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“The weather’s getting colder,” Zhang Sushang commented as he rubbed his arms.
Autumn had arrived, bringing with it single-digit temperatures. Divine Detective Ilya was also coming to an end.
The sixth to ninth cases of Divine Detective Ilya revolved around the struggle between the righteous faction, to which the lawyer Daria belonged, and the wicked thieves’ organisation led by Crocodile. As the plot progressed, the thief’s good and evil qualities both became apparent. Sometimes he would try to kill Ilya, while other times he might help them with a murder case.
If not for knowing that he was a crossdresser, readers might suspect that Crocodile was the female lead, not to mention that he had even more screentime than her…
The story concluded with the invasion of a foreign army — as for which country it was, Zhang Sushang didn’t specify. Anyway, the people in the story all put aside their grudges; the cowardly Ilya gave up hiding in the rear in favour of the front lines, Vasily joined him to protect their homeland, and in the barracks, they saw a handsome new recruit.
* * *
The ending was rather open-ended and few people today would consider it a typical ending for a detective story, but Zhang Sushang believed that everyone would change their minds in a decade or so.
It was common knowledge that a detective could experience many cases in their lifetime, so detective stories could develop into a super-long series, and as long as the quality didn’t decrease, the author could make a living from this one series for the rest of their life. However, Zhang Sushang felt that the plot had been fully explored. Continuing would only be a pale imitation so he simply ended it.
Even so, his royalties were a substantial number, enough to buy a house in St Petersburg, though he ultimately decided against it.
Why buy anything? By 1941 this city would be razed by gunfire for several years and no house could escape. It was better to continue renting. After discussing with Alexei, though, they decided to move.
Their current apartment actually had many advantages, such as being close to the university and having a large fireplace. The only real disadvantage was that the door wasn’t very sturdy. Zhang Sushang suspected that if he and Alexei had to smack it a few more times this winter, they might have to pay the landlord for a new door.
And their downstairs neighbour had a terrible temper. Every time Zhang Sushang did a few burpees at night, he would inevitably find a threatening letter shoved under their door the next morning.
The letters usually contained something like, If you keep making noise, I’ll let my dog bite you.
Zhang Sushang: …
Although he had never met this neighbour face to face, he had owned dogs before and could tell their approximate size by their barking, so he knew that they owned a small breed. They were quite something to use this to threaten a strong 1.8m man.
Never mind, they’d better move.
Alexei knew more people than Zhang Sushang, so he was the one to find a real estate agent, after which the two began searching for places.
Zhang Sushang discussed it with him. “First, we need a bigger apartment, at least 90 square meters, otherwise it’s going to be too cramped for both of us. Right now, there’s not even enough space to stack our dumbbells.”
“It also needs a balcony, otherwise we’ll never get any sunlight,” Alexei added.
Their current place had poor lighting and was dark year-round. They would likely be infested with mold if not for their fireplace.
With their requirements set, the two looked at all the available properties nearby. Although both of them were richer now, Alexei with his scholarships and Zhang Sushang with his royalties, neither were planning to split up.
Living alone was so troublesome, and there was no one to look after you if you fell sick. It was better to have a companion.
After looking around, the one they liked best was a shophouse near the sea. The building consisted of two floors; the first floor was rented out as a stationery shop, and the second floor was used as living quarters.
The new place was still close to the university, making it easier for them to commute, but it was much bigger. At approximately 90m2, it had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a fully equipped kitchen. It also had a complete set of mahogany furniture, including an extra-large bookshelf and a plush sofa.
Zhang Sushang set his heart on this place as soon as he saw the furniture, so the only task left was to move.
They initially thought they didn’t have much to take, but once they started packing, they discovered that they couldn’t leave the pots and pans, there were piles of books, manuscripts, and stationery, and they certainly couldn’t abandon their clothes, quilts, pillows, or toiletries either. In the end they went downstairs to hire a car, and with the help of two labourers, they finally managed to transport everything in one trip.
That day, Zhang Sushang turned 19.
Being born on October 1st, he celebrated his birthday with the motherland every year,1China’s National Day is on 1 October (PRC only. Taiwan/ROC’s national day is on 10 October) though speaking of birthdays, he felt a little melancholy.
One had to be 18 years old to join the Communist Party. Zhang Sushang, whose parents were both Party members, submitted his application through the community volunteer association as soon as he turned 18. He went through Party education and training and would have had the chance to become a probationary member after undergoing review, but then… he travelled through time!
He really regretted wanting a driver’s license.
He decided to celebrate properly to cheer himself up. It just so happened that Alexei’s birthday was on September 30th, only a single day’s difference, so they could celebrate together.
He invited all his close friends, including the other three of his four-person exchange group, his classmates Danil and the four Ivans ABCD, as well as Giselle, Orlov, and Misha.
My flatmate and I are celebrating our birthdays together, you should come too.
After making a list of everyone he wanted to invite, he asked Alexei, “What about you, how many do you want to invite?”
