Qi Juan lowered his voice and asked, “Are there no other gifts?”
Inside the restroom, Qi Juan’s body stiffened, and he leaned over the sink, supporting himself with his hands as he pressed hard, scorching the edges on his palms.
“Cough…” The bitter taste of the anesthetic sprayed in his throat had not yet subsided, and the thought of that lump of mustard sauce came back to his mind. He couldn’t bear it and struggled to dry heave over the sink for a while.
The water flowed vigorously, gushing down with a splash, repeatedly scouring the porcelain walls, generating cold white mist.
“How long has it been?” The woman pulled Yu Yue Sheng aside and gestured excitedly, “No, I have to go back and stew some soup to bring over. At a time like this, you must nourish yourself more.”
Her mind was full of thoughts; it was truly not easy. Her iceberg of a son had actually shown signs of improvement one day.
“You’re overthinking it.” Yu Yue Sheng glanced at her without much expression, his demeanor even somewhat heavy.
“Pa-da.”
At this moment, the doorknob made a sound.
The woman locked her gaze on the door, clutching the jar of pickled vegetables tightly, not daring to breathe, almost wishing she could stare a hole right through the spot.
Her heart was in her throat.
Finally, the door was pushed open–
Then, she saw a pale-faced young man walk out. He appeared very weak, leaning lazily against the door frame as soon as he stepped out. His pitch-black hair ends were still dripping with water, and his eyes looked listless.
The smile on the woman’s face froze: “…”
Yu Yue Sheng walked forward, quickly supporting Qi Juan. “Are you alright?”
“Hello, Auntie.” Qi Juan made a concerted effort to force a pale smile, revealing his little silver teeth.
In the past few days, he hasn’t been eating much. His blood sugar is also not stable, and he feels dizzy, with his gaze somewhat unfocused. It’s as if he’s smiling at thin air, and he even waved his hand.
Yu Yue Sheng: “Mom, step aside for a moment.”
The woman nodded, feeling puzzled, and quickly moved aside on her own.
Yu Yue Sheng hurriedly supported Qi Juan, who was about to fall, and helped him to sit on a chair.
Qi Juan didn’t sit very steadily, and every few seconds, he would rest his head on the table to recover. Yue Sheng poured him another cup of warm water and placed it by his side.
“Who is he?” The woman was somewhat confused.
“My student,” Yu Yue Sheng explained, “He wasn’t feeling well, so I took him to the hospital for a check-up, and then we came back.”
The mother nodded as if at a loss for words, “Oh, I see.”
The tiny glimmer of hope that had just ignited vanished instantly.
After waiting for a while and seeing Yu Yue Sheng still not saying anything, the woman, feeling dejected, put away the pickled vegetables into the refrigerator and reluctantly spoke again, “Yue Sheng, I was planning to make some dishes for you to eat when you come back after class.”
“Okay.”
The woman looked at the table, trying to find a topic to talk about with her iceberg-like son, “Are the dishes on the table all made by you or…?”
“He made them, let’s eat together,” Yu Yue Sheng replied.
–
The wall clock on the wall was ticking, and the warm-toned restaurant lights cast a glow, making the dishes look rich and colorful.
When the three of them were eating together, there was a subtle awkwardness in the atmosphere. Qi Juan remembered the previous life when he was annoyed by Yu Yue Sheng, and Auntie had even approached him, scolding him fiercely and wishing she could tear him apart. He didn’t dare to look at Auntie much, nor did he dare to glance at that plate of sushi.
Even though Yu Yue Sheng quickly finished the sushi dipped in wasabi, Qi Juan continued to silently pick at the plain rice in his bowl. Occasionally, he choked, and then he would gulp down a mouthful of warm water. The rice felt stuck in his stomach, causing waves of pain, as if being pricked by tiny needles.
“Bin Bin brought his girlfriend home last week,” the woman suddenly said, breaking the harmony and tranquility. “Your aunt sent me some photos. The girl looks very charming. Your aunt is truly fortunate.”
As she was talking, she served herself a bowl of soup, tilting the spoon, causing some tomato and egg flower to spill into the bowl.
“Mmm,” Yu Yue Sheng responded casually.
“It’s a pity I don’t have such good fortune,” she said.
“Mmm.”
Qi Juan: “…”
His gaze was fixed on that bowl of soup, and the words “too salty” echoed in his mind.
“What kind of reaction is this?” The woman was displeased with Yu Yue Sheng’s attitude, and her voice instantly raised, “Why aren’t you worried at all? Bin Bin is two years younger than you!”
