Chapter Text
The community kitchen on the ground floor had forbidden Li Lianhua to ever volunteer again after the third incident happened last month, but luckily he and Hulijing were still allowed to have breakfast there.
They’d started having their morning meals in the cafeteria not long after moving in with A-Fei. Di Feisheng’s job made for early mornings. Li Lianhua liked his boyfriend very much, but not even A-Fei’s kisses could wake him up enough to manage the complicated espresso machine the guy had in his otherwise very utilitarian kitchen. Li Lianhua had learnt this by trial. Just like the community kitchen downstairs had learnt not to accept his help any longer.
They only passed him a large mug of coffee and made sure the table by the door leading into the courtyard was always free for him and Hulijing. Being the boss’s boyfriend had its perks.
So these days Li Lianhuas morning habit looks like this: After waking up from his boyfriend’s vigorous wake-up-and-see-you later kisses (and more, sometimes, depending on how vigorous A-Fei was feeling that morning), he lazily gets dressed, talks to Hulijing, whom A-Fei usually already had taken out for a quick turn round the inner courtyard before waking Li Lianhua, and then they make their way downstairs and usually find their table free.
Many mornings he was joined at his table by Jiao Liqiao. This was one of the most unexpected friendships he’d struck up when he moved into A-Fei’s community building.
Jiao Liqiao was the economic mastermind behind their project. She’d met A-Fei many years ago when they both were new to the city. By chance he’d saved her from a very tricky situation, and she had become obsessed with her saviour. She refused to believe that A-Fei wasn’t into women, she’d never met a man she couldn’t seduce before so the challenge had been life changing. It had taken a couple of years for her to finally give up – when she realised that A-Fei had a plan behind his single mindedness and wasn’t just a pretty fighter.
She’d also discovered that girls were much more fun to sleep with, and since then she and A-Fei had a healthy if somewhat competitive sibling-like relationship. They gloried in upping the other with finding rich and stupid people to scam and/or make sure paid far too much for the construction work they sold them. She had also managed to get a business degree during this time, and her bookkeeping was impeccable. Completely made up of course, but no one would ever find out. She was just that good. She did pay their taxes, though. Some things were just not worth risking.
The first time Li Lianhua met her was the day after that fateful attempted kitchen fan renovation. He’d ended up having the best night of his life over at A-Fei’s place, but in the morning they had been brutally awakened by some horrible banging on A-Fei’s door, and a shrill woman’s voice shouting “I know you two are in there, the whole building knows what you were up to all night. Why is it so difficult for you to shut the fucking windows when you have people over A-Fei?”.
That had been quite the wake-up call. Li Lianhua had even felt a bit hurt. After all the talk of fated souls and meant to be, here was proof that A-Fei apparently had had quite a few people over before. Not that Li Lianhua was that surprised. A-Fei had been far too knowledgeable about what he was doing in bed not to have had a colourful past. But to find out in such a way, and so fast. Well.
A-Fei had looked a bit bashful but only held Li Lianhua closer, and harder in his arms.
‘I’m not letting you go. I told you this was meant to be. It’s never been like this before. But I will have to open the door, otherwise she’ll never shut up. I’m sorry you have to meet Jiao Li Qiao like this, I would have liked to prepare you a bit more before. She’s like the annoying younger sister I never knew I didn’t want.’
The last bit was said much louder to make sure she heard. And there was another even louder bang on the door to confirm it.
‘You get up right now you lecherous old man! I need to warn any poor guy you have in there what he’s in for! You’ve had enough fun for all of us judging from the sounds throughout the night. I’ve just put in a new order for triple glazing windows for all flats with windows heading towards this courtyard. Your own bloody fault! My day is already ruined. You need to make me one of your complicated coffees to make up for it.’
That was how Li Lianhua ended up having a very complicated and but surprisingly enjoyable coffee with Jiao Li Qiao, both of them sitting on the high bar stools in A-Fei’s kitchen, and watching A-Fei control his monster machine with amazing dexterity and professionalism.
‘He has worked as a barista sweetie, he knows exactly what he’s doing, but I’m sure you’ve realised that already.’ Jiao Li Qiao leaned towards Li Lianhua in a conspiring way while saying this, ‘He has worked as many things in his days, and excelled at all of them of course, he’s so annoying.’
Li Lianhua was fully occupied with admiring A-Fei’s handiwork with the many different levers and buttons and just mumbled ‘I can see that. It was one of the first things that struck me when I first met him, his professionalism.’
And his hands, oh those hands. They were so strong and capable, and they had made Li Lianhua’s night so enjoyable. They really ought to go back to doing those things again very soon.
