The Blind and the Deaf - Chapter 12

That night, Xiao Zhang tossed and turned. Mr. Miao was afraid that Xiao Zhang slept in an unfamiliar room and couldn’t find the toilet in the middle of the night, so he slept with his hearing aid, and ended up listening to Xiao Zhang toss and turn all night. The next day both woke up with two big swollen eyes.

The next day, Mr. Miao took Xiao Zhang to the market next to the mountain. It started snowing again in the morning, but it was almost New Year’s Eve, and there were still a lot of people in the market, much more lively than the department store. In the past, Xiao Zhang never dared to imagine that he would come to such a place, but now with Mr. Miao leading him, he was not afraid.

Xiao Zhang’s scarf was wrapped around several times, covering half of his face, with a fleece cap on his head, wrapped in a thick coat, and his two hands were hiding in his own pockets. He felt Mr. Miao’s arm circling him – of course the purpose was to show him the way more conveniently – and his heart itched quite hard. He felt like he was overthinking things a bit, how could a guy like a guy? Even if he was a special case and accidentally liked Mr. Miao, Mr. Miao would definitely be angry if he knew about it. Because, Mr. Miao is like his father, how could a father allow such a thing to happen?
And, is this liking or not?

Xiao Zhang thought in a muddled way all the way, absentmindedly listening to Mr. Miao telling him what was here and there in the bazaar.
“Xiao Zhang, what are you, thinking about?” Mr. Miao asked.
Xiao Zhang came back to his senses and said in a panic, “No …… I’m listening to you”

Mr. Miao, who had been coldly treated for the first time, thought seriously and felt that Xiao Zhang was freezing and his reaction was a little slow. He bought a roasted groundnut on the road, unbuttoned Xiao Zhang’s coat, and stuffed the hot paper bag into his arms. The heat of the roasted melon spread through his sweater to Xiao Zhang’s body, and all of a sudden it turned into a fragrant hot water bag. Xiao Zhang said, “How can I eat it if it’s pressed and battered?”
Mr. Miao lowered his head to help Xiao Zhang button it up and said, “What’s that got to do with it, it’s easier to eat.”

Xiao Zhang smiled, his eyes curved. The snow fell densely around them, from the sky to the ground, from far away to near, flying all over the sky. It fell on both men’s shoulders like crystalline fluff. Soft hair was pressed under Xiao Zhang’s hat, revealing a pair of eyes between the scarf and the hat. These eyes never opened, and the long eyelashes stayed quiet on the face.

The tumultuous snow had spawned some kind of suppressed emotion. Mr. Miao’s hand stopped, looking out at Xiao Zhang. Even after stopping like that, Xiao Zhang didn’t say anything. Mr. Miao felt his breath quicken and gently pulled down Xiao Zhang’s scarf, revealing half of his face.

Xiao Zhang raised his head in confusion. Mr. Miao saw Xiao Zhang’s mouth move as if he was saying something. But he couldn’t hear it even with his hearing aid. He only heard his own breathing.

He slowly wrapped his arms around the person in front of him, lowered his head, and carefully kissed those two lips. After the trial of a light peck, he finally bravely kissed him hard.

Chang felt his breathing stop.