My Mister Ostrich

Chapter 91-100

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 91 Ends of the Earth
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 91 Ends of the Earth
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Chapter 91 Ends of the Earth
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

Gu Mingxi, have you gone mad? Why are you crying and laughing at the same time?

A tear fell onto her arm.

Gu Mingxi recalled the words he told Dou Dou earlier that morning. “You’re a boy, you can’t love crying so much.” But now, his own eyes were all red. If Dou Dou saw him, he’d definitely make fun of him.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help laughing. Pang Qian put her face next to his. She said, “Gu Mingxi, have you gone mad? Why are you crying and laughing at the same time?”

Her kiss landed on his eyes. After helping him get rid of his tears, she loosened her embrace and sat down beside him. She turned to look at him.

His head was bowed deeply, his eyes drooping. His body shook a bit. Pang Qian stroked his face and called to him, “Gu Mingxi, Gu Mingxi…”

She held his face in her hand, her thumb wiping away the tears. Finally, her own voice started choking up. “You’re the worst. I already decided that I wasn’t going to cry. And in the end, you actually cried, even though you’re a grown man. Does that make sense?”

Pang Qian’s tears spilled out from her eyes. Gu Mingxi finally lifted his head to look at her. Both of their eyes were red, their faces covered in tears. But in front of each others’ eyes was the face that was engraved deeply into their minds.

“Gu Mingxi, let me take a good look at you.” Her finger gently stroked his face, from his eyebrows to his eyes, and then his nose, lips, chin… He was no longer that fair and pretty youth. But he also didn’t look as dark, thin, or sloppy as he had six years ago. Gu Mingxi had grown into a grown up man now. His complexion was a bit darker and well built. There were distinctive contours on his face. A straight nose, thin lips, a firm and sharp chin. He’d lost the softness and innocence of youth.

But the eyes he used to look at her were still the same as all those years ago. Gentle, pure, as vast as the sea.

Pang Qian smiled through her tears. “Gu Mingxi, it’s really you! How can you be like this, hiding in such a faraway place? Do you know how hard it’s been searching for you?”

He hadn’t spoken yet. At this moment, he opened his mouth and gently called to her, “Pang Pang.”

“Ey!” Pang Qian’s tears started falling again. Gu Mingxi felt it was just incredible. He called her once again, “Pang Pang.”

“Ey! It’s me!”

“Pang Pang, Pang Pang…”

“It’s me, it’s me!”

“Pang Pang.”

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He suddenly straightened up, his chest out, sitting stiffly next to Pang Qian. His shoulders had grown more broad and his chest more thick. He tried his best to embrace her with what was left of his shoulders. She was surrounded by his scent, the very same one in her memories. Pang Qian broke out in tears and immediately held onto him, hugging him tightly in her arms. She called out loudly, “Gu Mingxi! Gu Mingxi! It’s me! It’s me! I’m warning you, this is the last time! If you dare to leave without a sound again, I’m going to post all your private information onto the internet! Your photo too! I’m going to let all your female fans see what an asshole their beloved Mister Ostrich really is!”

Gu Mingxi couldn’t help it and suddenly let out a laugh. He straightened up again, staring at the girl in front of him.

She was very pretty now.

He felt very surprised. It was clearly her face and her facial features, but right now, Pang Qian looked so elegant and beautiful. She had a head of shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. She had on a floral dress, and he could see her elegant shoulders and her delicate collarbone. Her skin was white and pale, her expression still as fresh and lively as before.

Pang Qian crinkled her nose and made a face at him. She said, “What, scared now? Gu Mingxi, I’m telling you, I’m a person who keeps my word. If you play around and go missing again, I’m going to mobilize the entire nation to find you!”

After she finished, she pulled out a napkin and wiped away her own tears along with Gu Mingxi’s. Speaking to herself, she said, “Good thing I had foresight. I knew I would cry when I saw you, so I didn’t put on any makeup. If I had, you’d be laughing so much at me right now.”

Gu Mingxi lips sprang up and he smiled particularly happily.

This was really his Pang Pang. The one always by his side, who loved to make trouble, the girl who loved crying. She’d grown up, but she hadn’t changed.

Pang Qian finally calmed herself. She was a bit thirsty when she spotted the iced coffee on the table. She grabbed it and took a sip. Gu Mingxi said, “I already drank from it.”

Pang Qian gulped down half the cup and put it back on the table. She bent over, closed her eyes, and kissed him on the lips.

He immediately tasted the thick scent of coffee from her mouth. Cold and sweet. As she pecked his lips, she said, “I drank some too. Do you mind?”

Their foreheads touched, and he smiled and shook his head.

Pang Qian looked at him playfully and stuck out her tongue. “Then that’s fine.”

