Old Lu arrived at the tea house carrying a bag of vegetables. As soon as he saw Cheng Boyan, he smiled. “I saw your car downstairs. Have you been here long?”

“We just got here,” Cheng Boyan replied. “Master Lu, you're too kind.”

“Oh, don't mention it. What's there to be polite about?” Old Lu chuckled as he handed the vegetables to Hu Hai. “I just enjoy making friends. Come on, let's sit inside. I'll brew you some tea.”

Hu Hai carried the vegetables into the small kitchen next door. As Cheng Boyan followed Old Lu into the tea room, he glanced into the kitchen once more.

Xiang Xi hadn't picked up on what he was thinking, nor did Cheng Boyan intend to tell him outright.

Even he couldn't quite explain where the thought had come from. Perhaps everything that had happened recently had stirred up his desire to help Xiang Xi find his parents.

Still...

A coincidence like that was far too unlikely.

He didn't want Xiang Xi getting his hopes up for nothing. Hu Hai's sharply defined features looked nothing like Xiang Xi's soft, delicate face.

Cheng Boyan rarely had opportunities like this—sitting before a tea-covered mountain, drinking tea in the cool breeze. His work kept him busy. After work, if he wasn't too exhausted, he'd usually read or go for a run.

This, though...

Watching someone prepare tea, breathing in its fragrance, chatting idly… It was rather pleasant.

“I roasted this tea myself,” Old Lu said, pouring him a cup. “I used to roast quite a lot every year. These past couple of years, I've gotten older and can't be bothered anymore. I only make a little now and then. If you'd come much later, there wouldn't have been any left for you.”

“Then I guess I'm lucky.” Cheng Boyan smiled and took a sip.

“It's fate. You can say fate is imaginary, but you can also say it's very real.” Old Lu took a sip of his own tea.

“I can learn to roast tea,” Xiang Xi said. “Master, teach me.”

“Finish understanding everything I'm teaching you now first,” Old Lu laughed. “Once you've got that down, you'll want to learn everything. Back when Hu Hai first came to me, he didn't want to learn anything.”

“Then why did you take him as a disciple?” Cheng Boyan asked curiously.

“That kid back then...” Old Lu took a sip of tea but didn't continue.

“Because of his younger brother?” Xiang Xi pressed.

“Don't ask questions like that,” Cheng Boyan quickly said, giving him a light kick under the table as a warning.

Although he wanted to know about Hu Hai's younger brother too, Xiang Xi asking so directly was rather impolite—especially when Hu Hai was still busy working in the kitchen.

Hu Hai walked over from the kitchen holding a handful of chili peppers. “Do you eat spicy food?”

“I'm fine with anything.” Old Lu looked toward Xiang Xi and Cheng Boyan. “What about you two?”

“I'm fine with anything too,” Cheng Boyan replied, then added after a moment, “...Maybe don't make it too spicy.”

“Then just a little, enough for flavour,” Old Lu said.

“Mm.” Hu Hai nodded.

As he turned to leave, Xiang Xi stood up. “What are you making?”

“Stir-fried little fish.”

“That's a great dish,” Old Lu immediately said. “The landlord catches those little fish from the mountain stream. Fry them first, then stir-fry them with chili peppers. Delicious.”

“I...” Xiang Xi followed after Hu Hai. “Can I learn how to make it?”

“You'd better not,” Cheng Boyan said.

Xiang Xi ignored him and followed Hu Hai into the kitchen.

Cheng Boyan sighed. “Don't touch anything!”

“I'm just watching!” Xiang Xi shouted back from inside. “Aren't you tired of eating mixed-bean porridge every day? Stir-fried little fish is so much better!”

Hu Hai chopped a few small chili peppers. Beside them were already-sliced green peppers. He poured a little oil into the wok. “You live with your friend?”

“Huh?” Xiang Xi froze.

Only then did he realize that what he'd just said had accidentally revealed that he and Cheng Boyan were living together. He immediately felt embarrassed. “...Yeah.”

“Isn't mixed-bean porridge pretty good?” Hu Hai said, seemingly not paying attention to the important part at all. “Soak the beans first, grind them into a paste, then add a little sugar.”

