Don't cry, Ding

People felt weak all over after waking from an afternoon nap.

Ding Ding had never experienced this before. The instant he opened his eyes, he even wondered whether the fool had poisoned the bowl of water he had brought him.

Then he reconsidered, certain the fool would never do that.

Daylight shone in, with the dim yellow cast peculiar to the afternoon.

The room was quiet. Ding Ding's mouth and throat were dry, and he wanted to ask the fool to pour him some more water, adding that he really didn't want porridge. Plain water would do.

Only after his words circled the empty room and fell into silence did Ding Ding realize the fool was gone.

He wasn't worried, though. This was the fool's home, after all. He couldn't just abandon him here.

How nice. Even the fool had a home.

Ding Ding got up and walked to the corner where the fool had poured water earlier. The electric kettle sat on the floor beside a rice cooker that had been used for who knew how many years.

Together, those two things seemed to be the only electrical appliances in the house.

Oh, that wasn't right. There was a water heater in the bathroom, too.

Ding Ding made himself quite at home, using the doorless bathroom while the fool was away.

His face felt uncomfortable after his nap, so Ding Ding washed it, then dried it with the towel the fool had hung on the rack.

The towel was no longer soft, and it scraped a little roughly against his face, but it smelled nice. It smelled like the fool.

Ding Ding let out a breath and stared blankly into the mirror for a while, not knowing what to do next.

Having somewhere to get a good sleep was the luckiest thing that had happened to Ding Ding lately.

After years on his own, Ding Ding thought he had grown bones of steel, but even he couldn't avoid feeling lonely.

The fool was lovely. His hair was soft, he was good-looking, clean, and sincere.

But it had to be at a time like this.

Ding Ding had nothing to his name now; he could even be said to have nothing at all. He couldn't afford to support another person.

The bathroom ceiling showed signs of renovation, its white glaring against the old walls.

There was that feeling again: out of place.

Just like him and the little fool.

Footsteps sounded at the door, their rhythm light and lively, full of energy.

Bai Congming rushed in carrying a bag and immediately spotted Ding Ding standing in a daze in the bathroom.

"Wifey..."

As though sensing Ding Ding's mood, Bai Congming's steps turned hesitant and heavy. He hurriedly washed his hands, then gathered him into his arms.

"Wifey, don't cry!"

Ding Ding sniffed, unwilling to pull away from the embrace. His head even rubbed against Bai Congming's neck without his realizing it.

"Who's crying?" His mouth remained stubborn. "Don't call me wifey!"

Because of the way they were hugging, Ding Ding couldn't see the fool's tightly knitted brows or pouting lips. He could only feel the firm strokes along his stiff back, one after another.

Bai Congming obediently corrected himself. "Ding, don't cry!"

"..."

It was completely dark now. Bai Congming switched on the night-light by the bed and moved around in its faint glow.

Puzzled, Ding Ding pressed the switch on the wall several times, but the room didn't grow any brighter.

"Light's dead!" Bai Congming told him from where he crouched on the floor. "Dead a long time!"

"...You mean broken."

Ding Ding put on his jacket, remembering the general store he'd seen at the intersection on his way here. He hoped they sold light bulbs.

He was heading out when someone caught the hem of his jacket again.

"Don't go... Ding, don't go. Eat!"

Ding Ding glanced into the corner where the fool had been crouching. Three peeled potatoes sat there, gray and dingy.

"I'm not leaving," Ding Ding said. "I'm going to buy a light bulb and bring it back to replace this one."

Hearing that he was going to buy something, Bai Congming held on to Ding Ding and took money out of his little bag, as though afraid he would leave.

"I go, too."

"...Let's go."

Bai Congming seemed a little frightened, his hand gripping Ding Ding's jacket tightly.

This was his last suit that was still decent enough to wear out. Ding Ding sighed and took that hand in his own.

"Scared?"

"Mm..." Bai Congming nodded slightly, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "Dark. Scared!"

Ding Ding let out a laugh through his nose. "You know m3?"

The fool didn't understand the joke. He simply saw that Ding Ding was happy and smiled along with him. His eyes were astonishingly bright in the night, outshining all the stars in the sky.

The warmth in his palm was comforting, and his chest felt warmer still.

A little flustered, Ding Ding looked away and led Bai Congming to buy a light bulb in silence.

He spent his own money.

Ding Ding brought the dead light back to life, and Bai Congming looked at him with admiration.

For that little comfort of being a hero, and out of curiosity to see the fool cook, Ding Ding decided to leave after dinner.

But the dinner Ding Ding had been looking forward to was so simple it was almost slapdash.

The potatoes were cut into chunks and cooked together with the rice in the rice cooker, then seasoned with a little salt once they were done.

It actually tasted quite good. The potatoes had cooked until very soft, lending every grain of rice a grainy texture.

Besides, the fool only had a rice cooker. Making something like this was already quite an achievement.

What Ding Ding himself didn't realize was that, faced with a large bowl of utterly unappetizing-looking food, he was unconsciously making excuses for the fool.

"Eat! With a full belly, nothing's too hard!"

This counted among the few fluent sentences the fool had spoken.

Ding Ding raised his eyebrows. "Your mom taught you that?"

Bai Congming hummed in agreement and poured Ding Ding a large bowl of plain water, setting it beside him. "Eat!"

Ding Ding wasn't very thirsty. Under the fool's eager gaze, he obligingly took a large mouthful of rice.

Coated in a layer of mashed potato, the rice was soft and sticky. There was a little too much salt, but it wasn't hard to swallow.

...Now Ding Ding knew what the bowl of water was for.

Watching the fool wolf down his food, alternating mouthfuls of rice with gulps of water, Ding Ding silently finished an entire bowl of the slightly salty potato rice.

After washing the dishes with Bai Congming, Ding Ding had no excuse left to stay.

"I'm leaving."

Bai Congming visibly grew dejected, nodding with the corners of his mouth turned down.

When Ding Ding finally dawdled his way to the door, Bai Congming chased after him.

"Wait. Come, you come."

Ding Ding was secretly delighted. A voice rose in his mind, and if he listened closely, it was clearly saying, Kindhearted little fool, let me stay one more night.

Yet he refused to admit it aloud, even making a show of struggling a couple of times.

"I really have to go."

"Very quick, go!"

Bai Congming pulled him back inside, then stuck his head into the wardrobe to rummage for something.

For some reason, Ding Ding hoped it would be a set of pajamas.

It wasn't.

The fool held out a gleaming gold piggy bank in front of Ding Ding.

It was large and very new, and looked well cared for. Even the stopper under the pig's belly was still there.

As Ding Ding stood stunned, the pig was pushed into his arms, heavy and substantial.

"What... what's this for?"

Bai Congming patted the pig's head, then Ding Ding's, as though he had already made his choice.

"For you. Have money, bad people won't bully you anymore!"

"..."