Ji Yuchen had been plotting for most of the day. After lunch, he shelled a small bowl of corn in the yard, planning to give the rooster next door a “feast” in the evening. He hoped the rooster would eat its fill and sleep through the night, sparing them from its early morning crowing.
Although Xu Chuang had mentioned that a rooster crowing is a natural instinct and the best way to stop it is to cover it with a black cloth, Ji Yuchen didn’t have the guts to get close to the chicken coop. He didn’t want Xu Chuang to do anything sneaky either, as it would be embarrassing if they got caught. So, he opted for a safer method for now.
He climbed out of bed, the lights in the room already turned off. Xu Chuang, lying on the pillow, asked, “What’s up? Where are you going?”
In the dark, Ji Yuchen got up, one leg crossing over Xu Chuang, supporting himself on Xu Chuang’s ribs, and said, “I just remembered something. I need to feed the chickens!”
This was quite a stretch, and it took Xu Chuang a while to react. By the time Ji Yuchen had clumsily climbed over him, Xu Chuang didn’t know what to say.
Xu Chuang put on his shoes and followed him out. Ji Yuchen had somehow found a bowl of corn kernels and was tiptoeing at the base of the wall, peeking inside.
He looked sneaky, and Xu Chuang crouched by the wall, lowering his voice to ask, “What are you up to? Where did you get those corn kernels?”
Ji Yuchen turned his head, winked at him, and put a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. He pulled Xu Chuang down to crouch with him.
“I shelled them at noon. Chickens should like this, right? If I feed it now, will it sleep longer and not crow so early tomorrow?”
Ji Yuchen asked with a sense of righteousness, and his logic seemed reasonable. Xu Chuang said, “And you plan to feed it from here? Can you throw it that far?”
The small yard of Old Man Zhang next door was over five meters wide, and the chicken coop was on the far side, near the wall. Ji Yuchen would need quite a bit of strength to throw the corn kernels over from this side.
He looked at the distance, then at Ji Yuchen’s height, who had to stand on tiptoe to peek over the wall. So, Xu Chuang crouched by the wall, letting Ji Yuchen climb up.
Without hesitation, Ji Yuchen lifted his leg and sat on Xu Chuang’s shoulders, holding onto Xu Chuang’s head as he was slowly lifted to see the whole yard.
At this time, there was no movement in the chicken coop, probably because the chickens were asleep. Ji Yuchen cooed a few times like he was teasing pigeons, and Xu Chuang whispered, “Chickens don’t respond to that.” Ji Yuchen stopped making noises and focused on aiming.
He threw a handful of corn towards the chicken coop door, and the kernels rustled as they landed on the straw. There was no sound from inside, and the rooster seemed to still be asleep. Ji Yuchen threw another handful, using more this time, and with a “whoosh,” there seemed to be some reaction inside, with the sound of feathers rustling.
To avoid being discovered, Ji Yuchen decided to go all out and threw a whole bunch of corn, creating a “corn rain” over the chicken coop. After finishing the “midnight snack,” he patted Xu Chuang’s shoulder, signaling him to let him down, and asked if the chicken was eating. Ji Yuchen said, “Who knows? Hurry, hurry! Let’s go back inside!”
Having never done anything bad before, Ji Yuchen was extremely nervous, afraid that Old Man Zhang would wake up and catch them. He ran back inside, his heart pounding, thinking every sound was someone coming to catch them. Xu Chuang comforted him, “Old Man Zhang is hard of hearing. Even if you called his name outside, he might not hear you, let alone notice a handful of corn.”
He told Ji Yuchen to sleep peacefully. After doing something sneaky, Ji Yuchen was tense for a while, drinking water and going to the bathroom before finally falling asleep. He initially curled up next to Xu Chuang with a blanket, but in the middle of the night, feeling hot, he kicked the blanket aside. Later, feeling cold, he groped around for warmth, hugging Xu Chuang’s arm, finding it warm and comfortable.
The next morning, Ji Yuchen slept until daylight, not hearing the rooster crow. He lay on the bed in a daze, remembering that he had fed the rooster next door last night. Not hearing it crow this morning seemed to prove it worked. Eating and sleeping, just like people.
Ji Yuchen happily got out of bed, put on his slippers, and ran out to tell Xu Chuang that his “grand plan” from last night had succeeded.
He ran to the door and saw someone in the yard: Xiang Chun was wearing a red cloth dress, her black hair tied up in a bun, smiling at Xu Chuang.
