"You should've let me in on it," He Tian was pouting the next day when he slyly maneuvered the conversation back to the Christmas decorations. He dramatically kicked a mound of dirt and immediately regretted it when his foot was swarmed with angry red ants furiously defending their ruined home. "Ah, fuck!"
"That's not how surprises work," Mo Guan Shan answered with a roll of his eyes as he held a branch out to a bleating goat who immediately munched on the young leaves. He reached out to scratch its cheek and the goat paid him no mind. It had gotten used to these guys stopping by to feed them. He Tian stomped around while groaning and scattering the flock of goats until several males challenged him with their pointed horns.
Mo Guan Shan only laughed, shaking his head at all the ruckus until He Tian finally returned to his side to complain about the ant bites all over his feet.
"It's still different. I wanted to decorate the house with you," He Tian grumbled and squatted next to the other guy as he impatiently scratched his foot. And venting his irritation by pulling grass and trying to push away Mo Guan Shan's branch from out of the goat's reach.
"Bro, Christmas isn't cancelled next year," Mo Guan Shan answered, frowning. He Tian continued pouting, just trying to mess with the guy and hopefully gain a favor later. But the promise of next year almost made him smile. "You're starting to look like a goat."
"Shuuuuut uuuuuup!" He Tian bleated to mimic the goats and received a friendly smack on his arm. "Ahh, my feet are so itchy, Little Mo~"
"Aww, itchy? Poor little Tian Tian."
They huddled by the side of the road, squatting like a couple of kids as they inspected the taller guy's swelling patches. Mo Guan Shan poked one bump before gently scratching He Tian's toe with an index finger and quickly slapped his hand as he scratched his skin impatiently. Almost with gritted teeth and a flaring nose.
"Stop it. You'll get them infected."
"Better ouchy than itchy," He Tian answered and caught Mo Guan Shan's hand before taking it to his lips. "Smells like goat poop."
"So that was an elaborate ploy to get a kiss out of me?" The red-headed guy caught the other's nose between his index and middle fingers curled like two pincers.
"I just felt like it."
Mo Guan Shan was first to stand up, picking up a heavy cooler filled with soft drinks in one and half liter bottles. Exasperated by He Tian's pathetic state, he sighed, extending a hand towards him.
"Come on. Let's hurry up before they finish husking everything."
"Naw, they're still picking," He Tian answered, letting Mo Guan Shan help him up.
They left the goats and ambled down the sloping grassland lined neatly with the tallest coconut trees Mo Guan Shan had ever seen. Rows and rows of what seemed like an endless stream of coconuts dominated the view, littered with tiny nipa huts and houses made with coconut wood and bamboo.
The former owner specifically pleaded for these residents to keep their places and they did. He Tian didn't have a reason nor the slightest desire to drive them away, anyway.
He surveyed the view while shading his eyes with a hand until he saw a man expertly balancing an impossibly long bamboo pole up towards one coconut tree. He noticed Mo Guan Shan watching in awe as a kid, acting like an assistant, handed another shorter but stouter bamboo pole to the "manguluhit" and the man connected it to the base of his already long pole as an extension.
"Holy crap, that takes some superb skill, my dude. Like, you gotta be an expert in this field to wield such a specialty weapon," Mo Guan Shan whispered in awe as they watched. The man would step back and forth to balance the freakishly long pole, tugged and down came a rain of mature coconuts.
"It does. Not everyone can do it. And you have to have a really good vision and a lot of patience, especially when something itches," He Tian chuckled, glancing at his companion who was unaware of his gamer alter-ego slipping to the surface.
"I thought people would climb all the trees."
"Nah. That would take time and it's dangerous for the climbers. More expensive too, I guess. I mean, paying so many good climbers to harvest from, like, hundreds of trees," He Tian answered. Way more expensive if one climber falls by accident, he thought.
The other guy didn't know that the activity was their very first harvest. He only told him that they would offer help but excluded the fact that he purchased this affordable piece of land from Rica's relatives who sold the property and chose to live in the city after their parents passed away. Rica was initially opposed to the idea, grumbling about bad decisions and people choosing to lose a profitable property that would serve the owners long term.
*
"I don't understand these people, really! Living in the cramped city, losing their land and working their whole lives as corporate slaves. I don't get it," she complained, before begging him to consider buying the land. They were having free coffee at the old woman's wake, the owner of that land, while Mo Guan Shan was outside, playing cards with Nato and the other kids.
"Why me, anyway? I don't know shit about kopra," He Tian had answered, although he knew that his grandfather would definitely grab the opportunity by the throat if it ever had any. Like buying land was a hobby.
Kopra is what they call the dried coconut flesh where coconut oil is produced, it is how they call the whole process of making kopras too. He Tian was aware of the potential profit and more importantly, he knew that some residents relied on the whole event to put food on the table. Harvesting coconut is a livelihood that provides for a lot of residents.
"They were planning to sell it to the mayor, all right? And if the mayor gets it, the people who live in that part of the barangay will be forced to move. . .or they will be forced to vote for him to keep their place. Bro, Sir, Mr. He, I know you have the dough, you have the heart, and frankly this is not a bad deal. If I talk to Uncle, he will surely sell it to you to save our distant relatives' houses."
He Tian stared at Rica's small, tanned face, intent and determined to convince him. She had this habit of staring hard, lips pressed in a thin line, and holding her breath as if forcibly wishing for things to fall into place.
"What if I don't have the money? Or if I'm really not interested?" He Tian smirked, just to see her annoyed.
"Then fuck you, I'll bug He Cheng. Chinese people love cheap properties, you know."
