Holding the Line

Early Monday morning, Zhao Wende arrived.

After Zhao Danshi and Li Ping finished picking strawberries and pinching the tops off the chili plants that morning, they returned to find an old man sitting in the courtyard. He wore a white shirt, blue trousers, and Liberation shoes. His hair was streaked with gray, and judging by his travel-worn face, he was probably in his fifties.

The moment he saw the two young men come in, he immediately stood up and nodded at them stiffly.

Grandpa stood as well and said to Zhao Wende, "This is my grandson, Yun Yun, and his partner, A-Ping."

Zhao Danshi hurried over. "Uncle Wende, have a seat."

Li Ping greeted him too. "Uncle Wende."

"Ah." At his invitation, Zhao Wende sat back down awkwardly.

Grandpa had been chatting happily with Zhao Wende. When he saw Zhao Danshi return, he said, "Danshi, it's inconvenient for your Uncle Wende to go home early and late. Clean up a room for him later, all right?"

"Huh?" Zhao Danshi was dumbfounded. He glanced at Li Ping, but with Zhao Wende there, he could not ask outright. He could only say, "All the rooms at home are occupied already. Let me think about how to arrange things later?"

Zhao Wende rubbed his hands over his trousers, unease appearing on his dark face. "How about I just go home to sleep? It's only a few steps away. No need to trouble yourselves."

Grandpa said, "A few steps are still a road. You can't ride a bicycle or motorcycle, so how can you stand walking back and forth every day?"

Zhao Danshi added, "Grandpa, how about I have Blackie and the others teach Uncle Wende how to ride a bicycle? Uncle Wende can walk for the next few days, then we'll see if there are any secondhand bicycles for sale. I'll buy one and lend it to you."

Li Ping looked at Zhao Danshi with mild surprise, a faint smile touching his lips. He had not expected Zhao Danshi to refuse so decisively. In the past, given Zhao Danshi's personality, he might not have been able to put his foot down.

Zhao Wende hurriedly nodded. "Ah, walking a bit is no problem. If it's troublesome, then forget it."

"It's not troublesome. What's so troublesome about it?" Zhao Danshi smiled at him. "Uncle, sit for a while. Have you eaten breakfast? I'll go make it. Grandpa, come help me tend the fire."

Zhao Wende quickly said, "Go on, go on. No need to fuss over me."

Zhao Danshi looked toward Li Ping. Li Ping gave him a knowing nod, and Zhao Danshi went into the kitchen at ease.

"Grandpa, why did you want Uncle Wende to stay at our house? How inconvenient would that be?" Zhao Danshi lowered his voice. "Besides, when did you get this idea? Why didn't you discuss it with me first?"

Grandpa looked a little embarrassed and scratched his head. "It was a spur-of-the-moment thought. I figured our family could clear out a room, so I didn't get the chance to tell you."

"How can we clear out a room?" Zhao Danshi said gloomily. "Are you making me move out, or Senior Brother?"

"You and A-Ping can just share a room." Seeing the two come and go together in such harmony, Grandpa was already anxious even though they were not sleeping in the same room.

Zhao Danshi rubbed his nose. He did not bristle, merely muttering, "If Senior Brother and I share a room, then no one can live next door even more."

Otherwise, if they made some noise in the future and the neighbors kept knocking on the wall, who could stand that?

"What?" Grandpa was old and hard of hearing, so he had not caught it clearly. "How about clearing out the room next to mine?"

Grandpa's courtyard was quite large. There was a big living room in the center, with two rooms on either side. Grandpa lived in the room furthest to the right, while the room next door was empty. Zhao Danshi's father had once lived there. Though Father Zhao had not returned to the old house for years, Grandpa still could not bear to change the furnishings in that room.

Next to the empty room was the living room. Past the living room was Zhao Danshi's room, where Dou Dou's cradle was placed and where he slept with him. Li Ping's room was next door.

Zhao Danshi shook his head. "Grandpa, that won't do. Our family lives here. No matter how nice Uncle Wende is, he's still an outsider. What would it look like for him to move in and live with us day and night? Besides, you know I like men. What if Uncle Wende hasn't heard about it, and it only comes out later? How uncomfortable would that make him?"

Working with a gay man was not the same thing as living with one.

"I really did forget to mention it to him. I'll find a chance to tell him." Grandpa had not considered that issue. He tossed a handful of firewood into the stove. "If it doesn't work, then forget it. He can ride a bicycle home every day."

"Fine, Grandpa. But don't casually promise people things in the future. I'm not used to having outsiders in the house."

"All right, all right, I know." Grandpa lifted his eyelids and glanced at him teasingly. "So A-Ping isn't an outsider?"

Zhao Danshi nearly blurted out, He's the father of my child. How could he be an outsider?!

He held it back and answered solemnly, "You don't understand. We're still working on it. Maybe someday we'll become family."

Grandpa chuckled. "Then you'd better hurry up. I can tell A-Ping isn't ordinary. Be careful, or if you keep dragging your feet, he'll run off with someone else."

Grandpa might be old, but his eyes were still sharp. Having weathered decades of hardship, he could tell at a glance that Li Ping was no ordinary man.

"I know."

After the family finished breakfast, Zhao Danshi discussed Zhao Wende's pay with him.

Zhao Danshi had originally wanted Li Ping to handle it, but Li Ping chose to listen from the side instead, letting Zhao Danshi take the lead while he backed him up. If anything was inappropriate, he would speak up in time.

