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There were still about two months until the New Year (Today was December 25 according to the Gregorian calendar). The tenth month this year was surprisingly mild. Even in the evening you could still sit outside without a thick winter coat.
Chen Yuzhi liked it very much if it was cold and snowing at this time of year, but such an unusually balmy evening also had its merits. He had just closed his clinic and now, his one hand stuffed into his pants pocket, carrying his doctor's bag in the other hand, slowly walked home together with Keying.
"Ge, isn't today the day they always celebrate in the West?"
Chen Yuzhi looked at her and took a moment before he knew what she meant.
"You mean Christmas?"
"Yes, exactly that."
"You're right about that, but it's not just one day. In some Western countries, people celebrate Christmas for three days. According to the Gregorian calendar, from December 24 to 26."
"December?" Keying asked.
"Yes, that's the twelfth month, according to the calendar used in the West."
"But December sounds more like the tenth month."
"Ah, very good, you remember the Latin I taught you. Very good, Keying. I am proud of you. It's true, the word December actually refers to the tenth month, but according to a different calendar that was used in the past, especially in Europe."
"Quite confusing, I think," Keying muttered, almost looking as if she were pouting.
Chen Yuzhi laughed softly.
When he had studied in Japan, he had fellow students from all over the world, including Europeans, especially British and Germans. Gradually he had learned a little about their culture and one of the biggest celebrations seemed to be Christmas. The European soldiers stationed all over China also celebrated this festival. A few days at the end of their year, spent comfortably with family or at least friends, giving each other presents and sweets.
They had some weird customs, like the Christmas tree. They actually put a real tree, decorated with candles and glass balls and baked goods, in their living room. And this strange story about Santa Claus. An old man who flew around the world on a reindeer sleigh on the night of December 24-25, handing out presents to every child he considered as having behaved good in the past year.
All of a sudden, a cheeky whistle was heard and Chen Yuzhi immediately knew who it belonged to.
"Your watchdog is here, Ge," Keying said with a grin on her face.
"He's not my watchdog," Chen Yuzhi replied quietly.
His cheeks had turned a slight shade of red, partly because of Keying's remark, which was indeed not far from the truth, but also because his "watchdog" was here.
Keying had chosen this nickname for Jiang Yuelou not without reason. About ten months ago, just after the New Year's Festival, she and Jiang Yuelou had feared for Chen Yuzhi‘s life for days. At that time, after Zhan Junbai had fired the shot at him.
Chen Yuzhi had very narrowly escaped death, and Jiang Yuelou had been by his side whenever possible ever since, even moving in with him and Keying for almost three months to take care of him. Chen Yuzhi missed those times when the policeman was close to him every day, when he could talk to him or just spend time with him whenever he felt like it.
And if he was completely honest with himself, he really liked that Jiang Yuelou, which was obvious, had made it his business to watch over him.
He was glad that even after Jiang Yuelou returned to his own house, he spent time with him and Keying practically every day. Chen Yuzhi had long since admitted to himself that Jiang Yuelou was far more to him than just a friend, but he had not dared to tell him until now. The hours he could spend with him were too precious, the friendship that connected them was too important to him.
"Hey, Yue-ge," Keying greeted Jiang Yuelou.
"Hey," Jiang Yuelou replied.
"Are you two on your way home?"
Chen Yuzhi gave him a smile... one of those that made Jiang Yuelou all weak. He had to try hard every time to hide how weak his smile, his dimples made him.
"Mn," Chen Yuzhi replied, nodding.
"I'm sure you won't mind if I accompany you."
Chen Yuzhi put on a thoughtful expression and looked at Keying. She immediately understood and made a similar face as her big brother.
"I don't really know, Ge. I was hoping that we could have a quiet evening tonight, without that annoying neighbor."
"That sounds very tempting, little sister. Quiet and dignified, with a decent dinner, just you and me..."
"Hey," Jiang Yuelou interrupted their musings, looking genuinely hurt.
He knew that the two of them were just teasing him a bit, but somehow the very idea that they didn't want him around caused some heartache. Both Chens looked at him in concern.
"You-you know we're just kidding, Yuelou, right?"
Chen Yuzhi approached him and reached for his hand, squeezing it lightly.
Jiang Yuelou looked at him and then an embarrassed smile appeared on his face.
"Uh, yes, of course. Now let's go home."
