Little Gods – Chapter 6

15

Su Qiong carried the lollipop-laden stand back home.

The entire way, Su Qiong couldn’t keep the smile off his reddened face. 

Su Qiong opened the door and placed the lollipop stand beside his pillow. He stroked each lollipop one by one, but he was reluctant to eat any of them. His eyes were twinkling like two stars. 

After looking at the lollipops for a bit, Su Qiong stooped over and pulled out a large cookie tin from beneath his bed. The cookie tin looked quite old; the paint on the fringe of the tin had already flaked off, revealing the metal beneath. 

Su Qiong opened the tin. Inside the tin was a disordered collection of small objects, such as some children’s toys, buttons, scraps of paper…

Su Qiong took out one of these pieces of paper.

On the paper was Lin Fu, looking high-spirited and daring with an unassailable, steady smile on his handsome countenance, shaking hands with another person who appeared to be an entrepreneur. The scrap looked like it had been cut out of a magazine. 

Su Qiong ran his hand along the paper like it was precious. He let out a breath, his lips drawing up into a melancholic smile. 

Soon after, Su Qiong searched around and picked out the most vibrant round lollipop. He placed it in the tin, fastened the lid, and returned the tin to its spot below the bed.

16

One evening, Su Qiong was exhausted after finishing a day of work.

Because he really didn’t feel like cooking, and because he got a decent paycheck from work, Su Qiong went to the night market accordingly and bought an egg-filled bing^[1]鸡蛋灌饼: You can kind of think of it like a taco or quesadilla; a bing is a pancake/tortilla-like wrapper, which you can stuff with different foods. In this case, egg and a cheeky bit of sausage., even adding some sausage to it. 

Not good, I’m really being too extravagant, Su Qiong earnestly admonished himself. Eating his egg-filled bing with relish, he made his way home. 

When he got home, the first thing Su Qiong did was to remove his sweater and jeans, throwing them in the washbasin. He soaked them in water and rubbed them down with soap. 

Because he only had this outfit, he had to wash and air dry them immediately. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have any dry clothes to wear. 

Su Qiong shivered in the ice-cold room as he finished washing the sweater and jeans, storing the used water in the large washbasin.  Then he shed his undergarments and stood naked in front of the sink as he washed them. 

As the wet clothes were air drying, Su Qiong cocooned himself in his quilt at lightning speed, only revealing his handsome face. He perked his ears up, listening to the faint sounds coming from the neighboring units. 

Should I have a lollipop? With a face full of joy, Su Qiong looked beside his pillow at that lollipop carousel. 

I won’t eat it for now…he gave it to me. It’s precious; eating one will mean having one fewer. 

At this time, from out in the corridor, Su Qiong heard a group of people talking, along with the dragging sound of a heavy object. 

It even drowned out the sounds from the neighbors…

But, in less than a minute, there was a knock on Su Qiong’s door. Lin Fu’s calming voice came from the other side: “It’s me. Could you open the door?”

Su Qiong wrapped himself securely in the quilt, then went to open the door. 

Outside was Lin Fu, with several strong-looking workers standing behind him. Each worker was hauling a piece of furniture. 

There was a small, four-sided table, two chairs, a large wardrobe, and…a TV. 

“Take it all inside,” Lin Fu directed the workers with ease, carrying himself with the solemnity of authority, as if he was the owner of the place. 

“You bought me so many things…” Su Qiong was at first astonished, but after seeing that TV, his mouth flattened like he was going to cry. 

Lin Fu explained rapidly: “I made sure that Xiao Zhang bought a second-hand one, just a few hundred yuan.”

Staunch materialism was seemingly vanquished by Su Qiong’s bizarre misfortunes^[2]玄学: Referring back to Su Qiong’s “mystical powers” from part 13.…

“The other pieces of furniture are new.” Lin Fu shifted to the side, letting the workers set down the furniture, “But they’re inexpensive, and they’re all the basic model.”

17

Lin Fu directed the workers to place the furniture in suitable places. With the addition of the necessary household furniture, the space finally looked like a home. 

Su Qiong was standing, misty-eyed, next to the door wrapped in his quilt. His lips were pressed firmly into a line. 

“Have you eaten?” Lin Fu spoke, placing a plastic bag on the new table. Without waiting for Su Qiong to answer, he said, “I haven’t either, so let’s eat together.”

