Chen Annan slept early on his first night there. The rural night was quiet. Only when a car passed would the sporadic barking of dogs break the silence.
Auntie had prepared a thick cotton blanket for them. The bed had no heating and was chilly. As soon as Chen Annan burrowed inside, he didn’t dare stretch his legs down. It was too cold; his toes felt frozen, so he could only curl himself into a ball.
Lu Qingyuan had just returned from washing up when Chen Annan stuck to him like a pancake to a griddle, hugging him tightly, trying to absorb his only source of warmth.
Lu Qingyuan reached up and flicked the switch by the bed. The tungsten light went out abruptly, leaving a lingering white line in their vision.
In that brief glow, he touched the tip of his nose to Chen Annan’s and kissed the corner of his mouth, a silent, gentle kiss.
Chen Annan made a muffled “Mm” sound. His breathing grew noticeably heavier. He clutched his Brother’s waist and wriggled restlessly.
Lu Qingyuan reminded him, “Dad is right next door.”
After being kissed, Chen Annan was no longer shy. He said very sensibly, “Oh, then I won’t make a sound.”
Lu Qingyuan was nearly amused to laughter by him. He pinched his nose helplessly. “You’re like a little hooligan…”
Chen Annan blinked. The moonlight made his eyes sparkle. He mouthed the words silently: “Wanna do it?”
Lu Qingyuan didn’t answer.
This time felt different from all the others. From this angle, he could only make out the hair on top of his Brother’s head and the curve of his parted, bent leg, completely unobstructed.
Lu Qingyuan’s palm was broad, his knuckles distinct. When his hand exerted force, veins stood out on the back of it.
The sight made the blood in his entire body boil. Chen Annan didn’t dare look anymore; his gaze darted around randomly.
The wall calendar was from many years ago, its yellowed corners curling up. A beautiful woman was printed on it, red lips and white teeth, a large feather clip pinned in her towering updo, her orchid fingers raised delicately, her smile radiant. She seemed to be quietly watching the lump of quilt on the bed.
Chen Annan’s leg was held firmly. He was like a little dog shivering in a cold night, trembling faintly. If he looked down just slightly, he could see those knuckles gripping his leg, a stark contrast in color even in the darkness.
Chen Annan carefully slowed his breathing. He wanted to pull the quilt entirely over himself, but was afraid of suffocating his Brother, so he didn’t dare move recklessly.
He couldn’t reach Lu Qingyuan’s hand. Because his leg was being held, he could only grip the bedsheet randomly, wrinkling the smooth fabric into a messy ball. Chen Annan had always looked pitiful when he cried since he was little. Now, though not crying, his eyes just held a layer of unshed tears, glistening and trembling, which made him look even more pitifully endearing.
Lu Wenyuan was in the next room. The soundproofing in the old house was poor, so Chen Annan only dared to whimper stifledly.
They had been bare and honest with each other many times, but they had never truly gone further. Several times, when Chen Annan whimpered impatiently, Lu Qingyuan would only nibble his ear and switch to gentler methods to help relieve his needs.
But the touch of a hand was, after all, a bit rough, completely different from the wetness and warmth inside a mouth.
Chen Annan had already succumbed to this scent. His chest heaved heavily, his hand clutching the bedsheet tightened, and his tightly clenched teeth trembled uncontrollably. He called out “Brother” in fragmented syllables, but said nothing else. Yet many of his small actions proved his happiness was excessive, making him seem excited and thrilled.
Lu Qingyuan hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from him. It was a long while before he crawled out from under the quilt and went to the suitcase to find wet wipes. He cleaned Chen Annan first, then tidied himself up simply.
Chen Annan lay spread out on the bed, the flush on his face not yet faded. He fluttered his lashes and said, “Let me help you too.”
Lu Qingyuan reached out and tapped his nose bridge. “Sleep obediently.” After saying that, he went out to wash up again.
There was only one bathroom on the second floor. When Lu Qingyuan came out, a voice suddenly called from behind him, “Xiao Yuan?”
Lu Qingyuan nearly jumped out of his skin at his dad’s voice. He instinctively dodged to the side to make way.
“What are you two doing, still not asleep?” Lu Wenyuan said, yawning widely as he spoke.
For the first time ever, Lu Qingyuan couldn’t utter a single word. He didn’t even dare “Mm,” afraid that opening his mouth would reveal something amiss.
Fortunately, Lu Wenyuan was long used to the fact that his son was practically half-mute. He walked past him on his own, saying, “Go to bed early. Tomorrow, let’s go fishing, okay? I asked around; there’s a frozen lake not far from here with lots of fish. Later, I’ll bring an ice pick and just chop a hole in it.”
Lu Qingyuan nodded and closed the door behind him.
Chen Annan was already curled up under the quilt, fast asleep, half his face buried in the blanket. Once a cotton quilt warms up, it becomes very cozy. Lu Qingyuan reached out and pulled the blanket down a little, then hugged him from behind to sleep.
Chen Annan’s top pajamas were still on; only his lower half was bare. The feeling of skin directly touching the quilt was something else entirely.
This sleep was both comfortable and deep. When he woke up the next morning, the bed was completely filled with warmth.
