They never reached a conclusion about what to have for dinner, but lunch was ready.

While Cheng Boyan and Xiang Xi were lying on the rocks at the mountaintop chatting, Cheng Boyan's phone rang. He answered, "Hello?"

"Boss, the food's almost ready. You can come over and eat now." The farm owner's voice came through the phone. (The farmer uses mǐxī (米西), a dialect/slang pronunciation of “吃” (chī), to eat)

"All right, we'll be right there," Cheng Boyan replied with a smile. He sat up and patted Xiang Xi's leg. "Let's head down. The food's almost ready."

"That was quick," Xiang Xi said, immediately kicking his legs out and flipping off the rock. "Come on! My fried grasshoppers..."

Xiang Xi had been snacking all morning. Cheng Boyan, however, hadn't eaten a single bite because, after having his hand licked by the dog, he couldn't bring himself to pick up food with his hands. He was finally starting to feel hungry—but the moment he heard the words "grasshoppers," he suddenly felt strangely full again.

By the time they returned to the farm, several other groups had arrived. They were apparently the owners of the cars parked outside, all being called back by the owner for lunch.

"Hey." Xiang Xi suddenly poked Cheng Boyan in the waist. "Look at those two."

Cheng Boyan had been about to head into the kitchen to check on the dishes. The poke landed right in his side, almost making him reflexively spin around and throw a punch.

"What?"

"Those two." Xiang Xi shifted his eyes toward the side. "They're the pair from the mountain, aren't they?"

Following his gaze, Cheng Boyan saw a young couple walking over with their arms wrapped around each other. Both wore expressions of unmistakable satisfaction. The woman's hair was slightly messy, and as someone obsessively concerned with cleanliness and appearance, Cheng Boyan even noticed a tiny dried blade of grass caught in the hair at the side of her neck.

"Don’t look around," Cheng Boyan said, giving Xiang Xi a push before walking into the kitchen.

"Boss," the young couple followed them in. The man squeezed past Cheng Boyan and said to the owner, "Bring our dishes to the room by the water—that's Private Room No. 3, right?"

"Oh, Room Three's already taken. You'll have to choose another one," the owner replied.

Room Three was the one Cheng Boyan had reserved earlier. It sat beside the water, with a view of the river right outside the window. It was quite a pleasant spot.

"Weren't we told we could pick whichever room we wanted? How come someone's using it now? It was empty when we got here!" the woman complained.

"It was empty when you arrived, but you didn't choose one then," the owner replied, glancing at Cheng Boyan and Xiang Xi. "These two guests reserved it. Just take the room next door; it's nice too."

"But that room has the best view. Hey, we've already put our things in there." The woman frowned at Cheng Boyan. "Why don't you switch rooms with us?"

Cheng Boyan had been studying the kitchen, wondering whether food prepared in an environment like this might give them food poisoning. Only after hearing her did he turn around and reply, "Sorry, but no."

"The room next door is exactly the same. We've already moved all our stuff in there. Now you're making us carry everything back out?" The woman continued frowning. "If you'd reserved it, you should've at least left something inside so people would know it was taken!"

"So it's my fault?" Cheng Boyan looked at her.

"What's with that attitude?" The man stepped forward too, glaring at Cheng Boyan. "What's with the way you're talking? We're just asking you to switch rooms. What's with that attitude?"

"I already said it," Cheng Boyan replied. "I'm not switching. Not. Switching."

Before the couple could say anything else, Cheng Boyan took Xiang Xi's hand and walked out of the kitchen. He looked back and added, "Boss, bring the dishes over when they're ready. And a large bottle of cola too."

"Got it," the owner answered from inside.

"What kind of people are you?" the woman shouted after them as she came out of the kitchen. Raising her voice, she called, "Making such a treasure out of one lousy little room—you just refuse to leave it!"

"Forget it," the man said. "People who've never gone out to have fun are just like that."

"No, I've just never gone out like you have," Xiang Xi replied. He had already been furious when the two rudely demanded that they switch rooms, but had held himself back until now. Hearing that remark, he immediately turned around. "Didn't get enough action up on the mountain? Planning to find a room with a better view so you can watch the river while going for another round?"