Alexei counted on his fingers. “My seniors Mikhail and Nikita will come.”
Alexei wasn’t very sociable and only had these two friends. Nikita was the son of the professor who supervised him the most.
“Then we’ll have to host them properly,” Zhang Sushang concluded.
Even if he was the birthday boy, he couldn’t let a guest do the cooking — and so, full of energy, he dragged Alexei to buy groceries together.
Ten pounds of mutton for lamb chops, seasonal vegetables and potatoes for a salad, and a whole chicken, which he’ll stew with ginger, radishes, and mushrooms for ten hours to make a delicious soup.
After living here for a while, he discovered that Russians had their way of eating. They usually drank soup or ate salads first, followed by hot dishes, and finally desserts and tea.
Things could be casual if they were only among family, but since they were hosting guests, it was more sincere to follow the proper procedures.
“Misha will bring desserts,” he muttered, “but we can make some egg cakes too.2These are little sponge cakes, possibly related to the Malay pastry Bahulu. They’re easy, we just need eggs, flour, and sugar.”
When Zhang Sushang was a child, he learned the basics of figure skating from his neighbour Grandpa Lu, and occasionally went there for meals. Grandpa Lu’s late wife was a master at making egg cakes and Zhang Sushang declared himself the direct inheritor of this skill.
Alexei quietly watched him.
“Lyosha, the get-together isn’t until tomorrow. What do you want to eat today? We can make that first.” Zhang Sushang turned towards Alexei.
Alexei thought for a moment. “I want borscht,” he decided. He then explained, “When I was little, my family was very poor. The one time we celebrated my birthday, my mother made borscht with ingredients we had left at home.”
Zhang Sushang listened patiently and snapped his fingers. “Okay, let’s make this.”
He had trained in Russia for a year before time travelling, so he knew how to make borscht, though he didn’t usually bother because it was a little complicated. But if the birthday person asked, there was no reason to refuse.
On their way home, they saw some Orthodox Christians handing out bread to passing children. “What a beautiful scene,” Zhang Sushang said, looking at them.
Alexei, carrying a large leg of lamb, said, “I ate the bread they distributed as a child.”
“You’re Christian?” Zhang Sushang asked curiously.
He smiled, looking surprisingly casual. “I was for a while before university, but then I studied physics. By that time, faith was just a source of comfort.”
“And now?”
Alexei gave him a deep look. “Now, I don’t believe it anymore.”
He no longer needed to believe in a god. Someone already existed to dispel his loneliness and bring human warmth.
As their eyes met, the complex emotions in those blue eyes were so intense that Zhang Sushang couldn’t help but look away uncomfortably. He let out a soft ‘oh’ and they resumed walking side by side.
After a while, he irresistibly turned to look at Alexei’s profile, only to find that he was observing the road, and every time a bicycle approached, he would lean towards Zhang Sushang.
It seemed like every time they had to walk along a road, Alexei would take the initiative to walk on the road’s side.
The next day, the birthday party was even more lively than Zhang Sushang had anticipated.
He had a good relationship with everyone and his friends were all very generous with him, everyone who received invitations came. Even Misha, who could only sit on the sofa with his cane, chatted happily with Wu Yeming.
Jiang Jinghu directly gave him 100 newly made medicinal patches, Wu Yeming gave him a new bottle of ink, and Li Yuan gave him a book titled Wonderous Reactions with Chemical Reagents, apparently thinking that it would be useful for his stories.
Giselle and Orlov gave him a voucher for six months of free dance lessons, his classmates gave him a rabbit, and Misha baked a big cake for him, which was covered in a thick layer of cream. With the addition of the egg cakes Zhang Sushang made, the house was soon filled with a sweet fragrance.
The most amazing ones had to be the Ivans; they went to the living room and sang a celebratory song together. When Zhang Sushang listened closely, the lyrics seemed to be something along the lines of, My life is good, happily drinking with friends every day. When I wake up, my clothes are gone and my wallet is empty, oh, turns out I’ve been robbed.
He had no idea what these four were thinking, singing this on a birthday, but the tune was truly enchanting, the kind that circled in your mind the more you didn’t want to think about it.
Zhang Sushang learned this song against his will.
Mikhail handed a fountain pen to Alexei. “This is from me and Nikita,” he whispered.
“Thank you.”
“You look much more cheerful than before. I’m glad you’re getting better, Lyosha.” Nikita patted him.
Zhang Sushang was currently embroiled in a dance battle with Ivan A, who was drunk. One danced ballet, the other a Kalmyk folk dance – it was unclear how they ended up arguing.
It was a cheerful scene. Alexei looked towards them, his blue eyes curved in a smile.
“Yes, my friend, I’ve never felt this good.”
Author:
The story is fictional. Fictional, fictional I say… There are some things this author will try to avoid, otherwise, the whole novel might be gone.
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- 1China’s National Day is on 1 October (PRC only. Taiwan/ROC’s national day is on 10 October)
- 2These are little sponge cakes, possibly related to the Malay pastry Bahulu.
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