ACBAM 38: Full

For dinner, just as Grandpa had mentioned in the morning, they had prepared hotpot.

The small round table was filled with all kinds of ingredients for dipping. There’s two large plates of tripe and fatty beef rolls, Su Shijin’s favorites, laid over a thick bed of crushed ice.

There was no shortage of duck intestines, lamb, and enoki mushrooms either. In the very center sat a divided pot—half beef tallow, half tomato broth. The base had been specially ordered by Grandpa from the kitchen, richer in flavor than anything sold outside. The fire was already going strong, and the broth bubbled and gurgled away.

Grandpa rolled up his sleeves. “Don’t toss anything in just yet for the tomato broth. First, scoop out some of the soup, then add a few pieces of that cooked beef.”

Su Shijin responded with a smile, ladling a bowl of tomato soup for Grandpa, then one for Gu Weiyang, and finally one for himself.

After that, he added a few pieces of the pre-prepared beef into each person’s bowl.

Gu Weiyang couldn’t shake the feeling that this way of eating looked familiar. After a long moment, he remembered. It was just like that time he had gone with Tan Zhao to eat at Haidilao, when Tan Zhao had asked the waiter to prepare it for him, saying that if you ordered the tomato broth there, you absolutely had to start with a small bowl like this.

The only difference was that Tan Zhao’s bowl had bits of celery in it, which this table didn’t have.

Su Shijin seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and quietly explained, “I once took Grandpa to Haidilao, and the waiter made it for him that way. Ever since, every time we have a hotpot at home, he insists on starting with a bowl like this.”

Grandpa, after finishing half his soup, shot his grandson a sharp look. “I heard that—talking about me, aren’t you?”

Su Shijin immediately shut his mouth and pretended to focus on eating, all obedient and well-behaved.

Grandpa’s mustache twitched. “That whatever-it’s-called Haidilao is way too expensive. Half a portion of enoki mushrooms costs sixteen yuan. Sixteen yuan at the market could get me a whole big bunch. Better to just have it made at home.”

Su Shijin said, “You’re right. That’s why I haven’t gone back since. From now on, if we want a hotpot, we’ll just eat at home. It’s cheaper and there’s plenty to go around.”

Grandpa glared. “Even if you don’t want a hotpot, you still have to come back.”

Su Shijin nodded quickly. “Okay.”

Grandpa finished his tomato soup, scooped himself another small bowl, and had someone from the kitchen come over to top it up. Then, with a grand wave of his hand, he declared, “Dig in.”

Su Shijin immediately picked up a piece of tripe, swished it up and down in the broth seven or eight times, and after making sure it was cooked, placed it in Grandpa’s dipping sauce bowl. “You eat first.”

In high spirits, Grandpa said, “Go on, eat, don’t mind me,” even as he started putting ingredients into the spicy side of the pot himself.

Hotpot was best enjoyed from the spicy side—that’s where the real kick was. The tomato broth was tasty, but it just lacked that extra punch. Su Shijin couldn’t handle spicy food too well, yet he still preferred the spicy pot. His eyes were watering from the heat soon, and his lips were swollen and red, but he kept on eating from it.

Seeing this, Gu Weiyang poured him a glass of coconut juice, then used the slotted spoon to scoop some cooked shrimp paste into his dipping sauce bowl. In a low voice, he said, “If it’s too spicy, have some from the tomato side. Potatoes softened in the tomato broth taste good too.”

Su Shijin took a sip of coconut juice, then tried a piece of potato from the tomato broth. It had been cooking for so long that it broke apart the moment his chopsticks touched it, so he had to scoop it up with the slotted spoon.

Watching him lower his head to take a bite, Gu Weiyang asked, “Is it good?”

After swallowing, Su Shijin looked a bit dazed. “Can’t really tell, my mouth feels numb from the spice.”

