The day of the heavy snow, a freezing rain fell over City H. The temperature was so low that the rain froze into a thin layer of ice the moment it hit the ground, crunching underfoot.
Due to the slippery roads, a car accident occurred near the vocational school. Fortunately, neither driver was seriously injured, escaping with only minor scratches.
The teachers at No. 1 High School held an emergency meeting and, out of safety concerns, unanimously decided to cancel that evening’s self-study session.
Many students, who had been rendered listless by the warm blast of the air conditioners, went wild with joy upon hearing the announcement, their spirits instantly soaring.
"It's so cold! Let's go have hotpot!" Yu Qianyi suggested excitedly. "Since we don't have evening self-study today, we can stay at the restaurant a bit longer."
"Sure," Li Menglai agreed, then turned to Lin Murun. "Are you coming?"
Lin Murun nodded in agreement.
After school, the group gathered and headed out the school gates.
It was still early, but because of the rain, the sky had already grown dark.
Yu Qianyi and Li Xi walked at the very front, chattering incessantly. Si Bin held a large black umbrella, walking at the back of the group with Lin Murun.
"Are we still going to the study hall today?" Lin Murun asked.
Si Bin replied, "Yes, but after dinner, I need to stop by the pet hospital."
"What's wrong?" Lin Murun inquired.
"Xiaobai has ringworm." Si Bin took out his phone, pulled up a photo of Xiaobai, and showed it to Lin Murun. "Look here." He pointed at Xiaobai's ear. "He’s started losing fur on his ears and paws."
Lin Murun took the phone and zoomed in for a moment, but he couldn't see anything different about Xiaobai's ears compared to usual.
He shook his head. "It doesn't seem very obvious."
Si Bin smiled. "It really isn't, but he still needs medication."
Lin Murun nodded and handed the phone back. "Then I'll go with you."
"Alright." Si Bin took the phone and asked, "Want to see Xiaobai later? He’s growing fast; he’s almost the same size as Dabai now."
Lin Murun nodded. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by Yu Qianyi’s shout.
"Lin Murun, Si Bin! Hurry up!" Yu Qianyi waved at them from a distance. "Why are you falling behind?"
"Coming!" Lin Murun called back, raising his voice.
After turning a street corner, they reached their destination.
The weather was so cold that the hotpot restaurant was doing a roaring trade. The first-floor lobby was already packed, and many young people were lined up outside, huddled in groups of twos and threes on outdoor benches, waiting for their numbers to be called.
"There are so many people..." Yu Wenbo scratched his head. "Do we have to wait outside too?"
"No need." Li Menglai took out her phone and showed a reservation code to the waiter. She turned and whispered to the group, "This is my aunt's restaurant. We can go straight upstairs."
Thus, the group—having used the "back door"—folded their umbrellas and were led to the second floor by the waiter.
The second floor was no less crowded than the first. Almost every table was full. Food bubbled in the pots, and the spicy aroma of hotpot broth wafted through the air, making everyone’s mouth water.
"Quick, quick, quick! I'm starving!" Once seated, Yu Qianyi took off her scarf, grabbed the apron handed over by the waiter, threw it haphazardly over her neck, and urged the others to order.
"Let's pick the broth first," Yu Wenbo suggested, holding the menu. "We can get a split pot, so we have both types of broth."
Seeing no objections, he handed the menu to Li Menglai. "You guys order the food."
The menu made its way around the table until it reached Lin Murun. He looked over the items already checked off and turned to Si Bin. "Is there anything else you want to add?"
Si Bin poured him a cup of hot tea and said, "Anything is fine with me."
*He seems very easy to please,* Lin Murun thought.
Lin Murun nodded and didn't ask further. He checked off a vegetable platter and handed the menu to the waiter.
Despite the crowd, the kitchen was efficient, and it wasn't long before all the dishes were served.
The red and white broths steamed as various ingredients were tossed in, bobbing up and down in the boiling liquid.
When the first slices of meat were cooked, everyone reached out with their chopsticks to snatch them up, creating a moment of chaotic scrambling.