Su Qiong was reduced to incoherent rambling by Lin Fu’s touching actions, sobbing: “Thank you…you treat me far too well…how are you such a good person…”

Lin Fu, who was unexpectedly hit with compliments three times in a row, hurriedly motioned for Su Qiong to stop talking. He patted the new, four-legged seat next to him: “Come eat.”

And so, Su Qiong, who was wrapped up like a little cocoon, came over sluggishly. 

Lin Fu stared at him with a complicated expression: “…you’re not wearing clothes?”

Su Qiong nodded embarrasedly: “They’re still drying from the wash.”

In a split second, Lin Fu sank down into self-reproach: “…”

He’d actually forgotten that Su Qiong only had one set of clothes. 

Su Qiong laughed: “At any rate, I don’t need to go out tonight, and tomorrow they’ll be dry.”

“…Nevermind, let’s eat first.” Lin Fu internally added “get Su Qiong some clothes” to his schedule, capitalizing each boldface letter and marking the task with an asterisk in his heart. He took the food out of the bag, the aroma filling the space instantly. 

Although he’d already eaten, after a hard day of work, he could eat again. So, Su Qiong reached a hand into the bag to grab some chopsticks. 

A smooth, slender arm was unveiled. The quilt lifted with his movements, revealing a trace of white skin. 

And two big, strapping workers were installing the TV in front of him…

Lin Fu didn’t know what he was thinking himself. In a flash, he grabbed the edges of Su Qiong’s quilt to envelop him from head to toe, with the exception of his face and one arm. He said composedly: “It’s freezing in here, don’t catch a cold.”

“Ah, okay,” Su Qiong gave Lin Fu a radiant smile, securing the quilt himself. 

Lin Fu saw Su Qiong’s beaming countenance, his heart scalded. He didn’t keep an eye on his chopsticks and put a piece of ginger in his mouth as his mind wandered. 

“…Pah! Pah pah pah!” Director Lin suspected that his own head had fallen off. 

With the furniture set and the TV installed, the workers turned on the TV. Once it was working assuredly, the workers left. 

Now, only Lin Fu and Su Qiong remained in the room. 

Lin Fu passed Su Qiong the remote controller: “Look for a program you like.”

Su Qiong cradled the remote in both hands, saying with uncertainty: “But I haven’t purchased a TV subscription…”

“I had Xiao Zhang get one,” Lin Fu responded lightly. “The utility bills were also taken care of then.”

Su Qiong’s lips twitched, wanting to say something, but Lin Fu held up a finger to his own lips, saying warmly, “Don’t thank me. I just wanted to do something for you.”

“…” Su Qiong didn’t move his lips, but instead expressed his gratitude through his sparkling eyes. 

Su Qiong flipped through to a TV drama channel that was showing the most popular wuxia drama on air. A swordsman was lying on the ground, spitting up fresh blood and gnashing his teeth as he shook a finger at the white-clothed man in front of him. 

“The man wearing white is his shidi^[3]师兄/师弟 (shixiong/shidi): “Martial older/brother”. A common term in wuxia dramas for members of the same martial sect. Shixiong is used to refer to a sect brother who is older but of the … Continue reading,” Su Qiong summarized with bright eyes. “He’s evil. His shixiong treated him well, but to secure the position of sect leader, he poisoned his own shixiong.”

Lin Fu raised an eyebrow: “You’ve watched it before?”

Su Qiong blushed a bit: “I listened to it. They watch it every day next door.”

Lin Fu felt a bit of food catch in his throat: “…”

“The sound insulation is bad,” Su Qiong’s smile was both a bit bashful and a little proud. “But the main thing is that I have good hearing. Someone else wouldn’t have been able to listen to it.”

Lin Fu swallowed that bit of food with a heavy thud. 

Once he finished eating, Lin Fu pulled out a small box and opened it. Inside was a simple, sturdy Nokia phone designed for senior citizens. 

“I have no doubt this one won’t break,” Lin Fu’s cheeks were a little warm. Facing Su Qiong, “Give it a shot.”

