Morning And Evening Chapter 29

He Mu swallowed the dumpling stuck in his throat, gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, and then whispered, “I don’t know.”

Before her uncle could speak, her aunt became anxious, put down her chopsticks, and said, “How could you not know? You silly child…”

He Mu no longer wanted to eat. The few dumplings he had eaten felt like stones weighing heavily on his stomach, making him feel uncomfortable. He suddenly stood up, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, took them to the kitchen, silently washed them in a few quick movements, put them in the cupboard, slung his backpack over his shoulder, wrapped his scarf around his neck, and said expressionlessly, “I’m leaving.”

During this process, the people at the dinner table looked at each other in bewilderment. This was the first time they had ever seen such silent resistance.

Seeing that he really seemed to be leaving, his uncle tried to smooth things over. “It’s so early, you haven’t finished eating yet. Sit down and eat some more.”

He Mu shook his head and walked towards the door.

“An ungrateful wretch who can’t be tamed…”

He Mu closed the door, shutting out the sarcastic remarks and ulterior motives. Standing in the hallway with his hands in his pockets, he took a deep breath, thought about Chang Ming’an, and felt a little better. He decided to go home. Even if Chang Ming’an wasn’t there, there was still Mu Mu. He boarded the nearly empty bus, which was empty due to the holiday. The driver yawned and skipped several stops before taking him to his destination. He Mu walked towards home, feeling his mood gradually improving. Humming a song, he stepped out of the elevator, took out his keys, and opened the door.

It seemed like the heating was on in the room. As soon as he opened the door, a warm breeze rushed towards his face. The lights were on inside, and Chang Ming’an and Yang Xiaozhen were sitting opposite each other, having finished their meal. In the middle of the table, an induction cooker was bubbling away, simmering a fragrant pork bone broth.

He Mu stood there, stunned, feeling as if he had wandered into a place he shouldn’t have gone.

Chang Ming’an was also taken aback when he saw him, and then asked, “Have you eaten?”

He Mu closed the door and stood in the entryway. Without changing his shoes, he helplessly tugged at his backpack strap and mumbled, “I… I ate.”

Chang Ming’an said, “Mom, this is the student I was talking about. He’s staying with me.”

“Oh dear, it looks so small,” Yang Xiaozhen scooped up a spoonful of soup and drank it. “It’s so cold, have some soup.”

“Hello, Auntie.” He Mu stammered as he greeted her, skipped over to put on slippers, and sat down awkwardly at the table.

Chang Ming’an said helplessly, “Stop drinking it. It’s been boiled so many times, it’s high in purines.”

With a worry-free son and no worries about food or clothing, Yang Xiaozhen still looks very young. She has a trendy perm and her nails are done. She took a big gulp of soup, put down the bowl, and said, “Go wash the dishes.”

He Mu was tense all over, his bottom barely touching the edge of the chair. Upon hearing this, he instinctively stood up. Yang Xiaozhen laughed heartily, pulled him down and sat him back down in the chair, saying, “Why is this child so obedient?”

Chang Ming’an rolled up his sleeves to clear the dishes, and He Mu handed him the chopsticks he couldn’t reach, earning him a slight smile in return. Yang Xiaozhen sat on the sofa watching TV after dinner. She vaguely knew from Chang Ming’an that He Mu’s family was going through some difficulties, so she didn’t engage in small talk, only occasionally exchanging a few words with him about the TV program. He Mu thought through every word ten times before speaking, ultimately remaining reserved and cautious in his speech.

Yang Xiaozhen didn’t press him any further. She picked up an apple from the fruit plate, peeled it deftly, cut it in half, and gave it to He Mu. He Mu took it and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

Finally, He Mu slipped into the kitchen and stood watching Chang Ming’an carefully wipe the water droplets off the bowl. He seemed focused and serious about everything he did, including when he was talking to people. Looking at his long, slender hands, He Mu suddenly said, “Happy Winter Solstice.”

“Happy Winter Solstice.” Chang Ming’an looked up and tapped He Mu’s cheek with his wet but still warm fingers. “Want some tangyuan?”

He Mu took his hand out of his pocket, rubbed his face, and asked, “Sesame filling?”