"Let's go," Keying said enthusiastically and led the way, heading towards Shou Xi Road.
The two men followed her.
Even before they entered Shou Xi Road, the three heard unusual sounds coming from their street. It almost sounded like a big celebration was taking place. The voices of several people talking quite loudly could be heard.
About a dozen British soldiers had taken over three of the tables at Aunt Luo's wonton stall and seemed to be celebrating something. Based on the volume and excitement with which most of them were talking, they must have already had a few drinks. The empty bottles of soju on the tables confirmed this assumption.
Some of them wore strange red pointed caps with a white fur at the bottom and a small bell at the end of the tip.
"They must be celebrating Christmas, right Ge?"
"Looks like it, Keying. And pretty boisterous, it seems to me."
Somehow the three of them must have caught the attention of one of the soldiers. With a loud, drawn-out "Heeeyyyyy," he, an older man, around fifty, addressed them.
"My Chinese friends."
To Keying's, Chen Yuzhi's, and Jiang Yuelou's surprise, he spoke Mandarin quite well and was still understandable even now, when the slurring in his voice betrayed that he had already had more than a glass or two of liquor.
"Come. Come sit with us. Celebrate with us for a bit. I know you probably don't believe in our God, and I'm sure the birth of Jesus isn't as important to you as it is to us, but keep us company for a bit. A drink, give us a few minutes of your time."
Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi looked at each other.
"I don't think it's such a good idea. So many drunk men and Keying? I don't like it."
Jiang Yuelou nodded, he saw it the same way Chen Yuzhi did.
"It's best if you two go inside and I'll quickly get three servings of wontons. What do you think Keying?"
"Sounds good, Yue-ge."
"Excuse me, but I'm afraid we'll have to decline this invitation. We've had a busy day. Thank you and Merry Christmas," Chen Yuzhi had now turned to the soldier.
"What a pity, it would have been a pleasure to have made your acquaintance. Well, Merry Christmas to you too, my friend."
Chen Yuzhi nodded briefly to the other soldiers and then went into the house with Keying, while Jiang Yuelou made his way to Aunt Luo, who was just standing behind the large vat in which she was cooking wontons.
"Hello Laoban-niang, three servings of wontons please. We'll bring the bowls back to you later."
"Coming right up, Commissioner Jiang."
She knew exactly how Jiang Yuelou and the Chens liked the wontons; after all, the three of them had eaten at her place, almost always together, for the past year, not every day, but several times a week.
Aunt Luo put a tray on which she had placed three bowls on a small shelf by her booth. Jiang Yuelou paid and took the tray in both hands. He carefully maneuvered past the drunken men and walked toward the gate to 58 Shou Xi Road.
He had not noticed that one of the soldiers, a burly man in his late twenties, was following him with his gaze. When the man noticed Jiang Yuelou heading for the closed gate, he got up and ran after him. He seemed nowhere near as drunk as most of his comrades.
"Hey, do you need help?"
He also spoke Mandarin fairly well, albeit with a heavy accent.
Jiang Yuelou puzzled, turned his head in the direction from which the voice came.
"No, no. Thank you," he then replied.
The man came closer and Jiang Yuelou noticed that he was quite a bit taller than him. He had to be almost 1,90 meter. With a skeptical look at the closed gate, the man walked past him, right to the gate and pushed it open so that Jiang Yuelou could go inside without having to let go of the tray with one hand.
"Thank you, you really needn’t to."
"It was my pleasure," the soldier replied, smiling and winking at him.
Jiang Yuelou was so confused that he stared at him for a few seconds. Only Chen Yuzhi's clearing of his throat, he had come outside because he heard the soft squeak of the gate, snapped him out of his stupor.
The man looked briefly at Chen Yuzhi and his smile seemed cold and fake from one moment to the next.
"Have a nice evening, gentlemen," he said, closing the gate from the outside.
"Who was that, Yuelou?"
Chen Yuzhi sounded much more annoyed than he had intended. The look with which the stranger had regarded Jiang Yuelou awakened something in Chen Yuzhi. Something greedy that seemed to whisper "He's mine."
Jiang Yuelou raised his eyebrows questioningly, he had never heard such a tone from Chen Yuzhi.
"I think he's part of the troupe celebrating outside. What’s with you, Yuzhi?"
