Fang Chi usually didn’t talk about himself with people he wasn’t close to. He never knew what to say, and living on his own for years had made him cautious.
But since Sun Wenqu asked, he simply said: “Climbing.”
“Climbing?” Sun Wenqu’s expression was hard to read, surprise, or doubt.
“Yeah,” Fang Chi added, seeing his odd reaction. “Ropes, rocks, that kind of thing.”
“I know what climbing is.” Sun Wenqu smiled.
“Oh.” Fang Chi replied softly.
“Where do you train?” Sun Wenqu asked again.
“Just… at a club.” Fang Chi said.
Maybe sensing Fang Chi didn’t want to elaborate, Sun Wenqu let it drop, bent his head over his noodles. “Too much anyway. Can’t finish. I’ll feed the cat later.”
“Cat?” Fang Chi blinked.
“Strays, at the entrance. Five or six, whole families,” Sun Wenqu gestured outside.
“That cat food of yours,” Fang Chi thought aloud, “you bought it for them too?”
“What, I bought it for myself?” Sun Wenqu said.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Fang Chi muttered. “Tastes pretty good.”
Sun Wenqu put down his chopsticks, looked at him. “You’ve eaten it?”
“Not seriously.” Fang Chi went to the cabinet, pulled out the bag. “Chief Huang hated it, so I tried a few pieces. Not bad.”
“It eats this just fine.” Sun Wenqu smirked. “Want to try and compare?”
Fang Chi didn’t answer, just pinched one out and popped it in his mouth.
“D*mn.” Sun Wenqu turned away. “You an idiot?”
“Tastes about the same to me.” Fang Chi studied the bag. “Yours is probably higher-end.”
“There’s another bag in the cupboard. Give it to Chief Huang. Strays eat anything.”
“Forget it. Too expensive.” Fang Chi looked back. “So costly for cats…”
“Then you eat it.” Sun Wenqu clicked his tongue. “Not expensive for you, right?”
“…Thanks. I’ll take this half bag.”
“You eat noodles by the pound. Half a bag enough? Take a whole one. Uncle Liangzi brought it, not like we paid. Who knows where he swiped it from.”
“Oh.” Fang Chi said.
Sun Wenqu packed the leftover noodles into what looked like the stray-cat bowl and took it outside. Fang Chi washed his dishes in the kitchen.
When he turned around, he noticed a little note stuck to the kitchen doorframe.
Wipe the floor.
Earlier he hadn’t noticed there was a note stuck there. Now that he saw it clearly, he sighed. Sun Wenqu’s personality was really impossible to sum up.
Mopping, then.
In his own place, the floor was old tile, its patterns long worn away. He usually just swept, rarely mopped, so when it came to mopping he wasn’t very good at it.
Luckily Sun Wenqu’s home was already quite clean. After one round of sweeping, it was basically spotless. Running the mop over once more was enough.
“Pretty clean,” Sun Wenqu said after feeding the cats and glancing at the floor. Then he handed over a bag of cat food. “You don’t have evening study tonight?”
“I do,” Fang Chi stuffed the cat food into his backpack. “I just didn’t want to eat and immediately leave, so you’d get mad and smash bowls again.”
“Oh-ho.” Sun Wenqu laughed, leaned back against the wall with his arms folded. “Then what if I tell you not to go tonight, would you listen?”
Fang Chi gave him a glance, swung his backpack up onto his shoulder, opened the door, and walked out: “I’m going.”
“Tomorrow don’t make me call you to chase you over. Come on your own,” Sun Wenqu called through the door. “Can’t you give your slave-owner a little dignity?”
From Sun Wenqu’s point of view, Fang Chi didn’t seem like a “good student.” Once when Fang Chi’s backpack wasn’t zipped, he’d caught sight of cigarettes inside, even though he’d never smelled smoke on him.
But judging by his evening routine, Fang Chi looked pretty good-student-like, every day heading off on time to evening study, sometimes even pulling out a book to read while waiting for Sun Wenqu to dawdle over his meal.
That gave Sun Wenqu the constant illusion that if he dragged Fang Chi out, he was delaying the budding flowers of the motherland.
