My Mister Ostrich

Chapter 26

They left the noodle shop and found a public phone near a small shop. Pang Qian helped Gu Mingxi dial the number to his house, then she held the the phone up to his ear.

He tilted his head to cradle the phone between his head and shoulders. After a moment, the call went through. Gu Mingxi said, “Mom, it’s me, Mingxi. Is Dad at home?”

Pang Qian listened to his call off to the side. Gu Mingxi’s words were very organized. He explained the situation with just a few words, with a few lies thrown in. He said that Sun Mingfang and Jian Zhe had gone home early.

They exchanged words back and forth, and then Gu Mingxi smiled, an excited look crossing his face. “Thanks, Dad! Then Pang Qian and I will wait at the entrance to the convention center. The address is xxxxx.”

“…”

“Okay. Bye, Dad.”

Pang Qian helped him hang up the phone. After paying, she asked curiously, “Who’s coming?”

“One of my dad’s good friends in Shanghai. My dad said that he’s going to call the man, and then he’ll come help us set up a hotel, somewhere nearby.”

Pang Qian cried out excitedly, “Really?!”

They waited in front of the convention hall, sitting side by side on the steps leading to the doors, avoiding the sun. Pang Qian fed Gu Mingxi some cola, and then showed him all her plunders from the morning. She talked to him excitedly about the origins of her hand drawn picture.

About half an hour later, a middle-aged man rushed over. He looked around the entrance, his eyes skimming over Gu Mingxi several times, though never stopping on him. Gu Mingxi stared at him a long while, then he stood up and walked over to him. Pang Qian quickly followed him, and heard Gu Mingxi say, “Excuse me, are you Uncle Lin?”

Lin Weibin turned around to see Gu Mingxi, and was extremely surprised. He asked hesitatingly, “You…are Gu Guoxiang’s son?”

Gu Mingxi smiled at him, “Mm, my name is Gu Mingxi. Hello, Uncle Lin.”

Lin Weibin looked over Gu Mingxi. A young boy whose hair was covered in sweat, his face slightly red from exposure to the sub. Taking a close look at his facial features, he did resemble Gu Guoxiang. His gaze lowered to his shoulders, carrying a large backpack. Next to the wide straps, there hung two empty t-shirt sleeves. When he spoke or made a slight movement, the empty sleeves would swing about.

Lin Weibin couldn’t help but ask once more with emphasis, “Are you really Gu Guoxiang’s son? Are you his elder or younger son?”

Gu Mingxi stared for a moment, then responded, “My dad only has one son.”

Lin Weibin opened his mouth as he wiped away the sweat on his forehead, “Oh, sorry. Although I’ve known your father for nearly ten years, I’ve never met your mother or you. You should have contacted me yesterday when you arrived in Shanghai. I would have taken you out for a meal.”

Gu Mingxi smiled embarrassed, “Yesterday, we were with our friends. Uncle, sorry to trouble you today. It’s your day off and you still have to help us.”

Lin Weibin quickly said, “It’s not a trouble at all. Aiya, when Engineer Gong comes, he helps us all a lot. I’m very happy that his son has come to visit Shanghai!”

Lin Weibin drove Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian to a nearby 4 star hotel and helped them reserve a standard room. He got their room key and led them up the elevator. He spoke about how he and Gu Guoxiang had met and what they usually did when they met up.

“Every time your dad comes to Shanghai, he’ll call me out for a drink. We’re really good friends. He’s even come to my house for dinner before,” Lin Weibin said. “Don’t blame me for not recognizing you. When your father talks about you, he talks about how outstanding you are at school, that you test 1st in the grade, that your drawing won an award. How could I have imagined that…”