Puppy love?

A heavy accusation fell out of the blue, leaving Yue Zhishi stunned. "It's not..." He frowned, still obediently clutching that earphone, and muttered at a volume meant only for himself, 'I'm not in a puppy love.'

Besides, I gave a firm refusal.

He tilted his head to look at Song Yu in front of him and retorted loudly, "I'm not in a puppy love!"

Song Yu remained silent. Yue Zhishi could only ponder it himself. Recalling the incident in the corridor on the third floor of the infirmary, he finally understood. "Were you standing downstairs just now? You misunderstood. I was returning the gift I received to her."

Omitting the confessor's information, Yue Zhishi recounted the whole story exactly as it happened, like a well-behaved kindergarten child reporting on their day at school, speaking vividly, afraid of leaving out any details.

One reported all the way, while the other listened silently as he rode. They turned from the wide main road into a winding alley, approaching their destination amidst the undulating waves of plane tree leaves.

"I didn't even agree. I only bought her a drink because I was afraid she'd feel bad after being rejected, so I offered to treat her to a drink. Besides, I bought her a Coke, and I bought Jiang Yufan a Coke too, but for..."

He suddenly stopped talking. He didn't know why, but the more he spoke, the more wronged Yue Zhishi felt. He thought about the Confession Wall incident that the girls were discussing during the assembly that morning.

"Weren't you confessed to as well? On that Peiya School Confession Wall. I'm going to tattle on you too." Although meant as a threat, his words held no intimidating power. He even unconsciously lowered his voice, making him sound exceptionally weak. After a pause, Yue Zhishi added with embellishment, "The girls in our class were discussing it heatedly this morning. The whole school probably knows by now."

The bicycle braked abruptly. Yue Zhishi smacked right into Song Yu's back, sticking to him tightly, the trailing end of his sentence choked back.

"The confession isn't the only thing the whole school knows about."

Song Yu finally spoke, also ordering Yue Zhishi to get off the bike.

Yue Zhishi knew what he was talking about, of course. "I didn't do it on purpose. I wasn't feeling well then, it just slipped out..." He stuck to Song Yu's back like a little shadow. "So what do we do now? Everyone heard it. There's probably no one who doesn't know."

Song Yu didn't offer him a solution. He locked the bike and walked inside.

'It feels like I've explained so much, but Brother still isn't happy. It seems it's not because of these things.'

The bicycle stopped in front of a gray-blue old Western-style house. A tall Southern magnolia was planted in front of the courtyard gate, and inside was a meticulously cared-for small courtyard. The house was a European-style building from the Republican era, simply decorated after renovation. By the entrance stood a huge stone, about as tall as a person, with four characters carved on it—Yanghe Qizhe.

This was a private kitchen restaurant run by Song Yu's mother, Lin Rong, as a hobby.

Song Yu lifted the door curtain, and Yue Zhishi followed him in. Inside, a guest who had made a reservation was already seated. It was a regular customer, Grandpa Zhang, a retired university professor who had been patronizing the restaurant since it opened. As soon as he saw the two of them, he teased with a smile, "Lin Rong, your handsome big boy and handsome little boy are back."

Hearing his voice, Lin Rong came out from the back kitchen, holding a small plate of honey-marinated spring snow peaches. She placed it on the table and glanced at Yue Zhishi and Song Yu with a smile.

Yue Zhishi was a likable person. Before Lin Rong could speak, he obediently called out, "Grandpa Zhang." Song Yu gave a slight nod as a greeting.

"Lele has gotten taller, but he's still a bit shorter than his brother."

Lin Rong took the schoolbag off Yue Zhishi's shoulder. "Well, there's a three-year age difference. Lele is still young, and his health isn't the best. He's already growing very quickly."

Yue Zhishi emphasized a number not many people cared about, "I'm 176 now."

Song Yu, the tallest person in the restaurant, didn't join their height discussion and walked to the innermost private room alone. It was a break room that Lin Rong had specially prepared for the two brothers.

Lin Rong brought out an exquisitely packaged meal and handed it to Professor Zhang with both hands. "Be sure to eat it while it's hot when you get back."

"Thank you for your hard work," Professor Zhang said happily. "My wife loves this dish, she's craving it. I'll head back now."

"Goodbye, Grandpa Zhang." Yue Zhishi proactively walked him to the door.

When she first opened the restaurant, Lele and Song Yu were still in elementary school. Lin Rong, who was just doing it for fun, only opened on Mondays and Fridays. It was a reservation-only private kitchen with no menu; everything was up to her. Customers came one after another, spreading the word, and more and more people came. Many had to book a month in advance. Later, Lin Rong extended the opening hours to four days a week, which also made it convenient for the allergic Yue Zhishi to have lunch there.