The two of them froze simultaneously.

The woman's face instantly flushed bright red, while the man stood there dumbfounded for a long moment before finally roaring, "What the hell did you just say?!"

Xiang Xi ignored him and simply turned around and walked away.

"Looking for a fight?" Cheng Boyan finally asked after they'd walked some distance.

"Then let them fight. I'm not scared," Xiang Xi said. "My dad's here. What kind of people are they? If they'd asked nicely, I might've switched. Those morons finish having outdoor sex and act like they've won a war. They spray their seed all over the mountain and think they've fucked the whole mountain into giving birth to another Qinling Range." (NT: The Qinling Mountains are a major east–west mountain range in central China)

"Hey, hey..." Cheng Boyan looked at him. "That mouth of yours. You're getting carried away, aren't you?"

"I'm telling you," Xiang Xi said with a grin, "sometimes you've just got to say things like that to vent your anger. Otherwise, if you weren't here, I'd keep talking until I'd successfully cheered myself up."

"You should really work on that temper. It'll get you into trouble if you're out by yourself," Cheng Boyan said, rubbing his head.

"I won't be going out alone anymore," Xiang Xi replied with a smile.

When they reached their room and pushed open the door, they saw a hat lying on the table.

Cheng Boyan paused. "I thought those two had actually left something in here."

"So they really were reserving seats?" Xiang Xi laughed. He walked over, picked up the hat, and was about to throw it outside.

"Hang it on the hook by the door," Cheng Boyan said.

Xiang Xi clicked his tongue, walked out, and hung the hat on the hook outside the wall.

“The guy earlier said we'd never been out to have fun before...” Cheng Boyan said as he sat down and stretched out his legs. “To be honest, I've really never gone out and played like this.”

“Is it because it feels unhygienic?” Xiang Xi sat down beside him. “This disinfectant adventure has been a first for you, huh?”

Cheng Boyan laughed for quite a while. “Yeah.”

“I haven't either,” Xiang Xi said, leaning over the table. “When I was little, I'd see the kids in the alley going on school spring outings, and I was so jealous. I never got to go. Usually I'd just wander around the abandoned construction site nearby. I figured it was probably about the same—going out into nature, right? The grass in some parts of the construction site grew taller than I was. The only difference was there wasn't anything to eat.”

“So that's why you roasted grasshopper legs?” Cheng Boyan asked.

“See? You don't know,” Xiang Xi said with a grin. “There aren't any grasshoppers during spring outings. You have to wait until after May. They stay around until autumn—like now. In another little while they'll be gone again... Oh, actually, this time of year you can still eat silkworm pupae...”

“All right,” Cheng Boyan quickly cut him off. “I get it.”

“They're all very nutritious,” Xiang Xi said. “Isn't Director Xu always going on about nutrition? Hasn't she ever told you that?”

“You can get those proteins and nutrients from other foods too,” Cheng Boyan said helplessly. “Other, normal foods.”

As they were talking, the owner pushed open the door carrying a steaming pot, which he placed on the induction cooker in the middle of the table. “Here's the mountain spring chicken. Nothing but salt was added. Keep it hot while you eat—it tastes wonderfully fresh.”

“Thank you,” Cheng Boyan replied with a smile.

A waiter followed behind him carrying several dishes on a tray, setting them on the table one by one while announcing them. “Dried bamboo shoots with cured pork, old pumpkin, fried grasshoppers.”

When he mentioned the fried grasshoppers, he happened to place the dish directly in front of Cheng Boyan.

At first glance, they weren't stir-fried at all, but deep-fried. The grasshoppers had been fried to a beautiful golden colour and smelled delicious.

But when he looked more closely and saw all those outstretched grasshopper legs, goosebumps immediately rose all over his body, and he quickly looked away.

