The food was soon brought to the table, four dishes and a soup steaming hot. Even the aroma of Osmanthus City's mild local flavors was comforting.
Grandma sat at the head of the table, smiling as she urged them on. "Eat, eat! Try little Jin's cooking. You won't find this flavor anywhere else."
Grandma had said that Fan Jin had learned to cook for himself when he was very young, and that he was quite good at it.
Shan Ye picked up his chopsticks and tried a piece of fish first. It was tender, fresh, and full of flavor, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Fan Jin, you're amazing! You're such a good cook."
Sitting across from him, Fan Jin glanced up, gave a quiet "Mm," and casually placed a tender piece of fish in Grandma's bowl.
"Have some more if you like it," he said.
Perhaps because it was his first time eating Fan Jin's cooking, Shan Ye enjoyed the meal especially much. He soon emptied his bowl of rice, then got up to help himself to another.
After the meal, Shan Ye volunteered to gather the bowls and chopsticks and carry them into the kitchen. "Fan Jin, let me help you wash up."
Fan Jin didn't stop him. He let him enter the kitchen while he wiped down the stove beside him. They each went about their own task, quiet but not awkward.
Before long, Yu Chuan came to the kitchen doorway too. Leaning against the frame, he called inside, "Shan Ye, come out for a second. I need to talk to you."
Shan Ye wiped the water off his hands and stepped outside. "What is it?"
"We have to head back to Muzhou tomorrow." Yu Chuan looked at him, his tone serious. "Shouldn't we go back to the hotel early to pack?"
The smile on Shan Ye's face instantly faded, the corners of his mouth drooping a little. He stayed silent for a long time.
He glanced behind him and asked quietly, "Could we... leave in another couple of days? I don't want to go back yet."
He had only just seen Fan Jin again, only just gotten a little closer to him. He didn't want to leave so soon.
"We've already been away for four days. The drive takes a whole day, and we still need time to prepare our lessons once we're back. Did you forget? The National Day holiday is almost over."
Seeing how reluctant he was to leave, Yu Chuan sighed helplessly. "Didn't we originally plan to head back tomorrow?"
Shan Ye frowned. Plans couldn't keep up with changes. When he came here, he hadn't known he would run into Fan Jin...
But Yu Chuan had a point. He still had lessons to prepare and work to go to. How had the seven-day National Day holiday gone by so quickly?
He instinctively looked up at Fan Jin nearby, his eyes so full of reluctance to part that it was almost spilling over.
Fan Jin had heard their conversation and noticed his gaze. With his head lowered as he wiped the table, he said evenly, "Head back early."
Shan Ye's heart clenched. Still unwilling to give up, he asked softly, "Fan Jin, then when... are you going back to Muzhou?"
"Grandma rarely gets to come back here. I'll stay with her a few more days and leave a little later." Fan Jin's voice was calm, betraying no particular emotion.
Shan Ye was even more reluctant to leave now, his whole body drooping.
"How much later?" he asked.
"...Two weeks."
Before long, worried that Grandma would be bored on her own, Yu Chuan went outside to keep her company, leaving only Shan Ye and Fan Jin in the kitchen.
Shan Ye hesitated for a few seconds, then softened his voice and edged closer to Fan Jin. "Fan Jin, if you're going back that late, what about the café...?"
Fan Jin's hand paused over the stove. He turned to look at him, finding it a little funny. "Someone's looking after it. Don't worry."
"But..." Shan Ye pressed his lips together and continued mumbling softly, "What if I want coffee? I only want the coffee you make."
Fan Jin chuckled at the way he was acting, though his tone remained mild. "Mine isn't the only café in Muzhou. It's the same wherever you go."
Shan Ye had no answer to that. Feeling both hurt and reluctant to part, he simply indulged in a little sulk, quietly following behind Fan Jin like a little tail.
Wherever Fan Jin went, he followed. When Fan Jin wiped the table, he stood beside him and watched. When Fan Jin cleared the dishes, he stood at his side like an inspector. When Fan Jin went into the courtyard to move chairs, he followed him step for step.
He didn't say a word, just quietly stuck to him, making it obvious that he was sulking a little and wanted Fan Jin to coax him more.
Naturally, Fan Jin noticed the figure following his every step, but he neither called him out nor chased him away, letting him tag along.
When Fan Jin was about to go to the bathroom and his little tail still followed, he turned around and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I..." Shan Ye was momentarily at a loss for words. "Fan Jin, do you dislike clingy people?"
"Yes." He answered without hesitation and went into the bathroom.
Shan Ye went back to the courtyard and sat in the sunshine. Once he saw Fan Jin come out, he quietly followed him inside again.
"If you have something to say, say it," Fan Jin said evenly.
Shan Ye pressed his lips together, his voice soft. "Are you really staying here for several more days?"
"Mm."
"But I'm leaving tomorrow..."
The other man was cold and merciless. "Travel safely."
Shan Ye hesitated, wanting to say more. He glanced toward the door and murmured, "Then I'll miss you."
Fan Jin watched him calmly for a few seconds, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing against the seam of his trousers.
Shan Ye didn't notice. He asked quietly, "Fan Jin, once you're back in Muzhou, can I come see you every day?"
"No."
Shan Ye frowned, unhappy. "Why not?"
"...Don't you have to work?"
"I do." Shan Ye smiled brightly. "I'll come see you whenever I have time."
Fan Jin let out a breath. Not wanting to engage with him, he headed outside.
Shan Ye kept pressing. "Fan Jin, will you miss me?"
Fan Jin stopped, unable to keep from frowning. "No. Go on, leave."
"Oh..." Shan Ye went to the door to say goodbye to Grandma.
He bent down, his eyes crinkling with a smile. "Grandma, take good care of yourself. I'll come visit you again once you're back in Muzhou."
Grandma smiled kindly. "All right, all right. You two have a safe trip."
Yu Chuan said goodbye to Grandma too. Just as Shan Ye was about to step out the door, he turned and waved at Fan Jin, calling loudly, "See you, Fan Jin!"
Fan Jin nodded, watching their retreating figures until they were far away.
After Shan Ye and Yu Chuan left, Grandma said with a smile, "That Shan Ye is such a cheerful boy, and he has such a lovely personality."
Fan Jin crouched down to tuck her blanket around her and asked quietly, "Do you like him?"
"Of course I do. It puts my mind at ease knowing you have a friend like that around you. He's so lively." Grandma looked down at him and asked, "Shan Ye is so cheerful. Doesn't any of it rub off on you?"
Fan Jin froze for a moment. With his personality, certainly not-but his heart was another matter.
Before you continue