“Is it good, Brother Dali~”
The two were not far apart, standing by the grinding stone, and Ji Yuchen, standing at the door, could hear them clearly.
Xu Chuang had his back to the house, wearing only a vest. He seemed to be holding something, his shoulder muscles flexing, looking vigorous and sexy.
The girl propped her arms on the grinding stone, resting her chin in her hands, looking at Xu Chuang with a face full of happiness. The person in front nodded and said, “It’s good,” and Xiang Chun happily said, “I made it with fresh lotus leaves I picked this morning, still with dew on them. It’s the best for clearing heat and relieving summer heat!”
She looked at the person in front of her with joy, not noticing when Ji Yuchen walked up, staring at the bowl in Xu Chuang’s hand.
He saw a white porcelain bowl filled with green soft porridge, looking soft and glutinous, with a fragrant aroma.
“What is this? Is it good?”
Ji Yuchen asked sincerely. Xu Chuang turned his head, stunned for a moment, and introduced, “This is lotus leaf porridge, made by Xiang Chun. It’s delicious. Want to try?”
He said, about to hand the bowl over, but the girl hurriedly stopped him, pressing down Xu Chuang’s hand, “I have more! Brother Dali, you drink yours…”
She took another bowl from the box, looked at it, and handed it to Ji Yuchen, “You drink this one.”
Ji Yuchen wasn’t picky, and without taking a spoon, he poured it into his mouth. The fragrant, soft rice porridge mixed with the sweet lotus leaf was perfect for breakfast.
He took one sip and wanted another, quickly finishing it in a few gulps. Xu Chuang said, “Slow down, don’t choke.” Ji Yuchen was too late, the last two sips going down too fast, rice grains stuck in his throat, causing him to cough violently.
Xu Chuang put down the bowl to help him catch his breath, patting his back and asking if he felt better.
Ji Yuchen coughed uncontrollably, and when the rice grains stuck in his throat finally shifted, he could breathe more easily.
He leaned on the grinding stone, panting, while the girl across from him curiously observed, asking Ji Yuchen, “What’s wrong with your face? It’s so red, is it sunburned?”
Ji Yuchen suddenly remembered that yesterday it hurt a lot, but this morning it seemed not to hurt anymore, and it didn’t itch much either.
He quickly ran back inside to look in the mirror, checking himself from side to side. It was much better than yesterday, though still a bit odd, at least he didn’t look like a big pig head.
He realized he had embarrassed himself in front of Xiang Chun, feeling like he had been overshadowed, and was a bit unhappy, pouting.
When Ji Yuchen returned to the yard, Xiang Chun was showing Xu Chuang her wrist: a bracelet made of jasmine branches, emitting a faint floral scent.
She asked Xu Chuang, “Brother Dali, do you think it’s pretty?”
Xu Chuang smiled and nodded, “It’s pretty, you’re very skillful.”
The two chatted in the yard for a while, and Ji Yuchen didn’t join in, going back to the bed to pull the blanket over himself, planning to continue sleeping. Xu Chuang had to go to work at the pig farm today, and before leaving, he came back to check on the person inside, not expecting the little guy to have gotten up, eaten, and gone back to sleep.
He went over and touched Ji Yuchen’s hair, chuckling softly, “Little lazy pig, the sun’s almost shining on your butt~”
Ji Yuchen huffed and turned over, giving him his back, clearly refusing to communicate.
Xu Chuang thought it was just morning grumpiness, which would pass, so he quietly took clothes from the cabinet, changed, and prepared to leave.
The person on the bed suddenly sat up with a “bang,” straightening his back and staring at him, looking like he was about to interrogate him.
“You and that Xiang Chun, what’s your relationship?”
Ji Yuchen asked directly, feeling the need to clarify their relationship and whether Xu Chuang had any feelings for her. If it was mutual, Ji Yuchen didn’t want to get involved. Though he was gay and liked Xu Chuang’s face and the person, he wouldn’t steal someone else’s partner, nor did he want to, as it would shorten his life and harm his karma.
Xu Chuang was a bit confused by the sudden question, thinking for a moment before saying, “Xiang Chun is my neighbor’s little sister. She used to live next door to us, but moved away later. It’s just her and her mom, a widow and her daughter. We played together since we were kids, and my parents liked her too.”
…
Alright, alright, here comes the sister recognition…
Ji Yuchen found the scene very familiar, though he couldn’t remember where he’d seen it before. He straightened his expression, somewhat sourly saying, “Sister, huh? What kind of sister? The kind you marry into the family?”
