TSIBAMS Chapter 109
by Volare“Yeah,” Bai Shu washed a small stainless steel dish, wiped it dry with a paper towel, tore a small opening in the bag, and poured some salt into the dish, “The past two days, Xu Ge has been getting salt from the barbecue stand next door. My skin isn’t as thick as his, so I had to go to the small store to buy some.”
Qi Guang listened with a frown, not understanding a word.
Was there something wrong with how he phrased it?
Was the emphasis of the question just on “buy”?
“Oh, I thought I was going to teach you!” Xu Ge’s voice rang from above, “We’re still missing a lemon!”
Qi Guang finally couldn’t take it anymore: “Can you guys talk about something I can understand?”
Xu Ge looked at him, not intending to explain, pointing to the refrigerator and urging: “Go wash a lemon!”
Ten minutes later, a neat pile of salt, sliced lemons, clean glasses, and a bottle of tequila were arranged on the table.
Xu Ge was already itching to get started.
Qi Guang looked at him.
His eyes were full of curiosity… no, it was more like “let’s see what tricks you’re going to pull.”
“The other day I was chatting with a friend who specializes in importing liquor, and I found this drink to be quite interesting. It used to be for mixing cocktails, but its most original way of drinking is actually the most moving,” Xu Ge picked up the bottle of liquor, admiring it with a proud look, “Tequila, in a couple of days we’ll have a promotion. We’ll make this the main attraction.”
“After all that talk, so how do we drink it?” Qi Guang asked.
Xu Ge unhurriedly continued, “There’s a book with a title… the original is in English, which translates to ‘When life gives you lemons, add salt and tequila.’ I think it’s particularly suitable for our shop’s current situation, look! We’ve withstood so many blows, like a wildfire that can’t be burned out, the spring breeze blows again, if you want to start a fire, we’ll use that fire to keep warm, if life throws us a lemon, so what, we can just use it to drink with…”
“Stop, stop, stop,” Qi Guang quickly stopped the birth of a potential modern poet’s inspiration, “How do we actually drink it?”
Bai Shu was laughing so hard he couldn’t stand up straight.
“Look at how impatient you are,” Xu Ge looked at him with disdain, “Today, your brother is going to teach you, this country bumpkin, the most authentic way to drink tequila!”
Qi Guang didn’t comment on the new nickname he was given and watched him quietly.
Xu Ge broke open the stopper, poured a small glass, and handed it over, “Try a sip first.”
Qi Guang had long lost patience, and without saying another word, he took the glass and gulped it down.
“Ssss—“ After tasting it, his expression wasn’t very pleasant.
“How is it?” Xu Ge asked.
“It’s a little bitter, I don’t like it.” Qi Guang was a little disappointed, “Pure alcohol is all like this. I thought it was something special with all your big fanfare.”
Xu Ge smiled, silently picked up a pinch of salt from the plate, and deliberately sprinkled it on the back of his hand between his thumb and forefinger.
As if sensing Qi Guang’s surprised gaze, he instantly became somewhat smug, quickly licking the salt on his hand clean with his tongue, then quickly sucking a lemon, and finally tilting his head back to drink the entire glass of tequila.
His actions were smooth and fluid, and the process was completed in the blink of an eye.
In 1984, this bar which seemed to have become the best place for young people to get emotional in the whole of Chen Town, everyone did their best to drink cocktails elegantly, and nobody had ever dared to drink like this so wildly.
Before Qi Guang could even react to the way Xu Ge wanted, Bai Shu had already poured another glass and passed it over, “Try drinking it this way?”
“Okay.” Qi Guang nodded blankly.
Although he didn’t understand why he had to drink it this way, he followed Xu Ge’s example step by step, first sprinkling salt on the back of his hand, licking it off, then sucking a lemon, his taste buds instantly feeling a jolt, the salty and sour tastes intertwining in his mouth like crazy, and at this moment, the glass of alcohol became the perfect antidote, he couldn’t hesitate, snatching the glass and drinking it all in one gulp.
