Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye.
For this big order, the two aunties had come to the shop early in the morning to prepare the ingredients. Xia Yiyang also came downstairs to help. Auntie Zhao remarked with curiosity, “Xiao Xia, the boss said you’re off today. Why’d you come down?”
The teenager scratched his head. “I’m not going out until noon. I’ve got nothing to do right now anyway, so I figured I’d help Brother Lin.”
He’d gotten used to calling him “Brother Lin” by now. Whether inside or outside the shop, “Brother Lin” had replaced the earlier, more formal “boss” and become Xia Yiyang’s exclusive way of addressing him.
The boss could be everyone’s boss, but Brother Lin was only Xia Yiyi’s.
“Where are you going to play at noon? A museum?” Auntie Zhao teased. “You’re ditching the boss to go out alone today—careful, he might get mad.”
“It’s not like that.” Xia Yiyang answered while cutting watermelon. “My sister came to Rongcheng on a business trip from Beijing, and she’s taking me out to lunch at noon.”
“Sister? Your family has two kids?”
“She’s my cousin.” Xia Yiyang was now quite adept with the big cleaver—a blade as long as his forearm. He swung it with a series of swift shua-shua-shua sounds, quickly trimming off the white rind until only the red flesh remained. Then, using the back of the blade, he pushed, and the watermelon rind tumbled noisily into the nearby trash bag. “We’re the closest, and since we’re both only children, I just call her sister.”
Auntie Li, standing nearby, perked up her ears. “How old is your sister?”
“Eight years older than me—twenty-six.”
“Twenty-six… twenty-six is perfect!” Auntie Li wiped her hands on her apron, clearly excited. “Is she seeing anyone?”
Xia Yiyang finally understood what the aunties were getting at, and quickly shut it down on his sister’s behalf: “I already have a brother-in-law!”
He had more brothers-in-law than he could count on one hand—one on stage, another on screen. His sister had to buy tickets every time she wanted to see them—what a tough long-distance relationship. Luckily, at this afternoon’s signing event, she’d get to see her newest brother-in-law again.
“What a shame,” Auntie Li said. “Xiao Xia is so good-looking, his sister must be pretty too. With such a close connection, why not make it even closer…”
Xia Yiyang didn’t quite follow. “What do you mean by ‘make it even closer’?”
Auntie Zhao laughed. “Sister Li means, why not introduce your boss to your sister!”
Xia Yiyang’s mind wandered for just a split second, and his cleaver came down—this time, it wasn’t just the watermelon that split, but the cutting board beneath it too.
“Wha—what?” He didn’t realize he was radiating murderous intent.
Auntie Zhao said, “Aiyo, why are you getting so worked up? Think about it—how good is the boss to you normally, huh? He treats you like a real brother, from the bottom of his heart. When he finds a girlfriend someday, he’s definitely going to be a textbook pā ěr duo!”
“Pā ěr duo” was a Sichuan dialect term for a man who doted on and listened to his wife. When Xia Yiyang had first met Sheng Lin, he’d thought he was cold and aloof, always wearing a stern face. But as they spent more time together, he’d gradually discovered his steady and dependable side… The thought that all of Sheng Lin’s thoughtfulness and care would one day be given entirely to his lover filled Xia Yiyang with an inexplicable restlessness.
He felt like he’d been tossed into a sour pickling vat, with a heavy pickling stone pressing down on his chest.
He was achingly sour, and even more achingly wronged. Staring at the cutting board he’d just split with one chop, he thought—I’m already this upset, and even the cutting board has to bully me!
Just then, Sheng Lin pushed through the kitchen curtain, carrying two large jars of honey. The moment he entered, he felt a chill sweep through the entire kitchen.
And at the epicenter of that cold front stood Xia Yiyang, wielding a long watermelon cleaver, sulking at the cutting board.
The young master’s pout was higher than the sky, his pretty little face set in a grim scowl, as if someone owed him eight million.
“What happened?” Sheng Lin asked. “Who made our young master unhappy?”
“Nothing.” Xia Yiyang decided he would treat this pā ěr duo man with his coldest attitude ever! “The cutting board just broke.”
Hearing it was just the cutting board, Sheng Lin quickly walked over, took the long knife from his hand, and checked his palm. Sure enough, the boy’s right palm was reddened from the vibration of the handle—he had no idea how much force he’d used.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“How could I be hurt?” Xia Yiyang grumbled. “Boss, deduct the cost of the broken cutting board from my wages.”
“?” Sheng Lin sensed something was off. “Xia Yiyi, why are you calling me ‘boss’ again?”
“It’s working hours. Better to use the official title.” Xia Yiyang said with a straight face. “And don’t call me Xia Yiyi anymore. Please call me Comrade Xia.”
Sheng Lin: “…”
He turned to look at the two aunties in confusion, mouthing silently: What’s wrong with him?
Auntie Zhao and Auntie Li exchanged glances and both shook their heads in bewilderment. They’d just been chatting casually—the only thing was, when they mentioned setting the boss up with someone, Xiao Xia had suddenly “come down with a fit” and split the cutting board with one hand.
Could it be that Xiao Xia, being single himself, didn’t want the boss to find a girlfriend first?
…
The signing event started at two in the afternoon. Sheng Lin had agreed with the entertainment company to deliver the ice jelly and fruit two hours early. He’d booked a van in advance and loaded up five buckets of ice jelly along with the cut fruit and ice packs. Space inside was tight, so the two aunties went along with the delivery, while Sheng Lin rode his motorcycle as usual.
He straddled the motorcycle, his long legs naturally planted on the ground: “Where are you meeting your cousin? I’ll drop you off first.”
“No need.” The teenager gripped the straps of his cross-body sports bag tightly with both hands, turning his head away, deliberately avoiding looking at the man. “I’ll take a cab.”
