SG 39

When the first performance ended, the two men beside him walked toward another exhibition hall and disappeared from Yan Anqing’s sight. On the way back, he kept thinking about the tall man’s hand resting on the slender man’s waist as they left the hall and about how close they were as they talked.

Near four in the afternoon, after placing the clay pieces into the electric kiln and setting the time and temperature, Yan Anqing heard the “Welcome” sound. When he turned around, the two people who walked in were the same couple he had seen at the ocean park that morning.

“There are so many posts online recommending this store. I didn’t believe it before coming, but now that I see everything myself, I want to take them all home.” Song Yunlan picked up a “No Berry Troubles” mug. The three-dimensional strawberries on the surface were delicate and special.

“How about this one, ‘Everything Persimmon’?” Song Yunlan lifted another mug and asked Wang Yanghai.

“I want this one.” Wang Yanghai pointed to “Peach You Like.”

“The Plants vs. Zombies ones are so realistic, and those little animals there are so cute.” Everywhere Song Yunlan looked, he liked everything and wanted every single one.

“Pick a few more for the three kids at my brother’s house.” He handed the mug in his hand to Wang Yanghai and found an excuse to start shopping.

“Just grab a few for the thought of it. Those three are wild kids. They’d break them in two days.”

“How can you describe them like that? I’ll tell them next time we meet.” The items were small, so Song Yunlan picked quite a few. He had planned to buy a full four-piece set of bowls and plates that matched the mugs, but after looking at them for a while, he put them back.

“Babe, why’d you put them back?” Wang Yanghai saw how reluctant Song Yunlan was to part with the set, so it was obvious he liked it.

“They’re too heavy and hard to carry.” Song Yunlan had weighed them earlier. The whole set was heavy, and buying just one or two wouldn’t match their other tableware at home.

“If you like them, buy them. I’ll carry them.” Wang Yanghai picked up the set again. Since they were traveling, anything they liked had to come back with them.

The shop wasn’t busy yet. Other than the two of them browsing, there were no other customers. Yan Anqing sat behind the checkout counter organizing boxes, and their conversation from the shelves reached him without any barrier.

When they came to pay, each holding an armful of items, Song Yunlan immediately noticed the “Merman” plate displayed on the counter.

“The legendary treasure of the shop.” Song Yunlan excitedly gestured to Wang Yanghai. When he saw the shop owner’s gaze turn their way, he quickly smiled and explained, “I know, I can only look, not touch. I’ll just take a photo.”

That morning they had only been focused on the performance and taking pictures and hadn’t realized the person standing next to them was the owner of this shop.

He took out his phone and snapped a few photos. The more he looked at the merman on the plate, the more familiar it seemed. “Isn’t that merman the one performing at the ocean park across the street?”

Yan Anqing nodded once and took out the calculator to total the items on the counter.

Song Yunlan smiled knowingly. “I thought so too. That merman looks the best. His body’s amazing, and his swimming posture is beautiful. You made it look so real. You even captured the outline of the abs and the scales of the tail.”

“Why are you staring at another man’s abs? My body’s great too, and my swimming looks good. When we get back, I’ll take you swimming so you can see for yourself.”

After hearing him praise another man twice today, Wang Yanghai regretted taking him to that mermaid show.

Song Yunlan glared at him. “Don’t talk nonsense. I was just appreciating something beautiful.” Then he turned his head and noticed the shop owner watching them, so he smiled awkwardly.

After they paid, Yan Anqing packed everything for them and asked, “Are you a couple?”

“You could tell? I’m his boyfriend.” Wang Yanghai lifted the bags and laughed.

Yan Anqing took a hand-molded starfish from a nearby bamboo basket. “This is for you.” It was peak season, and all the imperfect pieces had already been given away, but he simply wanted to give them something.

“Thank you.” Song Yunlan was pleasantly surprised as he accepted the pink starfish. Online guides had said the shop owner was cold and hard to talk to, that no one ever succeeded in bargaining or asking for extras, so he didn’t expect to receive a gift voluntarily.

Before stepping out the door, Song Yunlan leaned close to Wang Yanghai’s ear and whispered, “You’re the best in the world.”

As he watched the two leave, Yan Anqing scratched at the label on his water bottle and gained a clearer understanding of same-sex couples.

That night, Chu Baiyan had a commercial performance. When he returned, it was already past nine. The shop still had customers. When he walked in, four or five people were browsing, and Yan Anqing stood nearby answering a customer’s question.

“Go rest for a while. I’ll take over.”

Chu Baiyan’s body was still warm from the heat outside, and when he stood behind Yan Anqing, the higher temperature came through his T-shirt and reached his back, making him feel hot too. Yan Anqing fetched a bottle of water from the counter and handed it to him, but his eyes stayed on Chu Baiyan’s Adam’s apple as it moved with each gulp.

When they closed up and went upstairs, Chu Baiyan changed into slippers and asked, “Did you meet any difficult customers tonight?” Summer vacation and the weekend overlapped, and the past two days had the most visitors. He worried Yan Anqing might not handle it easily.

“No. When someone’s hard to talk to, I tell them to check another store.” Yan Anqing already used the phrase that Chu Baiyan had taught him skillfully.

“So good.” The end of Chu Baiyan’s tone carried a hint of a smile.

Later, when he came out from his shower to hang his clothes, Yan Anqing paused SpongeBob SquarePants on the TV and said out of nowhere, “Let’s go swimming Monday.”

“Can you swim?” Chu Baiyan hung his underwear on the drying rack and sat on the bed.

“No.” Yan Anqing had poor motor coordination since childhood. Back in primary school, he even got teased for running, so swimming, which required even more coordination, was beyond him.

He leaned closer, smelled the same bergamot scent on Chu Baiyan as on himself, and rubbed his nose twice against his neck. He whispered, “You can.”

Chu Baiyan felt ticklish from his hair and put his arm around his waist. “Alright. We’ll go swimming Monday. I’ll take you with me. We’ll find a pool with few people.”

Yan Anqing lifted his head and kissed Chu Baiyan’s chin. He had already gotten used to using kisses to show happiness and affection.

“I saw a couple today. Two men too.”

Chu Baiyan waited silently, and after a short pause, the person in his arms said, “Just like us.”

He only said a few words, but Chu Baiyan could hear the joy in his tone. He was happy because he had found another “couple” like them.

“The fish bit you again.” There were several new red marks on Chu Baiyan’s arm and body. Yan Anqing moved close and kissed each one.

“Does it still hurt?” He asked softly beside his ear after finishing.

Chu Baiyan didn’t answer him. Instead, he captured Yan Anqing’s lips and kissed him. His teeth parted reflexively, and Chu Baiyan sucked on the soft tip of his tongue, gently nibbling it. A hum reached his ear, and the hand on his waist tightened.

Yan Anqing wasn’t expressive, finding it difficult to express his feelings in words. To others, he might seem slow and dull, but he possessed the ability to easily melt Chu Baiyan’s heart.

Chu Baiyan will always feel Yan Anqing’s deep love for him from every tiny detail. Like a trickle of water, it flows into his heart continuously and irrigates every crevice of his body silently.