Zhang Hui was the Officer Zhang who had questioned him that day. He had said he would contact him again if anything came up. Xiang Xi had assumed the matter was settled and nothing more would happen, but the moment he suddenly received Officer Zhang's call, a wave of fear washed over him.

Had Uncle Ping and the others been caught? Or had they still not been caught, and something else had happened?

“I've already told you everything I know,” Xiang Xi said, his voice growing weak as he glanced at Cheng Boyan. “Has something... happened?”

Cheng Boyan walked over, sat down beside him, and silently mouthed, “Don't panic.”

“It isn't about that,” Zhang Hui said. “Don't be nervous. This is about you. I've thought over your situation. Your case is different from Li Mantou's.”

Li Mantou?

It took Xiang Xi a moment to realize Officer Zhang meant Mantou.

“Finding your biological parents will be very difficult,” Officer Zhang continued, “but you can first apply for legal identity documents. Go to the Zhaojiayao Police Station. I've already contacted them. Explain your situation there... Since you don't know your place of origin and you have no household registration or birth certificate, you're classified as a homeless orphan. There are policies specifically for resolving hukou (NT: China's household registration system) issues for homeless people.”

“You mean... I can actually apply?” Xiang Xi shot to his feet. His slight annoyance at being classified as a homeless person instantly disappeared, overwhelmed by excitement. “I can get an ID card?”

“You'll need to go there to learn the exact procedures. It may be rather complicated since you don't have any supporting documents...”

“That's okay! That's okay!” Xiang Xi nearly shouted. “I don't care if it's complicated! As long as it can be done!”

“Then go ask during office hours...” Officer Zhang said a few more things, but Xiang Xi barely heard them. His mind was filled with a single thought: It can actually be done. It might be troublesome, but it really could be done!

“Good luck,” were the last words he heard before snapping back to reality.

“Thank you so much!” Xiang Xi shouted into the phone.

“What happened?” Cheng Boyan asked after he hung up.

“Officer Zhang told me to go to Zhaojiayao! He said homeless people can apply for a hukou and everything,” Xiang Xi said excitedly. Just yesterday Cheng Boyan had asked a classmate about it and was still waiting for news. Xiang Xi hadn't even dared hope too much, and now this call had come out of nowhere. “I'm going first thing Monday to ask about it!”

“Having the police help really speeds things up,” Cheng Boyan said with a smile. Xiang Xi's beaming face made him excited too. “Tomorrow's the weekend—they won't be open. Want me to go with you on Monday?”

“Aren't you working?” Xiang Xi asked.

“I could... take a day off?”

“Forget it. You barely have time to pee while you're at work, let alone take leave,” Xiang Xi said, waving a hand in unusually good spirits. “I'll go by myself first and see what needs to be done.”

Cheng Boyan really couldn't take leave easily, and it wasn't easy to get it approved anyway.

“Then call me right away if anything comes up,” he said after thinking it over. “If you don't understand something, make sure you ask lots of questions.”

“I know!” Xiang Xi grinned. “I'm not stupid.”

“I think you're already stupid with happiness,” Cheng Boyan laughed. Xiang Xi's smile was so infectious it kept making him want to laugh too.

Xiang Xi went to take a shower, came back out and spent quite a while chattering nonstop.

“What kind of documents do you think they'll want?”

“They'll probably give you some forms first,” Cheng Boyan said, wrapping an arm around him while gently rubbing his damp hair with his fingers. “Then they'll tell you what documents you need to gather. Things like a neighbourhood committee certificate, official stamps, approvals... Then there's the question of where your hukou will be registered. My classmate told me yesterday that it can be registered under a local welfare institution as a collective household registration, and then you can apply for an ID card.”

He paused before adding, “I was even wondering whether your hukou could be registered under mine...”

“Under yours?” Xiang Xi blinked. “How would that even work?”

“No idea,” Cheng Boyan laughed. “The main problem is what we'd write under relationship. It has to be something like 'relative' or 'spouse.' Otherwise... maybe we could write 'father and son.'”

“You're enjoying yourself way too much!” Xiang Xi burst out laughing. After laughing for quite a while, he gently rubbed his face. “I never imagined that one day I'd be discussing hukou registration with someone. I really... never imagined it.”

