Main Story Ch. 5-10 - His Boundaries (他的边界线) | Light and Night 光与夜之恋

Previously on 5-08... (Read here)

Evan: It's lunchtime, follow me, I'll bring you out for lunch.

Half an hour later, the car stopped at an old street area. Passing through the winding flagstone alley, we've arrived an insignificant-looking shop.

With a simple wooden signboard hanging onto its door, with "Sophora Canteen" written on it. A tall sophora tree* stands in its courtyard, swaying in lush green as the breeze brushes past it.

*T/N: Also known as the Japanese pagoda tree, but it's actually originated from China.

Hearing a knock on the door, a middle-aged woman wearing a floral apron came out from the shop. As soon as she sees Evan, her eyes curved into a smile.

??: Little Evan, it's been a while since I've last seen you here.

Evan: Aunty Xu, you are still as youthful as ever.

The lady who was addressed as Aunty Xu smiled even more heartily, even her wrinkles that were left by the traces of time have soothed out.

You: Hello, Aunty Xu.

Aunty Xu: Ay! It's the first time our little Evan has brought a friend here.

Evan: Do you have anything that you can't eat?

Evan gently picked away a leaf from my shoulder that I didn't even know when it fell on it.

You: Not at all, I'm not a picky eater.

Evan: Aunty Xu, two signature sets with two glasses of ice water.

Evan: Let's go, we'll sit inside.

I could only finally see the entirety of this restaurant after I've sat down. The walls are hanging a wall calendar that were popular during the old times, with an image of a beauty in Qipao holding onto a paper umbrella standing by the number of the month. The metal-colored bracket clock has a long pendulum dangling onto it, and swaying from side to side.

Over the white and green walls, an oscillating fan is running with blowing sounds is sitting at its corner... Everything here are just like granny's house during my childhood, I suddenly have an illusion where I've boarded on a time machine.

You: This place is so much alike with my childhood home!

Evan smiled, and not saying a word.

I can't help myself but to snap a picture as a souvenir, and the oil painting hanging at the center of my camera viewfinder has taken my attention away. 

On the painting, it depicts Aunty Xu leaning against the sophora tree, grinning as she looked towards the camera. The painting isn't anywhere special, but what got my attention is the 'hygge' being handwritten at its corner.

You: What a familiar penmanship. 

Aunty Xu: That's written by little Lu. He gifted us that painting when our business opened, so I let him write something on it, so he wrote it there.

Aunty Xu places the places on the table, smiling as she wiped her hands.

Aunty Xu: I was thinking if I wanted to use it as our shop's name.

You: What does it mean?

Evan: There isn't an exact explanation on 'hygge'*. It roughly means to discover the moments of calmness and comfort that are not easily noticed in life, hence receiving happiness from it.

*T/N: Hygge is a part of the Danish culture, you can say that it's a quality of coziness and comfortable feeling that gives a feeling of contentment.

You: Moments of calmness?

Evan: Did it remind you of something?

You: I remembered the sweetest bite in the middle of a watermelon, the times when I wrapped myself in warm blankets as I watch movies during winter... Also the times when I share a packet of sweetened fried chestnuts with a friend as the autumn wind rises.

Evan looks at me with interest, and when he's done listening till the end, his eyes turned into crescents.

Evan: So the moments that give you calmness are related to food, looks like I didn't bring you to the wrong place today.

You (awkward smile): ......

Evan: How about, you take a guess on what my hygge is?

Looking at that painting, and the single handwritten word, an answer appeared from my heart.

You: I know, it's to dine here, right?

But Evan didn't nod or shake his head, he only looked at me.

You: Was I wrong?

He still didn't answer me, only to suddenly stand up, leaning down, closing to me little by little.

My heart almost leaped out--

A soft fingertip brushed past my cheek, with a small strand of eyelash lies on his fingertip.

Evan: Wrong answer. It's now.

His words fell by my ear, word by word. The ending tone of his words has some playful tease in it.

This is outright cheating...

I lowered my head at a loss, and I could only feel my heart beating crazily.

Evan: You are about to bury your head into the bowl. Aren't you already hungry? Give it a try, and see if it suits your taste?

The enamel bowl filled with wontons is pushed towards me. There are some tiny dried shrimps and seaweed floating in the soup, with some thinly sliced bean curds. I scooped up the soup. The salty and sweet fragrance of the soup rolled over the tip of my tongue, and there's a tint of white sesame's aroma lingering afterwards.

You: It's so delicious--!

The warm soup immediately awakened my taste buds. The sounds of the roes bursting could be immediately felt within my mouth as soon as I took a bite on the wonton densely packed with shrimp roes. The sweet and sour pork ribs, and the smooth tomato fried eggs... I could feel the little black holes in my heart are brightened up bit by bit. The long-awaited light, is the taste of home.

I continuously took a few bites, and squinted comfortably in joy.

