Chapter 157: Garage Dwelling

(1)

Today is a beautiful day.

Brilliant sunlight floods the world, and a few soft white clouds dot the vast, clear sky, keeping the endless blue from appearing too monotonous.

Fang Qiang’s new place is near the school, not far from the Greenhouse Market Street, nestled within a half-open old residential compound.

The developer is the same as that of Zhu Ying’s family’s community, except this one was built even earlier.

Since only a single traffic light separates it from the Greenhouse Market Street, there are quite a few shops lining the street here, so it’s not exactly deserted—but of course, it still can’t compare to the bustling crowds of the Greenhouse Market.

An Jing quietly carried the cloth bag that Yu Minghui used for packing lunch boxes on school days, gently swinging her wrist so the contents clinked softly together.

“According to the address, it should be here.”

Her gaze swept over a silver Xiali parked by the sidewalk, then landed on an old, narrow alley beside it—one just wide enough for a single car.

“Is it really here? It doesn’t look like the way to a garage…”

“Hey!”

A cheerful voice snapped An Jing’s attention back.

She turned to see Zhou Chao, riding an old-fashioned rural motorcycle, grinning as he greeted her.

“An Jing! So early!”

“It’s not early anymore, it’s already past eight. The garage where A-Qiang lives is through here, right?”

“How should I know? I’ve never been here before.”

Zhou Chao steadied his motorcycle with one foot, the engine still rumbling beneath him.

“Let’s go inside and take a look, come on.”

“These street signs seem familiar, but this alley is just so narrow. Can a car even get through?”

“It can, but if one car is going in, any other will have to back out and give way.”

Zhou Chao twisted the throttle and slowly led the way ahead.

No matter how slow the motorcycle, it was still much faster than walking.

As An Jing rounded the corner, she saw Zhou Chao had already parked.

“Hey! A-Qiang!”

“Bro, you’re here!”

Fang Qiang’s voice was tinged with excitement.

“I thought you weren’t going to make it!”

“Come on, bro, if you need something, I’m always there! Hahaha—”

“An Jing’s not here yet!”

And so, the mountain of clutter inside the garage looked even more overwhelming.

The place was crammed full, so much so that a person could only stand at the entrance—there wasn’t even a crack to squeeze through.

The whole space was stuffed with discarded furniture and home appliances, along with piles of random metal parts whose purpose was a complete mystery.

“This owner must’ve run a Five Metals Store before—there’s just so much stuff…”

Zhou Chao put his hands on his hips. “Alright then, where should we start cleaning up?”

“How the hell should I know? My head’s already hurting!”

Fang Qiang scratched his head hard and elbowed An Jing.

“An Jing, got any good ideas?”

“Uh… I think we should start from the top, move the bigger stuff first, and then clear it layer by layer from the outside in.”

“Not bad, An Jing, sounds like you’ve got experience.”

“Well, when I first rented an apartment, I helped with the cleaning too.”

An Jing shot Fang Qiang a sidelong glance.

“Honestly, anyone who can’t figure this out is just dumb, right?”

“Chao-ge, someone’s calling you dumb!”

“She means you!”

Zhou Chao laughed loudly.

“Alright, let’s get started! Zhou Chao and I will handle the big items. An Jing, you take care of the small stuff—put anything usable together, and if it’s not, we’ll either toss it or call a junk collector to haul it away.”

“Why can’t you just get a junk collector to do it?”

“Come on, they don’t want to deal with it. I already asked. There’s just too much stuff, and it’s a mess.”

“Ugh, whatever. A-Qiang, let’s move that board on top first. What is that thing?”

“A door panel, probably.”

“Damn, why’d anyone stuff a door in here?”

“Save it for A-Qiang to use as a bed!”

“Good idea.”

“I have a folding bed, alright?!”

***

(2)

Manual labor always makes time crawl by.

The three of them felt like their backs were about to break, yet when they checked the clock, it wasn’t even noon.

“Ugh, still so much left!”

An Jing propped herself against the wall, shakily standing up.

“There’s just so much junk.”

“Tell me about it.”

Zhou Chao looked helpless.

“I’m exhausted.”

Fang Qiang stretched out his arms with effort.

“Let’s take a break, I’ll go buy some boxed lunches!”

“Boxed lunches? Oh right, Huihui-jie and I made sandwiches this morning—over ten of them, should be enough for the three of us.”

“What, sandwiches? You can even make those?”

Fang Qiang teased, patting her on the back.

“So virtuous, An Jing!”

“Anyone can make these, it’s easy.”

An Jing drooped her eyelids, walked to the doorway, and felt around for the faucet.

“A-Qiang, where’s the thing for turning the water on?”

“Hanging on the wall, the blue one!”

For outdoor faucets, that little thing is basically the key—you have to fit it on before you can use it.

Of course, if you really want to, you can use a wrench instead.

It’s just a token gesture to keep honest people out.

The faucet was right next to the garage’s drain.

After turning it on, An Jing scrubbed her filthy hands clean, then scooped some tap water onto her face.

“Ah… So refreshing! You two wash up as well, let’s get ready for lunch!”

“Alright, eat first, then smoke, and get back to it.”

Zhou Chao seemed even more energetic than Fang Qiang.

He wiped sweat from his forehead with his arm.

“We should be done before sunset.”

“There really is so much random stuff.”

“But there’s still a lot of useful old things too.”

An Jing looked around for a while, then simply set the door panel across a rusted, crooked iron frame.

She grabbed a grimy rag and washed it over and over, scrubbing the door panel several times, before finally taking out the lunchboxes from the cloth bag, one by one.

Zhou Chao flicked the water from his hands and walked over to the door panel, now serving as a makeshift table, snapping open the lid of an aluminum lunchbox.

“Hey! These sandwiches look great.”

“I made about half of them.”

An Jing lifted her chin proudly.

“I ate a piece for breakfast and they tasted really good!”

“Let me try one?”

“Go ahead.”

***

(3)

“Hmm… Hmm… Not bad! Honestly, most of the girls I’ve dated can’t even cook, let alone make sandwiches.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

An Jing rolled her eyes and muttered, grabbing a sandwich and taking a big bite, cheeks puffed as she chewed.

“Hmm… The lettuce isn’t as crisp anymore, but the flavor’s still great.”

“Why weren’t you born a woman?”

Fang Qiang shook his hands out, grabbed a sandwich too.

“You’re better than most women I know.”

“Shut up, shut up!”

“Hahaha.”

Zhou Chao burst out laughing, even more exaggerated because he knew the inside story.

“What are you laughing at? Last night, where did you sneak off with the strawberries you took from A-Qiang?”

“Just needed to unwind, that’s all.”

“Really? Got a new girlfriend again?”

“Yeah, haha, want to meet her? I’ll introduce you next time.”

“No thanks, I wouldn’t remember anyway.”

An Jing curled her lips. “You change girlfriends too fast.”

“Damn, so jealous.”

“Haha, A-Qiang, want me to set you up? I’ll introduce you to someone?”

“No thanks, I don’t want to catch anything.”

Fang Qiang feigned disdain, tugged at the corner of his mouth, then coughed.

“But if it’s someone decent, I wouldn’t say no. Just not…”

“I know, not like your ex, right?”

Fang Qiang’s lips moved as if he wanted to curse, but he held back.

“Obviously, not like that.”

“Haha, trust me, I’ll find someone good for you.”

“Kidding. Honestly, in recent years, I’ve really lost interest in women.”

Fang Qiang shook his head and, in just two bites, finished a sandwich before reaching for another.

That made An Jing seriously doubt if the sandwiches would actually be enough to fill everyone up…