Pretty boring. He’d planned to use these three months to give the little scammer some color to see, show off his own righteous might in eradicating pests for the people.
But half a month had gone by, and that righteous might had never materialized. Fang Chi never butted heads with him, whatever was said, went, as if the household cleaning lady had just been swapped from an older woman to a young guy, no other difference.
Such calm made it so that even after finishing the proper painting he’d intended to give Fang Chi, he had no suitable opportunity to hand it over.
“Wenqu, this Saturday, you free?” Luo Peng called.
“What Saturday? For what?” Sun Wenqu was confused.
“Crow Ridge, didn’t we say so last time?” Luo Peng said. “Don’t tell me you’re backing out again, I already reported our numbers to the leader, total twenty-one people.”
“Oh, right.” Sun Wenqu remembered. He’d been feeling dull these days. “What do I need to prepare?”
“Nothing. Bowen got you a full set of outdoor gear, it’s at my place.” Luo Peng sounded excited. “Just bring a change of clothes and wear some decent hiking shoes. This time we even found a local guide, really knows the area.”
“Mm.” Sun Wenqu had been cheerful, but the moment he heard that Li Bowen had gotten him gear, his mood dipped. Hard to say why.
After hanging up, he stared off for a while. Fine, he’d go buy a pair of shoes.
He used to have a pair of hiking boots, worn when his dad locked him in the mountains. They fell apart in less than a year, though he stubbornly wore them for a full year. Finally, Manager Zhang bought him a pair of Warrior sneakers from the county town: classic style, white with red stripes.
Thinking about buying shoes, Sun Wenqu narrowed his eyes slightly.
When Fang Chi showed up at his house, Sun Wenqu was standing in the yard watering plants. This time not in pajamas, but dressed to go out.
“You’re heading out?” Fang Chi asked from outside the fence.
“Oh,” Sun Wenqu turned his head, looked him over. “What, you were hoping I’d go out? Couldn’t even be bothered to come in the yard.”
Fang Chi pushed open the gate and walked up. “You’re going out?”
“Yeah.” Sun Wenqu nodded. “But taking you with me.”
“Hm?” Fang Chi looked at him.
“Won’t be long. Just buying something, then you can leave.” Sun Wenqu set down the watering can.
“Buying what?” Fang Chi asked. “Want me to carry it for you?”
“Your imagination.” Sun Wenqu laughed. “Why don’t you walk behind me with a parasol too?”
They left the complex together. Sun Wenqu hailed a cab, heading straight for the downtown shopping mall. Looked like Fang Chi’s evening of study might be ruined.
A couple days earlier, Li Xiang had come to him, said there was a weekend outdoor group going to Crow Ridge, wanted a local guide.
That place was only twenty minutes from his grandfather’s house. Chen Xiang had asked if he’d take it, and he’d agreed without hesitation. He’d even planned to buckle down on studying the next couple nights, to make up for losing the weekend.
But apparently, Sun Wenqu wasn’t there to wander the mall. The moment they arrived, he headed straight to the fifth floor outdoor section.
“I need a pair of hiking boots,” Sun Wenqu said. “Aren’t you pretty professional at this?”
“Just average,” Fang Chi replied. He knew Sun Wenqu went to the gym daily, but the way he collapsed on the sofa like a snake after getting home, he hadn’t expected he was into the outdoors. “You’re going to hike a mountain?”
“Maybe. Better to be ready.” Sun Wenqu smiled.
“Oh. What’s your budget?” Fang Chi asked, then scratched his head. “But you probably don’t think about that, huh.”
“Just pick,” Sun Wenqu said.
With no budget limit, choosing was easy. Fang Chi led him into a store and had the clerk bring out the pair of hiking boots he himself had always wanted, but never splurged on.
Watching Sun Wenqu try them on, Fang Chi felt oddly satisfied, almost like it was his own treat.
“Breathable, waterproof, good grip,” he started to explain. “And the sole is also…”
“No need to say all that.” Sun Wenqu cut him off. “These’ll do.”
“Oh.” Fang Chi stopped.
He’d thought this nitpicking expert would at least ask a couple more questions, maybe torment him with a round of explanations. But from walking in, to trying the shoes, to paying and leaving, the whole process took less than twenty minutes.