"What should be with me?"
"You seem upset."
"Nonsense, why would I be upset?"
"I don't know, you tell me."
"It's nothing, Yuelou. Let's go inside or the food will get cold."
Chen Yuzhi turned around without waiting for another word from Jiang Yuelou and went to the dining table. There, chopsticks were already ready for everyone. Xiao Bai was also there, dozing on one of the chairs.
After all three were seated at the table, each with a bowl of wontons in front of them, Jiang Yuelou looked intently at Chen Yuzhi. The bad mood or whatever was wrong with him earlier seemed to have faded away. He was just talking to Keying and smiling. Even if one of his smiles was not for him, it enchanted Jiang Yuelou every time.
During the meal, they talked about their day and already began to make their first very vague plans for the New Year. Jiang Yuelou wanted it to be very special this year. First, the time leading up to the last New Year had been hell for him. He had no one left to celebrate with except Chen Yuzhi and Keying. Everyone, family, friends, had died.
Only Chen Yuzhi was still there, at his side, the one he needed, so that he won't go crazy. The person who had become so irreplaceable to him in such a short time. And then came the 15th and Zhan Junbai and Jiang Yuelou thought that he had never been so desperate in his life.
The days in the hospital while Chen Yuzhi was in a coma were worse than any of the ten hells, Jiang Yuelou was convinced.
This year, New Year's was to be a celebration of joy and hope. This year, he had people he could call family, with whom he could celebrate. This year, he would think of something very special for the Chens.
After the meal, Jiang Yuelou took the bowls back outside. The soldier who had invited him and the Chens earlier approached him again, and this time Jiang Yuelou couldn't say no.
"A cup of wine is fine. Won't take long," he thought to himself.
"All right. It would be rude of me to decline your invitation a second time. But just one cup."
"Thank you my friend," the man replied, giving Jiang Yuelou a pat on the shoulder.
"Here, sit down."
The man pointed to an empty seat on one of the wooden benches that stood by the tables.
Jiang Yuelou sat down and immediately a cup filled to the brim with soju was in front of him. Jiang Yuelou shook his head. These Europeans had no style, at least not when it came to drinking. Such a full cup was impractical on the one hand and unaesthetic on the other.
The others at the table also had full cups in front of them and looked at him. Jiang Yuelou noticed someone sitting down next to him. It was the soldier who had held the gate open for him earlier. Jiang Yuelou tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling, after all, he would only drink one cup and then he would leave.
Everyone toasted each other and wished each other Merry Christmas for the umpteenth time. Before Jiang Yuelou knew it, his cup was filled again. No one gave him a chance to refuse the second drink.
Ten minutes had already passed and Jiang Yuelou had just emptied a third cup, noticing how the alcohol was slowly going to his head a bit, when Chen Yuzhi entered the street in search of Jiang Yuelou.
It wasn't hard to spot him, and he immediately recognized the man sitting next to him. Chen Yuzhi's expression darkened and he walked towards the table where Jiang Yuelou was sitting. For the second time that day, he cleared his throat. It somehow sounded quite displeased. Even though Jiang Yuelou was already quite tipsy, he immediately reacted to this sound.
His head snapped toward Chen Yuzhi, who was now standing behind him.
"Hey, Yuzhi."
Jiang Yuelou was sure that the doctor could clearly hear his guilty conscience about sitting out here - without him - and getting drunk in his voice.
"Hey, young man," the older soldier, the one who had asked them all to sit down earlier and later asked Jiang Yuelou to sit with them, called out to Chen Yuzhi and approached him, staggering slightly.
"Nice of you to change your mind and join us for a bit."
"What, I didn't-... I didn't even want-..." Chen Yuzhi stammered, and Jiang Yuelou seized the opportunity.
"Yuzhi, where have you been for so long? I've been waiting for you. Sit down."
Jiang Yuelou moved a little away from the man sitting next to him and tapped the seat with his hand. Chen Yuzhi really wanted to refuse right away, but he wasn't sure if Jiang Yuelou would come inside with him. And the other man was sitting much too close to Jiang Yuelou for his liking. That little jealous and greedy voice inside him whispered to him to sit down and show this barbarian who Jiang Yuelou belonged to.
So Chen Yuzhi accepted the older soldier's invitation and Jiang Yuelou's request and wanted to sit right next to Jiang Yuelou. However, the man sitting next to him made no move and so there was not enough room for Chen Yuzhi.