Yu Qianyi took a bite of a piece of meat fresh from the pot; she cried out from the heat but refused to spit it out, swallowing the scalding morsel with tears in her eyes.
"Can't you slow down?" Yu Wenbo said with a look of disdain, even as he poured her a glass of ice-cold Coke. "How embarrassing."
"What do you know?" Yu Qianyi retorted. "Hotpot has to be eaten while it's hot!"
As the siblings bickered happily, Si Bin watched the spectacle for a moment before looking away. He scooped some shrimp paste out of the clear broth for Lin Murun, only to find a piece of shrimp paste already sitting in his own bowl.
He picked it up and asked Lin Murun, "Is this from you?"
"Yeah." Lin Murun nodded. "I saw you eat a few pieces earlier, so I figured you liked it."
The hotpot restaurant was noisy, and by comparison, Lin Murun's voice was very soft, yet Si Bin heard him perfectly.
He set the shrimp paste down and asked with a smile, "Student Lin, have you been observing me this whole time?"
"I have not," Lin Murun reflexively denied. Being caught made him inevitably nervous; his hand gave a slight jerk, and the meat he was about to eat fell to the floor.
Lin Murun blinked, staring at the piece of meat for a moment, feeling a bit of a pity.
"Forget it, let it go."
Lin Murun's expression made Si Bin chuckle. Si Bin reached out, scooped a piece of meat from the pot for him, and said, "I won't tease you anymore. Eat up."
They say food tastes better when eaten with a crowd. Amidst the chatter and laughter, the group unknowingly consumed quite a lot, and the stack of empty plates on the side cart grew tall.
It wasn't until eight o'clock that Yu Qianyi finally put down her chopsticks with a satisfied burp, sighing from being so full.
"Let's sit for a bit before paying. I'm stuffed." She leaned against Yu Wenbo's shoulder, groaning.
Si Bin, returning from the front desk, said, "No need. I've already settled the bill."
The group looked at him.
"Your treat?" Yu Qianyi asked tentatively.
"Yes." Si Bin put on his school jacket. "The roads are slippery from the rain. Rest a bit before we head out."
"Oh my god!" Yu Qianyi's eyes sparkled. "Si Bin! I'm definitely inviting you to the next dinner too!"
Yu Wenbo stole a glance at the quietly tea-sipping Lin Murun, then tapped Yu Qianyi on the forehead. "In your dreams."
At eight-fifteen, the group walked out of the restaurant.
The rain had lessened, but the temperature had dropped even further. The rain, carried by the wind, felt as cold as a blade against the skin.
"I'm so sorry. I'd already told my aunt I was paying for this meal." Seeing Si Bin standing under the eaves, Li Menglai walked up behind him and whispered, "How about I transfer the money to you?"
Si Bin looked back at her and said calmly, "No need. It's fine."
Seeing that Lin Murun hadn't come out of the restaurant yet, Li Menglai seized the moment to ask, "How far along are you two?"
Si Bin raised an eyebrow. "You noticed?"
Li Menglai nodded. "It's not just me; you're being way too obvious. Even Zhou Xuan and Yu Wenbo have noticed."
Si Bin looked at Lin Murun from a distance, then lowered his head and smiled. "He's the only one who can't tell."
"Then hurry up and tell him!" Li Menglai said anxiously.
Lin Murun had finished putting on his jacket and was walking toward the door.
Si Bin retracted his gaze. "We'll see."
Li Menglai wanted to say more, but Yu Qianyi suddenly pulled her away.
"Still whispering? The bus is here!"
"Ah!" Li Menglai quickly opened her umbrella and called back as she jogged away, "I'm leaving first! See you tomorrow!"
Lin Murun waved to her, then turned to Si Bin. "What were you two whispering about just now?"
"She wanted to pay for the meal, but I didn't let her," Si Bin said, telling half the truth and hiding the rest.
Lin Murun thought for a moment and asked, "We must have eaten quite a lot today, right?"
"Not much." Si Bin opened his umbrella and said to Lin Murun, "Let's go. We need to head to the pet hospital."
Si Bin clearly had no intention of splitting the bill, and Lin Murun felt that bringing it up again would seem overly fastidious. He turned to say goodbye to the others and jogged under Si Bin's umbrella.
