Water could make porridge

Hongfang Street was a street steeped in the feel of bygone years.

Time had aged the houses here, and their residents had gradually grown old along with them.

Cars could not get in, so Ding Ding parked at the entrance to the street and followed Bai Congming past bougainvillea and frangipani in full bloom.

They encountered quite a few gray-haired elderly people along the way. Seeing someone walking beside the fool, they stopped curiously, but did not dare strike up a conversation.

Bai Congming, on the other hand, was enthusiastic, calling out "Grandpa" and "Grandma" all the way.

"They all ignore you. Why do you still greet them?"

At Ding Ding's question, Bai Congming tilted his head, feeling a little puzzled. Why did his wife always ask questions he could not answer?

"Mom said I have to be polite."

Thinking back to the last time he had woken up at the fool's home, there had seemed to be no sign of anyone else living there.

So the fool did have a mother.

Well, of course. A fool who wiped his hands practically raw before eating could hardly have raised himself.

"Then where's your mom?" Ding Ding asked.

Still wearing that same smile, Bai Congming pointed at the bougainvillea growing in a courtyard beside the road.

"There!"

"...?"

"Mom said when the bougainvillea blooms, she'll be in there watching me."

"..."

Ding Ding fell silent. Turning to look at the fool's uncomprehending smile, he ultimately could not bring himself to tell him.

In M City, bougainvillea bloomed all year round.

It was only a kind lie a mother had left her foolish son. Of course Ding Ding would not expose it, but an ache rose in his heart, along with a little envy.

Some people left yet remained everywhere; others were still around, but... it would have been better if they were not.

In his thirty years of life, Ding Ding sometimes felt that life really was pointless.

What did it matter if he fought his way to the top? There was no one behind him, not even someone to share his joy with.

"Please leave!" Bai Congming pushed open a courtyard gate. "This is my home!"

Ding Ding pursed his lips and corrected him somewhat helplessly. "It's 'please come in.'"

Bai Congming chuckled. "Please leave and come into my home!"

"..."

The courtyard was small but exceptionally neat. Several pots of succulents in the corner were flourishing, and besides the bougainvillea, there were other flowers Ding Ding could not name, all blooming beautifully.

Dressed in his suit and leather shoes, Ding Ding had strayed into a fairy-tale garden, radiating the awkwardness of being out of place from head to toe.

"Now that I've brought you home, I'll be going."

Gripping the handle of the courtyard gate, Ding Ding hesitated, unsure whether he ought to extricate himself from the fool sooner.

Bai Congming immediately frowned. "Don't go! Wi... Ding Ding, don't go!"

He does listen. Tell him not to call me his wife, and he starts using my full name, Ding Ding thought.

But hearing this fool say the name he was so pleased with himself always made Ding Ding uncomfortable all over.

"Don't call me Ding Ding either."

It was only a form of address. Ding Ding did not know why he cared so much.

"Call me Brother Ding."

Ding Ding settled on a barely acceptable form of address for himself. As it happened, it sounded particularly nice when the fool said it-so nice that before he could think it through, his hand was already reaching for the fool's head.

The fool's hair was soft, damp after a day spent running around outside, and lay limply against his scalp.

Before Ding Ding's hand even settled on it, a wave of heat rose to meet him.

"Is Little Bai a good boy?"

Ding Ding paused. "What?"

Bai Congming lifted his head a little, nuzzling into Ding Ding's palm, and answered his own question with smiling eyes.

"Little Bai's a good boy!"

"..."

Ding Ding felt that, from that second on, the version of himself who disliked little animals had vanished completely.

The man who had said he was leaving stayed instead, withdrawing his hand as though scalded and clearing his throat.

"It's so hot today. How about inviting me in for some water?"

"Okay!" Bai Congming answered loudly. "Water for Brother Ding!"

Ding Ding watched the fool stamp his feet on the spot, pull open the door in apparent haste, and run inside. A few seconds later, he ran back out, dragged Ding Ding into the room, settled him on the bed, then ran over to the other side and busied himself.

He brought Ding Ding a bowl of... porridge.

Porridge was not quite right, since there was no rice in the bowl, but its contents were far too complicated to call water.

Dried flowers, red dates, goji berries-everything Ding Ding had ever seen steeped in drinking water was in there. It was a large, heavy bowl, and even came with a spoon.

"Drink! Brother Ding, drink!"

"..."

Ding Ding did not know where to begin. He sat holding the bowl in a daze for a long time, until the fool scooped up a spoonful of water and brought it to his lips.

Even his voice softened. "Brother Ding, drink some water."

Ding Ding avoided the spoon, drank a mouthful of the oddly complicated-tasting water straight from the bowl, then handed it back.

"...Thank you." Ding Ding truly did not know what to say. "It tastes very good."

Bai Congming brightened and happily drained the bowl.

His water-moistened lips were so red that it was hard to look away.

"Is this... how you usually drink water?"

Bai Congming nodded. "Usually, put in a little. Brother Ding drinks, put in everything!"

The fool did not know how to be good to someone. He only knew to bring out everything he had and put it in.

That bewildering jumble was the fool's sincerity.

Ding Ding sniffed. "From now on, just put in a little for Brother Ding too."

Bai Congming licked his lips and found those words especially pleasing. With a solemn expression, he put down the bowl and sidled furtively up to Ding Ding.

He planted a smacking kiss on him.

"..."

With the fool's saliva all over his face, Ding Ding did not know whether to laugh or cry. He wiped it clean with the back of his hand and gave him a sidelong look.

"What was that for?"

"Like!" Bai Congming chuckled. "I like you!"

So foolish...

Yet it was precisely because he was so foolish that he was especially moving.

Ding Ding averted his gaze, muttering so softly that it was unclear whom he meant to hear it.

"What does a fool know about liking someone?"

There were few pedestrians on Hongfang Street, and those who came merely passed by in silence. It was a rare haven, quietly accommodating everything.

The window stood wide open, and a warm breeze blew in. Ding Ding yawned.

There had been so much going on lately that the pressure had kept him awake. Now, though, he was beginning to feel sleepy.

"You've already treated me to water," Ding Ding said, a little embarrassed. "How about lending me your bed for a nap too?"

Ding Ding had not even needed to ask. The moment Bai Congming saw him yawn, he had pulled back the quilt.

Let's see anyone call him a fool now! Ding Ding thought.

"Sleep! Brother Ding, sleep!"

Ding Ding took off his jacket and lay down, closing his eyes under Bai Congming's gaze.

"I'll only sleep for a little while. If you're sleepy, lie down too. I won't... bully... you..."

Who knew just how exhausted he was? Before Ding Ding could finish his sentence, he lost consciousness, sinking into dreams amid faint rustling sounds from far away.

Bai Congming crouched at the head of the bed, looking at Ding Ding's profile with a very serious expression.

It was as though he were admiring some earthly treasure, not daring to touch it lightly.

But he was sleepy too, and did not want to sleep fully dressed like Ding Ding, so he quietly went out into the courtyard to wash himself clean.

Fresh and clean, he climbed into bed, even remembering to tug over a corner of the quilt to cover his belly.

"Hehe... wifey... smells so good!"