Yu Yue Sheng picked up a mouthful of food and ate calmly, as serene as a still well, saying, “I just started working.”
“That’s not the same! He graduated from college, and you graduated with a Ph.D.! It takes about a year to date someone, and then there’s time to consider the future, having children, raising kids…”
The woman continued to chatter, and Qi Juan felt like she was about to flip the table. On the other hand, Yue Sheng ate his food leisurely, as if He can even find some leisurely and elegant mood to enjoy a cup of tea.
Yu Yue Sheng didn’t want to talk about these things with the woman and glanced at Qi Juan, “Why aren’t you eating?”
Upon hearing his voice, the woman shot him a sharp look.
“Okay, I’m eating,” Qi Juan hastily added more food to his bowl, almost burying his head in it.
Staring at the rice in his bowl, Qi Juan suddenly remembered the previous life when the woman had come to the house and pointed at him, calling him disgusting, and accusing him of having despicable thoughts towards Yu Yue Sheng.
But he only hopes to have someone to accompany him, to care for him, and to make the dark and lonely days less difficult to endure. Just like when Yu Yue Sheng asked him why he wasn’t eating, he would automatically think, “Is Yue Sheng worried that my stomach is not feeling well?”
But at this critical moment, Qi Juan wished he could find a hole to hide in.
“I’m done eating. You guys enjoy your meal.” The woman slammed her chopsticks on the table, her posture seemed angry. She casually grabbed a piece of tissue paper, tore it halfway, but she didn’t care. With her slippers clacking, she went straight to the sofa.
The sound from the TV was clear, with intense conversations that seemed like arguments. But Qi Jian didn’t pay attention; his thoughts were in turmoil.
After Yu Yue Sheng put down his chopsticks, he picked up his coat that was hanging on the back of the chair, put it on, and asked Qi Juan, “Are you done eating? I’ll take you back.”
“Yes, I’m done.” Qi Juan quickly nodded.
–
When the two of them arrived at the underground garage, a damp, cold, and musty-smelling air immediately hit their noses. Qi Juan followed behind Yu Yue Sheng, pressing on his stomach, but he couldn’t hold back and ended up vomiting a little into a corner. In fact, he hadn’t eaten much, just some undigested rice coated with stomach acid.
Yu Yue Sheng patted his back gently.
Qi Juan slowly straightened up, coughed a few times, and said, “I probably just had an endoscopy. My stomach doesn’t feel too good, it’s not very painful, just a little nauseous.” He forced a casual smile, “I really want to drink some ice water to soothe it.”
Yu Yue Sheng replied, “Sure.” He opened the back door of the car and said to Qi Juan, “You can lie down for a while.”
“Okay.” Qi Juan obediently lay down in the backseat, curling his body slowly and skillfully placing his arms horizontally across his abdomen.
It was very strange; that feeling of fear came back again, as if an all-pervading black seawater suddenly surged, threatening to drown him.
Just like the aunt had said before.
You two are simply not from the same world. Get lost! Go away! Stay away from my son!!
Ah.
It felt as if a dagger had been fiercely thrust into his body, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
“Laoshi, can you please stop the car?” Qi Juan said weakly, struggling to sit up while bracing himself against the seat.
“We’ll be there soon, hold on a little longer,” Yu Yue Sheng glanced at the person in the rear-view mirror, tightly gripping the steering wheel with unreadable emotions .
“Okay… I’ll do as you say,” Qi Juan’s voice weakened.
The young man struggled to lean against the car window, wrapping his arms around himself, his lips pressed tightly together. Weary, he rested his fingers on the window control button, absentmindedly fiddling with it.
When the window was rolled down a bit, the hot and dry wind blew in, tousling the young man’s hair.
Sunlight fell on half of his cheek, and his slightly sweaty skin had a faint rosy tint. His eyelashes fluttered tremblingly, and there was a tiny teardrop mole at the corner of his eye. He looked as if he was half-asleep, appearing very docile, yet evoking a sense of compassion from others.
Yu Yue Sheng glanced twice, then withdrew his gaze from the rear-view mirror.
–
When the door of the house opened, Qi Juan almost tiptoed and rushed into the bathroom. He vomited all the lunch in one go, feeling like he had nothing left. It seemed that only when his stomach was empty, tormenting himself was the most satisfying thing.
