Only Jiang Yichi was unhappy about Xu Qiushi getting a new phone.
This was because Xu Qiushi intended to return the borrowed old phone the very next day.
“I told you, this Young Master doesn’t take back things he’s given away.” Jiang Yichi stood on the stairs with his arms crossed, glaring down at Xu Qiushi from a superior height.
Xu Qiushi held the phone up, his expression hesitant. “But you said it was a loan.”
“I don’t care! It’s yours now, I don’t want it back.” Jiang Yichi was fuming. He knew Xu Qiushi would pull a stunt like this!
Xu Qiushi had experienced the Little Master’s stubbornness before; in times like these, it was better to go along with him. “Then I’ll keep it for now. Don’t be angry.”
“Who’s angry?” Jiang Yichi’s mouth was as stubborn as his temper.
“Right, you’re not.” A hint of a smile flickered in Xu Qiushi’s eyes.
Jiang Yichi was about to turn back to the second floor when something occurred to him. He warned Xu Qiushi, “Even though I don’t want that phone back, you are NOT allowed to let Xu Qiuze sell it as second-hand! And you definitely can’t let anyone else use it. Do you hear me?”
“…Alright.” Xu Qiushi indeed had the idea of selling it for cash. Since the Little Master had seen through him, he could only abandon the plan with regret.
Thus, a second idle phone joined the drawer of his nightstand.
The new phone and the old one used different operating systems, so many features were different. Xu Qiushi had to spend time adapting all over again.
Even though Jiang Yichi looked down on the “cheap” model Xu Qiuze had bought, he was surprisingly patient in answering all of Xu Qiushi’s questions.
“Young people really do know a lot,” Xu Qiushi remarked, watching Jiang Yichi’s practiced demonstration.
“What do you mean ‘young people’? Aren’t you only in your early twenties too?” Jiang Yichi disliked the way Xu Qiushi always looked at him like he was a child.
“Three years is a generation gap; there are at least two gaps between us.” Xu Qiushi seriously held up two fingers.
“What kind of stupid gap is that?” Jiang Yichi shot him a sidelong glance.
“This Sunday is the Winter Solstice. How do you plan to spend it?” Xu Qiushi had his fixed Sunday rest. He had already agreed to wrap dumplings with Xun Wenyao, but he felt uneasy about leaving the Little Master home alone.
“My brother wants me to go to his place,” Jiang Yichi replied with little interest.
“Is Xiao Fei going with you?” Xu Qiushi was also thinking of Gu Chengfei.
“Mm.”
“That’s good. The more people, the merrier.” Xu Qiushi felt relieved.
Jiang Yichi knew Xu Qiushi would be spending the holiday with those two men. He felt disgruntled but had no standing to stop him.
He thought about offering triple wages to keep Xu Qiushi at home, but he couldn’t exactly bring a nanny to his brother’s house.
Ever since Jiang Yichi had bluntly said the food at Jiang Yihe’s house was terrible, the chefs there treated him like a formidable enemy, constantly looking worried about losing their jobs. Bringing Xu Qiushi along would be a slap in his brother’s face. Most importantly, Xu Qiushi would certainly feel out of place at his brother’s house.
Watching the figure cleaning the living room, Jiang Yichi realized he had become a bit strange lately—he enjoyed staring at Xu Qiushi whenever he was idle.
Sure, he’s good-looking and has a great body, but at the end of the day, he’s just a nanny—and a man. I couldn’t possibly have ‘improper’ feelings for him, right?
The moment the thought popped up, Jiang Yichi laughed and shook his head. He was definitely overthinking.
…
The temperature in December fluctuated wildly, but it symbolically turned colder on the day of the Winter Solstice.
Xu Qiushi made breakfast for Jiang Yichi, put on a jacket, and headed out.
He and Xu Qiuze had agreed to meet at the wet market near Xun Wenyao’s place. It had been a long time since the brothers had shopped for groceries together. They stopped at a roadside stall for breakfast along the way.