That initial bitterness had actually disappeared!
And the salt and lemon seemed to enhance the taste and purity of the tequila.
It was at this moment that he finally understood the meaning of this way of drinking tequila.
The moment he swallowed the last drop of alcohol, a flash of light hit him straight on—not far away, Shuai Xiaoyun had happily pressed the shutter several times.
“When life gives you lemons, ask for salt and tequila.”
Ye Xing lay flat on the bed, holding his phone a certain distance from his face, and read Shuai Xiaoyun’s post on her social media several times before he finally made sense of the string of English words. Although the sentence was simple, he didn’t understand what it meant because he had never seen the last word before.
Out of a zero desire for knowledge outside of class, he didn’t bother to check the dictionary for the new word. As he scrolled down the page, he clicked on the photos below the text.
The background was the all-too-familiar bar. The usually dark and obscure corners had a strangely unfamiliar look after being exposed by the flash.
Qi Guang was sitting in the middle of the photo, tilting his head back to drink. The angle of his profile made every contour so defined, the shattered bangs, the slightly furrowed eyebrows, the high bridge of his nose, the moist and glistening lips, and further down, the Adam’s apple that seemed to be popping out even in a photo—this was an area that Ye Xing once thought was very sexy on Qi Guang.
And this part of him was now openly and unreservedly appearing on social media, like a free museum, where anyone who passed by could easily admire it.
Ye Xing took a deep breath and looked away.
On the bar, a few half-cut lemons were scattered, and there was even an opened bag of edible salt.
Looking closer, he discovered a bottle of alcohol in the back. It was inconspicuous, but he could faintly see the word on the label—TEQUILA.
So he was drinking that thing?
So the last word in the sentence Shuai Xiaoyun posted was this thing?
Damn it, how unrestrained!
Ye Xing’s chest tightened, and he threw his phone aside, turning over onto his side.
He tried hard not to think too much, but his brain suddenly seemed to go into overdrive, and the English phrase seemed to be running on wheels, going back and forth in his head.
So you’ve taken care of the lemons life has thrown at you, huh?
All the pain had been burned to ashes, even the memories had now become reasons for drinking and revelry.
Qi Guang, you really are something.
Ye Xing felt uncomfortable all over. He threw off his blanket and got straight out of bed, barefoot. He rushed to the balcony and took a few gulps of cold air, but he still didn’t feel better, so he opened the door and went to the living room.
He didn’t expect to run straight into Fang Rong’s ire.
“What’s wrong with you, child?” Fang Rong pointed at him, “If I hadn’t woken up and come out to take my medicine, I wouldn’t know you let Xiao Li sleep on the couch.”
Li Ke was playing a game on his phone. When he suddenly heard his name mentioned, he quickly lifted his head and explained, “It’s okay, Auntie. I’m… Oh man, diving under the tower is too much!”
“See, he says it’s okay.” Ye Xing looked at Fang Rong, “Besides, the couch is so wide, how is it worse than sleeping on the bed?”
“Why are you sleeping on the couch? Ye Xing, you’re really something, the couch is so cold!” Fang Rong put the medicine into her mouth and took a big gulp of hot water.
“There’s air conditioning and blankets, how cold is it?” Ye Xing was a bit helpless. He was already annoyed enough, wanting to come out and chat with Li Ke, but he was inexplicably met with an accusation.
He turned around to go back to his bedroom.
“This isn’t right,” Fang Rong grabbed him, and shouted at Li Ke, “Hurry up, you go sleep in Ye Xing’s room!”
“Mom, we can’t sleep in the same bed,” Ye Xing finally became a bit impatient. The emotions he had been suppressing suddenly came out, he didn’t raise his voice, just looked at Fang Rong calmly, “If we sleep in the same bed, his boyfriend will make a fuss if he finds out.”
Li Ke abruptly lifted his head.
Fang Rong’s face darkened, seemingly wanting to say something, but she suddenly realized she had no right to speak. She looked at Ye Xing with a complex expression, turned around, and went back into her bedroom, closing the door.
