Chapter 11 Happy Housewarming
1063 Words
The spicy hot pot place Su Yudie craved was famous among students – delicious and dirt cheap.
Each person got their own mini pot, bubbling over a portable induction cooker. A fiery red broth churned appetizingly within.
Su Yudie grabbed the menu, ticking items off with gusto, muttering her wishlist: "Beef tripe and honeycomb tripe, lotus root slices, potatoes and enoki mushrooms, duck blood, shrimp balls, luncheon meat, sticky rice balls, pineapple cakes..."
"You ordered so much! Can you even finish it?" Zhuang Zi’ang cautioned.
"I have a big appetite! And don't you eat?" Su Yudie retorted without looking up.
Zhuang Zi’ang sipped his lemon tea silently, wisely deciding not to press the issue. As a guy, it was mildly mortifying if your appetite paled next to a girl's.
Soon, the dishes arrived. Su Yudie meticulously divided everything equally between their two pots.
"Coke or Pepsi?" she asked.
"Coke," Zhuang Zi’ang replied.
Su Yudie signaled the waiter for two icy cans. The dark fizz hissed as she poured it into glasses, bubbles foaming madly.
She raised her glass, clinking it against his. "Zhuang Zi’ang! May all your worries vanish, and every day be happy!"
"Little Butterfly... thank you," Zhuang Zi’ang said, genuinely touched. The carbonation fizzed sharply down his throat.
Su Yudie deposited the first perfectly cooked slice of beef into Zhuang Zi’ang’s bowl, then dove into her own feast. Between bites, she offered a running commentary like a seasoned food critic.
"Duck intestine? Needs seven dips, eight lifts. This is overcooked."
"Seaweed? Too salty. Undercooked too."
"Beef balls? Not boiled long enough. Lacks chewiness..."
Her mouth seemed perpetually busy, either eating or offering an opinion.
"Corner of your mouth," Zhuang Zi’ang noted softly, handing her a tissue. "Grease."
"Thanks!" She took it, swiping carelessly.
Usually, beautiful girls obsessed over their image. Su Yudie, stunning as she was, seemed utterly worldly and unselfconscious. It made her incredibly easy to be around, effortlessly likable.
"Little Butterfly," Zhuang Zi’ang ventured, "how are you always so... happy?"
"Happy day, sad day – both pass. Why not choose happy?" she countered with a bright smile.
Zhuang Zi’ang nodded silently. Hard to argue with that logic. Moping over yesterday felt like losing to himself now.
"Hey," Su Yudie asked suddenly, curiosity sparkling, "do you have a nickname?"
Zhuang Zi’ang shook his head blankly. Classmates called him "Monitor" or by name. Only Li Huangxuan used "Son" – hardly a proper nickname.
"Then I'll call you 'Big Dummy'!" Su Yudie declared, fishing for more tripe.
"Why? It's awful!" Zhuang Zi’ang protested.
"Because you lied to me this morning," she stated matter-of-factly, "and it was full of holes!" A hint of a pout touched her lips.
Zhuang Zi’ang almost choked. He'd been top of the grade for two years running! If that made him a dummy, what did that make everyone else?
The little hot pot feast lasted about forty minutes. Su Yudie fished the last slice of potato from the depths of her pot, popping it into her mouth with a sigh of pure contentment.
Zhuang Zi’ang signaled for the bill.
"I said I wanted hot pot! Let me pay!" Su Yudie insisted.
Zhuang Zi’ang smiled. "My treat this time. You get next time."
"Deal!" Su Yudie agreed readily. Just like that, the next date was set.
Leaving the steamy restaurant, the afternoon sun was high. Zhuang Zi’ang planned to clean up his mother's two-bedroom apartment – it would be his home for the foreseeable future. Hearing this, Su Yudie immediately latched on, insisting she'd help.
As he unlocked the door, the neighbor sister stepped out. Zhuang Zi’ang had seen her a few times and offered a polite nod.
"Oho! Got a girlfriend?" Her eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful Su Yudie.
"No! She's a friend!" Zhuang Zi’ang stammered, flustered.
"Oh, don't be shy with me! Young people dating is perfectly normal!" she said with the air of worldly wisdom.
Su Yudie flushed crimson. Despite her usual chatterbox nature, she suddenly seemed struck dumb. She wanted to protest, but the words wouldn't come.
The apartment was a bit dated, but sunlight streamed in nicely. Xu Hui visited only fleetingly each month, sometimes just staying one night at a station hotel. Sparse furniture made the space feel cavernous and empty. No plants added to the lifeless feel.
"Little Butterfly," Zhuang Zi’ang said, "if you want to hang out with me during these... three months, you can come here."
Su Yudie blinked her large, luminous eyes. "And after three months?"
"We'll see then!" Zhuang Zi’ang deflected, his gaze dimming. By then, he’d likely be in the hospital. Few in this world would truly mourn his leaving.
Su Yudie grinned. "Make me unhappy, and I won't come play!"
"Never," Zhuang Zi’ang promised instantly. The next three months promised profound loneliness and physical agony. He couldn't bear to lose this precious splash of color in his fading life.
Su Yudie might look delicate, but she was surprisingly capable. Clearly used to chores. Working together, they soon transformed the little apartment, making it feel clean, fresh, and unexpectedly welcoming.
Taking out the trash, they stopped at a nearby supermarket for essentials. Zhuang Zi’ang picked up a desk calendar – the tear-off kind. He hefted it; only a thin stack of ninety pages remained. These flimsy sheets were the countdown to his end.
At checkout, Su Yudie, impatient with the line, went outside to wait.
When Zhuang Zi’ang emerged, he found her holding a small, round glass fishbowl. Smooth stones and green water plants nestled inside. Two bright red goldfish darted happily through the water.
"Zhuang Zi’ang! Housewarming gift!" she announced, beaming. "Congrats on the new place!"
"Fish? Why fish?" he muttered. "I can barely take care of myself."
"You missed out on fish yesterday," she said, her expression turning unexpectedly serious. "This is compensation. Adds some life to your new home." She met his eyes directly. "Promise me... don't die."
"Don't die?" Zhuang Zi’ang was stunned.
"The fish!" she clarified, shaking a playful fist. "Kill them, and you're dead meat!"
Zhuang Zi’ang stared deep into Su Yudie’s eyes, as if trying to pierce her thoughts.
Being friends with this girl was pure joy.
But why... why meet her only as his own light was fading?
Little Butterfly... if only we'd met years ago... What a different life that would've been.
- Writer
