Evening Stars Chapter 46
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 46
Last October, a blizzard swept through Southern Tibet. The lock on the door of Xu Nanheng's second-floor dormitory had broken, and the door rattled wildly in the wind.
That day, Xu Nanheng dragged a chair to the doorway and sat down, leaning his back against the door. He remembered how bitterly cold it was. The chill had numbed his legs below the ankles. Then, Fang Shiyou came.
A year later, it was October again, but now it was a pleasantly comfortable season in Beijing.
Fang Shiyou scheduled his vacation around the National Day holiday. Since it was followed by a night shift, it added up to five days plus one extra day of rest. During the holiday, Beijing's Daxing and Capital Airports each saw over a million passengers in a single day. There was also the crowds on the high-speed rail, trains, and highways.
Their newly purchased duplex still felt a bit empty. They had only bought the basic furniture, but relatives from both sides sent plenty of household items to celebrate their housewarming, almost like the customary gifting for newlyweds setting up their marital home.
Especially Xu Nanheng's cousin Ran Fei, who gifted a set of bowls, plates, and cutlery, as well as an enameled cast iron pot. When she came by, she sighed that the whole process reminded her of when she got married a few years ago. It almost made Xu Nanheng blush. Furthermore, the pot was red, making it even more festive.
The two of them hadn't picked a specific date to move in. Once the essential furniture like the bed and sofa arrived, they simply started living there, slowly bringing over the rest of their belongings little by little. The housewarming dinner was held the night before National Day at a nice hotel, where both families gathered. The elders handed them red envelopes as a token of blessing.
Looking back now, it really did feel a lot like a wedding.
A wedding banquet, a new home, blessings, and the two newlyweds.
Afterwards, his grandparents sent a potted plant, his second uncle brought several paintings bought abroad, Professor Gu and Fang Shiyou's aunt gifted a sound system and a treadmill. But the house was truly big, spanning two floors. Even after all these additions, it still felt spacious enough that if they ever raised a small dog under eight kilos, it would have plenty of room to run around.
But the two homeowners didn't think having an open space was a bad thing. There was no need for the house to be packed full. At first, Fang Shiyou's aunt suggested that she knew a skilled interior craftsman who could build a small bar area between the living room and the balcony. She meant well, saying that most young people had one nowadays for mixing drinks and creating a romantic atmosphere. But Fang Shiyou politely declined. Both he and Xu Nanheng actually liked that empty, clean space.
During the National Day holiday, they didn't spend all five days cooped up at home either.
On the first day, they stayed in, ordering takeout, watching movies, and scrolling through short videos. One clip showed the line at Yonghe Temple stretching all the way past the next two bus stops down the street.
Their house was on the 16th floor, with a huge panoramic floor-to-ceiling window opening out from the balcony. Although the building stood by the roadside, one of their main requirements when buying a house had been excellent soundproofing. That way, they could enjoy the night view without being disturbed by the constant flow of traffic from the stacked overpasses below.
Xu Nanheng sometimes stood there watching the stream of cars. Having lived in a siheyuan for so long, he wasn't used to seeing the city from this angle. Fang Shiyou would gently hug him from behind and quietly look down with him.
Life seemed to have settled into this rhythm. They snuggled up together during the holiday for a few days, then went to the gym to swim together.
At noon on the last day of the holiday, the weather was especially nice. The crowds of tourists had started to thin since most people were heading home. After their workout, the two went downstairs to a noodle shop near the gym and took a number to wait for a table. By coincidence, they ran into someone they knew.
“Teacer Xu!?”
Xu Nanheng turned his head. Fang Shiyou stood behind him, mostly obscured since the two men were of similar build.
The one calling him was none other than Yang Gao. Xu Nanheng was pleasantly surprised. Beijing was such a big city, and meeting a familiar face during the holidays was no small coincidence. “Oh? Dr. Yang, what a surprise!”
Behind him, while Fang Shiyou was on his phone buying a few household essentials, he looked up and greeted, “Dr. Yang.”
“Oh!” Yang Gao had already been pleasantly surprised to see Xu Nanheng. But when he noticed Fang Shiyou standing behind him, his eyes lit up even more. “You two…… went to the gym together?”
