'Till Death Do Us Apart 長相守

Chapter 9

IX

The truth was that the "lovely lady," Mr. Shen Jr., was not so diligent as to serve Ch'in Ching every second of the day but was quite considerate during those two days nevertheless. He only went to the office for a quick patrol each morning and returned home to Ch'in Ching at noon. They chitchatted, read the papers and played chess - the loser had to smooch the winner. These all gave an impression of infatuation.

Only at night were they separate because Ch'in Ching was too bashful to sleep with Shen Liangsheng again with the servants around. Shen Liangsheng did not pressure him either, and got the servants to clear a guest room for him. They would wish each other sweet dreams when night fell and go to sleep on different beds with different dreams.

Nor did Shen Liangsheng slack off when Ch'in Ching went back to work two days later. He drove to Nanshih in the morning to pick up the schoolmaster and brought along a vacuum flask with soup from his own kitchen for him to drink on the way.

In the evening, Shen Liangsheng picked him up and drove him home, taking the opportunity to interrogate Ch'in Ching about his lunch. He warned the man against eating off-limits foods. Ch'in Ching found the nagging businessman amusing and couldn't help mocking, "Yes, mom. I promise I'll only eat congee and nothing else. Happy now?"

Ch'in Ching sounded so sincere calling him "mom" that Shen Liangsheng just about mistook the breaks for the gas pedal. He managed to keep a straight face, but he reached over with his right hand and pinched the man's thigh. Then, he slid up and patted his crotch. "Next time you start being cheeky, I'll be pinching this buddy instead."

Ch'in Ching was skinny but healthy, nonetheless, and was alive and kicking after a week of care. He refused to eat any more congee and swore to have a feast on Sunday.

"What do you feel like? Nothing spicy or fried. Anything else is fine."

"Who said I'm eating with you? I need to go over to my actual godmother's house for dinner. You know, Hsiao -Liu's house." Ch'in Ching took this opportunity to act superior.
"You can go do your own thing."

Hearing "my actual godmother," Shen Liangsheng knew he was referencing the joke from before. He shot a look over to the passenger seat, and the schoolmaster immediately behaved fearing the consequences of tempting the taller man. Ch'in Ching quickly added, "I really do have something to do. It's winter now, so I have to head over and help Hsiao -Liu with some chores. Can't count on him to finish it all on his own."

"What kind of chores?"

"Probably making briquettes."

"I see," Shen Liangsheng responded casually, but he didn't feel so great inside. It was not because of missing one meal with Ch'in Ching or concern over his injuries, but because of his possessive nature. He drove him around and cared for him for a week and thus took the liberty of declaring his ownership over this human being. He wished he could just keep Ch'in Ching to himself like an owner would a pet and not let him be involved with anyone else.

Ch'in Ching spent Sunday morning making briquettes at the Lius'. After lunch, he chatted with his godmother, and only when she left, yawning, for her afternoon nap did he tell Hsiao -Liu he wanted to wash off the sweat at the bathhouse.

"Sure. Let's go together. You go back and get your clothes, and I'll wait for you by the road."

Accordingly, Ch'in Ching returned home to gather a change of clothes. Just as he was picking out a pair of clean socks, he heard a knock at the gate. Thinking Hsiao -Liu was getting impatient, he shouted out, "Come in. It's open."

"Can't you hang on for just one second?" Ch'in Ching complained as he walked out with his clothes only to find Shen Liangsheng in his yard wearing a short, black coat, hands behind his back. He let out a gasp of surprise. "What are you doing here?"