“Huh?” Xiang Xi stared blankly.

It had never occurred to him that mixed-bean porridge could be made like that. Every time Cheng Boyan cooked it, he'd just pour in some water, dump the beans into the pot, and boil them.

The finished result was beans separate from water. And if he'd added barley… It tasted even blander than plain boiled water.

Hu Hai tossed the chilies, garlic, and aromatics into the wok to stir-fry them.

As the fragrance drifted through the kitchen, the spicy fumes also hit Xiang Xi. He bent over and sneezed at the ground.

“Whoa... that's pretty spicy, isn't it?” He rubbed his nose.

“I only added a little. It won't taste that spicy once it's cooked,” Hu Hai said, looking at him. “Why don't you go outside? The fumes are irritating.”

“I want to watch,” Xiang Xi said with a grin. “I want to learn.”

Hu Hai said nothing.

After stirring the aromatics a few times, he poured the already-fried little fish into the wok.

“Do you have to use a lot of oil to fry the fish?” Xiang Xi asked, looking at the golden little fish.

“Yeah. You have to deep-fry them first. That's what makes them fragrant.”

“Deep-fry them...” Xiang Xi suddenly looked discouraged. The amount of oil needed for one batch of fish was probably more than Cheng Boyan used in several years of cooking.

“Worried about using too much oil?” Hu Hai smiled. “Here's a trick if you want them less greasy. Fry them a little longer. If you take them out too soon, they'll absorb oil. Leave them in a bit longer, and the oil will come back out.”

“Really?” Xiang Xi immediately perked up again. “How long?”

“Until they're this colour.” Hu Hai pointed at the fish in the wok.

“You'd turn them into charcoal fish.” Cheng Boyan's voice came from behind them.

Xiang Xi turned around and saw him standing in the kitchen doorway.

“Not necessarily,” Xiang Xi protested.

Cheng Boyan simply smiled without saying anything.

“Aren't you drinking tea?” Xiang Xi asked. “Are you here to learn cooking too?”

“Just watching.”

“Smells good, doesn't it?” Xiang Xi asked. “Really good?”

Cheng Boyan looked rather helpless. After a moment, he nodded. “Really good.”

Maybe not letting Xiang Xi learn to cook back then has been a mistake. Cheng Boyan stood outside the kitchen for a while.

Seeing no sign that Xiang Xi intended to leave, he guessed Xiang Xi planned to watch Hu Hai cook from beginning to end. So he returned to the tea table instead.

Old Lu was rubbing his knee.

“Does your knee bother you?” It was a question Cheng Boyan asked almost automatically.

“A little swollen,” Old Lu said, pouring him another cup of tea. “Normally it's fine, but I climbed the mountain today, and it's been acting up.”

“Would you like me to take a look?” Cheng Boyan sat down beside him.

“You...” Old Lu looked at him, then suddenly laughed. “That's right—you’re an orthopedic doctor, aren't you?”

“Mm.” Cheng Boyan smiled as he gently lifted and moved Old Lu's lower leg, asking about how it usually felt.

“Nothing serious. At your age, everyone has some degenerative changes. Try not to spend too long climbing mountains, and don't go every day.”

“Alright, alright.” Old Lu nodded. “I'll listen to the doctor.”

Hu Hai cooked quickly. By the time they'd finished a pot of tea, the meal was ready.

“Let's eat out on the terrace,” Old Lu said, waving everyone over. “The weather's perfect—not too hot, not too cold.”

The group of them set up the table on the terrace. Once the lights were turned on, the atmosphere was actually quite nice. Cheng Boyan went into the kitchen to help bring the dishes out.

After Xiang Xi arranged the chairs, he went back into the kitchen to wash his hands. Cheng Boyan was just about to leave when he glanced at him and stopped. For some reason, this kid had suddenly become a little quiet. Normally, judging by his personality, he should have been extremely excited at a time like this.

“Xiang Xi.” He called his name.

“Hmm?” Xiang Xi turned around. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then Hu Hai came in to get the dipping sauce, and he stopped talking.

