Outside, the frigid wind howled, whistling as it swept across the Glacial River Beach.
A few kerosene lanterns cast a dim, yellow glow, adding a warm and peaceful ambiance to the wooden cabin.
Firewood roared in the hearth, its dancing flas radiating intense heat. Ducts carried this warmth to every corner of the cabin, from the floor and walls to the ceiling, enveloping the entire space.
Everyone, still in their coats, gathered around the dining table.
Feng Mountain picked up a plate of sliced musk ox at and poured it into the hot pot.
As soon as the slices hit the roiling broth, they were instantly enveloped by the heat, their color gradually changing from bright red to a tender pink.
Steam rose from the pot, filling the air with a rich, mouthwatering aroma.
All eyes were fixed on the hot pot, eagerly awaiting the mont the at was cooked through.
Feng Mountain, however, unhurriedly stirred the pot with his chopsticks, ensuring every slice cooked evenly.
As ti passed, the fragrance from the pot grew stronger, and impatient expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.
"Wow, it slls so good!" Maria couldn’t help but exclaim.
"Is it ready yet?" Erica asked impatiently.
Tammy said nothing, simply chewing on her chopsticks as her eyes remained glued to the bubbling red broth.
The other n, though trying to maintain their composure, were betrayed by the looks in their eyes.
Frank, in particular, held a cold beer with an "I could take it or leave it" expression, yet his chopsticks were already poised over his plate.
Feng Mountain picked up a slice of at, popped it into his mouth, chewed a few tis, and nodded in satisfaction.
"It’s ready!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a flurry of chopsticks and forks descended upon the hot pot.
In an instant, the pot was surrounded by seven or eight hands as everyone scrambled to fish out slices of at, afraid of being a second too slow.
Frank, skilled with chopsticks, picked up a hefty bundle of at and placed it smugly on his plate.
Those who couldn’t use chopsticks were at a clear disadvantage. They prodded at the pot with their forks, struggling to spear the slippery slices, only to watch them slide away, their brows furrowed in frustration.
By the ti one of them managed to fork a piece and get it into their mouth, the others were already starting on their second round.
"This is unfair!"
Maria pouted, glaring at Nash, Yves, and David, who were all skillfully maneuvering their chopsticks.
Erica also set down her fork with a huff and crossed her arms.
Tammy just stared longingly at the at in the pot, her little face a picture of grievance.
"Who can you bla for not knowing how to use chopsticks? From now on, we’re only using chopsticks at ho!" Feng Mountain said with a grin. He demonstrated the proper technique for the three girls while using the serving chopsticks to put so at on their plates, finally placating them.
The fiery red broth of the hot pot had everyone sweating profusely and complaining about the heat. They all took off their coats, stripping down to short-sleeved T-shirts, and started chugging cold beer while they ate.
Just then, Frank suddenly clutched his stomach, a pained expression on his face. He shot up and ran for the bathroom.
’Ha, that’s what you get for eating spicy food and drinking ice-cold beer. It’s wreaking havoc on his stomach.’
Feng Mountain chuckled, gloating at his friend’s misfortune.
Suddenly, he rembered sothing.
He looked at the others and asked, "By the way, do you guys know about the Rainbow Race? Is there really such a special group of people in Alaska? How co I’ve never heard of them?"
The Rainbow Race!!
At the ntion of this term, everyone at the table, except for Nash and Maria, stopped eating. Their expressions turned serious, as if the words stirred up complex emotions.
"Khilla, why are you bringing up the Rainbow Race?" David asked cautiously.
Seeing their reactions, Feng Mountain was even more confused. "I have a friend who seems to be from this race. Is there a problem? Are they a special ethnic group in Alaska?"
Hmm...
David turned to look at his friends, hesitating for a mont. "Well, how to explain this... The Rainbow Race isn’t the na of an ethnic group. It’s a polysemous term. It mainly refers to people who are gay n, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender. They’re sotis called the Rainbow Race."
What!!!
Hearing this answer...
At first, Feng Mountain didn’t think much of it, but as the aning sank in, his mind went completely blank.
’Lady Erica said Frank was part of the Rainbow Race.’
’According to David’s explanation, that’s another way of saying... ’
’Doesn’t that an Frank is gay? But I’ve seen him flirt with girls with my own eyes, and more than one.’
"My friend doesn’t seem like he’s gay. I’ve seen him hit on won."
"Pfft, then he’s just bisexual. Also known as, well, BisexualBisexual. Goes for both n and won. It’s pretty normal." Seeing David stamring, Erica couldn’t stand it anymore and just gave him the answer directly.
The next mont...
Feng Mountain thought he could hear the sound of his heart shattering.
’Frank is bisexual. He thought back to how Frank had traveled thousands of miles to find him in China, helping him selflessly along the way without asking for anything in return.’
’He even fought against gangs for him.’
’And in the end, he begged to leave my grand-uncle’s bus to him, and my grand-uncle had no descendants.’
’Then there could only be one answer.’
’Between Frank and my grand-uncle... ’
’Oh my god....’
"You guys go ahead and eat. I need to cool off!!" With that, Feng Mountain turned and walked out of the cabin.
Back in the dining room, everyone looked at each other in stunned silence. The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.
The hot pot was still steaming and fragrant, but Feng Mountain’s abrupt departure seed to have killed everyone’s appetite.
Just then, Frank returned from the bathroom looking relieved. Noticing the gloomy atmosphere and Feng Mountain’s absence, he asked in confusion, "Hey guys, what happened?"
The group remained silent, just shaking their heads slightly.
