Zhuang Ningyu’s birthday was at the end of July. Considering Yi Ke’s usual sense of ritual regarding such matters, when the morning sunlight spilled into the bedroom on the day of his birthday, he didn’t get up immediately. Instead, he cautiously lifted his eyelids to observe the room, wanting to see if there were nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Ecuadorian red roses quietly filling the space. And if there were, he wondered what reaction he should make to meet Yi Ke’s psychological expectations.
As it turned out, there were none.
Yi Ke pressed up against him from behind, his voice still raspy and soft from sleep, whining like a puppy: “Wifey, Happy Birthday.”
His frame was large, as were his hands. His body temperature upon just waking was higher than usual. His dry, slightly hot palms habitually rubbed over Zhuang Ningyu’s body, and his morning kiss was hot, too. The soreness lingering from last night’s overly intense lovemaking hadn’t fully subsided. As he moved, Zhuang Ningyu frowned slightly. Yi Ke immediately softened his movements, cupping Zhuang Ningyu’s face with both hands: “Uncomfortable?” After asking, he felt the question was a bit redundant, so he lowered his head to kiss him again. “Do you want me to take a look for you?”
Zhuang Ningyu shook his head. The temperature under the duvet was a bit high; the originally refreshing scent of lemon body wash had been mixed with a trace of evaporated sweetness and ambiguity under the covers. To ensure that this birthday journey could start normally—rather than being destined to stay in bed before even getting out of it—he said, “Hungry.”
Yi Ke wasn’t so blinded by lust that he interpreted “hungry” as a blunt coveting of his body—after all, he had truly eaten his fill last night. So, he skillfully pulled the duvet to wrap the other man up: “How about just a ham and vegetable sandwich? Just a little something to pad your stomach; save room for lunch.”
Zhuang Ningyu asked with some confusion, “Isn’t the Japanese dinner scheduled for the evening?”
“We’re going out to eat for lunch, too.” Yi Ke brushed aside the stray hair on his forehead, looking exceptionally smug.
Zhuang Ningyu didn’t ask any more questions. The surprise revealed in advance didn’t fit Yi Ke’s usual pursuit of ritual. Moreover, he breathed a deep sigh of relief at the fact that “lunch meant eating a proper meal, not being eaten himself.” So, after Yi Ke got up, he lay in bed for a little while longer before dragging his weak body lazily downstairs. The sunlight in the living room was brighter than in the bedroom, lifting one’s spirits just by looking at it. Yi Ke, wearing a pair of loose sweatpants, was busy in front of the stove. Although it was just the simplest vegetable sandwich, he hadn’t forgotten to use a mold to press the bread slices into a heart shape!
At the breakfast table, Zhuang Ningyu looked at the sandwich made of crusts with a hole in the middle on Yi Ke’s plate and asked with pressure, “Shall we switch?”
Yi Ke refused immediately. Absolutely not. We successful men must eat the bread crusts left over by our wives!
Considering he had an extremely detailed arrangement for the day, Zhuang Ningyu couldn’t figure out if this bread was also part of the program—something like “love is not possession, but self-transcendence through sharing and giving,” thereby reflecting a dual fulfillment of spirit and matter… The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, so he decided to let Yi Ke do whatever he wanted for the whole day.
Approaching noon, the two went out together. Similarly, there were no nine hundred and ninety-nine red roses in the trunk. It wasn’t that Zhuang Ningyu was particularly looking forward to roses; it was mainly because Yi Ke liked them. He was keen on paving every memorable day with a romantic sea of flowers, yet the roses were late to appear today, which clearly defied common sense.
“What are you thinking about?” Yi Ke asked while driving.
Zhuang Ningyu snapped back to reality: “Nothing. Are we almost there?”
“Almost.” Yi Ke lifted his chin. “Look, just ahead.”
The car navigation announced: Arriving at destination ahead, Little Fish Park.
This area was also within the scope of the old city demolition and renovation, but the reconstruction had started two years earlier than the Fuxing Garden area. Due to policy requirements, super high-rise residential buildings were not allowed in the zone, so the tallest buildings were only six stories high, giving it a very lived-in atmosphere. Little Fish Park was the supporting park for this residential area. Zhuang Ningyu asked, “Why is it called that name?”
Yi Ke drove the car straight into the underground garage of the community on the right side of the road: “Because the name is cuter.”
Zhuang Ningyu looked at the gate barrier that opened automatically without visitor registration and roughly guessed what today’s birthday gift was.
“You—”
“Shh.”
Yi Ke parked the car, jumped out, ran a few steps to the passenger side, opened the door for him, and said with a smile, “Get out first.”
This community wasn’t as high-end as the Guanxing Building; it was a standard residential development. Owners were currently moving in one after another, and falling ribbons could be seen everywhere, looking extremely festive. It was still two apartments per elevator, and units 201 and 202 had also been knocked through to connect. Yi Ke pressed the electronic lock with his thumb, turned to him, and asked, “Do you want to close your eyes first?”
Zhuang Ningyu shook his head: “No need.”
The door opened, revealing a scene exactly the same as before. Yi Ke had essentially created a 1:1 replica of the old apartment in Fuxing Garden. Many old pieces of furniture had been moved over…
Looking out from the living room window, one could see Little Fish Park. In this season, the park was lush and green. Yi Ke hugged him from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. “Actually, I invested in building this park, but I felt that naming it ‘Zhuang Ningyu Park’ was a bit too obvious, so later it was changed to Little Fish. There’s a big pond inside, I…”
Although Zhuang Ningyu had mentally prepared himself partially, it obviously didn’t include this. “You named the park?”