“I'm going to take a shower,” Cheng Boyan said with a smile. “I've got something to give you afterward.”

“What is it?” Xiang Xi asked hesitantly. “Earlier... I saw Director Xu hand you a bag...”

He stopped halfway through the sentence. He simply couldn't bring himself to believe Director Xu would give him a gift. The thought made him suddenly feel awkward.

“You're pretty observant,” Cheng Boyan said as he came out of the bedroom carrying fresh clothes. “Yep, it's that bag. We'll open it together after I finish showering.”

“Really?” Xiang Xi looked at him. “Director Xu's bag...”

“Mm.” Cheng Boyan nodded. “It's a little gift for you.”

“Oh!” Xiang Xi answered, his voice instantly jumping several octaves.

The moment Cheng Boyan entered the bathroom, Xiang Xi sprang to his feet.

He walked over to the table and stared at the small gift bag. He reached out and touched it.

The bag was colourful, covered with little coloured squares and a line of English that he couldn't read.

Inside was a long, narrow box. He took it out and examined it. The box was colourful too, with the same unreadable English letters printed on it.

He didn't open it. Instead, he carefully put it back. Then he sat obediently beside the table, waiting for Cheng Boyan to finish showering.

What could it be?

The box wasn't very big.

What could it possibly be?

No one had ever really given Xiang Xi gifts before. Now that he tried to imagine what it might be, he couldn't think of a single possibility.

The same ideas just kept circling through his head.

Tea? A scarf? ...What on earth is it?

By the time Cheng Boyan came out of the bathroom, Xiang Xi had already taken the box out three different times, even weighed it in his hand, and still couldn't guess.

“What is it?” he asked immediately.

“You didn't peek?” Cheng Boyan asked with a smile.

“I didn't. I wanted to, but then I thought it'd be more of a surprise if we opened it together,” Xiang Xi said, rubbing his hands together. “You know what it is, right? Have you looked?”

“I know what it is,” Cheng Boyan said, leaning on the table with his elbows as he took out the little box. “But I haven't opened it. My mom said it was for you and that I wasn't allowed to steal it for myself.”

“What is it?” Xiang Xi asked eagerly.

“Open it yourself.” Cheng Boyan set the box in front of him.

Xiang Xi carefully opened it.

The moment he saw what was inside, he froze. After a long pause, he finally murmured, “Is... is this... a watch?”

“Let me see.” Cheng Boyan leaned over. “Yep. That's a watch.”

“It's... so... cool!” Xiang Xi stared at the watch. “This is amazing!”

“Do you like it?” Cheng Boyan asked.

The watch really was a little too youthful for his father. It had a matte black strap, black hands, and a transparent face that revealed several gears turning inside in red, yellow, and blue. His mother hadn't been wrong—it would've looked a little too young even on Cheng Boyan.

“I love it!” Xiang Xi carefully lifted the watch out. “Holy sh—”

Before he could finish, Cheng Boyan flicked him hard on the forehead.

“Ah! Oh my God, it's gorgeous! It's so handsome! It's seriously amazing!” Xiang Xi quickly corrected himself, clutching his forehead. “I love it so much!”

“Try it on,” Cheng Boyan said, taking the watch. “Let's wear it on your right wrist for now. Once your left hand heals, you can switch it over.”

“Okay!” Xiang Xi held out his arm.

Cheng Boyan fastened the watch onto his wrist.

Xiang Xi's skin was fair, and the black watch looked especially good against it. The size fit perfectly.

“So? Does it look good?” Xiang Xi raised his arm to chest height, then swung it dramatically. “Doesn't it look super stylish? Super cool? Super sharp? Super—”

“Super, super, super, super, super. Extremely super,” Cheng Boyan said, giving him a thumbs-up.

“I'm going to look in the mirror!” Xiang Xi dashed into the bedroom.

Cheng Boyan sat down on the sofa smiling.

From the bedroom, he first heard complete silence for a while. Then Xiang Xi laughed to himself for what felt like forever.

When he finally came back out, he was smiling so hard he could barely keep his eyes open.

“Thank Director Xu for me... no, wait, don't thank her for me. I love it so much! This is the first watch I've ever worn in my life,” Xiang Xi said, shaking his wrist. “I don't want to take it off... No, don't thank her for me. Give me Director Xu's number.”

