I bit my swollen lips, no longer daring to defy him. “Aren’t you tired?”
Go get some rest.” “I’m not tired now.” “…” My fingertips twisted the stiff fabric, and my heart softened. We didn’t converse; I focused on washing clothes while he watched. Silence can be the best communication. After washing, I hung the clothes on the balcony, smoothing out every crease.
By the time I finished, night had fallen. I went to the kitchen and prepared two bowls of noodles. In the silent darkness, I placed them on the table. Ye Zhengchen had just finished showering, water droplets glistening on his body. My hand loosened, and the chopsticks almost slipped.
Seeing the steaming noodles, his eyes became hazy. “You must be hungry; have a bowl,” I urged. Ye Zhengchen sat down, sniffed the noodles, picked up a strand, chewed for a long time before swallowing.
“Isn’t it tasty?” I asked. He shook his head. “After you left, I went to various noodle shops but never found this taste.” “There are many delicious things in the world,” I replied. “You might not have tasted them carefully.” “I’ve tasted many delicacies.” He looked up, staring into my eyes. “What I miss most is still this taste.”
A piece of chili got stuck in my throat, burning painfully. I gulped down some soup, which only intensified the burn.
He reached out and placed his hand on the back of mine. I quietly withdrew my hand and set it on my knee. “Eating it every day would make you sick of it.”
He raised his eyebrows, saying nothing. The night was silent, cool as water.
Ye Zhengchen and I held two cups of clear tea, leaning against the window. Moonlight stretched our shadows thin and long. I struggled to find a topic, pointing at the city streets: “That’s People’s Street, that’s Tie Yu Road, the old district of Nanzhou… I used to live there…”
“I know.”
I was surprised. “You know?”
“I also know that Yin Zhongtian’s home was there. You often played together when you were young. He had a crush on you for a long time, but you only saw him as an older brother.”
“How do you know?”
