Dreaming during a nap is kind of strange.
Maybe it was because he was too sleepy.
Dreaming about Sun Wenqu during a nap was even stranger.
Probably because they were together every day.
Sun Wenqu looked pretty good, especially when he was making pottery. His focused profile, slightly trembling eyelashes, and his hands were very beautiful too, fingers still long and strong even when covered in clay.
Fingers gliding over the clay body.
Fingers pressing the turning wheel.
Fingers holding a pen.
Fingers tapping his test paper.
Fingers lightly flicking the back of his hand.
Fingers brushing over the tattoo on his lower back…
Waist…
Ankle…
Behind the ear…
The skin was very smooth…
Sun Wenqu’s breathing brushed past his ear, carrying a lazy warmth…
Fang Chi suddenly opened his eyes.
He stared at the unlit lamp on the ceiling for a long time before his heartbeat, which had jumped to his throat, and his hurried breathing slowly calmed down.
He was still lying in the wine-glass lounge chair. Because he had been tilting his head back the whole time, his neck and back were a little sore, and his legs were slightly numb.
He moved his neck and slowly sat up.
Just as he was about to check whether Sun Wenqu was still sleeping, he suddenly realized Sun Wenqu was sitting on the bed, leaning against the wall and looking at him.
Chief Huang, who had been wrapped in the blanket the whole time, had also gotten up. Sitting properly beside Sun Wenqu, it was staring at him together with him.
“I!” Fang Chi was startled. After struggling for a while, he finally climbed out of the wine-glass chair. As soon as he stood up, he felt something was wrong and quickly turned his back around. “When did you wake up!”
“Just woke up.” Sun Wenqu’s voice was calm, but you could hear he was smiling.
“No, wait,” Fang Chi turned his head back. “You woke up and you didn’t call me? You just watched?”
“I said I just woke up,” Sun Wenqu said with a smile. “Only one minute.”
“One minute is already a long time, okay?” Fang Chi grabbed his phone. “Use a stopwatch and see how long one minute actually is!”
Sun Wenqu stretched lazily. “What were you dreaming about?”
“Wasn’t dreaming about anything.” Fang Chi walked awkwardly toward the door.
“Going out like that?” Sun Wenqu laughed.
Fang Chi heard someone walking outside the door. From the voices it sounded like Hu Ying and Fang Hui. The hand he had stretched toward the door pulled back again, and in the end he gritted his teeth and turned around to sit back in the chair.
“If you want to laugh, just laugh,” he said, looking at Sun Wenqu.
“I’m not laughing at you,” Sun Wenqu yawned. “Just think it’s impressive, you can get hard just from taking a nap.”
“…I’m young,” Fang Chi said. Ever since meeting Sun Wenqu, he felt like his face had been getting thicker and thicker at an uncontrollable speed.
Sun Wenqu laughed. “So what did you dream about?”
That question made Fang Chi’s face heat up. His brain even started turning sluggish from the burn, and he blurted out casually, “Dreamed I took Xiaozi hunting.”
“…Oh,” Sun Wenqu froze for a moment, then fell back onto the pillow and laughed so hard he couldn’t stop. “Being young is great. Good appetite.”
“D*mn.” Fang Chi came back to his senses and felt the urge to jump out the window.
“Hey, alright, I won’t tease you anymore,” Sun Wenqu got off the bed and walked to the window to look down. “Is it time to eat? Let’s go down.”
“What time is it?” Fang Chi picked up his phone. Seeing it was already past four shocked him. “Slept that long?”
“A nap’s good. Tonight we’ll probably sleep late,” Sun Wenqu rubbed his eyes.
“Did you fall asleep?” Fang Chi stood up and pulled up his pants, finally recovering.
“Mm,” Sun Wenqu smiled. “I just listened to you scribbling on paper, it was pretty hypnotic.”
“If you think it’s noisy you can stay in the room a bit longer,” Fang Chi straightened his clothes and wiped his mouth. “I’ll go down and check. If they start eating I’ll call you.”
“Okay.” Sun Wenqu leaned against the window.
Fang Chi went downstairs. Xiaozi came running over, smacking its lips and wagging its tail.
“What did you eat?” Fang Chi scratched its head.
“I gave it a dumpling,” Hu Ying said quietly beside him. “But it was raw. That’s okay, right? It looked too greedy.”
“It’s fine,” Fang Chi smiled. “They about to start eating?”
“Mm, Grandpa just said fifteen minutes,” Hu Ying said while rubbing her hands, clearly excited to eat. “I went upstairs earlier to call you and Brother Sun. That room was quiet, so I guessed you two were sleeping and came back down.”
