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For Xin Yi, it was the first time dining at the Jiang Family's home. People streamed in, each carrying an array of ingredients, placing them on the large table before them. In the center, a dual-flavored hot pot bubbled away, filling the room with the enticing aroma of hot pot ingredients. Yet, only the four of them were eating; Uncle Meng occasionally strolled by to taste the broth, and once he deemed it perfect, he vanished.
Seated at the table, Song Bunan and Xiao Mei were once again bickering over who would get to eat the last piece of sweet rice cake. Shui Su calmly added meat to the pot while Xin Yi kept an eye on the two to prevent them from overturning the table.
"Why not just ask Uncle Meng to make more? If you keep arguing, the meat will overcook," Shui Su remarked as the red meat in the pot gradually turned white. Quick as a flash, he scooped a large piece into his bowl and gestured for Xin Yi to hurry up, while also trying to soothe the two who were getting their hair all ruffled again.
"Alright! I’ll count One, Two, Three, and we let go together!" Song Bunan announced. Xiao Mei hummed in agreement, ready to release her grip as soon as he said "three." However, the plate that had held the last rice cake was now gone, replaced by a plate of greens. Xiao Mei's face fell as she pointed at the vegetables and exclaimed, "What is this nonsense?"
Song Bunan remained unfazed, picking up some meat with a smile. "Didn’t you see? Uncle Meng came in and took the plate away just before I called for us to let go." His genuine laughter earned him a leafy retaliation from Xiao Mei.
The atmosphere was rare during meals at Mighty Falcon, and Xin Yi found himself enjoying the scene before him. The hot pot here was truly delicious. He fished out some duck blood from the spicy broth and was about to dip it into his sauce when he felt an undeniable gaze beside him. Song Bunan blinked his big eyes and asked if he could have a small piece to try.
"Sure, I can give you a whole piece," Xin Yi replied without understanding. He reached out and handed over the duck blood, watching as Song Bunan grinned adorably while explaining that he had never tried spicy hot pot before; he was always thwarted in his attempts but figured that asking Xin Yi would likely yield no refusal.
"So what’s stopping you from trying?" Xin Yi seized on this key point. After his question, Song Bunan made a strange face as if trying to dodge it. It was Xiao Mei who chimed in next, gleefully saying, "It’s because he’s been an injury-prone child all his life; spicy food gives him stomachaches but he craves it anyway. So Brother Bu Xian strictly forbids him from eating such things—not even doubanjiang is allowed."
Upon hearing this, Xin Yi retracted his chopsticks and declined to share any duck blood with him. Song Bunan sulked beside him, whining that just a tiny piece would suffice for him to taste—he promised not to eat more than that.
"Do you want Brother Song Buxian chasing you down for two miles?" Xiao Mei chimed in ominously, successfully halting Xin Yi's instinctive urge to relent and give in to Song Bunan's plea.
Meanwhile, another person at the table puffed up in frustration and stuck out his tongue at Xiao Mei in discontentment, declaring that he would throw spinach into the pot for her to eat later. The vegetable-hating Xiao Mei shot him a disdainful glance before pulling out a large piece of meat from the spicy pot and enjoying it right in front of Song Bunan while saying it was fine because vegetables cooked in spicy broth were actually tasty.
Was this what friendship felt like? Xin Yi consumed that now-cold duck blood and felt genuine happiness welling up inside him—an emotion he had never truly experienced before. It was wonderful; at this moment, he finally grasped that missing emotional experience that life had deprived him of for so long.
In a moment of distraction, a large piece of meat suddenly appeared in his bowl. Looking up, he saw that it was Song Bunan who had brought it over while still arguing with Xiao Mei. The man didn’t even glance his way, yet his hand deftly delivered the food into his bowl, albeit it was spicy hot pot meat. His gaze swept over to Shui Su, who was stifling laughter. When their eyes met, Shui Su wore an expression that seemed to say, “You can guess what’s happening,” gesturing with his eyes towards Song Bunan, who was sneakily retracting his chopsticks coated in chili oil.
Xin Yi was quite impressed with how smoothly this charade was being played. He found himself laughing at Song Bunan’s illogical reasoning and, unwilling to let him have his way, snatched the chopsticks away. He carefully wiped them clean with a napkin, ensuring not a trace of chili oil remained before returning them to Song Bunan.
In response, he received a look from Song Bunan that was filled with playful reproach and blame. At the same time, a few slices of ginger from the clear broth were added to his bowl. His little boyfriend bared his teeth in mock anger, which made Xin Yi feel both amused and affectionate, completely ignoring the fierce expression that Xiao Mei wore while making sarcastic comments.
“Once you’ve recovered your health, I’ll let you try it. From today on, I’ll eat clear broth with you, okay?” Xin Yi couldn’t believe those words had come out of his mouth.
Meanwhile, Xiao Mei expressed her feelings with exaggerated sounds from the side. Shui Su took the new sweet glutinous rice balls brought by Uncle Meng, quickly stuffing one into Xiao Mei’s mouth and telling her to stop being silly and eat. Chewing on her beloved food, Xiao Mei mumbled that last year at this time, she could never have imagined such a scene unfolding now.
“To my silly and foolish little brother Song Bunan, come on, let’s toast and drink this soda to celebrate your newfound single status at thirty!” Xiao Mei stood up theatrically. Song Bunan matched her enthusiasm by raising his cup and standing tall. The two clinked their glasses seriously and mimicked the actions of those at a banquet as they downed their sodas.
Shui Su, on the other hand, behaved normally, gently clinking his cup against Xin Yi’s while smiling warmly and offering congratulations. Xin Yi returned the gesture with thanks but found himself momentarily lost in thought when he glanced at Song Bunan.
Not only did Xiao Mei not expect this turn of events; even he himself hadn’t anticipated that a few months ago he would encounter someone so dazzlingly bright and warm—someone who seemed to have no similarities to him yet felt like the sun on a winter day. This person had introduced him to emotions he had never experienced in decades and even made him feel the existence of home.
He was someone who could promise to love another forever, even if saying it might sound insincere to others. Perhaps past failed relationships were merely paving the way for him to meet the right person; perhaps those experiences had taught him how to interact with a partner better. However, from their days living together, it was clear that Song Bunan was the more mature one.
With effortless ease, he understood what Xin Yi liked and disliked. Just from one breakfast, he grasped his tastes perfectly; future meals always included things he enjoyed. He even accurately captured his favorite colors and chose items that resonated with his personality.
He felt well taken care of. Song Bunan even went so far as to buy many deep-colored items for their home, which lacked any profound hues, creating a workspace for him in the study. Even the photos on the refrigerator door suddenly bore evidence of his presence.
A candid photo of them together was held up by a heart-shaped doll magnet in a prominent spot. In the picture, he was gazing at some part of Song Bunan, while the one taking the photo—Song Bunan—smiled brightly at the camera, his hand caught in an amusing angle as if he were playfully pinching his head.
He was truly happy.
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