Chocolate Chili

Ch 4. Reunions

The sun was too hot to continue. The little water in the asphalt evaporated, creating a bit of a mirage and blurring the lines of the horizon. So, the woman stopped at the gas station and entered the cafeteria. Her sunglasses hid her eyes, but her smile was radiant. Besides the sunspots in her hands, her skin looked unblemished and her posture calm. She ordered tea and took out her phone to read her messages. She smiled and thought, "My baby has sent me many pictures, but voice messages?"

"Hi, Mom. Don't worry, but Ah-Ning had an accident. He is fine, just with a broken bone. Unfortunately, we don't have much money, so I am entering a cooking competition to pay the bills. Hugs. I love you."

Her smile fell. "Ah-Ying, how can you put a message with don't worry, broken bones, and no money together and expect the other to comply?" 

Two messages from A-Qing: "Hi, Ah-Ning had an accident. He broke his femur, and now he has a metal plate. On the positive side, he is stable and will be home in two days. There is no need to postpone the trip." 

The second message was, "Hi, Ah Qing again. Please talk to Ah-Ying. He had one of his crazy ideas." 

She looked at her contact list and called someone. "Hi, Xingcheng, sweetheart. How are you? I am fine, thank you, and you? Great! Do you remember you told me you would be in the Gusu region for a competition? Guess who is going to participate, too?" 

There was silence for a moment, and the woman said, "Besides him." 

Another pause: "Yes, exactly. Please take care of them. A what? An unforeseen variable? Good. Enjoy the event and learn a lot. I will be waiting for the results."

The woman drank her tea and smiled. "My boy grew up so well." Then she paid the bill and returned to the car while gazing at the horizon and the yellow tones of the Central Plains. 

Trains are always noisy.

Two boys sit in front of each other, gazing at the city attentively. "Do you like it?" the older boy asks while the smaller kid smiles and nods.

If someone gives these two kids tattered and dirty clothes and makes them sit in a corner begging for food... they will look like little princes who lost their fortune and inspire the goodwill of any passerby. Their delicate features, handsome faces, and skinny complexions can't hide their sad eyes and sweet allure. When the train announces that they have arrived at their destination, Meng Yao asks his brother, "Are you ready?" And the small one smiles.

"Ah-Yu, Ah-Yao. I hope you did well on your trip," a young man asks the two of them when they leave the station. He looks like the two of them, but he is different. Although there is some sadness in his eyes, he certainly looks more poised and calm than the other two.

They nod and hug each other. The younger, Ah-Yu, says, "Zixuan. It has been a long time."

"Indeed"

Jin Zixuan helps them with their bags and takes them to his car. While Ah Yu and Zixuan talk about the oddities of the smells on the train and the lack of food they experienced, Ah Yao stays behind, his eyes fixed on a poster of Papa Jin's fast-food restaurant.

The other two call him out, and he snaps off his trance and joins them. Soon, they are sitting in a cafeteria next to a flat that the two boys are renting.

Zixuan asks, "I want to be direct with the two of you. I am also entering the contest. I am not doing this for our father's sake, so I know you have plans, and I don't intend to interfere with them. But I have reasons to be there".

Ah, Yao has a smile full of mischief this time. "Is the reason one with beautiful eyes and a gentle heart?"

Zixuan turns red. "Of course not! It is to prove myself!"