During dinner, Xiang Xi regained some of his energy. He chatted enthusiastically with Old Lu, asking many questions about tea roasting, looking as if he was already planning to start doing it after finishing the meal.

Hu Hai rarely spoke. He silently ate on the side. Cheng Boyan couldn’t help staring at his collar. To be honest, although he felt that his own idea was a little too far-fetched, he still wanted to see Hu Hai’s jade pendant one more time.

Unfortunately, he never got another chance. For a pendant hidden inside someone’s clothes, unless he went over and flipped Hu Hai onto the ground, there was probably no way he could see it without reaching out and pulling it out himself.

After dinner, they rested for a while. Old Lu began explaining tea to Xiang Xi, while Cheng Boyan sat on the terrace enjoying the night breeze.

From the window, he could see Xiang Xi listening seriously, and he could also see the side profile of Hu Hai.

Hu Hai sat by the window playing the qin, with a deeply absorbed expression. From the very first movement of his fingers across the strings, it was as if he had entered another world.

Until Old Lu finished explaining tea to Xiang Xi, Hu Hai’s qin music never stopped. At one point, Cheng Boyan was still hearing the sound of the instrument, but he had unconsciously stopped noticing the person playing it.

“Let’s go,” Xiang Xi walked to the window and waved at him. “The lesson’s finished.”

“Okay.” Cheng Boyan stood up, went back inside to say goodbye to Old Lu, then glanced toward Hu Hai again. He wanted to say goodbye to him as well, but Hu Hai did not even turn his head.

“Don’t mind him,” Old Lu said with a smile. “He’s already not in the same place as us anymore.”

Old Lu walked them to the stairs. When he was about to go downstairs again, Cheng Boyan stopped him. “Your leg. Rest more.”

After going downstairs and getting into the car, Cheng Boyan looked up once more at the tea room upstairs with its lights still on, then started the car. Only after the car left the intersection did he say to Xiang Xi, who had been silent the whole time, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, nothing’s wrong…” Xiang Xi shook his head. After a while, he added, “Let me think about it first.”

Cheng Boyan did not press further. He kept driving and did not say anything else.

The lights outside the window flashed across Xiang Xi’s face. He leaned against the car window, looking outside the whole time. When the car stopped at a traffic light, he turned his head. “Why did you ask about Hu Hai’s younger brother?”

Cheng Boyan did not answer. He only looked at Xiang Xi. Although he did not want Xiang Xi to know about his somewhat ridiculous guess so soon, Xiang Xi’s sensitivity caught him off guard.

“Do you think…?” Xiang Xi added quietly, “I asked him?”

“You asked him?” Cheng Boyan was stunned.

“Yeah. We were just chatting while he was cooking, so I asked,” Xiang Xi said. “He said his younger brother… was lost because of him.”

Cheng Boyan opened his mouth but did not say anything.

“Is that what you were thinking?” Xiang Xi turned his head. “Do you think I’m overthinking this? Is that what you thought?”

“Did he say… how old he was when he got lost?” Cheng Boyan hesitated before asking.

“He didn’t say. He only said he was very young, so I didn’t ask more,” Xiang Xi sighed. “It’s probably impossible, right? Am I just thinking this way because I want so badly to find my parents?”

“I thought the same thing before,” Cheng Boyan touched his head. The light turned green, so he withdrew his hand and continued driving. “I saw his pendant.”

“Pendant? What pendant?” Xiang Xi asked.

“I didn’t see it clearly. I just felt the jade quality was very good, and it looked a little like yours,” Cheng Boyan said. “I guess I’ve been influenced by you. I saw it once and immediately thought of this possibility.”

Xiang Xi was silent for a while. Leaning back against the seat, he smiled. “Even someone as rational as you can make wild guesses.”

“Xiang Xi, about this… don’t have too much hope,” Cheng Boyan said with difficulty, afraid that his words would hurt him.

“I know. It’s not like something this coincidental could really happen, and Hu Hai and I don’t look alike at all,” Xiang Xi smiled. “If it really were him, he would at least have noticed my mole, right? But he’s never paid attention to it.”

Xiang Xi touched the mole on his face. He had always considered this mole one of his important clues.

