Chapter 148
Allen expressionlessly turned around, pushed open the high fence surrounding the farmhouse, and walked through the similarly desolate yard towards the front door. Su Bin followed closely, dragging the suitcases.
The gray-brown wooden door was secured with an old, large iron lock. Su Bin was very puzzled why a house, seemingly deserted for miles, needed to be locked.
Especially since the house was made of stone. Su Bin looked up and noticed there were hardly any windows on the walls, and the roof didn’t even seem to have eaves!
It looked… it looked like a prison!
Allen opened the door and gestured for Su Bin to go in first.
Su Bin looked at Allen nervously. Though scared, he didn’t dare to disobey this man at this critical moment. What if Allen decided to lock him in here… QAQ
Su Bin cautiously moved a few steps inside and then looked back at Allen. Seeing that Allen had followed him in, he finally felt at ease.
Allen watched Su Bin’s back with a sly smile, like a wolf driving the only sheep into the farmhouse before closing the door and locking it.
Su Bin: “……” Q_Q Whimper~~~
As Su Bin walked past the dimly lit entrance hall, he expected to smell mustiness and dust. To his surprise, a refreshing scent of plants, mixed with earth, pine, charcoal, and a hint of flowers greeted him.
The interior of the house was not as shabby as its exterior. In fact, it was quite tidy and bright.
The floor was covered with a thick, dark carpet. A natural wooden coffee table held a nest-like tray with fresh wild fruits, surrounded by dry grass and pine cones. Against the plain gray and brown background, three red roses in a coarse ceramic vase on the low table stood out strikingly.
The furniture and decorations were antique, and everything was placed just right, as if meticulously designed by an interior designer.
The entire house was only one floor high, with no internal walls. The living room, bedroom, dining area, and kitchen were all in one space. Despite this, it did not feel cluttered; instead, it gave a very comfortable and spacious feeling.
Su Bin looked up and noticed that the light inside came directly from the sky—a glass skylight set into the medieval wooden roof, seamlessly integrated. No wonder the roof was invisible from the outside!
Pulling aside the semi-transparent curtain, Su Bin saw a large, pristine white bed, with rose petals scattered across the blanket—if it weren’t for the row of bedposts and the strange circular rings hanging from the ceiling… it could almost be described as “romantic!”
Su Bin’s face turned red, as he seemed to foresee where some of the items might be used! orz…
The latitude here was higher than M City. By the time Su Bin finished exploring the house, it was already getting dark, even though it was only three in the afternoon, and his phone battery was running low.
Allen put away the luggage and looked at Su Bin, who was exploring the room, and asked, “Looking for something?”
“Where are the power outlets? I want to charge my phone.” Su Bin had searched everywhere but couldn’t find any outlets. Although there was no signal, the time and date function on his phone still worked.
Allen: “There are no such things here.”
Su Bin: “No electricity?”
—No way! In the middle of winter, no electricity? Are they going to live like cavemen here?
Allen: “Yes.”
Su Bin exclaimed, “Then how do we cook and bathe?”
Allen: “There is gas.”
Su Bin glanced at his phone and mourned its last 10% battery.
The room was very cold, and Allen went to the fireplace to start a fire.
“I’ll do it.” Su Bin worried about the enclosed environment, fearing that if Allen touched something and it didn’t work, things could go wrong… It was too frightening!
Allen raised an eyebrow: “You know how?”
Su Bin: “No…”
Allen bent down to look at the fireplace and said, “It’s a traditional fireplace. I don’t know how either.”
Su Bin: “……” Seriously? Are they going to have to rub sticks together to start a fire for the next few days? QAQ
Just as he was worrying, he saw Allen stand up and pick up a handwritten instruction manual from above the fireplace, studying it carefully.
Su Bin: “I remember there was a fireplace at Roland Manor too.”
Allen: “Yes, but it’s rarely used because burning coal is bad for breathing. The manor switched to heating ten years ago. We seldom use the fireplace unless for ambiance.”
Su Bin realized that even if they needed to make a fire, there were servants at Roland Manor, and it wouldn’t fall to Allen, who was too delicate to handle such tasks.
Allen followed the manual’s instructions to open the air vent and then took out the fire starters from a tin.
“Let me handle it!” Su Bin snatched the items from Allen and crouched down, sticking his head into the firebox.
Allen smirked and bent down to watch him, advising, “Place it at the bottom of the grate,” and handed Su Bin the firewood, “Stack these in a pyramid shape.”
……
The fireplace soon roared to life, and Su Bin felt a sense of accomplishment.
Sitting in front of the fireplace, Su Bin observed the dancing flames and unexpectedly thought of Wang Zai.