“Let’s eat.” Sun Wenqu plopped the shoe box into Fang Chi’s arms.
“Oh.” Fang Chi carried it.
“What should we eat…” Sun Wenqu walked ahead, thinking aloud. “Something simple?”
“Mm.” Fang Chi never cared much about food.
“That Turkish place I went with Uncle Liangzi wasn’t bad,” Sun Wenqu glanced at him. “Want to go?”
“Could we… keep it simpler?” Fang Chi asked.
“Like what?”
“Noodles, dumplings, whatever.”
“Aiyo.” Sun Wenqu sighed. “You’re really easy to feed. Fine, we’ll just hit the food court here.”
“Okay.” Fang Chi nodded.
The food court was busy, even on a weekday. Fang Chi looked around, worried they’d have to wait in line to eat.
Just as he was scanning for a less crowded stall, a familiar figure flickered through the crowd.
“Wait.” Fang Chi suddenly grabbed Sun Wenqu’s arm. “Hold on.”
“Hm?” Sun Wenqu turned.
“Give me one minute.” Fang Chi’s eyes locked onto the crowd.
It was Fang Ying, phone pressed to her ear, wallet in hand, heading toward an ATM.
“One minute,” Fang Chi said again, and hurried after her through the crowd.
Fang Ying had never contacted him. He’d called her twice, she hadn’t answered. He knew she wouldn’t just vanish, but she surely wasn’t in a hurry to repay him either.
He followed her to the ATM, watched her insert her card, type her password, wait for the next step. Then he stepped up, grabbed her hand, pushed her aside.
“Hey!” Fang Ying jumped, startled. When she saw it was Fang Chi, she stared, surprised. “Little Chi?”
“What a coincidence.” Fang Chi didn’t look at her, eyes fixed on the screen as he pressed the balance inquiry.
“What are you doing!” Fang Ying tried to shove him away, reaching to block the screen. “What the hell are you doing?”
Balance: 14,800 yuan.
Fang Chi turned to her. “Pay up.”
“I never said I wouldn’t! There are still two months left,” Fang Ying frowned. “I’m gathering the money, aren’t I?”
“Give me whatever you have now.” Fang Chi quickly hit transfer, entered his own account number. “If this money stays with you, in three months I’d be lucky if even a hundred’s left.”
“You already have the surname Fang,” Fang Ying smacked his arm, frustrated. “You know Little Guo still has tuition, ”
“I left you some.” Fang Chi transferred 10,000 to his account, leaving 4,800 untouched. “That’s it this time. Don’t make me tail you everywhere.”
“You followed me? Or had someone following me?” Fang Ying’s eyes went wide, darting nervously around. Then she suddenly shouted, “Oh god, that’s Sun Wenqu?”
Fang Chi looked over. Sure enough, Sun Wenqu was leaning against a lamppost, arms folded, watching. When Fang Ying spotted him, he even lifted a finger and wagged it.
“God!” Fang Ying spun back, panicked. “What’s with you two, did he have me followed? That b*stard’s really got nothing better to do!”
“You.” Fang Chi gripped her shoulder, looked her in the eye. “You know how I’ve helped you, how you’ve screwed me. If you dare screw me again…”
“I won’t! I really won’t!” Fang Ying frowned.
“You don’t even pick up my calls,” Fang Chi said.
“I just didn’t have enough money yet, didn’t want you pressuring me,” Fang Ying sighed. “It felt awkward.”
“Awkward? With me?” Fang Chi laughed. “I’m the easiest mark. Say a few words and I’ll believe you.”
“Don’t say that.” Fang Ying looked away, embarrassed.
“When I call, you answer. No excuses,” Fang Chi said.
“I will, I will, got it.” Fang Ying sighed hard.
“I’ll write you a receipt for the ten thousand.” Fang Chi pulled a notebook from his bag.
“No need,” Fang Ying said, pocketing a thousand from the ATM. “I’m not trustworthy, but my little brother is.”
Watching her walk away, looking back with every step, Fang Chi returned to Sun Wenqu. “Let’s go.”
“What was that?” Sun Wenqu’s expression was all amused curiosity.
