What Was It Called Again?

At the Ding Family's main gate, Ding Hanbai stood in the middle of the doorway, suitcase in hand. This time, stepping out might mean he'd never have the chance to return.

He turned around. Besides his parents, the entire family had come to see him off. Those who were crying were still crying, and those who were persuading were still persuading. He said softly to Ji Shenyu, "Keep the jade pendant and the cufflinks with you. I can't take you with me right now, but I'll be able to soon."

Ji Shenyu nodded with a pained expression. "I'll take good care of Master and Madam, don't worry."

Ding Hanbai glanced at his other brothers but didn't say a single word of instruction. Those who cared would naturally help, and for those who didn't, saying more was useless. Zhang Sinian was already waiting for him outside. He looked at Ji Shenyu for another moment, then turned and stepped out of the main gate.

In that instant, his mind went blank. He forced himself not to look back.

After walking out of Sha'er Street, he found Zhang Sinian leaning against a flatbed cart, waiting at the street corner. "You're the sole heir, after all. How come you only have this much stuff?" He took the suitcase and put it on the cart, knowing its contents with a single touch. "Did you pack all the antiques you've collected?"

Antiques, books, a few pieces of clothing—that was it. He hadn't touched any of the treasures displayed in his room or the materials in the South Room. Ding Hanbai took a step back, finally finding someone to vent his anger on. "What are you doing pushing this beat-up cart? Am I scrap you've collected?"

Zhang Sinian cursed, "You've been kicked out of your house, and you still think you're some hotshot?"

This master and apprentice were about to face hardship together, yet there wasn't a single considerate word between them. Ding Hanbai raised his hand to hail a taxi. So what if he was kicked out? Even if he lost everything, he wouldn't walk alongside a beat-up cart.

Zhang Sinian slapped his arm down, determined to cure him of his rich-boy habits. A sudden realization dawned on him. "I say, Master, are you pushing this cart for a reason?"

The old man and the young man ambled down the street. As they walked, Ding Hanbai sensed something was wrong. He didn't say a word, just kept striding forward. By the time they reached the Cultural Relics Bureau, his wounds almost splitting open, they stopped right at the main gate. The guard was visibly stunned to see him.

That wasn't all. Zhang Sinian took off his straw hat and plopped it on Ding Hanbai's head. "Wear it. Don't look so arrogant. Put on a miserable face." After speaking, he pinched him with a hand dirtied from pushing the cart.

Ding Hanbai gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to explode, he saw a car turn the corner, drive up, and stop. The window slowly rolled down. Speak of the devil—it was that bastard Zhang Yin! He whirled around to face the leafy maple vines, pretending nothing was happening.

They had run into each other at Daimao before, where Zhang Yin had thrown a huge tantrum. Counting the days, even the most petty person should have cooled down by now. Sure enough, Zhang Yin didn't bring up the past. He said with mock surprise, "Well, well, with skills as great as yours, how have you two ended up collecting scrap together?"

Zhang Sinian stepped forward. "No need for the sarcasm. Everyone has their moment in the sun, and everyone inevitably has their downfalls." Reaching the car door, he pulled an object from inside his jacket. "You've always wanted this. I brought it for you."

Zhang Yin carefully took it. "Has the sun risen from the west?"

Zhang Sinian said, "Sunrise in the east, rain in the west. Not everyone can have a clear sky above their heads."

The meaning was obvious. Zhang Yin called out to Ding Hanbai in puzzlement, wanting to see what trouble this arrogant character had gotten into. For him to be sucking up now, surely Jade Pavilion hadn't gone bankrupt overnight?

Ding Hanbai walked over gracefully, feigning humility. "Director Zhang, a belated Happy New Year to you."

The first lunar month was already over, so it was quite belated. After figuring out the whole story, Zhang Yin was utterly shocked. Starting his own business? Countless people worked their whole lives and couldn't even earn a single Jade Pavilion, yet this guy was giving up three of them to strike out on his own! Zhang Yin stared at him as if he were a monster, afraid it was a trick. But the luggage was on the flatbed cart, and this peace-offering was clutched in his own hand; it didn't seem fake.

He asked Zhang Sinian, "You're taking him in?"

Zhang Sinian nodded. He couldn't help but look at Ding Hanbai. "Do whatever you want. Pissing off your own dad is one thing, but don't go and ruin someone else's dad."

Ding Hanbai put on a well-behaved act. "I left the Chi Dragon-Pattern Brush Rest when I resigned. You like it, right?" In the past, he had done nothing but argue and talk back; only his resignation had been handled somewhat pleasantly. He had to mention it to make the other man remember something good about him.