"Eugene, make some room for our friend, don't be so rude," the older soldier reprimanded him.
Eugene grumbled, but then moved a little to the side.
"Thank you very much sir," Chen Yuzhi said to him and gave him a smile, ice cold, Jiang Yuelou would probably have been shocked if he had seen it. Fortunately, Chen Yuzhi's back was to him right now.
After Chen Yuzhi also sat down, there was immediately a cup in front of him. Like Jiang Yuelou's, way too filled. And like Jiang Yuelou, Chen Yuzhi couldn't refuse the invitation for a second and third cup. Meanwhile, Jiang Yuelou also drank another cup of wine. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and Chen Yuzhi found that incredibly endearing.
Suddenly, he noticed someone putting a hat or something similar on his head.
"Wha-?" he asked in surprise.
When he saw that someone had put one of those silly red pointed hats on Jiang Yuelou’s head, he knew he had one of those things on his head too. With wide eyes, he looked at Jiang Yuelou. This thing looked incredibly good on him. It accentuated his boyish features quite a bit.
Chen Yuzhi would have loved to grab him by the hand now, go to his house and, the moment the gate slammed into the lock, press him against it and kiss him. He would have kissed him as if there would be no tomorrow.
Instead, he gave him a smile and raised the cup that someone had already filled again to toast. Jiang Yuelou did the same. When they had emptied their cups, it had become unusually quiet. The two looked around at the group. Without them noticing, all the soldiers now seemed to be sitting at their table or standing behind the sitting persons, looking at them. Incomprehensibly, they seemed to be waiting for something. A chuckle could be heard here and there.
"What is it?" Chen Yuzhi asked in confusion.
The man sitting directly across from them silently pointed his finger upward. Chen Yuzhi followed the finger with his gaze. A twig of a plant appeared in his field of vision. Chen Yuzhi immediately recognized what it was. One of the soldiers was holding a mistletoe directly above his and Jiang Yuelou's head.
"You know what this means?" the older soldier, his name was Winston by the way, asked.
Jiang Yuelou, who was now also looking up, shook his head. However, Chen Yuzhi's cheeks had instantly turned red, beet red.
"I see, okay. Our friend here seems to know exactly what the twig means. Won't you explain to your friend what it is about?"
"I... No... I think we should go now."
Chen Yuzhi wanted to get up, but whoever was behind him, probably the one holding the mistletoe, gently pushed on his shoulders. It didn't hurt, and it wasn't particularly firm, but it was enough to make Chen Yuzhi stay seated.
"If you don't want to, I can give our unknowing cutie a little lesson,“ Chen Yuzhi heard Eugene, the man he did not want to let get closer to Jiang Yuelou under any circumstances, say.
"WHAT?" Chen Yuzhi asked shocked.
"Yuzhi, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"
"It-it's nothing, Yuelou. I'm sure these men are just kidding."
He looked into the faces of the men, who all looked at them expectantly.
"No, my friend. When mistletoe catches a couple, we’re never kidding."
"But we're not a-"
"All the better, then you certainly won't mind swapping places with me for a moment," Eugene suggested with feigned innocence
"Not even in your dreams," Chen Yuzhi hissed at him.
"Chen Yuzhi!" Jiang Yuelou definitely sounded a little impatient and Chen Yuzhi's behavior worried him a bit.
"I want to know what's going on? What about this twig?"
Chen Yuzhi's cheeks got an even deeper shade of red.
"Yuelou, this...." he hummed and hawed.
Then he gave himself a jolt; after all, he had to prevent any of the others here from trying to take advantage of this custom. He leaned over to Jiang Yuelou and whispered in his ear.
"Yuelou, this is a Western Christmas custom. Usually mistletoe is hung somewhere in the house, above a door, and if two people stand under it at the same time, they must..." Chen Yuzhi paused.
He was so embarrassed, especially because the one who had conjured the mistletoe from somewhere was still holding it over their heads. Chen Yuzhi didn't want Jiang Yuelou to misunderstand.
Jiang Yuelou turned his head toward him and looked at him expectantly.
"What do they have to do, Chen Yuzhi?"