“Got my money,” Fang Chi muttered. “Just happened to run into her.”
“Had her thinking you were stalking her, huh.” Sun Wenqu chuckled.
“You’re not nervous,” Fang Chi shot him a look. “Let her think that, it’s better than her hiding so I can’t find her.”
“No worries.” Sun Wenqu narrowed his eyes, smiling. “I can find her.”
“How?” Fang Chi asked.
“How else?” Sun Wenqu leaned in close to his ear. “Guys like me, idle, jobless, good-for-nothing trash, we’ve got plenty of ways.”
His voice was pleasant enough, but being whispered into like that, close enough to feel his breath, made Fang Chi’s back seize up. He instinctively edged away.
Sun Wenqu glanced at him, grinning, clearly in a good mood, and strolled on ahead.
The food court was crowded. They found a small stall in a corner, still acceptable. Sun Wenqu ordered two bowls of wontons. “Enough?”
“You mean one each?” Fang Chi asked.
“Mm.” Sun Wenqu nodded.
“With your appetite, you were gonna eat Turkish food?” Fang Chi sighed, stepped up to the counter to look at the menu. “Add me a cold noodle, a roll, a scallion pancake, a sesame flatbread, a steamer of shaomai.”
“You…” Sun Wenqu was a little speechless.
“Teenagers are just different,” Fang Chi said. “Like feeding pigs, you don’t even have to bother worrying.”
“So vengeful.” Sun Wenqu laughed for a long while.
***
Since there was no self-study at school on Saturday and Sun Wenquday, on Friday Fang Chi told Old Li, who sighed: “Are you short on money?”
“No,” Fang Chi was a bit embarrassed. “I just… just want to go home and see my grandparents.”
“Once you’ve gone this time, you really need to settle down,” Old Li said. “Don’t let your family down.”
“Mm.” Fang Chi nodded.
Actually, his family didn’t have high expectations. His grandparents only wanted him to live comfortably; his parents only wanted him not to cause trouble. As for grades, or whether he could get into a good school, really no one was expecting much.
It was only himself who still had a few requirements for himself.
He called Sun Wenqu, said he had things to do over the weekend and couldn’t come cook or clean.
“That won’t do,” Sun Wenqu drawled. “What am I supposed to eat these two days then?”
“What did you eat before I cooked for you?” Fang Chi asked.
“Starved,” Sun Wenqu said.
“…Then starve two more days,” Fang Chi was helpless. “You’ve been starving for years anyway.”
“Hey,” Sun Wenqu’s voice carried a smile. “You’re pretty cocky now.”
“How about I order takeout for you in advance, have them deliver on schedule,” Fang Chi offered.
“Forget it, I’ll just starve,” Sun Wenqu said. “Such a considerate, reasonable slave-owner as me is rare indeed.”
“I’ll bring you some local specialties when I come back,” Fang Chi thought for a bit. “Mountain goods.”
“Alright.” Sun Wenqu laughed.
This Crow Ridge group wasn’t unfamiliar to Fang Chi. Two of them were old club members. Though he rarely coached there, he knew them.
When Fang Chi arrived at the meeting point, almost everyone was already there. Four off-road vehicles were parked by the roadside, a few young people chatting beside them.
“Little Fang.” Someone greeted him.
“Brother Luo,” Fang Chi recognized Luo Peng. “Everyone’s here?”
“Missing one,” Luo Peng pointed at the first car. “The leader’s in that one.”
“Okay.” Fang Chi, carrying his pack, walked over to the first car, he needed to confirm the route with the leader.
The car door was open. Several people inside were chatting. Fang Chi dropped his pack on the ground and climbed in.
“This is Little Fang, local. None of the guides know Crow Ridge better than him,” the leader introduced. “He grew up there, right, Little Fang?”
“Mm. Just call me Fang Chi.” He sat down.
The man in the front passenger seat turned around, stretched out his hand. “Little Fang, thanks for the trouble this time.”
As Fang Chi shook his hand, he thought the voice sounded familiar. Then he looked up, saw the face, and froze.
“My name’s Sun Wenqu,” Sun Wenqu smiled. “You can just call me Dad.”
