Chapter 07
On a summer night, the cicadas buzzed incessantly, and a sweltering breeze blew against Wu Xingâs face.
The Omega sat on the electric tricycle, tilting his head back to look for stars in the sky, only to find they seemed to have hidden behind the clouds. Wu Xing looked down at A-Jiuâs broad back and said, “Many customers who come in say they didn’t know a new wonton shop had opened here.”
“Before the summer break starts, letâs run around to the nearby schools and visit the various communities.”
The man had his long arms stretched out to his sides, his large hands gripping the handlebars. He turned his head and gave a soft “Mm.”
Both of them had been exhausted from dawn until dusk, yet when they tallied it up, they hadn’t earned much money. Wu Xing comforted himself by thinking that business was just like thatâopening a shop is easy, but keeping it running is hard. He would just have to persevere.
“By the way, you won’t be getting much money this month. An apprentice salary that includes room and board is already low, and on top of that, you have to repay the medical expenses I covered for you earlier.”
When it came down to it, every one of Wu Xingâs sentences seemed inseparable from money.
“Xing-ge, youâve been calculating money all night; aren’t you sick of it yet?”
A-Jiu glanced back at Wu Xing, wondering if the man had an abacus inside his head that started clicking away at every opportunity. The streetlights flickered due to unstable voltage. Wu Xing laughed sheepishly and replied, “I have no money, so naturally, the first thing I think of in anything I do is money.”
“If one day I become very wealthy, perhaps I won’t have this stench of copper on me anymore.”
A-Jiu frowned, feeling a pang of discomfort in his heart. He turned and said, “Xing-ge, thatâs not what I meant…”
“Iâm used to being poor; Iâve grown accustomed to being meticulous and thinking ten steps ahead for every one I take. But I won’t treat you unfairly. Once the wonton shop earns more, Iâll give you a share of the profits.”
The light from the streetlamp shone right into Wu Xingâs eyes, making them look crystal clear.
“Meowâ”
Suddenly, a series of cat cries rang out, shrill and desperate, as if calling for help. Wu Xing had A-Jiu stop the tricycle, but they looked around and didn’t see any cats.
“Mimi?” Wu Xingâs voice when calling small animals had a touch of indescribable sweetnessâperhaps something he himself didn’t even realize.
Could it be in the tree?
The Alpha thought this, and amidst the emerald leaves, he spotted a pair of glowing eyes. The kitten seemed to have heard Wu Xingâs call; it elongated its meowing tone, sounding even more urgent.
A-Jiu parked the tricycle and walked to Wu Xingâs side, asking, “Why does it keep meowing like that?”
A-Jiu took out a flashlight and shone it at the tree. A completely snow-white kitten was huddled on a branch, its two furry front paws clinging to a thin twig, the whole cat trembling.
“It seems to be scared.”
“Maybe itâs too high up and can’t get down.”
A-Jiu confirmed the catâs location, handed the flashlight to Wu Xing, and said, “Iâll climb up and see if I can help it down.”
It was a tall camphor tree, and a small information placard hung from the trunk. The verdant leaves glowed a deep green under the beam of the flashlight. A-Jiu, wearing gray sneakers, stepped onto the main trunk, reached out to grip a thick branch, and slowly climbed toward where the kitten was.
“A-Jiu, be careful.”
The Alpha climbed the tree smoothly, reaching a hand out to the trapped kitten, his tone gentle: “Come here, Iâll take you home.”
The kitten tilted its neck and extended a paw into the air. The slender twig swayed, and a few green leaves fell. A-Jiu realized the kitten couldn’t reach him, so he climbed a little higher and reached his arm out again.
“Meow, meow, meow…”
Below the tree, the Omega watched this scene, his heart accelerating, feeling increasingly nervous. A-Jiu heard the kittenâs cries growing weaker and felt equally anxious; he leaned forward and simply went to grab the cat.
The kitten finally seemed to confirm that this human was harmless, and after A-Jiu grabbed it, it curled into his warm embrace. The Alpha held the cat with one hand, climbed down the branches with the other, and finally reached the ground.
“A-Jiu, are you okay?” Wu Xing turned off the harsh glare of the flashlight and walked to his side.
A-Jiu lowered his gaze. His white sleeve had been torn by the kitten. He stroked the still-trembling little cat and replied softly, “Iâm fine.”
The kitten, finally rescued, was no longer afraid. It rubbed against the kind-hearted manâs arm before being set on the ground. It didn’t seem to be a stray; it navigated the street with familiarity, drilling into a small hole in a nearby wallâit had likely fallen from a balcony that hadn’t been fully sealed.
A gentle smile appeared on A-Jiuâs face. He watched the kittenâs retreating back and said to Wu Xing, “Look, it can go home now.”
“Xing-ge, letâs go home, too.”