When they arrived at the apartment with the groceries, Xun Wenyao was still asleep.
The brothers carried the bags into the kitchen quietly. Xu Qiushi cooked some rice porridge, ensuring Xun Wenyao would have something to eat as soon as he woke up.
Due to the nature of his work, Xun Wenyao usually slept until noon before having his first meal, so Xu Qiushi always prepared something light first.
By the time Xun Wenyao woke up, the brothers had been busy in the kitchen for a while washing vegetables, kneading dough, and mixing the filling.
“Didn’t we agree to wrap them together? Why didn’t you wake me?” Xun Wenyao walked in, yawning.
“Brother Wanyao, you’re up! Go wash up. We haven’t started wrapping yet. Let’s eat first,” Xu Qiuze greeted him cheerfully.
“Food ready the moment I wake up… I’m so moved.” Xun Wenyao smiled and headed to the bathroom. Ever since Xu Qiushi started coming over, every Sunday had become this blissful.
Xun Wenyao’s breakfast served as the brothers’ lunch. The three sat together, enjoying the simple porridge and side dishes.
After resting for a bit, Xu Qiushi wiped the table clean, sprinkled some flour, and began rolling out the dough into wrappers.
Xu Qiuze brought out a large bowl of pork and cabbage filling, joining Xun Wenyao in wrapping the dumplings.
“Wow, A-Ze, yours are so pretty,” Xun Wenyao marveled. “How do you make those pleats? Teach me.”
“Look, you tuck the back part in first, then pinch it back and forth, left and right. My brother taught me. He knows how to wrap so many different shapes.” Xu Qiuze was beaming with pride.
Xu Qiushi watched them study the different shapes and felt the corners of his mouth curl up.
During the process, Jiang Yichi sent intermittent messages. Xu Qiushi’s hands were busy; every time he picked up his phone, he had to wash his hands again, so he could only reply sporadically.
The table gradually filled with plump, white dumplings. Xu Qiushi set aside enough for the three of them and put the rest in the freezer.
While Xu Qiuze boiled the water, Xu Qiushi dropped the dumplings in.
Once they were done, Xu Qiushi took a photo of the steaming dumplings and sent it to Jiang Yichi—who had been “checking in” constantly asking if he wanted some. If he did, he could come pick some up for a late-night snack.
Based on his knowledge of Jiang Yichi, the boy likely wouldn’t cook for himself. Xu Qiushi was prepared to be rejected, but to his surprise, the Little Master replied instantly with a single word: [Okay].
After sending the message, Jiang Yichi regretted it slightly.
Actually, he wasn’t that hungry, and he didn’t know how to boil them himself. Why was he rushing over to get dumplings from Xu Qiushi like a lost puppy?
“Don’t look at your phone while eating.” Jiang Yihe looked at his younger brother with disapproval and served him a crab roe dumpling.
“This crab roe filling is so fresh. Delicious.” Crabs were at their fattiest this season. The chefs had meticulously picked out every bit of roe and meat by hand. Gu Chengfei was devouring them one by one.
…
Back at the apartment, the post-dumpling Xun Wenyao suddenly had a craving for Tangyuan (sweet rice balls) and asked if Xu Qiushi could make them.
“Yes. I’ll go buy the ingredients.” Xu Qiushi was always obliging.
“I’ll go too!” Xun Wenyao and Xu Qiuze both raised their hands.
“Fine, we all go.” They treated the walk as a way to digest their meal.
They made quite a lot of Tangyuan. Xu Qiushi didn’t boil many, fearing they would get indigestion from eating too much. The leftovers could be packed with the dumplings to give to Jiang Yichi and the bar staff. It had been a while since he visited the bar, so it was a good time to check on everyone.
Winter was the low season for tourism in Luohai City. There weren’t as many tourists as in summer, and the atmosphere on the bar street was a bit subdued.
