Under Clear Skies Chapter 87: Fruit-flavored Candy

Chapter 87: Fruit-flavored Candy

Translated by Fefe of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

 

Early the next morning, Tang Heng and Li Yuechi left Banxi Village. The mayor had wanted to give them a ride, but Li Yuechi rejected him. He found two villagers with motorcycles who were going to the city too and asked them to take them to Shijiang.

After the chaos that Tang Heng had caused, the villagers were naturally all curious about what had happened. The two villagers greeted Tang Heng, probably feeling that he wasn’t a snobby official. Before they departed, they asked tentatively, “Sir, is your work done?”

“It’s done,” Tang Heng said.

“Then, where are you and Xiao Li going?”

“…Wuhan.”

“Oh, yeah, Xiao Li studied in Wuhan before.” The man paused and grew even more curious. “I heard that you and Xiao Li have a close relationship…”

“We were university schoolmates.” Li Yuechi walked over and asked nonchalantly, “Lin-shu, can we get going?”

The motorcycle was fast and the mountain winds roared in their ears along the way, so no one continued speaking. The motorcycle that Li Yuechi sat on was even faster. Tang Heng could only see his backside. It was close to a two-hour drive from Banxi Village to Shijiang and Li Yuechi didn’t look back once.

Tang Heng knew that, in front of outsiders, he and Li Yuechi were still only university schoolmates—mere acquaintances. Last night, he’d wanted to have sex, but Li Yuechi still rejected him. Perhaps he didn’t want their relationship to become too ambiguous.

After all, they were indeed just university schoolmates.

 

After eight o’clock, the motorcycles arrived at Shijiang. Tang Heng thanked the two villagers and went to the hotel to get his luggage. Due to what happened that night, all the hotel staff knew Tang Heng now. “All of your things have been packed up,” the receptionist said nervously. “Would you like to open them and check?”

“No need,” Tang Heng said. A pause later, he added, “Is that manager of yours still here?”

“He… he’s taking some time off… Do you need him for something?”

Tang Heng shook his head. “It’s okay.”

The others had already returned to Macau. The grand hotel seemed deserted without all the chattering students. When they’d arrived, no one had expected so many changes to happen in a few short days, including Tang Heng himself.

He walked out of the hotel and saw Li Yuechi standing tall and straight by the door, a canvas bag on his shoulder. Their eyes met. Li Yuechi walked forward and took Tang Heng’s suitcase. “We need to take a car to the city.”

“Oh,” Tang Heng said. “Let’s go.”

“Wait.”       

Li Yuechi took a carsickness patch out of the pocket of his gray jacket. “Stick this on.”

“…Thanks. I forgot.”

Li Yuechi watched as Tang Heng stuck the patch behind his ear. “No problem,” he murmured. He turned and walked toward the taxi on the side of the road.

Tang Heng was surprised. “Aren’t we taking the long-distance bus?” he asked. Before leaving, he’d asked the village council. There were a few long-distance buses every day that went from Shijiang to Tongren City.

Li Yuechi didn’t answer. He leaned over and discussed something with the taxi driver. Soon, the taxi’s trunk opened and Li Yuechi put Tang Heng’s suitcase in. “Buses in a small place like here are dirty. This one’s cleaner.”

Tang Heng sat into the car and asked the driver, “How much is it to Tongren South Station?”

“We go by the meter.” Hearing that Tang Heng wasn’t a local, the driver hurriedly explained, “I’m not scamming you. You’ll pay how much the meter says!”

“About how much will it be?”

“Probably 600!”

“Then I’ll give you—”  

“No need,” Li Yuechi stopped him. “We’ll see when we get there.”

“Let me pay,” Tang Heng whispered.

Li Yuechi froze as if he was caught by surprise.

Tang Heng froze too after he said it.

Because this scene was too familiar, yet also too unfamiliar—it had been like this six years ago. Tang Heng knew that Li Yuechi was broke, so whenever they ate out or went to see a show, he always tried to pay. But Li Yuechi had extremely high self-dignity, so Tang Heng had to come up with different excuses to treat him. For example, they finished the midterms today, he bought a new guitar, he was in a good mood… He even paid for all the guys who wore white shirts that night just to treat Li Yuechi to a show.

Jiang Ya often teased Tang Heng, “I’ve never seen someone work so hard to spend money. Even chasing a girl isn’t that hard. Aren’t you tired?”

And Tang Heng would answer matter-of-factly, “I’m rich and I’m happy to do this.”

 

“Let’s go,” Li Yuechi said to the taxi driver.

The driver gave them a strange look and started the car. Tang Heng felt a storm of emotions. At this moment, he finally realized that, with their current relationship, he wasn’t allowed to insist on paying for Li Yuechi.

The driver turned on the radio. It was a music program and Faye Wong’s voice floated through the car.

“I’m not entirely broke,” Li Yuechi suddenly whispered.

Tang Heng nodded.

Two hours later, the taxi arrived at the train station. Li Yuechi reached over to pay.

“Are you hungry?” Li Yuechi was still pulling Tang Heng’s suitcase. “There’s more than one hour before the train.”

“I’m okay. I’m past that point.” He’d gotten up too early and didn’t eat breakfast.

“You won’t get carsick from the train, right?”

“I won’t.”

“Then we’ll go eat mutton fen.” Li Yuechi walked a few steps and said with his back to Tang Heng, “I was worried you’d get carsick, so I didn’t make breakfast.”

“Oh…”

“I didn’t starve you on purpose.”

“I know.” Tang Heng hurried to catch up with him. “I haven’t had mutton fen before.”

Li Yuechi seemed to smile. “It’s delicious.”

When they got to the security check, Tang Heng suddenly realized something:

He and Li Yuechi’s seats weren’t next to each other.