In order to give them ample time to get reacquainted, Jiang Qi stayed away from the terrace for half an hour. Seeing Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi sitting side by side, smiling happily, Jiang Qi also felt very happy. She sat across from them. “This is the most beautiful Christmas I’ve ever had. After I read Xiao Gu’s story for the first time, I cried for half a day. I kept thinking, how could Miss Crab bear to live this kid? Now, the stone weighing my heart down has finally been released. Seeing you two reunite because of the book I put out makes me really happy. Working as Xiao Gu’s editor for four years, watching him all by himself, I really wanted to see him get his happy ending.”

The three of them had lunch together. Jiang Qi and Gu Mingxi also discussed work. It was nearly the new year. Jiang Qi told Gu Mingxi that with the new year, the company hoped that Gu Mingxi would be able to put out two books. One in the summer, and another at the end of the year.

“I know that you have a heavy workload, but Xiao Gu, considering how popular “Crab” is right now, we really should strike while the iron’s hot. I know that there are a lot of companies trying to sign your next book now, and their royalties might be higher. But the Team Leader said that if your new book is published with us, your royalties will definitely go up, and you’ll definitely be satisfied. The Team Leader means for you to be at ease. Since we’ve worked together for so many years now, from when you were unknown to all your fame now, I hope that I’ll be able to keep working with you. And you know the attitude of our publishing house. Our production and promotion are both industry-leading. So, Xiao Gu, I hope that as you develop ideas for your new book, you’ll be able to continue discussing them with me.”

Pang Qian was having pasta as she listened from the side. She asked, “Gu Mingxi, how much do you get in royalties for a book?”

Gu Mingxi turned to look at her, his expression a bit shy. He said, “Not much.”

Jiang Qi covered her mouth and laughed. “This, it’s an industry secret. We signed a confidentiality agreement with Xiao Gu, so he can’t leak that information.”

“So mysterious?” Pang Qian was surprised. “Even family can’t know?”

Jiang Qi said, “That’s not entirely the case. If a wife and husband discuss things in their own private time, you and I both know, there’s naturally nothing we can do.”

Gu Mingxi’s face reddened and he lowered his head. His foot grabbed onto his fork and twisted up his pasta. Pang Qian glanced over at him and said quietly, “He and I… rarely have secrets.”

After lunch, the sun was shining down strongly. The boss put up an umbrella for shade. Pang Qian went inside to look at the magazines, leaving Gu Mingxi and Jiang Qi to chat on the terrace. The air conditioning was on inside the cafe. She sat by the window, the warm sun shining on her making her sleepy. Not long after, she fell asleep on the sofa.

Sleeping for some time, she suddenly felt a gentle touch on her ankle. Pang Qian opened her eyes and saw Gu Mingxi sitting beside her, reaching over to her ankle with his foot.

“You’re done?” Pang Qian sat up and looked over to the terrace. Jiang Qi was already gone. She asked, “Where’s Qi?”

“She went to the airport.” Gu Mingxi smiled slightly.

“How long did I sleep for?”

“Not long, about an hour.” He looked at her and said, “Pang Pang, let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“To the school where I work.” As he spoke, he gently caressed her smooth leg with his foot. Pang Qian looked down at the chain around his right ankle. It was the small stone she’d gifted him.

Such a (monetarily) worthless chain, and he actually wore it for so many years.

He said, “Did Qi tell you that I’m working as a teacher now?”

Pang Qian nodded. “She mentioned it to me. You live at the school?”

“Yeah, the school dorms.” Gu Mingxi stood up and looked at Pang Qian’s luggage. He said, “Pang Pang, let’s go. I’ll take you to see the school. It’s Christmas today, and a few of the teachers agreed to have a party tonight.”

Pang Qian dragged her luggage along. Gu Mingxi said they ought to take a taxi, and Pang Qian asked, “How did you get here?”

Gu Mingxi smiled, “I took the bus.”

“Then we can just take the bus back.” Pang Qian wore a large straw hat and looked around excitedly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve taken the bus with you. We’re not in a rush anyway. No need to take a taxi.”

Gu Mingxi had no other option, so he the two of them took the bus back. Luckily, the bus wasn’t crowded. They still sat at the very back.

Hainan’s sky was ridiculously blue, and the air was especially nice. Pang Qian sat by the window and watched the beautiful Sanya scenery passing by. She felt very relaxed and pleasant. It was the week of Christmas, and though it wasn’t cold at all, many shops still hung up Christmas decorations. Having come from the cold E City, Pang Qian felt like she was dreaming here, with the warm winter outside and the warm Gu Mingxi beside her.

The bus swayed and started up as Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi started chatting. She asked, “When did you come to Sanya?”

Gu Mingxi answered, “Three years ago, at the end of ’07.”

“Why did you decide to come here?”

“Because it’s very warm here. I don’t have to wear thick clothes all year long.” He lifted his foot for her to see. “Look, I can wear sandals in December. It’s much more convenient for me.”

Pang Qian looked at his feet and then curled her lips. Actually, she’d noticed it earlier when they were eating. His feet weren’t the way she remembered them.

His feet were very big. Pang Qian remembered that, even though he used his feet for many things, like eating, writing, putting on his clothes, and picking things up, his feet were always clean and white. He would keep his toenails short. If his feet got dirty, he would wash them at the first opportunity he got.

