Chapter 19

After eating the dumplings that day, the dean requested the pair to stay behind once more to take some pictures with the children in the orphanage. She promised to send them the printed photos after the Chinese New Year period ended. 

Ye Ji’an did not refuse, but Liang Xiao noticed that the address he’d left was the company’s—and that it was only specific enough to reach the customer service counters. 

The two did not participate in the afternoon activities. Liang Xiao carefully stepped on the accelerator once more on the wide, deserted ring road. Controlling his speed, he drove towards the Walmart closest to their home.

Ye Ji’an leaned against the car window as per usual and spread out his fingers to feel the warm air coming out of the heater. Smiling, he looked at Liang Xiao through the rearview mirror and asked, “Are you hungry?”

“A little,” Liang Xiao wasn’t obstinate this time round.

“You mustn’t have eaten more than five dumplings.”

“Three, actually,” Liang Xiao parked the car in the garage. “I really can’t take celery.”

“I know. Celery, coriander, freshwater shrimp, and various types of mushrooms. You’ve refused to touch these since childhood. Auntie Hu told me all about it.” 

Ye Ji’an got out of the car and closed the door, and looked over the roof. “She also made a list of your favorite dishes and sent them to me.”

Liang Xiao locked the car with a strange feeling in his heart. If he had to sum it up, he would probably describe it as ‘happily embarrassed’. 

“Did you two add each other on WeChat?” he asked.

Ye Ji’an approached him with a mysterious expression on his face. Together, they slowly entered the mall. “What about green peppers?”

Liang Xiao placed his hands in his pockets, “I’m okay with every type of pepper.”

Ye Ji’an smiled. 

“Then let’s make some dumplings with green pepper and meat. It sounds really suspicious, doesn’t it? But it’s actually very delicious. I used to make it in Nanjing every year.”

Liang Xiao nodded and grabbed Ye Ji’an’s hand in his pocket.

Their grocery run was quick—or at least it was, in the beginning. Ye Ji’an’s eyes seemed sharper than an eagle’s and he took to the bustling environment like a fish to water. 

It was obvious that he was a veteran at buying groceries with a limited amount of time. Even if the supermarket was packed to the brim with people like it was the eve of the new year, he would still be able to quickly spot what he wanted to buy, quickly pick out the best ingredients, and quickly weigh his purchases.

Squeezing his way back from the throng of elderly, he neatly placed his spoils of war into the grocery basket.

Liang Xiao was guarding his grocery cart on one side and watched as Ye Ji’an went back and forth, buying more than just bell peppers. 

He was very particular about what he bought. He refused to purchase ready-made minced meat and chose fresh meat instead, requesting that the butcher mince it fresh. He purchased spare ribs and pork bones. 

In addition, he also bought some beef brisket, lamb loin, two slabs of pork belly, pork leg, Argentine red shrimp, and a Dalian yellow croaker. His selection of vegetables was even richer; Liang Xiao, who was too used to eating Western food, could not even name a few. 

“Senior, are you going to cook every single day?” Liang Xiao asked.

“Of course, I like to cook. We won’t have to wait in line outside to buy food if we cook ourselves, and it’s healthier than ordering takeout.” 

Ye Ji’an stopped by the freezer yet again, tugged at Liang Xiao’s clothes, and placed two boxes of cod and a box of prawns into the small mountain of groceries in the shopping cart.

“Besides, we haven’t used up the 5000 RMB worth of balance in the grocery card issued by the company yet.”

“I don’t have one. My position’s too low,” Liang Xiao pouted. “I only got a Starbucks card and a card for the Xidan Bookstore. “

“Sir, I don’t think you need any cards, though!” Laughing, Ye Ji’an pinched at his pouting face. His hand was cold from picking out items from the freezer, so Liang Xiao gently placed it on his face, rubbing his cheeks against his fingers.

Ye Ji’an blushed. The redness was visible to the naked eye, even underneath the layer of caked flour on his face that he hadn’t fully cleaned off. The circulation on his face had indeed fluctuated a lot recently. 

Ye Ji’an’s fingers lightly pressed the area around Liang Xiao’s eyes. 

“…Is my hand really that nice to the touch?”

Liang Xiao looked at him intently. “It’s very cold.”

Ye Ji’an couldn’t stand the fiery gaze, and his gaze fell on his carefully selected stew packet. 

“We have to continue shopping.”

“Well, it’s warm now.” Satisfied, Liang Xiao patted the back of Ye Ji’an’s hand before placing his hand on the left side of the shopping cart’s handle.

His original plan was to have both of them pushing one side of the cart. However, a few steps later, Ye Ji’an moved his bag to his left hand. His remaining hand moved to the back of Liang Xiao’s hand and covered it firmly.

Ye Ji’an kept his head lowered. “I need more time to warm up.”

Liang Xiao couldn’t see the expression on his face; all he could see were Ye Ji’an’s slightly upturned lips and his drooping eyelashes. God knew how much he wanted to kiss the other in that instant.

To Liang Xiao’s surprise, Ye Ji’an returned with noodles instead of dumpling skins when they passed by the Flour and Noodle aisle.

“I’ll make you a bowl of noodles after getting back to stave off your hunger. We should have at least six dishes for the New Year’s Eve dinner, and it’ll take me until a least seven or eight in the evening to prepare all that,” said Ye Ji’an. 

Liang Xiao said that he wanted to have two bowls first, and picked up a bag of dumpling skins, placing them in the cart. He figured that Ye Ji’an had forgotten about those. However, to his surprise, Ye Ji’an returned the dumpling skins to the shelf.

“Making it from scratch will make it taste better.”

“It’s all the same.”

“Hey, Young Master Liang, you’re such a glutton usually. How could you make do with it now? Kneading the dough and making dumpling skin doesn’t take very long.”

Ye Ji’an frowned at him and paused for a second or two. Touching the corner of his mouth, he lowered his head once more. “I can’t give you the same treatment the kids at the orphanage got now, can I?”

Liang Xiao was stunned.

“Senior, is there anything else we need to buy?” he asked.

“Nope, there’s still a lot of disinfectant and shampoo left at home. We’re not running low on body wash or laundry detergent either. I got a lot of paper during the 11.11 sales, you can just take it from my house,” Ye Ji’an meticulously checked.

Liang Xiao dragged Ye Ji’an over to the adult products area, walking quickly with a recklessness that was rarely seen in him. The aisle was close to the cashier, and the two of them were facing the shelves. Passers-by came and went. Liang Xiao quietly observed Ye Ji’an’s reaction while scanning the two rows of lubricants.

There wasn’t much variety, and he couldn’t find any of the brands he liked. Between water-based and silicon-based lube, Liang Xiao chose the former, opting for a bottle that was colorless and odorless. 

After a careful check, Liang Xiao confirmed that it did not contain N-9, an antiseptic and disinfectant that would destroy gut microbiota. Only then did he place it into their shopping cart.

Water-based lube tended to evaporate quickly and had to be frequently added to prevent chafing, which was rather troublesome. However, its pros lay in that it was less irritating to the skin, and was easier to clean out.  This was why Liang Xiao was willing to use it on Ye Ji’an.

Liang Xiao was less picky with the condoms. His only consideration was the size. After finding the appropriate size, he threw a pack into the shopping cart and headed to the cashier.

However, Ye Ji’an stopped him, seemingly waking up from where he’d been frozen to the ground in awkwardness. His face was even redder than before, and even his lips were rosy as he commented, “You only bought one box.”

Liang Xiao said with a smile, ” There are ten pieces in this box.”

Ye Ji’an shot him a fierce glare and abruptly picked up five boxes of Okamoto 001—still in red packaging—and six boxes of the platinum 003 before throwing them into the cart, where they lay quietly beside lamb chops and rainbow trout. The boxes made up a total of 68 pieces, and, adding in the 10 pieces from the box he’d picked earlier, tallied up to 78. Liang Xiao was stunned.

