Seedlings
As long as Guan Shan could remember, the days of the sowing had always dawned the same. The late spring sun barely reaching the horizon so early in the morning, and its pale rays not yet casting much warmth. Thick grey mist hanging low over the sea looking like it was alive and could swallow the small town to its endless pit.
He had hated the sowing days as a kid and dawdled in the cold puddles in his oversized boots until his mother had had to drag him to the car by his hand. He had whined and complained, but she had just silently crammed him in the van between father and herself with the heavy breakfast basket.
While his parents had worked hard at the field, he had sat in the mud in sullen defiance. At breakfast time, his mother had conjured his favorite – sweet bao buns – out of the basket and lured him to join them until he finally gave in. By the time they had finished the meal, he had forgotten all about not wanting to go.
Now, years later, Guan Shan was looking at the same crispy, clear sky and shivered in the chilly morning. The days of kicking and screaming were long gone.
A couple of old fishermen were holding their morning court on the street on their way down to the docks. They nodded their greetings at him when started loading the seed boxes into the van. Guan Shan could smell the bait in the buckets swinging from the handles of their bikes.
"You're up early," one of them said. "Where you headed?"
"To the field."
"You better hurry then," another fisherman said and looked up at the clear skies. "It looks like rain."
"Sure does," the first man said, and the rest of them concurred in murmurs.
"Well, we should leave you to it. Wish a good harvest for your mother from us, will ya!"
The men waved their good days. Their heavy rubber boots scraped the cobblestone street and the fishing rods waggled in the air as they kicked their bikes onwards and hurtled downhill.
"Be sure to dress warmly," his mother said and stepped out in her old robe that had her softness and scent imprinted in it. "I'll have breakfast ready when you come back, sweet buns and pancakes. Now hurry up, I'm sure your father is waiting for you. He must've left early before I got up."
"Yeah." Guan Shan turned to cup her warm cheek and pressed a gentle peck on her forehead. "I won't take long, okay? Jian Yi will come and open the shop in an hour. You remember where my phone number is if anything happens?"
His mother looked at him confused. "Of course, I do. It's on the fridge door like always."
"And He Tian is across the street if you need something."
"Don't be silly," she said with a smile that deepened the wrinkles around her almond eyes. "What would happen? Now go, and wish a happy season to the Wangs from me, okay?"
"I'll be sure to do that."
Nowadays, it was the old van that whined and complained about leaving so early in the morning as Guan Shan maneuvered it through the narrow streets and slowly waddled between the buildings. The suspension creaked as the tires sunk into the potholes, and the breaks shrieked even if he barely pushed the pedal. He prayed the gods the thing would carry him through at least one more summer. He can't afford to fix it until the season was done.
Fortunately, the Wangs' farm wasn't far from the town. They were the biggest sunflower grower in the prefecture, and the Mo's flower shop had bought their product for as long as Guan Shan could remember. For a couple of years now, Guan Shan had planted his seeds by himself. Money was tight and constant worry, and it was cheaper to rent some field and do all the work himself. Even though he didn't wish to leave his mother alone even for a while.
By the time Guan Shan made it back, Jian Yi had rolled the metal rack in front of the shop up and was pitching the SALE sign about the winter flowers on the street. Guan Shan unloaded the empty seed boxes out of the car and carried them to the back of the shop.
"I'll get something to eat and come down soon," he said to Jian Yi and brushed the dirt off the gloves on his jacket. "You can go make the deliveries then."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Bossman," Jian Yi chimed and gave him a mock salute.
"God, you're so annoying right off the morning. Anything happen while I was gone?"
"Nope, all's good."
Guan Shan released a silent sigh of relief.
"Oh, it's that time of the year already?" came a slow drawl. "I guess summer is finally upon us, thank god."
"Yeah, that usually happens after spring," Guan Shan said and tried his hardest not to glare at the tall man standing across the narrow street in his usual attire of sweatpants, wifebeater, and flipflops.
"Good morning, little Mo," the man said and smirked at him over his steaming mug of coffee.
"Morning was two hours ago. And don't call me that."