Ten minutes later.
The balcony in the living room was quite spacious, but Ye Xing didn’t usually come out here. It was too cold.
But today, he felt like he had been set on fire. He not only needed to cool off, but also needed to cool down. He lay down on the lounge chair on the balcony, surprisingly more comfortable than in bed.
“Sorry about today.” Ye Xing glanced at Li Ke.
“It’s okay, I’m always transparent anyway, I’m not afraid Auntie knowing.” Li Ke was lying on the lounge chair beside him, wrapped in a thick blanket, blowing white air while shrinking his head, looking like he had given up on life, “But right now I’m really accompanying you in death.”
“I thought you would argue that you don’t have a boyfriend?” Ye Xing smiled, “What? Did you give up on a White Bro and now you have another good bro?”
“Go away,” Li Ke rolled his eyes, “Don’t mention it, before I could even start my attack, I was nipped in the bud, tsk, what a shame, I’m not kidding, he really was my type.”
“Yeah, it’s a shame they were not meant to be.” Ye Xing said.
“It’s okay, since he went with your Xu Ge, he won’t suffer. I wish them happiness.” Li Ke said, and then sighed.
Ye Xing unconsciously sighed too.
If he could have even half of that self-healing ability, he wouldn’t be out here in the cold late at night.
“Let’s chat for a bit, you don’t seem to be in a good mood either.” Li Ke said.
Big cities have this benefit, they have operating rules. For example, it was time to sleep, the neighborhood was very quiet, and there wasn’t even a car honking on the road.
Everyone was proper, repeating the same things every day, making sure not to make mistakes.
Ye Xing suddenly missed Chen Town.
That small place where three-wheeled vehicles ran everywhere, where the barbecue stalls were still shouting late at night, without city management to maintain order, allowing the local life of the town to float freely and thrive.
Ye Xing shook his head: “There’s nothing to say, it’s just the same old stuff, I get annoyed myself if I talk about it too much. Let’s talk about you, if you feel like you need to talk.”
“It’s not as bad as you, I’m just having my usual bad mood,” Li Ke shifted his body, finding a slightly more comfortable position to lie flat in the blanket, “My relationship with my family is bad, they don’t care about me either, they think I’m hopeless. I hate going home for the New Year and other holidays, putting on that happy family atmosphere disgusts me.”
Ye Xing turned his head and looked at him.
Li Ke continued, “From childhood, they’ve favored my older brother. When I was little, I wasn’t aware, but when I grew up and became aware, I couldn’t stand it anymore.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed,” Ye Xing was a little surprised, “I thought you were carefree, but it turns out…”
“Maybe everyone has multiple personalities,” Li Ke said, “I haven’t gone home for the New Year for several years. I either spend it at a friend’s place or in a hotel, it’s the same for me.”
“Do you usually go home then?”
“Basically, no. They send me money, but that doesn’t mean they want to see me. The year I came out to them, I clearly felt that I was already abandoned. Only my brother… luckily, I still have my brother who can fulfill their expectations, and that’s enough.” Li Ke spoke casually, as if he were talking about someone else’s story, then, as if he had realized something, he suddenly became serious, “Ye Xing, I’m usually not serious with you, but I’m serious about this, I have to remind you, since you have broken up with Qi Guang, think carefully about whether you like him because you like guys, or because you just like him, if it’s the latter, then there is still hope to get back on track in the future, don’t like the same sex anymore, this road is too bitter.”
Ye Xing was stunned.
This topic really couldn’t be avoided.
“I don’t understand this question, I only know that apart from him, it probably wouldn’t matter who I’m with in the future.” Ye Xing realized it was a bit cold, slowly curling up into a ball, hugging himself from the side, “My mom already knew a long time ago, she doesn’t want to bring it up, I keep not being able to find the right opportunity to talk to her… I’m also not ready myself, she is too fragile, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from arguing with her and hurting her. I just… sigh, my brain just shut down and I acted impulsively.”