“Hm?” Cheng Boyan looked at him in surprise.

He had always assumed Xiang Xi believed his mother disliked him and would avoid contacting her directly. He hadn't expected him to ask for her number.

“I'll thank her myself,” Xiang Xi said with a smile. “I told you—I have really thick skin.”

Cheng Boyan took Xiang Xi's phone, saved his mother's number into it, and entered the contact name as Director Xu.

Xiang Xi sat down on the sofa, checked the time—it was just after ten, not late at all—and, without hesitating, dialed the number.

“Can I listen?” Cheng Boyan asked.

“Go ahead,” Xiang Xi said.

He really did have thick skin. Ever since he was little, he had never been afraid of dealing with people. He could take being scolded, looked down on, or disliked. Now that he'd made up his mind to change Director Xu's opinion of him, forget one layer of thick skin—even eight layers, he could manage.

The phone rang twice before Director Xu answered. “Hello?”

“Auntie, it's Xiang Xi.”

Although he'd prepared himself mentally, hearing Director Xu's courteous voice still made him nervous.

“Xiang Xi?” Her voice carried obvious surprise, but she quickly laughed. “You're not asleep yet? What made you call me?”

“It's... about the watch you gave me,” Xiang Xi said with a smile. “It's amazing. I absolutely love it. I just wanted to thank you.”

“I'm glad you like it. I was worried you might think it was a little childish,” Director Xu laughed. “It's rather flashy.”

“That's exactly the kind I like. I especially love the little coloured gears,” Xiang Xi said, looking at the watch. “I've never worn a watch before. My very first one is this handsome—I stood in front of the mirror for ages.”

“That's wonderful. The manual and warranty are all in the box. If anything ever goes wrong with it, just have Boyan help you take it to customer service,” Director Xu said. “And Auntie should thank you too for today's scarf. It's beautiful. I'll be able to wear it before long.”

Cheng Boyan lounged sideways on the sofa, watching him make the call with a smile tugging at his lips the entire time. Every so often he silently applauded, or pretended to pump his fists in celebration without making a sound.

After chatting for a while, Xiang Xi started feeling like laughing along with Cheng Boyan's antics, so he hurriedly wrapped up the conversation, wished Director Xu good night, and hung up.

“What are you doing?” Xiang Xi glared at him. “I was halfway through talking! What if you'd made me burst out laughing? You have no sense of timing!”

“Your mental bravery is seriously impressive,” Cheng Boyan said, applauding for real this time. “I honestly didn't expect that.”

“What's so surprising?” Xiang Xi tucked his legs up onto the sofa and lowered his head to admire the watch on his wrist. “It's just that I don't bother pretending. If I wanted to, I could cry on demand and make it look completely sincere.”

“True enough,” Cheng Boyan said, stretching one leg over to rub against Xiang Xi's. “Back then, when you made up stories, it was buy one, get one free (NT: meaning the lies came effortlessly, one after another).”

“Don't tell Director Xu stuff like that,” Xiang Xi said, patting his leg. “Otherwise she'll think everything I say is fake.”

“Mm. That's our little secret. These days Xiang Xixi only uses his lying skills to do good deeds.”

That night, Xiang Xi didn't take the watch off.

He lay in bed leaning against Cheng Boyan, absentmindedly running his fingers over it, occasionally scratching lightly at it. The strap had a matte finish that felt wonderfully textured under his fingertips. He simply couldn't stop touching it.

“I'm telling you,” Cheng Boyan said, wrapping his arms around him from behind, “that matte coating might just be glued on. If you keep rubbing and scratching at it like this, by tomorrow morning it'll probably be polished smooth.”

“It just feels nice,” Xiang Xi laughed. “I really do love it. Not because I'm trying to win Director Xu over.”

“I know. I like it too,” Cheng Boyan said. “I don't even own a watch. My dad gave me one in college, but I broke it in less than two months. I haven't worn one since.”

“I'll buy you one! One just like this!”

He paused before asking, “How much was it?”

“Not expensive. A few hundred yuan, probably. But I couldn't wear one like this. People would think I stole my son's watch,” Cheng Boyan teased. “Save your money and buy me a proper dad-style watch. It'll have to cost over a thousand.”