When Yu Yue Sheng brought him boiled water, he didn’t feel like drinking it either. Qi Juan curled up in the blanket, sniffed, and spoke weakly, “Laoshi, can you not leave?”
“I haven’t left.” Yu Yue Sheng sat by the bedside, tucking him in with the blanket, “Do you have a hot water bag at home? I’ll fill it for you.”
Qi Juan shook his head, “It’s okay, I’ll be fine with just resting.”
Yu Yue Sheng: “Hmm.”
Qi Juan stared at him unwaveringly and placed Yu Yue Sheng’s hand on his soft stomach. His eyes sparkled, and his lips curved slightly, saying, “Laoshi, didn’t you massage it today?”
“Will massaging you make it better?” Yu Yue Sheng felt that this little brat never ate properly, deliberately opposing him as if he purposely pretended to have a stomachache to get some attention or advantage.
He noticed that Qi Juan had become thinner, with tight skin on his abdomen, even slightly sunken. When he touched it, it was soft and cool, without severe spasms, but he couldn’t tell if it was still painful.
He started to massage the area in circles, hoping it would have some effect.
Qi Juan leaned against Yu Yue Sheng’s side and chuckled softly, “Of course. It will get much better.”
–
The supermarket on the weekend was bustling, and the loudspeakers overhead were repeatedly announcing various promotional activities. People of all ages were crowded inside, picking and choosing items.
“Which one is better?” Qi Juan compared two radios in his hands and asked the store clerk.
“They are about the same,” the store clerk lazily raised a finger and casually said, “That one. More people buy it.”
“Alright, thank you.” Qi Juan placed the radio into the shopping cart and then pushed the cart to the fruit section.
As he was just putting two bunches of grapes into a plastic bag, he looked up and unexpectedly saw someone he knew. His eyes brightened, and Qi Juan asked in surprise, “laoshi, what are you doing here?”
“Buying things,” Yu Yue Sheng said while also grabbing a plastic bag.
Watching Yu Yue Sheng put package after package of junk food into the shopping cart, Qi Juan couldn’t help but complain, “laoshi, don’t eat so many instant noodles, they’re not good for your health. You can buy some vegetables, meat, and cook for yourself—”
Thinking about the soup Yu Yue Sheng made, Qi Juan obediently kept quiet.
Yu Yue Sheng continued picking items, adding package after package of instant noodles to the shopping cart. Feeling bored, Qi Juan changed the topic again, “Laoshi, don’t you know how to eat properly? What are you buying? Instant noodles and potato chips can’t be your main meals. Why are you buying so many? Even wholesalers don’t buy as much as you do. I just bought some fruits, I’ll share them with you.”
“Who said I’m not healthy?” Yu Yue Sheng glanced at him.
“Huh?” This time, Qi Juan fell silent, as if struck by the words.
“Who’s always complaining about pain here and there?” Yu Yue Sheng continued, expressionless, clutching the crumpled plastic bag. “Always keep clutching the stomach and curling up in pain so easily.”
“That’s so strange, who could it be?” Qi Juan ruffled his own hair and turned his face intentionally, saying, “I have no idea.”
–
When they came out of the supermarket, the sunlight was strong. Qi Juan put the bag into the shared bike’s basket, but as soon as his hand touched the seat, he felt it was very hot. He bent down, scanned the QR code on his phone, but the loading circle on the screen kept spinning back and forth, and the bike remained unresponsive.
With the hot weather making people impatient, Qi Juan kicked the bike in frustration.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Yue Sheng walked over.
“The bike seems to be broken. I rode it here, and now it’s not working. It’s frustrating,” Qi Juan said, covering his face.
“Where are you going?”
“To the orphanage.”
…
The car was driving smoothly, and Yu Yue Sheng glanced at the rearview mirror. “Why are you going there?”
In the mirror, the young man was lowering his head, engrossed in playing with his phone, casually replying, “Oh, there’s a grandma I know over there.”
Yu Yue Sheng fell silent, quietly adjusting the steering wheel.
While playing with his phone, Qi Juan continued speaking, “This grandma used to sell sugar figures at the entrance of our school. When I was little, I was short and skinny, and I was always bullied. Then, the grandma would come out with a broom and scare all the bad guys away. She would also give me sugar figures to eat and wipe the dust off my face. Now she’s old, and her memory is not so good anymore. Since she has no children, she stays at the orphanage.”
