She came to find Xu Chuang to discuss attending the wedding and brought along some homemade pickles and dried vegetables. In this area, people like to dry vegetables that are hard to store during winter, and soak them in water when they want to eat them. Ji Yuchen doesn’t like these dry things, so Xu Chuang didn’t dry any this year. He thought of storing some napa cabbage for the winter and buying whatever else they wanted from the market.
A Sheng from the neighboring village sent an invitation. The wedding was set for a Saturday at the end of the month. Since local weddings are held at noon, A Sheng invited them to stay in town the night before, as the bride would be leaving from the hotel, so they wouldn’t have to wake up so early.
He thoughtfully asked Xu Chuang if he wanted to bring the little one from home and offered to book a double room for them. Xu Chuang found it hard to explain that they usually slept in the same bed at home, and staying in a hotel would mean sleeping apart, which felt a bit strange.
As it was getting chilly outside in the fall, Xu Chuang invited her inside to talk. Ji Yuchen led her to the newly arranged partitioned area and told her to sit wherever she liked.
Xiang Chun remembered that this place used to be a storage room. When Ji Yuchen moved into Xu Chuang’s house, it was midsummer, and she rarely came inside. She didn’t know when it had been turned into a dining room, but the arrangement was quite cozy: a white lace doily covered the low cabinet by the wall, with a few books, two water glasses, and a porcelain vase on top.
These were things Ji Yuchen had picked up at the city market last time, spending very little money. He thought a bit of decoration would make it feel more like home, rather than just having a bare table and chairs.
While pouring water, Xu Chuang asked her what brought her over.
Xiang Chun hesitated, then changed the subject, saying, “Brother Dali, you’ve redecorated, haven’t you? It looks nice. Did you just do it recently?”
Xu Chuang glanced at the dining room and nodded, saying, “Jiu’er did it.”
Xiang Chun paused, “So where did the old stuff go? I remember there was a small bed. It wouldn’t fit in your room, right?”
She remembered that Xu Chuang’s house had only two rooms. The sleeping room had a kang bed, and this side had a small wire bed. Xiang Chun naturally assumed Jiu’er would sleep here, but now it seemed that apart from a set of tables and chairs and the low cabinet by the wall, the place was empty.
She couldn’t help but wonder where the boy named Jiu’er slept. Could it be that he shared a room with Xu Chuang?
The person sitting there rolled their eyes, hugged the water cup, and went to the next room. Xu Chuang turned back and said, “Thanks for the pickles. Say hi to Aunt Xin for me.”
As he spoke, he placed a bundle of corn on the table for her to take back. Xiang Chun nodded, not pressing further on the previous topic.
She moved on to discuss the wedding with Xu Chuang: they would leave together on Friday afternoon, and A Sheng would send someone to pick them up. Xu Chuang had to work at the pig farm that day and wouldn’t be free until four at the earliest. Xiang Chun said it was fine; she would wait for him.
She also asked what Xu Chuang would wear to the wedding, secretly thinking about finding a matching dress for photos. Xu Chuang said, “A Sheng asked me to be his groomsman and said he’d prepare a suit for me.”
Xiang Chun’s eyes widened, thinking she hadn’t seen Xu Chuang in a suit before. He should look very handsome, and she had already chosen the dress she would wear that day.
She prepared a wedding gift for A Sheng and his wife, a cross-stitch piece. Xiang Chun took out her phone to show Xu Chuang a photo, and Ji Yuchen happened to come in, curious to take a look.
Cross-stitch doesn’t require much skill, but the finished product looks impressive, making it a suitable gift. Xiang Chun asked Xu Chuang if he had a gift to give. If not, they could say it was from both of them. Xu Chuang shook his head, saying it wasn’t appropriate. As a man, he wasn’t good at such delicate work, so he’d just give a cash gift.
After she left, Ji Yuchen leaned against the door, holding a cup and drinking water. Xu Chuang carried the chopped firewood inside, preparing to light the kang.
He recently noticed that Jiu’er often had leg cramps at night, thinking it might be because of the cold, as he didn’t have this problem in the summer. Ji Yuchen followed behind, chatting idly, asking, “When you go to be the groomsman at the wedding, what about me? I don’t know anyone there.”
Xu Chuang thought for a moment, “You can stick with Xiang Chun. Stay inside during the bride’s pickup; it’s too chaotic outside.”
He figured there would be a lot to do as a groomsman on the wedding day, and he might not be able to take care of Jiu’er. It might be more comfortable for him to stay with the bride’s side, as there would be fewer places to run to, and A Sheng would have people to help with tasks.