Evan: Has anyone told you that you eat like a kitten? You eat so well, even your cheeks are puffy, with your eyes curving into crescents, making people to find you very adorable.

You (blush): ......

Evan: Take your time to eat, nobody's snatching with you.

I placed the bowl and chopsticks down in embarrassment, and wiped my mouth in a reserved manner.

You: The dishes here are so delicious, they are really like what my late grandma has made, so I can't help myself but to take a few more bites. How did you know about this restaurant?

Evan: ... I stumbled upon it by chance. If you like it, we can always come here in the future.

You: How could I always trouble you... I can come here myself!

Evan: Are you unwilling to dine with me?

You: No, not at all! I didn't mean it that way--

Evan: Alright, I'll stop teasing you. It's not easy to find this place, so tell me when you wanted to come.

You: But if I do that it'll affect your work.

Evan: I could still find time to have a meal with you.

Aunty Xu: Little Lu, the two of you really came here at the right time, let auntie gift you something.

Aunty Xu lifted the curtains up, holding onto a crock sealed with red cloth in her arms, heading towards us from afar.

You: This is--

As the red cloth opens, a rich, sweet aroma of sophora flowers wafted into my nose.

Evan: Is this the sophora honey you made?

Aunty Xu nodded, scooping a small spoon of honey and placed it into my cup.

Aunty Xu: Young lady, give it a try.

I lifted up the cup, the honey waters' sweetness have spread among my taste buds, and went down along my throat.

You: So delicious...

Aunty Xu: It's our sophora honey that we've made for quite a few years, this is the last jar of the year, I'll gift them to you.

You: Thank you very much, we're really lucky!

Aunty Xu: You're welcome, we are the ones that have always been lucky.

You: ... Eh?

Aunty Xu: Didn't Little Lu tell you? Our canteen is only open because of him. That was already 8 years ago.

Aunty Xu paused her movements of wiping the table, raising her head as she looked towards the sophora tree that is quietly standing outside the windows.

Aunty Xu: Back then, my husband and I both got laid off, and we've failed despite trying various ways for survival, so we were planning to sell this house away. The agent said that the tree in the courtyard is not only obstructing, but also inauspicious, so it will affect the sale of the property, and requested us to chop it off. But this tree has been here since I was a kid, to chop it off all of a sudden, I couldn't bear to do it. 

Aunty Xu: It can't be helped, for survival, there's nothing that I can't bear to do. However, I didn't expect my husband to sprain his waist when he was about to chop the tree. Xiao Lu happened to pass by, so he sent us to the hospital. If I didn't remember wrongly, he was back to the country to pay a visit to his family, right?

Evan: Yes, I just got back to the country.

Aunty Xu: We didn't have anything valuable to give him, so I gifted him our homemade sophora honey. Little Evan said our cooking are good, so we can convert this old house into a tiny restaurant, and the signature item will be our sophora honey. We were thinking,  since both of us like cooking too, rather than submitting ourselves to fate, might as well as give it a go. At the beginning, our neighbors didn't think well of us, saying that our dishes are merely home cooking, so it can't be shown to public. They even said "are there even young people that eats these type of sophora honey now?".

You: But the two of you still kept operating?

Aunty Xu: When we were starting, there were only a few customers, but slowly there are more and more customers, I didn't expect it to be quite popular. Back then, little Lu told us that people can't follow every single opinion, so one has to believe in their own feelings and judgment more.

At that moment, I can feel a gentle poke to my heart. 

"People can't follow every single opinion, so one has to believe in their own feelings and judgment more". This line is exactly like the words for me two hours ago.

So I should do it this way too, and stop drowning myself in the feeling of confusion and doubt, and I can't allow anxiety and insecurities to control me.

The mist before my eyes have dispersed unknowingly. I can't help myself but to smile, but my eyes got a little teary, so I could only bury my head and drank the entire glass of honey water in a go.

How embarrassing, I wasn't even that sad when I was reprimanded by Bob, but I'm now acting in such a disappointing manner.

You: Thank you, Evan. Thank you for bringing me here. Actually my mood wasn't good... because... of certain things. But I've understood now, I'll not be waver easily, and I will not doubt myself.

Upon saying this, I covered my face in embarrassment.

Evan: So I can make you this happy just by bringing you out for a meal.

Oh, right, he didn't even know what happened, and yet here I am, saying things on my own without giving any context.

You: It's a little complicated, so I won't say it... But right now I'm extraordinarily happy! Thank you!

Evan looked at me, and his gaze turned serious.

Evan: Seems like this is my first time today to see you truly let out a relaxed smile.

I subconsciously remembered each encounter I have with Evan, the backstage when I lost the competition, the dangerous elevator, and the moment just now...

You: But each time after I see you, I'll become happy, it's just like you have some sort magic.

Evan stunned, and his gaze quietly stopped on my face, and finally smiled after a few seconds have passed.

Evan: Seeing you getting happier, I'm happy too. Let's go.