【008】
Yu Ting called the police. While waiting, he carefully reviewed today’s orders.
The sun had come out. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, and the sunlight fell on his white school uniform short-sleeve, casting a soft, golden edge along his lean, tall silhouette.
Zhao Rufei was resting against a chair. One of the chair legs had also been broken off; the crippled spot was propped up with several stacks of discarded newspapers. Zhang Minhua had gone outside to make a phone call and ask for leave.
A few seconds later, Yu Ting came back and asked Zhao Rufei, “Mom, how much money do you have on hand now?”
Through years of osmosis, he knew the flower market prices like the back of his hand. To buy all the items on the list from other flower shops, the price would quadruple or quintuple—he’d need to prepare seven or eight thousand.
Zhao Rufei gestured. “3921.”
Aside from the regular deposits she made into Yu Ting’s fixed savings account, all the household money had been poured into the greenhouse. The income from the estate a few days ago, most of it had been placed in fixed savings, leaving only 3000 for cash flow.
She asked again: “You need money?”
Yu Ting nodded. He folded the order sheet and put it into his trouser pocket. Looking at the time, he said, “I’m going to buy stock. Call me when the police arrive and have news.”
Zhao Rufei immediately stood up. She gestured in surprise, “A kid like you, where would you go to buy? That much stock needs a vehicle to haul; you can’t drive. Besides, the money isn’t enough.”
Yu Ting gently pressed Zhao Rufei back into the chair and smiled faintly. “I have a way.”
By the time Yu Ting rode off from the flower nursery, Zhang Minhua was still on the phone. “Sister Yang, you’ve got to help, put in a good word with the person in charge. My friend’s family has run into big trouble, a widow and an orphan, I can’t just leave them. Yeah, right, the one who delivered flowers last time. Somebody smashed up her family’s flower nursery! I know, it’s a ruin now… It’s done? Haha, thank you, thank you, okay, I owe you a meal! How about Sea Intestine Dumplings? My friend’s son makes them exceptionally well…”
At that moment, in Grade 11 Class 3.
“God Ting was actually late!”
“He didn’t just come late; I went to the office to get the homework and overheard him on the phone asking the homeroom teacher for leave.”
“First time I’ve ever seen him ask for leave!”
“Right? I was in the same class as him in Grade 10 too. Once after school, I ran into him at the infirmary getting fever medicine… He had a fever all day and went to class like nothing was wrong. God Ting is just God Ting, terrifyingly strong!”
…
The low chatter from the front row continuously drifted into Lu Jue’s ears. Before the morning self-study dismissal bell even rang, he grabbed his backpack and left through the back door.
Lu Jue walked while pulling out his phone. His fingertip swiped to Yu Ting’s number, but he paused just before dialing.
The first time he saw Yu Ting was the morning Yu Ting came to deliver flowers.
The boy in a white shirt and black pants was moving flowers under the sun, even more dazzling than the blue flowers in his arms.
Lu Jue called the Butler. He wanted to plant a few of those blue flowers in his courtyard too.
Soon, a woman went to talk to Yu Ting and even gave him a piece of Mochi.
He asked for the woman’s name—it was Zhang Minhua.
Leaving the teaching building, the sun was so harsh it was blinding. Lu Jue narrowed his eyes slightly, paused his recollection for a moment, then dialed a new string of numbers on the keypad.
The Butler quickly returned Lu Jue’s call.
“Zhang Minhua said her friend’s flower nursery was smashed, and she needs the whole day off to help.”
Lu Jue bolted into a run.
On the window glass of that little flower delivery car was a sticker—Rufei Flower Nursery, Address: Sea-Facing Avenue… Phone: 157…
~
By the time Lu Jue arrived at Rufei Flower Nursery, the police had just left.
Zhang Minhua sighed. “There are no surveillance cameras on this stretch of road. I think finding that scumbag will be hard! Think again carefully, have you offended anyone recently?”
Zhao Rufei thought for a moment, then still shook her head. Every day was a straight line between two points; she rarely interacted with people. Her orders were almost all from regulars, and she’d never had friction with anyone. She really couldn’t think of anyone she might’ve offended who would smash her flower nursery.
Clutching her chest, she suddenly raised her head and looked ahead.
Seeing a very tall and handsome young man, Zhao Rufei instinctively gestured, “Who are you looking for—”
She stopped abruptly, remembering he wouldn’t understand sign language, and nudged Zhang Minhua, who was still talking beside her, with her elbow.
“What’s up…” Zhang Minhua turned her head and saw someone standing at the flower nursery entrance. She changed tack and said, “We’re closed today.”
She hadn’t seen Lu Jue before.
Lu Jue said politely, “Hello, Auntie. I’m Yu Ting’s deskmate. He never takes leave, so I was worried he was sick and came to check on him.”