After the owner and waiter left, Cheng Boyan picked up his bag and took out the disinfectant. The tableware was all individually sterilized and sealed, but since it was the off-season, who knew how long it had been sitting there? Looking at the utensils, he said, “We'll open them in a minute and disinfect—”

“Mhm,” Xiang Xi answered. Before Cheng Boyan could finish, he reached into the plate in front of him with his fingers, picked up a grasshopper, and popped it into his mouth.

“Hey! It's good! Really good! So fragrant!”

“You...” Cheng Boyan was still holding the bottle of disinfectant, about to hand it over. He felt too powerless to say anything more. He squeezed some disinfectant onto his own hands. “At least use chopsticks.”

Xiang Xi chuckled and held out his hand. “Give me a little too. What about the bowls? Pour some boiling water over them?”

Cheng Boyan squeezed some disinfectant onto his hand, then touched the teapot. “This water's sixty degrees at most.”

Xiang Xi pointed to the side. “There's an electric kettle. We can just boil some water.”

“Suit yourself,” Cheng Boyan sighed.

After rubbing the disinfectant thoroughly over his hands, Xiang Xi poured the water from the teapot into the kettle and boiled it. Then he rinsed both sets of bowls and chopsticks with the boiling water before setting them neatly in front of Cheng Boyan.

“You've worked hard today, Dad.”

“What a good boy,” Cheng Boyan said with a smile as he poured him some cola. “Go ahead and eat.”

“You know, this farmhouse cooking is actually really good,” Xiang Xi said as he picked up a piece of old pumpkin. “I saw they were still cooking over a wood fire in the kitchen. Food cooked over firewood has to be extra tasty. Let's order two more bowls of rice later.”

“Sounds good,” Cheng Boyan nodded. He took Xiang Xi's bowl and prepared him some chicken soup.

“This chicken's pretty good. Even if it wasn't free-range from birth, it's still much better than the broilers they sell at the supermarket.”

“Well, it spent over a month running around the hills eating bugs,” Xiang Xi said after taking a bite of chicken. “Even the skin's crispy. It's really delicious. That's why wild food always tastes better... Why don't you try a grasshopper? We ordered it after all.”

“No.” Cheng Boyan refused without hesitation.

“But it really is delicious. It'd be a waste if you didn't try it.” Xiang Xi ate another grasshopper. “It's just like eating a scorpion. You close your eyes and crunch—”

“You've eaten scorpions too?” Cheng Boyan interrupted.

“You close your eyes and crunch—hey! Delicious!” Xiang Xi stubbornly finished what he'd been saying before answering the question. “Yeah, I eat scorpions. So what?”

“Nothing,” Cheng Boyan said, staring at the grasshoppers on the plate in front of him. “It's just... looking at all those legs...”

“No problem.” Xiang Xi picked up a grasshopper and very carefully plucked off all of its legs before holding it out to him. “Here.”

“Can I not eat it?” Cheng Boyan stared at the legless grasshopper. Without the legs, it looked even more disgusting to him, like a cicada.

“My fingers didn't touch it,” Xiang Xi said, scooting closer. “Come on, eat one. This is the first time I've ever fed you. Don't make me lose face like this.”

Cheng Boyan glanced at him without saying a word.

After nearly a full minute of silence, he finally opened his mouth and accepted the grasshopper.

“Well? Is it good?” Xiang Xi immediately raised an eyebrow, asking eagerly.

“I...” Cheng Boyan mumbled indistinctly, “I'm just holding it in my mouth. I don't dare chew.”

“Crunch.” Xiang Xi looked at him and even made a chopping motion with his hand. “Crunch.”

Cheng Boyan didn't move.

“Eat it already! Hurry up!” Xiang Xi widened his eyes and slapped the table. “You're making this way too difficult!”

Cheng Boyan finally bit down with a loud crunch.

“Now that's more like it,” Xiang Xi said at once with a grin. “Well? Is it good?”

“It's... not bad.”

After chewing a few times, Cheng Boyan had to admit that if someone had slipped it into his mouth with his eyes closed without telling him what it was, he would actually have found it delicious. It was fragrant and wonderfully crispy.