The group moved to the living room and sat on the sofa.

Zhao Danshi first poured tea for Zhao Wende. Zhao Wende hurriedly tapped the table with two fingers to show his thanks.

Seeing how honest he was, Zhao Danshi softened his tone. "Uncle Wende, let's talk business. I won't beat around the bush. If I say anything offensive, please don't hold it against me."

"Ah, go ahead." Zhao Wende listened attentively.

"It's like this. I rented quite a lot of fields this year, and I can't keep up by myself, so I'd like to hire you to help. Don't worry, there won't be any heavy work like plowing fields or harvesting rice. Just the usual vegetable growing and feeding chickens and ducks. The wages I can offer aren't high either. For now, it'll be two thousand a month, with lunch included. You'd come at seven-thirty in the morning and leave at five-thirty in the afternoon, with a three-hour break at noon. You can rest here or at home, whichever you prefer. How does that sound?"

Zhao Wende had already heard about it from Grandpa and was very satisfied with the conditions. "All right."

"Then work here for a few days first and see whether you can adapt."

Zhao Wende nodded.

Their employment arrangement was fairly casual. Zhao Danshi did not want to sign a contract and bind either side, so he said, "Uncle, we won't sign a contract. Try it out first. If it doesn't feel right or your body can't take it, tell me, and we'll discuss what to do next."

"Ah."

Zhao Danshi asked with a smile, "Do you have any other questions? Ask whatever you want. Don't worry about it."

Zhao Wende shook his head. "No."

"Good. Are you coming to work with us today, or starting tomorrow?"

"I'll go with you today, young boss. What are we doing today?"

Zhao Danshi did not stand on ceremony with him and immediately asked the question that concerned him most. "Do you know how to compost? The vegetables in the fields grow fast, and they use fertilizer fast too. I want to buy two cartloads of cow manure from the village and make compost."

"I do. How could I not? I've farmed all my life. This is my specialty."

"We'll pinch the tops off the vegetables this morning, then make compost this afternoon."

Zhao Wende was honest and did not slack off. When they went to work in the fields together, Zhao Danshi and Li Ping were not even as fast as he was. Sure enough, everyone had their own expertise.

After observing him for a morning, Zhao Danshi vaguely realized he had found a treasure.

At noon, Zhao Danshi deliberately made a lavish meal. The pig's trotters they had chopped that morning were rich and delicious, the trembling meat soaked through with juices. The moment it entered the mouth, the meat fell away from the bone, so tender it could be pressed apart with the tongue. Yet the skin still had some chew to it and had not been stewed to mush.

Zhao Wende had been a farmer all his life, but he had never known pig's trotters could be cooked into such a delicacy. His appetite opened up, and he ate three bowls of rice in a row, until he was belching with fullness. Inwardly, he felt even more grateful for this job.

After eating, he even rushed to wash the dishes.

Zhao Danshi hurriedly gave him a gentle push and smiled. "No need, Uncle. Go home and rest. My Senior Brother will wash them. Just come back around two-thirty this afternoon. If something holds you up, that's fine too. Don't rush. Just call and tell me."

"Ah." Zhao Wende picked up his straw hat, left Zhao Danshi's courtyard, and walked home along the path.

The three rested at noon. The sun was blazing outside, so they would not start work again until nearly three and would finish after six in the evening.

Zhao Danshi played with Dou Dou in the room. After Li Ping finished washing the dishes, he came over too. The two foolish fathers made faces and played peekaboo, making Dou Dou turn his head back and forth. His giggles never stopped, and his two little white teeth were clearly visible.

Zhao Danshi's fingers itched. He kept wanting to touch Dou Dou's teeth, but he was afraid it would be unhygienic, so he did not dare.

Dou Dou, however, had no such reservations. Seeing Daddy's hand waving in front of him, he opened his mouth and bit down.

"Ah!" Zhao Danshi nearly jumped up in shock. He looked at Dou Dou as if on the verge of tears. "Why did you bite me again?"

Dou Dou flashed him a huge smile, but refused to let go of his finger.

Li Ping gently pinched Dou Dou's chubby cheek, helpless. "You know your son likes biting people now that he's teething. Why do you keep teasing him?"

Zhao Danshi's finger was finally rescued. Two shallow red dents marked it, and he grabbed a tissue to wipe off the saliva.

"Senior Brother, don't you think Dou Dou looks especially adorable when he opens his mouth?"

Li Ping lightly patted his back. "Even if he is adorable, stop waving your fingers in front of him and tempting him to bite. It's unhygienic."

"I know."

Dou Dou's body clock was very accurate. After a while, his little head began bobbing, and he was clearly getting sleepy. Zhao Danshi stopped playing with him, wrapped him in his sleeping bag, and gently laid him in his little bed.

The two moved over to the desk to talk.

Zhao Danshi asked, "Senior Brother, what did you think of how I talked with Uncle Wende today? Was there anything inappropriate?"

"It was very good." Li Ping smiled softly. "I wanted to praise you today. You held your ground. This morning, I thought you would agree to let him move in."

Zhao Danshi's face suddenly reddened.

Amused, Li Ping glanced at him and teased, "Why are you blushing when we talk about that?"

Zhao Danshi glared at his Senior Brother. That's because you don't understand the rich thoughts in my heart!