Chapter 9
Early the next morning, Xano returned to the auto repair shop. His coworkers, when they saw him, didn't say a word and cast fearful glances his way. He waited in the meeting room, and before long, Chen Jie arrived. She didn't say anything, just paid him for his work and even gave him an extra ten days' worth of pay. It seemed she was eager for him to take the money and leave.
Xano left the shop and went to the bank to deposit the money. As he watched his account balance increase on the screen, he finally felt the relief he had been carrying with him since he started working at the shop.
Two days later, he moved to a new place with Han.
Their new home was in a small courtyard. The landlord was an elderly couple, and since their child had moved to a big city for work, they decided to rent out half of the empty space in their yard. The rent was cheap, and they just wanted to have someone living there.
Xano explained their situation to the elderly couple, who sighed after hearing the details. The grandpa commented, "It's really not easy..."
When Xano arrived with Han, the elderly couple was surprised. The grandma said, "We never expected this child to look so adorable!"
They had three rooms on the eastern side of the yard. As you entered, there was a small living room, and on either side of the living room were two small bedrooms. The furniture was quite old, and the sofa's patterns had faded, but it exuded a homely feel. There was also a bathroom and a shower room in the yard, offering better living conditions compared to their previous place.
Xano had already cleaned and prepared their room before bringing Han there. Han was excited and roamed around the room, wrinkling the bedsheets. Even the sofa was not spared.
Xano finally managed to catch him in the living room and tried to cut his hair.
As soon as Han heard the words "haircut," he made a long "ahh" sound, clearly unhappy. He managed to slip away from Xano when he wasn't looking and darted into the yard.
"Come back!" Xano yelled from the threshold, "Did you hear me?"
Han heard him but didn't understand. The grandpa from the neighboring room opened his curtain, saw their situation, and laughed heartily, asking Han, "Little one, did you make trouble?"
Han replied, "No," from behind a tree, "Brother wants to cut my hair, but I don't want to."
The grandpa laughed even more and beckoned Han, "Come over, and let Grandpa cut your hair. I'm really skilled at it."
Han was hesitant, and his eyes darted towards Xano.
Xano said, "How could we accept that?"
The grandpa insisted, "There's nothing wrong with it. I used to cut my son's hair when he was young. Now that he's all grown up and we hardly see him anymore, I miss it. It's a rare opportunity."
The grandpa proved to be quite skilled at cutting hair, giving Han a round haircut with short bangs that revealed his delicate eyebrows. Han seemed neat and spirited.
Xano patted his face, "You're a clever boy. Your features are already so good; they couldn't be any better."
Han was satisfied with his new haircut. At first, he had been a bit shy, but as he grew, he found ways to avoid eating the vegetables his mom insisted he should eat. He would put them in Xano's bowl when his mom wasn't looking.
Xano and Han had been having their meals together since Han was seven years old. Initially, Han was so small that he couldn't even reach the table, and Xano had to help him with his chopsticks. However, Han eventually grew up and started secretly transferring his unwanted vegetables into Xano's bowl.
Xano watched Han grow from a little boy into a handsome young teenager. They had always shared the same dinner table, but they hadn't had a peaceful dinner in at least seven years.
Although they had spent five years apart with no contact, their longing was only one step away. It was a heart-wrenching closeness that had pushed them through all the hardships.
The two of them sat at the table, sharing a simple meal. Even though Xano's cooking skills were not great, it was an enjoyable dinner for both of them. Xano had been taking care of Han since he was seven, and he was relieved that Han could finally bathe by himself. This had reduced some of his responsibilities, especially the physical ones. However, moving to a new place made him hesitant to let Han shower alone, and he decided to join him in the shower.
The bathroom was not large. There were two steps leading up to a platform against the wall with a stone bathtub on top. The bathtub was too old to use for bathing, but to reach the showerhead, you had to stand in the tub. Han was not aware of this and tried to lie down in the tub when Xano suddenly grabbed him and pulled him up.
"What are you doing?" Han exclaimed. He had already stepped into the tub with both feet, and he was reaching down to sit when Xano grabbed his waist and pulled him up.
"Are you kidding?" Xano was surprised. "You can't sit or lie down in the tub. Don't you know that?"
"Why?" Han looked confused.
"There's no why," Xano replied, adjusting the water temperature. "You can only stand in the tub while taking a shower. Got it?"