Suddenly annoyed and in a bad mood, Guan Shan grumbled about lazy bastards under his breath and snatched the morning newspaper that Jian Yi had rescued from the damp morning off the counter. Before heading upstairs, he rinsed off his muddy boots and slipped into his comfortable sneakers neatly arranged at the backdoor.
"Did you fight with He Tian again?" his mother asked when he slammed the door to their living quarters and tossed the newspaper on the small coffee table that also functioned as their dinner table. "You shouldn't fight on the day of the sow, it's bad luck."
"The guy just gets on my nerves, I can't help it."
"He's a nice young man. Always so polite."
"Yeah, to you," Guan Shan muttered. "Have you eaten yet?"
"I thought I'd wait for you. Sowing days are always a bit special, aren't they?"
"Mom, you should've gotten at least something. You can't take your vitamins in an empty stomach or you'll get queasy, remember?"
"Yes, yes, I'll eat with you, don't worry. Sometimes you're just like your father."
While she was setting the table for three – like she always did – Guan Shan took the red round pill organizer out of the top kitchen drawer and shook her morning dose into a small plastic cup. One time his mother had become disoriented and drowsy all of a sudden and it had turned out she had been popping her daily medicine instead of painkillers all day for her headache. It had taken them a trip to the hospital, and after that Guan Shan had installed a lock on the drawer and made sure to keep the key with him at all times.
"Here, take your vitamins with the food."
Obediently she knocked the cup back, and the little pills rattled into her mouth. With a grimace and a few sips of water, she swallowed them.
"I wonder if I can stop taking these now that summer is finally coming."
"You remember what the doctor said, right? Little extra vitamins can't hurt."
"Well," she said and looked at the now empty cup, "I suppose you're right."
Guan Shan shoved a whole bun into his mouth and munched happily as the sweet filling burst in his mouth.
"The buns are really good. Just like you always made them."
Her face lit up, and she reached to brush his red hair.
"You need a haircut," she said and combed her thin fingers through the hair. "Now, eat your breakfast and take your father's plate downstairs for him. I tried to find him, but I guess he's gone to take the deliveries already."
"Yeah," Guan Shan said quietly. "Don't worry about it, ma."
He poured a fresh cup of coffee and balanced the food down the stairs to the shop. Jian Yi was serving an early customer and wrapping her a bouquet of daylilies. In the middle of all the greyness, the bright yellow of the flowers was refreshing alongside with the sunny smile Jian Yi flashed every as he chatted with her. Even his blond ponytail bounced all perky and happy.
"Have a nice day! Bye, bye~!" he said and waved the woman goodbye.
"I brought you breakfast," Guan Shan said once the woman left. "You don't have a lot of deliveries today so you can spare a few minutes."
"It's okay, I already ate!" Jian Yi loosened the green apron and handed it to Guan Shan. "Your mom's pancakes sure are delicious. I wish I could have them every day, but mine just burn and Xixi gets angry when the smoke alarm goes off." He pouted at the memory until his face brightened up again. "Why don't you take those to He Tian? I'm sure he hasn't eaten anything suitable for breakfast yet."
"I'd rather feed this to the alley cats than him."
"Uh-huh." Guan Shan ignored the knowing arch of Jian Yi's almost non-existent eyebrows. "Well, do what you want, I guess. I'm off, ta-ta!"
"Go, and don't dilly-dally this time!" he barked after him, but Jian Yi just waved his hand. Soon Guan Shan heard him coax the van to life once again and trundle off.
Just his luck to be surrounded by bastards too cheerful for their own good on a daily basis. He sighed to himself and fastened the apron behind his back. Armed with a broom and an angry frown, he headed out to finish the morning chores and almost had a heart attack when a golden-brown dog suddenly was in front of him, wagging his tail so eagerly his whole body was shaking and trying to jump to lick Guan Shan's face.
"Gengi, down," came a command from the small plastic chair they always set outside the shop with a round table in the summer. "C'mere."
The dog spun around on the spot and sat obediently in front of He Tian who was sprawled in one of the chairs and awarded the dog with a couple of scratches behind his ears.
"Fuck," Guan Shan breathed and tried to resist the urge to clutch his chest like an old man. "You scared the crap out of me. What the hell do you want?"