And logically speaking, that was true. If a child had been lost, a distinctive mark like this would definitely be something the parents paid close attention to.

“Besides…” Xiang Xi closed his eyes. “If it really were like that, then it wouldn’t match what Uncle Ping said either… although the number of true things he has said in his whole life is probably less than the number of times I’ve greeted the cat across the street.”

Cheng Boyan said nothing more. Frowning, he waited until they got home, then went into the bedroom and took out the box containing Xiang Xi’s jade pendant.

“What are you doing?” Xiang Xi looked at him.

“Nothing.” Cheng Boyan took out the jade pendant and looked at it for a while. He felt that it was different from Hu Hai’s. Although both had excellent jade quality, their size and shape seemed different. “How about…”

“I wear it?” Xiang Xi quickly understood what he meant.

“Yeah.” Cheng Boyan nodded. “Honestly, I don’t think it’s very likely. But if we don’t try, neither of us will be able to let it go, right?”

“Next time I go there, I’ll wear it around my neck and show off my wealth?” Xiang Xi said.

“Yeah. Tomorrow I’ll get you a shorter cord,” Cheng Boyan held the pendant against his collar. “Make sure you show it off more obviously.”

“Tomorrow…” Xiang Xi repeated. Suddenly he became nervous and grabbed Cheng Boyan’s arm. “Tomorrow I have to go to the police station! I’m f— ah… I’m a little nervous!”

“Yeah.” Cheng Boyan glanced at him, trying not to laugh at how Xiang Xi had almost cursed but forcibly changed his words. “Tomorrow let those three drive you there. After all, you’re going to  Zhaojiayao.”

Cheng Boyan was referring to the trio of friends. Xiang Xi nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, “Do I need to prepare anything? What should I say?”

“No. Isn’t the reason you’re going there to find out what you need to prepare?” Cheng Boyan touched his face. “Just answer whatever they ask.”

Xiang Xi felt that too many things had happened these past few days. His mind was always a little messy, and even when he slept at night he could not rest well—not to mention he still could not turn over.

“How much longer do I have to sleep in this position?” He leaned against Cheng Boyan and touched the watch on his wrist.

“Technically, a week,” Cheng Boyan said. “If you’re annoyed by it, after you finish tomorrow’s business and still have time, come to the hospital. I’ll take an X-ray and check it.”

“See, this is why knowing a doctor is great.” Xiang Xi said happily.

“If the healing isn’t ideal…”

“It won’t happen. My bone is healing very well. I drank three bowls of bone soup tonight.”

Mentioning bone soup made Cheng Boyan think of Hu Hai again.

That man really was excellent at cooking. Cheng Boyan was full of dislike toward Hu Hai, but he still ate quite a lot of the dishes. They were delicious, and he could tell Hu Hai did not rely on MSG but on actual skill. (NT: monosodium glutamate, a flavour enhancer commonly used in Asian cuisine)

Thinking about it made him feel a little annoyed. Whenever he imagined Xiang Xi looking at Hu Hai while learning to cook with that expectant expression, he felt extremely unhappy. He really hoped Hu Hai was Xiang Xi’s older brother—but of course, he would never say that aloud.

*

The next morning, Xiang Xi got up early. When Cheng Boyan was woken by the sound of the soy milk machine, Xiang Xi was already busy in the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” Cheng Boyan looked at the beans scattered on the counter and floor, somewhat shocked.

“I’m making you a not-so-bad mixed bean porridge,” Xiang Xi said while watching the machine. “Go wash up. I’ll clean this later.”

“Clean it now. You’ll step on them and fall later!” Cheng Boyan said.

“Then you clean it.” Xiang Xi continued staring intently at the soy milk machine.

“Weren’t you the one who told me to go wash up?” Cheng Boyan sighed.

“Weren’t you the one who said to clean up?” Xiang Xi turned around and smiled at him.

Cheng Boyan had no choice but to pick up all the beans and throw them into the trash. As he did so, Xiang Xi sighed. “What a waste.”

“You wanted to pick them up and put them back?” Cheng Boyan said. “Good thing I didn’t let you clean up.”