“…Alright, then. Contact me anytime if anything comes up.” The man didn’t push further, but added, “If I finish early on my end, I’ll come find you guys.”
Who would have thought that Xia Yiyang would instantly explode, his round eyes widening like a wronged little animal, his voice pitching upward: “You want to meet my sister?”
Sheng Lin: “She’s come all the way to Rongcheng. I should at least play the host.”
“No need from you.” Xia Yiyang muttered. “I’m half a host too. I can play half a host’s role.”
Sheng Lin was helpless. What half a host? This kid had only been in Rongcheng for a little over a month.
At eighteen, a teenager’s moods shifted like sunshine and rain. Sheng Lin didn’t know why he was acting so out of sorts today and simply attributed it to the sweltering summer heat making him uncomfortable.
“Since you don’t want me to meet her, then I won’t.” Sheng Lin couldn’t resist reaching out to brush aside the fringe that was slightly covering his eyes. “Good thing I’ve fattened you up by two pounds, or your sister would definitely think I’ve been mistreating you.”
“Working so many hours every day is mistreating me, hmph.” Xia Yiyang dragged out his words dismissively, but didn’t dodge the hand reaching toward him.
“And this.” Somehow, Sheng Lin produced a small gift box, light and airy. When Xia Yiyang opened it, he found a beautiful little silk scarf inside—a refreshing green base with a panda pattern.
Xia Yiyang realized: “You even prepared a gift for my sister?”
“To be precise, it’s prepared for you,” Sheng Lin said. “Take it. You can’t go see your sister empty-handed.”
Xia Yiyang remained defiant: “My sister and I aren’t that formal. We don’t need to prepare gifts for each other every time we meet. Besides, it’s not even a holiday.”
“This has nothing to do with how close you are—it’s about intention.” The man smiled. “Xia Yiyi, when you prepare a gift for someone, it means you have them in your heart. Gifts aren’t just for holidays. You can give one whenever you think of them. Give it today, and today is a holiday. Give it tomorrow, and tomorrow is a holiday.”
The young master clutched the thin silk scarf box, speechless. He suddenly thought of the kiwis from Guangyuan that Sheng Lin had helped him send to his parents.
Sheng Lin had done so many things for him, taught him so many truths, and he owed him so many “thank yous.”
“I’m leaving.” Sheng Lin put on his helmet and flipped down the visor. “Don’t stay out too late. Come home early.”
“Mm.”
Xia Yiyang thought—if this little house behind him could be considered his home in Rongcheng, then could the man in front of him be considered his family here too?
…
The motorcycle sped along, and together with the delivery van, Sheng Lin drove into the parking lot of Building B at the Convention Center.
He’d been here twice during his school days—once to sit in on an academic conference with his department head, and once to participate in a robotics competition. What left the deepest impression on him was the variety of refreshments laid out along the walls of the venue.
Every break time, the refreshment area would be packed. A swarm of “academic big shots” would descend upon it, grabbing this and that, leaving nothing in their wake. If you reached out too slowly, all that remained were crumbs.
Back then, his department head had scolded him for being useless—with such a tall frame and long arms, he couldn’t even snag a plate of egg tarts!
Who would have thought that two years later, Sheng Lin would step back into this place as a refreshment supplier.
The entertainment company was busy setting up the main stage. This signing event for three hundred people was held in a modestly sized exhibition hall. The main stage was lavishly equipped, with florists arranging flowers nearby. Sheng Lin showed his work pass to the staff and was guided to the refreshment area to set up the display.
Ice jelly was easy to arrange—the trays were filled with crushed ice underneath, with cut fruit displayed in glass dishes on top. The ice jelly was served in petal-shaped containers, and fans could help themselves.
The only issue was that the disposable containers they’d brought bore the “Summer Ice Jelly Shop” logo. The entertainment company’s publicity staff were nitpicky, claiming this constituted “brand exposure” and requiring them to cover it with stickers bearing the artist’s image.
Sheng Lin had no choice but to stick them on one by one as requested.
It was past one o’clock by the time they finished. As Sheng Lin was about to leave, he turned around and ran into a familiar voice.
“—Surprised or not, my old friend!” Qin Zaozao, tall as a tree branch, stood in front of him with a work badge tucked in his chest pocket.
Sheng Lin replied flatly: “Surprised, but not pleasantly. What are you doing here?”
Qin Zaozao shrugged. “A master like me—is there any place in heaven or on earth I can’t go? …Hey, hey, don’t leave. My client asked me to come check the feng shui and see if today’s signing event will go smoothly.”
Sheng Lin asked: “And what’s the verdict?”
“Of course it’s ‘very good.’ Such a big venue, so many fans, so much effort from all the behind-the-scenes workers… Do you know how much energy that gathers?” Qin Zaozao said. “Even if it really ‘wasn’t good,’ that’d be the exhibition company’s and PR company’s problem. I’m here to be a reassurance.”
Sheng Lin suddenly understood—this old fortune-teller friend was just here for a free meal and drinks.
Qin Zaozao helped himself to a bowl of ice jelly with practiced ease, scooping two big spoonfuls of fruit for himself without holding back. While eating, he craned his neck around: “Speaking of which, where’s little Xia? You didn’t hide him away, did you?”
“He took the day off today.” Sheng Lin frowned. “Also, please call him by his name. Don’t be so familiar.”
“What, are you jealous?”
“…Don’t joke around.”
“Since it’s a joke, then take it as one.” Qin Zaozao flicked his wrist, and somehow produced a deck of tarot cards. His long fingers tapped the back of the deck, and one card leaped out in a way that completely defied gravity.
And that card was the very same one Sheng Lin had drawn before—”THE LOVERS.”
“—Old classmate, or should I say—have you already fallen for him?”
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