Lu Wenyuan was in the yard feeding the chickens again, his “cluck-cluck” calls noisy. Chen Annan turned over, sleepily kicked a leg out, and surprisingly found his Brother wasn’t there. His drowsiness instantly vanished, and he sat up.
At that moment, Lu Qingyuan was at the sink, soaping and scrubbing both their underwear. In winter, the wind outside was strong, and clothes hung out to dry would freeze easily, so he hung them on a clothes rack inside the room.
When he came back, Chen Annan half-knelt on the bed and threw himself into his arms, making him stagger back a step.
“I want to get dressed.” Chen Annan’s voice was muffled and coquettish. “You dress me.”
“My hands are cold. Dress yourself,” Lu Qingyuan said. “I already stuffed your clothes into the quilt for you.”
Chen Annan hummed and fished his clothes out from the quilt. In winter, clothes needed to be kept under the blanket to warm up for a while before they weren’t cold.
He dressed slowly, putting on a new sweater. His down jacket was unzipped and open, revealing the delicate tulip pattern on the sweater—very pretty.
“I love you so much.” Chen Annan tilted his face up towards him and smiled foolishly.
“Me too.” Lu Qingyuan cupped his face with both hands, rubbed and messed up his hair, then lowered his head and kissed his cheek.
When they came downstairs, breakfast was already on the table: boiled eggs, steamed buns, and dried pickled vegetables. Lu Wenyuan was holding a bowl of taro porridge. Seeing them come down, he said, “The young masters have finally risen?”
Chen Annan was in an exceptionally good mood today, brighter than the sun in the sky. He rushed down in a single bound, hugged Lu Wenyuan, and said affectionately, “Uncle, I love you.”
Auntie and Uncle were both stunned for a moment, then smiled, saying the kid had such a lively personality now, completely different from when he was little.
Lu Wenyuan had taken good care of him over the years. Really good care.
“Careful, don’t let it burn you.” Lu Wenyuan put his bowl on the table and said to him, “So clingy so early in the morning. You two don’t have some announcement to make, do you? Don’t scare me.”
Chen Annan giggled and said lightly, “Nothing’s up.”
“Then why are you getting clingier the older you get?” Although Lu Wenyuan said this, his palm still rested on the kid’s head, ruffling his hair. The fine lines at the corners of his eyes crinkled into a warm smile.
After breakfast, Uncle went to the greenhouse to check on the flowers. In winter, there were no fields to tend; those flowers were the family’s only source of income. Yesterday, Lu Wenyuan hadn’t been able to figure out the problem himself, so he’d taken a photo and asked a professor at the agricultural college. The old professor quickly provided a professional solution, and Lu Wenyuan said he’d have to treat them to a meal when they got back.
The sunshine today was wonderful. Even though it was only morning, they could feel the warmth of the light directly on their faces.
Auntie rode her electric tricycle to the market. She insisted on buying more New Year’s supplies, afraid they wouldn’t have enough to eat. In two days, it would be New Year’s Eve. Once New Year’s Eve passed, the real New Year would arrive—2012.
2012, the apocalypse.
The day before New Year’s Eve, Chen Annan’s phone practically exploded. If unchecked for a moment, 99+ messages would flood in, ding-donging endlessly.
For the past two years, the class had been circulating rumors that 2012 was the apocalypse predicted by the Maya. Coupled with the popularity of zombie movies in recent years, everyone was joking about stockpiling supplies. Some talked about building basements and asked if anyone wanted to join. Those with poor fitness half-joked they’d just be the first row of zombies. The timid ones asked: if a zombie only bit a finger, would it hurt?
Chen Annan watched their chat happily. A blue cloth apron was tied around his waist, smeared all over with flour. When his finger swiped the screen, it transferred flour onto it.
Lu Qingyuan came out of the kitchen. He had just placed a tray of freshly shaped steamed buns onto the stove.
He also wore a dirtied apron around his waist, with protective sleeves pulled over his arms.
During the last days of the twelfth lunar month, everyone was preparing for the New Year. Each person had a clear division of labor. Lu Wenyuan had set aside a small basin of dough on the stovetop, saying it was for frying yousan, twisted dough snacks, and forbade anyone else from touching it.
Though at that moment, he himself was with Uncle in the greenhouse, checking on the flowers.
At the entrance of the small courtyard, Auntie returned from outside, wrapped in cold air. She was carrying a black plastic bag in her hand, its contents fidgeting restlessly.
“I just went to the market and bought two more crucian carp, afraid we might not have enough.” As she spoke, she added some water and put the fish into an aluminum basin, planning to cook them tomorrow.
Lu Qingyuan chatted with his Auntie for a while, then went back inside and saw Chen Annan staring at the screen and smiling. He reached out and pinched his face. “What are you looking at?”
Chen Annan lifted his face, a smudge of flour on it. “They’re saying when the apocalypse hits, you absolutely can’t stay at school. The sports students next door would run so fast they’d scare people to death.”
“It’s fine. I’ll carry you on my back and run,” Lu Qingyuan said. He used the clean part of his wrist to wipe Chen Annan’s face, but the flour on the back of his hand smeared a bit more on, leaving a short white streak.
Auntie finished preparing the fish and came back to continue rolling out dough.
Chen Annan was still looking down at his phone. Small red packets were being sent in the group chat, one yuan split five ways. Boring.