"Oh..." Han said slowly. After a while, he asked, "But why?"
Xano just ignored the question. He stepped into the tub and started adjusting the water temperature, keeping his back to Han.
"Come on," Xano said. "You need to get into the tub, and you can only stand. Do you understand?"
"Oh," Han replied, seemingly understanding. But a moment later, he asked again, "Why?"
"I told you, there's no 'why,'" Xano said. He stepped down into the tub and stood next to Han, who had one foot on the step and one inside the tub. Xano adjusted the water temperature and placed his hand on Han's head. Han's body was soaking wet within moments.
Xano could see that Han was confused, so he decided to avoid further questions and start washing his hair. After a few minutes, Xano guided Han's head underwater to rinse the shampoo from his hair. Han squirmed and rubbed his legs against Xano, gripping his waist with one hand. Water splashed into the tub and flowed around them, but Xano tried to focus on the task at hand and finished washing Han's hair.
Han wiped the water from his face, and his hair stuck to his scalp, emphasizing his delicate features. He saw the tattoos on Xano's arm, which were usually covered by his clothes, and he curiously reached out to touch them. Then he wanted to touch Xano's hair, but Xano moved away, and Han persistently reached for his brother's handsome hair, playfully asking, "Why aren't you washing your hair? Are you scared?"
Xano felt a rush of heat within him. He had just washed his hair a bit carelessly. "Fine, I'll wash it," he replied.
"But you're not doing it now," Han said, "I want to wash it for you."
Unfortunately, Xano didn't let Han fulfill his request. He had difficulty resisting the temptation. Instead, he hurriedly got out of the tub before things got out of hand. Ignoring Han's longing gaze, he helped Han wash himself and get dressed before sending him to his own room.
Han didn't want to leave, insisting that he wanted to wait for Xano. However, Xano, who had always pampered him, ignored his pleas and didn't even glance at him. He pushed Han out of his room.
Feeling a bit wronged, Han saw that Xano had already tidied up the room to some extent. He lay down, and as he noticed the familiar smell on the pillow, he curled up in bed and soon closed his eyes.
In a half-asleep state, he felt Xano's hand on his shoulder, pulling it away and pushing his head to the side. Han mumbled and reached out to embrace Xano, placing his lips on his.
"Don't fool around," Xano turned his head away, used a towel to cover Han's head, and started to dry his hair. "Let me finish and then you can sleep."
Satisfied, Han lay back on Xano's chest. He yawned loudly and, after some time, was tucked back into bed by Xano, who instructed him to sleep.
"Where's Brother?" Han asked, still with his eyes open, "Aren't you sleeping?"
"You can sleep," Xano said, "I'll go to my room to sleep, and you can sleep in yours."
Han turned his head, looking at Xano with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Xano couldn't resist such a look from Han. "Alright," he sighed and returned to Han's bed, caressing his face and hair. "I'll sleep with you tonight."
Han was not bothered by the heat, and he clung to Xano, gripping his arm tightly. It was as if he believed that if he let go, Xano would disappear.
Han and his mother both had a high tolerance for heat, but Xano was the opposite. He couldn't stand the summer heat, and it was the same at home. His mother didn't allow the air conditioner to be on for too long during the summer, so Xano often found himself escaping to the internet cafes. When he returned home at night, Han was always reading a book, complaining about Xano being sweaty and smelly.
Shortly after their shower, Han had already fallen asleep, and Xano was in a half-awake state, feeling Han's hot breath on his shoulder. Xano couldn't resist pulling Han's hand away from his arm, and he pushed Han's head to the side. But a moment later, Han pulled his head back, not making a sound, just looking at Xano with a hint of distress in his eyes.
Xano's heart softened, and he got up, walked to the door, and turned off the light. As he did, the door opened slightly, and Han quickly said, "Brother!" The light came back on, and Xano stood in the doorway, looking at him. He whispered, "What's wrong?"
It seemed as if both of them only knew how to say one thing.
In the darkness, Han's eyes were a little moist as he called out softly, "I want to sleep..."
"Alright," Xano replied, "Go to sleep."
"What about Brother..." Han asked with his eyes still open, "Aren't you going to sleep?"
But Xano didn't sleep. Xano coughed and patted Han's face, saying, "I'm going to my room to sleep, and you'll sleep in yours."
Han didn't want him to leave, and he looked at Xano with a sad expression.