YV | Chapter 16

Sheng Xiaoyang went with Zhang Xu, staying always one step behind him. Zhang Xu occasionally stopped, and Sheng Xiaoyang stopped too, his gaze tilting over to ask, What is it?

Zhang Xu sighed, shook his head, and kept walking. As if aimlessly wandering in circles, when he looked up again, the sign for "One Stream" was right before his eyes.

Sheng Xiaoyang hesitated, not moving forward.

Zhang Xu loosened the leash, and he did not look at Sheng Xiaoyang, he looked at Burn Meat.

Burn Meat let out an ingratiating howl, a wave of confidence rising up, "my territory, I make the rules," and padded tap-tap-tap to Sheng Xiaoyang's feet, biting his pant leg.

The brave dog forcefully dragged a person inside.

Sheng Xiaoyang's pants were poor quality, and under the dog's teeth they were immediately bitten through, a rip, and it grew bigger and bigger. Sheng Xiaoyang did not have many decent pairs of pants, he was anxious, and could only follow Burn Meat's force, stumbling into "One Stream."

Only then did Zhang Xu speak to stop him, "Burn Meat." He tapped the table, twice, and said, "Come back."

Burn Meat obediently returned.

"One Stream" was piled full of wood, of all different sizes and shapes. The smell spread everywhere, as if one were inside a forest. The wood Sheng Xiaoyang picked up from the basement was all half-finished work discarded by Zhang Xu, created from here. So when he suddenly stepped into the room, he could not help pinching and kneading his fingertips, at a loss, a little guilty.

Zhang Xu quietly caught Sheng Xiaoyang's expressions and changes in emotion, like a beast hidden in the forest, curious about the intruder.

After a moment, Zhang Xu held out his index finger and poked Sheng Xiaoyang's shoulder.

Sheng Xiaoyang looked at Zhang Xu as he spoke, "Mm?"

Zhang Xu smiled a little and said, "Sit anywhere."

So Sheng Xiaoyang sat on the small stool beside Burn Meat's nest, knees hugged up, folded into a lump. He held up an apple, not biting it, using his front teeth to scrape at it, quickly carving out a small pit, then continuing to widen the area.

And Burn Meat was also by Sheng Xiaoyang's feet, scraping at the imported dog food in its bowl.

Zhang Xu stood there dazed for a long time, a little absent-minded. Rarely did he see such a complementary scene in his pale, waterlike life.

It was quite interesting.

Zhang Xu peeked for three minutes, then went upstairs. When he came back, he had clothes in his hands.

Sheng Xiaoyang's clothes were wet, his pants were torn, his crew cut had grown a little longer, the fuzzy round head dripping water, wet and pitiful.

Zhang Xu crouched halfway down and poked Sheng Xiaoyang's shoulder.

Sheng Xiaoyang looked up at him, blinking.

-?

"Change clothes, don't catch a cold."

Zhang Xu enunciated clearly, his speaking pace slightly slow. Sheng Xiaoyang focused his gaze, glued to his lips, and stupidly nodded. He would not refuse Zhang Xu.

Zhang Xu handed him the clothes, a set of white cotton-linen homewear, and pointed toward the stairs as he said, "The bathroom is over there."

Only after a beat did Sheng Xiaoyang react and realize something. He stood up stiffly, keeping his head down so Zhang Xu would not notice his reddened earlobes.

Zhang Xu's size was too big for Sheng Xiaoyang. He seemed to be covered by a wide, thin cloud, the neckline hanging below his collarbones. If it tilted slightly to one side, his thin shoulder would show. If he pulled it upward again, the other side would skew.

Sheng Xiaoyang was dazed. He still did not understand why he was here.

Zhang Xu poured Sheng Xiaoyang some water and asked, "Do you have something urgent?"

Sheng Xiaoyang nodded, a little stiffly, then awkwardly shook his head. Urgent things were hard to solve, so for a headless fly, they no longer counted as urgent.

Zhang Xu said, "Mm. I still have some work, it'll be done soon, you wait."

Sheng Xiaoyang was completely baffled, not knowing what he was waiting for. Facing Zhang Xu, he could calm down quickly, and went back to sit properly on the small stool. Burn Meat came over dragging a toy to find him. Sheng Xiaoyang smiled, threw the ball, then patted the little dog's head. "Go pick it up and bring it back."

Burn Meat stuck out its tongue and darted all over the room, thoroughly enjoying itself.

The year-round dull, heavy atmosphere in "One Stream" was slowly swept away by a certain buoyant liveliness.

Zhang Xu also settled and grew quiet.

Sheng Xiaoyang coaxed Burn Meat to sleep, gazing at Zhang Xu, pouring all his thoughts into him.

In a short time, Zhang Xu had used only a carving knife to turn dead wood into a scene, with koi fish in a lotus pond happily chasing each other beneath rippling waves, as if the moon were hanging up in the sky.

He was absorbed in deep thought, the line of his jaw sharper than a knife's edge, his clearly jointed fingers seeming to hold the power of the universe.

Sheng Xiaoyang was infatuated with Zhang Xu, and admired him so much.

So when Zhang Xu's eyes suddenly looked over, Sheng Xiaoyang did not have time to run, his heart pounding like a drum.

Zhang Xu smiled faintly, put down the carving knife, worked his stiff, aching wrist, and said, "I'm done."

What to do next? Sheng Xiaoyang did not know. He also stood up, his legs a little numb, and stomped a few times, nearly waking Burn Meat.

Zhang Xu asked, "Go eat lunch, red-soup Burn Meat noodles with a fried egg, okay?"

Sheng Xiaoyang nodded, "Okay."

He wanted to give himself a little more time, and after finishing the noodles, he would go back.