Gu Weiyang couldn’t help but laugh at that. It was rare to see Su Shijin looking so dazed from the spice. He was muttering about his numb mouth while popping the shrimp paste Gu Weiyang had just scooped for him into his mouth, as if taking advantage of the numbness to sneak in a few more bites from the spicy side. The sight softened Gu Weiyang’s gaze without him realizing it.

Across from them, Grandpa quietly set down his chopsticks and said, “I think I’m starting to feel full.”

Su Shijin looked up in surprise. “So soon? You’ve barely eaten anything.”

“How could I not have eaten?” Grandpa said softly. “You’ve both been stuffing so much into my mouth already.” —Dog food.

He didn’t say those last two words out loud, but Gu Weiyang somehow caught his meaning. Still, he went right on as he pleased, placing the freshly cooked tripe into Su Shijin’s bowl, the corners of his mouth tugging upward.

At least in Grandpa’s eyes, their interactions must look just like those of a normal married couple, right?

The thought made Gu Weiyang inexplicably happy.

Su Shijin, on the other hand, had no idea what Grandpa was hinting at. Seeing another chopstick’s worth of tripe in his bowl, he didn’t ask further, just lowered his head and focused on eating it.

The fire under the pot was strong, and the fatty beef rolls cooked through in just a few seconds of swishing. Su Shijin felt like he’d eaten a lot, and by the end, even without touching any alcohol, he had a strange, tipsy sort of feeling, staring blankly at the bubbles rising in the pot.

Grandpa tossed a peanut into his mouth, took a sip of his liquor, and asked when he saw him, “What’s wrong? Tired of eating?”

Su Shijin slowly let out a breath. “A little.”

Seeing this, Gu Weiyang scooped all the remaining fatty beef rolls from the pot into his own bowl, dipped them in sauce, and finished them in just a few bites. After downing the rest of his coconut juice, he looked at Su Shijin. “Full? Want to head back to the room and rest?”

Su Shijin glanced at Grandpa, who waved his hand repeatedly. “Go on, I’m done too. I’ll finish this drink and head back by myself.”

Only then did Su Shijin get up and follow Gu Weiyang out of the dining room.

—

The moment they stepped outside, the cool night breeze, carrying the scent of flowers from the courtyard, swept over them, clearing Su Shijin’s spice-dazed mind a little.

“My mouth is completely numb right now,” Su Shijin said.

Gu Weiyang glanced down at his lips. “They’re all red from the spice.”

“Really?” Su Shijin licked his lips. “The longer it cooks, the spicier it gets. But it’s so good.”

Gu Weiyang smiled faintly. “If you like it, we’ll come back for it next time.”

Su Shijin nodded.

When they reached Su Shijin’s place, he led Gu Weiyang into the master bedroom, only to find a few sets of clothes laid out on the bed.

There were everyday outfits as well as pajamas.

Two different sizes and it was obvious without asking that the larger ones were prepared for Gu Weiyang.

“You want to shower first?” Su Shijin handed the larger pajamas to Gu Weiyang. “Grandpa probably had these prepared. You can just wear them after you’re done.”

Gu Weiyang caught a whiff of himself and felt like the hotpot smell had practically marinated him, so he nodded.

His gaze swept over the only bed in the room—a large one—and he forced down the flicker of excitement in his chest before heading into the bathroom to take a cold shower and cool himself off.

When he came back from his shower, he found Su Shijin staring at the top of the wardrobe, his expression dazed and puzzled.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Weiyang asked, towel-drying his hair. The damp strands at his forehead brushed over his brows and eyes, softening his whole appearance.

He walked over to Su Shijin’s side and followed his gaze upward.

Above Su Shijin’s wardrobe was a large compartment, seemingly used for clothes that weren’t worn often. Given the height, retrieving anything from there would be difficult.

Right now, that compartment was completely empty, and Su Shijin was just staring at it in a daze.

Hearing Gu Weiyang’s voice, he snapped out of it, his brows faintly furrowed. “It’s nothing… It’s just that I originally had two quilts here. I was planning to make a bed on the floor…”

But at some point, they had been taken away, leaving the space so empty that not even a scrap of cotton remained.