“The owner's got the frying just right—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside,” Xiang Xi said, popping two more into his mouth and crunching away. “I'd better eat plenty. Once we get back, I won't get to have these anymore.”

Cheng Boyan didn't say anything. He simply looked at him.

“Isn't that true?” Xiang Xi said quietly. “Not too much oil, not too much salt, not too much sugar. Anything that tastes good—you never let me eat enough of it.”

“If you want to eat it, then eat it,” Cheng Boyan said, gently stroking his cheek. “I was only saying it.”

“Eat grasshoppers?” Tilting his head, Xiang Xi lightly bit Cheng Boyan's finger.

Cheng Boyan simply smiled without saying a word.

They ate until they were completely stuffed. They had ordered too many dishes, and since they couldn't really pack up the leftovers to take away, the two of them buried their heads in eating so nothing would go to waste. And because rice cooked over a wood fire was something they rarely got to eat, they each ended up having another two bowls of rice.

“I can't do this anymore,” Cheng Boyan said, clutching his stomach when they had nearly finished clearing the table.

“The restroom's by the fish pond,” Xiang Xi replied while sipping his soup.

“I'm not saying I need the bathroom. I'm saying I've eaten too much,” Cheng Boyan said, leaning back in his chair. “If my mom knew I'd eaten this much, she'd probably say I... You're still drinking soup?”

“I'm filling the gaps,” Xiang Xi said after finishing the soup. He wiped his mouth and let out a burp. “Soup doesn't really take up any room. I probably won't be able to eat the lava custard buns tonight.”

After lunch, Cheng Boyan dragged Xiang Xi around the orchard, the fish pond, and the woods for nearly another hour. Only after it finally felt as though their stomachs weren't hanging heavily inside them anymore did they go and pay the bill.

“Did you have fun?” Cheng Boyan asked as they drove back.

“I did,” Xiang Xi replied, reclining his seat until he was half lying down, looking thoroughly content. “I had an amazing time. A really amazing time. What about you?”

“I had a great time too,” Cheng Boyan said with a smile.

“Seriously?” Xiang Xi thought for a moment, then burst out laughing again. “I thought you spent the whole day looking like a martyr marching bravely to his death. From now on, don't ever say you're not a germaphobe.”

“I wasn't. I just have rather strict hygiene habits...”

“Still refusing to admit it,” Xiang Xi said with a grin.

“I'm not refusing...” Cheng Boyan thought for a moment. “Even if I were a germaphobe, today probably cured me.”

By the time they got back to the city, it was already four in the afternoon. As they drove past the Hong Kong-style café, Xiang Xi glanced out the window. “I actually don't have any appetite. Am I sick?”

“Let's just skip dinner tonight,” Cheng Boyan said. Planning what to eat for dinner now seemed completely unnecessary. Even if Hu Hai's signature dishes were placed in front of them, they probably wouldn't be able to eat another bite.

“I think we can skip it,” Xiang Xi sighed. “But what if I get hungry later tonight?”

“You've still got snacks, don't you? Or I can cook you some porridge.”

“Oh right, I've still got quite a few snacks.” Xiang Xi grabbed his backpack and checked inside. “I've still got those little bread rolls. That's enough. We've also got a big bottle of milk in the fridge.”

The moment they stepped through the front door, before Xiang Xi had even finished changing his shoes, Cheng Boyan charged into the bathroom without a second thought. A moment later, the sound of running water filled the apartment.

“Want me to bring you some clothes?” Xiang Xi asked after changing his shoes and walking over to the bathroom door.

“No,” Cheng Boyan answered from inside. “Don't hang your dirty clothes in the wardrobe. Throw them straight into the washing machine. And don't bother putting on clean clothes either—they'll have to be washed together anyway.”

“Okay.”

Xiang Xi stripped off his clothes, tossed them into the washing machine, and called toward the bathroom, “What about yours? Pass them out and I'll wash them together.”

Cheng Boyan opened the bathroom door, handed out his clothes, then poked his head out again, covered in shampoo foam. Looking Xiang Xi up and down, who was wearing nothing but a pair of briefs, he said, “You little rascal. Let me tell you something.”