Xiang Xi thought about that for a long moment. “You really have no shame.”

“So are you buying it or not?” Cheng Boyan grinned. “Over a thousand. If it's less, I don't want it. You're practically a man with an ID card now.”

“…Fine,” Xiang Xi clicked his tongue.

*

Ever since he'd stopped working, Xiang Xi had completely lost track of what day of the week it was.

But these past two days he'd counted every single day carefully, impatiently waiting for Monday so he could go to the police station.

If the version of himself from a year ago had heard that one day he'd actually be looking forward to visiting a police station, he probably would've laughed himself crazy.

The only thing that eased his impatience was going to the tea house. They were going there together today for dinner.

Wearing his new watch made him feel especially good.

Cheng Boyan had worked that day, but got off early in the afternoon. He came home carrying an exquisitely packaged box of pastries.

Xiang Xi looked at it. “These are freshly made? We're going there for dinner. Are we supposed to fill up on pastries first?”

“They're for your master,” Cheng Boyan replied. “We can't show up empty-handed, but we also shouldn't bring anything too expensive. Food is more appropriate. Let's take some of those sausages too.”

“The old man will definitely love them. He really likes little pastries. He always keeps some beside him when he's drinking tea.”

Xiang Xi went into the kitchen, packed half of the sausages Grandma had given them into a bag, and the two of them headed out together.

The Tea Research Institute was close to the mountains and surrounded by trees.

As soon as they drove into the area, the temperature noticeably dropped. When Cheng Boyan rolled down the window, cool air drifted inside.

Xiang Xi leaned comfortably against his seat with narrowed eyes. “You know, the old man really knows how to enjoy life. A private tea room in a place like this. Whenever he feels like it, he comes here to cool off, drink tea, listen to the qin... He's living like some immortal.”

“When you're old, you can come become an immortal too,” Cheng Boyan said.

“No need to wait until I'm old.” Xiang Xi turned toward him. “Hai... Senior Brother... Hu Hai isn't old either. He's been living like an immortal here all along. He said he's known the old man for almost twenty years. He must've started coming here when he was only about ten.”

“Then move here. Drink tea and listen to music.”

“No thanks.” Xiang Xi laughed. “I'm not that enlightened yet. I think you might be someday.”

“Me? I don't have time to become enlightened.”

“Oh, I actually think you and Hu Hai might get along,” Xiang Xi said thoughtfully.

“Why?”

“Don't get mad, okay?” Xiang Xi hesitated. “The old man said... Hu Hai's younger brother is gone too. But... I don't know whether 'gone' means he went missing or... died.”

“Is that so?.” Cheng Boyan pulled the car over beneath a tree outside the tea house.

As they climbed the stairs, Xiang Xi heard noises coming from the tea house floor above, as if someone were moving heavy things.

“Master?” he called.

“It's me. Your master isn't here yet,” Hu Hai's voice answered from upstairs. “You're here?”

“Yeah.”

Xiang Xi bounded up the remaining steps two at a time.

“What are you doing?”

“Moving one of your master's little banyan trees. He wants it relocated.”

Hu Hai was laboriously dragging a flowerpot almost as tall as his thigh toward the terrace. “Did your friend come?”

“He did.” Xiang Xi looked back as Cheng Boyan came upstairs.

“This is the doctor friend I told you about—Cheng Boyan.”

“Hello,” Cheng Boyan said with a smile and a nod.

“Hello.” Hu Hai nodded back without letting go of the flowerpot.

“This is my senior brother, Hu Hai,” Xiang Xi added before looking at the flowerpot. “Want me to help?”

“You? Forget it.” Hu Hai glanced at him. “Even without an injured arm, you weren't exactly strong.”

“Well…” Xiang Xi glanced hopefully at Cheng Boyan.

“I'll do it.” Cheng Boyan walked over.

Hu Hai didn't respond immediately. His gaze settled on Cheng Boyan's hand. The injury had healed considerably, but it was still wrapped in gauze.

“It's fine,” Cheng Boyan said, glancing at his own hand before using his other hand to help drag the heavy flowerpot toward the terrace.

Xiang Xi wanted to help too, but it was obvious he'd only get in the way, so he wandered alongside them instead.

