Yingqu Liuzi was pampered by her wealthy daddy.

The flight back home from Finland was very long.

Shen Yu'an slept several times on the plane. When he woke up in the middle, he saw Xize still flipping through magazines. He reached out and took the magazine from Xize's hand, saying, "You should sleep for a while too."

Xize glanced at him, didn't reply, put the magazine aside, and closed his eyes.

Shen Yu'an draped half of his blanket over him and fell asleep again, leaning against him.

After landing, Shen Yu'an turned on his phone and several messages popped up. His mother was asking what time he would arrive and that dinner was ready.

Shen Yu'an replied, "Arrived, exiting the airport," and then put his phone back in his pocket.

Xize pushed the luggage cart beside him, looking down at the navigation route on his phone.

"Mom said dinner is ready. What would you like to eat?"

I eat whatever my mother cooks.

Shen Yu'an glanced at him sideways: "You're not picky?"

"I'm not picky."

"You put the cilantro aside last time we ate it."

"That's because you're not used to it, not because you're picky."

Shen Yu'an did not refute, and hailed a taxi outside the airport.

After getting in the car, he told the driver the address in Chinese. Xize sat next to him and listened. After he hung up the phone, he turned his head and glanced at him.

What did you just say?

"I gave you the address."

What about the first two sentences?

"They said the weather is nice."

Xize nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

After the car left the airport and entered the highway, Shen Yu'an rolled down the window a little to let in some fresh air, and the wind made him squint. Xize reached out and rolled the window back up a bit.

"It's cold with the window open."

"Just need some fresh air."

"Yes, that's all."

Shen Yu'an glanced at him and then closed the car window completely.

The two sat quietly for a while. Shen Yu'an turned his head to look out the window at the road signs and the "GG" sign rushing past, and after a while, he said, "Didn't you see this road when you came here last time?"

"No. We took a different route last time."

"This road is closer to my house."

"Then the path you chose is better than the one I chose."

"Definitely."

When I got home, my mother was already waiting downstairs.

She came over as soon as she saw the car stop, hugged Shen Yu'an, and said he looked thinner.

Then she smiled at Xize and said in broken English, "Welcome back." Xize replied in Chinese, "Thank you, Mom."

His pronunciation was much more accurate than last time. His mother paused, then turned to look at Shen Yu'an. Shen Yu'an didn't say anything, but a slight smile played on his lips.

When he went upstairs, the meal was already laid out. Xize sat at the small dining table, with a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks in front of him.

He was much more skilled at using chopsticks than last time, and when he picked up food, he steadily put a piece of rib into his bowl.

His mother glanced at him several times, then turned to Shen Yu'an and whispered, "He uses chopsticks better than you." Shen Yu'an replied, "That's impossible. I've been using them for over twenty years."

At the dinner table, Mom asked them where they went for their honeymoon. Shen Yu'an briefly explained that it was France, Italy, and Finland.

After listening, his mother asked Xize which place he thought was the best, and Xize thought for a moment and said Finland.

When asked why, Xi Ze said Xiao An liked it. Shen Yu'an lowered her head and ate her rice, her ears turning red for a moment, but she didn't say anything.

The mother glanced at Shen Yu'an, then looked at Xize: "If he likes you, you'll take him with you?"

"Yes, if he likes it, take him."

The mother didn't ask any more questions. She bent down and put a piece of fish on Shen Yu'an's plate, and then put another piece on Xize's plate, saying, "Eat more."

After dinner, Shen Yu'an went to the kitchen to help his mother wash the dishes, while Xize sat in the living room watching TV with his father.

Dad changed the channel with the remote and it was showing a nature documentary. After watching for a while, Xize asked, "What mountain is this?" He spoke in Chinese, and although his pronunciation wasn't perfect, it was understandable.

Dad paused for a moment, then answered, "This is Huangshan." Xize nodded and continued looking.

Seeing that he was really watching, his father started gesturing to introduce the names to him, speaking more slowly than usual. Xize nodded occasionally and asked a question occasionally, and the two of them chatted for more than ten minutes.

When Shen Yu'an came out of the kitchen, she heard her father telling Xize, "Huangshan is the most beautiful place to visit in winter." Xize replied, "Okay, let's go in winter."

Shen Yu'an stood at the kitchen door without going over. He looked around for a while, then turned around and went back into the kitchen.

That night they slept in Shen Yu'an's old room, in the same single bed.

When Shen Yu'an returned from her shower, Xize was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at an old photo album on the desk. He stopped at the page with Shen Yu'an's elementary school graduation photo. Shen Yu'an walked over and closed the album: "Don't look at it. It's ugly."

"Not ugly, it's good-looking."

Shen Yu'an put the photo album back on the desk, crawled into the blanket and lay down against the wall, patting the spot next to him.

Xize lay down; the bed was indeed small, and the two of them had to lie on their sides to lie flat, with almost no space between them.

Shen Yu'an faced the wall, and Xize wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, the two pressed together. The occasional sound of a car passing by could be heard from afar outside the window.

What did you and my dad talk about just now?

"Dad says Huangshan is most beautiful in winter."

They stayed at Shen Yu'an's house for two days before setting off for Yunnan.

Their mother stood downstairs to see them off and handed Shen Yu'an a bag of fruit. Shen Yu'an took it and said it was too much, but his mother said it would spoil if he didn't eat it, so Shen Yu'an didn't refuse anymore.

On the plane, Shen Yu'an leaned against the window and looked down. The terrain below changed from plains to hills and then to green folds.

Xize sat next to him, looking at the pictures that appeared on his phone screen: one was of the bluestone road in the ancient town, and the other was of the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

"Where is this?" Xize handed over his phone.

