Gu Changheng actually didn’t have many thoughts about Zhou Li’s hard work with the skewers. His greatest fear was dying alone in his rented apartment, worried that his flesh and blood would rot, be infested with worms, and attract rats, and no one would know.
It felt like grasping a lifeline that he couldn’t afford to lose. He couldn’t leave Zhou Li. Whether he really liked him or not was unclear—maybe a lot, maybe just a little, or perhaps it was simply a habit.
It didn’t matter. After all, he wouldn’t live much longer. Gu Changheng was just dragging Zhou Li along to wait for death. He knew that once he was gone, Zhou Li would have to continue living, earning money, and getting by. So he never stopped him from having multiple jobs.
But Zhou Li was always excitedly sketching out their future.
Zhou Li said that he was working hard now to save money for Gu Changheng’s treatment and to buy a home where they could live together, spending every day side by side. Then they could save even more money to travel from the southernmost city of China to the northernmost.
Those days were the most peaceful in Gu Changheng’s memory.
Zhou Li pampered him every day, treating him with great care, remembering every word he said and all his preferences.
They would cook together, take walks together, and snuggle on the couch while watching TV.
Occasionally, kissing scenes would appear on the screen, but the two of them tacitly agreed not to mention it.
Sometimes Gu Changheng could see the burning desire in Zhou Li’s eyes when he looked at him, and then Zhou Li would take a long time in the bathroom at night before coming out.
…
Night fell.
Zhou Li was busy grilling skewers for the customers gathered at his stall.
After finishing work, Gu Changheng would come by to help collect money.
They claimed to be just friends to the outside world.
In this small city, the atmosphere was simple, and no one suspected anything. Many would compliment their friendship.
After working until ten o’clock in the evening, Zhou Li began to close the stall, and Gu Changheng helped him. No matter how many customers were around, Zhou Li refused to take on more.
He didn’t want Gu Changheng to stay up too late, which wouldn’t be good for his health.
After returning home, Gu Changheng was busy washing up and preparing for bed. Zhou Li sat on the bed counting money. He counted a pile of money and combined it with another pile he had saved in the previous half month, totaling 10,000 yuan, and secured it with a rubber band.
When Gu Changheng emerged from the bathroom, he saw Zhou Li sitting on the bed and laughing foolishly. “Ah Li, what are you laughing about?”
Zhou Li waved the ten thousand yuan in front of Gu Changheng and replied, “With this 10,000 yuan, we’ve saved up 200,000 yuan.”
“Mm.”
Zhou Li laughed again. “With this 200,000 yuan, we can stop renting a house and put down a down payment to buy a home that belongs to us, a place we can call our own. Changheng, I will take a day off tomorrow. You should too. Let’s go house hunting.”
“I’ve thought about it. Let’s not look at new constructions. They still have formaldehyde from the renovations, and we don’t know how long it takes to clear out. It will be bad for health. Let’s just look for second-hand houses that are already well-decorated.”
Gu Changheng was taken aback.
Buying a house!
The next day, Zhou Li dragged Gu Changheng to a real estate agency and visited several places. Finally, they chose a warm and well-decorated apartment with an area of more than 70 square meters. They paid the down payment and signed the contract with the seller.
Together with the previous owner, they went to the Real Estate Bureau to process the property certificate.
When the names “Zhou Li” and “Gu Changheng” appeared side by side on the property certificate, Zhou Li solemnly handed it to Gu Changheng and said, “Changheng, same-sex marriage isn’t recognized in our country. If you are willing, let’s use this as our marriage certificate!”
“Look, this certificate has your name and mine on it. It’s a document legally recognized by the country, and it is almost like a marriage certificate.”
Originally, Gu Changheng mostly listened to Zhou Li’s dreams about the future without taking them seriously.
But seeing Zhou Li actually achieve the first goal of buying a house and building a home together made Gu Changheng’s eyes glisten and his heart race. He took the property certificate that Zhou Li handed over solemnly and nodded. “Okay. This is our marriage certificate.”
