CH 46

This is a bonus chapter in dedication to Jamielindsay. Thank you for your support!!

Su Jitong’s voice came from the stairway outside, “Have all of you brothers put away your luggage?”

Su Chi released the zipper and walked towards the door. Su Huanyi took off his down jacket and put it on the bed before putting on a sweater to follow him.

The door to the bedroom opened and they saw Su Jianchen, who was diagonal across the door, come out of his room. He saw the two brothers coming out of the same door, and his gaze was like a torch. “Why did you come out of the same door?”

Su Huanyi was opening his mouth to explain when Su Chi beside him said indifferently, “Where else would we have come out of, the chimney?”

Su Jianchen: “…”

Su Huanyi slowly closed his mouth.

The three went downstairs. Su Jitong and Yu Xinyan were already waiting in the hall. Su Jitong planned, “Let’s go where we ate steamed pot chicken last time. The mushrooms there were also very fresh.

Yu Xinyan said, “The third will arrive at around 3 pm, so we’ll wait for him before going out again.”

The restaurant for the steamed pot chicken was just a ten-minute drive away.

It had a small Chinese-style courtyard lined with a shallow pond and a bridge, with the sound of fresh water. The wooden windows were covered with paper, and the orange light on the surface was faintly visible.

They sat down in a large box, and Su Jitong ordered several main dishes before passing around the menu for them to add a few side dishes.

The menu was passed from Su Jianchen to Su Chi. Su Haunyi grabbed Su Chi’s arm, his eyes glued to the menu, “I want to eat baked tofu and fried rice noodles!”

Su Chi glanced at him and said, “Can’t you eat something healthy?”

Su Huanyi: “Life should be about pursuing a fast rise and fall.”

Su Chi said indifferently, “If you go on like this, you will only fall.”

“…..”

Despite these words, the baked tofu and fried rice noodles were ticked off the menu. Su Chi added a few more dishes according to his family’s tastes and passed them to the waiter.

After a short while, the dishes were brought to the table. The steamed chicken was smoking hot, and the fresh aroma spread throughout the table.

Yu Xinyan asked Su Jitong to serve her some soup. “Put some in a bowl to cool in the meantime. I can drink it after eating.”

Su Jitong finished serving soup for both of them and put the spoon back into the pot, saying, “You brothers can serve yourselves.”

“Okay.” Su Chi rolled up his cuffs and carried his bowl to get soup.

Su Huanyi held his bowl and stared eagerly, waiting for his elder brother to finish serving himself.

The bowl was filled with soup, and it landed in front of him with a thud. Then his empty bowl was taken and Su Chi began to fill a second bowl.

Su Huanyi stared at the soup in front of the noodles, “Is that for me?”

“Otherwise, is it for the seat?”

“Oh, thank you, brother.”

Su Chi finished filling the second bowl, and he turned the handle of the spoon towards Su Jianchen, whose eyes were burning from the other end. “You can serve yourself, second brother.”

Su Jianchen: …?

The meal was almost over and Su Jitong looked at the time. “It’s two o’clock and the third is probably going to land soon. I’ll ask Xiao Lin to go pick him up. ”

Yu Xinyan said yes, “Maybe we’ll find him already home. I’m tired from the flight today, so let’s go and rest for a while. We’ll go for a walk later.”

Su Huanyi buried his face in the bowl of soup, leaving only two eyes over the edge of the bowl. He had never been here before, and he now wanted to explore everywhere.

He looked up from the bowl. “So where are we going tomorrow?”

Su Jitong said, “We shall go to your uncle Liu’s house tomorrow. We have some friendship, so one must always go and say hello.”

….Who is Uncle Liu? Su Huanyi was at a loss.

The family returned to the house after eating. They found the door open and the car driver Lin had parked aside.

“Is the third back?” Yu Xinyan quickened her pace.

The door to Su Yu’s room was open, and there were noises of luggage being put away from inside.

Yu Xinyan walked to the door, “Su Yu.”

Su Yu was bending over his luggage with his back to the door, and he turned around at the call. He flipped a corner of his windbreaker and pushed aside his bangs. “Mom, Dad.”