He Tian let his head lull to the side lazily, and the tips of his overgrown black hair brushed the colorful dragon head that peeked under the wifebeater on his shoulder.
"I heard something about breakfast," he said and flashed his familiar devilish smile.
"Well, you heard wrong." Guan Shan swept He Tian's feet with the broom. "Now, scram! Don't you have your own shop to look after?"
"It's doing just fine, as you can see. I, on the other hand, am famished. Too weak to serve my precious customers."
"And what a horrible thing that would be. To deny people their daily dose of tar to inhale into their lungs."
"Hey," He Tian spread his hands in mock apology, "if they're not getting it from me, they'll get it from someone else. But I admit, I'd much rather sell pretty things like flowers."
Guan Shan scoffed. "You can barely look after yourself. I wouldn't trust even a houseplant in your care. How that dog of yours is still alive is beyond me."
"What are you talking about? Gengi is the happiest dog you can find in the whole prefecture. Aren't ya?"
The dog perked up at the mention of his name and licked He Tian's palm with a wide, pink tongue. Playfully He Tian tried to grab the dog's muzzle and wrap his long fingers around it.
"Whatever. I'm busy and tired, so leave me alone."
"Early morning, huh? I saw you leave."
"Some of us have to work for our living. Unlike some, I don't have the luxury of a rich family that owns the whole damn street so I can spend my days playing shop."
He Tian visibly stiffened up, and his playful, teasing smile flattened into cold blankness. His ridiculous flipflops scraped angrily against the pavement as he pushed himself up. Guan Shan squeezed the broom and hesitantly backed off half a step.
"Gengi, come."
The dragon on He Tian's shoulder roared mutely at Guan Shan as the pair crossed the couple of meters that separated their houses with a few quick strides. Guan Shan was left squeezing the broom with a vague uneasiness gnawing at his insides.
The first cold drops of rain for the day hit the top of Guan Shan's head and forearms, and he flinched back to reality. Quickly he dragged the few crates of sale flowers under the shelter and swept the traces of soil and pieces of trash the night had brought over.
Rainy days were hardly their busiest, but as a kid, he had always liked it the best when it was coming down outside. When everything was grey and cold, the deep yellow lamps of their little shop shone through the veil of rain like an oasis. Passers-by had come in damp and miserable to wait out the shower but left with a bag of flowers and a smile on their face.
"Flowers have magic powers," his father had always told him. "They can turn a bad day into a good one and bring warmth in the coldest of rooms. You give a flower to anyone and make them feel special and good inside."
On many of those rainy days, Guan Shan had sat behind the counter on a little stool and watched his father work but as far as he had been concerned, he had never caught any magical flowers.
They certainly hadn't had any powers when the stern-faced man in an expensive-looking suit had come to talk to his father and a few days later he had left them. Or when mother had cried at nights in the kitchen when she had thought he was asleep. Or when Guan Shan had had to quit the apprentice he had worked very hard to get and come back home because mom had begun to forget the stove on too many times for her age.
Angrily he grabbed the bunch of roses and trimmed the stems with the chunky pruning shears. The spikes snapped and crunched under his thick working gloves, and he took some strange joy in knowing they couldn't get to him. Stupid flowers. Stupid He Tian. Stupid fath –
"Guan Shan, what is this plate doing here? How many times have I told you not to bring food down to the store? Eat your breakfast in the kitchen, good grief."
His mother had come down and was adjusting a bag on her shoulder. She had done her reddish hair pretty and covered it from the rain with a light silk scarf his father had gotten for her in their anniversary ages ago.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Mrs. Huang called and invited me for tea. She'd like me to help her plan for her garden this summer. I took the rest of the buns and pancakes with me, so you need to whip something up for lunch."
"I'll take you there," Guan Shan hurried to suggest and took off his gloves. "Just wait for a little while until Jian Yi comes back. Or I can close the shop."
"Nonsense," she said and waved him off. "It's just a couple of blocks."
"But it's raining."
"It's barely a drizzle. And I have my umbrella with me." She pointed at the see-through umbrella hanging from her elbow.
"But – let me just – "
She interrupted him with a small sad smile. "I was a little silly this morning again, wasn't I?"