Zhang Yin grunted. He was running late, so he rolled up the window and went in. The master and apprentice headed back. After arriving at the house in Chongshui, Ding Hanbai collapsed directly onto the bed. Peeling off layers of clothes, he found his undershirt soaked with blood.

After a thorough application of medicine, Zhang Sinian said, "Health is the capital for revolution. Rest quietly for two days, count the antiques you've stored here, and sort out the accounts." He tucked him in and patted the blanket. "Your dad kicked you out because you were dealing in antiques? He really runs a tight ship."

Ding Hanbai laughed—a smug, bastardly, utterly unrepentant laugh.

Zhang Sinian froze, then started in shock. He understood everything. He had long suspected with Liang Hecheng that something wasn't right between these two prized apprentices... Ding Hanbai grinned, as if showing off. "I fell in love with my junior brother, and my family doesn't approve."

"You scoundrel!" the old man roared. "Don't you anger your parents to death!"

Ding Yanshou and Jiang Shuliu, in their forties and fifties, were thunderously furious, but Zhang Sinian, in his sixties or seventies, understood even less. He had assumed the two boys were just playing around, momentarily possessed, but who could have expected it to be exposed and lead to being kicked out of the family?

Zhang Sinian sighed. "The times are changing, the times are changing... It's a new era..."

Ding Hanbai laughed so hard his whole body ached. That's right, it was a new era. He was indestructible. Once his injuries healed, he would throw himself into building a career. He couldn't have a grand, traditional wedding, but he still had to prepare a Western-style house and a car, so that Ji Shenyu wouldn't suffer the slightest grievance with him.

He was settled for now. The house was old and the bed was worn, but at least it provided shelter from the wind and rain.

Back at the family home, the lights in the living room, which had been deserted for five days, were on again. A table was set with food—the usual steamed fish, the favorite Scallop Soup—only now there was an empty seat. Ji Shenyu was on pins and needles, staring down at his bowl. When the meal began, he quietly placed his hand on the chair to his right, wondering if Ding Hanbai had eaten, and if the food was to his liking.

Ding Yanshou said, "Ting'en, remove the extra chair. It's an eyesore."

Jiang Ting'en found it hard to disobey his master's command, but that was his eldest brother's seat. The person was gone, so couldn't even the chair remain? After hesitating for a long while, he removed his own chair, took his bowl, and moved next to Ji Shenyu. He said deliberately, "I've had my eye on this spot for a long time. While Big Brother is away, I'll occupy it for a few days."

Ding Yanshou said, "A few days? He's gone for life. Sit there if you like."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Shuliu put down her chopsticks and left with a pained expression. Her son had done such a thing, and would rather leave home than repent. How could she, as a mother, have any appetite? Ji Shenyu quickly followed, carrying food, trailing her to the bedroom. He set it down, quietly made the bed, and prepared everything before turning to leave.

Jiang Shuliu called out to him, "Stop!"

He flinched and stood rooted to the spot, calling out, "Madam," too ashamed to lift his head. Jiang Shuliu looked at him, blinking as tears streamed down her face. "What did we ever do to you? How could you do this to us?" She set aside her elder's dignity, almost pleading, "How did we end up with something like this... Can't you give us a way to live..."

Ji Shenyu walked to the table and knelt. Apologizing and admitting his guilt couldn't soothe her in the slightest. He just knelt there quietly, using his silence to help Jiang Shuliu cool down bit by bit. After a long time, Jiang Shuliu asked in a small voice, "Hanbai must have told you where he went. Does he have a place to stay?"

Ji Shenyu replied in a low voice, "He probably went to a Hutong in Chongshui District. He has a friend there."

Jiang Shuliu muttered, "He's not working anymore. What will he do when he runs out of money..."

Ji Shenyu said, "Madam, don't worry. Actually, Senior Brother runs a porcelain kiln on the side. Even if he does nothing else, he'll still have an income." He revealed this to at least alleviate some of Jiang Shuliu's anxiety. When Ding Yanshou entered, he immediately fell silent and left.

Back in the small courtyard, the third and fourth brothers were waiting for him under the veranda. Jiang Ting'en said, "Uncle told him to move in and sleep here to watch you. I offered to do it, but Uncle wouldn't allow it."

This turncoat was too quick to switch sides, unreliable. Ding Keyu couldn't disobey his master's order, but he was unwilling. He walked up to Ji Shenyu, a trace of ridicule mixed with his sympathy. "Did Big Brother really consummate the marriage with you?"