Lijiang.

What's the name of the snow-capped mountain?

"Jade Dragon Snow Mountain."

Xize put his phone away and looked at the photo of the snow-capped mountain for a few more seconds. Shen Yu'an turned to look at him: "You want to go?"

"We'll see when we get there."

After the plane landed, they changed cars. The road was narrower, and the trees on both sides were denser.

Shen Yu'an rolled down the car window, and the wind that blew in carried the scent of grass and trees, much fresher than in the city.

Xize sat down next to him, looking out the window, and after a while said, "The air here is nice."

Shen Yu'an turned to look at him: "You're speaking Chinese now."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Daddy, you're absolutely right."

Xize smiled and continued looking out the window. After a while, he spoke again, still in Chinese: "What's that white thing?"

Shen Yu'an looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a white plastic pipe standing upright in the field by the roadside. He said it was for irrigation.

Xize nodded and did not ask any further questions.

After arriving at the ancient town, they walked along the stone-paved road for a while.

The houses on both sides of the road were old-fashioned buildings constructed of wood and brick. There weren't too many people on the street. After walking for a while, Shen Yu'an stopped and pointed to a small shop with blue and white floral fabric hanging on the wall, saying that it was called tie-dye, and that the patterns were made by tying the fabric together with thread and then dyeing it.

Xize stood at the shop entrance for a while, then went inside and asked the owner how much it cost.

He spoke in Chinese, and his pronunciation was mostly correct. The shopkeeper quoted a price, and Xize bought a small piece of blue floral fabric, which he then handed to Shen Yu'an.

Shen Yu'an took it and looked at it. The cloth was not big, with white petal patterns printed on a blue background.

He looked up at Xize: "Why did you buy this?"

"Put it in the art studio."

"Why put it in the art studio?"

"It looks great hanging on the wall."

Shen Yu'an didn't ask any more questions, folded the cloth neatly, and put it into his bag.

They continued walking along the stone path for a while and stopped in front of a small restaurant.

Several low tables and stools were placed by the entrance, with light-colored tablecloths covering the tables. Shen Yu'an sat down on a stool, and Xize sat opposite him, his legs too long to be placed sideways.

Shen Yu'an ordered two bowls of rice noodles. When the owner brought them over, the bowls were very large, with a layer of red oil and scallions floating on the soup noodles, and steam rising up.

Xize looked down at the bowl of rice noodles in front of him, picked up his chopsticks, took a strand, chewed it twice, then took a second strand, a third strand, and so on.

Shen Yu'an looked at him: "Is the food to your liking?"

"I can get used to the food."

Have you ever eaten this before?

"No. But it's delicious."

Shen Yu'an looked away and lowered his head to eat his rice noodles.

He took a few bites and looked up to see Xize drinking soup with his head down, the rim of the bowl touching his lips, the edge of the bowl obscuring most of his face.

Shen Yu'an watched for a while, then put down his chopsticks and called out "Daddy." Xize put down his bowl and looked at him, a little bit of red oil on the corner of his mouth.

Shen Yu'an pointed to the corner of his mouth, and Xize wiped it with his finger, but missed the spot. Shen Yu'an reached out and wiped it for him with his thumb.

Xize didn't dodge. After he withdrew his hand, he said, "Your hands are oily too."

Shen Yu'an looked down at his fingers and saw that there was indeed some on them. He took out a tissue, wiped it off, and continued eating his rice noodles.

They stayed at a guesthouse in the old town that night.

After taking a shower, Shen Yu'an sat on the edge of the bed drying her hair. When Xize came out of the bathroom, he changed into a thin long-sleeved shirt, walked to the window, looked out, and said, "Someone is singing downstairs."

Shen Yu'an also walked to the window. There was indeed someone singing in the alley downstairs. The lyrics were unclear, the tune was slow, and there was the sound of a guitar.

He stood next to Xize for a while, then glanced at him sideways: "Can you see the singer?"

"I can't see it. I can only hear it."

Shen Yu'an closed the window a little tighter and lowered his voice. He turned around, leaning against the windowsill, and looked at Xize: "How long have you been studying Chinese?"

"Not long after."

"When you asked the shop owner about prices today, your pronunciation was very accurate."

"Thank you for the compliment, baby."

He leaned against the window frame, turned his head to look at Xize, and said, "Then say something you couldn't say before."

Xize thought for a moment, then said in Chinese, "The rice noodles are delicious today."

Shen Yu'an chuckled, "Great."

Xize stepped forward and hugged him.

Shen Yu'an didn't say anything more, but still smiled, reached out to straighten his collar, and then withdrew his hand.

Xize stood by the window, watching him smile, observing the corners of his mouth and the curve of his eyes. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke: "Where are we going tomorrow?"

"Snow-capped mountain. There's a cable car that takes you up."

Is there snow up there?

Yes. Snow that never melts.

Xize nodded. The song in the alley outside the window continued, the tune slower than before, and the guitar playing softer.

Shen Yu'an leaned against the window frame, and Xize stood beside him. Neither of them spoke, and they listened quietly to the singing coming up from downstairs.

A breeze, carrying a slight chill, slipped in through the cracks in the window, causing the edges of their clothes to flutter.

Shen Yu'an turned his head and found Xize looking at him, his gaze steady in the dim light.

"What's wrong?"

"Seeing you smile," Caesar said.

He turned back to look out the window. The singing downstairs gradually faded, as if someone had walked away, until only a few faint notes of a guitar remained.

Shen Yu'an turned and walked towards the bed: "Let's go, Daddy. Go to sleep."

Xize followed and closed the window, cutting off the sounds from the alley and making the room quiet again.