Xiang Xi got up ten minutes earlier than usual that morning, took a shower, and while he was at it, washed the clothes he had worn yesterday.

He usually hung his clothes outside the back window of the small room, which was also the supermarket’s back door. There was a narrow passage there, rarely used—generally only residents from upstairs parked their electric scooters there.

Normally he felt nothing special about hanging laundry, but today, when he went to hang up his underwear, he suddenly felt a bit guilty. After hanging it, he even turned it toward the light and took a careful look before lowering his head and walking away.

Actually, nothing could be seen. And even if something could be seen, who would pass by here, tilt their head up, and stare carefully at someone else’s drying underwear—especially men’s underwear…

Xiang Xi usually had breakfast right outside the supermarket. There was a breakfast stall by the roadside, run by a middle-aged woman who always wore a warm smile. Xiang Xi liked buying breakfast from her; it put him in a good mood.

“Still milk and buns?” she asked with a smile as soon as she saw him approach.

“Today I’ll have corn porridge,” Xiang Xi thought for a moment. “And two buns… and a cup of soy milk too.”

“Alright. Eating more than usual today,” she said briskly as she packed the buns into a bag. “Summer takes more out of you, I guess.”

“…I guess so,” Xiang Xi replied, a little embarrassed.

Takes more out of you?

Not… that much, right…

Well, maybe a little…

Did Cheng Boyan usually “expend energy”?

If he didn’t, that would mean something was wrong with him!

Xiang Xi clicked his tongue as he took the bag and turned back toward the supermarket. What the hell had his mind been thinking about all day!

There were still plenty of customers today. The event at the nearby stadium would continue for two more days. Xiang Xi wandered around the store. There were still thieves; the colleagues on last night’s shift had discovered missing goods during inventory before closing.

Xiang Xi felt that the people who “took things along the way” here weren’t necessarily professional thieves. Mostly, it was that his coworkers weren’t good at reading people. There wasn’t much valuable to steal here anyway; real thieves were probably gathering at the stadium right now.

Back when he and Mantou…

The thought cut off abruptly at the image of Mantou disappearing into the white sunlight yesterday.

He let out a soft sigh and leaned against the shelf, watching several customers browsing.

After a busy day, Zhang Xin once again suggested that the group go out to eat. He Xiaoru waited expectantly for his answer.

“I’m not going,” Xiang Xi said. “I’ve got something to do tonight. It’s important.”

“Oh? What important thing?” Yu Baoquan asked from the side. “Can’t you go after dinner? Are you going to eat with someone?”

“Yeah,” Xiang Xi nodded. As he turned to head toward the small room, he added, “My girlfriend.”

He didn’t actually need to say that, but he did. He Xiaoru’s attitude made him feel a bit bad. The young girl was shy; even if she waited a few more months, she probably still wouldn’t gather the courage to confess, nor give him a chance to refuse her.

Mentioning it casually like this was probably better. It wouldn’t hurt her pride too much.

“Damn—” Yu Baoquan shouted with a laugh.

Zhang Xin and He Xiaoru didn’t make a sound. Xiang Xi didn’t turn back to look. It was the first time he’d said something like that; he felt too embarrassed to look back and just lowered his head and went straight into the small room.

He was very tired today, but he still planned to eat something simple and then go to the address Cheng Boyan had given him to find Old Man Lu. There were still several days left of his days off, but he couldn’t wait.

“Do well for yourself.”

If he hadn’t seen Mantou again, hadn’t heard Mantou say those words, maybe he wouldn’t be in such a hurry.

But now, he was afraid. Afraid that even the slightest “waiting” would make him slide backward again. Afraid of ending up like Mantou—afraid of that calm tone whose cause no one could quite explain in the end.

That tone was familiar to him. He used to speak like that himself—calm as if he had seen through everything, when in fact it was nothing more than helplessness and despair.

There wasn’t really anything to prepare for when going to see Old Man Lu. He had thought about bringing a gift, but then felt it unnecessary—if the man wouldn’t even accept money, he probably wouldn’t care for a gift either. Besides, he didn’t know what to bring.

Too light, and it would seem insincere.
Too heavy, and he couldn’t bear the cost.

Actually, mainly he just couldn’t bear to spend the money…

With his backpack on, Xiang Xi didn’t bother going somewhere to eat. He grabbed two small rice dumplings from the supermarket and ate them while walking.