“So you’re Little Ting’s classmate!” Zhang Minhua was very intrigued. She smiled and waved Lu Jue in. “Come in, come in. Little Ting isn’t sick, he went to buy stock.”
Zhao Rufei, however, became somewhat timid. She didn’t want Yu Ting bringing classmates or friends home precisely because she feared they’d discover Yu Ting was from a single-parent family, that his mom was mute, and would look down on him and bully him.
She silently lowered her face, pushing Zhang Minhua in front of her and turning sideways, trying to make herself less conspicuous.
Lu Jue noticed. He stepped forward and also used sign language. “Auntie, I’m not very good at signing, but I can understand it.”
Zhao Rufei was shocked. She forgot to hide. “You know sign language?”
Lu Jue nodded. “My aunt is a sign language teacher. I learned from her.”
The distance between them instantly shrank. Zhao Rufei even went and bought a bottle of ice-cold mineral water for Lu Jue.
Lu Jue didn’t refuse. He observed the wrecked ground from the corner of his eye. He asked, “What kind of stock did Yu Ting go to buy?”
Signing was ultimately slower, so Zhang Minhua answered for her. “Little Lu, as you can see, the flower nursery was smashed. Your Aunt Zhao can’t deliver the goods today. Little Ting didn’t want to ruin the flower nursery’s reputation, so he went to flower shops to buy stock. This time, we’re going to lose quite a lot of money…”
Zhao Rufei quickly stopped Zhang Minhua. She didn’t recognize brands, but the clothes Lu Jue wore looked high-quality to the naked eye, definitely not cheap. His family background must be quite good. She didn’t want Yu Ting to lose face in front of a classmate.
Lu Jue only left after finishing his water.
Back in the car, he first made a call. Zhao Rufei hadn’t offended anyone, and considering the time of the incident, he was almost certain the culprits were that group of expelled punks.
After the call, he searched for every flower shop in Lingjiang, going from one to the next, searching shop after shop.
Three hours later, an extended Phantom silently stopped across from the “Jinshengyuan Flower Shop.”
Lu Jue lowered the car window.
Near noon, the scorching sun was so fierce the ground seemed to be steaming. A lean young man helped the boss load a potted Monstera onto a tricycle. The cramped cargo space was packed airtight.
It was the simplest kind of tricycle, much like a sanitation worker’s cleaning cart, without a roof for shade or rain protection. Yu Ting was completely exposed to the sunlight. His white shirt was already soaked through, clinging tightly to his back. The blades of his shoulders jutted out very distinctly.
Lu Jue opened the car door. “What happened today reaches—”
The chauffeur immediately said, “I’ve been waiting outside since I dropped you at school this morning. I saw nothing.”
Click.
With a crisp sound, the car door closed.
Yu Ting paid the money and pulled the order sheet from his trouser pocket. He crossed off the second-to-last line. 5 pots of Areca Palm, 3 pots of Monstera, 2 pots of Golden Ficus, 7 pots of Grape Hyacinth. Still missing—5 pots of Tulip Pink Parrot.
This was the last flower shop he could find.
Yu Ting wiped the sweat from his forehead, preparing to search the street once more. This was the last order; once delivered, it would be resolved.
Ready to get on the vehicle, someone called out to him. “Little Ting.”
Startled, Yu Ting turned around. A figure instantly blocked the blazing sun, tightly enveloping him in shadow. It wasn’t that hot anymore.
Up close, he could see the boy’s skin was still sunburned, a distinct pink showing through the white. His forehead, just wiped dry, glistened brightly. His two eyes were also bright, as if soaked in water.
His whole body was full of vigorous, flourishing vitality, just like the first time they met.
Lu Jue’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He lowered his eyes and chuckled lightly. “I heard your Auntie call you that.”
Yu Ting froze for two seconds, then immediately understood. “You came from the flower nursery?”
“You took leave, so I went to check on you.”
Before Yu Ting could speak, Lu Jue handed him a bottle of ice water. “Just now, Aunt Zhao treated me to a bottle of ice water. It was quite good.”
It wasn’t strange for Zhao Rufei to offer someone water. What was strange was that she always avoided meeting Yu Ting’s classmates. When Li Chengxi went to their home looking for him, unless they ran into each other by chance, Zhao Rufei would lock herself in her room and pretend not to be home.
Today, not only did she not avoid him, she even offered Lu Jue water?
“Thanks.” Yu Ting took the water. He’d been moving flower pots for hours; all ten fingers were red and swollen from being tightly pressed. Suddenly touching the cold bottle provided a lot of relief. He went to twist the cap and found it was already open. Lu Jue had loosened it beforehand.
Yu Ting paused for a second. He recalled the information online—homosexuals were usually more attentive.
Lu Jue was indeed very attentive.
