Kissing across that flower knot
The cat was a greedy one, raising its two front paws to ask him for small shrimps to eat.
Yu Jinnian had finally managed to coexist peacefully with it using a couple of small shrimps, when Ji Hong walked in, looking over Yu Jinnian’s shoulder and gazing down at the cat in his arms.
The cat was licking its paws and seemed to sense the sudden shadow pressing down from above. It lifted its small face to look up just as Ji Hong reached out to touch it, scaring it into a sharp meow. It swiped at Ji Hong with its paw while its hind legs kicked against Yu Jinnian, using his shoulder to leap onto a nearby cupboard.
The cupboard had been in use for many years and often creaked. With the cat’s leap, it wobbled precariously. Yu Jinnian hurried to steady it but tripped over the frantically scurrying cat. Ji Hong then reached out to stop Yu Jinnian from face-planting onto the floor.
It was a chaotic mess of flailing people and yowling cats.
High up on the cupboard was a ceramic jar, whose contents were unknown. It had been there before Yu Jinnian had wandered into this place, with a red seal stuck on it that seemed to have some blurred characters on it. He had never touched it, partly because it was too high to reach and partly because he thought it was Aunt Xu’s private belongings and it wouldn’t be appropriate to meddle with it.
Now, the jar was about to topple over.
Yu Jinnian’s body reacted faster than his mind, instinctively reaching out to catch it. By the time he realized what he was doing, the heavy jar was about to smash onto his head. He had previously done something foolish like this; once, a kitchen knife had fallen, and he reflexively reached out to catch it. Luckily, he missed, or he would have had to become a monk and learn the one-finger Zen skill.
He thought he was doomed, and his head would soon be blooming like a peony. Suddenly, he was grabbed around the waist, and his feet left the ground as he was pulled backward. His precious head narrowly missed the falling jar, which smashed at his feet into countless pieces.
Yu Jinnian clutched his chest, exclaiming, “That was close!” He was about to thank Ji Hong for saving his life when he heard a series of coughs from behind. Ji Hong turned and leaned against the doorframe, coughing lightly and then taking a deep breath.
“Are you okay…” Yu Jinnian patted his back.
Ji Hong placed a hand on his chest, his arm feeling sore. He lightly shook his arm and said indifferently, “What did you eat? You’re so heavy.”
“…” Yu Jinnian stared at him, thinking, I don’t mind you wasting lamp oil because you’re afraid of the dark, and yet you complain that I’m fat? The small fire that had just been extinguished flared up again. He huffed, “Obviously, it’s your lack of strength. If you can’t even lift me, how will you carry a bride on your back in a bridal sedan?”
He must have said something wrong because Ji Hong’s face darkened, and he suddenly stopped talking. The kitchen was filled only with the sound of his gradually calming breaths and the bubbling stew of pork knuckles. Ji Hong’s back was thin, and even with several layers of clothing, it seemed empty underneath. Though Yu Jinnian didn’t know what mistake he had made, he felt inexplicably uneasy.
‘The atmosphere is too tense, say something, anything,’ Yu Jinnian thought frantically. ‘Should I apologize first? Even though I don’t know what I did wrong, he couldn’t be upset over such a trivial joke, right? But then again, no man likes being told he’s weak. Ji Hong’s health is poor, and he’s proud, so he’d naturally dislike being told he’s weak. And he saved me out of kindness, but I mocked him, which was really inappropriate — so it seems it’s my fault, I should apologize…’
Just as he opened his mouth, Ji Hong turned to look at him and suddenly asked, “What kind of person do you think I should marry?”
So, what he was troubled by wasn’t my mocking him, but pondering what kind of girl he should marry? Yu Jinnian was stunned, but still answered honestly, “Of course, someone from a noble family, elegant and graceful…” Otherwise, how could she match someone as unique and unparalleled as Ji Hong?
Ji Hong listened and coldly sneered, “Indeed, such a person.”
With that, he walked away without looking back.
Yu Jinnian chased after him for a few steps, seeing him return to his room and close the door with a sweep of his sleeve, clearly indicating he didn’t want to see anyone.
And that “anyone” happened to be Yu Jinnian himself.
He spun around like a top outside the door, called out “Ji Hong” twice, but received no response. He had no choice but to lower his head and spin back to the kitchen like a top. Ji Hong sat at his desk, noticing the shadow moving back and forth outside the door but refusing to come in. He pursed his lips slightly and ignored it, holding a pen and paper, and quietly began to write.
After a while, he looked up again, but there was no one outside.
At this moment, Yu Jinnian was holding a dustpan in one hand and a broom in the other, cleaning up the debris and fragments that had fallen from the cupboard. The fallen jar was a specially sealed jar, the kind often used for fermenting pickles, with a small water trough on the rim to seal the lid. However, this small jar didn’t contain pickles but red fermented tofu. It was unclear how long it had been fermenting, but most of the tofu blocks had already turned bad. After such a hard fall, they had all turned into red tofu paste, emitting a salty and fragrant aroma due to the good sealing.
He had made fermented tofu before and knew it was quite a hassle to make a good jar of it.
First, the timing for making fermented tofu was important. Too cold, it wouldn’t ferment; too hot, it would spoil. It had to be in slightly cold but humid weather. You’d buy a few pieces of firm tofu, drain the water, cut them into small square pieces, and place them on a straw-lined steamer to ferment. After about seven to ten days, fine white mold would grow on the tofu blocks.
When the tofu blocks turned soft and sticky with white mold, it was time to prepare the brine for pickling. One would grind spices like cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, licorice, and Sichuan pepper into a five-spice powder. If you liked it spicy, you could add chili powder. Roll the tofu blocks in rice wine, then coat them in the five-spice powder, and put them in a jar.
The bottom of the jar would also be lined with straw. Then you’d layer the tofu blocks with salt, stacking all the tofu this way.
But it wasn’t done yet. You still had to cook a brine with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and ginger, fill the jar until the tofu blocks were submerged, and seal the jar, leaving it to slowly pickle and develop flavor. If you were impatient, you could open the jar and taste it after ten days or half a month. Fresh and tender fermented tofu, whether paired with noodles or rice, or just spread on a plain bun, was delicious!
Homemade fermented tofu was as simple and convenient as possible, but it was said that professional tofu makers had dozens of secret steps, and they wouldn’t open the jar to sell it until it had been sealed for months. There were different flavors like red, white, green, and spicy tofu, which were several levels above homemade ones.
But the jar in front of him was now smashed into paste, mixed with dust and dirt on the ground, making it inedible, which was really a pity. Yu Jinnian squatted down, dipped a finger into some relatively clean tofu paste, and tasted it.
At this moment, the mischievous cat, now unafraid, snuck out from somewhere. It first looked around, then boldly approached Yu Jinnian, sniffed the tofu paste on the ground, and extended its little pink tongue to lick it.
Yu Jinnian waved it away, saying, “You little thing, the culprit, you know you caused trouble and ran away.”
The cat, naturally, didn’t understand what “culprit” meant. It tilted its head at him, twitched its ears, and yawned lazily on the ground.
As Yu Jinnian slowly cleaned up the debris, he said to the cat, “Tell me, I said he was weak, and he got angry. I praised him for marrying a dignified and virtuous lady, and he got angry… Why is he angry? Why is he so petty?”
He was used to joking around with Ji Hong. Despite Ji Hong’s cold exterior and succinct speech, he was actually quite fun. No matter how you teased him, he wouldn’t get angry, just frown and sigh helplessly. Yu Jinnian didn’t know what went wrong today. He hadn’t done anything, yet Ji Hong suddenly lost his temper and shut him out.
“Meow!” the cat called.
Yu Jinnian nodded in agreement, “Right, you must think he’s petty too!”
“Meow meow,” the cat called again.
Yu Jinnian cleaned up the broken jar, then picked up two bowls with large chips and looked at the cat, saying, “You should go apologize to him; it was clearly your fault.”
The cat arched its back immediately and bared its teeth at him.
Yu Jinnian found it quite odd. Why were these soft little creatures so afraid of Ji Hong? Sui Sui was the same, and now the cat too, acting like they had seen a ghost whenever they saw him and wanting to stay as far away as possible. He wondered aloud, “Does Ji Hong eat you guys or something?” As he said this, he quickly grabbed the cat trying to run away, holding it by the scruff of its neck, saying, “Where are you running to? So dirty, time for a bath!”
He heated a basin of warm water and put the little cat into it. It’s said that cats are naturally afraid of water, and this one was no exception. As soon as its paws touched the water, it acted as if there were crocodiles in the basin ready to bite it, scaring the soul out of it.
Yu Jinnian coaxed and cajoled until he managed to wash it. The kitten seemed to realize it couldn’t escape and eventually gave up, hanging its little head on the edge of the wooden basin with a look of utter resignation.
