A Certain Someone ( The On1y One ) Chapter 086 – Family Dinner

Sheng Wang: “Help Me Take a Picture With My Son.”

Jiang Ou did not expect to run into Du Cheng in this hospital too,
She told Sheng Mingyang that this was her classmate from high school, but in reality they were closer than classmates — Du Cheng was one of her closest friends in high school.

She was the class monitor, with Du Cheng being the vice class monitor, sitting right behind her. He would often grumble “I get the brunt of the work, you get the highest title, where else are you supposed to find such a good bro like me”, and then continue helping her out the very next second. She would often feel bad about it, so she would bring some homemade treats for the two boys behind her to share. Back then, her mother was a teacher, without any of the illnesses that came with age. She had a clear mind and a gentle personality, she was especially good at cooking too. Du Cheng often said that that deskmate of his owed it all to him for managing to get so much good food without lifting a single finger.
His deskmate’s name was Ji Huanyu; he was Jiang Ou’s boyfriend, husband, and ex-husband eventually.

Du Cheng did know of Jiang Ou’s infatuation with Ji Huanyu. Young people are bad at hiding what’s on their mind, and they have to have that one friend who they can spill everything out to. Du Cheng was that friend that she could have heart-to-heart talks with, and he even helped her indirectly find out Ji Huanyu’s actual feelings on this issue. However, Du Cheng did not have a positive view of them, he said Ji Huanyu was too scheming, he wasn’t suitable for her.
Therefore, when Jiang Ou actually did get together with Ji Huanyu, the clique of three consisting of front and back deskmates was dismantled. Ji Huanyu and Du Cheng were initially on good terms, but after that they would often have mini fights and quarrels.

At a point in time, Jiang Ou was rather confused: how did two people on perfectly good terms suddenly tear at each other’s throats just like that? It was only later then she found out that Ji Huanyu thought Du Cheng liked her too, and treated him as a potential rival for her affections, causing Jiang Ou to both cry and laugh, not knowing how to explain any of these too.
In her green days, she believed that conflict is temporary, relationships are more unwavering. Friends wouldn’t leave, lovers wouldn’t separate. Later, in the future, she found out that time stops for nobody; everyone is running ahead, everything is bound to change.

After graduation, Du Cheng went to the North, and was no longer in contact with her. He had good grades and good relations with people in general; apparently he was flourishing where he was at. It was Jiang Ou and Ji Huanyu who were entangled up for more than a decade, and concluded in a dismal, disastrous state.

Jiang Ou did not stay in much contact with her old classmates; in the earlier years, it was because everyone was busy. Later, it was intentional on her part. After the divorce, she was in a half closed-off state for a very long time. Before her son, she maintained a positive and upbeat attitude, but in actuality she had long blocked out everything that had to do with Ji Huanyu.

Later on, she then found out from her Moments that Ji Huanyu got in contact with his high school friend, got a ride on the other person’s connections, and went to develop his business overseas.
From then onwards, other than the obligatory child support he carried out, she no longer had any new knowledge of what the person was up to.

That was, until this year, she found out also via Moments: the friend that went overseas with Ji Huanyu had fallen ill, and it was quite troublesome. They didn’t know how much time there was left.
That friend was Du Cheng.

The Du Cheng on the hospital bed was completely different from the Du Cheng at 18. If not for the visiting ex-classmates she bumped into along the corridor, Jiang Ou wouldn’t have dared to claim that that was Du Cheng at all.
The scene of bygone years when the teacher would mess up, and the front and back deskmates would collapse over in laughter was just like it happened yesterday. She looked away, and suddenly they were all in their middle ages.

Du Cheng was astounded when he saw her, he propped himself upright on the bed, but did not say anything at all. It was Jiang Ou who spoke up first instead. She asked him why he came back so suddenly. He pointed at his head, “Something’s growing here, it spreaded and so there’s no cure. Every day is a day lost. There are only so many things overseas, and after a while they all sorta became meaningless. So I wanted to come back.”
He was silent for a long time before he gave a light smile. “I didn’t want to die outside.”

Because of this line, Jiang Ou couldn’t make herself stay in that ward any longer. She carelessly chatted a bit, and then hurried downstairs. For one, it was because she had gotten sensitive over the years, and was reduced to tears too easily. A scene like this was unbearable to her. For the other, she was afraid that she would run into Ji Huanyu if she stayed for too long.
Du Cheng had returned, so Ji Huanyu was definitely around too.

