最佳契合 (Perfect Match) – 十九瑶
Chapter 64
The morning mist cleared, leaving behind curling smoke from cooking fires. Slowly, people opened their doors. Up on the eastern roof, the tiles were stacked, and a golden sunrise could be seen through the straight ceiling frames.
Through the alley, Zheng Feiluan and He An walked side by side. The suitcases behind them rattled and rolled quickly across the cobblestone road.
Zheng Feiluan used his right hand to pull the bar, while his left hand dangled by the side of his pant leg. Even though he raised his wrist a couple of times and his fingertips shifted slightly on occasion, he still had the strength not to embrace He An’s shoulders.
Just a little more.
They weren’t really close yet, after all.
Earlier, when Yan Ning was here, Zheng Feiluan felt restrained. He felt even more restrained after Yan Ning told everyone what to do and got in the car to leave. He still wasn’t sure whether or not He An accepted him. When they were alone, he dared not be overly optimistic, but he also didn’t want to be too distant. As a result, when walking side by side, he had to adjust the distance by ten centimeters a few times.
He An, on the other hand, appeared to be far more relaxed. He walked with his hands behind his back and talked to him, “You got here so quickly. Didn’t you sleep last night?”
“It’s okay. I had a good sleep on the plane because it had a bed.” Zheng Feiluan simply thought he was being polite.
“I see…” He An expressed surprise and disappointment, then said, “I thought you’d be so excited you couldn’t sleep.”
Oops, wrong answer.
Zheng Feiluan sensed this wasn’t a good answer, so he quickly changed it, “Actually… actually I didn’t sleep that well.”
He An quietly laughed.
While walking by a breakfast stand, he told Zheng Feiluan to wait while he went to get two prepared meat and vegetable buns, two pumpkin cakes, and two cups of hot soy milk. He swung plastic bags holding meat buns and pumpkin cakes from his wrists while carrying around a heavy cup of soy milk in each of his hands.
He approached Zheng Feiluan, extended his hand, and said, “Here, it’s yours.”
Zheng Feiluan felt flattered.
⋮
Just as they returned to the inn, they finished their soy milk and tossed the two empty cups in the trash can sitting by the entrance. He An said that he wanted to go inside the room to check if Linglan had woken up, so Zheng Feiluan stayed in the courtyard first.
In the swing cradle, Linglan left the chick plush he gave her. It was crooked, had a round shell on top of it, and was really cute.
A little over six months have passed, and it’s still loved.
Zheng Feiluan was delighted and leaned down to try to fix it.
Sometime later, He An came out by himself. Zheng Feiluan asked in a low voice, “Is she still sleeping?”
“Yes, still sleeping.” He An nodded and smiled. “She was nibbling on her fingers. I bet she’s hungry. The meat buns smelled so good that she almost drooled.”
He led Zheng Feiluan to the living room, opened the door, and put the breakfast bag on the coffee table. He then went around the counter and started to do Zheng Feiluan’s paperwork. Casually, he said, “Linglan really likes Uncle Yan. She’ll definitely cry when she wakes up and realizes that he’s gone. I need to make her a bowl of egg pudding and give her more milk to comfort her… Oh, and she may have psychological trauma from you and will be afraid of you. Don’t try to force anything; take your time getting along with her.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Zheng Feiluan agreed immediately.
He An leaned over the computer and tapped the keys a few times before looking up, “Still the same as before. Room 207, okay?”
“Sure, no problem.”
Even a wooden bed in the storage room is good enough.
After clicking on the guest room page for Room 207, He An entered the information while muttering, “When Uncle Yan came, I didn’t know he was your dad, so I gave him Room 207. It’s almost like this room would belong to the Zheng family… Ahem, checkout date… How should I fill this out?”
He stopped, looked up, and asked Zheng Feiluan, “You’re staying for six months, right?”
What, six months?
It was clear that Zheng Feiluan was shocked.
He thought things would go back to the way they were, taking each day as it came.
Seeing him in a daze made He An laugh and ask, “Remember when we said that you wouldn’t have to worry about the days if you’re self-disciplined enough? I think now…”
He gestured to Zheng Feiluan’s left wrist and said, “It should be fine.”
Zheng Feiluan felt warm in his heart and instinctively held his wrist.
His wounded skin was still sore and hurting; he felt as if he were being stung by an aggressive bee that buzzed around all day, every minute of every second, tormenting him. But now everything is worth it.
Once again, he was given the shiny silver key along with the familiar green apple keychain.
“He An.”
Zheng Feiluan clenched his fists, the jagged metal teeth biting into his palms as he said, “I’m sorry for what happened that night.”
He An looked at him, not nodding or shaking his head.
“…Can you forgive me?” Zheng Feiluan asked again.
