Sixty-three: Three Embraces

Wu Xueqian entered Qin’s Noodle House with a stack of Taekwondo school flyers in her hand. As she stepped inside, she saw Ertong and Liu Xin putting up photographs. “Wow, Bai is so handsome! Where did he go hiking?”

Ertong replied, “He didn’t go anywhere. He’s hiding upstairs.”

The photos were being pinned to the wall of the noodle shop, and beside them Liu Xin was writing an explanation in decorative script: The owner is currently traveling and unable to serve you in person. Please understand—after all, beyond noodles and dough, there are mountains and distant horizons.

“Your handwriting is beautiful,” Xueqian glanced at her own perfectly standard flyers, then looked at Liu Xin, asking, “Hey, who are you?”

Liu Xin turned his head to look at her—she was about his height. “My name is Liu Xin, I’m an employee here.”

“Oh, your handwriting is really nice,” Xueqian said sincerely.

“Thank you.”

“Look at this,” she handed him one of her flyers, “It’s computer-made, not as nice as your writing.”

Liu Xin took it, looked it over, and said, “Handwritten characters have personality, warmth, and life.”

“Can you do one for me?” Xueqian didn’t stand on ceremony at all.

Liu Xin looked at her in silence, so Ertong introduced, “She’s Uncle Wu’s daughter, Xueqian.”

Only then did Liu Xin nod. “I’ll redesign a flyer for you.”

“Great!” Xueqian’s grin nearly reached the back of her head.

“But there’s a condition.”

“What condition?” Xueqian said, “I don’t have much money, don’t get greedy.”

Liu Xin lowered his head with a smile, then looked up and mustered his courage, “No money needed. Just give me a hug.”

Xueqian frowned, “Why? Are you trying to take advantage of me?” She tossed her head, “You’d better think twice. With your fighting skills, I could take on five of you at once.”

Ertong rubbed his forehead and said, “You really are something. A young lady who keeps calling herself ‘Old Lady’ all day. Even Bai, with his fighting skills, wouldn’t dare go for you.”

Xueqian grinned sheepishly, “It’s a habit. All my girlfriends talk like this. I’ll change, I’ll change—just don’t tell Bai.”

Liu Xin handed back the flyer and continued putting up Qin Baike’s photos.

“Hey,” Xueqian asked, “Is the hug you hugging me, or me hugging you?”

“Mutual,” Liu Xin replied.

“You don’t have some weird fetish, do you?” Xueqian eyed him skeptically.

Liu Xin replied earnestly, “Absolutely not.”

“Deal—it’s just a simple hug. After that, you’ll do my flyer for free.”

“Deal.”

“Come on, then!” Xueqian opened her arms. Liu Xin stood in front of her, and the two exchanged a hug, formal as a diplomatic greeting.

After they parted, Liu Xin let out a breath of relief. Ertong asked, “Which number was that?”

“The fiftieth,” Liu Xin replied shyly.

“Wow, exactly halfway.”

Xueqian, curious, asked, “What are you talking about? What fiftieth?”

Ertong slung an arm around Liu Xin’s shoulder. “This pure-hearted young man is collecting hugs from a hundred strangers. You’re number fifty.”

“And you say you’re not a weirdo?” Xueqian pursed her lips.

Ertong hastily explained, “He’s trying to overcome his social anxiety—break through the barrier of talking to strangers.”

Xueqian gave a vague “oh,” half-understanding. “So, can you help me now?”

“Yes, I’ll help! Is this all the content?” Liu Xin took the flyer and read it.

“That’s it.”

Liu Xin looked through the text. “You have way too much information here. People today don’t like reading big blocks of text—boring! Why not ask Zhan to take some photos of you and make a—”

“That’s a great idea, why didn’t I think of it?” Xueqian bounced with excitement. “Here, buy one get one free—I’ll give you another hug as a bonus.”

She grabbed Liu Xin and gave him another strong hug, slapping him heartily on the back. Liu Xin couldn’t dodge and yelped, “Easy, easy!”

“You’re too frail. You should come train Taekwondo with me once a week. When the new gym opens, I’ll give you a special 40% discount.”

Ertong laughed so hard he nearly doubled over. “How many people have you got in your gym now? Aren’t you teaching kids?”

“Just three so far, all through friends’ referrals—not enough to cover costs.”

“Don’t be discouraged, things will get better,” Liu Xin encouraged her.

“Yeah, not that many kids want to learn these days. I teach adults too—anyone who wants to learn is welcome.”

Xiao Xie set the dinner table, and everyone sat down to eat. Only then did Xueqian learn that Qin Baike had suddenly become an internet celebrity and was forced to hide away washing dishes. She laughed so hard her stomach hurt.

Sure enough, just like the night before, waves of people came through in the evening. After work, Tang Yiyi moved the long bench outside for the crowd.

With Liu Xin’s help, the noodle shop wasn’t as chaotic as yesterday. Every customer would stop to look at Qin Baike’s photos, sighing at the blue sky outside, the handsome owner, and some fans even took pictures to post online, proving how good-looking the boss of Qin’s Noodles was.

Tang Yiyi, after making a round in the shop and seeing everything under control, went back upstairs. From the platform, she looked down at the supposedly traveling handsome man, who was actually miserably seated before three huge plastic tubs, washing dishes.