Yu Ting drank nearly half the bottle in one go. He knew Lu Jue had come to find him. After thinking a bit, he said, “I still need to buy a few pots of flowers. There are bookstores, internet cafes, and cold drink shops nearby. Do you want to find a place to wait for me, or come with me?”
Lu Jue leaned closer to the list he was holding. “I came all this way, so of course I’m coming with you.”
Yu Ting glanced sideways at the passenger seat on the tricycle—well, ‘passenger seat’ was generous; it was actually a small wooden board beside the driver’s spot. Apart from school, Lu Jue probably rarely even sat on wooden chairs.
Yu Ting was still thinking when Lu Jue circled around the front of the tricycle to the passenger spot. He’d never sat there before, guessing that it was a seat. Getting on, his long legs still touched the ground. Without the slightest discomfort, he looked up and urged Yu Ting, “Let’s go, aren’t we still short 5 pots of Pink Parrot?”
Since Lu Jue didn’t mind, Yu Ting got on. A tricycle didn’t require a driver’s license, but Yu Ting still tried to stick to side roads and drove very slowly.
Weaving through old streets lined with small, fly-ridden shops, the heavy smell of stale grease wafted over from time to time. Greasy, stagnant ditches were visible everywhere on the roadside. Loudspeakers blared on loop: “Going-out-of-business clearance sale, last day! Everything one buck!”
The weather was sweltering; even the wind stirred up by the ride carried a fiery heat. Sweat occasionally trickled down the young man’s straight neck. Even though they were in a filthy environment filled with all kinds of smells, Lu Jue could still catch the faint scent of soap from Yu Ting.
He closed his eyes and silently inhaled for a while, then lifted his eyelids. After sending a text, he turned his head and asked Yu Ting, “Is there a hotel nearby to eat?”
“Only fly restaurants.”
“Fly restaurants?” Lu Jue questioned.
“…” Yu Ting was silent for two seconds. He gestured for Lu Jue to look at a small stir-fry shop ahead where the stove was placed right at the shop entrance. Succinctly, he said, “Places that don’t pass health inspections.”
Lu Jue said, “Then find one to eat at? I’m hungry.”
Since morning, Yu Ting had only had that one small bottle of water. He was very hungry but didn’t feel like eating.
He thought about it: the Pink Parrot likely couldn’t be bought.
Tulips were rarely sold in Lingjiang. His family’s flower nursery’s tulips were only successfully cultivated by Zhao Rufei after years of experimentation, let alone the pink variety like Pink Parrot.
He let out a soft sigh and found an empty temporary parking spot to stop the tricycle.
This whole street was lined with small stir-fry restaurants. At the lunch rush, they were all packed. Yu Ting picked one and led Lu Jue inside.
The boss was cooking but took a moment to greet them. “Find an empty table yourselves! Menu’s on the wall.”
The shop wasn’t big, with just eight small tables. They were lucky and found the last empty one.
Yu Ting read out the menu. Lu Jue had never heard of any of the dishes. He slightly tilted his chin. “You order. I’m not picky.”
Remembering what Zhang Minhua had said, Yu Ting wasn’t quite convinced by Lu Jue’s words. He still had a little money left after buying stock. He ordered one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one large mixed salad.
The food arrived very fast. The stir-fried dishes, full of wok hei, were fragrant and appetizing. Yu Ting scalded the bowls and chopsticks with hot water and placed them in front of Lu Jue. “Go ahead and eat.”
Lu Jue raised an eyebrow. “You’re not eating?”
“No—”
Before he could finish, Yu Ting’s phone rang.
He pulled out his phone. It was a call from Zhang Minhua.
After connecting, Zhang Minhua spoke excitedly non-stop for minutes before stopping. Yu Ting listened quietly, then turned his head to look at Lu Jue.
Lu Jue was scooping rice. He filled two bowls and placed one in front of Yu Ting, curving his lips into a smile. “Have an appetite now?”
Yu Ting did have an appetite now.
On the phone, Zhang Minhua had mentioned two things.
First, someone had gone to the police station to turn himself in. He confessed that he and five accomplices had secretly smashed the Rufei Flower Nursery in the early morning hours.
Second, Zhang Minhua’s acquaintance had just delivered 5 pots of Pink Parrot.
“You…” The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Yu Ting swallowed them and said just two words: “Thank you.”
He knew it must have been Lu Jue’s help.
Lu Jue grabbed another pair of chopsticks. Picking up the largest piece of beef, he said, “A simple ‘thanks’ isn’t enough.”
Yu Ting asked seriously, “What else do you need? Just tell me.”
The fragrant beef landed on the plate in front of Yu Ting. Lu Jue put down his chopsticks, the corners of his eyes tilting slightly upwards.
“I heard you’re exceptionally good at making Sea Intestine Dumplings. Taking me to your home to eat a meal will make us even.”
Yu Ting, “…”