Xu Chuang’s words were really easy to misunderstand, saying things like: My parents like her too, just like a child bride. The more Ji Yuchen thought about it, the angrier he got, feeling like he’d misjudged him. Only a scumbag would recognize sisters everywhere!
He flipped back into the blanket, wrapping himself up like a cocoon, ignoring Xu Chuang, thinking about finding a chance to run away. It didn’t matter where, as long as it wasn’t here!
Xu Chuang probably didn’t understand what was going on, standing there in a daze for a while before coming back to his senses and pushing the little cocoon in front of him, calling, “Jiu’er?… Jiu’er, what’s wrong?”
He gently shook Ji Yuchen’s shoulder, but the latter faced the window, not looking at him. Xu Chuang said, “What are you talking about? Xiang Chun is my little sister. How could I marry her? When she gets married, I’ll be busy adding to her dowry, not what you’re thinking…”
Xu Chuang spoke calmly, sounding quite reasonable. Ji Yuchen turned his head, half his face buried in the blanket, half-doubtfully confirming, “You’re really not dating her? You have no interest in her?”
Xu Chuang felt like laughing, realizing the little guy was asking about this, somewhat helplessly agreeing, “Why would I like her? She’s just a kid who hasn’t grown up yet. When she gets married, I’ll have to back her up, can’t let her be bullied.”
…
His words had a very big brotherly tone. Ji Yuchen looked at the young, handsome face in front of him, thinking it could count as a big brother. He lay on the pillow, rolling his eyes, feeling this performance had some credibility, so he sat up, seriously looking at Xu Chuang.
“Then what do you like? Do you have an ideal type?”
Xu Chuang thought about what an ideal type was. When he worked in the city, he heard people say: The guy sleeping on the top bunk said his ideal type was Lin Chi-ling, gentle and beautiful, her voice could make your bones melt. Xu Chuang thought of the poster on the wall, she was pretty, but that was it.
He thought for a long time but couldn’t give a decent answer. Ji Yuchen said, “You must have some preferences, right? Big eyes or small eyes? Dark skin or light skin? Fat or thin? If you have no idea at all, you should become a monk!”
Xu Chuang followed his questions, thinking big eyes were good, but not too big, just lively; skin color didn’t matter, he was so dark himself, couldn’t expect someone to be too fair, just normal skin tone was fine; as for body shape… it seemed now everyone liked thinness, this morning Xiang Chun was even talking about losing weight, not even an adult yet, what’s there to lose? He thought a bit of chubbiness was good, healthy.
Xu Chuang answered the questions seriously, and Ji Yuchen felt his attempt to draw out information was working, so he continued to ask, “What else? Tell me, I’ll help you see if there’s anyone suitable in the village.”
He was thinking if there were any more specific standards, what he said before was too general, anyone could fit. Xu Chuang said, “Also… I want to find someone who can live a good life with me, down-to-earth. I don’t have much ability, but I’ll give her every penny I earn. It’d be great if we could do some small business, and it’d be best to have two kids, a boy and a girl, to live a happy life.”
As he said this, he couldn’t help but smile, probably imagining a happy family of four. Ji Yuchen’s mood, which had just improved, plummeted to the bottom, pulling up the blanket and muttering, “Go, go, go! Go have your kids!”
The previous conversation seemed pointless, and Ji Yuchen didn’t want to argue anymore, planning to continue his nap. Xu Chuang didn’t know how he had upset him again, thinking Jiu’er’s temper was really hard to guess, one moment in the sky, the next on the ground.
With no resolution, Xu Chuang placed the aloe vera juice on the table, reminding him that lunch was in the pot, to remember to eat it, and that he would be back in the afternoon. If anything happened, he could borrow a phone from Old Man Zhang next door, as he had his mobile phone with him.
Xu Chuang’s house didn’t have a phone, only an old second-hand mobile phone he bought for two hundred yuan when he was working in the city. He originally wanted to give it to Jiu’er, but the latter disliked the cracked screen and didn’t bother using it.
He had intended to investigate his own background, to see if there was any chance of finding relatives or friends, but he had no keywords to search for, only the name Funiu Mountain. He had checked with Xu Chuang’s phone before, but there was little information online, and he quickly reached the end of the search results.
So Ji Yuchen had nothing to do. After Xu Chuang left, he couldn’t sleep, got up to wash his face, and started applying aloe vera gel in front of the mirror. He found it quite miraculous, applying it once could reduce redness and itching, like a magic potion. If he applied it a few more times, it might completely heal, maybe even make his skin better than before.