Xun Wenyao generously pushed the bar’s opening time from 6:00 PM back to 7:00 PM. The bar wouldn’t make much extra profit in that hour anyway.
After seeing Xu Qiuze off, Xu Qiushi and Xun Wenyao walked to the bar, about a twenty-minute trip.
As the manager, Xun Wenyao was usually the first to arrive, despite his usual appearance as a “salted fish” (slacker).
Since Xu Qiushi hadn’t been to the bar in a long time, Xun Wenyao pressed him down onto a barstool. “Don’t help today. Be a customer for once and experience our service. On the house.”
Before Xu Qiushi could refuse, Xun Wenyao had already poured him a glass of whisky with an ice sphere. “Qiang-zi said you have a high tolerance. Drink something simple first, then I’ll mix something for you.”
Poured liquor couldn’t be put back. Since Xun Wenyao didn’t drink while working, Xu Qiushi could only pick up the glass and take a small sip.
The low temperature of the ice suppressed the sting of the alcohol. Once in his mouth, the warmth triggered a light, fruity aroma within the liquid, leaving a unique aftertaste.
“How is it? Can you handle the taste?” Xun Wenyao asked.
“It’s alright. The alcohol taste isn’t too strong.”
Hearing the evaluation, Xun Wenyao said with a beaming smile, “This one has a bit of a kick later on.”
Xu Qiushi wouldn’t let Xun Wenyao mix more drinks, so the manager made himself a non-alcoholic beverage. They sat at the bar, drinking and chatting about Xu Qiushi’s life before he left home.
“I heard from Qiang-zi that before you left, the village chief wanted to arrange a marriage for you. You refused. Why?” Xun Wenyao asked seemingly casually.
“I wanted to earn more money. While I’m young and strong, I want to save up for A-Ze to get married and buy a house later. I’m not thinking about other things for now.” Xu Qiushi took another sip. The ice had melted slightly from the warmth of his palm, diluting the drink; it wasn’t as good as the first sip.
“Saving for A-Ze’s ‘wife fund,’ but not your own?” Xun Wenyao stared directly into Xu Qiushi’s eyes.
“I haven’t thought that far.” Mainly because he didn’t have the inclination. “Besides, A-Ze is still young. He needs someone to look after him.”
Xu Qiushi lowered his eyes and saw his phone screen light up. It was a message from Jiang Yichi saying he had arrived.
Xun Wenyao watched him finish the reply, resting his chin on one hand. “A-Ze is an adult now. He’s not a child.”
Xu Qiushi’s hand, swirling the glass, paused. Right, A-Ze is grown up. Now, rather than his brother needing him, it’s actually him who needs his brother as an emotional anchor.
“You should consider your own life too, shouldn’t you? A-Ze told me today that he hopes you find your own happiness soon,” Xun Wenyao advised softly.
My own happiness? Can someone whose sexual orientation isn’t ‘normal’ truly have that? Xu Qiushi shook his head and drained his glass in one go.
“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You always seem wound up tight. Wouldn’t it be better to live a little more easily?” Xun Wenyao reached out and patted his shoulder.
Xu Qiushi’s eyelids drooped, his thoughts unknown.
“Qiushi,” Xun Wenyao called out suddenly.
“Mm?” Xu Qiushi turned to look at him.
“I just realized your eyelashes are really long. And they’re curled! Haha.” It was completely at odds with his usual cool and tough image.
Xun Wenyao leaned in with interest to take a closer look. It was likely because his skin was dark that the eyelashes were less prominent; one wouldn’t normally notice them.
Xun Wenyao leaned closer and closer, even reaching out to flick them. Xu Qiushi closed his eyes instinctively.
From the side, their posture was intimate, far exceeding normal social etiquette.
Just as Xu Qiushi was about to pull away, a voice, cold to the absolute extreme, rang out:
“What are you doing?”