He An then slowly put out a finger and said, “I’ll forgive you once, and…” He bent his finger down again, “I’ll only give you half today. The rest will be given after you pass the probation.”
A smile spread across Zheng Feiluan’s face.
It was already an act of tolerance to let him go back to Luotan Town and live there. He imagined being forgiven about ten or twelve percent, so being given half is considerably more than he expected.
“It doesn’t matter.” He said, “I’m ready to be on probation for the rest of my life.”
“……”
He An’s ears felt warm, and he pulled back his fingers. He quickly cleaned up the counter, walked out, and said, “Wait here for a bit. I… I’ll go tidy up the room for you. I was going to clean up after seeing Uncle Yan off…”
“No need.” Zheng Feiluan stopped him.
“Hmm?”
They locked eyes, staring directly at each other. He An’s eyes were like the stars, and Zheng Feiluan couldn’t help but be mesmerized for a moment. He leaned in close to He An’s forehead and asked in a low voice, “Do you mind?”
Mind? I don’t mind at all.
There was nothing wrong with the kiss on the forehead, but it wasn’t easy to say, “I don’t mind.”
He An considered it and then came up with an idea. He stood on his toes and pressed his forehead against Zheng Feiluan’s lips. He then pulled his neck back and was about to leave.
But he was suddenly grabbed by his shoulders.
Zheng Feiluan put his warm hand on the back of He An’s neck and leaned in to kiss him. Even though he was deeply in love, he did everything he could to hide it. He only pecked his lips and rubbed his forehead lightly, and it was obvious that he wasn’t content.
The short kiss was over in an instant.
They were face to face, with their foreheads touching and their eyes meeting at an extremely close distance, slightly open and a bit moist.
“You lose points for that.” He An reminded him.
“Really?”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“Of course, I’m worried, but for a man like me who enjoys making money…” Zheng Feiluan laughed softly, “I should be able to rack up points pretty quickly.”
⋮
Early in the morning, Cheng Xiu woke up, yawned for a few seconds, kicked Dai Xiao away, and slid out of bed. Last Tuesday, his shabby bed, which was built by Dai Xiao’s own hands, finally fell apart. His original plan was to trade the rotten boards from the storehouse for a good single bed before Dai Xiao came along. Little did he know that Dai Xiao would spend half a day calculating finances, salvage some good stuff, and buy a double bed.
“What are you saying?!” Cheng Xiu yelled in anger.
“You have a new bed, but I don’t; that’s unfair; two single beds are fair but expensive; one double bed is fair and cheap.” Dai Xiao argued.
After being angry for a week, Cheng Xiu decided to spend his own money on a new single bed. But where would he put it in the room?
All he could do to get rid of his anger was get up every day and kick Dai Xiao.
He took out his toothbrush, put half of the toothpaste on it, and then went outside to get some fresh air.
Cheng Xiu walked all the way to the front of the living room, looking at it unknowingly, and then his steps came to a stop, his eyes wide open, his entire body appearing petrified, and toothpaste foam began to dribble down.
After only five seconds, he dashed into the bedroom, rinsed, spit out water, and wiped his face before frantically drying his mouth and pushing Dai Xiao onto the bed while screaming, “Zh-Zhe… Zheng, Zheng Feiluan’s back!”
“Stop it.”
Dai Xiao was dazed as he turned over.
“It’s true—don’t sleep! Right there in the small living room, I saw them kissing!” Cheng Xiu swore towards the sky.
Kiss?
Dai Xiao was even more sure he was dreaming, so he lifted the blanket to cover his head.
here was nothing Cheng Xiu could do but sit by the bed and take this very cruel truth in, “He An accepted him, and now I have to return the pastry shop I just got from him. I honestly don’t want to—ugh…”
Unexpectedly, Zheng Feiluan didn’t want to take back the pastry house. Nothing changed when he got back to Luotan Town; he just kept on working as a regular barista.
Cheng Xiu was very proud of himself when he unexpectedly turned into his former boss’s boss.
He was doing so well for three days, but then he tossed the job as the shop manager back to Zheng Feiluan like a hot potato. Running the business under Zheng Feiluan’s nose was like a bad student doing math problems in front of their teacher. He felt nervous every time he picked up the pen because he had no idea what number to write down before someone would sigh in pity.
It’s better to leave.
⋮
The moon is bright, there aren’t many stars, and the wind is calm on a summer night.
Red lanterns hung in two parallel rows beneath the river’s eaves; the water broke their reflections, which swirled like silk in a twirling motion. A girl with short hair sat on a stool by the bridge, strumming a guitar and singing folk songs sensually slowly as pedestrians walked by in groups of twos and threes.
Meanwhile, across the wall at the Olive Inn, Zheng Feiluan and Linglan were locked in a heated stare.