After finishing, he stood at the bus stop waiting when Cheng Boyan called.

“You’re free today?” Xiang Xi was a little surprised. At this hour, Cheng Boyan was usually racing against time to see the remaining patients.

“Not free. I’m in the bathroom. Been holding it in for over an hour,” Cheng Boyan said. “Snatched a moment to call you. You’re off work, right?”

“Yeah, waiting for the bus to go find that old guy,” Xiang Xi laughed. “You done peeing?”

“Done,” Cheng Boyan chuckled. “You’re going now?”

“If not now, when? The earlier I go, the earlier I know the result,” Xiang Xi said. “Do you think it’s okay if I go empty-handed?”

“Empty-handed is fine. Maybe everyone else will bring something and you’ll be the only one who doesn’t. You’ll stand out more. When someone mentions you, they’ll immediately remember—‘oh, that kid who didn’t bring anything’…” Cheng Boyan’s voice trembled slightly; he was probably walking back to the consultation room.

“Are you mocking me or comforting me?” Xiang Xi protested. “I’m nervous here!”

“Comforting you. Seriously,” Cheng Boyan said. “But when you get there, don’t open your mouth and call him ‘old man.’ Call him Master Lu, or Elder Lu, or Grandpa Lu—anything like that.”

“I know, I know. I’m not that clueless about what to say,” Xiang Xi replied.

“Right…” Cheng Boyan laughed. “Talking’s your strong suit. Whether it’s truth or lies, you make it all sound real.”

Xiang Xi let out two little chuckles; he knew Cheng Boyan was referring to the times he used to fool people with a mouth full of nonsense.

After laughing for a while, he slowly stopped smiling, leaned against the advertising board at the bus stop, and said softly, “Do you think I’m… especially cold?”

“Hm?” Cheng Boyan paused. “How are you cold?”

“I mean… like… seeing a friend in danger and not helping, not even lending a hand, that kind of thing.” Xiang Xi frowned, struggling a bit to say it.

“Are you talking about Mantou?” Cheng Boyan asked.

This was the first time Cheng Boyan had brought up Mantou on his own. Xiang Xi paused. “Just… say it’s Mantou, for example.”

“This kind of thing can’t be explained in just one or two sentences,” Cheng Boyan fell silent for a moment. “You can only do what you’re capable of. It has nothing to do with being cold. Acting on impulse and letting your brain overheat is the scariest thing.”

Xiang Xi didn’t speak. After a few seconds he responded, “I understand.”

“Focus on getting your own affairs in order first,” Cheng Boyan suggested. “If you want to talk about this, we’ll find time and talk it through.”

“Okay.” Xiang Xi smiled; he felt much more at ease.

Old Man Lu’s house was quite far away. Xiang Xi wasn’t familiar with the bus routes, and only arrived after changing buses three times. By the time he got off, he was drenched in sweat.

He went into a shop and stood under the air conditioner for a while. After cooling down, he came out and continued walking toward Old Man Lu’s place according to the address.

This area was an old residential compound belonging to a tea research institute and some factory next to it. It was a large courtyard complex. Many of the ground-floor semi-open yards had a small patch of land—some were planted with vegetables, some were left barren, overgrown with weeds and dotted with little wildflowers.

There were many trees too, all old and growing freely. You could tell at a glance they had years on them. They were different from the neatly arranged, properly trimmed trees in Cheng Boyan’s residential complex. These looked more comfortable.

Old Man Lu’s place was on the ground floor, deep inside the residential compound—Building 8. The number 8 printed on the wall had half fallen off, making it look like a 6.

Xiang Xi caught a whiff of tea fragrance… he wasn’t sure if he really smelled it. Logically, his nose wasn’t that sharp, and tea aroma probably wouldn’t drift that far. But he just felt it was here.

No one was in the semi-open yard on the first floor, and nothing was planted there. As he walked past, he saw two chickens on the ground, each with half a length of rope tied to its leg.

Xiang Xi took a breath and knocked lightly on the door.

“Who is it?” someone inside asked. From the voice, it sounded like a young girl.

“I’m looking for Old Man Lu… sir.” Xiang Xi glanced at the door. There was no peephole, but he still forced a smile onto his face.

“My grandpa hasn’t been feeling well these past two days. He’s not receiving guests,” the girl said from inside, without opening the door.

