SG 32

When he opened the photos, Yan Anqing swiped through them one by one. As he looked at the kitten eating canned food, he typed in the chat box, “The kitten grew again.”

After a while, he received a voice message. Chu Baiyan asked, “What do you want to eat tomorrow morning?”

Even though Chu Baiyan had moved out, Yan Anqing still didn’t like it. But now that Chu Baiyan kept in contact with him, telling him that he had fed the kitten, taken a shower, and was about to sleep, and said goodnight before promising to meet him again in the morning, Yan Anqing started to feel that being apart for a short time wasn’t that unbearable.

Just like the first night when Chu Baiyan had moved in, Yan Anqing couldn’t fall asleep the first night after he left. He pulled the white tank top out from under the blanket, held it in his hand, and rubbed the fabric aimlessly with his fingertips.

Even though they had already said goodnight, Chu Baiyan didn’t feel sleepy. He didn’t have anything in particular he wanted to do either. He put on his earphones, opened the music app’s recommended playlist, and scrolled through some news.

The song in his earphones ended, and the next one started. The top right corner of the screen showed that it was already eleven-thirty at night. Usually, at that hour, Yan Anqing would already be asleep. When he slept, he always stayed still and didn’t roll around.

The intro of the next song began to play. Chu Baiyan closed his eyes. His mind was full of the look Yan Anqing gave him when he had turned around to look at him before leaving.

“I want to see you, I just want to see you. No matter the future or the past, I only want to see you. Across a thousand, ten thousand timelines, we still find each other in the sea of people…”

He opened his eyes in the dark. That line of lyrics hit him right in the heart.

On the first Monday when the shop was closed, Yan Anqing woke up early and went back to his grandma’s house. He told her that he had decided to take every Monday off from now on.

“Of course you can. You opened that pottery shop so your craft wouldn’t get rusty, and you can earn a bit of money for yourself too.” Grandma fully supported it after hearing that.

She never expected him to make much money anyway. Her baby was an honest kid. Since the day they had planned what he needed to do to run the shop, he had followed it strictly. Because there hadn’t been many customers before, it hadn’t been too busy, and since Yan Anqing never mentioned taking a break, it hadn’t crossed her mind.

“Baby, eat lotus root starch.” Grandpa came out of the kitchen with a bowl of sweet osmanthus lotus root starch and set it on the coffee table in front of him.

He had no memory of the things that had happened in recent years. His mind was still stuck in the time when Yan Anqing was in high school, loving this dessert the most. Every time he came home from school, Grandpa would make him a bowl himself.

Yan Anqing stirred the lotus root starch in the porcelain bowl and took a big spoonful.

“Don’t study too hard. Rest when you need to. It’s fine even if you don’t get into college. Grandpa will take care of you.” Grandpa smiled as he watched him eat spoon after spoon.

“Baby graduated college more than a year ago. Why are you still talking about exams? You really like to digress.” Grandma knew he wouldn’t remember anyway, but she reminded him out of habit.

“Alright, I’ll go play chess.” Grandpa stood up and went back to the bedroom.

“Your grandpa still thinks you’re in high school. A few more years, and he’ll think you’re in elementary school.” Grandma joked.

Grandpa had dementia, but his body was otherwise fine during every checkup. He stayed cheerful every day. Forgetting things didn’t matter much.

“Will Grandpa forget me?” He didn’t mind Grandpa thinking he was still a student, but he was scared that Grandpa might forget who he was.

“He won’t. He might forget everyone else, but not you.” Grandma reassured him. Grandpa had already forgotten how to use most of the appliances, but he still remembered how to make the lotus root starch.

“Right, Grandpa’s old comrades called. They’re planning a summer retreat at a farmhouse. A few families will stay together. They can play chess and talk about the old days, and we can play mahjong and eat country food.”

“Your grandpa’s turning eighty soon. They meet less and less as the years go by. While he can still travel, we’ll go. Aunt Zhou’s daughter is on summer break, so she can stay home to look after the kids too.”

“How long will you stay?” Yan Anqing finished the bowl of lotus root starch and set it back on the table.

“We’ll leave Friday and come back in September. If you miss us, call us.” Grandma wouldn’t have gone for so long if she hadn’t already felt reassured that Yan Anqing could live on his own now.

“What do you want for lunch? I’ll ask Aunt Zhou to buy the groceries.” It wasn’t even nine yet, so there was plenty of time to prepare. They usually ate light meals, but whenever her baby came home, Grandma liked to make something better.

“No need. I’m eating lunch with Chu Baiyan.” They had already planned it the night before.

“Is Xiao Chu off today too?”

“Yeah. He’s off every Monday.” Yan Anqing always answered whatever he was asked.

“Are you taking Monday off too so you can spend the day with him?” Grandma laughed. No wonder he had chosen Monday out of all seven days.

Yan Anqing nodded.

“Xiao Chu’s a good kid. It’s nice that you get along with him. Go have fun. If one day isn’t enough, take two. Young people should have friends and get out more.” Grandma was glad and relieved.

Yan Anqing had never had friends before. Even when someone wanted to get close because of his looks, they would quickly back off after realizing how different his way of speaking and behavior were. Some even had their parents forbid contact with him.

She and Grandpa were old. They couldn’t stay with him forever. At first, they only wished he would grow up safely. Later, they wished he would live independently. Now, they hoped he would have someone to talk to so he wouldn’t be lonely.

People were greedy. They always wanted their loved ones to have more than they already did.

“Go on. Don’t make him wait.” Grandma urged him. Then she went back to the bedroom and came out with a photo album in a tote bag.

“These are your childhood photos. Take them and show them to Xiao Chu.”

Yan Anqing called a car through the app. When he sat in the back seat, he sent a message to Chu Baiyan saying he had left his grandma’s house.

When the car stopped in front of Starfish Pottery, Chu Baiyan was already waiting under the shade of a tree.

“What’s that you’re holding? Should you drop it off at home first?”

“It’s a photo album. Grandma said I should bring it for you to see.” He answered honestly.

“I’ll hold it. We can look at it when we eat.” Chu Baiyan took the tote bag and walked with him through the residential complex.

“Are we going to your place?”

“No. We’re taking the car. It’s parked inside.”

When they reached the car, Chu Baiyan opened the passenger door. After Yan Anqing sat down, Chu Baiyan walked around the front and got into the driver’s seat.

As soon as the car started, the seatbelt alert went off on the passenger side. “Buckle your seatbelt,” Chu Baiyan told him.

Yan Anqing rarely went out. When he took taxis, he always sat in the back. After Chu Baiyan reminded him, he fumbled for the seatbelt and struggled with it for a while but still couldn’t get it into the buckle.

The alert kept beeping. Chu Baiyan pulled over to the side. He unbuckled his own seatbelt and leaned over to help. He pulled the belt out and guided it across Yan Anqing’s body before fastening it into the lock on the other side.

“The passenger seatbelt’s tight because no one’s used it before. It’s hard to pull out.” Seeing Yan Anqing’s awkward look, he blamed it on the seatbelt.

When Chu Baiyan leaned over him, Yan Anqing’s heart started to beat loudly. When Chu Baiyan bent his head to click the seatbelt into place, Yan Anqing’s lips brushed against the side of his face.