Su Jitong looked at him for a few seconds to confirm his state, “You’ve had a long journey, have you eaten yet?”

Su Yu said he had eaten on the plane. Su Jitong then told him to take a good rest and went upstairs with Yu Xinyan.

Su Huanyi looked at him from the door frame and said, “Third brother, I didn’t leave anything behind, did I?”

“No, my little brother understands me, so how could he have missed anything?”

“That’s good.” Su Huanyi didn’t leave, his mind on the bookcase model Su Yu had mentioned.

When he didn’t leave, Su Chi also stood behind him and didn’t move. Su Jianchen wanted to go back to his room to sleep, but he also stayed put when he saw that all three brothers were there.

For a while, the door to Su Yu’s room was crowded.

Su Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, “…..Big brother, second brother, why are you blocking my door?”

Su Chi said, “No reason.”

Su Huanyi hesitated and asked, “Yes, brother, why are you standing here?”

Su Chi asked him, “What about you?”

Su Yu’s tone sounded a little bit unpleased, “Of course, my little brother has something to whisper to me alone.”

Su Chi raised his eyes and looked over with his expression unconcealed.

Su Yu was taken aback for a moment. After a couple of seconds, he returned to his senses and his normal self. He lazily waved his hand to drive them out, “Alright, alright, go back. Whatever you have to say to me because you miss me can be done later in the evening. I’m going to take a nap. ”

They were all thrown out, and the door closed with a click.

Silence returned to the room.

Su Yu stood still and patted his chest, “Shit, is big brother for real?”

……

Su Huanyi was driven away, and he drifted absent-mindedly back to his room.

The door to his bedroom closed. He had started unpacking his things when there were two knocks on the balcony door behind him.

Su Chi stood outside the door, his tall body blocking half of the light and exuding a bit of pressure.

“Big brother, the door is not closed, you can just come in.”

“It’s a matter of etiquette to knock.” Su Chi stepped in. “Are you unpacking?”

“Yes.” He still hadn’t changed his habit of bringing everything with him. “Have you finished?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh.”

He was about to ask Su Chi what he came for when he saw the latter bend over and help him sort out the clothes in his suitcase, hanging them in the wardrobe one by one.

Su Huanyi watched in amazement. His elder brother came to unpack?

He pondered over it for a while with no conclusion, so he simply stopped thinking and accepted it with grace.

With Su Chi’s help, most of the luggage was quickly sorted out.

Su Huanyi sorted out his daily necessities while Su Chi helped him fold his trousers, leaving a few pairs of underpants in the suitcase. “You can sort the rest out yourself.”

“Okay.” He remembered that Su Chi had sorted his underwear for him when they were in Nangang.

The difference was that he was sick with a cold at that time; he was alive and well now, so he should unpack them himself.

Su Chi stood by while Su Huanyi folded his underwear. When he finished folding them, Su Chi suddenly said, “What did you want with third brother?”

Su Huanyi said, “It’s nothing much.” He just wanted to talk about the bookcase model.

Su Chi glanced at him before saying, “You should sleep.” With that, he turned and went back to his room through the balcony.

The Su family rested all afternoon, so they were in high spirits by evening, and were ready to drive out for a meal. They were travelling as a family, so they brought a big car.

Driver Lin was in the driver’s seat, and Su Huanyi was sitting in the last row against the window. The sky was tinted with a golden haze, and he was pressed up against the glass like a tropical fish watching the sunset.

The golden-red afterglow reflected on his face, his long eyelashes plated with gold, and his pupils a soft light brown. He had just woken up, so there was a slight tinge of red at the corner of his eyes.

Su Chi glanced at him, “You look like sweet and sour pork.”

“…” Su Huanyi turned his head, and a golden light fell through the car window onto the side of Su Chi’s sculpted face. He returned the favour, “Big brother looks roasted.”

Su Yu in the front row, “….”

The Su family ate a late lunch. Except for Su Yu, who had only eaten the plane meal, and Su Huanyi, everyone else stopped eating after an eighth of a meal.

Only two pairs of chopsticks were left waving on the table.

Su Huanyi was eating with his head buried in his bowl as usual when Su Yu suddenly leaned over and whispered at a volume that everyone at the table could hear, “Brother, I have actually already eaten my fill, but I only kept eating to keep you company.”

