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墨書 Inktalez
"You really are a complicated person."
Xin Yi's assessment was not the first time it had reached Song Bunan's ears. Many people had said similar things, some even likening him to a strange creature with multiple personalities, shifting forms to face everyone around him. Song Bunan had no objections to this; he always accepted it with joy, thinking that if it were true, that would be wonderful.
There was still some time before dawn, and outside was the darkest moment of the day. Xin Yi followed Song Bunan's wish, bundled up in thick clothes, and climbed to the rooftop with him, sitting under a sunshade that had clearly been placed there for this purpose, waiting for the sunrise.
The community where Song Bunan lived had a great location, not far from the most bustling area of Rongcheng but undisturbed by its bright neon lights. At night, when every household turned off their lights, only the street lamps provided illumination, creating a serene and desolate atmosphere. In the distance, one could see the highway, where cars occasionally sped by like fleeting little lights.
On the table, Song Bunan had placed a kettle, saying it was too cold in the early morning and they needed something warm to drink. He also brought a small nightlight; its warm yellow glow barely illuminated the small table. Xin Yi watched as he busily prepared tea, going through the motions of rinsing the leaves and then yelping as hot water scalded his fingers.
The person before him seemed only to share a resemblance with the one who had been lost in tears moments ago; it felt as if that child immersed in memories was merely a dream. But he knew it was real; his fingers had touched those tears—warm and damp, tinged with a hint of bitterness.
"I was just... thinking," Xin Yi explained his habit. Having lived alone for many years, he wasn't used to having someone around all the time. When he thought about things, he unconsciously treated this place like his own home and became immersed in his thoughts, unable to receive any information from the outside world.
Fortunately, neither of them liked playing guessing games. Once they opened up, Song Bunan stopped crying and suggested they go watch the sunrise. Xin Yi couldn’t sleep either; after agreeing, he watched as Song Bunan quickly gathered things from various corners of the room and excitedly headed outside.
In the end, he had tucked away the car keys while Song Bunan started climbing the stairs, claiming he knew a super wonderful spot.
So here they were now on the rooftop, drinking tea while waiting for the sun to rise. As Song Bunan had said, it was indeed quite nice here. There were no taller buildings to the east of their building, allowing them an unobstructed view of the horizon.
The dark eastern sky began to slowly change color. Xin Yi leaned back on a somewhat chilly lounge chair, fixated on that distant edge of the sky. The tea chosen by Song Bunan was Little Green Mandarin; the round tea balls looked very soothing in the cup and had a slight bitterness that made him feel quite at ease.
"I've never seen a sunrise," Xin Yi slowly spoke, turning his head just in time to meet Song Bunan's gaze. "Sometimes tasks would keep me up all night; I’d start during the day and finish while it was still day—returning home without knowing what time it was to sleep. When I woke up, I’d go report on my tasks. If there wasn’t any work to do, I’d either write task feedback logs or work out and catch up on sleep—there was hardly any routine. The only thing I paid attention to was night; occasionally when I got tired, I’d look up at the stars before continuing my work."
Listening quietly as he spoke, Song Bunan smiled again. After finishing his tea in one gulp, he rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a piece of fruit candy to hand to him. With a muffled voice he said, "I’m quite curious about your kind of life; once you join in it seems everything is for tasks—you even forget about yourself. Not agreeing to join back then was indeed the right choice."
“Ha—” Xin Yi watched as he began to act silly again, chuckling at the antics. He took the candy and popped it into his mouth, experiencing a strange flavor he had never encountered before. It was reminiscent of fruit yet also had a hint of artificial flavoring, along with a taste of fizzy soda. Seeing him eat it, Song Bunan explained that it was Pop Soda flavored candy and that it was delicious.
“Pop Soda?” Xin Yi shot him a questioning glance, hoping to learn more about this item. Song Bunan was surprised and asked if he had never even tried Pop Soda before. Xin Yi nodded honestly, explaining that he had hardly consumed any drinks over the years; even milk tea was something he had only tasted when someone brought it to him in the hospital.
Suddenly, the person who had been lounging in the chair sprang up, gulping down a new cup of tea with an air of grandeur as if it were a large bowl of wine. After finishing, he tossed his hair back and slammed his hand on the table, declaring, “Today we’re taking a break! We’re doing nothing! I’m taking you out to truly enjoy life!”
Having grown accustomed to Song Bunan's sudden bursts of energy, Xin Yi thought for a moment before agreeing and asked what kind of enjoyment he had in mind. The one being questioned proudly lifted his chin and shot him a confident look, indicating that this was not something Xin Yi needed to worry about.
“I have my own clever plans,” Song Bunan grinned mischievously, his eyes sparkling like the brightest stars in the night sky under the light of the table lamp and the rising sun.
It was a bright sunny day; once the light pierced through the clouds, the wind blew away any remaining cover, revealing a blue sky above. The dark hues faded away, leaving only a vibrant expanse, while stray clouds drifted lazily away, not hindering the sunlight from bathing the earth. Sitting on the rooftop, they could see the city come alive; people and cars flowed through the streets like blood coursing through veins, spreading vitality in an orderly manner.