Lunch was as sumptuous as ever. A white porcelain plate was filled with crispy lotus root balls fried to a golden brown. As soon as it was served, Yue Zhishi picked one up with his chopsticks. With one bite, it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweeter than a meatball. Compared to ordinary vegetable balls mixed with flour, the kneaded and boiled lotus root paste had a texture remarkably similar to meat—tender, springy, and savory.

"Lotus root balls are the most delicious balls in the world." Before he finished eating, Yue Zhishi picked up a braised chicken foot, stewed until it was fall-off-the-bone tender, and stuffed it into his mouth. With its rich, dark sauce, a gentle suck was all it took for the chicken foot to melt in his mouth.

More than one person had said that Yue Zhishi looked appetizing when he ate. Someone even suggested he become a mukbanger, as just watching him eat could make one's food taste better.

Lin Rong came in with a bowl of rock sugar lotus root soup. "Was the opening ceremony fun?" Her hand was on Song Yu's shoulder, but her eyes were on Yue Zhishi. "How was Song Yu's speech today? He didn't forget his lines, did he?"

Yue Zhishi, who had been eating voraciously like a little hamster, suddenly stopped, his cheeks puffed out.

"Oh dear, he really forgot his lines."

"No." Song Yu ignored Yue Zhishi's blinking hints and ladled himself a bowl of lotus root soup. "It's just that something happened."

Suddenly, the chicken foot in Yue Zhishi's mouth no longer tasted good.

'No way. We agreed not to talk about it.'

"What happened?" Lin Rong asked, her face full of curiosity.

Song Yu glanced indifferently at Yue Zhishi. "It was him."

"Lele? What happened to Lele?"

Yue Zhishi was in a panic, his eyes darting between Song Yu and Lin Rong. He even shook his head in advance to deny any involvement. "I didn't..."

"He wasn't wearing his name tag and was publicly called out for it." Song Yu took a sip of the lotus root soup and looked up to see the shocked Yue Zhishi. "And he was almost late."

'This wasn't what I expected him to say.'

"Name tag?" Lin Rong exclaimed softly. "Ah, it was me. I took them off when I did the laundry, and I think I accidentally put both name tags in his brother's room. My bad, my bad."

After speaking, she looked apologetically at Yue Zhishi and noticed the name tag on his chest. "Eh? How come you're wearing it?"

Yue Zhishi explained with a guilty conscience, "Brother brought it to me."

A waiter called from outside, and Lin Rong hurriedly answered and went out. Yue Zhishi breathed a sigh of relief and looked apprehensively at Song Yu, who had covered for him.

"It was all my fault for messing up your speech. I'm sorry. I won't eat the wrong thing again."

The lotus root soup was chilled. Song Yu ate a small bowl of it and was starting to feel better, his anger subsiding a bit. But upon hearing this off-the-mark apology, his expression turned cold again.

'Was the problem really about interrupting the speech?'

But Yue Zhishi looked pitiful, so he suppressed his anger and asked, "Where's your medicine?"

Faced with the sudden question, Yue Zhishi was taken aback for a moment, then explained in a small voice, "I ran out of the old ones. I brought a new bottle today, but I didn't have time to open it when I went to the school gymnasium, so I left it in the classroom." Then he added, "I didn't expect to have an attack either..."

Song Yu shot back, "Then have you ever thought about what would have happened if I wasn't there today?"

This question left Yue Zhishi stunned.

If Song Yu hadn't been there today, he would have been in real danger, with such a large dose of allergen.

He didn't speak. Song Yu said coldly, "I can't always be by your side."

"Why?" Yue Zhishi frowned and looked up at him.

The frightening consequences of his allergy were less shocking to him than the words Song Yu had just said. He couldn't imagine a day when Song Yu would no longer be by his side.

"I'll carry my medicine with me every day from now on. This won't happen again." Yue Zhishi lowered his eyes. "I've really learned my lesson."

Song Yu didn't want Yue Zhishi to keep apologizing. He just couldn't control his emotions when he thought about today's situation.

But after a moment of silence, he didn't press the issue. "Eat." He ladled another bowl of lotus root soup, and with a porcelain spoon, he picked out the goji berries one by one and placed them in a separate bowl.

Having grown up together for eleven years, Yue Zhishi could completely read Song Yu's tone. Him saying that meant the matter was closed. Relieved, he hummed happily and picked up his chopsticks, placing several pieces of sour and spicy lotus root shoots into Song Yu's bowl. "Eat this."

This was Song Yu's favorite dish since he was a child. It didn't need complicated seasoning; its crisp and tender texture surpassed all other vegetables. Lotus root shoots were the undeveloped rhizomes, as thick as a finger, white, tender, and slender. They were diagonally sliced and stir-fried with dried chili peppers, then finished with a splash of aged vinegar before being taken off the heat. The pores soaked up the sauce, making them crisp, refreshing, sour, and spicy. This aquatic vegetable was a summer specialty that was no longer available after September. It was also delicate and difficult to keep fresh during long-distance transport, so it couldn't be found in many cities.