Ji Shenyu, of course, didn't answer. Ding Keyu pushed his luck. "Which 'hole' did he enter?"

Ji Shenyu shoved him away and ran into the bedroom, his face flushed. He leaned against the door to calm himself, and his thoughts gradually cleared. It was just one insult; who knew how many more were to come? He couldn't just hide forever. From the moment it was exposed to the family's judgment, what was there left to hide? He was in love with Ding Hanbai, a man who had skills, character, and even superior looks. What was there to be embarrassed about?!

The door creaked open. He said, "The beds in both bedrooms, the bay window in the study—we've messed around everywhere. Where are you going to sleep?"

Ding Keyu's face went pale with shock. "Y-y-you, have you no shame! I'll sleep on the floor!"

Ji Shenyu ignored him and went back to sleep. Things had come to this point. Even though they were separated for now, he only hoped for a future that didn't dwell on the past. He had to pull himself together and do what he could.

He went to school as usual, but only for half a day, with Ding Keyu escorting him. In the afternoon, he went to the Third Shop. Ding Keyu stayed in the front hall, helping with customers and keeping a close watch on him. Near closing time, Ding Keyu sauntered over to the material storage. After looking around, he wanted a piece of seed material. Ji Shenyu shut the door, finally getting a chance to flex his authority. "I am the grandmaster. If I don't agree to give it to you, you have no right to take it."

The material was a small matter, but face was a big one. Ding Keyu said, "You still have the nerve to call yourself the grandmaster? If our family hadn't taken you in, who knows where you'd be working as a day laborer! You've corrupted my big brother and thrown our family into chaos. How can you face my uncle?"

Ji Shenyu was thoroughly berated, his head buzzing. Compounded by lack of sleep, he clutched his head and swayed. Ding Keyu was taken aback and said awkwardly, "...Are you crying? I didn't even use any swear words. It's not that serious, is it?"

It was Third Brother's first time encountering a gay couple. Subconsciously, he categorized Ji Shenyu as the "female" party in the relationship, assuming he was fragile and prone to tears. "What did I say that was wrong? Big Brother was beaten half to death. Can't I even scold you a few times?" He stepped a little closer. "Do you think Big Brother is still here to comfort you? I don't fall for that act. It weirds me out to see a guy crying and sniveling."

Ji Shenyu recovered enough to look up, his expression cold and serious, as if he were sacred and inviolable. He said, "You're mistaken. It was always Senior Brother who cried in my arms, and I was the one who comforted him. Also, I can't stand guys who whine and stir up trouble. Are you a big duck in a field?"

Ding Keyu nearly died of anger. A pansy was actually calling him a duck!

Three days passed in a flash. Ding Hanbai had also been lying in bed for a full three days. He had a love-hate relationship with the hard-plank bed, and the drafty window made him feel quite miserable. He took a shower, shaved his stubble, and changed into a shirt and trousers. Even if you lived in a pigsty, you had to look presentable.

He made a trip to the porcelain kiln to check on things, borrowing Tong Peifan's van along the way. He dealt in antiques; in the future, whether he opened an antique city or something else, he would inevitably have to deal with the Cultural Relics Bureau. The moment he had fallen on hard times, Zhang Sinian had swallowed his pride to curry favor with Zhang Yin. He was moved, and even more, he was grateful.

Lost in thought, he drove. He had arranged to have lunch with a few collectors at Zhuifeng Tower.

He chose a private room facing the street, which happened to have a view of the building opposite. As he chatted and negotiated with his guests, he would glance over from time to time. Suddenly, a figure flickered past on the second floor opposite him. Was that Ji Shenyu? It had to be, right? He couldn't be so lovesick that his eyes were playing tricks on him, could he?

"Boss Ding, this glaze... Boss Ding?"

Ding Hanbai was mesmerized. He ignored the fact that this was a business lunch, his eyes fixed on the small two-story building across the street, gripping his chopsticks so tightly they were about to snap. The figure passed by again. It was him! No doubt about it! He relaxed, called over a waiter, and ordered an extra dish of Butter Chicken Wings and fried rice.

Ji Shenyu was completely unaware. Ding Yanshou wasn't feeling well, and he was the only one who could take over the difficult orders, so he was relying on his excellent skills to fill in at the First Shop. He was trying to atone for all his guilt and unease by working himself to the bone.