“I saw him at Yun Shui Fan Xin the other day,” Xiang Xi said, not quite used to this kind of polite refusal. “He didn’t look unwell.”

“That’s why I said these past two days—yesterday and today,” the girl replied.

Xiang Xi burst into laughter and said casually, “You’re not very smooth at making up lies.”

The girl fell silent for two seconds. When she spoke again, there was laughter in her voice. “Are you here to look at tea or to invite him to perform? He really doesn’t have time.”

“Neither,” Xiang Xi said. “I just want to ask if he’s still taking apprentices.”

The girl went quiet. An old man’s voice said something inside, but Xiang Xi didn’t catch it.

Then the door made a soft sound and opened a crack. An eye and half a face appeared in the gap. The girl looked Xiang Xi up and down, then turned back and said into the room, “It’s a little boy.”

“Not that little,” Xiang Xi added, peering in through the crack, though he couldn’t see anyone.

The girl turned back and opened the door. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” Xiang Xi smiled at her and stepped inside.

The girl looked about thirteen or fourteen. She wasn’t particularly pretty, but her smooth long hair, nearly reaching her thighs, was striking.

“Your grandfather…” Xiang Xi asked, standing at the door.

Old Man Lu came out from the inner room. Unlike the gray gown he wore that day before, today he had on an ordinary sleeveless undershirt and the kind of big shorts old men wear for morning walks.

“Hello, Master Lu.” Xiang Xi bent slightly at the waist toward him.

“I thought it would be a much smaller little boy,” Old Man Lu said to the girl, then looked at Xiang Xi. “Sit.”

Xiang Xi looked around. The floor was wooden, but there were no slippers to change into. After hesitating a moment, he walked into the living room with his shoes on and sat on the sofa.

“What’s your name?” Old Man Lu sat across from him, studying him. “How old are you?”

“Twenty,” Xiang Xi answered, quickly calculating his age in his head again—about right.

But when it came to answering his name, his mind spun hard for a long time.

Zhan Hongtu or Xiang Xi?

Zhan Hongtu or Xiang Xi?

“My name is Xiang Xi.” In the end, he settled on that name for himself.

“Want to learn tea?” Old Man Lu asked with a smile.

“Yes.” Xiang Xi nodded. The girl brought over a cup of tea and set it on the coffee table in front of him. He said to her again, “Thank you.”

Actually, looking only at the living room, there wasn’t much related to tea in Old Man Lu’s house. There weren’t even tea utensils on the coffee table—just a fruit plate. The décor was as ordinary as could be, the kind typical of working-class style. It was even rather old, not as decent-looking as Uncle Ping’s living room, which at least could put on a front.

“Try this tea,” Old Man Lu said.

The tea was brewed in an ordinary glass cup, but no tea leaves were visible inside. Xiang Xi picked it up and took a sip without speaking. The tea was really not very good. He didn’t know what Old Man Lu meant by serving him this kind of tea.

“Can you tell what kind of tea it is?” Old Man Lu asked.

Xiang Xi looked at him and thought for a long time before finally deciding to tell the truth. “It’s… not very good green tea.”

Old Man Lu didn’t respond, just stared at him for a long time. Xiang Xi grew increasingly uncomfortable under the gaze. He wondered if that had been too impolite and regretted not phrasing it more tactfully.

After watching him for a while, Old Man Lu leaned back on the sofa and laughed. “Do you usually drink tea?”

“No.” Seeing his smile, Xiang Xi felt the old man wasn’t angry, so he continued telling the truth.

“And yet you can tell this tea isn’t very good?” Old Man Lu asked with a grin.

“When I was little… I occasionally had a few sips with the adults.” Xiang Xi smiled too.

“Then tell me, why do you want to learn from me?” Old Man Lu withdrew his smile and asked seriously.

This answer might be the key. Maybe this was what Old Man Lu used to select apprentices.

At that thought, Xiang Xi suddenly grew tense. He wasn’t afraid of failure—finding even a simple job used to be full of setbacks for him. This was, after all, a “refined” profession. Failure would be normal.

What made him nervous was how to answer. There were many possible answers. Which one would satisfy the old man—that was what troubled him.

“I want to learn a skill that can make money.” Xiang Xi raised his eyes and looked at him.