Yi Ke said self-righteously: “What about it? I…”
Zhuang Ningyu: “…” Why waste that money?
Aside from Little Fish Park, looking out from the service balcony on the other side, there was a bustling food street. Sister Liu’s Homemade Beef Bread, Grandpa Huang’s Qiaojiao Beef Restaurant, Auntie Li’s Egg Cakes, Fugui Old Hotpot, Refreshing Juice Shop… Seeing the familiar shop signs filling his eyes, Zhuang Ningyu turned his head in shock again. Yi Ke introduced them triumphantly: “This place isn’t far from the university, and there are many residential areas around, so business won’t be bad. That’s why I asked the old shopkeepers on Fuxing Street if they were willing to move here or open a branch. In the end, I brought over seven or eight households in total.”
As he was speaking, Huang Afa ran out from the back kitchen, pulling at his clothes and fanning himself vigorously. Business was obviously booming, keeping him incredibly busy. When he looked up and saw Zhuang Ningyu standing on the second-floor balcony, he froze, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. He even reached out to rub his eyes. It took him a long while to react before he shouted happily: “Teacher Zhuang, you moved here so quickly?”
In less than five minutes, several old shopkeepers had been called out by Xiao Huang, all beaming with smiles. Yi Ke took Zhuang Ningyu down to greet everyone. The two went downstairs empty-handed, but when they returned, they were each carrying a pile of steaming food bags. The tableware in the kitchen was also the same as before, including Xiao Yi’s dedicated blue lace-rimmed bowl.
Even the angle of the light refracting into the dining room was identical to that in Fuxing Garden.
Zhuang Ningyu had never lacked love growing up; the affection surrounding him was even a bit excessive. But the love Yi Ke gave him was truly different from everyone else’s. It was like passionate sunlight, or an enthusiastic puppy—always coming on strong and self-righteous. When he pounced, he always had wet eyes and a tail wagging like a propeller. His liking and happiness were all exposed, carrying one hundred percent heat and sincerity. Considering how much effort went into arranging this house, even the books on the shelves were placed in the way Zhuang Ningyu was most accustomed to. That hand-drawn figure of the Maldives vacation had been framed, only now there was another chibi version of a husband holding a coconut beside it, and on the chest area, two mosaics were similarly applied.
Yi Ke, a model of a pure and innocent Gong (top).
For the rest of the day, life seemed to have returned to Fuxing Garden. Yi Ke sat on the sofa, and Zhuang Ningyu rested his head on his lap. The two ate fruit and watched TV together, tuning into Jincheng TV-6, the channel dedicated to domestic trivia. Previously, Wu Tao appeared on camera two to three times a week on average; it could be called the dedicated channel for the Dispute Mediation Department, so it was deeply loved by the former leader, who would watch his old subordinates from time to time. However, there was no Wu Tao or Qian Yue in today’s news. The overall tone was very festive, and the theme was that a small orchestra from Vienna was coming to Jincheng for a free performance to play the song of international friendship cities!
Zhuang Ningyu grabbed the remote and changed the channel; he had no interest in this kind of concert.
Yi Ke was busy looking at his phone and didn’t pay attention to the news on TV. He just heard a snippet and asked casually, “What complimentary tickets?”
Zhuang Ningyu stretched, answering sleepily, “Nothing, it’s not important.”
Yi Ke touched his face. So cute.
Dinner was chosen at a newly opened Japanese restaurant. The ingredients were delicious and fresh, with a little bit of everything—fish, shrimp, crab, and sea urchin. But there were still no roses in the private room. So where exactly was the sea of flowers that Yi Ke loved so much?
The answer was obvious, because after all, there were less than four hours left until the birthday ended, and there weren’t many other places left to utilize.
In the dead of night, Zhuang Ningyu, wearing new pajamas, lay in the bedroom of the new home. Scattered all over the floor around him were romantic red roses. He felt a sense of groundedness in his heart, thinking, “Finally, it’s here.”
Yi Ke leaned against the headboard, holding his fragrant wife who had just finished bathing. Holding a hardcover book in his hands, he tenderly read bedtime stories and line after line of love poems. He read for a full half hour before asking in confusion, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Zhuang Ningyu stopped his hand, which had been boredly twirling the button of the other’s pajamas: “Hmm?”
Yi Ke placed the book face down on the nightstand and leaned in to look at him: “Not sleepy? You were yawning the whole way back in the car.”
Zhuang Ningyu answered calmly, “I thought there were other segments for tonight.” He was sleepy, especially since they had drunk a little wine at dinner, and his eyelids kept fighting to close. The reason he was awake until now was entirely sustained by love.
Yi Ke laughed out loud, pulled him into his arms, and supported his waist, which had been uncomfortable all day, with his palm. He coaxed, “You haven’t recovered yet. Rest a bit more. Go to sleep like a good boy.”
“Are you sure?” Zhuang Ningyu’s voice was wrapped in thick drowsiness. Don’t complain to me later about a lack of ritual.
Yi Ke didn’t speak again. He just turned off the light and hugged him tighter. Sure enough, in less than three minutes, the person in his arms fell into a deep sleep, his breathing steady and long.
Outside the double-layered soundproof windows was the noisy, vibrant atmosphere of the Little Fish Night Market.
Hmm, Xiao Yi spent his own money on that, too.