Chen Yuzhi's heart started to race. Jiang Yuelou's face was so close to his and he looked at him with his beautiful eyes. Something in his gaze sent shivers up and down Chen Yuzhi‘s spine. He swallowed, his Adam's apple visibly moving up and down.
"They must... they have to kiss, Yuelou."
Jiang Yuelou looked deep into his eyes, and Chen Yuzhi could literally feel it working in Jiang Yuelou's mind. The tension between them seemed to almost make the air crackle.
"So that's how it is," Jiang Yuelou then suddenly said, still having his gaze fixed firmly on Chen Yuzhi.
"Traditions shouldn't be broken, or what do you think, Dr. Chen?"
"No, Yue-... what? What do you-"
Before Chen Yuzhi could even finish the sentence, he felt Jiang Yuelou's soft lips on his. It only lasted a few seconds, but to Chen Yuzhi it seemed like an eternity. Time seemed to have stopped, everything around him blurred, whether sounds or images. Instinctively, Chen Yuzhi closed his eyes. Only one thing was still clearly perceptible to him. Jiang Yuelou's touch and the soft ringing that the bells on their caps made.
Suddenly, nothing mattered anymore, only the man who was currently keeping his lips busy. Chen Yuzhi was so completely caught off guard that he forgot they were not alone, but a dozen or so British soldiers had surrounded their table and were watching them.
Jiang Yuelou moved his head a little to deepen the kiss a bit. The pressure on Chen Yuzhi's lips became a little firmer and the bells rang softly again.
It was as if he had been in another world for a short period of time and had now returned to reality when Jiang Yuelou released his lips from his. Completely perplexed, he looked at him, unable to even think a coherent sentence.
The men around them began to hoot and whistle and then toasted each other. Chen Yuzhi welcomed the distraction the noise brought. He could not have withstood Jiang Yuelou's gaze any longer under any circumstances. He felt all churned up inside, felt a strong tingling in his stomach, and his lips were like electrified.
Chen Yuzhi avoided looking at Jiang Yuelou for the next twenty minutes or so. He knew very well that his cheeks were still deep red and he couldn't cope with the emotional chaos inside him right now. He would have liked to be alone now. Alone, with Jiang Yuelou. He had the feeling that the only thing that could help him right now was another kiss or two or ten.
Somehow it happened that both he and Jiang Yuelou drank two more cups of liquor. By now, both were feeling the alcohol quite strongly. When the soldiers said goodbye shortly after, each of them patting the two of them on the shoulders what felt like a hundred times and wishing them Merry Christmas again more than once, Chen Yuzhi and Jiang Yuelou also left the wonton stall.
They didn't stagger or slur their words, but both knew they had had more than enough to drink. Arriving at Chen Yuzhi's gate, they embraced and stood like that for a few seconds. Jiang Yuelou reached for the little bell on Chen Yuzhi's cap and let it ring softly.
Chen Yuzhi's face instantly turned red again. He immediately thought of their kiss and had no idea if Jiang Yuelou felt the same way. If so, then his behavior was pretty clear to Chen Yuzhi.
"I like the sound of that," Jiang Yuelou said in a whisper before releasing the hug, grinning at Chen Yuzhi, wishing him a good night, and walking toward his house.
"Go to sleep soon Yuelou, don't stay up too long. It's getting late and we've both been drinking quite a bit," Chen Yuzhi called after him.
"I will, Dr. Chen. But the same goes for you," Jiang Yuelou, who had turned around once more and was now walking backwards a few steps, replied. Then he reached for the bell that was attached to his own cap and let it ring.
"Jiang Yuelou," Chen Yuzhi grumbled.
Jiang Yuelou laughed softly before turning and walking home.
**
The next morning, Chen Yuzhi was awakened by a sound that instantly reminded him of the little bells on the tips of those Christmas caps and of their kiss and Jiang Yuelou's lips. He felt something warm and moist close to his cheek. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked into Xiao Bai's face.
"Xiao Bai? What are you doing here so early in the morning...? What is this?"
Only now did Chen Yuzhi notice that the cat was wearing a collar. The ringing sound came from the little bell that Jiang Yuelou had attached to it. He had also tied something else to it. A small piece of mistletoe and a note.
"Yuelou," escaped Chen Yuzhi's lips, and his cheeks again took on that deep red hue.
Carefully, he untied the note from Xiao Bai's collar and unfolded it.
"I think we should talk."