The rain had grown heavier, the droplets cool as they hit his cheek.
Ti Xiao grabbed another slice, bit into it, and with the rain and idle chatter as background noise, he read the message from Xiao Zhou again.
The gist was that Xiao Zhou would be returning to the “Rotting Country” in a few days. In recent years, he hadn’t planned to come back to the homeland. Before leaving, he hoped to meet with Xiao Yao once more — ideally over a meal.
He said he had already contacted Xiao Yao’s grandparents and planned to visit them for dinner next Sunday, hoping Ti Xiao could pass along the message.
Though it was framed as passing along a message, it was really more a plea for Ti Xiao to persuade Xiao Yao.
Ti Xiao finished the watermelon flesh in a few bites, tossed the rind into a nearby basin, and sneaked another look at Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao was staring down at his phone, probably chatting with someone on WeChat.
Around them, uncles and aunties continued their neighborly gossip. Taking advantage of their distraction, Ti Xiao quietly dragged his stool closer to Xiao Yao.
“Xiao Yao,” Ti Xiao whispered.
“What is it?” Xiao Yao’s voice was equally soft.
Ti Xiao thought for a moment. “Let’s go eat at Grandpa and Grandma’s on Sunday. It’s been a while since we visited.”
“Okay.” Xiao Yao turned off his phone screen, scooted over a bit toward Ti Xiao without standing up, and said, “Don’t eat too much watermelon.” Then he went back to fiddling with his phone.
Suddenly, Xiao Yao said to the phone, “aǐ,” tapping the screen a few times.
Ti Xiao didn’t understand; his mind was too busy to decipher what alien language that was.
The words had been spoken, but now he had to consider something more important: whether Xiao Yao was still resistant to meeting his father.
Just as Ti Xiao was about to figure out how to bring it up, Aunt Zhang returned, carrying a basin of pineapples. She called out to them, “These soaked in salted water all afternoon. Try some — it’s super sweet.”
“Thanks, Auntie.” Ti Xiao popped a small piece of pineapple into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
To be honest, Ti Xiao wasn’t sure if agreeing on Xiao Yao’s behalf like this was a good idea or not.
Although he already knew the details of the conflict between Xiao Yao and Xiao Zhou, that was ultimately their business. Whether Xiao Yao forgave his father or not was up to him.
If Xiao Yao insisted on not forgiving his father, Ti Xiao couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t interfere or morally pressure Xiao Yao into forgiveness.
All he needed to do was take care of himself and Xiao Yao, and live their little life together well.
Early summer pineapples still had a bit of tartness, not reaching full sweetness until July. Eating too much now left a slightly bitter taste.
After finishing the pineapple, Ti Xiao quickly ate a piece of watermelon to balance the flavors.
Chewing the juicy sweetness, Ti Xiao listened to the rain, slowly lowered his hand, and linked fingers with Xiao Yao’s left hand, feeling the slightly cool ring on his ring finger.
Xiao Yao froze for a moment, then softly asked, “What’s wrong?”
They were so close their breaths brushed against each other.
“Nothing.” Ti Xiao took advantage of no one watching to tickle the palm of Xiao Yao’s hand. “Can’t we just hold hands?”
“Sure, hold away.” Xiao Yao also took advantage of the privacy, tilting his head to kiss him.
Then naturally, the kiss deepened—soft, gentle lips pressing against his, pulling him into a warm embrace.
Only the sound of the rainy night filled their ears. In the darkness, the sky a few blocks away glowed red, with a few homes lighting candles to brighten small corners.
Distant thunder rumbled, and the early summer rain already hinted at midsummer’s arrival.
Ti Xiao responded to the kiss, slowly wrapping his arms around Xiao Yao’s neck.
He just hoped he wasn’t making a mistake tonight… right?
———
A week flew by in the blink of an eye.
From Monday through Friday, Ti Xiao felt like he was acting, nervously afraid of slipping up and revealing the truth. Whenever Xiao Yao asked about the Sunday dinner, Ti Xiao would dodge with half-hearted jokes.
“Xiao Huhu’s eating, can’t disturb her.”
“Little Hulu’s sleeping, don’t wake her.”
He came up with all kinds of excuses.
On Saturday, Ti Nanyi came over for her extra English tutoring session. After a morning full of lessons, Xiao Yao went into the kitchen to cook, while Ti Nanyi chatted with her uncle in the living room.
“Here, this is for you.” Ti Xiao handed over a small bag containing souvenirs from his book signing trip to the provincial capital last week.
Ti Nanyi happily took it, almost ready to worship him, “Thank you, Uncle!”
After handing over the gift, Ti Xiao couldn’t help but say a few words: “Your exams are coming up, huh? After summer break, you’ll be in your second year of high school, and you’ll have to choose between science and humanities. Time to buckle down.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ti Nanyi happily flipped through the signed books, but then her cheerful tone shifted. “But Uncle, I think you’re hiding something from us, aren’t you?”
“Me?” Ti Xiao froze. “What could I be hiding? I have people to take care of me for everything—eating, drinking, even going to the bathroom.”
“Oh, come on.” Ti Nanyi scratched her head. “You just seem like… hmm, like you’re hiding something from us. That’s the vibe I’m getting.”
Ti Xiao wasn’t actually hiding anything.
But deciding for Xiao Yao on his behalf had been bothering him for almost a week.
And if even a straightforward girl like Ti Nanyi could see that Ti Xiao was holding something back, it was obvious Xiao Yao, who knew him so well, would have figured it out long ago.
If Xiao Yao hadn’t said anything, it was only to give Ti Xiao some face.
Ti Xiao silently prayed in his heart, hoping tomorrow would pass without trouble.
After Ti Nanyi finished eating and left, Xiao Yao went down for a nap.