He Tian clenched his teeth at the mention of his brother. Zhan Zheng Xi had informed him that the man was looking into purchasing a property around the area and when it comes to He Cheng, the plan must involve something huge and expensive.
He sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose.
"It is reasonable for its size and potential, Rica, but it is no way cheap."
"It is cheap if you think about the profit of making kopras for the years to come," Rica pouted, breaking a bread in half and dunking it in her steaming coffee before carefully bringing it to her mouth.
She's undeniably pretty, but he never once felt like asking her out and pushing his luck. As if her sex appeal was a faucet she could turn on and off depending on the person right in front of her. Needless to say, with him it's turned firmly off, not even leaking a bit.
"Lola didn't want to lose her land, He Tian. You knew her. She loved this place."
He Tian remembered the old woman back when they were younger. She was the kind of old person who always had coins inside her equally ancient purse and children would flock around to mano whenever they met her because she would never fail to give you some loose change for pocket money.
"If only I, or my parents, had the money, I would never ask a Chinese man. You know that," Rica said, looking down to hide her face. She's already sniffing. Whenever she cried she would suffer from a runny nose until it developed into a bad cold so He Tian sighed. She hated crying, especially in front of a man, and a Chinese man at that.
"You really hate China huh."
"And everyone who lives in it," Rica grumbled and stared at him with pleading eyes. "But I trust you, you know that. And trust me when I tell you that someday, this move is gonna secure your place in this part of the world. Protecting him, this is the least you could do."
"Now you resort to threats," he grinned wider so Rica raised an eyebrow and kicked him under the table.
"All I'm saying---"
"I know, I know, let me check my wallet. Might have some loose change there, enough to buy a cheap piece of land," he answered wryly, cutting her off.
And that improved Rica's mood after bawling so hard on her relative's death.
*
"Hmm. What if they get smashed by a falling coconut?" Mo Guan Shan' question snapped He Tian out of his reverie. "Or if a coconut hits a roof?"
He Tian had the same thoughts the first time, a falling coconut falling right through the nipa roof and hitting someone inside.
"Rarely happens. I guess part of their skill is to determine the direction where a bunch might fall."
They greeted the people milling around, each carrying a sharp bolo to gather the coconuts. Instead of repeatedly bending down, they would instead poke the coconuts with the sharp instruments and fling each one to the basket. He Tian greeted the coconut picker and he answered back with a wide grin in a sweat covered face.
Their destination was the smoking hut-like building that was surrounded by hundreds of coconuts ready for husking, or breaking, depending on what the owner would choose. He Tian chose to husk, because the coconut shell would also fetch a good price when turned to charcoal. More work for people but additional income too.
"Smells good right?" He Tian asked.
"Yeah, what was that?"
He Tian winked but didn't answer, pulling him by the wrist to walk faster until he spotted a bukag, or a weaved bamboo basket filled with coconuts. He Tian asked one of the workers if it was okay for them to bring it along and got a cheery affirmative.
"Now help me with this, big guy," He Tian smirked and held the other side of the wide basket.
"Huh, don't be so cocky," Mo Guan Shan answered and held the other side before they heaved and carried the basket between the two of them. It was so fucking heavy and the bamboo strips bit on his palm but he endured, hoping for thick calluses to boost his self-confidence.
"Kuya Shan, Kuya Ian, let me help you guys!" Lira exclaimed and ran up to catch them. She's the chubby teenager they first met at a funeral and was the first young girl to strike up a conversation with them. Most were a bunch of giggling heads huddled together and talking in hushed voices.
He Tian's face darkened when he remembered those girls fighting over Mo Guan Shan's attention while he was busily discussing real estate. He would definitely not lose to those young girls!
"Oh, sure. Here you go," Mo Guan Shan, oblivious to the burning determination on He Tian's end, handed the cooler to the girl. She happily accepted her load and tagged along with a wide smile on her face. "Good mood, huh."
"Young people should take you as an example, Lira, wearing a silly smile wherever you go," He Tian commented.
"Silly? I don't know if you're praising me or making fun of me, Kuya Ian. But you're handsome so I'll pretend I didn't hear that part," the girl said and laughed. She's lagging behind, struggling to keep up with the heavy box, when Nato came to the rescue and grabbed the other end of the handle. "Oi, Nat-Nat, didn't see you there. I thought it was a walking bamboo pole."
"Shut up, Buddha," Nato countered in his usual cool manner before rolling his eyes. That had been their usual greeting. At first both men thought they hated each other and there was bullying going on but after witnessing their interaction several times, they understood that it was their way of being friends.
"Are you helping too, Lira?" Mo Guan Shan couldn't help but ask the girl. Most workers were men. The women must be busily preparing lunch in their own homes.
"She's in for the free Coke," Nato said.
"Hey, I could pry 'em faster than you can!" Lira said, nose flaring. She's referring to the process of removing hard coconut flesh from the shell.
"Husking is my specialty so naturally."
"I could husk too, just so you know!"
"But you can't climb," Nato said with a triumphant grin.
"Of course! Have you seen Buddhas climb trees? Stupid monkey!"
Mo Guan Shan smiled. That scene might have been a normal one, a common occurrence for the people surrounding them but for him, it was the next step to being accepted in the community. These kids were comfortable enough to bicker in front of them. It meant something way more precious than just being welcome.
"Ugh, good thing we can't have kids, right?" He Tian asked him with a smirk and Mo Guan Shan laughed.
"Don't you guys want to have a baby?" Lira asked.
"Hmm," Mo Guan Shan turned to He Tian and was mirrored by the same pondering look. The taller guy shrugged, meaning he should take care of the answer. "If we manage to find a baby inside one of these coconuts, I'll have it."
He Tian drew in a deep breath and felt his eyes begin to water. He found himself an amazing man.