Ji Yuchen nodded ambiguously, watching as Xu Chuang lit the kang and sat on it, feeling the mat.
“Will it be warm enough at night?”
He had never tried this before and found it a bit novel. Xu Chuang patted Jiu’er’s little head, smiling as he replied, “Try it tonight. If it’s not warm enough, I’ll make it hotter.”
The week of the wedding arrived quickly, and Ji Yuchen realized he didn’t have suitable clothes to wear.
He knew Xu Chuang’s clothes were prepared by the groom, so there was no need to worry about that. But it wouldn’t be polite for him to dress too casually, so he rummaged through the house and found a pair of pants at the bottom of a drawer and a black shirt that looked like it could be altered to fit him.
He asked Xu Chuang how old he was when he wore these clothes, as they seemed much smaller than his current size. Xu Chuang couldn’t remember having such an outfit, but after thinking for a while, he recalled it might have been from an event at school when he first started junior high, bought by his mother at the market, and worn only once or twice.
He narrowed the waist of the pants and folded the cuffs inward. On Ji Yuchen, it was a loose fit, but with the shirt tucked in, it looked quite neat.
Xu Chuang noticed that Ji Yuchen looked great in a shirt, with his slender collarbones faintly visible under the collar, and his skin was a translucent white, making it hard to look away.
He reminded Jiu’er to button up his shirt on the day to avoid catching a cold. Ji Yuchen planned to wear a cotton jacket over it, unsure if the hotel in town would be cold.
On Friday afternoon, they took a ride to town. A Sheng had arranged a small van, picking up a few friends from his village along with them and Xiang Chun.
When Ji Yuchen arrived at the hotel, he noticed Xu Chuang had booked a twin room. He turned to Xu Chuang with a curious look, and the latter explained, “A Sheng asked if I was bringing you, and then he just booked it…”
He didn’t even know why he was explaining, or if Jiu’er’s look meant that. Seeing that Ji Yuchen didn’t say anything, he felt a bit uneasy.
Ji Yuchen wandered around the room, distracted by the hotel’s shower, and didn’t dwell on the bed situation. He just mentioned wanting to take a hot shower at night, one without a time limit.
They had dinner with A Sheng’s relatives and friends that evening. Xu Chuang drank a bit and later escorted Ji Yuchen back to the room before heading out to help the groom.
Ji Yuchen took a shower alone in the room and felt cold sitting on the bed, so he turned on the air conditioning.
The hotel hadn’t turned on the heating yet this season, and the radiator was still cold. The air conditioning made him dizzy, so he turned it off and curled up under the covers, tossing and turning.
In the middle of the night, he heard some noise at the door and got up to check. Xu Chuang was in the hallway outside, saying goodbye to someone and agreeing on a departure time before using the room card to open the door.
The room was softly lit by a bedside lamp, casting everything in a gentle, tranquil glow. Xu Chuang entered to find Ji Yuchen standing on the carpet in the entryway, barefoot, with the wide sleeves of his pajamas covering his fingertips, looking soft and drowsy as if he had just woken up.
He stepped forward, lifting Ji Yuchen off the ground, supporting him by the buttocks with one hand while trying to warm his feet with the other. The person in his arms instinctively wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, his knees pressing against his waist and abdomen. Xu Chuang asked, “Why aren’t you asleep at this hour?”
Ji Yuchen mumbled, saying he was cold and couldn’t sleep.
Xu Chuang carried him to the bed, wrapped him in the blanket, and asked if he was still cold.
Ji Yuchen poked his head out from under the covers, blinking as he nodded. Xu Chuang sighed and told him to wait there.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom, and in just a few minutes, the man came out with his hair dried, bringing a wave of warmth with him. He told Jiu’er to move over so they could sleep close together for warmth. Ji Yuchen obediently scooted to the edge of the pillow, lifting the blanket to let him in.
Xu Chuang was like a natural heat source, instantly warming the bed. Ji Yuchen felt like they were from two different worlds, inherently different.
He could smell the faint scent of smoke and alcohol on Xu Chuang, not overpowering after being washed with shower gel, but noticeable up close.
Ji Yuchen tilted his face up and asked, “Did you smoke?”
Xu Chuang thought for a moment, “I had two cigarettes. Can you still smell it? I can wash again…”
He started to get up, but the person on the bed pulled him back, snuggling closer.
Ji Yuchen whispered, “Just this once, don’t make it a habit.”
[Author’s Note]
The twin room was unnecessary.