“Of course I would put them back. Even if they fell on the floor outside, you could just pick them up, blow on them, and put them back. Your floor is so clean you could lick it. Why couldn’t they go back in?” Xiang Xi said. “When you eat them, don’t you have to boil them anyway? It’s not like you’re chewing raw beans…”

Cheng Boyan was rendered speechless by his argument. After a long pause, he turned and went into the bathroom. “Fine, fine, fine. Next time they fall, I’ll just pick them up and put them back.”

“With your cleanliness obsession, who knows how much food you’ve wasted over the years,” Xiang Xi added.

Cheng Boyan poked his head out of the bathroom and looked at him. “I’ve never scattered things all over the floor like you do… Don’t you dare pick them out of the trash can!”

“I’m not that bad,” Xiang Xi laughed.

The mixed bean porridge Xiang Xi made that day miraculously didn’t burn. Probably because he used a soy milk machine—there was no way for it to burn even if it wanted to. The mixed bean porridge had turned into mixed bean paste instead, a sweet kind of paste. The taste was… actually acceptable.

“How is it?” Xiang Xi stared at him after he took a sip. “Is it good?”

“It’s pretty good. You can put in a little less sugar,” Cheng Boyan said. This method had been taught by Hu Hai. If Xiang Xi hadn’t spent so much effort early in the morning making it, and if it hadn’t mainly been made for him, he really would have wanted to say: It’s not good at all—it’s so bad it couldn’t possibly be worse.

“Okay, next time I’ll make it without sugar. If you want it sweet, you can add sugar yourself. If you don’t, just eat it plain,” Xiang Xi said. Hearing his approval, he finally went into the kitchen to get his own bowl. “When you have time, try making those stir-fried little fish too. I…”

“You should leave now,” Cheng Boyan interrupted him. “It’s not close from here to Zhaojiayao.”

“Oh!” Xiang Xi wiped his mouth and ran into the bedroom. He had just gone in when he ran back into the kitchen, washed his hands, then ran into the bedroom again. “Running back and forth like this is exhausting.”

Going to the police station no longer gave Xiang Xi the same fear it once had, although he had never actually been arrested before.

But today, he was nervous.

Sitting in the car, Xiang Xi kept rubbing his legs anxiously. When Officer Zhang’s call came, he almost jumped in fright.

“Remember to go there today,” Officer Zhang reminded him.

“I’m already on the way,” Xiang Xi said. “Officer Zhang, there’s something… I want to ask.”

“What is it?” Officer Zhang asked.

“If Uncle Ping gets caught…” Xiang Xi lowered his voice. “Could you tell me?”

“Sure. There might even be things we need you to cooperate with at that time,” Officer Zhang said with a smile.

“Then…” Xiang Xi hesitated. “Then… will you ask him? Ask him about… finding me?”

“Is there something you want to know?” Officer Zhang asked.

“I just… want to know,” Xiang Xi’s voice became even quieter. “Whether I was really picked up by him, or whether I was kidnapped. What my actual surname is…”

Yesterday, when Hu Hai talked about his younger brother, his mood had become very low, and he had basically stopped talking. Xiang Xi did not dare ask more, just like he did not dare mention Cheng Boyu in front of Cheng Boyan. He was afraid that asking too much would make Hu Hai feel hurt.

Besides, Cheng Boyan had already said this possibility was unlikely. If Xiang Xi rashly questioned him and it turned out not to be true, it would only make Hu Hai feel worse.

If he could confirm from Uncle Ping whether what he had said back then was true, then he would know whether he should ask Hu Hai about it.

He did not hold much hope for this matter, but he was unwilling to give up even the slightest bit of hope.

“This… I can ask about it,” Officer Zhang said. “However, you can also have your blood taken and enter your sample into the missing persons database for comparison. If your parents are looking for you and their samples have also been entered, then you might be able to find them.”

“It can work like that?” Xiang Xi immediately sat up straighter.

“Yes. But if your family members have never provided samples, then we won’t be able to find a match. However, your sample will be kept,” Officer Zhang said. “It’s still worth trying.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Xiang Xi said repeatedly. “Thank you!”

