“Why not stay?”
Zhuang Yubai was a bit taken aback by the question, blinking his bright eyes at Meng Zhizhang like a harmless little creature. Then a sly glint appeared in his eyes.
“Meng brother, your family background is much more substantial than I expected. You’re often not at home, of course, I trust your character, but those who don’t know might think you’re heavily in debt and out hiding.”
Meng Zhizhang lowered his gaze without speaking. The night breeze blew, slightly lifting his amber-colored hair, tangling his vision.
Even a hero can be stumped by a penny. Zhuang Yubai thought Meng Zhizhang was worried about money and started painting a rosy picture.
“Don’t look at the current tough times, we’ll soon have a new business! Brother, trust me! This shrimp chip business will definitely succeed! Once we save enough money, you can go to the Prefecture City for the exam, and take me along to have some fun, let me see the prosperity of the Prefecture City. By the way, how much silver do you need for the exam in the Prefecture City?”
Meng Zhizhang pulled his gaze back from that amber color: “Three years ago, I went to the Prefecture City for the exam. At that time, my family had 5 taels of silver saved, plus 5 taels from the clan, 1 tael from the clan leader’s family, and 500 wen from Uncle Niu’s family.”
Zhuang Yubai silently calculated with his fingers, realizing they were still short of 8 taels. Over the past few days, he had roughly figured out the basic price structure of this era. Saving an additional 8 taels in just a few months seemed like a pipe dream.
But Zhuang Yubai always liked a challenge.
Make money! Tomorrow morning, he’ll fry the first batch of shrimp chips to open the eyes and settle the heart of this big scholar in front of him.
Before Zhuang Yubai could volunteer to take on the daunting task of securing the 8 taels for the exam, a warm and magnetic voice came from above his head:
“It’s getting late, Amber brother, you should rest early.”
“Hey, hey, Meng brother, don’t call me Amber brother! We’re so familiar with each other, it’s too distant!”
“Are we… very familiar?” Meng Zhizhang’s brow moved, and his eyes suddenly held an inexplicable expectation.
“We’ve worn the same pair of pants, isn’t that familiar enough? How much more familiar can we get?”
“……”
Although he didn’t know what time it was, his tired body told Zhuang Yubai it was indeed time to sleep. He looked at the bed, then at Meng Zhizhang who had sat back in the chair: “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I still have a few pages…”
“Stop!” Zhuang Yubai saw that Meng Zhizhang was avoiding the issue and spoke directly, “Are you avoiding sharing a bed with me?”
“……”
“Don’t forget we have a gentleman’s agreement for a month. I’m a person of my word. I won’t leave until the month is up. Are you going to copy books and not sleep every night for this month? First of all, this is your home, and it’s not right for the host to sleep on the floor. Secondly, I’m a guest and not in good health, so it’s not right for me to sleep on the floor either. But given our current conditions, two grown men squeezing together is fine!”
The more Zhuang Yubai spoke, the more excited he became, boldly reaching for Meng Zhizhang’s sleeve.
This pull almost made Meng Zhizhang drop the pen in his hand, but fortunately, he caught it quickly and carefully placed it on the pen rack.
“Hey! It’s just sharing a bed, not like I’m dragging you to the bridal chamber, why so tense?”
A sliver of the moon hung in the sky, and it was indeed late.
Unable to argue with the other, Meng Zhizhang could only carefully put away the books and ink.
Zhuang Yubai pulled him to the bed, kicked off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and rolled to the inside: “What’s wrong… do you want to sleep on the inside too? I don’t sleep well, and sleeping on the outside makes it easy to fall off, Zhizhang brother, let me have it!”
The person on the bed’s voice trembled, using a tone he didn’t know where he learned from, causing Meng Zhizhang’s Adam’s apple to suddenly tighten. He didn’t make a sound, nodded in the dark, and just as he turned to sit on the bed edge to take off his shoes, the person on the bed spoke again:
“I don’t sleep well, it’s better to tie my hands and feet, it’s good for both of us! I’ve already tied my feet, now these hands…”
Zhuang Yubai extended his hands wrapped messily in cloth, his eyes full of pleading: “Zhizhang brother, help me out!”
Meng Zhizhang didn’t know why, but his throat kept tightening today. He cleared his throat, and although the night covered him, he still tried to avoid the other’s gaze: “Are you sure?”
“Sure, go ahead!”
Zhuang Yubai extended his hands closer, almost pushing them into the scholar’s face.
Meng Zhizhang had to sit up straight and lean back slightly to see the situation clearly. He untangled the mess of cloth, smoothed it out, and wrapped it layer by layer around the two thin wrists clenched into fists.
“These injuries…”
Though he couldn’t see clearly, the bruises on the wrists were somewhat discernible. Meng Zhizhang recalled the river sacrifice in Huainan, a flash of killing intent in his eyes. But this killing intent was temporarily suppressed by the antics of the person in front of him.
“I escaped from the river, probably got them then. It’s nothing. Doesn’t hurt at all. Hurry up and tie it! I’m so sleepy…”
If he wants to sleep tied up, let him. At least with himself watching, no one would dare do anything. Meng Zhizhang tied a loose knot with the cloth, ensuring it wouldn’t be uncomfortable for the other.
“Thanks!”
Zhuang Yubai looked up and down, very satisfied, and plopped back onto the pillow, adjusting left and right to find a comfortable sleeping position. Suddenly, he realized something was off, flipped over like a bamboo worm, and lay facing the inside, pressing his hands under his face, obediently.