He An went into the kitchen to boil water and cook eggs, which made things worse between the father and the daughter. Sitting on the swing cradle, Linglan hugged the chick plush and looked ready to “attack” at any moment. Zheng Feiluan sat in the rattan chair on the opposite side, anxious and unsure of how to calm the tension.
It’s impossible to tell who is more helpless.
Luckily, He An didn’t stay away for long. After five or six minutes, he walked back with a small bowl.
A perfectly smooth, white egg was submerged in a bowl of warm brown sugar water. As soon as the spoon touched the yolk, it quivered like jelly—cooked to perfection, moist but not runny.
“Ahh—”
Linglan is a small, greedy cat. She stretched her neck out and opened her mouth right away, like a baby bird waiting to be fed.
He An smiled and passed the bowl to Zheng Feiluan, “You feed her.”
“…Thanks.”
It caught Zheng Feiluan off guard.
He knew exactly what He An was trying to do, of course. He grabbed the small bowl, and his heart was full of gratitude.
⋮
After dinner, Linglan had a short burp, and her eyelashes closed quick enough that anyone could see them.
Sitting down next to her, He An gently rocked the swing cradle as he untied her bib, cleaned the corners of her mouth, and covered her with a blanket.
Pretty soon after that, Linglan dozed off soundly. He An got up and went back to the bedroom. He pulled out a pack of disinfecting cotton balls and a bottle of wound cream that he had just bought and whispered to Zheng Feiluan, “…It’s your turn.”
Zheng Feiluan quickly removed the dressing from his wrist, exposing the wounded flesh.
Strange as it may seem, no matter how gentle Mama Xu was when applying the same medicine, he would still break out in a cold sweat from the pain. Yet, when it came to He An, he wouldn’t even flinch, even though he was completely unprepared.
It’s not hurting him at all.
Love really is the best painkiller.
Wait a second.
That’s a great line. I can get points for it.
Within a few seconds, Zheng Feiluan told He An about this and asked him to guess why he wasn’t hurting. He was guessing that He An would say: No, but because love is the best painkiller.
Surprisingly, He An was quite perceptive. He looked at him with a small cotton ball in his hand, thought for a moment, and then said, “I don’t know why you don’t feel any pain, but I do know that you’re going to say some corny romantic lines next.”
“……”
“Zheng Feiluan, what you’re thinking about love is wrong. Simply saying nice things won’t get you points.” He An gently reminded him.
“How can I get more points, then?” Zheng Feiluan asked.
“Well… you’ll have to see it for yourself. It’s cheating to ask me directly, and you could lose points for that.”
Anxiety struck him.
But Zheng Feiluan was also very tolerant. He acted scared, shrugged his shoulders, and didn’t say anything else. He smiled softly as he watched He An carefully lower his head to apply the medicine to him.
⋮
There’s a saying that says days go by like years when things are hard. Happy days, on the other hand, go by quickly, and a month is gone in the blink of an eye.
Even though summer has cooled down and early autumn is approaching Luotan Town, Zheng Feiluan still puts in countless hours, earning points.
He knew that the term “earning points” was only a metaphor. However, he still wanted to take it as a romantic agreement between himself and He An, and he gave it his all. Whenever He An saw him on the street, he would smile sincerely at him, and even Linglan, who was unbelievably challenging for him, could no longer keep him away, even though they weren’t close.
When hope was just starting to grow, Luotan Town had an unexpected visitor.
The Cranberry Pastry House had a slow afternoon rush of customers that day. With the waiters all taking a break, Zheng Feiluan found himself with nothing to do but lean against the bar, using a small brush with a wooden handle to clean the grinder. Out of nowhere, the bell rang, and someone strode over to him, flung open the glass door, and went to stand still in front of the bar, seemingly unresponsive to his constantly asking for an order.
After sensing an unusual presence, Zheng Feiluan looked up.
There was a tall young man in front of him. He had a mask on, sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a hoodie. No one could see his face, and he seemed scared of being recognized.
The moment he realized Zheng Feiluan was looking at him, he moved his hair behind his ear.
The earrings then flashed a cold blue light.
Zheng Feiluan had no interest in this weird outfit, nor in the young man’s sparkling designer clothes. He asked slightly formally, “What would you like to drink?”
The young man was clearly shocked, and the fingers that were combing his hair stopped at his ears.
Zheng Feiluan groaned slightly and asked again, “What do you want to drink?”
Seeing that Zheng Feiluan didn’t recognize him, the young man gritted his teeth and hesitantly lowered his mask and sunglasses, revealing his beautiful face, which had been meticulously maintained with five-figure skincare products for years.
He tried to hide how he felt by using his well-honed acting skills to make his face look like it had a mix of happiness and sadness. He also added a touch of genuine affection that didn’t seem to be going away after a long time apart, and he smiled softly at Zheng Feiluan.
“Feiluan, long time no see.”
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Translated and edited by janemoyu (05/21/24)