The house still smelled fresh with soap from washing clothes and bedding in the morning. Ti Xiao suddenly remembered something Xiao Yao had told him before: “Whatever happens, you’ll tell me.”
Did that mean he hadn’t really told Xiao Yao everything?
Ti Xiao sighed quietly and poked at the little fluffball’s belly. The hamster clumsily dodged but still got his tummy poked. He couldn’t help but pick it up, curl it into a ball, rub it against his face, and pinch its chubby cheeks.
He really wished he could be a carefree little hamster ball.
But no matter how much he thought about it, Sunday arrived just as quickly as a blink.
Ti Xiao obediently followed Xiao Yao to watch him shop, even eagerly carrying the heavy bags himself—he’d never been this helpful before. Xiao Yao looked at him strangely.
“What’s up with you today?” Xiao Yao asked with a smile as he took the bags back.
“What do you mean? I’m always like this.” Ti Xiao playfully punched him and said, “Just lead the way.”
The last time Ti Xiao came to see his teacher was before the new year—half a year had already passed.
When they opened the door, they were greeted by a little curly-haired kid, Xiao Yu.
Ti Xiao was taken aback. Wasn’t it supposed to be just Xiao Zhou? This didn’t match the script.
But luckily, Xiao Zhou only brought Xiao Yu. The little guy bounced over to Xiao Yao, reaching out for a hug. But unlike before, he went straight to Ti Xiao, calling out something as he did.
Ti Xiao squatted down, awkwardly picked up Xiao Yu, and listened carefully. The boy was calling out “shorty brother” in Chinese, though the words were muffled.
Meow meow meow?
Who taught this kid that?!
The guilty party, a Siamese cat, was sneaking a laugh nearby.
“Oh, you’re here.” Xiao Zhou poked his head out from the kitchen, wearing an apron.
Ti Xiao immediately nervously looked at Xiao Yao, but Xiao Yao just gave a faint “hmm” with no emotion or surprise—like he’d been expecting Xiao Zhou all along.
Ti Xiao sat with Xiao Yu on the couch. Xiao Yao offered him a peeled apple slice, but Xiao Yu didn’t react much.
Was this act still worth performing?
Sounds of frying and coughing came from the kitchen. Xiao Yao pinched Ti Xiao’s cheek and said, “I’m going to the kitchen.”
“Ah, okay, go ahead.” Ti Xiao munched on the apple, not daring to look at him.
Xiao Yu was happily watching cartoons on TV. Ti Xiao thought for a moment and then headed to his teacher Sheng Xiao’s art studio.
Sheng Xiao was holding a palette, sketching a bouquet of flowers on the table.
“What’s up, Xiao Xiao?” Sheng Xiao lowered his glasses and kept painting when he saw Ti Xiao.
“Well, uh, Teacher Sheng…” Ti Xiao scratched his head.
Before he could finish, Sheng Xiao interrupted.
“Call him grandpa. Grandpa.” Sheng Xiao said firmly.
“Okay, grandpa,” Ti Xiao complied easily. “I wanted to ask, does Xiao Yao know that his father’s coming today?”
“Of course,” Sheng Xiao lightly brushed bright red onto the canvas. “I specifically called him to tell him.”
Ti Xiao’s words caught in his throat. So after pretending and putting on this act all week, it turned out Xiao Yao already knew…
Xiao Yao was silently watching his performance without calling him out.
What a humiliation.
At dinner, Xiao Yao fed Ti Xiao as usual. Ti Xiao wished he could just bury his head in the rice, not daring to look up.
Du Liyue was taking care of little Xiao Yu, who kept calling her “Grandma” in the sweetest way, making the old lady’s wrinkled face light up with a smile.
From Xiao Zhou and Sheng Xiao’s casual chat, Ti Xiao learned that Xiao Zhou’s current wife was close to her due date and needed to rush back to their home country.
“What time is the flight?”
After finishing the meal and getting ready to leave Grandpa and Grandma’s house, Xiao Yao finally spoke.
Xiao Zhou was momentarily stunned but quickly replied, “Tonight’s flight. Everything’s already packed.”
“Have you started driving?” Xiao Yao handed Ti Xiao the fried snacks Du Liyue made, then took Ti Xiao’s hand.
“No, Xiao Yu and I came by subway,” Xiao Zhou answered cautiously.
“I’ll drive you guys,” Xiao Yao said as he opened the door.
After saying goodbye to Sheng Xiao and Du Liyue, Xiao Yao drove Xiao Zhou and Xiao Yu home.
The address was quite far—over half an hour by car, even longer than going to Ti Xiao’s place. During the long ride, only Xiao Yu spoke to himself; no one else said a word.
Ti Xiao and Xiao Yu sat in the backseat, Xiao Zhou in the front passenger seat. Ti Xiao watched through the rearview mirror as Xiao Zhou repeatedly hesitated to speak.
When they arrived downstairs, the father and son still hadn’t exchanged a word.
Ti Xiao watched Xiao Yao escort them to the building entrance. After Xiao Zhou punched in the code, he hugged Xiao Yao briefly.
Naomi came downstairs first to take Xiao Yu upstairs. After chatting a bit, Xiao Zhou also went up. Xiao Yao stood there for a few seconds, then smiled and walked back toward Ti Xiao.
Ti Xiao naturally reached for his hand, unsure what they had just talked about but happy for Xiao Yao nonetheless.
On the way back, Ti Xiao moved to the front passenger seat. Xiao Yao buckled his seatbelt and rolled up the window.
“Let’s go home,” Ti Xiao said softly, watching Xiao Yao’s movements.
“No rush,” Xiao Yao smiled, pinching his cheek. “Let’s settle the score first, Xiao Xiao.”
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