Chapter 2

Fang Yingchun always woke up before his alarm, averse to lounging in bed, and even on such a rare day off, he would get up promptly. The wall clock pointed to 7:05 a.m.

As he stepped out of his room, he saw Yin Yuli asleep on the sofa, reeking of smoke and alcohol. He must have done quite a lot of drinking and smoking the night before.

Despite Fang Yingchun's repeated warnings about the harm of smoking and drinking, Yin Yuli would merely pay lip service but did nothing to change his habits.

He carefully tiptoed past Yin Yuli, making a squeaking sound against the floor, then opened the small iron gate leading to the balcony. He bent down to pick up a watering can, still containing some water from the day before, and carefully watered a pot of flowers and a pot of plants.

The horizon was turning white with the warm rays of sunlight filtering through the clouds, illuminating the side of Fang Yingchun's face, turning it a slight pinkish hue. His eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes, like butterflies fluttering in the forest.

After watering the plants, he put on a light jacket and went downstairs to buy some breakfast.

Knowing that Yin Yuli liked to eat dried vegetable buns and soy milk, he bought extra food. His mother would always have only a bit of light porridge, so he got her some porridge as well.

By the time he came back with breakfast, Yin Yuli was awake, yawning on the sofa. As he was taking off his shoes in the entryway, Fang Yingchun asked him, "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer?"

"This sofa is as uncomfortable as always. I think my neck is broken," Yin Yuli responded.

"Who's fault is it that you didn't go home?" Fang Yingchun retorted, putting the breakfast on the coffee table. "I got us some dried vegetable buns and soy milk."

"Ah, thanks, bro." Yin Yuli reached out to grab a bun, but Fang Yingchun slapped his hand away.

"Go brush your teeth and wash your face first."

Yin Yuli pouted and withdrew his hand, getting up and heading in the direction of the bathroom. His toiletries were kept in the bathroom, indicating how often he was there.

"Did my mom wake up yet?"

"Hmm? I don't know, didn't hear any noise," Yin Yuli mumbled in reply.

Fang Yingchun gave a slight hmph, gently pushing open the door, his voice growing softer. "Mom? Are you awake?"

"Hmm..." Fang Liuxia replied in a daze.

"The weather is nice today. How about we go out for a bit?" He sat by her bedside. "I bought some century egg and lean meat porridge. Get up and have some."

Fang Yingchun half-rose, tilted his right leg, and with some effort, picked up Fang Liuxia and moved her to a wheelchair nearby. It was a bit of a struggle due to his weak right leg.

Biting down on his lower lip, he managed to carry Fang Liuxia to the wheelchair.

Yin Yuli brushed his teeth and took a quick shower, wiped his face hastily, put on a t-shirt hanging in the bathroom, and came out all wet.

Fang Liuxia turned her head. "Is that Yuli?"

Fang Yingchun was feeding Fang Liuxia porridge. He glanced over at Yin Yuli wearing his shirt but didn't say anything.

"Missed Auntie Fang, so I came early in the morning." Yin Yuli picked up a still-warm dried vegetable bun, took a big bite, and let out a satisfied noise.

Fang Liuxia couldn't resist Yin Yuli's sweet talk, laughing gleefully. Yin Yuli shot Fang Yingchun a teasing look, making even the stoic Fang Yingchun smile.

Then, a phone call interrupted the lively breakfast. Fang Yingchun checked the caller ID and furrowed his brow.

Yin Yuli, having grown up and gone to middle and high school with Fang Yingchun, guessed who the caller was just from his reaction. He took the other man’s phone, checked who it was, and confirmed that it was indeed his annoying older brother.

Without a second thought, he rejected the call.

Almost instantly, Yin Yuli's phone received a message.

Yin Yuyi: Will come to pick you up later.

Fang Liuxia glanced over at her son and then at Yin Yuli, falling silent. It wasn't appropriate for her to interfere in someone else's family affairs.

And so that was why they were caught in a peculiar atmosphere right then.

"That’s enough. Stop getting annoyed with your brother all the time." Fang Yingchun broke the silence first. "Hurry up and finish your breakfast. Let's go out for a stroll and buy some groceries on the way. I'll cook anything you like."

Yin Yuli didn't respond, simply dragging his brother's number into the blacklist.

By the time the three of them finished cleaning up, it was nearly noon. At Fang Yingchun's urging, they finally left the apartment.

The early spring temperature was particularly skin-friendly, like a thin membrane, making people feel cool and comfortable, especially in this slightly cloudy weather, where the air inhaled could filter out the impurities in the body.

Yin Yuli was pushing the wheelchair, with Fang Yingchun walking alongside, their pace extremely slow.

From the old residential area, they slowly moved to the convenience store where Fang Yingchun worked. Fang Yingchun brought some small steamed buns for his colleague on duty that day. Yin Yuli, pushing the wheelchair, stood in the shade of the trees and chatted with Fang Liuxia, waiting for Fang Yingchun to come out of the convenience store.

"Ding dong — welcome."

He stepped in, still looking awkward and clumsy. The young man in the work uniform heard the sound, looked at him, and gave him a sunny smile. Xiao Jihe was a student from a nearby technical school who only worked part-time on weekends.