When Jiang Ou returned downstairs, Sheng Mingyang was handling the discharge procedures for Old Man Ding. Sheng Wang was holding the old man’s canvas bag, full of things that clanged around. He was telling jokes to him, causing the other to heave with laughter. Her darling son was just standing there, his elbow forming a hanger for the old man’s jacket. “This joke is truly terrible” was written all over his face, but the corner of his lips still couldn’t help but quirk.
This scene caused her heart to settle a little.

Just as she was about to head over, her phone suddenly vibrated as it had received a message. It was from Du Cheng, and they had only added each other’s WeChat just now. The content of the message was just this short sentence: Thank you for coming to see me.
Jiang Ou halted in her steps, and replied: No problem, we’re friends for so many years already. Rest and take care of yourself, don’t overthink, okay.
Afterwards, the other person did not reply at all.

*
Every year around this time would be Sheng Mingyang’s busiest. With the flow of money, financial accounts, clients, problems could easily occur in every step of the process. Yet, he still had a lot of business dinners to attend, to facilitate this, to bribe that.
Ever since he settled Old Man Ding’s things, his phone never left his hand, messages and phone calls came in non-stop. Even as they entered the yard in Wu Tong Wai, he kept an eye on the road, and an eye on his screen.

Sheng Wang initially planned to find a suitable time to bring it up to his dad, saying that schoolwork would get heavier and heavier, lights out in the dorms was too early, so he rented a place with his Ge outside the school.
In actuality, the contract was yet to be signed. However, many years of experience told him that “act first report later” was the ultimate way to deal with Sheng Mingyang.
Instead, the other person honestly did not have the time for casual chit chat at all, so Sheng Wang could only further delay this conversation topic.

Jiang Tian had noticed Jiang Ou’s glum mood even while they were still in the hospital. He held himself back for the entire journey before he gave in and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Hm?” Jiang Ou was completely out of it, and nearly tripped over the threshold before the kitchen. She supported herself against the door, embarrassed, and explained, “Nothing, it’s just that there’s a little issue with the withdrawal of funds from circulation, and a permit didn’t manage to pass. I was just a little tired from all that. Just now, I even ran into an old classmate, and that sight was rather unbearable.”

“Which classmate?” Jiang Tian asked.
“You wouldn’t know even if I say the name.” Jiang Ou broke into a smile, saying, “Someday when we’re free, I’ll dig the old picture out and show it to you, even though I might not be able to tell you all of their names — it has been too long since I last talked to them.”
Jiang Tian nodded, but the moment he thought of how Ji Huanyu would be in that picture too, his expression instantly soured. “Maybe.”
Jiang Ou saw the way he looked like he just ate rotten food, and wanted to say something before stopping herself. In the end, she settled for giving him a pat, resigned, “Go play with Xiao-Wang for a bit, I’ll whip something up in the kitchen.”

“No need for the trouble, let’s order delivery.” Sheng Wang stuck his head out from outside the kitchen.
“You don’t trust my cooking?” Jiang Ou smiled as she tied an apron.
In the end, her cooking wasn’t put to the test. Sheng Mingyang received a call, and called her out in a hurry — the two had to make a trip to the city industrial park.

The kitchen was all set up, but the sole chef was missing. Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian could only look at each other, at a loss as to what they have to do. Old Man Ding rolled his sleeves up, and was ready to do it himself, but was tucked back inside the bed by the two older boys.
“The doctor said that you have high blood pressure and thus more likely to bleed, and have blood clots too.” Jiang Tian did not cushion his words at all, he switched on the television for him, and draped a blanket, “Stay put here.”
Sheng Wang tugged at him. “Be more selective with your words, don’t scare the old man back into the hospital again.”
Jiang Tian pointed at the old man. “Does he look like the type to get scared?”
Old Man Ding struggled, wanting to get the blanket off him, “Back then when I was in the army, I ain’t even scared of the bullet brushing across my scalp. This minor problem isn’t going to scare me.”
Sheng Wang: “……”
He pondered, and dug the blanket out from the old man’s clench, thus covering him up firmly again. “Grandpa, this old granny used to be my neighbour, she had high blood pressure. She also got up from the bed like you, swayed, and then she was gone just like that.”
Old Man Ding: “……”
“This minor problem doesn’t allow for you to exert yourself too much, much less to get worked up. I even chatted with a nurse today, she said a senile old person next ward over also had a blood clot. One day the person got mad over something for a bit, and then his head became all fuzzy like that onwards.” Sheng Wang said, “Grandpa, you were a little too worked up just now.”
Old Man Ding: “……”
The old man was stubborn, but as compared to death, he was more afraid to become senile. His words were yelling at him for being a brat, but his body still obeyed without a fuss.