But now, his feet were dark, rough, and even covered with scars.

Pang Qian couldn’t imagine how he got those scars. She looked at bone protruding out beside his big toe, the obvious veins on the back of his foot, the cracks and calluses, and she felt such heartache.

The only thing that hadn’t changed was probably his toenails. They were still cut short and neat, rectangular with a small half sun. Pang Qian recalled that her dad had said that it meant that Gu Mingxi was very healthy.

Pang Qian lowered her head onto Gu Mingxi’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. She asked, “Gu Mingxi, when did Auntie pass away?”

Gu Mingxi looked down and said, “2006, in May.”

“Where did you go after that?”

“S City.”

“Did you ever return to E City?”

He turned to look at her and nodded. “After my mom passed away, I went back to E City once to take care of some formalities.”

“By yourself?”

“I went by myself, but Shark helped me take care of some things.”

“Why didn’t you look for me to help you?”

“Pang Pang…” He didn’t really know how to explain. Pang Qian would never know how far he’d fallen at that time. After Li Han passed away, he sold the house and returned all the money and favors he owed. He was neatly penniless and homeless at that point.

He was completely unable to take care of himself. But even then, he didn’t go to Gu Guoxiang for help.

Shark and Xu Shuanghua lent Gu Mingxi two pairs of helping hands. After careful consideration, Gu Mingxi decided to accept Xu Shuanghua’s help. He followed Xu Shuanghua to S City and moved into his house.

Xu Shuanghua was a very busy person. Aside from when there was class, he was flying all across the country. Gu Mingxi mostly stayed at home by himself.

When Xu Shuanghua returned, he’d teach Gu Mingxi about drawing. Sometimes, he would let him go to S City’s Art Institute to listen in on a lecture.

The teachers and students at the school quickly took notice of this special boy. He carried his backpack and walked around the campus. He knew the curriculum for all the school disciplines. Often, he would silently enter a room before a class started and sit in the corner to observe.

All the teachers knew his relation to Xu Shuanghua, so they never made him leave. Gu Mingxi didn’t disturb others either. During sketching classes, he didn’t draw, but instead listened, watched, and thought. When he returned home, he would practice drawing.

Most of the time, Gu Mingxi was very calm. But occasionally, he would become a bit fidgety. Whenever that happened, he would head over to the talent market at the bridge in S City and have a chat with Cannon.

Cannon was a good guy. When they were together, Gu Mingxi felt completely at ease. Cannon taught Gu Mingxi how to make the small straw figures. Frogs, crabs, butterflies, grasshoppers, rabbits… He worked very slowly and clumsily with his feet, and sometimes he just leaned against the bridge railing and daydreamed.

The winters in S City were just as intolerably cold as those in Z City. The temperatures outside were extremely low and the people on the road would rush by in their thick coats. Gu Mingxi wore a lot of clothes. Bundled up like a big cotton ball, he sat on the bridge as the winter wind blew through his hair. Then he looked up silently at the dark gray sky.

One time, someone passed by him and then walked back, leaving five dollars on the floor in front of him before walking away.

Gu Mingxi stared at that five dollars and Cannon laughed crazily beside him. After he finished laughing, he asked Gu Mingxi, “Xiao Gu, do you have any difficulties right now?”

Gu Mingxi shook his head, “No, I’m doing well.”

Cannon pulled out 500 dollars from his pocket. Ignoring Gu Mingxi’s protests, he stuffed it into Gu Mingxi’s pocket. “Go buy something good to eat. You’re too thin.”

At the time, Gu Mingxi was still drawing for other artists, one book after another, working hard to earn money. In early 2007, Xu Shuanghua gave Gu Mingxi Jiang Qi’s business card and told him that there was a publishing company that was very interested in his works.

At the end of 2007, Gu Mingxi decided move down south. Before leaving, he went to the bridge to see Cannon. But even after several days, Cannon didn’t show up.

The woman who sold lighters to the side of him told Gu Mingxi that Cannon’s kid had gotten sick, so they went away for treatment.

From then on, Gu Mingxi never met Cannon again.

When the bus arrived at their stop, Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian got off together. They were in a place pretty far away from the city. The streets were lined with tropical trees, but Pang Qian didn’t know if they were palm trees or coconut trees. She just dragged her luggage along behind Gu Mingxi, asking one question after another.

“Gu Mingxi, what class do you teach at school?”

“Guess.” Gu Mingxi turned to her and smiled.

She thought for a moment. “Art?”

“That’s right. But not just that.”

“What else?”

“Math and English.” Gu Mingxi said, “There aren’t many teachers here, so each one teaches several classes.”

“And you still have time to draw?”

“My schedule is really tight, but you make time. On the weekends, during summer and winter breaks, in the evenings. I can draw at those times.” He shrugged. “I don’t really have any other recreational activities.”

Pang Qian asked, “Living in the dorms, is there anything that’s inconvenient for you?”