The “Mr. Rich CEO”^[4]霸道总裁: This is referring the the very archetypal figure of the “rich, handsome, high-powered businessman” that has a soft spot for the female lead, who is usually broke or at least lower … Continue reading in other people’s stories are always picking up the girl with name-brand coaches, spacious high-rises, luxurious gifts…

And then there’s Lin Fu, only able to give Su Qiong a second-hand TV, household necessities, a “sturdy” Nokia phone, lollipops…

Director Lin really was too unfortunate. 

Su Qiong took the Nokia phone, caressing its black case and out-dated numerical keyboard like it was a prized possession. 

Too many good things had happened that night, and Su Qiong felt like he wasn’t able to handle how much happiness he was experiencing. 

“Try giving me a call,” Lin Fu helped Su Qiong enter his phone number, then took out his own phone to wait. 

Soon, the phone rang and Lin Fu’s phone screen lit up, revealing the two-word caller ID. 

Su Qiong glanced at Lin Fu’s phone and was stunned, but Lin Fu had already swiped to answer the call, “Hello?”

“…Hello?” Su Qiong put the phone up to his ear. 

“Can you hear me?” Lin Fu inclined his face toward Su Qiong, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards handsomely. 

“Yes, how about you?” Su Qiong replied, one hand holding the phone and the other holding up the quilt, lifting his head slightly to look at Lin Fu face to face. His small, palm-sized face was even more exquisite when he was looking down, his appearance like that of a doll. 

“I can hear too,” Lin Fu said softly. 

“Your voice sounds nice over the phone,” Su Qiong peered at Lin Fu guilelessly, blushing as he said frankly, “It sounds nice all of the time, but on the phone it’s even more…sonorous.”

Lin Fu felt something nip at a corner of his heart, staring at Su Qiong for a few seconds before responding: “Then I’ll call you more in the future.”

“Okay,” Su Qiong stroked his new phone joyfully, saying to himself confidently, “It really didn’t break. That’s great.”

“Save my number,” Lin Fu pointed at the phone, “Can you save to contacts?”

“I should be able to,” Su Qiong answered, fumbling to the call log to find Lin Fu’s phone number. He saved it and input Lin Fu’s name. 

Lin Fu let out a low laugh, teasing him: “You saved it under my name?”

Su Qiong was scared of making him unhappy, immediately suggesting: “Should I save it under Mr. Lin?”

Lin Fu’s lips were stiff: “…No need, Lin Fu is fine.”

“By the way,” Su Qiong lowered his eyes and head and said cautiously, “My name is Su Qiong.”

Lin Fu mhmm’d and responded: “I know.”

“My name isn’t ‘little cutie’^[5]小可爱: lit. “little lovely/adorable”. It doesn’t sound nearly as creepy in Chinese, but it was the closest I could keep it because its referenced a few times later… If I find … Continue reading…” Su Qiong buried his head even further. 

Fuck. 

He saw the caller ID just now…

Lin Fu supported his forehead with a hand, his thick-skinned face reddening. He calmed himself down for a few seconds, then answered steadily: “But I think you’re really cute.”

This, in turn, made Su Qiong’s face heat up. 

To conceal his own bewilderment, Su Qiong hurriedly gathered the phone’s box and accessories, getting up and saying: “I’m going to put this away.”

But when he took his first step, Su Qiong, who was completely distracted, misplaced a foot, his naked body falling out of the quilt and onto the floor…

“Are, are you alright?” Lin Fu looked straight ahead. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Su Qiong struggled to stand back up, promptly picking up the quilt and wrapping himself up as fast as possible. He ran to the bed and laid down like a little tortoise, his exposed feet and arms retracted into his shell. 

“I need to borrow your restroom,” Lin Fu’s mind was filled with images of Su Qiong’s long, slender legs and two round, white…

Clear your head, quick! Lin Fu splashed some cold water on his face, the freezing temperature giving him a start. 

Su Qiong’s home didn’t have a hot water heater, so the water was genuinely cold. 

When Lin Fu came out of the bathroom, Su Qiong hadn’t moved an inch from his retracted state. Seeing him be so shy, Lin Fu didn’t want to make him any more embarrassed. He tore off some paper towels to dry the remaining water droplets, patting on the quilt: “I have something to do, so I’ll be going.”

“Wu,” Su Qiong mumbled despondently. 

“See you tomorrow,” Lin Fu smirked, softly calling, “Little cutie.”

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