When Guan Shan couldn't find the right words to answer, she cupped his cheek and reached up to kiss his forehead softly. He could smell a waft of her perfume.
"It's okay, I'm feeling fine now. I have my cellphone with me, and I'll call when I get there, so you don't need to worry, okay?"
"Fine," he agreed reluctantly.
"Good boy," she said and ruffled his hair. "Why don't you give that extra breakfast to He Tian, huh? I'm sure that'd make him happy. It's bad lu – "
" – bad luck to fight on the sowing day," Guan Shan muttered and rolled his eyes. "I know, I know."
By the time he was done with the morning chores, the rain had picked up and the puddle in front of the shop had overflown and formed a mega puddle with other smaller ones. Jian Yi had come back from his deliveries soaking wet and shivering. Guan Shan left him to look after the shop with a towel and a cup of tea before going off for another kind of home delivery.
Just like the flower shop, He Tian's cigarette store was a part of the long line of plastered brick houses reaching as high as two and three stores. It was a tiny hole in the wall kiosk – smaller than Guan Shan's shop – with cramped living space upstairs. The front door of the store was always open, and the rows upon rows of colorful cigarette packets covering the walls could be seen to the street.
Guan Shan pulled the back of his T-shirt over his head and quickly leaped over a giant puddle and across the street before the rain could soak him through. Gengi was napping in his usual spot on the ragged rug on the pavement porch. He treated the dog a cold pancake and gave the floppy ears a generous scratching. He Tian himself was slumped on one of the rickety wooden stools, his eyes closed and leaning against the brick wall with his hands behind his head.
"Here, your breakfast," Guan Shan said and slammed the plateful of leftovers on the little table.
"I must say, your delivery is slow. I ordered this hours ago," He Tian drawled without even bothering to open his eyes.
"Whatever. It's food and it's edible. That's a rare two-out-of-two for you."
He Tian's eyes slithered open, and his thin lips quivered into a knowing smirk. Guan Shan could almost see the devil's horns growing out of his head.
"Don't get any ideas, this is only for the good harvest. And I know your ass hasn't had anything else than coffee today."
"I didn't realize you cared that much about me, little Mo."
"Just shut up and eat before I change my mind," Guan Shan muttered and took a careful seat on the other stool that creaked and wobbled under him.
He Tian attacked the food like he had never seen any in his life and devoured his first thick pancake in two big bites. Guan Shan doubted he even managed to chew, let alone taste them properly before swallowing. The sweet buns disappeared into his mouth in one piece, and his cheeks bulged out like a squirrel. The plate was licked clean in record time.
"That hit the spot," he said around a satisfied burp and fumbled for a pack of cigarettes on the table. His lighter was almost out of juice and struggled in the damp weather but finally managed to cough up a flame.
"You should learn how to cook."
He Tian relaxed against the wall again and enjoyed his post-meal smokes almost like he was half asleep. "You should teach me."
"Hell will freeze over before I'll try that again. Besides, I don't know even half the things mom does. She's the one who taught me."
"I'd be embarrassed to let her know her son-in-law can't cook."
"He – Wh – What nonsense are you spouting again?!"
"Hush now, little Mo. Listen to the rain."
Guan Shan rolled his eyes and stared at the transparent veil of rain hitting the pavement with heavy splashes. The lights of the flower shop shone through the shower, and he could make out Jian Yi sitting at the counter and playing with his phone. The rain enhanced the smell of the pavement and mixed with the heavy, almost overwhelming aroma wafting from inside the cigarette shop.
With a sigh Guan Shan let his head fall against the wall and eyelids slide shut. The heavy field work of the morning set in his muscles and made his limbs grow heavy now that he had sat down for a minute. The drum of the rain sounded almost like hypnotizing lullaby once you stopped to listen to it.
A big hand came to ruffle the top of his head, and Guan Shan could smell the stinging aroma of tobacco. Before pulling away the hand slid down to stroke his cheek gently, and he allowed himself to lean slightly against the warm, calloused touch.
"I'll leave the light on for you tonight," He Tian said before the cigarette packet rustled, and the lighter clinked again.