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“Auntie! I’m here!”
“Oh, goodness, is that Xiao Zhan by the door?” Xiao Zhan hears the muffled high-pitched voice of his mother-in-law as he takes off his shoes by the door. He grins at hearing her enthusiastic yet panicked tone.
The door near the curb of the living room and the kitchen opens quickly, revealing his father-in-law who seemed like he was dressing up. “Oh, Xiao Zhan! We didn’t expect to see you today.” He turns his head towards the kitchen. “Ma! Xiao Zhan’s here!”
“Let him in! I’m still finishing these seeds!”
His father-in-law chuckles to himself. “She’s planting luffas in the backyard,” He fiddles with his necktie.
Seeing that he is having a hard time, Xiao Zhan offers his hand. “Uncle, may I?”
His father-in-law nods. “Sure.” The taller takes the necktie in his hands, and loops it around Uncle’s neck. He goes through the motions of tying it into a Windsor knot. Uncle hums. “Do you do this for Yibo, too? Don’t spoil that boy too much.”
Xiao Zhan laughs. “I only do it when he looks tired, uncle.”
“Good. Don’t let him get away with being lazy.” He gets his leather bag from the room, and closes the door behind him. “You go help your Auntie prepare dinner, alright? I just need to get something from the company. I’ll come back with Yibo later.”
Xiao Zhan nods. “Be safe, Uncle!” He bids goodbye to his father-in-law and goes to the kitchen. He sees his mother-in-law standing up from her small stool through the open window. She looks up and immediately brightens at the sight of the man.
“Xiao Zhan! You should’ve called before you arrived!” She removes the soil-splattered apron she dons and gloves and deposits them into a pail with water. She takes this pail, and puts it inside the bathroom across the garden door. “It’s been a while since you and Yibo visited, so I wanted to prepare something special beforehand.” She closes the door to the bathroom, and washes her hands in the kitchen sink. She wipes them on the towel beside the sink.
“You don’t have to, Auntie.” He moves towards and leans on the kitchen island. “Whatever you prepare will always be special.”
“Aiyoo, my boy is marrying a flatterer,” She pinches Xiao Zhan’s cheek fondly. “Want to help me cook?”
“Of course, auntie.”
She turns and opens the cupboards above the stove and brings down condiments. “Get me the chicken, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, and ginger inside the fridge, please.”
Xiao Zhan goes to the fridge and takes out what Auntie asked of him. He takes a look at the ingredients Auntie laid out on the counter. “Are we making KouShuiJi?”
“Yup. You know how to cook that, right? We’ll need to tone down the spice since Yibo can’t eat spicy food.” Auntie says without looking at him, distracted. She’s mincing the garlic. “Cut those up for me, and then boil them with the chicken later, okay?”
“Okay,” he says, going through the other cupboards to look for another chopping board and knife. Once he gets them, he washes the ginger, scallion, and chicken and then lays them out in front of the chopping board. He cuts the ginger first.
“How’s my boy doing, Xiao Zhan?” His auntie asks. She finishes the garlic, and proceeds to cut the scallions. “Is he getting enough sleep? Eating enough?”
“He’s okay, Auntie. He sometimes forces himself to stay awake, but I nag him to take a nap until he gives in.” They both laugh. “He’s stubborn, but he listens anyway.”
“Aiyoo, that boy, really,” She takes out a bowl from the drawers, and puts in the peanuts, roasted sesame seeds, and red chili flakes. She bends down to take out the skillet from a cupboard. “Always so stubborn. I’m glad he listens to you, because he doesn’t listen to me anymore!”
Xiao Zhan turns on the stove so that Auntie can start heating the oil. He gets a medium pot, and fills it with water. “I’m sure he listens to you, Auntie. I’m just nearer, that’s why he can’t get rid of me and my nagging until he does it.”
“My, our Xiao Zhan is really smart!” She exclaims, patting his shoulder. She puts the skillet on the stove, and pours some oil into it. “Does he treat you right? Does he take care of you as well?”
The question makes him pause. “Of course, auntie. I see how he worries and cares for me, even if he doesn’t say it or make it obvious.” He puts ginger and scallions inside the pot, and places it on top of the stove to boil. “In fact, I’m a little bit spoiled.” He covers the pot.
Auntie raises a brow. “Oh? How does he spoil you?” She tosses the scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, and Sichuan peppercorns into the pan. “Oh, and could you bring down the sesame paste, light soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and chicken stock?”
He opens the cupboards again and brings them down one by one. “Yibo expresses himself more through actions and gifts, and he always pays attention to my needs. The other day, when he saw that one of my favorite sweaters had a huge hole near the armpit, he bought me another one in the same color and style. “ He purses his lips. “He also does chores in the apartment and stocks up on groceries when he knows I’m too tired to function. He also just knows when I need things without me telling him.”
