translator: Eve
After spilling dog food everywhere, Xiao Yuanmu brought Song Xuanhe to tour the other floors. It wasn’t until they had made sure that every employee knew that their boss was currently in a relationship and that their feelings for each other were deep, that the two of them made their way out of the building.
They headed to a supermarket to do some grocery shopping together and then headed home. Xiao Huang welcomed them home as they changed into slippers. Xiao Yuanmu rolled up his sleeves and carried the groceries in. “It’ll take me around half an hour to make lunch. If you’re really hungry, you can pad your stomach with some fruit.”
Song Xuanhe made a sound of acknowledgement. He watched Xiao Yuanmu head into the kitchen. The other looked like he had thinned down.
Without thinking, he called out, “Xiao Yuanmu.”
Xiao Yuanmu’s steps paused. He turned to look at him, indicating for the other to speak.
Song Xuanhe walked over and took one of the bags from him. “I’ll go with you.”
“Sure.”
The two of them entered the kitchen. Xiao Yuanmu took the ingredients out of the shopping bags. He placed the ingredients for today’s meal on the counter and then stored the rest in the fridge.
“What should I do?”
Song Xuanhe stood to the side and handed two tomatoes over to Xiao Yuanmu.
“We’ll be using these tomatoes in a bit.” Xiao Yuanmu accepted the tomatoes and then placed them back on the counter.
Song Xuanhe cleared his throat. His eyes swept over the counter. He noticed that there were two cartons of eggs sitting on it. He said, “You didn’t put the eggs in the fridge yet. I’ll put it away for you.”
“The eggs don’t…” Gazing into Song Xuanhe’s expectant eyes, Xiao Yuanmu paused. “Thanks.”
Finally, Song Xuanhe had found something to do. He earnestly placed each egg into the egg compartment of the fridge. Not only was it nice and neat, it was also arranged from big to small. After putting hte eggs away, he looked to Xiao Yuanmu again. “Any other groceries you want me to put away?”
“N…” Xiao Yuanmu glanced at the counter and then changed what he was going to say. “You can leave out the beef and celery. Everything else can be put in the fridge.”
Song Xuanhe busied himself with putting the groceries away. Xiao Yuanmu turned around after seeing the other in high spirits. He turned on the rice cooker and then started to deal with the beef.
“Xiao Yuanmu.” Song Xuanhe was done with the fridge. “Anything else I can help with?”
Xiao Yuanmu paused. “Can you take two eggs out of the fridge for me?”
Song Xuanhe immediately did as he was told. He asked, “Do you want me to crack them open and put them into a bowl?”
“Sure. Grab two bowls and separate the egg whites from the yolk.”
Song Xuanhe grabbed two small, translucent bowls from the cupboard. He then grabbed the eggs. Recalling what his mother used to do, he knocked the side of the egg against the side of the bowl gently. A crack formed around the middle of the egg. He smiled and then pulled the two halves apart. The egg empties out into the bowl, yolk and egg whites both.
“How are my egg cracking skills?”
Xiao Yuanmu turned to look. He saw that the egg yolk was sitting in the middle of the egg whites and paused. “Nice.”
Song Xuanhe felt encouraged after being praised. He picked up the other egg and prepared to crack it open as well. Suddenly, a thought popped up in his mind. He paused and furrowed his brows. “Did you tell me to separate the egg whites from the yolk earlier?”
“No.” Xiao Yuanmu said calmly. “The egg yolks and egg whites should stay together. I’ll make eggs in tomato sauce later.”
As he stared at the two bowls on the counter, Song Xuanhe felt like something was wrong. He mulled over it but couldn’t figure out what was off. So he simply turned to ask Xiao Yuanmu: “Why did I grab two bowls then?”
Xiao Yuanmu grabbed the unused bowl. “I needed it for the beef.”
Song Xuanhe looked at the already cut beef that was being seasoned by Xiao Yuanmu. The baffling forgotten memory suddenly came back to him.
He looked at Xiao Yuanmu. Xiao Yuanmu said, “Can you take the asparagus and shrimp out from the fridge?”
“Okay.” Song Xuanhe swallowed his words down and went to grab what Xiao Yuanmu had requested.
Xiao Yuanmu thanked him. He then asked, “Can you cut vegetables?”
“Of course.” Song Xuanhe recalled how his mother used to cut vegetables. “It’s really easy.”
Xiao Yuanmu raised a brow and handed Song Xuanhe the asparagus. “Can you wash the asparagus and then cut them into pieces of similar length?”
Song Xuanhe washed the asparagus with cold water. He grabbed the other cutting board and carefully started to cut.
Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him. He watched as the other clumsily held the asparagus down and cut them bit by bit.
After Song Xuanhe was done cutting the asparagus, Xiao Yuanmu asked, “Can you grab the potatoes and onions from the fridge?”
Song Xuanhe had just washed his hands. When he heard this, he turned around to get the ingredients. As he opened the fridge, he paused. “You know, it seems like the stuff you’re asking me to get are things I just put in.”
“Yeah,” Xiao Yuanmu said, “Even if it’s only ten or so minutes, the fridge can help maintain its freshness. Is it tiring having to fetch all of this?”
Song Xuanhe pursed his lips. He handed Xiao Yuanmu the potatoes and onions and quietly asked, “Anything else I can help with?”
