Disciplinary Code

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During their week in Japan, apart from revisiting familiar places, Ji Yao also went skiing, visited a ranch, and made chocolates with Jiang Heng.

Ji Yao used to dislike such seemingly meaningless cheesy activities, but this time around, during their revisit, he somehow felt like he had shed some burden and was willing to try everything.

He and Jiang Heng spent an entire afternoon at the chocolate factory, happily melting chocolate and pouring it into molds.

In the end, they made over twenty boxes of chocolates, both the finished products and some slightly imperfect ones. To carry all this “hard work” back, they had to buy a new suitcase at a nearby mall.

“That should be good,” Jiang Heng said optimistically as he looked at the half-height suitcase in his hand. “We have enough souvenirs for when we go back.”

Ji Yao glanced at the bulging suitcase and remembered how he had refused to visit the chocolate factory six years ago, feeling a bit hypocritical. He couldn’t help but clear his throat and avert his gaze.

“Do you want to send a gift to Auntie?” Ji Yao asked. “After all, it’s your first time making sweets by hand.”

In the past few months, Xiaotong had often called Jiang Heng, occasionally inquiring about their lives and having a private chat with Ji Yao.

At first, Ji Yao felt awkward and restrained when facing her alone, but over time, he got used to it. He didn’t have a warm family environment himself, so he naturally had a fondness for open-minded parents like Xiaotong. During this time, Ji Yao and Xiaotong had developed a good relationship.

“Maybe not,” Jiang Heng thought for a moment and said, “it’s not a factory made product, so we can’t guarantee its shelf life. It might spoil if we send it.”

Ji Yao thought it made sense and didn’t bring it up again. Instead, he reached into the paper bag Jiang Heng was carrying and took out a chocolate ball, popping it into his mouth.

Besides relaxing and having fun, Ji Yao had been thinking about Jiang Heng’s keychain for a while. He hadn’t found an identical replacement at their familiar places in Japan, and he had been somewhat disappointed. However, just a day before leaving Japan, he unexpectedly found a substitute at a glass workshop in Otaru.

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On the day they visited Otaru, Hokkaido had just received fresh snowfall. Jiang Heng was wearing a long down jacket of the same style as Ji Yao’s as they got out of the car one after the other.

It was only a few hundred meters from the station to the canal, and the Japanese-style town had a hint of European culture mixed in. The architectural style looked completely different from the hot spring valley because of the recent snowfall. The weather appeared gloomy, with a touch of desolation. However, the soft colors of the glass lamps reduced the winter chill to some extent.

The town’s museums and restaurants were open, and warm-colored lights shone through the glass doors, creating a hazy halo on the glass.

The glass workshop was a famous attraction in Otaru, and as they toured the place, Ji Yao’s gaze inadvertently swept across a set of small items on a nearby shelf.

Those miniature figurines were each about two or three centimeters in size and depicted lively animals like brown bears, seals, or whales. Ji Yao observed them for a while and noticed a pile of accompanying products, such as strings for making pendants.

Ji Yao stared at the set of figurines for a moment and couldn’t help but feel tempted.

“Can glass be molded into anything?” Ji Yao asked.

“Anything is possible,” the receptionist at the glass workshop replied with a smile. “If you have a favorite pattern, you can try making it yourself. We offer a non-blowing craft experience for tourists.”

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Jiang Heng, who was eavesdropping, instantly guessed Ji Yao’s thoughts. He couldn’t help but curl his lips and, before Ji Yao could answer, he put his arm around Ji Yao’s shoulder.

“We’ll take two spots,” Jiang Heng said to the receptionist. 

“Do you know how to make these?” Ji Yao asked.

“I don’t,” Jiang Heng lowered his head slightly, getting close to Ji Yao’s ear. “But no pressure, no matter what you make, I’ll pretend it’s a fox.”

Ji Yao couldn’t help but laugh at him and playfully elbowed him away.

“No need,” Ji Yao said. “Maybe I have innate talent for this.” Compared to pottery and other handicrafts, glasswork was clearly more challenging. However, Ji Yao, who was used to handling surgical instruments, had a steady hand that even impressed the glass artisans. Jiang Heng, on the other hand, lacked Ji Yao’s stability. After trying it out, he simply decided not to make it too difficult for himself and only made two glass cups.

Ji Yao’s progress was slightly slower, but everything went smoothly. Jiang Heng took a look at him and, seeing him fully absorbed in his work, decided not to disturb him. He put down his items and went around the sales area again.

The glass craftsmanship in Otaru was quite good, and Jiang Heng bought several souvenirs for XiaoTong, wrote a greeting card, and handed it to the store clerk for mailing. Then, he selected a few glass lamps for their new home that was still under renovation.

When he went back to the experience area again, Ji Yao’s fox had already been completed and was waiting to cool down. Jiang Heng leaned over to take a look and was surprised to find that the finished product actually looked quite good.

“Is it beautiful?” Ji Yao said. “I think it’s quite similar.”

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“Indeed, it’s very similar and better than the previous one,” Jiang Heng said with a smile. “But isn’t glass material too fragile? What if it breaks?”

Ji Yao wasn’t worried about this issue at all. He had an unusual trust in Jiang Heng, as if things placed in his hands would always be well taken care of.

“I’m sure you will protect it,” Ji Yao said.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng touched Ji Yao’s hand and chuckled.

“Oh no,” Jiang Heng said, “You’ve found me out.”

He took out his own keychain from his pocket and carefully replaced the weathered little fox with the new one.

“Aren’t you giving me the old one?” Ji Yao asked.

“No,” Jiang Heng said with a smile, straightening up. “They’re both mine.”

After leaving the glass workshop, the snow outside was falling heavier and heavier. Ji Yao and Jiang Heng walked along the canal, and Ji Yao suddenly remembered an old Japanese movie they had watched many years ago.

Ji Yao himself wasn’t particularly fond of avant-garde art films, but because Jiang Heng enjoyed all kinds of old movies, he had accompanied him to watch quite a few before their breakup.

He couldn’t remember the name of the Japanese movie they had watched that day, but he vaguely remembered the nostalgic and grayish tone of the film, as well as the iconic heavy snowfall in Hokkaido.

On that day, Ji Yao had drunk too much at noon, so he didn’t have to go to school in the afternoon. He had stolen half a day of leisure and spent it at home with Jiang Heng.

Old movies had a rich and delicate texture, but unfortunately, Ji Yao had felt dizzy halfway through that day, and he hadn’t remembered anything about the plot. He only remembered that the film’s soundtrack was very beautiful.

“The movie we watched before, was it filmed here?” Ji Yao suddenly asked. “What was it called?”

Jiang Heng was never stumped by such questions. He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow, teasingly smiling.

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Ji Yao was puzzled by his laughter. He said sincerely, “I really don’t remember the name.”

“I know,” Jiang Heng said. “You had a bit too much to drink that day, watched the movie for only half an hour, and then dozed off. You kept leaning on my shoulder and refused to go back to the room to sleep. Not to mention you, I myself don’t remember any of the plot.”

Ji Yao carefully recollected that dim afternoon, but could only vaguely recall the movie soundtrack with some background noise.

However, he didn’t dwell on it and simply pinched Jiang Heng’s hand and said. “When we get back home, let’s watch the movie again. What do you say?”