PD Chapter 29: Street Food Stand (Part 1)

Early in the morning, Wen Xunchuan’s words had been cold, but in the end, he still got up to walk the dog himself.

By the time He Linzhou woke up from his luxurious nap, the sky outside was already dim. He sat up in bed, bare-chested, rubbing his sore neck. When his hand brushed over the swollen bite mark, he winced and muttered, “Damn, wild dog.”

Just as he finished cursing, a black-and-white figure shot over like a bullet, leaping onto the bed and into his arms, licking wildly at his collarbone and shoulder. It raised its head and barked at him, “Woof!”

Annoyed, He Linzhou pulled the blanket over himself to wipe off the dog’s slobber and tapped it on the head, “Wasn’t talking about you.”

He tilted his head to glance outside the bedroom door, scratching the dog’s head as he asked, “Where’s your dad?”

It was Saturday, and as usual, Wen Xunchuan had gone home for a visit.

At his house, Wen Shuyuan was busy with research in the lab and wouldn’t be home for dinner. This left only Zhao Yushu and Aunt Chen at home.

Wen Xunchuan sat awkwardly with his mother on the sofa, watching the news for a while. Thankfully, Aunt Chen soon brought the dishes to the table, finally breaking the awkward tension between mother and son.

Zhao Yushu picked up her bowl and, without looking up, asked, “Did you meet Aunt Wang’s daughter last week?”

Wen Xunchuan sighed inwardly and replied, “Yes.”

Zhao Yushu continued, “What did you think of the girl?”

“She was nice,” Wen Xunchuan replied.

Only then did Zhao Yushu glance at him, “So…”

Before she could finish, Wen Xunchuan interrupted, looking up at his mother and completing her sentence, “She’s very open-minded about same-sex relationships, and we got along quite well.”

Zhao Yushu narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, then pursed her lips and looked down, saying, “If you’re not interested, that’s fine. A friend’s daughter is doing her PhD in C City. You could meet her sometime…”

Before Wen Xunchuan could respond, his phone rang.

Zhao Yushu’s gaze fell on the caller ID on his screen, her grip on her chopsticks tightening slightly. Seeing the call was from home, Wen Xunchuan didn’t avoid it, answering the call right there.

As soon as he picked up, He Linzhou’s voice came through, “Where are you?”

“At home. What’s up?”

“I’m hungry—” He Linzhou’s voice dragged lazily, a bit nasal, clearly just woken up. “When are you coming back?”

“I’ll be back soon,” Wen Xunchuan said, glancing at his mother’s now darkened expression and softening his tone, “Hang on a bit, okay? I’ll take you out for a feast later.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then, “Are you crazy?”

Wen Xunchuan’s expression didn’t change; he still wore that gentle look, his tone almost indulgent. “Just go change. I’ll be back soon.”

“Stop being gross, man. Just order me some delivery—”

Beep.

Wen Xunchuan hung up, slipping his phone back into his pocket and saying to Zhao Yushu, “Mom, I’ll be going now.”

Zhao Yushu kept her head down, eating as if nothing had happened, her expression unchanged. “Okay. I’ll send you my friend’s daughter’s WeChat tomorrow.”

Wen Xunchuan stood up, grabbing his coat from the chair. Looking at his mother across the table, he took a deep breath and tried to keep his tone calm. “Mom.”

“Hmm,” Zhao Yushu responded.

“Let it go—for your sake and mine.”

Zhao Yushu didn’t look up, nor did she respond.

After putting on his coat, Wen Xunchuan turned and walked toward the door. Just as he was about to reach it, he heard his mother’s voice, faintly, “Fine. Don’t come back anymore. Let’s just pretend we don’t have a son.”

His hand on the door handle paused briefly, and after a moment, he squeezed out a few words from his tightening throat, “Got it.”

–

He Linzhou stared at his phone after the call ended, muttering to himself, “Is he insane?”

Five minutes later, he’d changed into his clothes and was sitting on the sofa. But he hadn’t even warmed up the seat before he stood up, heading back into the bedroom to put on something a bit more formal. As he changed, he thought to himself, What’s up with this ‘feast’? Did the wild dog suddenly grow a conscience?

Just as he was picking out a cologne that wasn’t too strong from his shelf, his phone rang again. Before heading out, he made sure to fill Chun Mei’s food and water bowls.

When he opened the apartment’s main door, he saw Wen Xunchuan standing by the road, one hand in his pocket. The cool evening breeze ruffled his hair, and he held a cigarette between his fingers, almost burnt down to the filter, seemingly lost in thought.

He looked kind of worn down… but damn if he didn’t look cool.

He Linzhou walked over, took the cigarette from his hand, and took a drag, the wind blowing smoke into his eyes, making him squint. Tilting his head, he asked, “Striking a pose?”

Wen Xunchuan snapped out of his thoughts, catching the familiar scent of cologne next to him. He turned his head and looked over He Linzhou’s outfit, realizing he’d dressed up for this. That gray shirt with the gold print—it looked almost… flashy on him.

As his gaze fell from He Linzhou’s half-unbuttoned collar down to the cigarette in his hand, he commented dryly, “Addicted, are we?”

Thinking he meant smoking, He Linzhou replied, “Nah, just saw you doing it and got tempted.”

“I thought you were hooked on smoking other people’s cigarettes.” Wen Xunchuan gave him a sideways look and started walking toward the neighborhood gate.

Only then did He Linzhou realize what he’d meant, snuffing the cigarette out in a nearby trash can and quickly catching up. “You’re that stingy? Won’t even let me have a drag?”

“…Gross,” Wen Xunchuan muttered.

“Kissing isn’t gross, but sharing a smoke is?” He Linzhou looked over at him, tongue clicking in amusement. “You’re such a dumbass.”

Wen Xunchuan was speechless. “How does that make me a dumbass?”

He Linzhou chuckled. “Haven’t you heard the saying? In a man’s eyes, there are only two kinds of people: him and dumbasses.”

Wen Xunchuan rolled his eyes but didn’t respond.

They walked for a while, and He Linzhou glanced toward the parking lot. “Where are we eating? Not driving?”

“Nope.”

Wen Xunchuan led him out of the complex, through an alley behind the street, weaving through several winding turns until they stopped at an open-air food stall.

He Linzhou froze, staring in disbelief at Wen Xunchuan. “This ‘feast’ you mentioned is just some shabby night market stand?”

“Yep.” Wen Xunchuan walked over, found a seat, and started scanning the menu, making notes.

He Linzhou sat down across from him, awkwardly shrugging off his casual suit jacket and muttering, “Couldn’t you have told me it was just barbecue? Damn it, is this really the right look for a street food stall?”

Wen Xunchuan glanced up at him briefly before looking back at the menu. “It suits you perfectly, matches your dumbass vibe.”

“…” He Linzhou shot him a glare and, annoyed, ran a hand through his gelled hair, messing it up.