“Huh?” Xiang Xi looked at him.

“You've put on weight.” Cheng Boyan pointed at him. “Quite a bit.”

“Really?” Xiang Xi lowered his head to inspect himself. “I hadn't noticed! Does it look bad? Where? My legs? My stomach? My butt?”

Cheng Boyan burst out laughing and replied leisurely, “Everywhere.”

“No way! No way!” Xiang Xi panicked instantly, his voice rising. “Does it look ugly? Have I gotten ugly?”

“Not at all.” Cheng Boyan laughed so hard at his reaction that he could barely stop. Although Xiang Xi never really talked about it, and would wear whatever clothes he happened to have, just remembering those cropped trousers he used to wear in the dead of winter, along with the studded boots and mohawk, was enough to show that the kid actually cared quite a bit about his appearance. “What I actually meant was—you've filled out now, and you look much better.”

Xiang Xi stared at him suspiciously for a long while. “Really?”

“Really,” Cheng Boyan said, scratching his head.

“You're always trying to comfort me.” Xiang Xi pushed him aside and walked into the bathroom, standing in front of the large mirror on the wall. After studying himself for a while, he sighed. “Man... I never really looked at myself completely naked before, so I don't have anything to compare it with.”

“I do,” Cheng Boyan said, stepping back beneath the showerhead. “You used to be so skinny I could count every one of your ribs. Now I can't. This is much better. It feels better to hold you. I like it.”

“If you're going to compliment me, then just compliment me properly,” Xiang Xi said, shooting him a sidelong glance. “Don't ruin your sincerity by saying something so perverted.”

“You really do look handsome now,” Cheng Boyan said. “Better?”

“Thanks,” Xiang Xi replied. “Go finish your shower. Will you actually be done in an hour?”

“...More or less,” Cheng Boyan said with a smile.

After starting the washing machine, Xiang Xi returned to the living room. They hadn't really done much today, yet the moment he sat down on the sofa, he suddenly felt sleepy.

He switched to a random TV channel. Before long, he had slumped sideways on the sofa and fallen asleep.

When his phone rang, he didn't hear it at all. It wasn't until Cheng Boyan stuck his head out of the bathroom and shouted, “Xiang Xi! Your phone's ringing! Can't you hear it?”

“Oh!” Startled, Xiang Xi sprang up from the sofa.

He picked up the phone and saw the caller ID. “It's Officer Li—the officer helping me with my household registration!”

“Must be news. Hurry and answer it,” Cheng Boyan said.

Xiang Xi answered the call. “Hello, Officer Li!”

“Hello, Xiang Xi,” Officer Li's voice came through. “Your household registration has been processed. Since you're registered under a collective household registration, you'll receive a household registration card rather than a household register booklet. You can also apply for your ID card now. Come by tomorrow, and I'll take you to get it done.”

“Do I need to prepare anything?” Xiang Xi thought his voice sounded calm, but inside, his emotions were in turmoil. His fingers gripped the phone so tightly that the case gave a sharp click.

“No. Just come yourself. The procedure is simple: household registration, photograph, fingerprints, then pay the processing fee. If you're in a hurry, you can apply for expedited processing, and you'll get it sooner,” Officer Li explained in detail.

“I want expedited processing,” Xiang Xi said immediately. “I'm in a hurry—a really big hurry.”

Officer Li laughed. “Then we'll do the expedited application.”

“Then... Officer Li, about my…” Xiang Xi bit his lip. “You know... that...”

“You mean the blood sample comparison results?” Officer Li immediately understood. “Those should be ready in the next couple of days as well. If you don't want to wait for the notification, tomorrow I'll take you to the identification centre and we'll ask in person.”

“Okay,” Xiang Xi said. “Thank you.”

After hanging up, Xiang Xi flopped back onto the sofa and shouted, “Cheng Boyan!”

“Hm?” Cheng Boyan came out of the bathroom. “How did it go?”