The smell of the spices in the air is making Xiao Zhan salivate at the thought of dinner. Auntie uses a strainer to remove all the spices in the oil, and puts the oil directly onto the bowl with chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, and chili flakes. She chuckles as she gets another bowl to mix the paste, sauces, vinegars, stock, and sugar. “Have you ever fought with Yibo? I’ve never seen you two fight when you’re here.”
Seeing that the chicken is at the ten-minute mark, Xiao Zhan opens the fridge’s freezer to get some ice for the chicken’s ice bath. “We fight sometimes, but we talk about it and make up. It’s nothing to worry about, Auntie.” He chuckles. “Sometimes, it’s just about minor things like leaving his clothes all over the floor or missing a call. Sometimes, it’s things that trigger sensitive feelings. But, we always talk about it. Even if he isn’t good with words, Yibo has been very open to me about what he feels, and I really appreciate and respect that.”
She heaves a happy sigh and looks at Xiao Zhan as she discards the skillet into the sink and mixes the liquids the younger brought down earlier. “Yibo really loves you, then. I never got to ask you, Zhanzhan, but there’s no time like the present: what made you fall in love with Yibo?” She hears Xiao Zhan choke a little at the question, which makes her giggle.
He finishes the ice bath before turning to lean back on the counter and thinking. There is so much he wanted to say, but he doesn’t know how to express them in words. “There’s so much to love about Yibo, auntie. I’m sure you know that.” He starts. Auntie gives him a mischievous wink as she puts the peanut mixture into the sauces and mixes once again. “Back then, I don’t think I would’ve even gone for a guy like Yibo. He’s this ethereal, cool, and bigger-than-men person, and he’s so unreachable.” He smiles at the thought of this “perfect persona” he saw in Yibo the first time he met him. Having him as a co-star put much pressure on Xiao Zhan, who was only a rising actor at that time. Here was this man who had years of experience in the industry and looked like a god to boot, and beside him in this drama was Xiao Zhan, who was but a newbie. However, when he actually spent time and got to know this Wang Yibo everybody adorned, he realized that he was far from perfect. He was just a boy who gave his heart to many things, even though he didn’t look like it. He invested, worked hard, and tried to stay true to himself all the time even if the industry was slowly killing people like him. “But, I think I fell in love when I started to see him for who he really was, not as the Yibo everybody saw through their TV screens, but the Yibo who rested in his apartment, played with Legos, collected helmets, and missed his family a lot.” He looks to Auntie, who is also as teary-eyed as he is. They look at each other silently, and laugh at their ridiculous selves. Xiao Zhan removes the clock as he spies that 20 minutes have passed. He drains the pot of the water, and places the chicken in the ice bath to cool for five minutes.
Auntie puts her hands on the taller’s cheeks, fondly rubbing over his cheekbones. “Oh, you sweet, sweet boy. Yibo’s so lucky to have you.” She wipes the tear Xiao Zhan unconsciously lets slip. “Take care of our Yibo for us, okay? He’s our only boy, our only baby. He’s been through a lot because of his dreams and sometimes, we see how much it hurts him. But with you by his side, I don’t think he’ll need to keep hurting by himself now.” Xiao Zhan closes his eyes, letting a few more tears slip. He feels the warmth of Auntie’s hands. They remind him so much of his mother’s and how they make him feel safe and trustworthy. “Take care of him, Zhanzhan. Love him and help him with his mistakes. Make him happy. Be his home. I trust you with him, okay?” She pats his cheeks tenderly. Xiao Zhan moves to wipe away Auntie’s tears as well. She smiles warmly at him, and wraps her arms around him. They share a moment of silence, dwelling in their warmth and their unspoken yet understood promises to each other. They finally let go and chuckle to themselves.
“Time to chop that chicken, Zhanzhan.” Auntie says, gently nudging him towards the chicken. Xiao Zhan lets out a laugh as he takes out the chicken from the ice bath and onto the chopping board. He slices it horizontally, and places them in a clean serving plate. He gives it to Auntie so that she can soak the chicken in the sauce. Auntie does just that, and sprinkles the top with more chopped peanuts. “Put this on the table, dear, and set it up. I’ll just get the rice.”
Xiao Zhan places the dish carefully at the center of the table. He hears the front door open, so he hurriedly turns the curb and stops as he sees Yibo taking off his shoes. He waits until the younger looks up to see him. The sides of his mouth automatically lift as he sees Xiao Zhan.
“I’m home.” The dancer crosses the distance between them. He pulls him by the waist and into his chest, before giving him a soft peck.
Xiao Zhan chuckles shyly. “Welcome home, Yibo.”