“…”
Yu Yue Sheng had only seen Qi Juan’s fierce look when he was beating someone. It was hard to imagine Qi Juan being bullied in the past. However, listening to Qi Juan talk about his childhood, being small and skinny, Yu Yue Sheng found it quite amusing. It was as if he could already see a mini version of Qi Juan, with a strand of messy hair sticking up, and his big, dark pupils staring at him, grabbing his clothes and calling out in a cute, childish voice, “Laoshi~”
“Do you often go there?” Yu Yue Sheng asked him.
“Of course! I go there every week. Grandma is such a nice person,” Qi Juan’s excitement surged, and he couldn’t sit still in the back seat. He leaned forward and placed his hand on the back of Yu Yue Sheng’s chair. “Are we going together later?”
“I’m not going.”
“Teacher, we can go for a hotpot right after visiting the welfare home.”
“What hotpot?”
“Huh?” Qi Juan slumped back in his seat.
“I told you a couple of days ago. A new hotpot restaurant opened near my house. You promised to go with me when it’s my birthday, and today is my birthday. You can’t break your promise.”
“Alright.”
“So, are we going, right?”
“Mhmm.”
“Yay! Oh right, grandma’s memory is not good. Don’t mention my birthday to her, or she will feel like she forgot and get sad…”
Here it goes again.
This person, as long as his stomach doesn’t hurt, can chat with people from the age of eight to eighty for a good half-day. He is always optimistic and cheerful.
–
“Grandma, this is my Laoshi. He brought me here today,” Qi Juan said eagerly as he pulled Yu Yue Sheng and introduced him to his grandma.
“Oh, oh, oh, hello, Laoshi, hello,” grandma looked up and her gaze fell on the tall and handsome man. A smile appeared on her aged face, and the lines at the corners of her eyes deepened. In an instant, she showed the expression she had when picking vegetables at the market, “Not bad, not bad, so fair and clean, you look like a well-behaved child at first glance.”
Yu Yue Sheng slightly furrowed his brow, “…”
He couldn’t quite digest the words “well-behaved child.”
“It’s okay, that’s how elderly people praise others,” Qi Juan explained to Yu Yue Sheng.
Yu Yue Sheng, “…”
The welfare home housed many elderly residents, and the door frames were relatively low, so Yu Yue Sheng had to lower his head as he walked inside.
“Grandma, I have something to show you.” Qi Juan mysteriously took something out of his bag and playfully imitated the sound effects, “Deng deng deng deng… Look!”
It was a red radio.
“Oh my goodness! It’s just like the one on TV.” Grandma immediately patted Qi Juan’s arm and exclaimed with excitement, “Not bad, not bad, my Juan is so good.” As she spoke, she called over another old lady to show off, “Xiao Li, look, a new radio! My grandson bought it!”
Old Lady Li came over shaking her fan, and her hand couldn’t help but touch the radio several times as she envied, “Your grandson is really good.”
”That’s right.” Grandma giggled, lovingly putting away the item, “No more showing it to you; I’ll treasure it and only listen to it on special occasions.”
”Why bother with so many rules, Grandma? If it breaks, I’ll buy you a new one, in all colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.”.
”Alright, alright!” Grandma couldn’t stop smiling.
Qi Juan washed the fresh fruit for Grandma and told her some interesting things that happened at school, but he also omitted many details, only mentioning that Chen Geou bullied Zuo Ziming, and he helped give Chen a lesson.
”Haha, good! Hit him, you did well!” Grandma clapped her hands while eating grapes, and with a firm “tut,” spat out the grape skin, “Let him bully others, he won’t behave!”
Yue Yue Sheng: “……”
From childhood to adulthood, he always followed the demands of his parents. When it was time to study, he studied; when it was time to work, he worked. He lived as the proud student in the eyes of his teachers, the admired one among his peers, and the child that other parents talked about as an example.
As for himself, his so-called “friends” were only classmates and roommates, and he didn’t even know how to get along well with others.
Now he lowered his head, seemingly scrolling through his phone screen, but actually listening to the conversation of the other two people, feeling quite curious.
As they chatted, Grandma even grabbed a large handful of cookies and eagerly stuffed them into the arms of Qijuan and Yue Yuesheng: “These are delicious. The welfare institution distributed them in the morning, and I had one, very tasty. Knowing that you were coming, I kept them for you.” Grandma smiled kindly, despite missing several teeth.
Yue Yuesheng waved his hand, “No need, you eat them.”
“Grandma, I want some, they look delicious.” Qi Juan happily accepted the cookies and whispered to Yue Yuesheng, “Keep taking them, it makes her happy.”