When he bought the ticket, he didn’t know that Li Yuechi would go back to Wuhan with him, so he only bought his own ticket—first class. And Li Yuechi… Li Yuechi had bought the ticket himself last night.

“Which cabin are you in?” Tang Heng felt guilty for some reason.   

“Six. What about you?” Li Yuechi asked.

“One…”

“Mn.” Li Yuechi was still dragging Tang Heng’s suitcase. He turned and walked toward the first cabin.   

“I can go over myself,” Tang Heng said hurriedly. “You can go to your seat.”

Li Yuechi turned and glanced at him. “Get over here.”

Tang Heng had no choice but to follow him over. The two entered the cabin together. Li Yuechi set the suitcase down and found Tang Heng’s seat. It happened to be in the cabin’s last row.

“Sit,” Li Yuechi said.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be there.” Li Yuechi pointed his chin at the suitcase rack where the cabins connected. “I won’t sit.”

Tang Heng frozen. “You don’t have to—”

“Your foot is injured,” Li Yuechi interrupted. “Just sit down.”

Without waiting for Tang Heng’s reply, he walked to the suitcase rack and turned to look out the window.

His foot was mostly healed, Tang Heng thought. Even though he had many injuries, the village doctor had treated it pretty well. They’d scabbed over after the medicine was applied and Li Yuechi had gotten him that pair of thick and soft shoes, so he didn’t feel any pain now.

 

The train started up slowly. A ticket master began to check everyone’s tickets and ID cards. When she got to Tang Heng, she called out sir twice before Tang Heng realized.

“Please show your ID card and ticket.”

“Here.” Tang Heng handed it to the woman, but he was still looking at Li Yuechi.

Noticing Tang Heng’s gaze, the ticket master asked hesitantly, “And that is…”

“He’s in the sixth cabin, but he’s standing here… to take care of me.”

“Oh…?” The ticket master studied Tang Heng in confusion. Why does a grown man like you need to be cared for? was written all over her face.

“He’s my friend.” Tang Heng paused and forged on to explain, “My foot is injured.”

“Then, please be careful. Let us know if you need help.”

Actually, Tang Heng had instinctively wanted to say He’s my xuezhang, but he swallowed the words back. Because he suddenly realized that he and Li Yuechi had long been past the student age. Saying that would just make the ticket master more suspicious.

The train went north, exiting Tongren and quickly entering Hunan Province. The next stop would be Huaihua. The scenery along the way was all mountains, shrouded in cloudy mist and a slight drizzle.

Sometimes, when the train went into a cave, Li Yuechi’s figure would disappear into the darkness. When light returned a few seconds later, his figure would reappear in Tang Heng’s sight. He remained before the window, a few steps away from Tang Heng, staring blankly out the window.

The mountains were covered by the clouds and rain, leaving only blurry silhouettes behind. Tang Heng recalled Tian Xiaoqin. What part of Hunan was she from? He couldn’t remember.

His mood was heavy like the distant mountains.

The train moved past Huaihua, past Shaoyang, and the next stop was Xiangtan. It was still raining outside the window and the cabin was extremely quiet. Most passengers were sleeping.

Tang Heng’s phone suddenly rang. Tang Heng thought with annoyance, was Director Xu urging him to go back to Macao?   

One word appeared on the screen: Uncle.

It pieced into his eyes like a nail. Tang Heng’s hand trembled and he almost threw his phone away. Yes, he caused such a ruckus in Guizhou and Director Xu definitely told Tang Guomu. Now, his ringtone was like the countdown of a ticking bomb. Tang Heng wanted to reject it, but he felt like he should answer the call.

He would have to see Tang Guomu after returning to Wuhan. There was no avoiding it.

Tang Heng’s heart pounded. He gripped his phone, fingertips turning white. He felt like he should calm down and organize what to say to Tang Guomu—but his mind was in a mess. Absolute chaos.

Tian Xiaoqin had died because of Tang Guomu?

This thought made even his breaths shake.

Someone held down his shoulder and said softly, “Give it to me.” Tang Heng looked up. He saw the gray jacket and then Li Yuechi’s face.

Tang Heng let go. Li Yuechi picked up his phone and hung up on the call.

“Do you want water?” Li Yuechi whispered. “I’ll get some hot water for you.”

“Oh… okay.”

“Wait here for me. Don’t think about anything.”

“Mn.”

Li Yuechi pocketed Tang Heng’s phone and left. The auntie beside him woke up and asked, “Young man, where are you going?”

“Wuhan,” Tang Heng said a bit awkwardly.

“Oh, I’m going to Wuhan too!” The auntie looked like she wanted to have a conversation. “Are you working in Wuhan?”

“No.”

“…Then what are you doing there?”

“Returning to Wuhan to handle some matters.” Tang Heng noticed that it felt very strange to say the words returning to Wuhan to other people.

He hadn’t been back in six years.

“Ah, it’s been raining all along the way! My husband said it’s raining in Wuhan too!”

“Really…”

Li Yuechi returned and handed him a cup. “Drink slowly.”

It was Li Yuechi’s cup—a silver thermos that Tang Heng hadn’t seen before.

“You two are together?” the auntie said, keeping up the small talk.

“Yes,” Li Yuechi said. He watched Tang Heng drink. Then he took the cup and drank some as well.

Perhaps Li Yuechi’s attitude was too cold. The auntie picked up her iPad and stopped talking.

“Do you feel better?” Li Yuechi asked in a low voice.

“I’m okay… You can take the phone.”

“Mn.”  

Li Yuechi stood beside Tang Heng and didn’t move.

Tang Heng was about to say, Do you want to sit while I stand for a bit? But Li Yuechi suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of… fruit-flavored gummy candy.

 “I just bought it,” he said. “Have some, xuedi.”

 

Really sweet candy.