At his grandfather’s old home in Fayu Village, they used a stove. There was no air conditioning back then, and the winter in the south was biting cold. In December’s harsh winter, there was no heating. Every morning, Su Bin had to find Wang Zai by the stove—he would always be curled up there, sleeping!
Su Bin remembered once playing with Wang Zai. They both fell asleep together by the warm stove, and when they woke up, they couldn’t find Grandpa, who had moved a small stool to the yard, waiting for them, thinking they were still playing outside…
“What are you thinking about?” Allen had removed his coat and sat down on the floor, hugging Su Bin from behind.
“…… Thinking about my childhood.” Su Bin turned his head to look at Allen, just as Allen stole a kiss, and Su Bin leaned into his embrace.
It was already dark, and Su Bin had no idea what to do next. After spending some intimate time together, Allen got up to turn on the lights.
“Hey, there is electricity!” Su Bin exclaimed.
Allen: “Yes, but it only powers the lights. No outlets.”
Su Bin sighed. If Cheng Ge were here, he could probably rig up a power strip in no time!
Aside from the kitchen area, there were very few lights providing actual illumination in the room. Most of the lighting was decorative, such as the strip lights along the walls and the twinkling star lights on the skylight… it was indeed very romantic.
Su Bin had completely set aside his initial impression of the house.
The kitchen had some basic ingredients—eggs, potatoes, beef, and milk. Anything that wasn’t used was left outside in the window. With outdoor temperatures dropping to minus ten degrees Celsius at night, it served as a natural refrigerator.
Unfortunately, there weren’t many seasonings. After rummaging through the cupboards for a while, Su Bin found only salt, sugar, vinegar, and pepper.
Without soy sauce, he was a bit stuck. If he had known, he would have brought some with him!
In the end, Su Bin had to cook the steak with olive oil. Without scallions, ginger, or garlic, he rummaged through the cabinets and found many bottles of red wine. He quickly opened a bottle to mask the beef’s strong odor.
Allen, drawn by the aroma, came over and glanced at the wine bottle on the stove with widened eyes. “You’re using this to cook the beef?”
Su Bin, holding a spatula, explained, “The beef has a strong smell, so adding some wine helps to get rid of it.”
He often browsed supermarkets and knew that B country’s red wine wasn’t expensive, so he didn’t think much of it. “But this red wine smells so good…” Su Bin remarked.
Allen: “……”
Su Bin: “What’s wrong?”
Allen shook his head, took the remaining half bottle of red wine, and went outside.
After cooking the beef, Su Bin made some sweet and sour shredded potatoes and was ready to eat.
Allen set a candle on the dining table, poured a bit of red wine, and pushed it in front of Su Bin.
Su Bin glanced at the wine bottle and noticed it had a 1982 vintage label. He found it a bit strange because he remembered most red wines had a shelf life of about ten years. This place was so remote and the exterior of the house so run-down. The wine wouldn’t have been forgotten here, would it?
“This wine is so old. Could it have expired? Is it safe to drink?” Su Bin asked with concern.
Allen looked at Su Bin with a strange expression. “This is a 1982 Lafite, a gem among wines.”
Su Bin: “……”
Allen: “These are the best drinking years.”
Su Bin: “Is, is it very expensive?”
Allen tilted his head and said, “Now it costs about three to four thousand per bottle.”
Su Bin: “……” QAQ Three to four thousand? About forty thousand RMB? Oh my God!
Allen clinked glasses with Su Bin, swirled the wine to observe its quality, took a sip, and nodded. “It’s indeed very good.” He then picked up his knife and fork and elegantly enjoyed his “top-grade Lafite steak”…
Su Bin, nervously, asked Allen about some wine knowledge and learned that most wines are only suitable for consumption within one to two years. After that, they don’t taste good, like those sold in supermarkets.
True long-term aging wines are only those from great vintages made from expensive grape varieties, such as the bottle in front of them—produced in the last great vintage of the 20th century, 1982, and made by one of the five great chateaux, Lafite.
Su Bin, with trembling hands, tasted the steak he had cooked with a four-thousand-dollar bottle of wine… and only tasted tears.
Oh my God, he had used a forty-thousand-yuan bottle of wine as cooking wine! TAT
On the first day of vacation, having made such a blunder, Su Bin would definitely remember this trip vividly!
Without a TV or computer, there was nothing much to do after dinner.
Su Bin cleaned up the dishes, and Allen took him to the bathroom for a hot bath. While bathing, things inevitably got a bit heated… but since they weren’t in a house in M City, there was no need to worry about anyone overhearing.
Both had had some wine, and Allen was quite playful, making Su Bin cry out. Afterward, they continued to be active in bed for a long time.
There was no clock in the room, and after everything was done, Su Bin checked his phone. As expected, the battery had died, and he had no idea what time it was.