The two of them were carrying identical gym bags and wearing the same brand of quick-dry shirts and athletic pants, only in different colors.
Xu Nanheng nodded openly. “Yeah, we just finished our workout and came here for noodles. Want to join us? The number we took is for a small table, but we can fit.”
He didn't notice that the delight in Yang Gao's eyes was, in fact, a little off. Yang Gao quickly waved his hands. “No, no! I'm taking the subway to the high-speed rail station to pick up some friends. They're coming to visit Beijing.”
“Ah, I see.” Xu Nanheng nodded. “Then we won't keep you.”
Yang Gao gave Fang Shiyou a knowing look. Xu Nanheng might not have noticed, but Fang Shiyou understood perfectly. This colleague really loved gossip. Fang Shiyou nodded politely and said, “Take it easy on the way.”
If he didn't have to pick someone up, Yang Gao would've stayed to chat for at least half an hour. Even so, he couldn't resist squeezing in one last question. Leaning closer to Fang Shiyou, he raised a hand to the people in line behind him to show he wasn't cutting, then whispered, “You two living together?”
Their turn was coming up, and Xu Nanheng had already stepped forward. When he glanced back, Fang Shiyou made a small gesture toward himself and said by way of introduction, “Live-in boyfriend.”
Dr. Yang barely held back from laughing out loud, but the grin spreading across his face said it all. “Good, good, good! Teacher Xu, we have to grab a drink sometime!”
Xu Nanheng acknowledged it, and after Yang Gao left, he gave Fang Shiyou a complicated look. “You just said it like that?”
“It's fine.” Fang Shiyou smiled. “Come on, let's go in.”
Beijing was a big, tolerant city, but that tolerance existed on a macro level. With over twenty million permanent residents, any comparative statistic against such a large population base would still represent significant figures.
During the meal, Xu Nanheng seemed distracted. Fang Shiyou tapped his fingertip against the edge of his bowl and said, “Focus on eating.”
Xu Nanheng looked up. “Dr. Yang won't go around talking about it at the hospital, will he?”
The noodle shop was noisy and bustling. Even if a bowl broke, no one would notice. Xu Nanheng lowered his voice deliberately, and it took Fang Shiyou a moment to realize what he was worrying about.
“You don't have to worry about me,” Fang Shiyou said. “Dr. Yang just enjoys hearing gossip. He's not the type to spread it. He likes the fun of the moment, but once he's had his laugh, he usually forgets it right after.”
That didn't make Xu Nanheng feel much better. “I know he's not a bad person, but what if he lets something slip?”
Fang Shiyou had nearly finished eating. He set down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, took a sip of water, and said, “Nanheng.”
All right, he was calling him by name. That meant he was about to say something serious. Xu Nanheng set down his own chopsticks, ready to listen carefully.
Fang Shiyou said, “Nanheng, life is something we live for ourselves. Every day, there are countless people gossiping about others. Ninety percent of them only dare to whisper behind closed doors, in places we can't see, with voices we can't hear. Do you really think that's scary?”
Xu Nanheng thought for a moment. “Like cockroaches.”
Fang Shiyou laughed. “Exactly. Disgusting, but simple to deal with. All you need is a can of bug spray.”
“I still feel uneasy,” Xu Nanheng said, looking at him. “You won't get bullied at the hospital, will you?”
That question left Dr. Fang momentarily at a loss. “Baby, it's a top-tier hospital. Everyone's too busy for that kind of nonsense.”
That was true enough.
After a moment, Xu Nanheng said, “Then why didn't you let me put your photo on my desk back then? Why weren't you this fearless at that time?”
Amid the noise of the noodle shop, servers shouting “Make way!” and lifting trays above their heads, Fang Shiyou looked at him with a quiet smile.
He said, “Because I love you. When our Teacher Xu isn't in a good mood, even driving across the Kunlun Mountains can't cheer him up. I didn't want you to feel wronged at school over a photo. Besides, it's your school, and you have students there.”
Xu Nanheng didn't even know what expression to make. He felt like laughing, and also a little like crying. But this was, after all, just an ordinary day.