The room quieted down.
The sound of grass insects in the corner came in waves.
The person on the bed didn’t move again, and Meng Zhizhang breathed a sigh of relief, taking off his outer garment, hanging it on the wooden rack at the bed’s end, and was about to untie the sash at his waist when a voice came from behind.
“Meng brother, help cover me with the quilt… I don’t have hands.”
“……!”
Meng Zhizhang looked at the coarse cloth quilt piled to the side, grabbed two corners, and gently draped it over the thin body, holding his breath, afraid that any larger movement would crush or break this frail frame.
Meng Zhizhang adjusted his pillow, preparing to lie facing outward. Halfway down…
“Zhizhang brother, my back itches, please help me scratch it.”
“???”
“Hurry! Upper right… ah, it’s killing me, save me!” Seeing no response from the person behind, Zhuang Yubai twisted his body, like a big carp flopping around.
A silent sigh: “……here?”
“More to the right, more to the right… no, back a bit. Stop, right there… mmm, comfortable… use some strength! …ah, lighter!”
After a round of fuss, Meng Zhizhang finally lay down. He crossed his arms over his chest, lying on the pillow facing outward. After being out for a few days, it felt good to be home. Only, with an extra person behind him, he wasn’t used to it yet.
Meng Zhizhang inhaled the familiar scent of home, slowly closing his eyes.
“Meng brother, can you turn off the moon…” No need to guess, it was the person behind, providing a full and reasonable explanation, “It’s too bright, dazzling my eyes.”
Meng Zhizhang got out of bed.
The wooden window gently closed, shutting out the moonlight and the noise of the world.
*
When Zhuang Yubai woke up, it was already broad daylight.
He stretched lazily, forming a “大” shape on the bed. When he turned his head and saw the empty pillow beside him, he suddenly remembered someone had slept next to him last night.
Today’s chip’s dryness should be just right for frying. He jumped up, grabbed his outer garment, and hurriedly walked out while putting it on.
“Meng brother, morning!”
Zhuang Yubai breezed past Meng Zhizhang like a gust of wind, heading straight for the round bamboo sieve, reaching out to grab an orange chip.
The dried chips had deepened in color, becoming semi-transparent with slightly curled edges. The whole sieve was full, and under the sunlight, they looked soft and cute.
“Clatter, clatter—”
Zhuang Yubai gathered the chips together; the dryness was just right. Properly stored, the finished chips could last ten days to half a month without any problem.
“The sound is crisp, like shattered jade; the color is lustrous, like icy jade.” Meng Zhizhang followed over, “Amber brother, are these ‘Jade Chips’?”
“Jade Chips?! That’s a great name!” Zhuang Yubai’s eyes lit up, muttering softly a few times, “Then let’s rename the gluten to ‘Golden Balls’. One Jade Chip, one Golden Ball, Gold and Jade Full House! It’s a bit tacky, but festive. Festive means there’s a market, don’t we common folks just want a good omen! What do you think, Meng brother?”
“Gold and Jade Full House, very good!” Meng Zhizhang nodded.
“Really?” Being praised by the literary star, Zhuang Yubai felt a bit unsure, after all, he had just blurted it out.
“It’s really good.” Meng Zhizhang answered seriously, and suggested the other wash up before breakfast, “I’m going to the academy today, if there’s anything at home, it can wait until I return.”
Hearing the other was going to school, Zhuang Yubai’s eyes darted around.
“That’s perfect! If you’re not in a hurry, wait for me for half an hour. We’ll fry these shrimp chips, and you can take some for the teachers and classmates… fellow students to taste.”
Zhuang Yubai’s mind was racing with calculations; these were all his potential customer base. Those who could afford to study usually had a decent family background, and they would have the money to buy snacks for a dozen or twenty wen.
Eager to showcase the shrimp chips he had been thinking about, Zhuang Yubai quickly finished breakfast, tied his sleeves, and donned an apron, busying himself at the stove.
Meng Zhizhang assisted him.
As a child, Zhuang Yubai loved his grandmother’s fried shrimp chips. Whenever he got into trouble and was scolded, his grandmother would fry some shrimp chips to cheer him up.
A handful of chips into the pot, and his grandmother would let him, eagerly watching from the side, count along.
By the count of 5, “bloop,” a fluffy snow-like shrimp chip would pop up from the clear oil, white and clean, swaying there. Then the second, the third, in groups of three or five, more and more, standing tall and full…
Before long, the whole pot of shrimp chips would be like a school bus full of elementary students on a spring outing, each face filled with the innocent joy of childhood, exclaiming and cheering, spilling out in a rush.
The moment to recreate this happy miracle had arrived.
Long time no see.
The shock of modern cuisine, Zhuang Yubai was going to bring to this ancient scholar in front of him.
Meng Zhizhang probably guessed Zhuang Yubai’s thoughts, following along, very supportive.
As the oil temperature rose, the oil color gradually deepened, and the long green bamboo chopsticks inserted into the bright brown sesame oil, with tiny bubbles emerging from the tip.
Zhuang Yubai gave Meng Zhizhang a look, it was time, ready to count.
A handful of light orange chips were scattered into the pot, instantly sinking to the bottom. Soon, a large number of bubbles rose, becoming denser and denser.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
“Bloop bloop” the chips rolled up!
Zhuang Yubai’s heart rolled up with them, he quickly glanced at the scholar, confirming the other was also watching this grand scene.
Come on, witness the snow blooming everywhere, the fragrance filling the courtyard together!
Author’s Note: