While using Yang Wan’s campus card to buy water at the cafeteria store, I suddenly remembered what Yang Lun once said to me: “Deng Fuling, you’re spending my sister’s money again.”

Those words weren’t wrong.

During those decades in the Great Ming, my health was never very good. By the time I had saved some money in my old age, I gave it all to Yang Wan, but by then we were both elderly and couldn’t eat much or have the energy to travel far. When we were young, Yang Wan ran the Qingbo House, gradually becoming Beijing’s premier book merchant, while I, as a “scoundrel” in Yang Wan’s words, “happily” lived off her for several years.

Now I’ve worked for four or five years. Besides basic daily food and seasonal clothing, I have no other expenses and have saved nearly 600,000 yuan. Before coming to Chengdu, I consolidated this money into a single card. I’m thinking far ahead, even though I can’t even speak the words “courtship” right now.

“Hey, brother, is your leg better?”

I froze, turning to see Yang Lin standing behind me.

“It’s almost healed.”

Yang Lin glanced at Yang Wan sitting to the side. “You came to see my sister?”

“No…”

“Then why are you using her card?”

“Ah?”

I didn’t know whether to hide it or admit it, but fortunately, Yang Wan got up and came over. “I’m treating him to a drink. Brother, do you want anything?”

Yang Lin pointed at the freezer and said, “I’ll have a Coke.”

He then took the card from my hand and gave it to Yang Wan, looking at me while telling her: “Brother has already compensated him for everything. Don’t feel like you owe him anything. He’s a man, why are you paying? Let him scan his code.”

Yang Wan pinched him, “This cafeteria doesn’t use scan codes. Stop causing trouble.”

“Causing trouble?”

Yang Lin was indignant. “I’m already running late for an afternoon meeting, but I specially came to pick you up and fix your computer at home, and you say I’m…”

Yang Wan raised her hands in surrender: “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t know you had a meeting. Work is important, let’s deal with my computer next week.”

Seeing Yang Wan’s unhappiness, Yang Lin lowered his voice, “Didn’t you say you urgently needed the computer?”

Yang Wan took the water handed over by the aunty, “Forget it, it’s not good for you to drive in such a rush later. I’ll take it out for repairs instead.”

I tentatively asked, “What’s the problem?”

Yang Lin answered, “Don’t know exactly, from the video, probably a system issue.”

“I can take a look for her.”

Yang Lin looked at me, “You know how to do that too?”

I smiled, “Certainly not as well as you.”

Yang Wan turned and asked me, “Don’t you have work this afternoon?”

“Mm, I took a sick day today for my hospital follow-up…”

Before I could finish, Yang Lin suddenly grabbed my arm, “Let me tell you, even I have to notify her in advance to visit my sister’s place. Just fix the computer properly, don’t stay too long.”

I nodded, “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare.”

Only then did Yang Lin let go of me, making a phone gesture to Yang Wan, “I’m going to my meeting. Keep your phone on, got it?”

“Got it!”

Yang Wan made a face at Yang Lin’s back, then turned to hand me the water, “Deng Ying, don’t mind him. My brother has such a sister complex, that he’s so contradictory – wanting me to get married soon while being hostile to any man who gets close to me. I often don’t understand him either.”

“I know, he was like that before.”

“Before?”

I hurriedly covered up, “Oh, we talked about some things while at the hospital.”

Yang Wan didn’t pay much attention to my words, leading me to the seats, “Thanks for helping today, this treat wasn’t wasted.”

Yang Wan’s home wasn’t far from C University, on the twelfth floor, a two-bedroom apartment.

On the way, Yang Wan said she’d moved out of her family home when she was a senior, and this apartment was rented. Although it was a two-bedroom, only one bedroom was usable – the other was basically filled with her books and research materials. I asked her, “Do you have a lot of materials?”

Yang Wan tucked her hair behind her ear, “Not much before, but later because the materials were scattered across various universities and libraries, some even abroad. Photography and photocopying weren’t easy. Some couldn’t be borrowed or copied, only hand-copied, which took a lot of time. Even when they’re no longer needed, I can’t bear to throw them away. They just kept piling up more and more. My parents don’t understand, but they know those are my most precious things.”

She opened the door while speaking.

She crouched down to change her slippers.

In the entryway, there was only one pair of pink and white bear-ear slippers. After she changed, she took out a grey pair with cat ears from the shoe cabinet and placed them in front of me, “These aren’t my brother’s, feel free to wear them, they’re super soft. By the way, can you crouch down? Do you want me to get you a small stool?”

“It’s fine, Wan… no…”

Yang Wan crouched beside me hugging her knees, “You’ve already called me that, just keep going.”

“I’m not a bad person, I…”

Yang Wan laughed, “I know.”

She pulled over a small stool and put it behind me, “Hold onto the shoe cabinet when you sit, be careful. I’ll go turn on the computer.”

I sat on the stool to change my shoes.

As Yang Wan said, the rabbit-fur slippers were exceptionally soft, and the cat ears on top would bounce up and down with each step. Yang Wan came out carrying the computer, saw me staring at my feet, and couldn’t help laughing, “Cute, right? The pair on your feet and the pair on mine were bought as a set. I liked these bear ears ones, but they couldn’t be bought separately, so I brought these cat ear ones home too.”

She put the computer on the coffee table, which also had an opened pack of daily nuts.

Yang Wan poured some into her hand to eat, then picked up an unopened pack and called to me.

“Deng Ying.”

“Ah?”

“Take these to eat.”

I reached out to take them, “Have you always liked eating these?”

“Yeah, they’re good for the brain and prevent hair loss. I envy your hair volume.”

She lifted her bangs, “Look at mine, isn’t it worrying?”

I shook my head, wanting to tell her: “Wan Wan looks good no matter what.”

However, I was still afraid she’d think I was a creep.

“Deng Ying, it’s started up, take a look first. I’m going to the supermarket to buy some things, I’ll be back soon.”

These words were a dramatic foreshadowing, but I didn’t know it at the time.

I focused on helping Yang Wan restore her system, and when the repairs were complete, it was exactly four o’clock.

I stood up wanting to wash my hands, and when passing the kitchen, I saw a pot so burnt you couldn’t tell its original color, and a bowl of noodles that she probably couldn’t stomach herself, so left there uneaten.

I walked into the kitchen, took down her apron hanging behind the door and put it on, bent down to pour out that bowl of noodles, soaked the bowl in water, rolled up my sleeves, found a steel wool scrubber in the sink, and started scrubbing the pot bit by bit. Just then, the sound of the door lock rang out. I thought it was Wan Wan and went out with my hands raised, but as soon as I reached the kitchen doorway, I froze.

The people who came in were a couple who looked very much like Wan Wan.

When I came out wearing the apron, they were changing shoes in the entryway. Auntie looked up and saw me, startled with an “Aiya!” “Who are you? Why are you in our little Wan Wan’s place?”

“I…”

Before I could speak, Uncle had already sized me up, “Hired household help, eh? Our Wan Wan is getting fancy.”

I’m not good at lying, but at that moment, I inexplicably nodded.

Auntie seemed somewhat disbelieving, walking around me in a circle, saying to Uncle, “They have male housekeepers now?”

Uncle carried a big bag of vegetables inside, “Why not? It’s not like he’s her boyfriend. You know her, she doesn’t date, no one wants her.”

Hearing this, Auntie gave Uncle a light slap, “What are you saying? Our daughter has plenty of pursuers.”

Uncle took the vegetables out of the bag, “Pursuers? You could poke her with an awl and she wouldn’t jump. She’s hopeless, just leave her be.”

This conversation amused me, but I didn’t dare laugh, standing with raised hands at the kitchen doorway, not knowing what to do.

Uncle pulled me by the apron into the kitchen, “You’re the housekeeper, right?”

Walking along, I responded with an “Mm.”

Uncle pointed to the small stool by the door, “Bring the stool over, sit with me, and help prepare vegetables.”

“Okay, I’ll go get it.”

Auntie looked at the pot in the sink and asked me, “Did Wan Wan cook with this pot, or did you?”

“I cooked…”

I was going to take the blame for Wan Wan, but Uncle interrupted, “How could it possibly be him? Only your daughter is that fierce, burning even a stainless steel pot through.”

Auntie lifted the pot and laughed, “True.”

Then she said to me, “You’re quite good, polishing it so bright even after it was burnt like that.”

Uncle agreed, “These young men nowadays are really good at housework, especially professionals like you, you professionals.”

I nodded while preparing vegetables.

Auntie said, “We came today to see our daughter, and wanted to make her something to eat. Will you help us cook together later?”

“Of course, Auntie, whatever you need me to do, I’ll help.”

Auntie smiled, “Such a good boy, nowadays raising a son is better than raising a daughter.”

This was when Yang Wan returned.

As soon as she entered, before she could understand the situation, Uncle asked from the kitchen, “Xiao Wan, how much do you pay this housekeeper per month?”

Yang Wan was flustered, “What housekeeper? There’s no housekeeper!”

She ran into the kitchen.

I sat on the stool preparing vegetables, saying nothing.

“Mom, Dad, what are you making him do!”

“Just helping prepare vegetables.”

Yang Wan pulled at my apron straps, “Deng Ying, get up quick.”

I was lifted by Yang Wan, standing at the doorway.

Auntie asked, “What’s wrong? You hired household help, I can’t even ask for a little assistance?”

“He’s not household help…”

“Then who is he?”

“My brother’s friend, he came especially today to fix my computer.”

“Wearing an apron to fix computers?”

“This…”

Yang Wan finally glanced at me: “Why are you wearing an apron?”

“Wanted to help you… scrub a pot.”

“Scrub…”

Yang Wan was both annoyed and amused, but Auntie seemed to understand something, suddenly asking: “Young man, are you married?”