Old Master Lu had planted all sorts of things on the terrace.

Flowers, ornamental plants, and even a pond full of rather ugly-looking koi whose appearances could only be described as crooked melons and split jujubes (NT: idiom meaning ugly or misshapen things). Despite that, everything was lovingly cared for.

The little banyan tree looked especially healthy and full of life.

“What the heck is this?” Xiang Xi noticed a thin grass-like shoot growing beside the trunk. “You just let weeds grow?”

Without thinking, he reached down and yanked it out.

“Hey!” Hu Hai shouted.

“Don't pull it!” Cheng Boyan shouted at exactly the same moment.

Both of them yelling together startled Xiang Xi so badly that he froze with the strand still pinched between his fingers.

“Wh-what?”

“That's an aerial root,” Cheng Boyan explained. “It's supposed to grow like that.”

“It took over a year for it to grow that one root,” Hu Hai said, staring at it. “And you just ripped it out?”

“Huh?”

Only then did Xiang Xi notice that the other end was still attached to the branch. The end he'd pulled out of the soil had already grown tiny feeder roots.

“What do I do now?”

Before anyone answered, he crouched beside the pot, poked a small hole in the soil with his finger, stuck the root back in, and buried it again.

“Is this okay?” He looked up hopefully at Cheng Boyan and Hu Hai.

Cheng Boyan was laughing too hard to answer.

Hu Hai looked at him for a moment. “Yeah.”

The flowerpot didn't look particularly large, but filled with soil it was surprisingly heavy.

While helping move it outside, Cheng Boyan hadn't really had the chance to get a good look at Hu Hai. Only after they set it down beside the koi pond did he finally see him clearly.

About the same age as himself. A T-shirt. Loose linen trousers. A pair of old-fashioned cloth shoes that elderly men often wore.

As for his looks… Pretty decent.

No… Just okay.

Well... not all that impressive.

...Actually, he was pretty good-looking.

“I think,” Xiang Xi said, leaning against the terrace's wooden railing as he looked out over the tea-covered hills, “the tea mountains are at their prettiest at this time of day. With the setting sun sinking in the west, it looks just like a painting.”

“Mm,” Cheng Boyan replied, his back resting against the railing, though his gaze was still drifting back to Hu Hai.

“What do you mean, 'mm'? You weren't even looking.” Xiang Xi nudged him with his elbow. “The tea I gave your dad is called Sanfeng—'Three Peaks.' It's named after those three connected mountains over there.”

“Is that so?” Cheng Boyan turned to look at the tea hills.

They really were beautiful. Just looking at them made him feel as though he could breathe more easily.

Xiang Xi casually pointed out different parts of the tea mountains to him. Cheng Boyan listened, nodding from time to time, though every so often his eyes still wandered toward Hu Hai.

Hu Hai didn't seem to be much of a talker.

As one of the hosts, their guests had already been there for quite a while, yet apart from greeting them and mentioning that the little banyan's aerial root had taken a year to grow, he hadn't said another word.

He simply busied himself rearranging flowerpots and feeding the fish.

How had Xiang Xi come to the conclusion that I'd get along with this guy? Cheng Boyan wondered. Just because we've both lost younger brothers?

How naïve.

Even if we could get along, I probably wouldn't feel like talking.

Just as Cheng Boyan was about to turn around and ask Xiang Xi whether the hills in the distance were tea mountains too, Hu Hai bent down to pick up a small garden trowel from the ground.

A jade pendant slipped out from inside his collar.

Cheng Boyan paused.

Even from more than a meter away, he could tell it was an excellent piece of jade. Its water level (NT: jade appraisal term referring to its translucency) was on par with Xiang Xi's pendant.

But before he could focus on it properly, Hu Hai had already tucked it back inside his shirt.

“Those are tea mountains too,” Xiang Xi said with a smile. “The whole stretch—seven hills—is covered with tea plantations. When it's tea-picking season, do you want to come and have a look? We can have Master take us picking tea.”

“Sure,” Cheng Boyan replied.

He turned back to face the distant hills alongside Xiang Xi.

After quietly watching them for a while, he glanced sideways at Xiang Xi again and asked softly, “So... Hu Hai's younger brother... was he missing, or... gone?”

 

Translator : DarNan