The morning passed quickly. Ji Yuchen got up late, and after applying aloe vera and wandering around the house and yard, it was already noon.
Xu Chuang had left him a pot of potato and eggplant rice, and Ji Yuchen picked out the potatoes, eating half a bowl. He then took the rest out of the pot and brought it inside, thinking that with the hot weather, if left in the pot, it might spoil by the afternoon, wasting food.
Feeling a bit aimless, he put on a hat to check on the chickens next door, wanting to verify if the corn kernels he threw last night had worked, so he could continue tonight if it did.
Old Man Zhang was lying on a bench under a tree, leisurely swaying, and somehow spotted Ji Yuchen, calling out slowly, “Liu’er, what are you looking at again…”
…
Old Man Zhang always called him “Liu’er,” and Ji Yuchen thought this name was hard to change. He wondered how six and nine were similar. Though they were a pair, they couldn’t be mixed up, right?
He awkwardly straightened up from the wall, walked out of the yard to Old Man Zhang’s door, and knocked. Inside, someone said, “It’s not locked…”
Old Man Zhang always lived alone, and Ji Yuchen had never seen anyone else, so he assumed he lived alone.
The old man picked up a fan and waved Ji Yuchen over, signaling him to come closer. Ji Yuchen obediently ran over, sitting on a small stool next to the bench, seeing the old man squinting, speaking slowly, “Bored at home? Dali didn’t keep you company?”
Ji Yuchen remembered this and rolled his eyes, saying, “Who needs him to keep me company…”
Old Man Zhang tossed the fan over, asking him to fan him, speaking as if it were natural, “You need to learn to serve people, that’s how you keep them, right?”
Ji Yuchen was stunned, serve people? What did he take him for, a maid or a servant?
He gritted his teeth, “Serve him? Dream on!”
Old Man Zhang chuckled from his recliner, telling him about Xu Chuang’s good qualities: honest, hardworking, kind, and except for losing his parents a few years ago, a good family to marry into.
Ji Yuchen wondered when the village elders became so open-minded, even talking about marrying into a family. Did they see that he was interested in Xu Chuang? No way, how could they tell?
He pretended to test the waters, asking, “Marry into a family? Xu Chuang hasn’t even thought about getting married yet…”
Old Man Zhang snorted, “Living together and not getting married? How does that make sense? If he dares to do that, I’ll break his legs for his parents!”
Living together…
Ji Yuchen now confirmed that Old Man Zhang was talking about him, suggesting Xu Chuang marry him. But marriage between two men, even in the city, was not allowed, let alone in the countryside.
He was a bit confused, asking, “You mean me? Let Xu Chuang marry me?”
Old Man Zhang looked at him like he was an idiot, speaking with a hint of anger, “Who else? You two living together, you think I can’t see? The day Dali carried you down from the mountain, I saw it! The way he worried, I saw it clearly, and you, little girl, can’t see it?”
…Little…girl???
Ji Yuchen was stunned into silence, unable to respond. For the first time in his limited memory, he felt so helpless, unable to explain.
He twitched his mouth, “Old man, I’m… a guy…”
Old Man Zhang rocked his chair as if he hadn’t heard, only opening his eyes after a while, sitting up to look at Ji Yuchen for a long time.
He smiled broadly, “Nonsense! This is clearly a girl! Though not very pretty, still decent, better than that Xiang Chun girl! I don’t like that girl, just like her mother, petty!”
Old Man Zhang’s authoritative tone arranged everything clearly for the two of them. Ji Yuchen couldn’t say much, after all, Old Man Zhang was complimenting him, he couldn’t just retort.
He stood up from the stool, saying he remembered something at home, and would visit tomorrow. Old Man Zhang called him back, his tone changing from the usual casualness to something more earnest,
“Liu’er…”
…Well, it seemed the name was stuck, Ji Yuchen sighed deeply in his heart.
He turned back, seeing Old Man Zhang fanning himself, speaking slowly, “In a few days, it’s the anniversary of Dali’s parents’ death. Go with him to the grave on the back mountain, pour a cup of wine, his parents will be happy, knowing their son has someone with him, it will put their minds at ease…”
…
In the forest on the back mountain, a scent of jasmine wafted from somewhere. Ji Yuchen left Old Man Zhang’s house, smelling the faint fragrance, sweet and pleasant in the air. He walked home slowly, hearing footsteps, and Xu Chuang called him from afar, “Jiu’er! I’m back!”
[Author’s Note]
A lot of vinegar was consumed.