He could even see the morning market outside their community; spaces usually reserved for parking were filled with various goods. Steam rose from bamboo baskets, creating a misty atmosphere that added to the lively ambiance. Song Bunan pointed out various stalls below—where to find delicious buns, which vendor served generous portions of tofu pudding, and where to get spicy strips with sesame—introducing them as if they were treasured secrets.
As soon as the sun fully rose, Song Bunan quickly stuffed his teacup and kettle back into his bag with enthusiasm and waved at Xin Yi, urging him to hurry so they could catch the hot rice cakes made by an elderly lady.
It was a bowl of glutinous rice sprinkled with white sugar and nuts; the raisins plumped up from soaking in water were round and juicy, while large chunks of red dates mixed with rice created an enticing aroma. Without hesitation, Song Bunan shoved it into Xin Yi's hands and handed him chopsticks with eager anticipation, almost ready to feed him directly.
“Is it good?” He rarely indulged in such high-calorie food; as he took a bite before even chewing properly, he heard Song Bunan's excited voice beside him. It truly was delicious—the sweetness of sugar did not overpower the flavors but instead enhanced the fragrance of the glutinous rice. One bite made him feel invigorated both physically and mentally.
Eating something like this in the morning certainly filled one with energy. Seeing his recommendation succeed, Song Bunan wore a triumphant smile that seemed to say “I knew you would love it,” and before Xin Yi could finish eating, he pulled him along to the next stall. This one belonged to an elderly man who had a large iron bucket on a simple table; anyone passing by would call out for bowls of Oil Tea.
“Old man, two bowls of Oil Tea with Little Twist!” He nearly got pushed over as they approached; even from a meter away, Song Bunan had already shouted out his order. Clearly a regular customer, when the old man heard him, he simply smiled without looking up and filled small bowls with slightly yellowish thick tea soup from the tap. Once they sat down, he sprinkled some Little Twist into their bowls.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you!” The old man affectionately ruffled Song Bunan’s hair and added extra Almonds into their bowls. The rich savory aroma whetted their appetites; Xin Yi finally felt hunger creeping in as he noticed Song Bunan still chatting with the old man while he began to drink on his own.
It was a flavor he loved, the Little Twist was slightly soft on the outside but still crispy on the inside, with the aroma of the pastry mingling with that of Oil Tea. It didn't take long for him to finish the bowl. Beside him, Song Bunan, who had started drinking later, finished at the same time, happily licking the remnants of tea from his spoon.
"I've missed this so much," Song Bunan exclaimed, shoving a large chunk of glutinous rice into his mouth, mumbling with delight, "I pulled an all-nighter and I definitely came here to eat my fill before heading home for some sleep. If I'm lucky, Sister Zhu will be selling her pastries in the morning, and I can grab a couple of stuffed pancakes to take back and enjoy when I wake up."
Xin Yi completely understood this routine and asked what kind of stuffed pancakes they were. Song Bunan craned his neck to look deeper into the morning market and explained that Sister Zhu's pancakes didn't have a fixed filling; it all depended on her mood that day. Whatever flavor she felt like mixing would be what she offered. He even recalled having tried one with fruit that was surprisingly delicious.
"Sister Zhu is selling today! It's pickled cabbage and vermicelli with pork filling—there's still some left!" An elderly man noticed they had finished their drinks and quickly cleared their bowls, pointing deeper into the market as he told Song Bunan, "Xiao Long is here too; he said he got some good stuff today."
With a cheer, Song Bunan dashed off, while Xin Yi attempted to settle the bill but saw the old man waving him off, saying it was already taken care of and urging him to catch up. Song Bunan was more enthusiastic than the older folks around them, stopping at every stall that caught his eye to touch and examine the goods, pulling Xin Yi along as he excitedly described everything.
"Xiao Long is a fisherman; sometimes he catches really good fish. We should have fish for lunch today and then go out for some fun in the afternoon," Song Bunan said, practically glowing with excitement as he rubbed his hands together, planning what delicious dishes they could prepare.
As they walked along, every time Song Bunan bought something to eat, he handed it over to Xin Yi. By the time they reached the stall selling Sister Zhu's pancakes, Xin Yi felt uncomfortably full. The golden pancakes were neatly arranged on an oil-draining rack, freshly cooked and glistening with oil, while a few white dough rounds waited to be fried.
"Sister, I'll take five to go," Song Bunan said as he leaned over the sign drooling. The vendor smiled brightly at him and quickly packed them up in a plastic bag, even tossing in a couple of small pickled vegetables for good measure.
Seeing how eager Song Bunan was to give him more food made Xin Yi chuckle helplessly; his hands were already full of plastic bags. If they added more, he'd have to hold them in his mouth. It seemed Song Bunan just realized this too; he paused for a moment before sheepishly holding onto the pancakes himself and scratching his head in embarrassment for not noticing how many he had bought.
Xin Yi looked at him helplessly and then at their overflowing bags of food. "Maybe we shouldn't cook lunch after all; we might not finish all this."
"Not a problem!" Song Bunan waved dismissively. "Snacks are snacks and meals are meals; you can't lump them together! We're definitely having fish for lunch today—everything else is just extra!"
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