True or False - Chapter 3

Having overindulged in carbohydrates the previous morning, Shen Hengxi had collapsed onto his sofa the moment he got home. One yawn was all it took for him to drift into a deep sleep.

When he woke up this morning, the first thing on his mind was the memory of those soup dumplings. They must have been truly delicious, because by the time Shen Hengxi was dressed and ready, his brain had already decided on his next destination.

As he pushed his door open, the sound of another door opening echoed in the hallway.

Shen Hengxi instinctively looked up. He froze in his tracks. After a moment of surprise, he relaxed back into his usual lazy demeanor.

The boy looked like he had only just woken up. His hair was a chaotic, fluffy mess, with a single stubborn cowlick sticking up at the crown. He was rubbing one eye as he pushed his door open, but noticing someone was watching him, he looked up with a deep frown.

In the next instant, the boy’s eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. He stood there, dazed.

Shen Hengxi smiled, leaning casually against his doorframe.

After three meetings, Shen Hengxi had to admit to himself that even though the boy was a bit thin, he had a striking face. His eyes were deep-set but the irises were quite light, giving him a look that seemed profoundly soulful when he looked at someone. His nose was high and sharp, lending an air of cool elegance to his features. It was a contradictory yet perfectly balanced face, one that made Shen Hengxi feel a sense of quiet pleasure every time he saw it.

“Hi,” Shen Hengxi said, offering a small wave.

Chu Xi’ang blinked rapidly, still processing the situation.

Shen Hengxi tilted his chin toward the opposite door. “You live across from me?”

“Ah… yeah,” Chu Xi’ang answered instinctively.

As he regained his senses, he recalled Guo Xiaoyan telling him yesterday: “Someone moved into the place across from us. That apartment never keeps anyone for long its mostly just people stopping through. I wonder how long this one will stay.”

A sharp snap of fingers echoed in the empty stairwell.

Chu Xi’ang looked back up.

“Still a bit groggy this early in the morning?” Shen Hengxi asked.

“Ah, I stayed up a bit late last night.” Chu Xi’ang closed his door and took a few steps forward. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Shen Hengxi replied with a smile. “Breakfast together?”

Chu Xi’ang’s expression relaxed slightly. He knew the older man was just being polite. “Next time. I have things to do in a bit.”

Shen Hengxi didn’t press the matter and simply nodded.

For a moment, neither spoke. Chu Xi’ang was anxious to get going, so he gave a quick nod of farewell. The staircase wasn’t wide; two grown men walking together made for a tight squeeze. Shen Hengxi wasn’t paying close attention to the space between them and, as he took a step, his arm brushed against Chu Xi’ang’s.

“Sorry.” Chu Xi’ang was fully awake now. He scrambled back a step. “You go first.”

Shen Hengxi didn’t move. “No, you go ahead. Didn’t you say you had things to do?”

Chu Xi’ang glanced at him, pressed his lips together, and nodded before rushing down the stairs.

Watching him hurry away, Shen Hengxi found it rather amusing.

Though Chu Xi’ang had used “having things to do” as an excuse, he wasn’t lying. He had to go back to the countryside to help his grandmother with the sowing. Lin Fang was getting older; her back was bad and her eyesight was failing. Every sowing season took her the whole morning, yet she refused to ask anyone for help.

He knew his parents were unreliable. He had stayed up late the night before to finish half of his homework just so he could spend the morning helping her with the physical labor.

When he pulled up on his electric bike, Lin Fang came out to meet him. “Why are you back so early? It’s a holiday; why didn’t you sleep in?”

“I wanted to get back quickly to eat the food you made,” Chu Xi’ang replied. “Are you about to start sowing? Perfect timing, I’m planning on eating a huge lunch, so I need to do some heavy lifting now.”

Lin Fang raised a hand and gave him a playful swat on the back. “You child. I told you not to rush back, but you never listen.”