“Can you help feed Xiao Huang his lunch?”
“Sure.” Song Xuanhe nodded. He pulled the dog food from the cupboard and headed out of the kitchen.
Xiao Huang, who was currently playing with his ball, ran over to him excitedly with the ball in his mouth when he saw Song Xuanhe. He wanted to play. Song Xuanhe rubbed his head and said, “Eat first, play later.”
After giving Xiao Huang his food, Song Xuanhe sat next to the dog and watched him eat.
Xiao Yuanmu’s voice came from the kitchen: “Can you taste this for me?”
Song Xuanhe took a second before getting up and returning to the kitchen. Xiao Yuanmu was blowing on a piece of beef. He brought it over to Song Xuanhe’s mouth and Song Xuanhe ate it. Xiao Yuanmu’s kiss then fell on his lips. He smiled. “Thanks.”
“What are you thanking me for?” Song Xuanhe swallowed the meat.
“For helping me so much.”
“Did I really help?” Song Xuanhe asked, “You originally only needed thirty minutes but it’s already been half an hour and you’re not done yet. And it’s because I wasted your time.”
“You didn’t waste my time.” Xiao Yuanmu turned off the stove and spun around to face Song Xuanhe. He looked into his eyes earnestly. “Because you’re here, I feel happy while cooking for the first time. I purposely slowed down.”
Song Xuanhe’s pupils trembled and the tips of his ears reddened. He looked away. “Then why did you make me leave just now.”
Xiao Yuanmu: “I was worried you were bored.”
“I…” Song Xuanhe pursed his lips. “I wasn’t bored.”
“Then will you help me the next time I cook?”
“Mn.” Song Xuanhe’s gaze shifted around. “The beef tastes good. You can plate it now.”
Xiao Yuanmu smiled. He poured the beef out of the pan and handed it over to Song Xuanhe to carry out.
Although there wasn’t a tacit understanding between them, they still finished making lunch in forty minutes. Now, they sat in the dining room.
Xiao Huang had already finished his meal. He was now drooling over the food on the table. He whined, acting spoiled. But the people at the table ignored him.
“Why are you so good at cooking?”
Halfway through the meal, Song Xuanhe asked the question that had plagued him all this time.
“I used to help out in the kitchen often as a kid.” Xiao Yuanmu said, “Back then, there was an old man working at our orphanage. He was a pretty good cook., He really liked having me help out. Since I spent so much time in the kitchen, I naturally became a bit of a better cook than the average person.”
“When you were a kid?” Song Xuanhe frowned. “How old were you?”
“Four or five,” Xiao Yuanmu said. “It was after the last couple to adopt me sent me back to the orphanage.”
As Song Xuanhe recalled Xiao Yuanmu’s rough childhood, his grip around his chopsticks tightened. However, he acted unaffected. “Were you adopted often as a kid?”
“Mn. Three couples.” Xiao Yuanmu said in a flat tone, “There was a male-male couple amongst them. The Director said that they treated me really well. It’s just that they passed away in a car accident when I was two.”
Song Xuanhe asked, “What about the others?”
“They all had their own biological children in the end.” Xiao Yuanmu’s tone was mild, very calm.
Song Xuanhe made a soft sound of acknowledgement and then changed the topic. “How long did you help out the old man in the kitchen? Looks like you were really patient as a kid. Most kids wouldn’t be able to stay in the kitchen for very long.”
“Seven years.” Xiao Yuanmu said, “Until the old man passed away.”
Song Xuanhe was startled. “He passed away?”
“When I was twelve.” Xiao Yuanmu looked nostalgic.
When he saw Xiao Yuanmu’s expression, he asked, “He must have treated you really well, right?”
“The other children thought that they could sneak a bite or two if they helped out in the kitchen so they fought for the chance to go there. He accepted everyone but was strict. Those that could not meet his requirements were punished.” A smile flitted over Xiao Yuanmu’s face. “The punishment was that you would have to learn and recite the recipes. If you couldn’t you wouldn’t be allowed to leave. Since my memory was good, I was able to stay.”
Xiao Yuanmu spoke of the little matter very simply, but Song Xuanhe could hear how reminiscent he was of this old man. He could also tell that the old man must have adored him and taken good care of him. When Song Xuanhe saw the sliver of melancholy in Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes, he asked, “Do you miss him?”
“No.” Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes regained their serenity. “I don’t have any regrets. There’s no need to miss him.”
Song Xuanhe’s gaze fell on Xiao Yuanmu’s calm eyes that seemed to show no emotion. A while later, he looked away. In a casual tone, he asked, “What do you mean by not having any regrets?”
“I don’t regret meeting him and we were able to part peacefully. So I have no regrets.”
Song Xuanhe blinked. “All farewells are peaceful. After all, regardless of whether or not it was peaceful at the time, time will eventually heal you.”
Xiao Yuanmu looked up, eyes bearing into Song Xuanhe’s. His voice was cool like a babbling stream: “There are some separations that will never heal, even with time.”
Eve: The domestic flufffff my HEART. The way XYM was just…indulging in SXH because he liked having him around. And SXH was so cute with how proud and earnest he was while doing little things. Then the last conversation made my heart ache.
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