Chapter 24 (1/2)

Twenty-four

That which has been is what will be,

That which is done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which it may be said,

“See, this is new”?

It has already been in ancient times before us.

There is no remembrance of former things,

Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come

By those who will come after.

–Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

Xu Ping thought he would lie in bed wide awake until the sun rose, but he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

He did not dream. Like a robot out of energy, he lay on the bed with hands crossed over his stomach and did not move a muscle during the night.

When he awoke, he heard the sound of the street cleaning machine whirring by.

May was coming to an end.

Sunrise came earlier and earlier, and the temperature was also increasing. The moist spring had slowly disappeared like the sparrows fluttering among the trees while the young summer sun grew with intensity in the crisp southeastern wind.

There was always a lot to do on the weekend between the seasons. The long sleeves needed to be stored while the short sleeves needed to be brought out. The thick winter blankets needed to be taken apart and washed. The bamboo sheets and sandals needed to be taken out to the balcony to drive out the dampness that had collected during winter.

He stared at the old yet unfamiliar crack on the ceiling. Only after blinking a few times did he remember he had long ago moved into his dad’s room.

The sunlight shot in between the curtains. Regardless of what he wanted, a brand new day had begun.

Xu Ping slowly sat up in bed and instinctively reached out to the bedside table for his gla.s.ses. There was nothing there waiting for him. His brother had broken them yesterday.

Retracting his hand, he sat silent for a while before taking the clothes from the back of the chair and dressing himself. The door to his brother’s bedroom was still closed.

He walked into the bathroom, squeezed out some toothpaste, opened the tap and filled a cup with water. Then he began to brush his teeth.

In the mirror above the sink was a person with sickly white skin, a small pointed chin and bright eyes. Perhaps because of genetics, Xu Ping’s skin was very fair and did not suffer from pimples even when he pulled all nighters.

His neck was unusually slender for a man, and his jaw line from the side was elegant beyond description. Although he was not breathtakingly handsome like his dad or brother, there was a certain graceful purity that made him seem out of place in this mortal world.

Xu Ping spat out the foam and cupped some water to splash his face. It still hurt where his brother hit him yesterday. At the corner of his left eye was a bluish b.u.mp. The cut on his lips had not healed and was a deep purple today.

He gently dabbed his face with a towel and then looked into the mirror at himself. He froze for a moment before quickly looking away as though disgusted.

Eyes downcast, he pulled open the bathroom door and stepped out, b.u.mping straight into a warm body.

For some reason his brother was naked standing outside the bathroom.

Xu Ping hurriedly took a few steps back.

Neither of them spoke.

Then Xu Ping broke the silence chuckling, “All right, hurry up and wash up. I'm going to make breakfast.”

Eyes pointed down, he nudged his brother aside and slipped away.

The breakfast menu today was rice porridge and other appetizers. A pot of golden yellow porridge stood beside a few small plates of cuc.u.mber, bamboo shoots and wheat gluten b.a.l.l.s.

Xu Zheng had a big appet.i.te and normally could eat every last morsel, but this morning he only stirred his bowl of porridge with the spoon, seemingly not hungry.

Xu Ping kept his eyes down at his food and finished breakfast before his brother for once. He stood up and gathered his dishes. “Take your time. I have something to do.”

He was pa.s.sing by Xu Zheng when the boy caught his wrist.

Xu Ping pulled his hand free asking, “What?”

“You take me to run in the morning, Gege.”

Xu Ping pursed his lips. “Sorry. I forgot.”

He actually forgot. Somehow he had forgotten the long-observed routine.

Xu Zheng made to grab him again, but he stepped back and spoke flatly facing the kitchen, “Could we skip today? I’ve lots to do.”

With that he started towards the kitchen with his dishes in hand, but his brother shot forward and hugged him around the waist.

CRASH. The dishes shattered on the floor.

Both of them froze, shocked.

Xu Ping tore away from his brother’s grip and squatted down to pick up the broken porcelain, muttering, “Look at what you’ve done! Now the dishes are broken. Don’t run up to me and hug me like that again. Go drink your congee. We’re not going running today.”