After washing it with two basins of water, the little dirty cat finally revealed its true colors: white mouth, white belly, white feet, and the rest yellow, with a yellow and white mix around its neck that looked like a little bell collar from a distance. And it didn’t just have a collar; it had two little meat bells under its tail!
“Little Ding Dang!” Yu Jinnian held it up, saying, “Help me fulfill all my wishes!”
The kitten drooped its tail, not even bothering to respond: “…”
Yu Jinnian dried the cat, wrapped it in an old cloth, and eagerly ran to find Ji Hong. He suddenly remembered at the door that Ji Hong was still playing the cold war with him. He peered through the crack of the door but didn’t see Ji Hong. The kitten meowed softly in his arms, and he petted it, meowing back twice.
The large shadow on the paper window didn’t escape Ji Hong’s notice. He asked, “Where did this stray cat come from?”
Yu Jinnian replied with a smile, “From the kitchen, and it’s really cute!”
Without waiting for an invitation, he pushed the door open and closed it behind him to prevent the cat from escaping. Ji Hong was still engrossed in his writing and didn’t look up. Yu Jinnian ran over, lifted a corner of the cloth, and said excitedly, “Look, it’s very cute.”
Ji Hong glanced up reluctantly but didn’t see the cuteness, only a pair of fierce eyes glaring like copper bells.
He seemed taken aback and could only say, “…It is very cute.”
“Right?” Yu Jinnian pulled up a round stool, sat next to him, and whispered, “Hey, I’m sorry.” He looked at Ji Hong and saw that despite his serious anger, he still hadn’t taken off the headband around his neck.
Could he really wear it for a lifetime? What kind of preference was this?
“Hm?” Ji Hong continued writing.
Yu Jinnian stole a couple of glances at him, trying hard not to focus on the incongruous headband, and said, “I didn’t mean to make you angry. You helped me avoid getting hurt, and I said that to you—it was my fault. I apologize.” He quickly grabbed the cat’s paw and shook it, “Little Ding Dang also apologizes.”
Did the young man really name the stray cat Little Ding Dang? Ji Hong glanced sideways. The cat’s eyes, which had been comfortably half-closed, met his gaze and immediately turned into copper bells, flashing with a dangerous glint.
“…”
Ji Hong stopped looking at the cat and asked, “What exactly did you say about me?”
Did he need to repeat it? Yu Jinnian said dumbly, “I said you were weak and couldn’t carry a bride. It’s no big deal. You’ve been eating well lately and gaining some weight. Once the weather improves, I’ll take you out for a run. Then, not just one bride, but even carrying two brides won’t be a problem!”
Two brides at once? Ji Hong paused his writing, turned to look at the boy. Did he even know why Ji Hong was angry?
Seeing his expression, it was clear he didn’t know.
Yu Jinnian glanced at what Ji Hong was writing and asked, “What are you writing?”
Ji Hong opened his mouth, but the words turned into a faint sigh. He said, “This is an introductory book I’m copying for you. To learn characters and literature, you need to be serious. Always being careless won’t do. This introductory book is simple and easy to understand. I memorized it when I was young. You should memorize it as well. Ink is scarce at home, so use a brush with water to write on the table and practice until you’re familiar with it. Then I’ll teach you more.”
“Oh, okay.” Yu Jinnian nodded earnestly.
Ji Hong looked at the boy’s profile beside him, gently furrowing his brows with a sense of helplessness, thinking, “Forget it, you can’t force it.”
…
Before going to sleep that night, Ji Hong indeed watched Yu Jinnian read the book once and copy it once before allowing him to go to bed.
Yu Jinnian, exhausted from the day’s antics, lay in bed, tired and sleepy. He lay on his side, watching Ji Hong, who was lying on his back with his hands folded on his chest, incredibly proper. Although his sleeping posture was somewhat rigid, his face remained serene and handsome, never tiring to look at.
But the problem was… could you please return my headband? It’s been around your neck all afternoon and evening! If you like wearing it so much, could you buy a new one?
Yu Jinnian stared at Ji Hong, hoping he would get the hint. But Ji Hong seemed completely unaware. As Yu Jinnian’s eyelids grew heavy and he fell into a deep sleep, Ji Hong showed no reaction.
At this point, Ji Hong opened his eyes, carefully removed the headband, and gingerly looped it out from under Yu Jinnian’s neck, tying a big bow. He turned to look at the boy sleeping peacefully beside him, gently touching the knot hanging at his neck, and whispered, “Sleeping so soundly?”