“Naturally,” Gu Mingxi said. “No matter how amazing my feet are, they still won’t be as good as hands.”

He spoke very clearly, but Pang Qian felt terrible about it. She pulled off her straw hat and put it on his head. The she said angrily, “Who told you to hide yourself away somewhere? Who told you not to look for me?! When you were in E City, where you ever alone? I-I definitely would have helped you.”

Her hat was sky blue, with trimmed edges and a pink bow. Gu Mingxi shook his head, but not only didn’t the hat fall off, it fit his head even more. Helplessly, he said, “Pang Pang…”

Pang Qian laughed nonstop. Gu Mingxi had her help him take the had off, but she didn’t want to. Gu Mingxi blocked her path and grabbed at her skirt. Pang Qian laughed happily and jumped away.

They’d already walked onto the school grounds. The two of them were playing around when a voice sounded from the side, “Teacher Xiao Gu’s back? Ah? Who’s the pretty lady?”

Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi turned their heads and saw five people, three young men and a young woman. There were also six of seven little boys.

Gu Mingxi was still wearing the straw hat with a pink bow, and his face turned red with embarrassment. He shouted at Pang Qian again, “Pang Pang, hurry and take the hat off!”

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 92 Teacher Xiao Gu
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 92 Teacher Xiao Gu
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Chapter 92 Teacher Xiao Gu
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

Gu Mingxi has nothing. Gu Mingxi is a pauper.

Teacher Xiao Gu who’d left by himself that morning actually came back with a young, pretty woman!

The young teachers of the primary school were all shocked. They were about to head to the market to buy ingredients for their dinner party that night, but after seeing Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian, they immediately started to greet the two with great enthusiasm.

Pang Qian had already helped Gu Mingxi take off the straw hat, and she gave a friendly smile to the teachers. Ji Xiu’er was holding Dou Dou’s hand as they stood on the side. The two of them both looked at Pang Qian with a complicated expression.

Teacher Chen smiled and asked Gu Mingxi, “Teacher Gu, give us an introduction. Who is this?”

Pang Qian’s eyes turned and stared at Gu Mingxi. He said, “This is an old friend, (Ms.) Pang.”

–Pang?

The young teachers suddenly started bubbling, “Teacher Gu! Is this your Miss Crab?”

Gu Mingxi laughed lightly and nodded his head. “Yeah, this is her.”

“Oh! Teacher Gu, congratulations!” Some of the teachers were excited to death. Teacher Wang and Teacher Song also gave a sympathetic glance over to Ji Xiu’er.

Gu Mingxi introduced Pang Qian to Teachers Chen, Wang, Song, Ji Xiu’er, and Dou Dou. Ji Xiu’er seemed to be forcing her smile a bit. After she said “Hello,” her eyes immediately staggered away.

Pang Qian realized that the child named Dou Dou had been staring at her the entire time with a rather hostile expression. Pang Qian made a silly face at him, and the kid’s face immediately flushed red before he hid behind Ji Xiu’er.

The other teachers waited at the school gates as Gu Mingxi took Pang Qian and her luggage back to his dorm. Pang Qian took a quick glance around. It was small but very clean. She laughed as she walked back outside with him.

Everyone took the bus to the big market three stops away. Pang Qian kept walking right beside Gu Mingxi. Dou Dou walked ahead of them but constantly turned back to look at them. He pulled on Ji Xiu’er’s hand and asked, “Teacher Ji, can I go to Teacher Gu?”

“No,” Ji Xiu’er said. “Teacher Gu has a friend visiting now. He has to take care of her, how can he have time to deal with you right now?”

Dou Dou lowered his head dejectedly. He thought about how when Teacher Gu went to the market in the past, he was always the one who walked with him.

The teachers walked around the market in twos and threes, and they bought a lot of stuff. Pang Qian didn’t know much about cooking, but she had a lot of opinions. She told Gu Mingxi that she wanted to eat this and that. He smiled the whole time and said, “Buy whatever you want to eat. The money’s in my pocket, you can get it yourself.”

[support the translator by reading this on mayyth.com]

In recent years, Pang Qian had a decent income, so she rarely felt like she was missing out when it came to food. Usually, she would just eat whatever she wanted to eat. When she went to restaurants, she didn’t really look at the prices either. As they walked around in the seafood area, a giant crab caught her eye.

If you go to Sanya, you obviously have to eat seafood. Pang Qian pulled on Gu Mingxi’s shirt sleeve. “Gu Mingxi, I want to eat giant crab.”

Gu Mingxi smiled and said, “Then pick one out.”

Without even asking about the price, she crouched down and picked out seven fat crabs. The boss said, “1.8 kg, 380 dollars.”

Pang Qian didn’t have any money on her, so she very naturally reached into Gu Mingxi’s pants pocket. After paying, she realized that Dou Dou was standing right next to her, watching her with a very unsatisfied look.

“Teacher Gu, giant crabs are very expensive,” Dou Dou said to Gu Mingxi. “Let’s not eat giant crab.”