That answer probably wasn’t very good, but Xiang Xi still chose to tell the truth. He’d been honest so far—no harm in maintaining that style.

Didn’t people say he had something special about him? Then he might as well be special.

“Is that so.” Old Man Lu didn’t smile. His tone gave no hint whether he was pleased or displeased. “Then why learn from me?”

“If I’m going to learn, I’ll learn from the best,” Xiang Xi replied without hesitation. “I think you’re good, so I want to learn from you.”

“I see.” Old Man Lu thought for a moment and smiled again. “Do you know I don’t really take apprentices anymore?”

“I know. I also know you care about first-impression connection,” Xiang Xi scratched his head. “I just want to try. If we don’t talk and don’t meet, how would we know if there’s eye affinity?”

“Then let me ask you this,” Old Man Lu leaned forward, elbows on his knees, looking at him. “You don’t understand tea. How do you know whether I’m good or not?”

“Eye affinity, I guess,” Xiang Xi said, also resting his elbows on his knees. “I feel like you weren’t performing—you were just drinking tea…”

Old Man Lu had a smile on his face, seemingly waiting for him to continue, so Xiang Xi went on without overthinking it: “Anyway, I think tea is just tea, and drinking tea is just drinking tea. No matter what procedures you use or what particularities there are, the first thing you drink when you drink tea is the tea itself. All the processes and refinements should revolve around the tea…”

After a few sentences, Xiang Xi didn’t know how to continue. His mind was still turning when Old Man Lu suddenly leaned back and said, “Well said.”

“Huh?” Xiang Xi froze. That counted as well said?

“You also answered the next question I was going to ask,” Old Man Lu said with a smile. “I had planned to ask what you think about drinking tea. What I want is precisely this simplest kind of answer.”

“Then… how about you ask, and I’ll say it again,” Xiang Xi replied with a grin.

“I only have two evenings free each week now; the rest of the time can’t be taken up. Which days are you free?” Old Man Lu asked. “You’ve come at just the right time. I’m only teaching one apprentice at the moment, so I have spare time. If you’d come earlier or later, I wouldn’t have been able to teach you.”

***

When Cheng Boyan got home, it was just past eight. Today wasn’t bad—there weren’t too many patients, and there had been no surgery. He changed into sportswear and went into the study.

He put on his headphones and turned on the treadmill.

He hadn’t exercised for several days.

Listening to music, he ran while habitually counting his steps.

On the sofa beside him lay the set of clothes Xiang Xi always wore when he came over. Xiang Xi still hadn’t called. He didn’t know how things had gone today with Old Mr. Lu.

How many steps now?

Xiang Xi was a little nervous, but Cheng Boyan wasn’t too worried. The kid was smart and quick-witted. Whether he made things up or not, he should be able to say the right things.

If there was anything to worry about, it would be that he might speak too fluently and accidentally let some bandit air slip out.

That bandit air wasn’t really a flaw for Xiang Xi; it was just the imprint of his past life, carved into his bones—not something that could disappear just because you wanted it to.

Was it two hundred steps? Or two hundred forty?

But for a refined old man with an immortal-like bearing who played with tea, suddenly sensing that—who knew how he would feel?

Then again, who knew? The old man was already mystical enough to insist on “eye affinity.” Maybe he’d find Xiang Xi’s difference especially fitting.

How many steps now? Forget it—stop counting.

He had been running nearly forty minutes. Just as Cheng Boyan was about to slow down the treadmill, he thought he heard the living room door open faintly through his headphones.

Someone?

He took off his headphones while still running.

The living room door opened.

Xiang Xi?

He lost focus for a second, his steps faltered, and before he could readjust, Xiang Xi’s loud shout came from the living room: “Cheng Boyan! Come out!”

That shout completely threw off his already unstable rhythm. On the treadmill he felt like a little old lady with bound feet, making a flurry of small steps but still failing to keep up with the belt. Then inertia flung him off the machine, and he crashed to the floor with a clatter.

“What happened?” Hearing something was wrong, Xiang Xi rushed in without even putting on his slippers.

As he entered the study, he saw Cheng Boyan being rather dashingly thrown to the floor by the treadmill. Cheng Boyan tried to get up to turn off the machine, but as soon as he braced a hand on the running belt—before Xiang Xi could even shout “Careful!”—he was dragged down again, spun half a circle in place, and landed flat on the floor.