“…Oh,” Fang Chi felt an indescribable sensation run through him when he heard the words you two sleeping. His body tingled slightly and he quickly bounced a little on his feet. “We slept for a bit.”
The sound of firecrackers in the village grew denser and denser, gradually blending into one continuous crackling. You could smell gunpowder in the air, but the aroma of food from the kitchen was powerful, it couldn’t be contained, drifting all over the yard. The living room was full of fragrance too, and it was all meat.
Fang Chi walked around the kitchen once and then took out his phone to send Sun Wenqu a text.
We’re about to eat. Lots of good dishes. Want to come down early and steal a bite?
Not even two minutes later, Sun Wenqu ran downstairs. The stomach area of his coat was bulging, clearly Chief Huang was stuffed inside.
“You take it everywhere,” Fang Chi sighed. “You’re even bringing it to dinner? After ten months will a whole litter come out?”
“Every now and then your mouth gets sharp, it’s quite a surprise… hold it for now. It’s never heard firecrackers before. If I leave it in the room it might get scared crazy tonight,” Sun Wenqu glanced toward the kitchen. “Is it appropriate to steal food?”
Fang Chi pinched a piece of soy-braised duck from the pot. “So are you eating or not?”
“Eating.” Sun Wenqu was just about to reach out to take it when Chief Huang squeezed out from his collar, struggling to climb onto his shoulder. He quickly grabbed it, stuffing it back into his clothes, then leaned forward and took a bite straight from Fang Chi’s hand to snatch the duck.
After Sun Wenqu turned and left the kitchen, Fang Chi stood there stunned for quite a while before finally lowering his raised hand and wiping it on his pants.
When he left the kitchen, Grandpa walked in. Seeing him, he laughed. “Stealing food?”
“The braised duck is good,” Fang Chi chuckled.
“There are roasted sweet potatoes. Want one?” Grandpa said. “But we’re about to eat…”
“Yes yes yes yes yes,” Fang Chi said in a rapid string. He loved them, especially the ones Grandpa roasted. “Give me one. A small one is fine.”
“There are no small ones. They’re all as big as your head,” Grandpa laughed.
“Then give me one as big as my head,” Fang Chi said.
Sun Wenqu was standing in the yard watching Dad and Second Uncle dismantle strings of firecrackers, hands in his pockets, probably still holding Chief Huang inside his coat.
“Want some?” Fang Chi walked over and waved the sweet potato he had already taken two bites from.
“Is it fragrant? Let me smell,” Sun Wenqu turned his head. “My nose is full of firecracker smell. Can’t smell the food anymore.”
“If you want to eat…” Fang Chi held the sweet potato out to him, originally planning to say he would go get another one.
But before he finished speaking, Sun Wenqu simply leaned over and bit directly into the sweet potato in his hand. While sucking in breath he mumbled, “Ah, hot… but good… better than the roasted ones on the street.”
“This…” Fang Chi looked at him. “I already bit it.”
“So what if you did,” Sun Wenqu glanced at him. “You’re someone who wipes your hands on your pants all day, yet suddenly you’re picky about this. I take a sip of your water and you talk about it forever; take a bite of your sweet potato and you keep nagging.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Fang Chi didn’t know how to explain anymore. He lowered his head and took a fierce bite too. “Forget it.”
Inside the house the dishes had already been packed onto the table. Everyone squeezed together by the yard gate waiting to set off the firecrackers.
The sound of firecrackers throughout the village had already merged into a huge crackling chorus.
Sun Wenqu pinched Chief Huang’s ears and shouted, “Look at Xiaozi, learn from it!”
As a veteran dog who had gone through many New Years, Xiaozi had absolutely no fear of firecrackers, only excitement. It had even climbed onto the woodpile already, happily wagging its tail at the firecrackers on the ground.
Fang Hui went to light them. Fang Chi had wanted to do it too, but after thinking about it he didn’t, if a fight broke out it would ruin the mood.
The firecrackers were lit, exploding in a burst outside the yard gate.
“Ah!” Hu Ying shouted and jumped in the crowd, covering her ears.
“Are you stupid!” Fang Chi shouted at her with a laugh.
“Ah!” Hu Ying couldn’t hear what he said and just kept yelling.
Fang Chi glanced at Sun Wenqu again. Sun Wenqu held the cat with one hand and pinched its ears with the other. There was a smile on his face, but the firecrackers were probably too loud, he slowly stepped back a few steps, turning his head and trying to press his ear against his shoulder but failing.
“Loud, right?” Fang Chi walked over and shouted beside his ear.
“Going deaf!” Sun Wenqu shouted back into his ear.
