Chapter 107: Postponed

A good night’s sleep.

By the time daylight had fully broken, Zhong Yuxiu woke from her dreams, too sleepy to open her eyes. Crouching inside the quilt, she drifted off again in a daze.

Dogdan estimated the time and came out to call her. Its master was sleeping soundly, the quilt pulled all the way over her head. It reached out and poked the little mound on the bed once, then again. No response.

“Master, Master.”

The mechanical voice kept calling by her ear. Zhong Yuxiu groggily opened her eyes, lifted a foot, and kicked at it through the quilt. “Are you calling my soul back?”

“Master, it is time to get up.”

She could not hear. She could not hear at all.

Wrapping the quilt around herself, she turned over and went back to sleep on her stomach.

Dogdan sat down by the bed, stretched out a mechanical hand, and pushed the little mound again and again. “Master, good children get up early. Dogdan finished making the draft-proof quilt overnight last night. Doesn’t Master want to see it?”

“I don’t want to.”

“I’ll go make breakfast. Master, what would you like to eat? Noodles or buns?” Seeing how strongly its master resisted, Dogdan did not press the matter.

“There’s no need to cook. We’ll eat out.” Since they were going out to have fun anyway.

Dogdan nodded its metal head. “All right then, Master. Sleep a little longer.”

“Mm.” With her eyes closed, Zhong Yuxiu gave a sleepy hum that was almost instinctive.

Dogdan looked at her, shook its head, and went to the laboratory. From inside, it brought out a draft-blocking quilt cover, still thin and not yet stuffed with cotton. It opened the room door, stepped out, and closed it behind itself. Going downstairs to the storage room, it searched everywhere. Let alone a cotton batting quilt, there was not even any cotton.

Dogdan had no choice but to carry the draft-proof quilt back upstairs, push open the door, and sit beside Zhong Yuxiu’s bed.

“Master, didn’t you buy any cotton?”

She had only just dozed off for a moment before Dogdan was back again. Irritated, Zhong Yuxiu ran a hand through her hair, crawled out of the warm quilt, and leaned against the headboard. “What cotton?”

“The cotton for making the draft-proof quilt.” It held the cover out for her to inspect. “Look, if it isn’t stuffed with cotton, it will still be very cold when you drive. With cotton inside, it can at least block ninety percent of the wind.”

“So that’s how it is!” Zhong Yuxiu’s gaze flickered. She blinked. “Then I’ll ask Comrade Yan Rushan to help me get some cotton.”

Dogdan nodded vigorously. “Exactly, that’s how it should be.”

Zhong Yuxiu gave it a strange look. Even a colloquialism had slipped out.

“Master, why are you looking at your loyal Dogdan like that? Could it be that you want to scrap Dogdan? No, don’t! Dogdan is still a new robot, nowhere near the point of being scrapped....”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, Master. No problem, Master.”

“You learned that from whom?” Zhong Yuxiu asked.

“Replying to Master, I don’t know who I learned it from.” Dogdan sounded a little guilty.

“You don’t even know who taught you, and you still say it? What kind of stupid robot are you? Looking for trouble and trying to get yourself taken apart and thrown in the junkyard?”

Dogdan said carefully, “Th-then, Master, I’ll tell you.”

“Say it.”

“Hao Nan!”

Zhong Yuxiu thought for a moment. “Dogdan, you should know that lying to me comes at a price.”

“I wouldn’t dare. Dogdan would never dare lie to Master, even if it died.”

“I don’t believe you. Hao Nan never speaks in dialect.”

“That’s only because he hasn’t done it in front of you.”

Dogdan answered with complete confidence, and Zhong Yuxiu could not find a rebuttal. Fine, then.

“All right, if you’ve learned it, you’ve learned it.” Zhong Yuxiu waved a hand and climbed out of bed. “Find me some clothes. Bright ones. I don’t want any drab gray things.”

If she was going out to play, she was going to dress beautifully and have a happy time.

