SG 27

The pottery wheel stopped. Yan Anqing lowered his eyes and looked at the arm looped around him. It was longer than his own, with solid forearms and much larger hands. He used a scraper to trim the cup body that Chu Baiyan had made, then used the leftover clay to shape a handle.

“When it dries, it can be painted.” Yan Anqing stood up and placed the cup on the rack used for drying the clay.

“Do you want to make another one?” He thought Chu Baiyan still needed more practice before he could finish one on his own.

“You make one. I’ll watch.” Chu Baiyan rubbed the clay off his hands and went to the bathroom to wash.

The rain hadn’t stopped. The thick curtain of water shut out the world outside. Chu Baiyan took out his phone and scrolled absentmindedly, but his gaze kept drifting back to Yan Anqing.

For someone who only tried pottery occasionally, it was indeed interesting. But when a hobby turned into a job, spending hours every day kneading, shaping, painting, and glazing lost its charm and became tedious.

It was like how Chu Baiyan loved swimming, but once swimming and diving became daily work, the fun was gone. Yet Yan Anqing was different. He could always lose himself in the process, enjoying every part of it, no matter how repetitive it was.

When he worked with clay, Yan Anqing seemed entirely relaxee, calm and detached from the world.

“There’s a claypot rice place in front of the complex. It’s Monday and raining, so there won’t be many people. Do you want to go there for lunch?” Chu Baiyan suggested while watching the rain outside.

“I don’t go out when it rains.” Though the food and the idea of fewer people fit his preferences, Yan Anqing didn’t like going out on rainy days.

“I’ll hold the umbrella.” Chu Baiyan didn’t insist. He just wanted Yan Anqing to go out more, to experience life beyond the shop.

“Claypot rice doesn’t taste good if you pack it. The crispy rice at the bottom needs to be eaten hot with sauce.”

Yan Anqing’s hands paused as he molded the starfish. Chu Baiyan holding the umbrella, the crispy rice, fewer people, three things outweighed his dislike for rain.

He answered softly with a “mm,” agreeing, and then continued shaping the clay starfish.

The sky seemed to be leaking. When the two of them went out at noon, the downpour continued unabated, and the thick mist shrouded everything in a haze.

“Why don’t you like rain?” Chu Baiyan asked, not expecting an answer.

“I don’t like the feeling of rain hitting my skin, and I don’t like the sound of rain on the umbrella.” Yan Anqing always had strange reasons for his dislikes.

“You can buy a transparent umbrella. The raindrops look like tiny glass flowers when they hit it.” Chu Baiyan shared a memory. As a kid, he’d had a clear umbrella and had loved watching the raindrops scatter across it.

They stood together under the small umbrella. Chu Baiyan tilted it more toward Yan Anqing’s side. The road was empty. Only the space under the umbrella belonged to them. Yan Anqing stared at the raindrops splashing on the pavement, where puddles reflected the shadows of two people.

“Your clothes are wet.” The wind carried rain under the umbrella, and Yan Anqing instinctively moved closer. When he turned to look at Chu Baiyan, half his shirt was soaked.

“It’s just some drizzle. Did any get on you?” Chu Baiyan reached out and touched his shoulder. It was dry. Rain had dripped from the umbrella onto his own arm, and he wiped it off casually.

The claypot rice shop really had few people. Chu Baiyan chose a table inside, set the dripping umbrella in the corner, and ordered two of the shop’s signature dishes.

There were only a few customers, most seated near the door. Without strangers surrounding him, Yan Anqing felt more comfortable.

The restaurant was permeated with the distinctive aroma of roasted meats, accompanied by the sizzling sound of the rice and fat colliding at the bottom of the pot, making one’s mouth water uncontrollably.

Two servings of clay pot rice were quickly served. Knowing that Yan Anqing preferred sweeter food, Chu Baiyan ordered a combination of Cantonese sausage and barbecued pork for him, while he ordered the savory black bean ribs.

As  the waiter lifted the lid of the clay pot, steam rose, and the aroma filled the air. Chu Baiyan poured the provided sauce over the freshly cooked rice and used a spoon to help Yan Anqing stir it evenly, not forgetting to flip up the browned rice crust from the bottom of the pot

“It’s a little hot, blow on it before eating.” He pushed the prepared clay pot rice towards Yan Anqing before mixing his own portion.

Yan Anqing first tasted a piece of the rice crust, which had absorbed the fat and sauce, leaving it crispy and fragrant. The rice was translucent, and mixed with the sausage and barbecued pork, it was fragrant and delicious with a unique taste of cured meat. 

“It’s good.” He scooped a full spoonful, blew on it, and ate.

“I knew you’d like it.” Chu Baiyan smiled and picked up two ribs from his bowl to place in Yan Anqing’s.

“Try the ribs. If you like them, we can get those next time.”

Yan Anqing didn’t answer, but his eyes curved as he nodded. He cleared the whole bowl except for three stalks of Chinese greens. With the lemon tea to cut the grease, he already looked forward to their next meal.

The rain stopped gradually by evening. The sky darkened early, and the sign for Starfish Pottery lit up ahead of time, its warm white light tracing the falling threads of rain.

Though the rain had stopped, puddles still filled the streets, and few customers came that night.

Lying on the bed after taking a shower, playing SpongeBob SquarePants on his phone, Yan Anqing’s mind was filled with the scene of two people walking in the rain together with an umbrella. All the shots were deliberately slowed down and replayed frame by frame in front of his eyes. 

After three days of waterproof testing, Chu Baiyan’s apartment was finally ready for the tile work. Eight days had already passed.

That morning, the group chat had new photos. The workers had carried in the tiles and cement, but nothing more had happened since. After several tags, the foreman finally replied, “It’ll take another three or four days.”

The landlord couldn’t push them, so he privately offered to waive a week’s rent for the next quarter as compensation.

After a heavy rain, several days of sunny weather followed. Visitors to Ocean Park were increasing, and business at the community’s homestays and “Starfish Pottery” was also booming.

“Xiao Chu, is this you from behind?” During a break between shows, a female coworker showed Chu Baiyan a video.

He opened it. It was a social media post about visiting Starfish Pottery, and one photo showed his back inside the shop.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“You’ve become a regular at that handsome-potter shop?”

She sounded amused. It wasn’t the first time posts of him appearing in the shop had gone around online, but she happened to see it during her break today.

“I’m close with the owner. It’s nearby, so I stop by when I’m free.” Chu Baiyan admitted easily.

“Looks like that quiet guy’s only cold to some people. When we go, he barely talks, but with you, he’s close?” She sighed dramatically.

“Didn’t you say that ‘the shop’s treasure’ was modeled after him? Of course they’re close.” Another coworker joined in.

Chu Baiyan smiled but didn’t respond.

During summer vacation, many came to take photos and post about it. The online buzz brought more customers to Starfish Pottery, and the foot traffic increased.

That meant Yan Anqing now had to spend more time in the shop. Some smaller ceramic items even started running out of stock. He didn’t understand why customers had suddenly multiplied.

In the evening, a family of four entered while he was still helping a couple at the counter. The parents and two children browsed around. The adults picked out items, asking him questions now and then.

Yan Anqing had to attend to both sides, and he couldn’t keep an eye on the two children running around the store.