Sheng Wang still wanted to speak, but Jiang Tian covered his mouth in a single move, and dragged this mischievous creature bent on scaring people back into the kitchen.
“Keep bullshitting and he’ll really have to go back to the hospital again,” Jiang Tian said.
“Mm-mm-mm.” The young master was still muffled by him, and was unable to speak anything decent. So, he simply puckered his lips and kissed his palm.
“……”
Jiang Tian was made a little restless by him, and abruptly withdrew his hand. Sheng Wang cackled as he supported himself against the tabletop.

“I wasn’t bullshitting either, those were the exact words the nurse told me.” Sheng Wang jumped and sat on the counter, his eyes on the already-washed vegetables. “What are we gonna have to do about all these setups? How about the two of us cook?”
Jiang Tian looked at him in doubt. “You know how to cook?”
Sheng Wang said modestly, “A little.”

The young master was a man of action, he started preparing without any hesitation. He jumped off the counter, washed his hands and said, “You heat up the pot, and I’ll finish chopping the half-chopped Chinese cabbages. How did Auntie Jiang plan to cook them again?”
“Sweet and sour,” Jiang Tian said.
“Sure, hang on.” Sheng Wang stood by the chopping board, a hand with the diced up vegetables, another hand holding a knife.

In lieu of how there was a literal weapon in someone’s hands, Jiang Tian’s eyes did not dare to leave him at all. He stared at him, propping himself against the counter. Right before his very eyes, he saw Sheng Wang swing the knife twice with the stability of walking on tightropes in thin air. Setting aside how the vegetable was chopped unevenly, the third knife aligned directly onto his finger.

I can’t believe I bought into your bullshit.
Jiang Tian thought.

He moved the other person aside, and took the knife from him. “The door’s over there. Leave.”
Sheng Wang poked around behind him. “Hey, I’m just a little unfamiliar with it, let me try chopping a couple more times.”
“I don’t want to eat cabbage stir-fried with fingers.” Jiang Tian deadpanned, “Stay out of the way.”
“Then do you know how to cook?” Sheng Wang asked.

Of course Jiang Tian knew, after all he was used to being independent, and neither did he have an Auntie Sun who was in charge of every meal like Sheng Wang. When he was by himself, he took over everything. However, he did not have the patience to really hone his craft, so his cooking was just so-so, around the standard of “edible”.
It was fine enough to keep someone like him alive, but not very adequate to satisfy a certain picky menace.

Jiang Tian was done chopping the vegetables, and just as he was about to risk it all with a frown on his face, the door to the courtyard suddenly creaked open, and Uncle Mute came in with two bags of things, effectively saving him.
Uncle Mute had just returned from Xi Le, where Boss Zhao was. Along the way, he bought dumpling skin, minced meat, scallions and ginger. He planned on making dumplings and freeze them, so he could cook them whenever he was hungry.

Without a second word, Jiang Tian finely diced up the chopped cabbages, and got Uncle Mute to mix it into the meat. After the filling was prepared, the three thus started folding dumplings in the kitchen.
The young master was still out of his element, and his eyes were on Jiang Tian’s hands as he followed Jiang Tian’s actions intently, learning on the spot. Sometimes, he even forcibly pressed the pause button by stopping the other person’s fingers.

