Chapter 8: Newlywed Plumbing

The plumber arrived at six o'clock on the evening of the wedding, on a Thursday, exactly as promised.

He was a stout man with a toolbox, and Mrs. Su met him at the front door with a bow.

"The east wing," she said, with great ceremony. "The bathroom between the two bedrooms. It has been broken for a very long time."

Su Ye stood at the top of the stairs with a glass of wine and his new husband beside him.

Lu Chen was perfectly still.

The plumber went into the bathroom with his wrench.

He tapped the pipes, ran the shower, flushed the toilet twice and tried both locks on the connecting door.

Then he came out and wiped his hands on a cloth.

"Nothing wrong with it," he said. "The pipes are new. The water pressure's excellent. I'd say it's the best bathroom in the house."

"Impossible," said Mrs. Su.

"Ma'am, I've been doing this thirty years."

"Then you've missed something. Check again next week."

"I'll send you a bill for the visit."

"Send it to my husband," Mrs. Su said, and gave him an envelope, and a very large tip, and shut the door behind him.

She turned and looked up the stairs.

Su Ye and Lu Chen looked back down at her.

"It fixed itself," said Mrs. Su, and went to find the Chairman.

Lu Chen waited until her footsteps had faded.

"I could draft a letter," he said gravely. "A formal letter, to my mother-in-law, regarding the bathroom."

"Don't you dare."

"I think it's illegal."

"It's love," said Su Ye. "It's a different department."

He took Lu Chen's hand and led him down the east wing corridor.

The bedroom was dark, with the curtains open on a cold, bright moon.

Su Ye closed the door and turned the key in it, because he could.

Then he turned around and found Lu Chen against the wall.

His glasses were pushed up into his hair, and his hands were behind his back.

"You're nervous," Su Ye said.

"I am not."

"Your ears are red."

"I have never," Lu Chen said stiffly, "been the one on the bottom."

Su Ye's mouth fell open.

"Ever?"

"In the orphanage nobody got close. At university I worked three jobs."

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