Frank looked at their strange expressions, then at Feng Mountain’s empty seat, growing even more curious.
"Where’s Feng? I’m going to get even with him. He must have used so bad at; it gave diarrhea."
"Feng went out. He found out his friend is part of the Rainbow Race, and it seems like he couldn’t handle it," Erica said listlessly, poking at the hot pot with her chopsticks.
The next mont...
Frank’s eyes went wide, and he froze on the spot.
After a mont, he slowly sat down. With a complex expression, he stared at the hot pot as if deep in thought, then asked...
"When did he find out?"
"We don’t know. It seems like he already knew, but he just asked us what the Rainbow Race and ’BisexualBisexual’ ant," David said, shaking his head.
"I’m going to find him!" Frank stood up and headed for the door.
Only then did it dawn on everyone that the "Rainbow Race" friend Feng Mountain was talking about was Frank.
Their expressions turned to utter shock. They glanced at one another, completely at a loss for what to do.
Maria frowned, her expression worried. "What do we do now? They’re not going to get into a fight, are they?"
Nash shot to his feet, and Yves followed suit. The two of them started for the door.
"Stop!" Jenny shouted.
They stopped and looked at Jenny, confused. Her expression was serious. "What good would you do going out there now? You can’t do anything. You’ll just make things worse. Let’s wait and see. Maybe they just need so ti to talk."
Nash and Yves exchanged a look. They hesitated but ultimately listened to Jenny and sat back down.
Outside the cabin...
Frank saw Feng Mountain sitting on a rock near the Fire Seed, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, letting the cold wind whip against him.
A complex mix of emotions washed over Frank—guilt, worry, and a pang of heartache.
He slowly approached Feng Mountain, his steps heavy.
"Feng..."
Feng Mountain looked up slightly, his gaze eting Frank’s, full of confusion and bewildernt.
"Why didn’t you tell ?"
Frank opened his mouth but didn’t know how to answer. He clutched the cross pendant hanging from his neck and sat down beside Feng Mountain. After a mont of silence, he finally said softly, "I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to accept it."
"I’ve done so research. In your country, this kind of... behavior is looked down upon. It’s discriminated against."
"I didn’t want your grand-uncle to be looked down on by others if he ever returned to your country one day."
The cold wind continued to howl. The two of them sat silently on the rock, the air between them heavy.
The light from the Fire Seed flickered on their faces, illuminating their inner turmoil.
"...!" Feng Mountain was speechless. This was the first ti he’d ever encountered sothing like this. "Can you tell the story of you and my grand-uncle?"
"Yeah." Frank nodded, his voice low. "I told you before. My family life was a ss. My father was gay, and my mother was a prostitute. I couldn’t stand the beatings, so I ran away from ho when I was nine. I was a stray in Fairbanks when Feng rescued ."
’That’s right, he did ntion that.’
Feng Mountain nodded.
Frank continued.
"After he rescued , Feng adopted . We relied on each other in the quiet Crown Territory and spent a lot of wonderful ti together. Feng taught how to study and took care of . He made feel a father’s love for the first ti in my life."
"I don’t know when it started, but I was no longer satisfied with that kind of love. I wanted sothing more."
At this, a sad smile touched Frank’s lips.
"Feng cursed out back then. He even pointed a gun at . But I didn’t back down. I told him everything I was feeling."
"In that mont, I thought I might lose everything, but I didn’t want to hide my feelings anymore. I looked at the anger in Feng’s eyes, and my heart was filled with despair and pain. But I also knew that if I didn’t face this bravely, I would live in repression and agony forever."
The cold wind blew past, rustling Frank’s hair slightly.
His eyes held a determined look, as if he were reliving the mont that changed his life.
"What happened then?" Feng Mountain asked softly.
Frank lowered his head slightly, silent for a mont before continuing. "After that, Feng was silent for a long ti. I spent every day of that period in tornt, not knowing what he would decide. But in the end... he accepted ."
"...!" Feng Mountain was speechless again.
’Grand-uncle just agreed, just like that? His resolve was that weak?’
’Could it be... ’
"Was my grand-uncle... also...?"
Frank shook his head, then nodded.
Feng Mountain stared at Frank, his face full of confusion, waiting for an explanation.
Frank took a deep breath and said slowly, "At first, Feng wasn’t sure of his own feelings. What he felt for was complicated. Perhaps there were other emotions mixed in."
"After I told him how I felt, he was caught in a state of conflict and struggle. Feng tried to resist these feelings because he believed they wouldn’t be accepted by society."
"But as ti went on, Feng gradually realized he couldn’t ignore his true feelings, and he finally accepted ."
’After all that talk...’
’Isn’t that still the fucking sa thing...?’
Feng Mountain was at a loss for words. "So you two just lived together like that? You didn’t... do anything else?"
"Feng was a gentleman. He never forced to do anything I didn’t want to." Frank took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Feng Mountain.
Looking at the envelope, Feng Mountain was reluctant to take it. He could already guess what was inside.
In the end, however, curiosity got the better of him, and he took it.
He hesitated for a mont before opening it.
Inside was a photograph and a docunt.
The photo showed his grand-uncle in his middle age, wearing a suit, nestled next to a young Frank, who was dressed in a pure white wedding gown. Both of their faces bead with happy smiles.
And the docunt was a marriage certificate issued by the Sofia Church in Las Vegas.
Under "Groom," three traditional Chinese characters were neatly written: Feng Kailu. Feng Mountain had seen his grand-uncle’s collection of books, and the handwriting was a perfect match.
Feng Mountain looked up at Frank, his expression bitter.
"So... you’re my grand-aunt?"
...
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