Fang Chi smiled, stepped behind Sun Wenqu, and reached out to cover his ears with his hands.
This string of firecrackers was pretty long, Dad had chosen it, long and loud. Fang Chi quite liked this kind of atmosphere and didn’t mind the noise. If it were when he was a kid, he’d probably have already jumped into the middle of the firecrackers by now.
Even though he wouldn’t jump around like that anymore, a little firecracker noise was easy enough to handle. While covering Sun Wenqu’s ears, he even took a moment to look at the small tattoo behind his ear.
It was a tiny black anchor, no bigger than a little fingernail.
A pretty ordinary and common tattoo, but because of where it was located, it felt a little subtle.
Looking at Sun Wenqu’s very fair skin under that tattoo, Fang Chi suddenly remembered again the breath from the dream at noon brushing past his ear.
He quickly looked away and instead stared at Xiaozi’s tail.
After the firecrackers finished, the whole family laughed and shouted as they went back inside to start eating the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Second Uncle waved his hand and opened several bottles of liquor on the table, pouring for everyone one by one. Sun Wenqu quickly grabbed his own cup.
“I’ll drink the homemade liquor.”
“You’re really strange, there’s good liquor and you won’t drink it, but you want the rural homemade stuff,” Second Uncle said with a laugh. “Then Fang Chi, pour him some, homemade liquor.”
“The homemade liquor is good,” Grandpa chuckled. “I’m used to it; I can’t leave it anymore.”
“It is pretty good.” Sun Wenqu nodded.
“In a bit I’ll get you a jug to take upstairs and keep in your room,” Grandpa patted Sun Wenqu’s shoulder. “Before sleeping drink a small cup, guaranteed you’ll sleep well!”
“Don’t lead him toward becoming a drunk,” Fang Chi clicked his tongue. “With that little tolerance of his and you want him drinking a cup every day…”
“Hey Little Chi, you don’t know how to judge,” Second Uncle poured Fang Chi a cup too. “Your friend here definitely isn’t just a ‘one cup’ guy. I reckon if you really started drinking, you wouldn’t be his match.”
“That’s impossible.” Fang Chi didn’t agree with Second Uncle’s judgment at all. In his impression, whenever Sun Wenqu drank alcohol he either got a headache or a stomachache, or else he wanted to lie down or go to sleep.
“That’s why I say you don’t understand,” Second Uncle shook his head and looked at Sun Wenqu again. “Little brother, tell me if I’m right.”
“I really can’t,” Sun Wenqu said with a smile.
“Being modest. People like that usually can drink,” Second Uncle said. “A good dog doesn’t bark…”
“You’re already twitching before even drinking!” Second Aunt smacked him on the back with a slap, and the whole room burst into laughter.
Second Uncle drank a lot and had many drinking buddies. Logically he should have experience judging how people drank, but Fang Chi felt that this time he might have misjudged Sun Wenqu.
Or was his own judgment wrong?
Who was the one misjudging?
Fang Chi ate his food while thinking about it. Anyway, he basically didn’t talk while eating, he just listened. Right now it was one bite of food, one “heh heh,” then another glance toward Sun Wenqu.
Sun Wenqu drank slowly. Maybe he had drunk too much at noon or something, unhurried, like running with Fang Chi. He also ate slowly. Though he always ate slowly and not much anyway; his appetite for a meal was probably about the same as Chief Huang’s.
“Where’s Chief Huang?” Fang Chi suddenly remembered Chief Huang and reached toward Sun Wenqu’s stomach worriedly. “Don’t suffocate it.”
“Put it back in the room,” Sun Wenqu squeezed the hand Fang Chi had stretched over. “The firecrackers aren’t as loud now. I’ll carry it again at midnight.”
“Mm.” Fang Chi responded, pulled his hand back, and lowered his head to keep eating.
Sun Wenqu’s casual little action almost made a bone catch in Fang Chi’s throat. He hurriedly grabbed a cup and gulped down some liquor.
“Wow, so heroic,” Sun Wenqu still drank slowly. “You might as well drink straight from the bottle.”
“Eat your food.” Fang Chi glanced at him.
This was probably the most absent-minded New Year’s Eve dinner Fang Chi had ever eaten.
Or rather, starting from that embarrassing dream at noon, with the main character present, he had been feeling something indescribable the whole time. Every time he saw Sun Wenqu he would think of those sounds, images, and feelings.
Even though there wasn’t actually anything that big of a deal in them, it still made him space out.
He hadn’t really heard clearly what people talked about at the dinner table. Anyway, he just ate one bite of food and drank one mouthful of liquor at a time. He knew everyone was lively, and he knew Fang Hui gave another speech but Hu Ying booed him and they almost started arguing.