Su Huanyi was touched and said, “Third brother is so kind.”

Su Chi: “He took two pieces of your roast meat.”

Su Huanyi stopped feeling moved in an instant.

A pair of chopsticks reached into the plate and put two pieces of meat into his bowl. “Eat.” Su Chi’s long fingers were laced with the chopsticks.

He had a comparison in mind: “Big brother is better.”

Su Yu: “….”

On the opposite side of the table, Su Jitong and Yu Xinyan looked lovingly at this picture of loving brothers.

All three brothers had picked up their chopsticks, and Su Jianchen couldn’t sit still. He picked up the chopsticks by his bowl again. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, Su Jianchen put a piece of tofu into Su Yu’s bowl.

He whispered in Su Chi’s tone of voice, “Eat.”

Su Chi and Su Huanyi: “….”

Su Yu looked at him like he had seen a ghost.

……..

The sky was a dark navy blue when they finished eating, and the long ancient street below was lit up with bright orange lights that stretched into the sky. The stone walls and tiles gave an old, ancient charm.

The night market on the ancient street was bustling with activity, selling not only snacks but also souvenirs. Su Huanyi bought a talisman pendant for Su Chi. The latter held the pendant with his eyes downcast, “For hypnosis?”

“No, it has a symbolic meaning – big brother is a talisman!”

“….”

Su Yu came over, “Where’s mine, brother?”

A commemorative coin landed in his hand. Its face was rough and old, blurring the light from near and far. Su Yu raised his eyes, “Thank you, brother.”

Su Huanyi remembered Su Jianchen’s hobby and turned to put a fluffy rabbit ear into his hand, “Second brother.”

Su Jianchen’s face flushed red as if his hands were hot, and he said, “Who said I like this?!”

Su Huanyi’s eyes shifted to Su Chi. The latter didn’t feel the least bit guilty; “You can return it.”

The coin was flipped and tossed in the air as Su Yu teased him, “Then you’ll be the only one without a gift.”

After a moment’s silence, Su Jianchen kept the gift between shame and conformity.

It was nearly half-past ten when they got home, and the next day was New Year’s Day. The Su family had spent New Year’s Eve together, so they were not going to stay up all night together.

Before he went upstairs, Su Jitong urged the brothers, “Don’t get up too late as you are going to visit your Uncle Liu tomorrow.”

Su Huanyi nodded and went back to his room to wash up and take a bath.

It was an hour later when he came out again. He went to the balcony to draw the curtains, and then he heard fireworks outside. He pushed the door open and the cold breeze puffed against his face. The sound of fireworks became clearer in the distance.

Bang, bang! The sky overhead was lit up with fireworks. The night became day whenever they exploded.

On the other side of the street, someone had lit a fairy wand, and the cluster of golden sparks brought up a cloud of white smoke that wavered in the darkness.

Su Huanyi was looking down from the balcony when the door to the room next door swung open and Su Chu came out. “Watching the fireworks?”

Su Huanyi turned to look at him and said, “I was remembering the fireworks we saw at the Observation Tower last time. Which ones did you like more, big brother? ”

Su Chi stood next to him, “They are all the same.”

Su Huanyi giggled, “How can it be the same? You are so perfunctory.”

Su Chi didn’t say anything more. The only sounds in the cool night were the sound of fireworks blooming overhead and the distant noise of people.

In the years to come, as long as this person is still beside him, then all the fireworks will be the same…….

With half a minute to go before midnight, the crowd outside the street suddenly stirred up, and the timer grew louder as the time approached.

Su Huanyi was also excited and his whole body squeezed onto Su Chi, “Big brother, big brother, we are going to celebrate the New Year!”

Su Chi was still motionless when being squeezed. He only looked down at the top of his head. The strands of hair were waving around.

The man was like a little fool, oblivious to his thoughts.

The crowd outside the street counted down, “five, four, three, two, one, zero…” The last sound fell, and a huge wave of celebration erupted in the distance!

Su Huanyi was jumping up and down when he felt the heat of a hot breath gently blowing over his head, as light as a feather, “Happy New Year.”