His dumplings had either too much or too little filling, or there would inexplicably be a hole in the dumpling that threatened to burst, or it was as flat as a pancake; no matter what the dumpling couldn’t stay upright. Yet, he clung onto his pride like his life and insisted on twisting the argument. “The skin is too stiff, it isn’t sticky enough. Auntie Sun’s dumpling skins were all handmade, that’s why I could fold them so easily.”
Jiang Tian did not play along at all. “Ours could all stand up.”
“The filling isn’t obedient at all, it keeps moving around.”
“Mine is though.”
“……”

As Sheng Wang attempted to mess up his Ge’s dumpling folding process while simultaneously trying to refine and improve his own techniques, his dumplings finally started to slightly resemble dumplings after creating a bunch of ugly creatures. He placed the final product on his palm, and said to Jiang Tian, “Help me take a picture with my son.”
Jiang Tian: “……”

There was barely any dumpling skin left, the Mute went to the side to start the water boiling after he washed his hands, nobody was paying any attention to them. Jiang Tian took a tissue and wiped his hands. He took his phone out and aimed it at Sheng Wang. When he pressed the button to take a picture, he murmured, “I don’t acknowledge a son like this.”
When the Mute had set the water to boil and returned, he discovered that Sheng Wang had stopped messing around, and was obediently finishing up the last dumpling. He did it with so much focus and rigor, like he was doing handicraft — except, his neck was a little flushed.

*
Sheng Mingyang and Jiang Ou’s journey back was a rushed one. They initially planned to finish up preparation in the kitchen while the sun just set, but instead what they smelled upon entering was the smell of vinegar and dumplings.

Old Man Ding came out from the bedroom in a jacket, and beckoned them into the hall. “You’re just in time, the two kids and the Mute made dumplings.”
“The two kids?” Sheng Mingyang was a little disbelieving. “Sir, are you sure it’s the both of them?”
“They did fold them, Xiao-Wang even spent ages trying to learn,” Old Man Ding said.

Sheng Wang’s descendants immediately reverted to their true forms upon being cooked, and many of them fell apart. Dumpling soup nearly became cabbage soup, but the Mute still scooped them up with a grin nonetheless, and served a few giant platefuls onto the table.

It was rare for the courtyard to be this lively, and it was the first time the three generations got to sit together for a common, ordinary meal. For that one instant, there was even that comforting feeling of home.
The old man dug out alcohol that he had kept hidden under his bed for a very long time, and poured three glasses. He lightly drank with Sheng Mingyang and the Mute. When the alcohol got to his head, the old man couldn’t help but tease, “Xiao-Wang, kid, you have to practise that cooking of yours, or else you can’t scam a wife into marrying you.”

Sheng Mingyang almost choked on the alcohol, and doubled over in laughter by the side.
Sheng Wang opened his mouth, wanting to say something. In the end, he simply replied with a “Mn”, and took another bite of the dumpling. He actually wanted to say “then I simply wouldn’t get one”, but his shoe received a light nudge from Jiang Tian, and rationality immediately came rushing back to him, so he swallowed his words once more.

It wasn’t that he was a coward, if this issue concerned only him and him alone, then there was no need to be afraid at all. He would dare to come out right in front of Sheng Mingyang, at the very most he’ll get beaten to death, that’s all.
But there’s still Jiang Tian.
As long as Jiang Tian was involved, he suddenly became a wimp.

Sheng Wang’s leg was touching Jiang Tian’s under the table. He busied himself with taking a few more bites, and played on his phone for a bit as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. When the jokes that the seniors cracked completely tided over, he finally looked up again. Only, the broken dumplings that he made with the terrible craft of his, were all picked out by Jiang Tian and eaten.
He blinked his eyes, ever so slightly, and hurriedly lowered his head again. His heart ached softly.

This meal was no feast, but they ate for a long time. Sheng Mingyang’s alcohol tolerance was as deep as the ocean, but he ended up a little tipsy at the end. He poured the last bit of alcohol in the bottle, lifted his glass and clinked it against Old Man Ding and the Mute. He was on a high, and suddenly spoke, “Jiang Ou and I planned to find some day before the new year, and get a few relatives and friends to come over for a meal. We aren’t young anymore, and a whole ceremony is a little too grandiose. We’ve discussed, and thought that simple is good. Please be there.”

Sheng Wang was zoning out from his food coma, and he nearly did not understand the implication behind Sheng Mingyang’s words. He only realised after a few seconds — Sheng Mingyang was saying that his relationship with Jiang Ou was about to be set in stone.
Invite friends and family to a meal, get that certificate, and they would be considered one family in the eyes of the law.

Sheng Wang’s face was deathly pale beneath the light. He pursed his lips and was silent for a long time. When he looked up, he met Jiang Tian’s eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED.