A Couple Who Look Alike

After breakfast, the two walked arm in arm toward the largest farmers' market nearby, following the noisy stream of people.

Unlike the standardized displays in supermarkets, the farmers' market in the old quarter was full of commotion.

As soon as they stepped into the market's covered hall, a medley of smells hit them: fragrant earth, fresh vegetables, the fishy odor of the seafood section, and all sorts of other scents.

The deafening sounds of bargaining, chopping meat, and tricycle horns filled their ears.

"Fresh local tomatoes! Just picked! Going cheap!"

"Big carp! Still kicking! Young man, come take a look!"

Lu Yan kept Aemeath close at his side, shielding her.

Aemeath, meanwhile, was like someone who had discovered a new world, curious about everything around her.

But her curiosity was not directed at the ingredients themselves. It was directed at their connection to Lu Yan.

"A-Yan, do you like tomatoes?" Aemeath asked, pointing to a basket of brightly colored tomatoes.

"I like stir-fried tomatoes and eggs," Lu Yan replied.

"We'll take some of these!" Aemeath immediately turned to the vendor and picked out several of the biggest, reddest ones.

They stopped and started along the way, Aemeath's attention fixed on the slightest changes in Lu Yan's expression.

If Lu Yan gave the green peppers an extra glance, she bought some.

If Lu Yan frowned at some seafood, she immediately pulled him away from the stall.

She was conducting an extremely meticulous information-gathering operation. She was building a database of tastes that belonged to Lu Yan alone.

When they reached the seafood section, a middle-aged woman was wielding a cleaver, deftly cleaning a grass carp.

When the woman saw Lu Yan and Aemeath approaching, she immediately slowed down, her face breaking into a warm smile.

"Oh, what a good-looking young couple!" The woman wiped her hands on a rag as she looked them up and down.

"Especially this young lady. Such a pretty face, so fresh and lovely. Young man, you're a lucky one!"

At the words "young couple," Lu Yan's face turned bright red.

He instinctively tried to explain. "No, we're..."

"Thank you!" Aemeath cut him off before he could finish.

Her voice was clear and sweet. Without any hesitation, she rested her head on Lu Yan's shoulder and hugged his arm tightly, saying with a radiant smile:

"My husband works very hard, ma'am. Could you pick out the fattest snakehead fish for me? I want to take it home and make him some fish soup to build up his strength."

The moment she said "husband," Lu Yan felt his brain buzz, as though countless fireworks had exploded in his head.

His body went rigid as a statue, and even his breathing stopped for a few seconds.

He turned and stared at Aemeath in shock.

Aemeath simply gave him a playful wink.

"Oh, listen to that sweet talk! Don't you worry, young lady, I'll pick you the very best!" Delighted by Aemeath calling him her husband, the woman deftly scooped a lively snakehead out of the tank.

"This one! I'll give you a discount. May you have a happy marriage and a baby soon!"

Lu Yan had no idea how he had paid, or how he had taken the heavy bag with the snakehead in it.

The noise around him seemed to fade into the distance, and his mind echoed with the natural way Aemeath had said "my husband."

For the rest of their shopping trip, whenever a vendor called them a married couple, Aemeath readily and happily played along, growing even bolder about showing their affection in public.

In the crowded aisles, she wrapped her arms around Lu Yan's waist from behind, then leaned out to pick out vegetables.

When they bought meat, she gently wiped nonexistent sweat from Lu Yan's temple with her fingers, right in front of the butcher.

This behavior, almost like marking her territory, made every young woman around them who tried to make eyes at Lu Yan, and every man who tried to sneak extra glances at Aemeath, give up.

In the gentlest, sweetest way, Aemeath was building an invisible wall around Lu Yan.

She wanted to announce to the whole world: this man, body and soul, belonged to her alone.

By the time they left the farmers' market, both of Lu Yan's hands were full of plastic bags of all sizes.

They were filled with fresh vegetables, meat, and fruit, as well as several bunches of flowers Aemeath had specially chosen to decorate the dining room.

The bags were heavy, and their handles dug into his fingers, turning them slightly white.

"A-Yan, let me carry some." Aemeath looked at his hands with concern and reached out to take some bags.

"No need. This is nothing." Lu Yan shifted slightly to evade her, his gaze resolute.

"I'm a man. How could I let a girl carry heavy things? You just have to give the orders."

His macho protectiveness seemed especially cute to her.

He thought he was sheltering Aemeath from the wind and rain, unaware that, step by step, he was willingly walking into the sweet trap called family.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the plane trees, dappling them with light and shadow.

The two walked side by side on the way home.

Though Lu Yan was carrying heavy bags in both hands, his steps were unusually light.

He looked at Aemeath beside him, her head lowered as she played with a white rose, and listened to her hum a song she had sung before. The place in his heart that had always been empty was filled to the brim.

This was life.

He had once thought he would spend the rest of his life alone.

Then this girl had barged into his world and, in the most domineering yet gentlest way, given him a home in the truest sense of the word.

"A-Yan, how about braised pork ribs and snakehead and tofu soup for lunch?" Aemeath suddenly turned to him, sunlight dancing in her hair.

"Sure." Lu Yan smiled and nodded.

"Even if it doesn't taste good, you're not allowed to spit it out, A-Yan!"

"Even if it's poison, I'll swallow it."

Their shadows stretched longer and longer along the street as they headed toward the little courtyard surrounded by high walls, the one that belonged to the two of them alone.