“Are you okay?!” Xiang Xi rushed over, not knowing how to turn the thing off. He simply yanked the plug out of the socket, then dropped to his knees in front of Cheng Boyan, anxiously looking him over, not daring to touch him casually in case he was hurt somewhere.

“I’m fine, not hurt,” Cheng Boyan said, still kneeling with his hands braced on the floor. After a moment he added, “Don’t you want to laugh?”

“Huh?” Xiang Xi froze. He had been anxious, but when Cheng Boyan said that, he suddenly recalled the way he’d spun half a circle before falling. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. He plopped down on the floor and burst out laughing, unable to stop.

“When I was spinning, I already wanted to laugh,” Cheng Boyan looked up at him. “Do you know what phrase kept running through my head?”

“What?” Xiang Xi asked between laughs.

“Roll on, little Perfunctory,” Cheng Boyan said as he stood up and dusted off his pants.

Xiang Xi laughed until Cheng Boyan went to get clothes for a shower. His face even hurt from laughing.

“You really can laugh,” Cheng Boyan said.

“Did you hurt yourself anywhere?” Xiang Xi walked over, lifting his shirt and circling around him to check.

“No, I already checked,” Cheng Boyan patted his head. “Why did you suddenly come over without calling? How did it go with Old Mr. Lu?”

“Oh! I laughed and forgot!” Xiang Xi slapped Cheng Boyan’s butt, his voice rising. “Guess! Or go shower first, and guess after you’re done!”

“Do I even need to guess?” Cheng Boyan looked at his eyebrows, which had risen along with his voice. “He accepted you?”

“Yes! Ha!” Xiang Xi clapped excitedly. “So? Bet you didn’t expect that! I didn’t either! He even treated me to tea, and we chatted for a while before I left!”

“Really? That impressive?” Cheng Boyan pinched his chin. Though he’d guessed from Xiang Xi’s excitement, hearing it confirmed made him grin. “What did you say? What did you talk about? Did he test you?”

“No!” Xiang Xi paced around the living room twice, then grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and gulped it down. “He just asked why I wanted to learn, why I wanted to learn from him, and what I thought about drinking tea! I said I’m learning for money, that he wasn’t performing but just drinking tea and it felt comfortable, that tea is tea, there’s no need to put on airs, and whatever order you drink it in is just for the sake of drinking tea…”

He spoke in one breath, excited and a bit incoherent. Cheng Boyan didn’t interrupt—just listened with a smile. He didn’t even tell him he’d grabbed the wrong cup for his water.

“Anyway, from now on I’ll go to his own tea room at eight in the evening on Saturdays and Wednesdays. He’ll teach me about tea. Probably two or three months. There’s a lot to learn—it depends on my aptitude. If I learn well, he can recommend me to better tea houses!” Xiang Xi raised his arm and swung it hard in the air, lifting his eyebrow at him. “So? What do you think!”

“That’s amazing!” Cheng Boyan laughed and went over to hug him. “Take my cup and wash it.”

“Huh?” Xiang Xi looked down at the cup in his hand and ran into the kitchen laughing. “You’re unbelievable—at a time like this, you still notice that!”

“I noticed it earlier,” Cheng Boyan followed him in and squeezed his shoulder. “Did your master say you need to prepare anything? Are there any fees for tea sets or tea leaves?”

“No, none. He just said I need to show up. No need to take notes either, nothing too profound,” Xiang Xi washed the cup. “He said this thing just needs to come from the heart, natural and effortless. The old man said when he picks people, it’s not because tea is so lofty—he just chooses people who are genuine.”

After saying that, Xiang Xi chuckled, set the cup aside, leaned on the sink, and let out a long breath. “He thinks I’m genuine. Am I? Did the old man misjudge?”

“You’re very genuine,” Cheng Boyan hugged him from behind. “And very smart. Very capable.”

“You’re praising me harder than you wash your hands,” Xiang Xi leaned back against him.

“I’m going to shower,” Cheng Boyan nudged him.

“I don’t have a cleanliness obsession,” Xiang Xi lowered his head. “I just feel… if I hadn’t met you, who knows what I’d be like now. I wouldn’t even dare imagine I could take a step like today.”

“You don’t need to keep thinking about that,” Cheng Boyan kissed the back of his neck. “You’ve already met me. And we’re very familiar.”

 

Translator : DarNan