Wu Xueqian ran up and down, bringing dirty bowls and taking away clean ones.

Tang Yiyi couldn’t help but giggle. Without looking up, the handsome man flicked a spray of water up toward her. She hurried back inside.

When study time came, she settled down to focus. The best version of herself was not something love would grant, but something she had to achieve on her own. She had taken that to heart.

After ten o’clock, the crowd of curiosity seekers gradually thinned. Only old regulars remained, complaining that the shop had been closed the previous day and they’d had to search for food elsewhere.

Seeing the photos of Qin Baike, they remarked, “Well, the boss is really carefree, just up and left for a trip.”

After studying, Tang Yiyi stepped out onto the platform. Qin Baike was no longer washing dishes; he leaned against the railing, a cigarette in hand, smoking slowly.

“No more customers?” she asked.

“They can handle it now,” Qin Baike replied, exhaling smoke.

The two stood in silence, one upstairs, one down. Tang Yiyi rotated her neck, thinking to say something about the beautiful photos. But before she spoke, she saw Qin Baike suddenly stiffen, like a beast tensing from laziness to high alert.

He glanced at the platform door, tossed his cigarette, took two running steps, kicked off the wall, and vaulted up, grabbing the railing in front of her. In one swift movement, he landed beside her—neat and seamless.

Tang Yiyi’s mouth opened in awe, but before she could exclaim, the door below opened. Xiang Qiaoting stepped out. Qin Baike pulled Tang Yiyi back to hide.

Xiang Qiaoting, phone in hand, looked around the platform. “I saw him this morning—he hasn’t gone traveling.”

Ertong followed her out, glancing around and asserting, “I told you, Bai’s gone on a trip. Why won’t you believe it? What good does it do you to expose his lie? He’s your brother.”

Xiang Qiaoting snorted, “I have no brother. My brother would never treat my father like that! Why were you so nervous when I came rushing upstairs? Where’s he really hiding?”

“Hiding? He’s not here. And anyway, what did he do to your dad to make you this angry?”

“My dad always thinks of him. He’s never called him ‘Dad’ once. He’s not really my brother. Hmph!”

Ertong tried to comfort her. “If he started calling him ‘Dad,’ wouldn’t he be competing with you for your father’s affection? Would you want that—someone to take more than half your dad’s love?”

“That’s none of your business. If he makes my dad sad, he’s wrong. He didn’t leave town, I’ll find him for sure!” Xiang Qiaoting stormed off, slamming the door.

Tang Yiyi peeked out. Ertong signaled an “ok” from below and went back inside.

She turned to see Qin Baike’s rather dispirited face and felt a pang of sympathy. She opened the door, invited him inside, and poured him a glass of water. He took a sip. “Thank you.”

She took out a bag of chips from her snack stash and started munching, then asked carefully, “Did you end up not selling the secret Qin’s recipe to Uncle Xiang?”

Qin Baike looked at her with mild surprise. “Why do you say that?”

“I went to eat at Uncle Xiang’s last time. The noodles didn’t taste like yours.”

“That’s odd. Last time I gave him enough seasoning—it should last half a year.”

“Then why does that girl act like she’s got a grudge against you?”

He thought for a moment. “It’s probably because of the recent Noodle King competition. He’s deliberately not using it so as not to split Qin’s votes.”

“He wants you to win.”

Qin Baike let out a long sigh. “He was my mother’s greatest love—and her greatest pain. What can I do? Since I chose to stand by my mother, I can only draw a clear line with him.”

“I understand,” she said, then added, “His ginger duck noodles are truly delicious.”

A fleeting look of nostalgia crossed his face. He nodded.

She wondered aloud, “Uncle Xiang spent more than ten years in the Qin household. Could he really not know the secret recipe?”

“You think that’s impossible too?”

“After all those years, maybe not everything, but he should’ve figured out at least eighty percent.”

“My mother loved him so much—how could she not have told him?” Qin Baike gave a faint, wry smile.

“Your father is a truly kind and upright man. Even after leaving your mother, he still wouldn’t do anything immoral or hurtful to you.”

Qin Baike took out a box of cigarettes. “I’ll have a smoke outside.” He left, leaned against the wall, and smoked quietly. When he checked the time, he said to Tang Yiyi, “You should rest. I’ll head down too. Rare chance to be lazy for a few days—let them handle things.”

Tang Yiyi watched him jump down and go inside before turning away. She was about to enter her room when she glanced at the spot where he’d smoked. She walked over, leaned against the wall, and stood there for a while, breathing in the lingering scent.

Downstairs, Wu Xueqian and Liu Xin discussed how to redesign the flyer. Liu Xin quickly sketched out a cute kung fu panda practicing Taekwondo.

The flyer was finished in no time, and Xueqian was delighted. “So adorable!” Clutching the paper, she said, “You must write up my social media article soon, and make it just as cute.” Liu Xin smiled and nodded, deftly working on his phone.

Wu Xueqian also arranged with Ertong to have a photoshoot at the dojo the next day for the article. She then ran upstairs to give Qin Baike a few flyers. “Help me spread the word. Any kids you refer get a twenty percent discount.”

After eleven, when business slowed, Liu Xin and Wu Xueqian left together. On the electric scooter, Xueqian sat behind Liu Xin, arms around his waist, laughing, “I gave you three hugs today!” Her cheerful laughter echoed down the street as they rode away.