first year of high school, and the progress bar for home renovation steadily reached completion.

Both educators had a period of summer vacation, so it was perfect for moving during that time.

As moving day approached, was packing really that far away?

Packing things was the most headache-inducing task for Song Fuzhi.

Moreover, this time, he had to pack up an entire house.

Privately, Song Fuzhi was a bit disorganized. Just by looking at his steady and handsome appearance, it was hard to imagine him being carefree at home.

Facial cleanser was often forgotten, clothes in the wardrobe were in a messy pile, and after work, he loved lying on the sofa to read comics, throwing his slippers far away. Except for the model display cabinet, which was the neatest place, everywhere else was filled with traces of daily life.

Song Fuzhi slowly began to pack the luggage that he planned to take to the new house. This kind of thing had to be done early, or else it would be overwhelming to leave it until the last moment.

Originally, packing was already quite annoying. However, when he saw the display cabinet, Song Fuzhi realized a problem and suddenly lost all motivation.

With so many figurines, Gundam models, and various handsome male character artbooks, how could he bring them to the new house?

His parents didn’t know about his “childish” hobbies, let alone this professor with a scholarly aura and a serious yet gentle demeanor.

Without much hesitation, Song Fuzhi decided to leave these things in the current house. If he wanted to see them later, he could always come back home.

The idea was simple, but Song Fuzhi felt a wave of melancholy from the depths of his heart.

The next moment, Song Fuzhi suddenly realized that Teacher Octupos had announced his retirement from the online community.

Now, not only did he lose the joy of physical figurines, but he also lost a very important source of spiritual nourishment.

Song Fuzhi looked down at the ring on his ring finger, silently lowering his gaze.

Marriage forced him to hide these preferences, and Teacher Octupos’s retirement further impoverished his spiritual life.

There was one last chance to make him less regretful.

After some time accepting this reality, Song Fuzhi’s first decision was to go to the comic convention.

This was the last time. It wouldn’t be right not to go.

Song Fuzhi thought, Let the comic convention put an end to his past life.

In the evening, he called Luo Luli.

Luo Luli’s voice sounded lazy, as if she had just finished playing with a man.

She hummed through her nose and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Song Fuzhi said, “Respected lady, may I inquire about which flight you booked to Shenzhen?”

Luo Luli sat up abruptly, and a few seconds later, he burst into extremely joyful laughter. “Ahahaha, have you finally succumbed to your desires?”

Song Fuzhi smiled faintly. “The concubine who has served for many years is leaving the palace, and naturally, I must bid farewell to him one last time.”

Luo Luli laughed heartily, her chest trembling.

Soon, Luo Luli sent over the flight information and the link to the comic convention ticket.

“Hurry up and buy. Since Teacher Octupos announced retirement, the tickets for the convention are almost sold out.”