“Yes, Master.” Dogdan took out a set of warm inner layers, a sweater, a wool coat, and a pair of bell-bottom trousers from the wardrobe. “Master, is this combination all right?”

Zhong Yuxiu nodded. “You go back first. I’ll come downstairs once I’m dressed.”

“Yes, Master.”

Dogdan turned and returned to the laboratory, closing the door behind it.

After changing and heading downstairs, Zhong Yuxiu washed up in the bathroom. By the time she came out, Hao Nan and Tian Shanguo had also returned from their exercises.

“Good morning, Comrade Zhong,” Tian Shanguo said.

Hao Nan greeted her with a cheerful grin. “Good morning, Comrade Zhong! Since you’ve got nothing on today, you could sleep in a little more. Why are you up so early?”

“Isn’t it because of Dogdan?” Just thinking of it made her angry. After being disturbed over and over again, who could still sleep?

Hao Nan smiled and did not ask further.

Tian Shanguo said, “Comrade Zhong, we’ll go wash up first.”

“Go ahead. We’ll eat out in a bit.” She waved them off and sat down on the sofa.

Hao Nan and Tian Shanguo exchanged a glance. Hao Nan shook his head with a laugh, and the two of them went off together to the bathroom. When they came out again, both were clean and refreshed.

“Comrade Zhong, we’re ready,” they said.

“Sit for a while. We’ll leave when Comrade Yan gets here.” Zhong Yuxiu turned back with a smile, then lowered her head again to play with a thread in her hand.

The two men sat down on the sofa. The three of them chatted idly for a while, and after more than half an hour, Yan Rushan finally arrived.

“Yuxiu, I’m here. Let’s go.” He came in from outside, looking dusty from travel, with bloodshot eyes.

Seeing that, Zhong Yuxiu frowned. “What did you do? You’ve got dark circles under your eyes, and your eyes are bloodshot too. You didn’t sleep last night?”

Faced with her triple question, Yan Rushan smiled and stepped forward, handing her an oil-paper parcel.

“There was something that needed handling. It held me up.”

“Then we’re not going out to play today. You go back and rest. Your health matters more.” Zhong Yuxiu took it. Just by touching it, she knew it was roast duck. “You’re already this busy, and you still brought me roast duck. Just how greedy do you think I am?”

Yan Rushan chuckled softly. “It was just something I brought along. A brother sent it over this morning.”

“Just something you brought along?”

His survival instinct was strong. He quickly corrected himself. “A brother sent it over this morning, and I happened to see it. I paid for it and bought it.”

Zhong Yuxiu gave him a sidelong look, and only then did she let it go.

“Are you staying here to sleep a while, or are you going back to rest? Choose one.”

“No need to sleep. Look, I’m in pretty good shape.” It was not easy to have a date with the girl in his heart; he had to cherish it.

Zhong Yuxiu rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. “If you don’t sleep now, then don’t come to my house next time. I don’t even know you then, so don’t expect me to pay you any mind.”

He really would not listen.

“All right, all right. I’ll go back right now and take a shower too. When I’ve slept well, I’ll come find you again, okay?” Unable to win against her, Yan Rushan understood that the girl was worried about him and did not want him to tire himself out. “Thank you for your concern, Comrade Yuxiu. I’ll come this afternoon and keep you company when you go out to play.”

He had already broken one promise; he could not break a second.

“All right. I’ll wait for you. Hurry back.”

“Mm.”

Yan Rushan glanced around. Hao Nan and Tian Shanguo had already tactfully withdrawn to the kitchen. Since they were no longer going out this morning, they naturally would not be eating outside; breakfast had to be made at home.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was nearby, Yan Rushan lowered his head and lightly brushed a kiss over her fair, bright cheek. The touch lasted only an instant before he turned and left, his back hurried, as though he were being chased.

Yuxiu touched her cheek and watched Yan Rushan’s figure disappear out the door. She did not dislike his sudden attack; instead, a sweet warmth seemed to ferment quietly in her heart.

Hao Nan heard the movement and poked his head out from the kitchen. “Comrade Zhong, Comrade Yan has left?”