He worked straight through until now. After making a note in the records, he went downstairs. The others had already eaten lunch, leaving a steamer of buns for him. He slipped into the back room to eat. Just then, a waiter in a Zhuifeng Tower uniform came in.

The waiter set down a food container. "These are the Butter Chicken Wings and fried rice for Ji Shenyu."

Ding Keyu asked, "Who sent it?"

The waiter replied, "A customer. He didn't leave a name."

Ji Shenyu went wild in an instant and made a move to run outside. Ding Keyu, quick-witted and swift-handed, blocked him, holding him back with all his might. "It's Big Brother, isn't it? You can't go! Master forbids you from seeing each other!" Ding Keyu shouted. "The chicken wings are still hot, and the fried rice smells so good. Stop running and eat!"

Ji Shenyu struggled fruitlessly. The shop assistants were about to restrain him when he went limp and stopped, lunging to the window to stare at the entrance of Zhuifeng Tower. People and cars came and went. He was terrified of missing even the slightest thing.

After a while, four people came out of the main entrance. The tallest and most erect among them was Ding Hanbai. His entire heart clenched. He waved foolishly, and after waving, he pressed himself against the glass, leaving two handprints.

Ding Hanbai had sold two treasures. He shook hands with the collectors to bid them farewell but didn't leave. He lit a cigarette, took two steps, and leaned casually against a stone lion. He looked across the street and immediately spotted Ji Shenyu pressed against the window. He exhaled a puff of smoke, wanting to run over, grab him, and take him away.

Separated by Yingchun Avenue, separated by the bustling traffic, it was fucking like being separated by a thousand mountains and rivers.

"Senior Brother," Ji Shenyu murmured, his words sounding like a lunatic's. "He's right there. I see him, it's him..."

When the cigarette was finished, even the stone lion had been warmed by his body. Ding Hanbai gave a small wave, got in the van, and drove away. Ji Shenyu watched the wisp of exhaust disappear, his soul seeming to leave with it. He slipped back into the rear hall and didn't come out again, sitting dazedly and clutching the jade pendant until closing time.

Ding Hanbai was no different. He returned to Chongshui to sort out his accounts, and after finishing, he sat blankly with the ledger until dark.

Late at night, when everyone in the three-courtyard residence was asleep, Ji Shenyu quietly got up, threw on a coat, and left his bedroom. He didn't have anything to do; he simply couldn't sleep.

He sat on the veranda for a while. Back then, Ding Hanbai had sat here with him, reading by the light of a pile of salvaged fragments. He looked out at the small courtyard in the moonlight, remembering how Ding Hanbai had eaten a late-night snack with him at the stone table and even gifted him a moon.

Ji Shenyu walked to the tree. He had only slept in the hammock once, on the night of the earthquake. To be precise, he had slept on top of Ding Hanbai. He walked to the South Room. So many nights he and Ding Hanbai had worked inside, him sitting in Ding Hanbai's lap, shamelessly saying he wasn't very bashful.

And then there was the archway. The eternally unlucky Lucky Bamboo was still vibrant. The area around it was swept clean, with no forgotten Eight Treasures Candy. He gazed at every nook and cranny. The scenes that came to his mind's eye were exceptionally vivid, and in them was the bastard he dreamed of the moment he closed his eyes.

Thinking of this, he ran to wipe the bicycle, adding another layer of gold paint to the words "asshole bastard."

At this moment, in a dilapidated house in Chongshui, the lights were still on. The cotton door curtain, which had hung there for all four seasons, had finally been violently torn down. Ding Hanbai sat on a small stool, leaning against the doorframe, watching the twinkling stars alone.

It was the first time he'd done something so romantic, and his neck was aching from looking up.

From inside the house, Zhang Sinian asked him, "Are they pretty?"

He answered, "Pretty, my ass."

He hadn't really seen a single star. His mind was completely filled with Ji Shenyu. Ding Hanbai bit his lower lip, narrowed his eyes, and retracted his gaze. He couldn't help but wonder, if Ji Fangxu were still alive, how different would each of their lives be?

Would he have met another boy who made his heart flutter? Probably not.

Would Ji Shenyu have fallen in love with a scoundrel like him? Not a chance.

Ding Hanbai got up to meet his darling in his dreams. Ji Shenyu went inside to see that bastard in his dreams. The scenery was unchanged, and the stars twinkled endlessly. They had survived another day.

In the early morning, a Western Clock chimed, ticking away.

Cupid defeated Father Time. Love can defeat time.

What was it called again? It's called true love is eternal.