“I have a household registration now! Officer Li said I won't get a household register booklet, but tomorrow I'll take my household registration card to apply for my ID card!”

He lay there with his head tilted back, then suddenly added, “Why aren't you wearing any clothes?”

“I didn’t bring any clothes,” Cheng Boyan glanced at him. “You little brat, you’ve got a household registration now, huh? I’ve never even seen a household registration card before. Take a picture of it and let me have a look.”

“Mhm!” Xiang Xi chuckled twice. “I’m so excited. I wonder what a household registration booklet looks like? Yours is a booklet, right?”

“I’ll show it to you later,” Cheng Boyan smiled. “You go take a shower first. You’ve rubbed a whole layer of dirt all over the sofa.”

“I didn’t!” Xiang Xi stood up and glanced at the clock. “Holy crap! You showered for an hour and a half? Were you taking a shower or peeling your skin off?”

“Mind your own business.” Cheng Boyan walked into the bedroom.

“Hey, your butt is really perky.” Xiang Xi stared at Cheng Boyan’s back for a few moments, chased after him, and smacked him on the butt. “So bouncy!”

“Asking for a beating?” Cheng Boyan turned around.

Laughing, Xiang Xi spun around and ran out of the bedroom.

Originally, Xiang Xi had thought that now his household registration was settled and he could finally apply for an ID card, he would be too excited to sleep. But unexpectedly, less than five minutes after lying down, while Cheng Boyan was still sitting on the little sofa reading, he had already fallen asleep.

He dreamed all night, though he couldn't remember exactly what about. It seemed he had climbed mountains, run across snowy fields, and crossed rivers. It felt as though he was searching for something, yet at the same time he kept feeling there was nothing he needed to search for.

At the very end, he saw Officer Li—with Cheng Boyan’s face—telling him, “This is your ID card.”

He hurriedly reached out to take it.

Then he suddenly opened his eyes.

The first thing he did upon waking was look at his hand. His fingers were clenched tightly, but there was nothing in them. He slowly relaxed his fingers and couldn't help wanting to laugh.

Cheng Boyan was already up. When he came into the room to wake him, Xiang Xi was grinning at his own hand.

“I was just about to wake you. You’re already up?” Cheng Boyan gently touched his face.

“I dreamed I got my ID card, so I hurried and woke up to see what it looked like,” Xiang Xi stretched lazily. “Turns out there was nothing.”

“Didn’t you say you were applying for expedited processing? It’ll be ready in just a few days.” Cheng Boyan smiled.

After breakfast, Xiang Xi hurried out. He didn't let Cheng Boyan drive him; instead, despite normally being extremely frugal, he took a taxi.

This was a major event. Taking a taxi was absolutely necessary.

Officer Li was already waiting for him. Eating steamed buns as he did so, he handed Xiang Xi a sheet of paper. “Take a look. This is your household registration card. This is the original.”

Excited, Xiang Xi accepted it. He read the words Resident Population Registration Card over and over again.

Name: Xiang Xi

Relationship to Head of Household: Collective household

…

When he saw his own name and personal information printed on such an official document, stamped with the Special Household Registration Seal of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, he couldn't help feeling overwhelmed with excitement.

Officer Li took him to the Public Security Bureau's service hall to apply for his ID card. Xiang Xi felt as if there were springs under his feet as he walked—light, brisk, and trembling with excitement.

The first step was having his photo taken. There was a room specially designated for photographs on one side of the hall. Xiang Xi paid the fee and went inside.

“Sit on the stool,” the woman in charge of taking the photos pointed to it. “Applying for an ID card?”

“Yes.” Xiang Xi walked over and sat down.

“Good. Sit up straight,” the woman instructed from behind the camera. “That's it. Turn your head a little to the left. Good. Now a little to the right. Great. Relax your right shoulder a bit…”

Once she had adjusted his posture, Xiang Xi cautiously asked, “Ma’am… can I smile?”

“You can,” she replied. “Just don't grin too broadly. Give me a slight smile.”

“Okay.” Xiang Xi smiled gently.

The camera clicked.

 

Translator : DarNan