‘And when did you meet him for the first time, if I may ask?’
‘Oh, I feel like I’ve known him all my life.’
This made A-Fei lose his concentration for a second and their eyes met and yes, it was still there, that strange feeling from the day before. Their connection. He did know this man inside and out and across many lifetimes. Li Lianhua was lost in those eyes.
‘God you two are disgusting, I can see that I’m not wanted any more. I’ll catch up with you in a couple of days. Just make sure that the windows stay closed this time!’
Jiao Li Qiao finished her ristretto Romana, jumped down from the stool, and was gone quite as quickly as she had come.
The next time Li Lianhua met her was in the downstairs community kitchen. He’d found refuge there while waiting for A-Fei to get back from his latest project. The two of them had met up every day since their first encounter. Li Lianhua had just learnt the quickest way to walk over to the sprawling Community building A-Fei lived in.
This was the first time he'd brought Hulijing with him, and she was sniffing out all the new smells in the courtyard. Li Lianhua took in the sight of the building from his chair in the half-shadow of an osmanthus tree. It was a beautiful structure, several floors high but built in a slightly old-fashioned style. Many windows looked down into the courtyard and there was a bustling garden in the middle of it. Plum trees still in bloom, a bamboo hedge towards the back, and this small oasis by the kitchen, with chairs and tables to rest by.
He liked what he saw, it mirrored his idea of A-Fei. Someone who cared for his surroundings and fellow workers. Their whirlwind romance had just gotten deeper for every day, the man was a marvel at so many things, and Li Lianhua liked him so much. It was ridiculous how immediate their feelings had fallen into place. They weren't teenagers, they should know better.
But as A-Fei had said, from the moment their gazes met, he knew Li Lianhua was his. The giddiness Li Lianhua had felt from the start was embarrassingly enough still there. It felt wonderful just to look at A-Fei and realise this was it – here's my man. And Hulijing still adored him, so they had her blessing.
Now Li Lianhua was curious about what the rest of A-Fei's community thought of them. Wuyan was very smug, and so was Fang Duobing. What was going on between those two was another mystery that Li Lianhu didn’t want to think too much about. They could sort out their own affairs. There had been enough meddling as it was.
He had met quite a few of the other people living in the community already, starting with that unforgettable meeting with Jiao Li Qiao the very first morning. Such an interesting mix of backgrounds and specialities among them. His A-Fei had an eye for talent.
And there he went again with the possessiveness. Li Lianhua wasn’t used to all these feelings. He contemplated his sudden change in life while sipping on his coffee. It wasn’t as good as A-Fei’s, of course, but pretty decent. He wondered if the guys in the kitchen would mind looking after Hulijing for a while. He really shouldn’t have brought her over yet, he wanted some quality time with A-Fei. But she needed the walk, and she did like the guy. And Fang Duobing had been fed up with taking care of her for another evening. He’d insisted he had things to do, places to be.
‘You look like you just swallowed something sour. Trouble in paradise already?’
Li Lianhua was startled from his thoughts and looked up. Jiao Li Qiao stood in front of him, with impeccable red lipstick, matching red power suit, and high heels.
‘How do you feel about dogs? Hulijing needs a dog sitter and I’m desperate.’
‘Desperate for dick more likely! We’ve all heard your sexcapades this week. Thank god those triple pane windows are arriving soon. Di Feisheng has no shame left in his body. Hm. What’s in it for me? Is that the dog in question?’
She looked at Hulijing, who was minding her own business a bit further away. The dog seemed to understand they were talking about her, and looked over.
‘Yes, this is Hulijing, the best dog in the world. She needs to hang out somewhere else while I talk over a very important thing with A-Fei.’
‘For sure, very important indeed. Well, if you pay for my dinner and throw in a bottle of baijiu I could be persuaded. She looks clever enough. I like capable ladies. And Fei-ge has been much easier to handle this last week, so I suppose you’re doing something right. Keep up the good work, and make sure there are no tears. I know exactly how to eviscerate a man in at least five very gruesome ways. I want some good sushi, you can venmo me directly. Let me add you there and on Weibo at once, we’ll have coffee here tomorrow morning.’
She held out her phone with such a powerful summoning gesture that Li LIanhua had accepted her request before he even knew it. He had even sent 800 yuan to her to have the evening free. Jiao Li Qiao was squatting down by Hulijing side and talked to the dog. They seemed to be getting on quite well. Her long nails were scratching Hulijuing’s ears at just the right angle, and Li Lianhua felt more at peace with his impulse decision.