"Little Brother Ying!"

Fang Yingchun pursed his lips and walked toward him, shaking the steamed buns in his hand. "… I thought you might not have had breakfast again, so I brought some on the way for you."

He passed the shelves and the cashier's face was exposed. On one side stood a tall man and Fang Yingchun felt that his back figure looked somewhat familiar.

As if the man had eyes in the back of his head, he turned to look at him and their eyes met.

Ah, it was the drunk customer who bought yogurt last night. Fang Yingchun felt his heart nearly jump out of his chest.

He was no longer in the tightly-fitted suit from last night, but in a loose T-shirt and baggy work pants, his hair still casually tied behind his head, like a young college student who was into art.

Fang Yingchun slowly shifted his gaze away, but the man didn't seem to intend to stop staring at Fang Yingchun. His head-to-toe gaze made Fang Yingchun feel a bit uncomfortable.

"How much?" he asked, shaking the yogurt in his hand.

‘This customer seemed to really like yogurt,’ Fang Yingchun thought as he put the buns he was holding onto the side of the cashier's counter.

"Ah, hello, it's six and a half in total."

A crisp new ten-yuan bill. This customer also seemed to like using cash. Fang Yingchun, his face downcast, saw the man's hand holding the money. It was a long and elegant hand, with very short, clean, and round nails. It was very beautiful, an extension of his overall aura.

After the man left, Xiao Jihe quickly took the steamed buns. "Little Brother Ying is the best, even bringing me food on his day off."

Fang Yingchun smiled. "You need to eat more at your age to grow."

"You're not much older than me..."

"Just because you're sweet-talking — eat slowly, it's still hot."

"Sigh, it really is hot. Little Brother Ying, do you want a cup of milk tea? I'll make one for you. It's on me."

"There’s no need to trouble yourself. I still have things to do. I need to go first. If there's anything, just call me."

"Okay! Little Brother Ying, be careful on the road."

Fang Yingchun exited through the automatic door and saw Yin Yuli and Fang Liuxia laughing heartily from afar, discussing some interesting news. He waved at them and slowly shuffled over with his right foot.

"Let's go," he said. "What were you talking about with my mom? You made her so happy."

"I'm not like you, so boring." Yin Yuli raised his eyebrows triumphantly. "Right, Aunt Fang?"

"Little Ying, you should learn from Little Li."

"Okay, Mom, should I pick up his slick talk?" Fang Yingchun smirked and Yin Yuli protested that he was not slick at all but rather an honest man. Fang Yingchun just hummed in order to placate him, making him even more irritated in the end.

At this time, going to the market wouldn't yield many fresh vegetables, so the trio decided to go to a supermarket instead, where they could also pick up some living necessities.

The supermarket was nearby, only 800 meters straight ahead.

Just as they started walking, Fang Yingchun’s face scrunched up into a frown as he looked back suspiciously but caught sight of nothing of interest.

"What are you looking at?" Yin Yuli also looked back.

"Hmm?" Fang Yingchun shook his head. "It’s nothing."

But it was a gaze. A gaze from Fu Peihang, who was hiding in the shadows around the corner of the convenience store, drinking yogurt and watching Fang Yingchun's figure receding into the distance.

Little Brother Ying.

The light in his eyes fluctuated. This time, he could confirm that this was indeed Fang Yingchun.

The name that left the deepest impression on Fu Peihang from his interactions with Chaozhou was simply these three characters — "Fang Yingchun".

"Fang Yingchun." He swallowed the yogurt and repeated the name, a little joyous. "Long time no see."

Grocery shopping was quite a physical task. They bought some fresh vegetables, fish, and meat, along with milk, juice, and Yin Yuli's favorite snacks before setting out on their journey home. It was almost noon by the time they got back.

Fang Yingchun didn't get to rest, instead, went ahead to prepare lunch.

Yin YuBrother Lintly moved Fang Liuxia to the sofa, snuggling up next to her, and turned on the TV with the remote.

Fang Yingchun popped his head out of the kitchen. "Yin Yuli, come and help me."

Yin Yuli seemed unwilling, shifting his bum and whining to Fang Liuxia. "Auntie Fang, look, I am a guest and Little Ying is making me do hard labor."

Fang Liuxia adored Yin Yuli and couldn't bear to see him complain, so she spoke up for him. Fang Yingchun, hearing this, wasn't too pleased. He pinched his temples, emerged from the kitchen, and stared at Yin Yuli with a serious look on his face.

"Hisss, it's my duty to help Little Brother Ying, my duty." He clumsily got up and stumbled toward the kitchen.

The two went back to the kitchen, with Yin Yuli helping him wash the vegetables. He wasn’t very meticulous, simply rinsing them under the faucet before tossing them into the bowl as if he was simply going through the motions of washing vegetables and not taking it seriously.

"Rinse them again."

"You're so picky." Yin Yuli pouted, but he still obediently took the vegetables and washed them again. He then brought up a topic. "Don't you plan to find a long-term stable job?"

"With my conditions, where can I find a good one?"

"What's wrong with your conditions?" Yin Yuli was upset when he heard this. He really hated Fang Yingchun's "I am much worse than others," "I am useless," "I am incapable" attitude. Didn't he himself know exactly what kind of person Fang Yingchun was?

Fang Yingchun remained silent, intending to bypass the topic with his usual quietness.

Yin Yuli glanced over at him, his hand shaking the vegetables in the clear water. "I know what you are worried about, but from my perspective as an observer over the years, everything that ordinary people can do, you can do."

"You also know... the salary from the convenience store can't cover the living expenses for you and Auntie..." Yin Yuli glanced at him from out of the corner of his eye. The stray hair on Fang Yingchun's temple blocked the light, making his expression unclear. "And there's the debt."

Silence. The boiling oil in the pot, the evaporating mist, all got frozen in the conversation.

"Okay, go ahead and cut the vegetables for me." Fang Yingchun hung his head slightly, holding the spatula in his hand, flipping the fish in the pot. The aroma had already wafted out and the hot steam followed the air currents into Fang Yingchun's spring-filled eyes. For a moment, his soul also became blurry with the steam.

"If it really doesn't work..."

"I will look for it," he interrupted Yin Yuli's words.

Because he knew that the latter part was, "If it really doesn't work, I will have my brother arrange for you to join his company."

In his spare time, he often thought about the help Yin Yuli had given him over the years. He knew he had troubled him too much with his own affairs and family matters.

Even the first time he faced debt collectors, it was Yin Yuli who came to his aid, paying off his debt.

What was laughable was that he couldn't reciprocate with anything valuable.

Fang Yingchun felt increasingly like a distressed dog: wet, dirty, and trembling.

Yin Yuli pursed his lips, finished cutting the vegetables, passed them to Fang Yingchun, and patted his shoulder. "You know I mean well. You are my only and best friend."

"I know." Fang Yingchun knew – he knew it all.

Red-cooked crucian carp, homestyle eggplant, sweet and sour ribs, vinegar-shredded cabbage, and winter melon egg soup.

Four dishes and one soup were soon neatly placed on the small wooden round table, still steaming hot, with the fragrance intertwined.

Yin Yuli's stomach growled following the aroma. "I must say, Fang Yingchun's cooking skills are really good. Every time I come, I can always taste a few new dishes."

"Not long ago, he bought a stack of recipe books to look through at home." Fang Liuxia laughed out loud.

"I can't imagine how lucky the girl who marries Fang Yingchun will be."

Fang Yingchun raised an eyebrow at Yin Yuli and kicked him under the table with his right foot to stop his nonsense.

Yin Yuli didn't care and stuck out his tongue playfully.

"I wonder if I'll live to see the day Fang Yingchun gets married and has children." Fang Liuxia let out a sigh, her eyes drooping, her mood becoming low.

Fang Yingchun glared daggers at Yin Yuli and said gently, "Mom, what are you thinking about?"

"Yeah, Auntie, if you really want that, I will force Fang Yingchun to find a girlfriend and get married tomorrow, and give you a grandchild."

Hearing this, Fang Liuxia laughed. "It still depends on whether Fang Yingchun likes her."

Fang Yingchun thought about it. He had never been in love, so who would be so unlucky to end up with him?

After a full meal, Fang Yingchun asked Yin Yuli to help him wash the dishes. The kitchen was narrow and it was difficult to maneuver around with two people.

He handed the clean dishes to Yin Yuli, who dried them with a cloth and placed them neatly in the cupboard.

When they finished cleaning up and came out of the kitchen, Fang Liuxia was already fast asleep on the couch, breathing steadily.

"I'll help you."

Fang Yingchun shook his head and insisted on carrying his mother himself. He struggled to drag his right leg, trying to minimize his movements. Every step was utter torture.

Yin Yuli stood in front of the TV, watching the news. National events and stories that had nothing to do with their lives played on the screen. He watched Fang Yingchun's back, feeling a great distance between them.

After tucking his mother in, Fang Yingchun returned to the living room. Yin Yuli was on the balcony playing with the plants.

The phone in Fang Yingchun's pocket rang. It was Yin Yuli's brother again.

"Your brother is calling. Do you want to answer?" he asked, standing by the small iron gate.

"He's calling now." Yin Yuli hummed. "I bet he's waiting for me downstairs."

Fang Yingchun answered the call. Yin Yuli was right, his brother was already downstairs, saying he was there to take him home, asking him to stop acting so childish.

"Hey, I know, Brother Yuyi, I'll let Yuli come down right away."

"Listen to your brother. Don't cause him trouble."

Yin Yuli glanced at Fang Yingchun. "Are you my friend, or a spy sent by him?"

Fang Yingchun chuckled. "Come on, we're all family. Why are the two of you always arguing?"

"Yeah, yeah, you sound as annoying as my brother when you nag." Yin Yuli said as he walked to the entrance to change his shoes, "I'll take the clothes and return them after washing them in a few days."

"All right. Be careful on the road."

After he left, the small room suddenly felt spacious. Fang Yingchun collapsed onto the sofa, his thoughts drifting in the humid air.

Looking at the gradually darkening sky outside, it seemed like spring rain was coming.