The boss had already accepted the payment, so Pang Qian was a bit embarrassed. Gu Mingxi bent over slightly and said, “Dou Dou, it’s Christmas today and it’s the first time my friend is visiting. Let’s celebrate a little. I’ll treat everyone to giant crab.”

“But giant crab is really expensive. We never eat it.” Dou Dou thought of his everyday life with Gu Mingxi, and he felt wronged. Gu Mingxi was very frugal. Although every meal included a meat or fish dish, he’d never bought such expensive seafood before.

Pang Qian carried the bag of crabs with a bit of helplessness. Gu Mingxi gently told her, “Don’t mind him. It’s true that Dou Dou and I don’t usually eat crab. It’s not that we can’t, but it’s not that convenient for me. Really.”

Pang Qian looked at him and blinked a few times. She knew he wasn’t telling the truth.

As they kept walking around the market, Pang Qian took note of what Gu Mingxi was wearing. He had on a white cotton shirt with wide, casual army-green pants that were a bit faded.

Pang Qian suddenly realized that Gu Mingxi must not be that well off, economically speaking. Although he was a teacher and published a few books, he didn’t have any support from his family. Pang Qian knew that she’d figured something out (?). Ever since they were kids, Gu Mingxi always had more spending money than her. But now, she’d realized, he wasn’t the same youth who didn’t have to worry about food and clothing expenses.

Pang Qian started feeling a bit of regret at greedily buying such expensive crab. 380 dollars. She wondered how long that money would have lasted toward his living expenses. Pang Qian wanted to pay him back after they returned to the school, but she also felt that he wouldn’t accept it.

She didn’t ask him to buy anything else, but Gu Mingxi wouldn’t have it. He took Pang Qian to the fruit area and had her pick out some fruit.

“If you come to Sanya, you have to eat the fruit here. It’s really good.” He pointed at some mangoes with his chin. “Buy a few mangoes, they’re very sweet. And some mangosteen and dragon fruit. You like them.”

Pang Qian shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I don’t want to eat it.”

Gu Mingxi said, “Then buy some coconut. There are fresh coconut here. They’re a bit heavy though, so after you buy them, get Teacher Chen to carry it.”

Pang Qian shook her head again. “I don’t want to eat it, really. Not at all.”

Gu Mingxi didn’t say anything. He glanced at Pang Qian and then directly spoke to the owner. “Boss, help me pick out a few mangoes, good ones.”

Pang Qian went to pull at his sleeve. “Gu Mingxi…”

“I’m eating it,” he told her lightly. “Pang Pang, help my pay for it. If it’s too heavy, just get Teacher Chen or Teacher Wang to help carry it.”

Then Pang Qian could only pay and accept the bag of mangoes.

When they were finished buying everything, everyone headed back to the bus to go back to the school. Ji Xiu’er considerately brought Dou Dou back to her dorm.

At the east-most door of the teacher’s dorms, Gu Mingxi lifted his foot to open the door. He turned back to Pang Qian and smiled, “Come in.”

Pang Qian carried the things they bought inside to the kitchen. She walked out and saw that Gu Mingxi had already closed the door and the room was quiet.

He’d headed straight to the bathroom to wash his feet, without another glance at her. Gu Mingxi sat down on a plastic chair and turned on the faucet. Cold water poured out as he rubbed his feet against each other. His sleeves hung at his side, swinging with his body. After he washed his feet, he walked back to the living room. Gu Mingxi took a look around and muttered to himself, “Seems like there’s no hot water. I’ll go boil some.”

Before he even moved, someone came up behind him and embraced him.

Gu Mingxi had to admit, he wasn’t used to it. But he felt very happy about it all the same.

“Gu Mingxi, tell me, what does it mean to be an old friend?” Pang Qian had kept thinking about the way he’d introduced her. She asked unhappily, “Why didn’t you say old classmate?”

Gu Mingxi smiled, “I was originally going to say neighbor.”

“You’re the worst!” She held onto him and suddenly started to tickle him. Gu Mingxi twisted himself but couldn’t avoid her. Unable to hold in his laughter, he laughed heartily as he called out, “Pang Pang! Stop it!”

Pang Qian said, “So, tell me, what am I to you?”

He laughed loudly and pulled away. “You’re my Pang Pang.”

“Title? Name? Position?”

Gu Mingxi tried really hard to dodge her and said in a low tone, “Okay, you’re my girlfriend. That’s good enough, right? Hurry and let go, it’s so itchy!”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s good enough’?!” Pang Qian was extremely dissatisfied. Despite wearing a dress, she sprawled across his back and hooked her legs around him. She pulled at his ear and he couldn’t help bending over from the weight of her entire body. It wasn’t easy for him, but he was also happy to suffer in that moment.

“Pang Pang, how can you still act like a kid.” His voice carried some helplessness as he stood there, bent over, not daring to move. Pang Qian clung tightly to him, her hands clenching onto his shirt. With her cheek against his neck, she said, “Gu Mingxi, I really missed you. Really, really missed you a lot. Let me hold you for awhile. I’m worried it’s just a dream, and when I wake up, I’ll just be holding onto a pillow.”

