Chapter 73: Chapter 73

Ivy returned to the farmers’ markets fairly regularly, and this time Sun Fang decided to join him out of his own free will. It had only been yesterday that he’d had that harrowing talk with Deng Xi and he was still feeling a little out of it, so maybe some fresh air in a place that Ivy clearly treasured would do him some good.

The sweltering sunlight was a familiar companion, at least. 

While Ivy made itself comfortable, talking quietly with a vendor of some kind, Sun Fang wandered off to the side. He didn’t feel like listening to Ivy talking about fertilizer and methods of growth and other farming stuff for the next hour. He’d much rather just look around and see if he could find something cool. After all, the disgusting-smelling fruits he’d gotten from Poppy last time had actually been edible when Ivy’d cooked them. 

Humming a slow tune under his breath, he smiled at a vendor as he passed them. They smiled back, in that faintly confused matter one did when they recognized you but weren’t sure from where. Sun Fang cocked an eyebrow and hummed a little louder.

Poppy wasn’t here today, it seemed like. The place where he usually had a stall was empty, not even a sign sitting on the table. Sun Fang eyed it for a second, than arrogantly tossed his head and moved on. 

The market was actually a lot bigger than one would think. It was one of the three major farmers’ markets in the city and it was bigger because a lot of the people who sold goods here were sponsored directly by the city. Most of the people selling here were specialists who cultivated only one or two things, and they did so partly on the command of the city. It was a way to preserve their own agriculture, basically. Since Guillotine was so inhospitable, but depending entirely on off-planet resources was generally a bad idea.

Craning his neck to properly see all the stalls, Sun Fang spent about two hours wandering through the market on his own. He ate plenty of free samples, and even noted the ones he wanted to buy later, when he wouldn’t have to carry everything on his own. Luckily, the market was located entirely under a long, long ceiling held up with pillars, and the sun wasn’t as harsh here.

There was a stall selling lemonade, a very delightful cup of liquid with a fun gold straw that Sun Fang went around sipping from when he got thirsty, and another one where he got some frees slices of watermelons. When he got tired of walking, he found a nice bench to sit down on and do some quiet people-watching. 

Sun Fang stretched out on the bench, shamelessly claiming the whole thing as he pulled up his legs on it. He leaned his head against the backrest and sighed, staring up at the mural-covered ceiling. Pushing his sunglasses up on top of his head, he pressed his hands to his eyes and exhaled shakily. His body stiffened for a moment, his breath held in his lungs for a minute too long, and he finally shuddered softly. 

That conversation with Deng Xi really… really had been necessary. It had. They had to speak of it at some point, this love Sun Fang harbored for his cousin’s husband. For the mother of his cousin’s child. Deng Xi… did the right thing.

He did.

(Fuck.)

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Groaning soundlessly, Sun Fang pressed his hands harder over his eyes until they began to hurt, only then giving his eyes the mercy that they so desperately craved. He pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them, locking his fingers together around them. Pouting, he rested his cheek on his knee and let his eyes fall to half-mast, only the ceiling protecting him now that he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses. 

None of the people walking by looked at him. People had short memories and his scandals hadn’t effected anyone on Guillotine, so most people no longer knew who he was. Sun Yi had been so very public, too, that he’d even dragged attention away from Sun Fang. And so, he was no longer met with people avoiding him, or whispering about him, or giving him funny looks.

Which meant that he could sit here drowning in his own sorrows without anyone scorning him. Which was admittedly nice, and part of the reason why he’d moved here, to a planet so far out of his family’s reach. He preferred to sulk on his own, without people interfering. 

Burrowing his head further into his knees, he inhaled sharply. He hugged his knees tighter, his fingers digging into his skin. He felt like—something.

Footsteps approached him after awhile, a symmetric gait that Sun Fang could recognize in his sleep. Humans didn’t walk like that, but AIs… well, it was yet anther thing setting them apart. 

”Young Master?” Ivy asked, stopping barely a meter from him.

Sun Fang sighed loudly. He flopped a hand in Ivy’s direction and said, ”Go away, I’m mourning.”

”I see,” Ivy said. Slowly, Ivy walked over and sat next to him. ”Do you want company, Young Master?”

Sun Fang made a vague answering noise that could be taken either way. Ivy didn’t sigh, the way a human annoyed with him would have, it simply scooted over so it sat next to him. Sun Fang lasted approximately twenty-four seconds before he began to lean against Ivy. Sniffling a little, he turned his head to rest it on Ivy’s shoulder. After a second, Ivy’s arm landed over his shoulders and hugged him, the motion smooth in its practiced serenity.

”Mianmian is married to my cousin,” he mumbled into Ivy’s shoulder, his eyes watering again. He hated crying, it always left his face blotchy and his nose full of snot. 

”I know, Fang’er,” Ivy said in a low, soothing voice. Sun Fang pressed harder against it, forcefully pulling his snot back in his nose. ”I’m sorry,” Ivy said, gently brushing hand through Sun Fang’s hair.

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