“Come on, Grandma. Let’s finish up so we can eat. I’m having two big bowls today.”

“Eat! You can have three if you want,” she chirped back.

Sowing was easy work for Chu Xi’ang. Placing the seeds into the treated soil took him only about an hour and a half. It was an overcast day, and the occasional breeze felt wonderfully cool against his skin.

Chu Xi’ang clapped the dirt from his palms and shouted toward Lin Fang, “Grandma, I’m going to go pick the vegetables!”

The “picking” was just for their own meals. This year, Lin Fang’s health wasn’t what it used to be, so the greenhouse crops were mostly for personal consumption. They had enough savings to get by without selling everything.

Chu Xi’ang crawled into the greenhouse with a basket strapped to his back and another in his arms. The chili peppers were ripe; he harvested them to take back to town for daily cooking. He didn’t want to spend money on every meal—partly because his allowance was meager and he wanted to save for the future, and partly because Guo Xiaoyan’s curtain shop had been so busy lately that she often skipped meals to finish orders.

Thinking of this, his hands moved faster, and his mind began to wander.

A new neighbor had moved into their building in town. It was none other than the “outsider” his grandmother had mentioned. Every time Chu Xi’ang saw him, the man looked impeccably put together and refined. He didn’t recognize the brands of the clothes, but seeing as the man never seemed to wear the same thing twice, he figured the man came from a very wealthy family.

His hands paused mid-pick. Thinking of Guo Xiaoyan and Chu Hui, he shook his head, his expression turning cold.

As noon approached, the temperature rose. Chu Xi’ang moved outside to the cowpeas. He had checked the market price on the way over, one yuan per catty. That was the highest price in days; it had been hovering around fifty or sixty cents previously.

Lin Fang came over to help. Seeing her small figure crouched down, her spine curving even more than before, Chu Xi’ang felt a pang of sadness.

“Grandma, it’s almost 11:30. Go back and start lunch. My stomach is growling. Just call me when it’s ready,” he said.

Hearing this, Lin Fang immediately dropped the cowpeas. “I’ll go cook right now. It won’t take long!”

Chu Xi’ang gathered the abandoned beans into his basket. “I’ll be waiting.”

The sun broke through the clouds, casting a bright glow. Chu Xi’ang wiped the sweat from his forehead with his shoulder. He had two full baskets of cowpeas; he estimated they would fetch a decent price today. He bundled them up and told Lin Fang he was heading to the wholesale market before lunch.

At the wholesale station, the boss stepped out as soon as Chu Xi’ang arrived. “Xiao Ang! Just pack the beans into those crates over there.”

“Got it, Uncle. Go back to whatever you were doing,” Chu Xi’ang replied.

“Let me know when you’re done; I’ll weigh them for you,” the boss called back.

There were many people selling cowpeas today. Chu Xi’ang wanted to finish before lunch, fearing that if too many people showed up, the station might stop buying. He efficiently lined the beans up in the crates, swept the floor clean, and called out.

This time, the boss’s wife came out. She smiled. “Selling for your grandmother again?”

“Mhm.” Chu Xi’ang placed the crate on the scale. “I got lucky; the price is at its peak today.”

“That is good luck.” She pulled a notebook from her pocket and found Lin Fang’s name. “Including the previous batches, that’s eighty-six kilograms total. I’ll give the money directly to your grandmother later.”

Chu Xi’ang straightened up. “What’s the price for peppers right now?”

“Peppers aren’t doing well,” she sighed. “Too many people are growing them, and demand is low. I remember your grandmother planted a lot of rice this season, right?”

“Yeah. Rice is a lot more work, though.” Chu Xi’ang swung a leg over his bike.

“That’s the truth. Tell your grandmother to rest more.”

“Will do. Thanks, Auntie! Grandma is waiting for me for lunch, so I’ve got to go.” He waved.

“Alright, drive safe!”