Chang Ming’an was amused by him and narrowed his eyes slightly. “Sesame filling.”

Chang Ming’an knew absolutely nothing about cooking and was quite flustered. Under He Mu’s guidance, he boiled water, turned down the heat, and put in a few round glutinous rice balls. Yang Xiaozhen came in to check once and specifically requested that she eat sweeter peanut filling. Because he was afraid of mixing them up, Chang Ming’an had to boil another pot and cook with both at the same time.

Yang Xiaozhen was in the living room sending Winter Solstice greetings to her friends on her phone and grabbing Winter Solstice red envelopes. Her WeChat kept buzzing. He Mu leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching Chang Ming’an clumsily stirring two pots to prevent them from sticking. Following He Mu’s instructions, he used water chestnut flour to thicken a lightly sweet soup base with beaten eggs, and a few snowball-like glutinous rice balls floated in it. He Mu, who was already hungry, was now even hungrier, watching longingly.

When the glutinous rice balls were ready, Yang Xiaozhen was still grabbing red envelopes in her group chat with her girlfriends. Overjoyed, she said to Chang Ming’an, “Son, Mom has the best luck!”

Chang Ming’an served her the glutinous rice balls and said as if coaxing a little girl, “Oh, that’s great.”

He Mu and Chang Ming’an sat facing each other, toes touching, each holding a bowl of steaming hot glutinous rice balls. Mu Mu circled around their feet, its front paws pawing at He Mu’s knees, meowing incessantly. He Mu coaxed her softly, “You can’t eat this.” It only quieted down when Chang Ming’an opened a can of food for her.

He Mu ate the glutinous rice balls in a hurry, occasionally hissing and gasping for breath from the hot filling. Chang Ming’an gently kicked his calf with his toe under the table. “Slow down.”

The glutinous rice balls were so sweet, and the soup was delicious too. He Mu felt warm in his stomach, as if he had been waiting for this bowl of glutinous rice balls for a very long time.

Yang Xiaozhen’s WeChat notifications seemed to have stopped for a long time. He Mu looked up at her and found her looking at him too, her brows slightly furrowed. He Mu subconsciously smiled at her, and she smiled back, then looked down at WeChat again. He Mu’s heart was pounding.

When evening came, Yang Xiaozhen was leaving. Chang Ming’an and He Mu saw her to the door and helped her press the elevator button.

The elevator was almost here. Yang Xiaozhen sighed and said to Chang Ming’an, “The new year is almost here, and you’re already twenty-nine. It’s time to settle down so I can feel at ease.”

Chang Ming’an held the elevator door open for her, letting her in. “Okay, I understand.”

He Mu kept his head down, looking at his toes, not daring to look up at anyone. It wasn’t until the elevator left and Chang Ming’an called him that he came back to his senses, rubbed his hands together, and followed Chang Ming’an back into the house.

He Mu noticed that the bedroom air conditioner had been newly installed, and warm air blew out as soon as it was turned on, making people drowsy. The thick quilt on the bed had been put away, leaving only two thin blankets, which made He Mu feel a little disappointed.

When it was time to sleep, the two of them wrapped themselves in their own blankets.

Chang Ming’an lay flat, thinking about what Yang Xiaozhen had told him. Beside him, He Mu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Just as Chang Ming’an was about to ask him a question, He Mu leaned closer, put his arm around Chang Ming’an’s shoulder, and whispered in his ear, “It’s still a little cold.”

Chang Ming’an reached for the air conditioner remote on the bedside table, but He Mu slipped into his blankets like a little eel, hugged his hand, and said, “It’s not cold now.”

He Mu pressed himself against him, and Chang Ming’an almost immediately became erect. As a normal adult male with normal sexual needs, he hadn’t had proper sex in a long time. He awkwardly moved to the side, but He Mu moved away as well.

“You…” Chang Ming’an felt his throat was dry and uttered a single syllable meaninglessly.

He Mu remained silent, simply holding his hand like a drowning person clinging to the only piece of driftwood in the ocean. He Mu felt he was being too wicked. Since Chang Ming’an didn’t reject him, he was taking advantage of the situation.