"Slow down. The roads are slippery; I'm not going to leave you behind." Fearing Lin Murun might slip, Si Bin reached out to steady him.
"It's okay," Lin Murun said. "The ground isn't frozen here."
Si Bin smiled and, holding the umbrella, walked side-by-side with Lin Murun toward the pet hospital near the school.
Lin Murun was sensitive to the cold and pulled his scarf up over his nose and mouth as they walked. After a while, he pulled it down again and took a breath. "I smell entirely like hotpot."
Hearing this, Si Bin lifted his sleeve to sniff it. "True. I wonder how much the two cats will crave it when they smell us."
Lin Murun laughed, his eyes behind his glasses as beautiful as peach blossoms in the misty rain.
"You have no idea how greedy Xiaobai is. Even if I'm just drinking water, he has to come over and sniff it." Si Bin tilted the umbrella slightly more toward Lin Murun. "Every time the housekeeper finishes cooking, he's the first one at the table."
A cloud of white vapor escaped Lin Murun's mouth. He thought for a moment and said, "He was probably starved when he was a stray."
Si Bin nodded. "It's a good thing you found him." He looked up at the sky and continued, "It's so cold; many stray cats won't make it through this winter safely."
The topic was a bit heavy. Lin Murun’s smile faded, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Our ability is limited. We could only save one."
"Saving one is better than none," Si Bin said, coming to a stop. "We're here."
The pet hospital was busier than usual today.
Because the icy roads had become exceptionally slippery, two dogs had been hit by a car while out for a walk, breaking their hind legs. They were currently undergoing treatment in the operating room.
The small shop was crowded with two families. The other pet dogs locked in cages, startled by so many people, barked anxiously, leading to a chorus of "woofs" and "howls."
In the chaotic little shop, the doctor was busy communicating with the owners and didn't notice Si Bin, who had come to buy medicine.
"Why don't you wait for me outside for a bit?" Si Bin looked down at Lin Murun. "It's too noisy in here; it'll be uncomfortable if you stay too long."
"It's fine, I'll just wait here," Lin Murun replied.
Just then, two young girls ran into the hospital carrying a shivering cat. Lin Murun quickly moved out of their way.
The cat had messy fur and was covered in dirt. It kept crying out anxiously, trying to scratch the girls' hands; it looked like a stray.
Lin Murun and Si Bin were separated by the two girls. Lin Murun had no choice but to step back a few paces, standing near the door of the pet hospital.
"Lin Murun?" someone called his name tentatively.
Lin Murun turned and saw Bei Fan standing outside the pet shop.
"Senior." He stepped out of the noisy shop to greet Bei Fan.
"What are you doing here?" Bei Fan asked with a smile.
"I'm here with a friend," Lin Murun answered.
Bei Fan nodded. "That’s quite a coincidence. I happened to be passing by and didn't expect to run into you."
The words sounded a bit strange, but Lin Murun couldn't put his finger on what was off, so he simply nodded. "Yes."
"Have you eaten?" Bei Fan asked.
Lin Murun replied, "I have."
"Then remember to head back to school early. The roads are slippery and it's cold; don't stay outside too long." After saying this, Bei Fan reached out and naturally began to adjust Lin Murun's scarf. "Your scarf is tied too loosely. Let me re-tie it for you."
Lin Murun felt Bei Fan's warm fingers touch his cheek. He frowned and reflexively took a step back. "No need, I..."
Before he could finish, Lin Murun was suddenly pulled back. He looked up in a daze and saw Si Bin standing in front of him, blocking him.
"Don't touch him," Si Bin said coldly.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
大雪 | Great Snow | One of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar, usually falling around December 7th.
猫藓 | Ringworm / Cat moss | A common fungal skin infection in cats (feline ringworm).
虾滑 | Shrimp paste / Shrimp balls | Minced shrimp meat often served as a hotpot ingredient.
鸳鸯锅 | Split pot / Twin-flavor pot | A hotpot divided into two sections, typically one spicy and one clear broth.
贝凡 | Bei Fan | A character name.