He was okay with it on his end, but he was rather doubtful about the large purchase. Did Ye Ji’an not plan on returning to work after their five days of holiday?

“The money in the card will be voided come spring,” Ye Ji’an commented sullenly before whipping around to queue up at the cashier.

Liang Xiao snapped out of his daze slightly. Ye Ji’an was someone who’d hoard even toilet paper when there was a sale; it made sense that he’d hoard condoms too. But… how long would it take them to finish these? Spring? Summer? They’d always be together. Such thoughts truly made one’s fantasies go wild. 

Following Ye Ji’an with his hands in his pockets, Liang Xiao stared unblinking at the black hair on the back of his head. The back of Ye Ji’an’s neck was covered by a high collar, but what would the skin look like underneath? Would it be slightly red and covered in a layer of fine sweat?

Despite the bustling crowd around them and the sound of Andy Lau’s Gong Xi Fa Cai in the background, Liang Xiao could still vividly recall the feel of touching that enchanting patch of skin and how it felt to bite it.

Ye Ji’an was definitely sensitive to numbers. There was some 2,600 yuan left in the card and the final bill came out to just slightly higher than 2,500. It took a little effort to get all the items into the car trunk, and by the time they got back to the traffic light outside their neighbourhood, it was already almost four o’clock. There was a stand selling fireworks and firecrackers outside the gate.

Leaning to the side, Liang Xiao asked, “Senior, which ones do you want?”

“Let’s not set off any fireworks,” Ye Ji’an replied. After a moment of thought, he said, “We don’t have much time. I’ve got to hurry back to cook.”

His promise to “hurry” was truly fulfilled. A pot of steaming seafood noodles was made before it even reached 4.30pm. The soup was savory and thick. In addition to half a lobster and squid, there was also sauteed garlic and blanched baby Chinese cabbage. 

Scooping out two bowls, Ye Ji’an sat at the side and watched Liang Xiao eat for a while before heading back to the kitchen.

By the time Liang Xiao entered the kitchen with an empty bowl, the dough had already been cut into small pieces. The duty of rolling the dough to form dumpling skins fell to Liang Xiao. On the other hand, Ye Ji’an was marinading a pinkish white pork knuckle with marinade.

“Let’s try crispy German roast pork knuckle tonight. We’ll layer some roasted broccoli and roasted kale under it,” he said, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “We’ll have it with some beer.”

Liang Xiao helped him tie the apron straps hanging behind him. “When the time comes, I want to take a picture and post it on my social media.”

Ye Ji’an turned around and smiled at him. “But there’s nothing on your profile.”

Liang Xiao hugged his waist and gave him a hard squeeze. “There’ll be lots of stuff there in the future.”

Ye Ji’an unhesitatingly gave him a kiss and prompted, “Hurry up and make the dumpling skins.”

After a morning of practice, Liang Xiao’s dumpling skin-making skill, while not the best, had already improved by leaps and bounds. By the time he made all fifty-odd dumpling skins, added flour to them and set them to the side, Ye Ji’an had just barely finished chopping up the variety of meat and vegetables. 

The oven was pre-heating and the pork knuckle had not been put in yet. Liang Xiao stayed in the kitchen to help for a while, but all he could do was stir the eggs and peel the garlic. It didn’t take long before he was shooed away by Ye Ji’an to rest.

After moving all the purchased items such as condoms to where they belonged and making a few more phone calls, Liang Xiao grabbed an American cockroach with his tweezers to give Marx a lavish meal.

Absently pondering the sight in the kitchen, Liang Xiao had an inkling that the pork knuckle definitely was not the star of the show tonight.

Sure enough, at 7.40pm, with some time to spare before the start of the Spring Festival Gala program, Ye Ji’an filled the table with dishes.

There were a total of six dishes and a soup—there was Roast Pork Knuckle with Black Pepper Glaze, boiled prawns, crispy egg rolls, lemon fried cod, garlic snow peas, stir-fried greens and a pot of lotus pork rib soup. Last but not least, there were two plates of dumplings—and there wasn’t a single one with torn skin.