Actually, it was the same for him. He’d seen her countless times in his dreams. He stood in that park, a large tree looming over him. His girl stood in front of him, an arm’s length away, but he couldn’t touch her.

He really wanted to let her hold onto him, but it was raining heavily and the sound of the rained drowned out his own voice. Pang Qian smiled at him and turned around, her figure turning to bubbles and floating away with the wind and the rain.

Right now, Gu Mingxi was willing to keep standing like that, with his girl on his back. Just like in his illustrations, a small ostrich carrying a little crab on his back. No matter how long the distance, how tough or tiring, he wouldn’t put her down.

But how could Pang Qian bear to tire him out. After acting like an octopus for a bit, she decided to get off of him. She looked around his small place curiously and asked, “Gu Mingxi, have you been living here for the past three years?”

Gu Mingxi straightened up and nodded. “Yeah, ever since the Spring Festival in 2008, I’ve been teaching here.”

His place was very small with two rooms. In the outside room, there was a dining table and chairs, a refrigerator, cabinet, and a large desk. The desk was low to the ground, with papers, paints, brushes, a palette, and professional books piled on top. It was very clearly Gu Mingxi’s illustration and work area.

The inner room had two single beds, a large dresser, and a TV hanging on the wall. There was also a normal sized desk, and a laptop on one of the beds.

The room was a bit cramped, but things were tidy and neat inside. Pang Qian look a look around and her eyes landed on a children’s bike.

“Is that Dou Dou’s?” Pang Qian pointed at the bike as she asked Gu Mingxi.

Gu Mingxi turned to look and nodded, “Mm.”

Pang Qian had already heard that Dou Dou was a child who lived with him, but she didn’t understand why. She asked, “Why does Dou Dou live with you?”

“Because he has nowhere else to go. Whether there’s one person eating here or two, they still have to eat. So I brought him here.” Gu Mingxi walked over to the refrigerator and opened it with his chin and shoulder. He asked Pang Qian, “There’s no water here, but there are cold drinks. Do you want to drink something?”

Pang Qian walked over to look. Orange juice, cola, lemon tea… She couldn’t believe it. “Gu Mingxi, didn’t you used to dislike these things?”

Gu Mingxi laughed. “I don’t drink them, they’re Dou Dou’s. He likes to drink them but I don’t let him drink too much. I only let him have one bottle a week.”

Pang Qian pulled out a bottle of cola and went to sit down at the dining table with Gu Mingxi. Sitting next to him, she asked, “What happened? Where are Dou Dou’s parents?”

Gu Mingxi gave her a smile before saying, “Dou Dou’s parents got divorced. His mom was from Guangdong, so she went back there. His dad… He has some mental issues and he likes to drink (alcohol) a lot. When he drinks, he abuses Dou Dou.” He spoke slowly. “Two years ago, when I started teaching, I realized there was always a dirty child listening in from just outside the classroom. Every time I walked out the door, he would run away. Then one day, after class, I found that he didn’t run away. He stood outside the classroom, peering in at the girls who were eating snacks inside. He was practically drooling, and then I knew, he was hungry.”

Pang Qian smiled as she said, “You must have given him something tasty to eat.”

“Mm, I brought him back to the dorms and gave him some fruit. Then I found that he had wounds all over his body.” Gu Mingxi took a deep breath. “On his legs and his back, there were large bruises and even burn scars. Dou Dou’s middle finger on his left hand was broken by his dad, and since he didn’t go to the doctor, he can’t straighten it out anymore. At the time, I reported it to the police, but they told me that whether it was a father beating his son or someone with a mental illness, they couldn’t do anything about it.”

Pang Qian asked, “And then what? Just like that, you took him in?”

“No,” Gu Mingxi shook his head. “I brought him back because he was nearly beaten to death by his dad.” He lifted his foot and pointed at the cola bottle in Pang Qian’s hand. “His dad hit him with a glass beer bottle. The wound on his head was really big, and he was covered in blood. It was their neighbor who found Dou Dou and sent him to the hospital. I only found out when they reported it on the news. When I went to the hospital to see Dou Dou, they said his father had already been sent to a psychiatric hospital. Dou Dou’s (maternal) grandmother kept crying there. She was old and her sight was bad. She wasn’t really able to take care of Dou Dou. No one else in their family was willing to take him in either. The poor kid just laid there in the hospital bed. So I told his grandmother that he could live with me after he was discharged.”

Pang Qian was surprised. “You’ve been living with him for the past two years?”

“Yeah, we’re together everyday. He hasn’t gone back home since.” Gu Mingxi smiled and continued, “Dou Dou really understands things well, and he helps me with a lot of stuff. Instead of saying that I’m taking care of him, you might as well say that we take care of each other.”