After hanging up, he urged Brother Wang, who was driving, to go faster. He almost wished he could arrive immediately and have someone draw a tube of blood from him.

But when the car entered the Zhaojiayao area, Xiang Xi became silent again.

Zhaojiayao was still the same as before. This place was too familiar—so familiar that when he suddenly saw the run-down scenery outside the window, he felt a deep sadness.

The darkness hidden in his blood had started here. From here, he had lived aimlessly and stubbornly in that darkness, struggling while refusing to surrender, and trying to escape from it.

And the light he wanted most in the end would also have to begin from here.

Two completely different emotions left him with an indescribable emptiness when he stepped out of the car and stood in front of the police station.

After entering the building and telling a police officer at the reception desk why he had come, that emptiness slowly began to be filled again.

Filled with hope.

A police officer from the household registration department entered the reception room. Because Officer Zhang had contacted them beforehand, this Officer Li had already prepared the necessary forms for him.

“Your name is Xiang Xi, right?” Officer Li asked.

“Yes, but I wasn’t called Xiang Xi before,” Xiang Xi answered nervously. “This name…”

“The name doesn’t matter. When registering, you can write the name you are used to using,” Officer Li said while looking at him. “You need to fill out some forms, and there are also some documents that need to be stamped by the neighbourhood committee.”

“What documents? Stamps?” Xiang Xi asked worriedly.

“Your situation is special. You need the neighbourhood committee to provide a document proving that you were picked up, that you have no parents, and that your original place of registration is unknown. Then we can handle the rest. Your household registration can be placed under the collective household of a welfare institution,” Officer Li patiently explained. “Then you can apply for an ID card.”

“Oh.” When Xiang Xi heard “ID card,” he couldn’t help raising his eyebrows. “Then how long will this take?”

“Once all the documents are complete, it will be quick. It can be finished within fifteen working days,” Officer Li said. “Come, let me first tell you what you need to prepare.”

Officer Li explained how to fill out the forms, gave him a sample, and finally took out a list of required materials. He checked off everything Xiang Xi would need.

“Is it clear?” Officer Li asked.

“I more or less understand.” Xiang Xi nodded. He had only understood half of what he heard, but everything was written on paper. He could go back and ask Cheng Boyan to help him look over it.

“Prepare these things and that’s enough. If you don’t understand anything, you can ask me again. The phone number is written here.” Officer Li pointed to the phone number.

“Okay, Officer Li, I also wanted to ask…” Xiang Xi put the forms and instructions into the document folder Officer Li had given him. “I heard from Officer Zhang that I can have some kind of…”

“DNA database?” Officer Li said. “Yes, you can. You can come tomorrow, and I’ll take you to the identification centre to provide a blood sample. It’s free.”

Xiang Xi stayed there for two hours. Officer Li also learned about his detailed situation and recorded everything.

When Xiang Xi walked out of the police station, he felt as if his footsteps were almost floating. His hands even trembled slightly from excitement. He had been gripping the folder so tightly that when he tried to put it down, his fingers almost wouldn’t separate.

“I’ll make a phone call,” Xiang Xi told Brother Wang, who was preparing to drive him to the neighbourhood committee. He laughed foolishly for a while. “I need to call first.”

The call was to Cheng Boyan. Cheng Boyan seemed to be eating lunch because when he answered, Xiang Xi could hear the sound of him drinking milk.

“How did it go?” Cheng Boyan asked.

“Pretty smoothly. They recorded all my information and gave me the forms. I’m going to the neighbourhood committee this afternoon to see how to get the certificate,” Xiang Xi said excitedly, his teeth almost trembling. “Tell me, if they ask me to fill in a name, should I write Xiang Xi?”

“You can write whatever you want. Cheng Xi would work too,” Cheng Boyan joked. “You can think about it slowly. They’re not asking you to write it right now, are they?”

“I should think about it first. And there’s my birthday too. I can estimate the year. I’ve even thought about the exact date,” Xiang Xi said, then couldn’t help laughing again. “The day you saved me.”

“Why?” Cheng Boyan asked.

“Because that was the day I saw light,” Xiang Xi said. “From that day on, I started walking toward the light.”

 

Translator : DarNan