Before he even turned the corner, he saw Lin Fang waiting outside. He sped up and pulled the bike to a stop at the door, a smile in his voice. “Let’s go, Grandma. Time for lunch.”

“What should I eat?” Shen Hengxi muttered to himself, staring into his refrigerator.

The interior was so empty he could practically hear an echo. He realized it was time for a trip to the supermarket.

The store wasn’t farless than a three-minute walk. He stocked up on water, snacks, and instant noodles. He had decided that since no one was watching him here, he didn’t need to care about healthy eating. He just wanted to be happy.

Carrying two heavy bags back into the alley, he heard a vehicle behind him. He stepped to the side, only to hear the brakes squeak right next to him. He turned to find his neighbor staring at him with bright eyes.

“What a coincidence,” Shen Hengxi greeted.

Chu Xi’ang parked the bike, his gaze flickering over the bags. “Grocery shopping?”

“Mhm. Nothing left to eat at home.” Shen Hengxi added, “Did you finish your business?”

“Yeah.” Chu Xi’ang hadn’t expected him to remember. He nodded and joked, “All finished. I’m free to eat with you now.”

Shen Hengxi let out a short laugh and tilted his head toward the building. “Let’s head up. You first.”

“Okay.” Chu Xi’ang quickly gathered his things from the bike and headed upstairs.

The stairwell had poor soundproofing; every step and movement echoed through the building. The two climbed the stairs one after the other in silence. Reaching the fourth floor, Shen Hengxi prepared to say goodbye. “I’m heading in then.”

Chu Xi’ang paused, turned around, and hesitated for a second.

“Ge.” (Note: Brother/Senior)

The distant yet respectful address echoed in the empty hallway.

Shen Hengxi, keys in hand, turned half-way to look at him. “Talking to me?”

The sight of the boy calling him “Ge” with such a stoic face was unexpectedly, awkwardly cute.

“Mhm.” Chu Xi’ang crouched down and pulled two bags of food from his own haul. “I went to help my grandmother today. She happened to make dumplings and buns yesterday and insisted I bring some back. Since you don’t always want to eat out, you can just boil some water and cook these dumplings or steam the buns at home.”

Shen Hengxi looked down at the top of the boy’s head. There was a slight cowlick right at the crown.

Seeing that he didn’t immediately respond, Chu Xi’ang thought he might have been too forward. He looked up to explain. “I saw you bought a lot of instant noodles. You shouldn’t eat those all the time.”

One stood, one crouched, separated by a little over a meter. In that small space, an unspoken connection thrummed between them.

Shen Hengxi stepped closer and reached out. Chu Xi’ang handed the food over. “If you don’t eat them right away, put them in the freezer. It’s best to finish them within a week.”

“Got it. Thanks.” Shen Hengxi accepted the gift and looked at the boy. “Want to exchange contact info?”

For the first time, a look of genuine awkwardness crossed the boy’s face. He cleared his throat. “Sorry… I don’t have a phone.”

Shen Hengxi went silent for a moment, reflexively searching for something to say. “So, you were out doing farm work for your grandmother?”

“Yeah. Just harvesting what’s grown in the fields,” Chu Xi’ang answered.

“Is it fun?” Shen Hengxi asked.

That question stumped Chu Xi’ang. He wasn’t sure how to answer. “It’s alright. I guess for someone who’s never seen it, it might be interesting.”

Shen Hengxi raised an eyebrow. “Then take me with you next time to try it out.” He paused, then added, “Xiao Ang.”

Chu Xi’ang stared blankly at him.

The man had the kind of face you only saw on television; every time you looked at him, he felt slightly surreal. With that perfect face and his soft, lazy aura, Chu Xi’ang could only think of one word: beautiful. He couldn’t find any other way to describe it.

He felt like the autumn air a single breeze, and his whole heart felt at ease.

His eyes crinkled into a smile, and he nodded. “Sure, Ge.”