"It would be great if we could eat lotus root shoots all year round."

Hearing this, Song Yu pushed the bowl of lotus root soup in front of Yue Zhishi, his tone devoid of much emotion. "If you saw it every day, you wouldn't find it delicious anymore."

A short tasting period is what makes it precious.

Seeing it every day takes away the novelty and anticipation.

"I wouldn't."

He didn't expect Yue Zhishi to refute him so directly and looked slightly surprised.

Yue Zhishi spoke with a child's certainty, his tone firm. "I'm willing to eat the things I like every day. What's the point of eating something I don't like just for the sake of variety? It's best if it's placed in front of me every day."

Song Yu paused his chopsticks. "You don't get tired of it?"

Yue Zhishi hesitated for a moment and didn't answer directly. Song Yu didn't wait for an answer and just ate quietly.

"If it's my absolute favorite, I won't get tired of it." He emphasized the word "absolute," as if this was a well-considered answer.

Song Yu was lost in thought when Yue Zhishi suddenly stuffed a lotus root ball into his mouth, catching him off guard. He frowned, looking completely bewildered.

"I'm giving you my favorite lotus root ball to eat." Yue Zhishi looked up at him, exactly the same as when he had first arrived at their home.

Back then, Yue Zhishi clung to Song Yu every day. He didn't understand much and couldn't speak Chinese well, but he would express himself very directly through his actions. Every night before bed, Song Yu would find strange little toys by his pillow. Sometimes they were even hidden under the pillow, and he would only find out when they poked him.

Every time, Song Yu would take these little toys away, but they would reappear by his pillow the next day.

Then one day, Song Yu, having just come out of the shower, caught the "culprit" in the act. He saw Yue Zhishi standing on his tiptoes, stretching his chubby arms to reach his bedside, placing a small train and an astronaut toy by his pillow.

A caught Yue Zhishi couldn't explain himself clearly, babbling on in a sticky mix of English and simple Chinese words. It took Song Yu a long time to understand that he wanted to give his favorite toys to him to keep him company while he slept.

But at the time, he had refused flatly, "I don't want your toys. I'm not a child."

Yue Zhishi cried right then and there. But when evening came, he took the toy to Song Yu again and spoke a lot of strange English in a soft voice, telling him that it was really good, that it was his favorite toy.

In the end, Song Yu had no choice but to keep the little train and stuff the astronaut into his hands. "One is enough."

That night, Song Yu lay in bed, fiddling with the small locomotive with a blank expression. He didn't know what mechanism he had triggered, but the locomotive's lights turned on, and it started choo-chooing nonstop. It gave him nightmares all night, in which the little milk bun cried endlessly, clinging to him and refusing to let go. It was simply the most terrible nightmare.

All these years, he hasn't changed a bit.

After eating, the two of them cleared the table, took down two rolled-up tatami mattresses that were standing in the corner, and spread them out for an afternoon nap.

"Is the third year of high school tough? I heard you guys use up a pen refill in three days." Yue Zhishi placed his pillow down, lay on it, and looked at Song Yu.

Song Yu took a copy of "National Geographic" from the shelf and flipped through it. "I've only just started my third year too."

'That's true,' he thought. 'And he's so smart, it probably isn't that tough for him.' Yue Zhishi stared at the ceiling. He didn't want to go to high school. He already had more test papers than he could finish now; he would probably die if he went to high school.

Neither allergies nor asthma had managed to kill him; dying from doing test papers would be a little too embarrassing.

Seeing Yue Zhishi still blinking at the ceiling, Song Yu put down his magazine and ordered, "Sleep."

Yue Zhishi let out an "oh" and closed his eyes.

Seeing that he had finally settled down, Song Yu tossed a summer quilt over to him, turned up the air conditioner by two degrees, and then lay down himself.

Yue Zhishi looked very obedient with his eyes closed. Those large eyes seemed to be the sole vessel for all his vitality; once they were closed, he looked much weaker, much paler, which made Song Yu uncontrollably think of how he looked when he had his attack that morning.

Feelings can be saved, pulling you back to a certain moment in an instant.

"Growing up in a blink" is how many adults describe children, especially when they haven't seen them for a long time and are suddenly struck by how much they've grown. But Yue Zhishi had clearly grown up with him, together every single day. Yet Song Yu still felt this way.

Seeing Yue Zhishi lying there so quietly, Song Yu couldn't help but think of the first time he was hospitalized for his allergies. He had been just as quiet then, a tiny little thing.

That was when the six-year-old Song Yu first understood the meaning of danger.

"Brother Song Yu." Yue Zhishi's eyes suddenly flew open. He abruptly turned onto his side, coming face-to-face with Song Yu unexpectedly, very close.

Just as he was about to scold him for not sleeping, he saw Yue Zhishi ask with a look of innocence.

"What was it like the first time I had an allergic reaction? Do you remember?"