SG 53

Yan Anqing watched the chestnut kernel in Chu Baiyan’s mouth as he chewed and swallowed, then asked, “Is it good?”

“It’s fine, it’s sweet.” Chu Baiyan peeled another one and held it out. “Try it.”

Yan Anqing didn’t take it. He lowered his head and bit the chestnut straight from Chu Baiyan’s hand.

Grandma had bought roasted chestnuts before too, always bringing them home for him to eat. The ones kept in a paper bag too long had condensation on the shells, sticky to the touch and dry in the mouth, not tasty.

The ones today had just come out of the roaster. The shells were crisp, the kernels golden, soft, fragrant and tasted much better.

“The small ones.” After finishing the large chestnuts, Yan Anqing wanted to try the small ones.

Chu Baiyan took a few from the other paper bag. The brittle shells cracked easily with a squeeze. The kernels inside were half the size of the big ones. This time, before Yan Anqing could lean in, Chu Baiyan had already fed him directly.

“The small ones are sweeter and softer.” Yan Anqing reached a conclusion. The big ones were drier, the small ones softer and stickier.

“We got the chestnuts. Let’s eat dinner.” Chu Baiyan had planned to go to the Cantonese restaurant they liked before, the one with booth seats. He took Yan Anqing’s hand and walked toward the parking spot, but the hand he pulled didn’t move.

When he turned back, Yan Anqing was staring at an auntie flipping pancakes on a griddle.

“Whole-grain pancakes, you want some?”

He probably thought the griddle looked like a pottery wheel. When Chu Baiyan brought him closer, Yan Anqing was still looking at how the auntie spread the batter.

“What do you want inside the pancake? You can add egg, chicken strips, bacon, sausage.” There were two people waiting ahead of them. Chu Baiyan looked at the menu on the cart and asked for Yan Anqing’s choice.

“Egg.”

“Auntie, two pancakes, two eggs each.” When it was their turn, Chu Baiyan thought one egg looked too thin on the batter, so he added another, then scanned to pay.

The vendor scooped a ladle of batter from a bucket, poured it onto the spinning griddle, and spread it out with a scraper. A round pancake formed.

Yan Anqing watched closely. The two eggs were cracked onto the surface, spread again, then folded when cooked. The vendor brushed on sauce, sprinkled diced pickled radish, placed a crispy sheet and lettuce, rolled it up, and split it in half.

In less than two minutes, the pancakes were ready and handed to them in paper bags. Yan Anqing blew on his and took a bite. The soft pancake wrapped the crisp sheet, and it crunched as he chewed.

“You didn’t eat at the food stalls near your university?” Chu Baiyan asked as he wiped sauce from Yan Anqing’s mouth with a tissue.

“No. Too many people.” His university was in the same city. When he had no class, he went home. When he ate at school, he waited until there were fewer people. He never went to the food street at the gate. Being in a crowd was hard for him.

But now, with Chu Baiyan beside him, the crowd wasn’t as uncomfortable, because when he felt restless, he could hold Chu Baiyan’s hand.

“This pancake will fill you halfway. Let’s get something to drink, then dinner’s done. We’ll look inside. If there’s something else you want, we’ll get that too.” Chu Baiyan took a big bite of his pancake. It wasn’t as good as the ones near his own university, but he saw that Yan Anqing was happy eating it.

The sky was completely dark now, but the food street was bright and crowded. Chu Baiyan wrapped his arm around Yan Anqing’s shoulder, pulled him closer, and they moved through the crowd together.

“Do you want lotus root starch drink?” Passing a stall selling it, Chu Baiyan looked at him.

“Yes.” This stall had many toppings, raisins, haw slices, red date bits, and sesame mixed into the translucent drink. Yan Anqing took a sip. It didn’t taste bad, but it wasn’t the flavor he knew. “Grandpa’s lotus root starch tastes really good. Next time I’ll take you to have it.”

They already had food and drinks. Without noticing, they reached the end of the food street. After turning a corner, they walked back on the opposite side. When they passed a stall selling steamed sponge cakes, Yan Anqing stopped again.

Chu Baiyan bought a box of assorted handmade sponge cakes. They could keep them in the fridge and steam them later.

They had only come out to buy roasted chestnuts, but now they had eaten dinner too. On the drive home, Chu Baiyan turned on the car radio, rolled down the window, and the night wind blew across Yan Anqing’s hair, but it couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

When they got home, it was still early. Chu Baiyan sat on the sofa and sent more private messages to influencers. If even one out of ten replied, it counted as a win. Each extra message meant more hope.

“Why can’t the shop open?” Yan Anqing sat down next to him and finally asked the question that came to mind late.

“It can open, just not these few days. Too many people come to film. You’d feel uncomfortable. It’s better to rest at home.”

Chu Baiyan gave a short explanation, then tugged his earlobe and joked, “Didn’t you say you don’t like working in the shop? Why do you want it open now?”

“The ceramics I make have to sell so I can earn back the cost. Clay, glaze, pigment, and the kiln all cost money.” Yan Anqing didn’t like tending the shop, but he knew selling the finished pieces was necessary to buy more materials.

Such a logical answer made Chu Baiyan laugh and feel tender at the same time. “Don’t worry. Your ceramics won’t stay unsold. You won’t have to wait long.”

That influencer who spread false stories knew his claims wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny, so he sent fans to search for clarification videos and stir the comments.

The clarification videos didn’t have as many views as the smear video, but they weren’t useless. More and more people had begun to notice the influencer’s problems. All Chu Baiyan could do was keep more eyes on the truth and wait for the turning point.

He kissed Yan Anqing’s forehead. “Grandma said you didn’t take a break for a whole year when you opened the shop. Take these few days to rest properly.”

Yan Anqing stopped worrying, rested his head on Chu Baiyan’s thigh, and watched SpongeBob SquarePants. After an hour, he got up, went to the desk, and took out a can and some cat food. “Feed the cat.”

Since he started staying overnight, feeding the cat had become a new part of his routine.

A few minutes later, they were downstairs by the greenery. Chu Baiyan called out, “Mimi,” and the little tortoiseshell cat ran over.

These days, Yan Anqing was the one who fed it, so the cat was familiar with him. He crouched, rubbed its head, and stroked along its fur. The cat lay quietly at his feet and squinted in comfort.

“Dinner time, Mimi.” Yan Anqing opened the can and set it down. The cat ate eagerly.

Chu Baiyan leaned against a lamppost with his arms crossed, openly admiring the late autumn night, the hungry cat, and the person even cuter than the cat. The back of Yan Anqing’s neck, shown when he lowered his head, made him want to reach out and pinch it.

Yan Anqing lifted his head and smiled, proud of his success at petting the cat. The moment their eyes met, Chu Baiyan suddenly remembered the song that had played on the car radio earlier “I don’t love the dull world, I only love your eyes.”