My Mister Ostrich

Chapter 20

Gu Mingxi said, “Because birds can fly.”

When he said that, he bit on his thin lips, eyes lowered. His feet were busily working to squeeze out paint, wash his brush, and picked up new colors. Human toes aren’t very short, and they’re stuck together. Only his big toe and second toe could be used, and they couldn’t be as nimble as fingers. But the young Gu Mingxi had to learn how to do things with his feet. He knew that in others’ eyes, it was rather strange, but there was no other option.

He’d imagined flying, just like a bird. But what about wings?

Gu Mingxi’s painting technique was getting better and better. To Pang Qian, that was a very good thing. She would borrow comics from the bookstores, and when she found a scene she really liked, she would force Gu Mingxi to copy it for her.

The teacher’s assertion that Gu Mingxi wasn’t wholly obedient was because of this. Each time, he would listen and draw for Pang Qian. Over the years, Pang Qian had collected a great big stack of his artwork. Gu Mingxi would sometimes complain, “Why is it always boys? Can’t you pick some pretty looking girls for me to draw?”

Pang Qian drooled over all the pictures of the wide shouldered, long legged handsome guys, and said, “What’s so good about drawing girls? If you like them, go ahead and draw them. In any case, I don’t want them.”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

Pang Qian admired the copies that Gu Mingxi made for her, and couldn’t help but say, “Gu Mingxi, your drawings are really awesome! You can draw comics in the future. Submit something to Cartoon King, and you can be a comic author!”

Gu Mingxi smiled at her and asked, “If I sell a comic, will you buy it?”

“Of course!” Pang Qian cried out excitedly. “I want 100 copies! I’ll give them to everyone I know and tell them that my good friend drew it. That’d be super amazing!”

Gu Mingxi pursed his lips, and then he laughed.

Pang Qian said, “Oh yeah, when you get famous, can you draw me as the female protagonist?”

Gu Mingxi asked curiously, “What kind of story do you want?”

“Something like Fushigi Yugi. Tamahome likes Miaka, Hotohori likes Miaka, Tasuki likes Miaka, and even Nuriko likes Miaka… Anyway, everyone likes the female protagonist! That would be me!”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

Many years later, this type of character would be called moe (orig. malisu or Mary Sue) ^_^

—

After talking to Xie Yi about it, Pang Qian went home and told Pang Shuisheng about going to the comic convention in Shanghai over summer break. Pang Shuisheng immediately refused, “What kind of joke are you playing? How can a kid go so far away by themselves? No way!”

Pang Qian’s stubbornness started to show. Every day after school, Pang Qian would pester Pang Shuisheng about having her parents take her (to the convention).

Pang Shuisheng looked at the time for the comic convention and said, “Doesn’t look like I can go. Work will be very busy at that time, and I’ll probably be away on a business trip for half a month.”

Pang Qian went to look for Jin Ai’hua. She said, “You’re already so old, and you’re still reading comics? These are all for children. Summers in Shanghai are very hot. If you want to go play, I can take you rafting.”

Pang Qian didn’t give up, and started to play a game of tug of war with Pang Shuisheng. Every day, she would talk and talk to him about it. And eventually, she wore him out. He said, “Three conditions. One, you score in the top 10 of your class on the final exams. Two, there have to be four people going together. Three, when you get to Shanghai, I’ll find a friend of mine to take you out to eat and find a place to stay. You can’t go around on your own. If you agree / fulfill all three of these conditions, then I’ll agree to let you go.”