Pang Qian said, “Gu Mingxi, why are you so grand and generous?! Then… Then what happens in the future? If you leave, what happens to Dou Dou?”

“I’m not grand, and I haven’t thought about the future. Pang Pang, everyone has their desperate moments, when they’re at the end of their road.” He turned to look at her in the eyes. “When my mom passed away, I’d also hit a dead end, but there was a teacher who took me in. He didn’t have any blood relations to me, but he let me stay in his house. Not only did he teach me to draw, he helped me find a job. It was only after staying with him for a year and a half and bettering my situation, that I ended up coming to Hainan. Dou Dou’s the same. He was five years old at the time, and he turned back from death’s door. If I hadn’t taken him back with me, I don’t even want to imagine what things would have been like after his dad was released. Really, his dad might have really beaten him to death.”

Pang Qian rested her head on his shoulder. “Why didn’t you come to find me back then? You could have stayed at my house. It’s not like feeding one more mouth would have been difficult for us.”

Gu Mingxi curled his lips and then smiled. “Let’s not talk about the things that have already passed. Right now, I’m doing well. Really.”

“Okay, we won’t talk about it. Then let’s talk about the future instead.” Pang Qian wrapped both arms around his waist and turned to look at him. “Gu Mingxi, it will be New Year’s soon. Come home with me for New Year’s this year.”

Gu Mingxi tilted his head and looked at her shining hair and long eyelashes. He asked, “Go home with you? As what?”

“My boyfriend,” Pang Pang said. “Gu Mingxi is Pang Qian’s boyfriend.”

“Pang Pang…” he hesitated. “You don’t think… that between us… that it would be better if we learned more about each other before we decided anything?”

Pang Qian lifted her chin from his shoulder and looked at him strangely. “Learn about each other? Me and you? Do we still need to learn about each other?”

He nodded. Thinking back to the marketplace, he smiled and asked her, “Did you end up going to graduate school?”

Pang Qian shook her head. “No. Ever since I graduated, I’ve been working.”

“What kind of work do you do?”

She answered honestly, “Investment banking. At first, I was in Shanghai. But after three years, I went back to E City. I’m working at a joint venture investment banking company now.”

“You must be doing really well then, with a lot of space for developments,” Gu Mingxi said. “But Pang Pang, I don’t have anything.”

Startled, Pang Qian said, “What are you supposed to have? A house? A car? Money? An honorable job?”

“That’s right.” His eyes looked very forgiving, and his tone was very even. “Gu Mingxi has nothing. Gu Mingxi is a pauper. Not only doesn’t he have a house, a car, money, or a good job, he also doesn’t have a diploma, or arms, or… a family. Can this Gu Mingxi really be Pang Qian’s boyfriend?”

Pang Qian’s eyes glistened. “Does Gu Mingxi like Pang Qian?”

He smiled, “He does.”

“As long as Gu Mingxi likes Pang Qian, then he can be her boyfriend.” Pang Qian stared at him, her hand reaching out to stroke his cheek. She said seriously, “Just because you don’t have something now doesn’t mean that you’ll never have it. We’re both still young. We’ll just work hard.”

There was a faint smile hidden in his expression. “Pang Pang, your mom has never really liked me much.”

“Your position in the family is determined by your economic contribution. Right now, I’m the boss in my family!” Pang Qian proudly raised her chin. “Also, my dad supports me. When he found out that I’d found you, he was so happy. He kept telling me to bring you back home for New Year’s.”

When she finished, she embraced him again, her ear held against his heart. She said quietly, “Every New Year’s, we always wonder where Gu Mingxi is having New Year’s dinner. Is he alone or is there someone beside him? I want to spend every New Year’s with you from now on. Gu Mingxi, promise me that you’ll come home with me this New Year’s.”

That faraway city was his hometown. Gu Mingxi was silent for a long time, before he finally answered, “Okay.”

That evening, the young teachers held a Christmas party together. Gu Mingxi and Teacher Song were the main chefs, cooking in the community kitchen. Pang Qian walked to the kitchen and saw Teacher Song at the stove. Gu Mingxi was sitting on a chair with a short table in front of him. His feet were up on the table, cutting up a pile of vegetables. He held down the vegetables with his left foot and used his right to cut.

Pang Qian was simply shocked and alarmed. She said, “Gu Mingxi, let me help you. You might cut yourself.”

Gu Mingxi lifted his head to look at her. He shook his head and smiled. “That’s okay, I can take care of it. I think I’d worry more if you were cutting.”

Teacher Song turned back to look at Pang Qian. “Miss Crab, you don’t have to worry about Teacher Gu. He’s the best cook among us. He can take care of it all. Buying, cleaning, cutting, cooking. And his food tastes so good. You’re lucky that you’ll be able to eat it in the future.”

Pang Qian’s face turned red. She asked Gu Mingxi quietly, “When did you learn to cook?”

Gu Mingxi’s head was down as he concentrated on cutting. He said, “When my mom was sick. If I didn’t learn, then I was going to starve. I thought it was kind of hard at first, but after awhile, it’s become very familiar to me.”