When Yue Yuesheng came back to his senses, his pockets were already filled with several packs of cookies.
—
In theory, Qi Juan’s troublesome stomach couldn’t handle the hotpot, so Yue Yuesheng had already bought medicine for him in advance. After Qi Juan finished drinking the prepared medicine, he noticed that Yue Yuesheng had parked the car in front of a porridge restaurant.
Qi Juan leaned against the car window and said in disbelief, “Laoshi, why did you stop here?”
Yue Yuesheng turned off the engine, “Let’s have some porridge first.”
“No, I’m not a rabbit. 1The phrase “我又不是兔子” means “I’m not a rabbit” or “I can’t eat like a rabbit,” implying that the person cannot or does not want to eat as much as suggested. It is used to reject the idea of consuming a large amount of food. Didn’t we agree on this?” Qi Juan clutched the seatbelt buckle and hesitated to get out of the car.
“Eat hotpot after the porridge,” Yue yue sheng suggested.
“I don’t want to. Then, what else can I eat?”
Yue yue sheng was resigned to Qi juan’s stubbornness and went to the hotpot restaurant alone.
He thought to himself: If he gets a stomach ache again, it’s his own fault.
He watched Qi juan from time to time reaching his chopsticks into the spicy hotpot, making his cheeks flushed. Just thinking that it was Qi juan who did this to himself, Yueyuesheng couldn’t be bothered to scold him.
Qi Juan, on the other hand, didn’t pay much attention and casually introduced to Yu Yuesheng which dipping sauce tasted good. He had already consumed most of the freshly squeezed corn juice.
“Are you still eating?” Yue Yuesheng asked.
“I haven’t had hot pot for a long time.” Qi Juan raised his eyes and looked at him with shining black pupils. “Life should be enjoyed to the fullest. Teacher, I toast to you, grateful that we can meet again.”
“…” Yu Yue Sheng didn’t know what to say. He just silently ate the hot pot while Qi Juan continued saying some strange things.
After finishing the hot pot, when the two walked to the front of the restaurant, the staff stopped them and smiled, “Hey handsome guys, you can enter the lucky draw by presenting the receipt. First prize is a mobile phone, second prize is a color TV…”
“Well, let’s give it a try.” Qi Juan wasn’t interested in things like refrigerators or color TVs, but he wanted to join in the fun.
He took a few steps to the lottery prize display at the entrance and swiftly spun the wheel.
When the pointer stopped, it pointed to the “Outstanding Prize.”
“What’s this?” Qi Juan asked.
The staff member took out the redemption form and flipped through it, showing it to Qi Juan. “Hey handsome, your luck is pretty good. It’s a plush toy. Please wait a moment.”
She dragged a box from under the counter. “It’s in here. Choose one.”
The cardboard box was stuffed with various plush toys, mostly teddy bears, mischievous bunnies, and hello kitty dolls, which were more appealing to girls.
“That one,” Qi Juan pointed to a chubby Stich2from Lilo & Stitchplush toy.
“Alright,” said the staff member while taking out the chosen plush toy and pulling a sheet of transparent plastic wrap from the table. She carefully wrapped the doll.
The evening breeze blew in, and a few passersby also gathered, curiously stopping in front of the counter. Perhaps they wanted to learn more about this hot pot restaurant or consider whether the lottery was worth participating in.
Yu Yue Sheng remembered something and said to Qi Juan, “It’s just right as a birthday gift.”
“Are there no other gifts?” Qi Juan whispered.
As the staff finished wrapping the plush toy, she was adjusting the bow on it with her hands.
Upon hearing this, she looked up, smiling happily, and said, “Hey handsome, it’s your birthday! With your ID, you can get another plush toy as a gift.”
“Oh, happy birthday, bro!” A young couple standing nearby also looked over, cheerfully striking up a conversation.
“Thank you,” Qi Juan said, “but it’s alright; I don’t need another plush toy.”
“Go ahead,” Yu Yue Sheng urged.
Qi Juan clenched his ID tightly in his pocket, his palm slightly sweaty. He thought about the mismatched birth date printed on it and nervously said, “Um… I didn’t bring my ID.”
“It’s alright. We can look it up with your number,” the staff member said, handing the wrapped Stitch plush toy to Qi Juan. She smiled and said, “We can check at the front desk online, as long as we confirm today is your birthday.”
Qi Juan: “…”
Unable to confirm, can he just go and die now?
Author has something to say :
No. (Serious face)