It kept raining, from heavy to light, drizzling on and on. Looking up, the eaves had been soaked black by the rainwater, but the air was bright, the mountains green and the water clear. Sheng Xiaoyang walked across the stone bridge and saw the fish in the water, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with a smile as he paused for a moment.

Zhang Xu did not hurry him, holding an umbrella to block the rain, patiently waiting for him.

There were few tourists, and the noodle shop was rarely this quiet. Master Song squatted at the entrance smoking, his whole forehead full of worries. When he saw Zhang Xu, he first shouted with full force, "A Xu!" Then he saw Sheng Xiaoyang peeking out behind him and froze for a moment, asking, "Who is he?"

Zhang Xu said, "My friend."

Master Song pinched out the cigarette and said, "Oh, come in, don't get rained on."

Sheng Xiaoyang obediently followed behind Zhang Xu.

Master Song sized up Sheng Xiaoyang, nudged Zhang Xu with his elbow, and whispered, "Your friend is pretty introverted."

Zhang Xu smiled and said, "Yeah, he's pretty obedient."

Seeing that Sheng Xiaoyang seemed young, Master Song asked Zhang Xu again, "Where did you make this little friend?"

"A few days ago I drove into him."

Master Song stamped his foot, and his catchphrase came out, "Good grief, you're his creditor! He even came to your door."

Zhang Xu raised an eyebrow, and did not deny it.

Their conversation was not quiet, and Sheng Xiaoyang did not react the whole time, sitting in his old spot. Master Song was dumbfounded, his eyes wide as he wordlessly asked Zhang Xu what was going on.

Zhang Xu shook his head and kept his mouth shut.

Master Song understood. Su Miaomiao had said that her cousin was handsome and kind, and often overflowed with goodwill, so he was saving all living things.

"What do you want to eat?"

Zhang Xu ordered two bowls of the signature noodles, with double noodles for Sheng Xiaoyang's portion.

The atmosphere in the noodle shop was oppressive.

Zhang Xu looked at Su Yaozu. In the center of the front hall, he was sprawled in a reclining chair with his feet raised high, his image driving customers away, treating everyone who came in as if they were invisible, not even the emperor behaved like that.

He frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

Master Song shrugged and pouted, his cheek flesh bouncing up and down, and said, "What else could it be? The crown prince only takes money and doesn't work, and his broken gong voice is damn annoying. Making him run tables and serve dishes, it feels like his mother is trying to kill him. Hey, A Xu, is he here to work? Could he be trying to ruin the noodle shop and swallow up Miaomiao's family property!"

The noodle shop's ownership was clear, but the blood ties and human relationships inside were complicated. The Su family side of things could not be explained in just a few words.

Zhang Xu said coldly, "He got fifty on the high school entrance exam, it'd be good if he could swallow a bone without choking to death."

Master Song liked nothing more than Zhang Xu's earnest, poisonous mouth.

"Hey, that's true, but I really can't keep up right now," Master Song said miserably. "There's a pile of stuff in the kitchen, and just as the things come out of the pot, I turn around and see seven or eight bowls piled up and not sent out. My temper flares up in an instant! I've been barely surviving every day on blood pressure meds. The noodle shop's revenue has been hitting new lows these past two months, you know? A Xu, talk to Miaomiao for me, either have that crown prince leave, or hire someone else!"

It's easy to invite a god in, hard to send him off. If they kicked Su Yaozu out directly, Zhang Xiumei and Su Miaomiao's standing in the Su family would be hard to save.

"I'll think of a way." Zhang Xu said.

Master Song stopped while he was ahead and returned to his line of work, adding two liang of noodles to Sheng Xiaoyang's bowl, smiling as he said, "A Xu, your friend has quite an appetite. Such a small one, are you sure he can eat all this? Don't waste it."

Zhang Xu said firmly, "He can."

On the wall in the front hall hung a LCD television, the remote control in Su Yaozu's hands, playing cartoons from the children's channel. A yellow square and a pink star were chattering away, who knew what they were saying. The subtitles changed too fast, and Sheng Xiaoyang could not take them in smoothly, but his eyes were fixed on it. After a burst of dazzling images, Sheng Xiaoyang's brows curved, and he smiled.

His smile was soundless, but charming. Once he let his guard down a little, he became a child.

Zhang Xu carried the noodles and leaned against the wall watching Sheng Xiaoyang. He realized that Sheng Xiaoyang had a strong ability to empathize with images, that he was a delicate-minded person.

Zhang Xu could not guess what Sheng Xiaoyang had experienced, but he was wandering, had no family, and did not get enough to eat. Then rich emotions were not a good thing for Sheng Xiaoyang, he would bear more of the pain of this world.

Zhang Xu hesitated, the scorching hot noodles separated from his fingertips by the ceramic bowl, his fingers seeming to be rolling through a sea of fire.

Sheng Xiaoyang was watching with great interest when the television screen suddenly went blank. Su Yaozu gripped the remote control and raised his chin at Sheng Xiaoyang in an arrogant manner.

Sheng Xiaoyang had no expression and gave him a blank look.

Hey! Su Yaozu had been bored all morning, and finally got into it, cursing, "A little beggar with money to eat and you dare come here, I, your father..."

Before the words were finished, he suddenly felt as if the back of his head had been struck hard by a heavy hammer, stars exploding in his eyes.

"Fuck!" Su Yaozu turned around in fury, and saw Zhang Xu. In that instant, he also seemed like a roaring motorcycle that had slammed on the brakes, his soul shooting two li away, his body shaking twice in place, a sharp contrast to his earlier arrogance, stiffening into a wooden club.

"..."

Zhang Xu spoke gently, "Who is your father?"