Occasionally when he snapped back to attention, he realized his gaze had stopped on Sun Wenqu’s hands.
The New Year’s Eve dinner at their house always stretched out a long time. Eating food, drinking liquor, chatting, cursing the Spring Festival Gala, before one noticed it, it was already past eleven.
“Fang Chi, go cook the dumplings,” Mom looked over and said.
“Oh.” Fang Chi answered and stood up to walk to the kitchen. After just two steps he almost kicked a wine bottle placed nearby.
“He’s drunk,” Fang Yun laughed.
“Am I?” Fang Chi was a little doubtful; he felt like he hadn’t drunk much.
“Drunk, drunk. Little Chi and I basically finished this bottle,” Second Uncle tapped an empty bottle. “Don’t throw the dumplings into the stove, remember to put them in the pot.”
“Maybe I should go,” Grandma said, a little worried, starting to stand up.
“I’ll help,” Sun Wenqu stood up with a smile. “I’ll get some fresh air too. I’m a bit dizzy from drinking.”
“You’re nowhere near drunk yet!” Second Uncle pointed at him. “Your eyes are still bright.”
Sun Wenqu followed Fang Chi into the kitchen. A big pot of water was already boiling on the stove, and Fang Chi was bending down looking at the fire in the stove mouth.
“Want me to help?” Sun Wenqu asked, unable to resist giving his butt a slap.
“No need, you don’t know how to use a clay stove,” Fang Chi reached back and rubbed his butt. About ten seconds later he suddenly straightened up and turned around. “Why are your hands so itchy?”
“You stick it out so nicely. If I don’t slap it my obsessive-compulsive disorder can’t settle,” Sun Wenqu said with a smile.
“Do you think,” Fang Chi leaned closer to him, “that I wouldn’t dare touch you?”
“To be honest,” Sun Wenqu curled his lips, “I really do think that.”
“You’re wrong,” Fang Chi smiled, suddenly reaching around behind him and slapping his butt with a smack. It wasn’t light. “Pretty bouncy.”
“Hey, you’ve grown some nerve?” Sun Wenqu jumped in surprise.
“Alcohol gives courage to cowards,” Fang Chi went back to the stove, lifted the pot lid, and sighed. “I feel like I didn’t drink much, but I’m really dizzy…”
“You drank quite a bit. Fine alcohol and coffee, cup after cup,” Sun Wenqu leaned against the wall.
“Really?” Fang Chi looked back at him, somewhat confused, picking up the dumplings.
“Mm.” Sun Wenqu stood beside him helping drop dumplings into the pot. “What have you been thinking about all night?”
“Do I look like I’m thinking?” Fang Chi asked.
“No. You’ve never shown a ‘thinking’ state,” Sun Wenqu said. “I feel like your soul is wandering the horizon.”
“…Ah,” Fang Chi thought about it. “Probably took a trip to India.”
Sun Wenqu burst out laughing, leaning against the wall for a long time. “Hey, drink a bit more. You’re pretty fun when you’re drunk.”
“You drank a lot too. You’re fine?” Fang Chi leaned against the stove and looked back at him.
“I told you, as long as I don’t mix drinks I’m fine,” Sun Wenqu said. “Though I’m a bit dizzy now too. I’ll go outside to clear my head.”
“Don’t twist your ankle.” Fang Chi whistled after saying that.
Xiaozi, who had been waiting inside for people to feed it scraps, darted out and ran into the kitchen. Fang Chi pointed at Sun Wenqu. “Xiaozi, follow him. If he twists his ankle, call me.”
Sun Wenqu didn’t go far. He just went back to the room, put on his coat, and wandered around the yard.
Xiaozi kept wagging its tail and following beside him.
After circling around a few times, Fang Chi stuck his head out of the kitchen and shouted toward the living room, “Come carry the dumplings, ”
His voice even cracked on the word dumplings. Sun Wenqu couldn’t help wanting to laugh hearing it.
After a little alcohol, the kid’s whole state was different from usual, kind of blank and silly.
Just after Fang Chi shouted that, the neighbor’s firecrackers started going off. Hu Ying ran into the kitchen laughing and jumping while covering her ears to carry dumplings.
The neighbor’s firecrackers were hung on the yard wall. Sun Wenqu covered his ears and stared, fascinated, at the golden sparks exploding in the dark night. Suddenly someone grabbed his hand away.
“Chief Huang’s going to pee itself from fear!” Fang Chi shouted beside his ear.
“Ah, I forgot!” Sun Wenqu quickly turned and ran into the house.