Under the streetlight, Wu Xing held the flashlight, his heart trembling involuntarily, as if pulled by some non-existent thread. He looked subconsciously at the amnesiac Alpha.
His heartbeat pounded like a drum, each beat louder than the last.
The Omega took a deep breath and suddenly said, “A-Jiu, if one day you regain your memories, you must tell me. I will see you home, too.”
Instantly, A-Jiuâs mind went blank. All his thoughts drifted along with the scent of Wu Xing, who was standing close by. He shouted loudly, “I will stay by Xing-geâs side forever.”
Wu Xing froze for two seconds, forcing himself not to overthink it, and simply said, “Youâve worked hard during this time.”
The Wuâs Wonton Shop was closed every Monday, but the boss didn’t restâhe was busy promoting his shop. Wu Xing had hired someone to design flyers, and he had A-Jiu print one or two thousand copies.
The flyers, with red backgrounds and white text, clearly stated the address, phone number, and menu of the shop. They went to a nearby primary school firstâat that moment, the students were just finishing classes.
For every flyer taken, get a free bag of raw wontons.
“Hello, we are the new Wu’s Wonton Shop on Ping’an Second Street…”
“Hello, we are…”
“No thanks, we’re in a rush.”
“Don’t block the way, I have to take my kid to tutoring…”
“We will give you a free portion…”
The royal blue tricycle was piled high with raw wontons in plastic bags. As long as someone listened to Wu Xing finish his pitch, A-Jiu would hand over a portion of wontons. Some people took the wontons but tossed the flyer on the ground before they had even walked two steps. A perfectly good piece of paper soon bore footprints that couldn’t be wiped away. Fortunately, the custom-made plastic bags also had the address and phone number of the Wu’s Wonton Shop printed on them; if they came to the shop or ordered delivery, the marketing effort wouldn’t have been in vain.
An hour later, Wu Xing and his apprentice A-Jiu stood at the main gate of the Fifth High School to continue their promotion.
Ring-ringâ
Students poured out in a steady stream, all wearing identical school uniforms, their backpacks looking significantly heavy.
“Look, that guy is so tall.”
“He looks kind of handsome, huh?” A girl with a plain face and a simple ponytail whispered, pointing at the Alpha not far away.
A-Jiu felt a bit hot and, wanting to get some air, took off his white mask.
“Wow, I told you he was a handsome guy.”
Wu Xing was still holding a thick stack of flyers, so he hurried over to introduce his wonton shop to the group of girls. One of the girls, who wore glasses and had short hair, took a flyer and asked, “Does this mean I can get a portion of wontons from that guy over there?”
Wu Xing nodded, only halfway through his introduction, when the rest of the flyers in his hands were snatched away.
“I want one too.”
“Let me see.”
Wu Xing looked at the girls who had suddenly formed a line, then turned to glance at A-Jiu, who had removed his mask, and felt a wave of regret. If he had known, he would have exploited the Alphaâs good looks from the very beginning.
Later students saw the line at the gate, and out of curiosity, they joined it, collecting a bag of wontons to take home as a midnight snack.
“Is this your wonton shop?”
A-Jiu picked up a bag of wontons, handed it to a girl, pointed at Wu Xing, and then shook his head.
“Then are you usually at the shop?”
“Weâre closed on Mondays; otherwise, Iâm always there.”
The Alphaâs beautiful features, combined with his indifferent expression, were exactly the type these high school girls loved the most. A-Jiu was surrounded by the girls; he looked through the crowded group and his gaze landed on Wu Xing, who was diligently handing out flyers.
“My home is in the residential area behind Ping’an Second Street; Iâll definitely come to support you.”
“Thank you.”
The weather was very hot, and more and more people arrived. A-Jiu suddenly couldn’t see Wu Xing, and a wave of panic washed over him. It wasn’t until the students had completely dispersed and Wu Xing reappeared in his line of sight that he felt at ease.
“A-Jiu, are you hot? Drink some water.”
The Alpha silently took the bottle of mineral water the other man handed over, his long fingers lightly brushing against the otherâs wrist.
“Xing-ge, why didn’t you come over just now?”
Wu Xing lowered his head to drink, answering honestly: “They were all here for you, so of course I didn’t want to come over and join the commotion.”
By the third week of the shop’s closure, they went to several nearby communities to promote. Wu Xing simply had A-Jiu remove his mask and let the Alpha take charge of handing out flyers.
The effect was miraculous. At the very least, compared to the week before last, their daily sales were steadily increasing.
On the way back, they happened to run into a supermarket clearance event. Wu Xing had A-Jiu pull the tricycle over.
“Xing-ge, are you buying something?”
The Omega shook his head and said, “No.”
“Iâm buying something for you.”
The clothes the Alpha was currently wearing were all old items that had been too big for the Omega. Although they were clean, they didn’t really fit him well.
