ALL I HAVE LEFT. (XUEXIAO)

003

How could he forget this stall? How did he forget? The rice was just slightly too sticky, the wine just slightly too bitter. Where could this be except where he first met Xiao XingChen? At the flood of memories, Xue Yang's hands slipped  and the rice dumpling dropped back back into the bowl with a plop.

"This young master, is there something wrong?" the shopkeeper asked, turning around to face Xue Yang.

Xue Yang opened his mouth to say something, but his throat was too dry. Instead, he just uttered a quiet:

"This isn't sweet enough."

"Do you need sugar?" the man asked as he strode to reach for the sugar.

"Yes, right now."

The man raised his eyebrows a bit at the rudeness of this boy, but he didn't dare offend someone with the Lanling Jin sect robes. At least he hadn't done anything too egregious yet, so he would let this boy pass. 

Xue Yang, on the other hand, was lost in his thoughts. On one hand, he still wanted to be a carefree young man who could wreck stalls without a care in the world. On the other hand, he wanted to make a good first impression on Xiao XingChen. His reverie was cut short by the sound of glass clinking against wood—the sugar jar had been placed on his table. Xue Yang awkwardly reached out and felt the smooth glass, still slightly warm from the man's hands.

But Xue Yang's hands were cold. It was the middle of summer, but he was so cold. At this moment, he wanted to bury himself in layers of blankets and never come out. He gently brushed his hand against his cheek, the smooth skin just caving slightly at his touch. There was no scar there, but it still hurt like hell.

But Xiao XingChen was still alive! Xue Yang tried to shake off his melancholy, flooding himself with the thought that daozhang was alive. The rice dumplings tasted even more bitter the second time he ate them. Maybe it was because of just how sweet Xiao XingChen's candies were.

He gently tapped the sugar into his bowl and picked up another dumpling. It was already cooling. In reality, Xue Yang didn't want the sugar, he preferred keeping that slightly bitter taste. It reminded him of Xiao XingChen. In a few moments, he had already scarfed down the dumplings and stood up to leave.

The vendor stood at the side, waiting for Xue Yang to give him money. Xue Yang saw this and glanced over. All he did was smile before turning around to leave. The vendor stood there, wide-eyed and confused. It took a few moments before he realized that this young master wasn't going to pay him.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? You still haven't given me money!" the vendor yelled.

Xue Yang turned around, his face slightly dark.

"Be grateful I didn't wreck your stall," Xue Yang replied, that bright smile still hanging on his face. His voice was sweet to the point of bitterness, his smile dripping with poison.

The vendor's face reddened at those words, and before he could react, the young master was already before him, sword unsheathed. Xue Yang felt a comforting familiarity in his movements, and found that reenacting past events was amusing.

He lightly patted Jiangzai against the man's face and snickered.

"The dumplings were nice. Add more sugar next time."

Xue Yang turned around and walked away, beaming. He was happy, thinking that, in a few hours, he could see Xiao XingChen again. But hours were so long. Xue Yang had only walked a few blocks when a man showed up behind him, hands folded and walking quietly alongside him. The man sighed, his hat slightly tipping off to the side.