“You don’t need to finish all this. There’s no need to stuff yourself,” Ye Ji’an said. He bit off the beer cap and poured some for himself and Liang Xiao. “It’s just part of the festivities.”

Liang Xiao put down his phone that he had been taking pictures on and raised his hand to clink glasses with him. “It’s fine if I’m stuffed. The food is just too fragrant to resist.”

Ye Ji’an was already used to his honeyed words. He raised his chin and blinked. “Then which one are you going to try first?”

Liang Xiao placed his chopsticks on the roast pork knuckle, which Ye Ji’an had the most trouble making. When he bit down, there was a distinct crunching sound. Liang Xiao looked at Ye Ji’an and said, “It’s even better than what I had in restaurants.”

Ye Ji’an took another sip of alcohol. “Carrying on lying, then.”

Liang Xiao, with an innocent look on his face, asked, “Senior, which one are you going to try first?”

“I’ll have a taste of the dumplings. I wonder if they’re salty,” Ye Ji’an replied. Picking up a dumpling, he placed it in his mouth without first dipping it in vinegar. “It’s okay, it’s better than I’d expected.”

His brows soon wrinkled again. “The seasoning is still a little heavy. It’s been too long since I last made dumplings. When I was alone, I’d just buy frozen ready-to-eat ones.”

A tune suddenly came from the TV several meters away—it was the jubilant opening song of the Spring Festival Gala. Liang Xiao also tried one dumpling, and couldn’t help but exclaim in his heart. 

If the celery in the morning had traumatized him into disliking dumplings, then this mouthful would have reversed all that.

“Senior, were you also in charge of making dumplings when you were in Nanjing?” he asked softly.

“More or less. When I’m in Nanjing, my mother would be in charge of the stuffing and I’d prepare the dumpling skins. We would then make the dumplings together.”

Ye Ji’an began to peel the shrimp. His movements were quick and neat, and he deposited the peeled shrimps in Liang Xiao’s bowl.

Laughing, he said, “My dad and my brother… are not people who should be let into the kitchen.”

“Are they still spending the New Year together?” Liang Xiao continued to look at Ye Ji’an intently. His gaze did not hide his care for Ye Ji’an at all. Although he was nosing into Ye Ji’an’s affairs, it still made the latter feel as if the room was too hot.

As a result, Ye Ji’an lowered his head. “That’s probably the case. My brother works in Shanghai, and he brought his wife and children back to visit our parents. The journey on the high-speed train should only take a while. They’re out eating the New Year’s Eve dinner now. He’ll give me a call soon.”

The fourth shrimp fell into his bowl, and Liang Xiao grabbed the hand that was still perched on the edge of the bowl that Ye Ji’an had not yet had the time to retract.

“Senior, if talking about them makes you unhappy, we’ll avoid this topic in the future.”

Ye Ji’an’s wrist froze for a moment, and his eyes still avoided Liang Xiao’s. “That’s not true. Why would I be unhappy?”

“Mm.” Liang Xiao hummed and did not answer. He simply nodded and let go of the hand. Then, he also began to peel shrimps to place into Ye Ji’an’s bowl.

Ye Ji’an seemed a little helpless. He took out a tissue and wiped his hands before picking up his utensils to eat the cod while it was still hot. The phone rang again. It was sitting on the table, and the name on the screen stood out: Ye Zhihong.

Speak of the devil.

“Sorry,” Ye Ji’an apologized instinctively. “It’s my younger brother.”

Liang Xiao didn’t understand why Ye Ji’an apologized. Putting down his chopsticks, he asked, “Do you want me to give you some space?

“No, don’t do that,” Ye Ji’an urgently replied with panic that Liang Xiao had not expected. The former stood up, grabbed the phone, and pinned it to the table.

Ye Ji’an looked at Liang Xiao. His eyes were glimmering. 

“…Can I sit beside you? I just want to… lean on you.”