Yu Jinnian seemed to feel an itch on his neck, reaching up to scratch.
“Don’t scratch,” Ji Hong pressed his hand back onto the pillow. Yu Jinnian didn’t wake up, soon relaxing his hand again. Ji Hong leaned up, quietly watching Yu Jinnian’s sleeping face, feeling as though a small fire was slowly burning in his heart, boiling his once cold blood.
But what good would it do if his heart was boiling? The boy remained blissfully unaware, continually adding fuel to the fire in his heart.
“Jinnian,” Ji Hong murmured, pressing Yu Jinnian’s hand, slowly separating his fingers with his own, interlocking their hands. The warmth from Yu Jinnian’s hand seeped into his bones.
The cat, which had been hiding since the evening, suddenly appeared, looking up at the two men on the bed. The one who had fed it shrimp lay motionless, while the other stared menacingly, as if he wanted to devour the one lying down.
The cat arched its back and leaped up, growling menacingly at Ji Hong, placing a paw protectively on Yu Jinnian’s throat. After all, this two-legged creature had fed it and given it a bath. It had to protect this fragile neck from being bitten by the other predator.
In Ji Hong’s eyes, the cat was affectionately snuggling with Yu Jinnian, even hugging the boy’s neck, while he could only secretly put his arm around Yu Jinnian’s shoulder in the rain.
His eyes darkened abruptly. He grabbed the cat by the scruff and sent it outside, locking the door to keep it out.
Returning to bed, Ji Hong gazed at Yu Jinnian’s neck, adorned with the flower knot. His throat, dry and aching, moved as he swallowed. He held Yu Jinnian’s hand and slowly bent down, kissing the boy’s Adam’s apple through the flower knot.
Breathing in Yu Jinnian’s scent, Ji Hong suddenly chuckled, thinking to himself, “Look at me, even jealous of a cat.”
…
With the cat, Yu Jinnian’s life became even more colorful. He used the two chipped bowls as its food and water bowls, made a bed for Little Ding Dang, and often brought back large bags of fish scraps and shrimp from the fishermen when he went out to buy fish to make cat food for it.
—Though Little Ding Dang never saw him as its master and roamed freely as it pleased. Seeing it once or twice every seven or eight days was a miracle. Sometimes, when it was hungry, beaten, or bullied, it would return to scratch at Yu Jinnian’s door. If the window wasn’t closed tightly at night, Little Ding Dang would sneak in through the crack, jump on the bed, and find a warm place to sleep.
Ji Hong was woken up by the cat several times, and it seemed as if Little Ding Dang had a particular grudge against him. It would always step on him very deliberately and heavily, as if it wanted to jump up and down to make him cough up blood.
Sometimes, when it had nowhere else to go, Little Ding Dang would stay at the noodle shop, lying on the counter during the day, lazily swishing its tail, indifferently watching the customers come and go, acting as a quiet and beautiful shop mascot.
Ji Hong often said not to spoil the cat too much, and Yu Jinnian would pityingly say, “It’s just a kitten.”
But after less than a month, Yu Jinnian could no longer say that.
Because the kitten… had grown.
What was once a kitten that could be lifted with one hand now required two hands to hold. Its face had grown rounder, and it was no longer the cute little thing it once was—Little Ding Dang had become a big iron bell.
Yu Jinnian had a terrible nightmare in which he was abducted into a circus and forced to practice breaking stones on his chest. He felt suffocated under the heavy stone slab and grabbed the hand of the person next to him, which turned out to be Ji Hong’s hand, waking him up.
By then, it was already dawn. Ji Hong got up and lifted the cat sleeping on his chest, allowing Yu Jinnian to breathe a sigh of relief and exclaim, “I’m alive! What was pressing on me?!”
“Your cat,” Ji Hong said, enunciating each word clearly.
“Huh? My Little Ding Dang?” Yu Jinnian turned over and looked at the golden cat sitting resentfully at the foot of the bed. He picked up the cat and examined it closely, looking at Ji Hong in horror, “What happened?!”
Ji Hong, sitting on the edge of the bed, wiped the plum blossom marks left on his face by the cat and, holding back his frustration, said, “Isn’t it because you fed it so much?”
Author’s Note:
The Orange Tabby is Heavy
–
For the 132nd time, Young Master Ji Hong was stepped on until he almost spat blood: “Choose between me and the cat!”
Yu Jinnian: “I… choose the cat.”
–
Yu Jinnian, you’re going to cause someone’s death with that choice.