They had been eating all evening, so their stomachs didn’t really have much space left. Everyone just ate a bit symbolically, then began preparing to set off firecrackers.
Fang Chi was still dizzy and a bit unsteady on his feet, so he leaned by the doorway watching everyone else busy themselves. Lazy as ever, Sun Wenqu stood by the yard wall with Chief Huang in one arm and pinching its ears with the other, smiling.
The firecracker sounds all around became denser and denser, one patch to the left, another to the right, then in front and behind, gradually merging into a single roaring mass. Standing there you could feel the vibrations from inside and out.
Fang Chi walked over and covered Sun Wenqu’s ears.
Sun Wenqu’s ears were ice-cold. Fang Chi thought for a moment, then used his palms to cover them instead.
Their family had prepared quite a lot of firecrackers and fireworks, but since there weren’t very small children, after setting off a round everyone went back inside to continue eating, drinking, and chatting.
Second Uncle still wasn’t satisfied with drinking and dragged Fang Chi over to clink glasses twice more. “You’re a bit stronger than your brother-in-law.”
Fang Yun’s husband had already drunk himself into leaning against the wall with blank eyes. Fang Chi set down his cup, grabbed Second Uncle’s hand, and said very sincerely, “Second Uncle, I can’t drink like that. I still need to study tomorrow.”
“I’ll spare you!” Second Uncle slapped his shoulder. “Study well and improve every day!”
“I’m sleepy,” Hu Ying curled up on the sofa. “I’m going to sleep.”
“Little Ying go sleep at my place, in Fang Chi’s room,” Mom arranged. “Second Uncle, you men probably aren’t sleeping tonight, right?”
“Not sleeping. If we do sleep we’ll just doze somewhere on the sofa,” Second Uncle said, then waved at Aunt. “You go sleep at my place, squeeze in with your sister-in-law.”
“Alright then, that settles it,” Mom clapped her hands.
“Where are you sleeping?” Sun Wenqu asked Fang Chi.
“Sleeping? What sleeping,” Fang Chi said. “Didn’t you say on New Year’s Eve I’d stay up chatting with you?”
“In your condition?” Sun Wenqu laughed.
“Looking down on me,” Fang Chi turned and walked toward the yard. “Wait here.”
Sun Wenqu watched as he first kicked a stool, then bumped into the doorframe, and only then went outside. He laughed for quite a while.
Fang Chi had gone to wash his face, probably with cold water. When he came back in, he brought cold air with him.
“Well?” Sun Wenqu looked at him and raised a hand to touch his face. Sure enough it was icy cold.
“…Didn’t help. I shivered from the cold and shook the alcohol right back up,” Fang Chi rubbed his nose. “Forget it. Let’s go upstairs.”
Sun Wenqu smiled and went upstairs with him. As soon as they entered the room, Chief Huang jumped down from Sun Wenqu’s arm, dashed onto the bed, and burrowed straight into the blanket.
“Hey,” Fang Chi stood by the bed, patting the blanket a few times. “Leave me some space. I want to lie down for a bit…”
“When does your family give New Year money?” Sun Wenqu took off his coat, pulled Chief Huang out from the blanket and placed it beside the pillow, then pulled a small blanket over it.
“Tomorrow. In the morning we kowtow to Grandpa and Grandma to give New Year greetings, then count the money,” Fang Chi turned and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Oh. Then give me a New Year greeting now,” Sun Wenqu stood in front of him.
“Happy New Year,” Fang Chi looked up at him. “Have a good Spring Festival.”
“Not right. Do it again.” Sun Wenqu narrowed his eyes slightly with a smile.
“D*mn,” Fang Chi laughed too. “Dad, Happy New Year?”
“Good boy. Happy New Year,” Sun Wenqu opened the drawer beside him, took out a red envelope, and handed it over. “Great fortune and great profit.”
Fang Chi froze for a moment, took the red envelope and opened it. Inside was a stack of money and a folded piece of paper.
When he opened it, it was a very small drawing, only about half a palm in size. But it wasn’t chibi style; it was a sketch of his side profile.
“You see, whenever I want to give someone a thoughtful little gift, I can’t come up with anything creative,” Sun Wenqu leaned against the desk and spoke quietly. “It’s nothing more than writing a few words, drawing a little picture…”
“It’s wrong for you to give me this,” Fang Chi said. “You should draw yourself and give it to me.”
“Is that so,” Sun Wenqu looked at him, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Alright. What kind do you want?”
“Anything,” Fang Chi fell backward onto the bed, holding the small drawing up to look at it. “You’re really… pretty good.”