After he finished cutting the vegetables, Gu Mingxi used the knife and his left foot to sweep the vegetables into a basket. Then he stood up, bent over to grab the basket under his chin, and brought it over to the counter by the stove.

He told Teacher Song, “I’ll stir fry this.”

As he was cooking, Pang Qian kept watching him from the side. She remembered the time she went over to his house in high school, and Gu Mingxi cooked the winter melon. Back then, he’d needed Pang Qian’s help to add the seasoning, but now, he didn’t need any help at all. From adding the oil to the pan, he cooked the food all on his own with his two feet.

After the oil heated up, Gu Mingxi put the vegetables into the pan. He turned and told Pang Qian to stand back a bit, and she obediently moved back. She popped her head out from behind him and watched as he picked up the vegetables and dropped them into the pan.

The sizzling oil sounded and jumped up. Pang Qian watched Gu Mingxi quickly pick up the spatula and start stir frying. He looked like he’d done it many times before. Standing behind him, she asked, “The oil splattered onto your feet. Isn’t it hot?”

Gu Mingxi smiled and said, “My skin’s thick and I’m used to it, so it’s okay.”

After tossing the vegetables a bit, he put down the spatula, and used a spoon to sprinkle some salt. He stir fried a bit more and then added some MSG. Finally, he turned off the fire and told Pang Qian, “Pang Pang, help me plate this and bring it out.”

From start to end, he stood very stably in front of the stove on one foot. The fire had glowed onto his dark face and Pang Qian could see the sweat all over his head. There were traces of sweat on the back of his shirt too.

She pulled out a napkin and helped him wipe it away. Gu Mingxi lowered his head and looked at her. She smiled and said, “I’ll leave the cooking to you in the future.”

Gu Mingxi bent over slightly and said, “So you’ll eat whatever I cook?”

“Of course, I’m not a picky eater.”

Gu Mingxi bumped her cheek with his own. “It’s agreed then. Whatever I cook in the future, you’ll have to eat it all. Pang Pang, you’re too thin. I’m going to fatten you up.”

“Hateful! You’re covered in sweat.” She said that, but she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m losing weight. All the female employees at work are thinner than me.”

“I like when you’re plump.”

“Hm. And I liked when you were paler. When you get pale again, you can come bargain with me!”

As she spoke, she deftly plated the food and slipped out of the kitchen, leaving behind a blank Gu Mingxi.

He lowered his head and looked at his feet. He knew that his skin had gotten a lot darker. Gu Mingxi suddenly recalled the male characters Pang Qian used to have him copy from her girly comics and the celebrities that she’d liked growing up. They all seemed to have been refined, good looking, Adonis types.

And of course, he couldn’t help thinking of Xie Yi.

Gu Mingxi felt a bit gloomy inside.

At the dining table, Ji Xiu’er and Dou Dou had been sitting together. When they looked at Pang Qian, neither of their expressions was at all friendly. Dou Dou quietly spoke to Ji Xiu’er, “Teacher Ji, I think that you’re prettier than that lady.”

Ji Xiu’er looked over to him, “Thanks.”

Pang Qian sat down next to Dou Dou and wanted to chat with him. Dou Dou pursed his lips, glanced at her, and ran off to the kitchen.

He pulled on Gu Mingxi’s shirt hem. “Teacher Gu, Teacher Gu.”

Gu Mingxi had just finished cooking something. He put down the spatula in his right foot and turned off the fire. He lowered his head to look at Dou Dou, “What is it?”

“How are we going to sleep tonight?” Dou Dou was looking at Pang Qian’s luggage, and then he looked innocently at Gu Mingxi, “Will Auntie Crab sleep in my bed? Where will I sleep then?”

Gu Mingxi thought about it, and then lifted his foot to nudge his leg. He said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 93 Tranquil Sea
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 93 Tranquil Sea
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Chapter 93 Tranquil Sea
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

Part 4. My Heart, Like the Sea

At dinner, the other teachers each took chatting with Pang Qian. After she finished eating and had a bit of beer, she started talking more. And then, she started sharing the embarrassing moments from when Gu Mingxi was in school.

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“How old was he then? Let me think for a minute. Should have been about 8 years old, at most 9. We went to a park that had a pond, and the pond had carp in it. We bought some bread nearby and crumbled it to feed to the fish. Gu Mingxi played with us too. He took off his shoes and sat down on the edge of the pond. In the end, because there were so many of us, one of his shoes was accidentally tossed into the pond. No matter how much we tried, we couldn’t fish it back up. Hahahaha…”

Pang Qian’s face was flushed as she sat there laughing. She was leaning on Gu Mingxi’s shoulder, and he had an unpleasant expression on his face. Teacher Chen asked, “And then what?”

“And then he just kept playing with one bare foot. I remember that he even cut his foot on some rocks, right?” Pang Qian pouted and then kept on laughing. In front of all these people, she suddenly said, “Gu Mingxi, I apologize to you. To tell you the truth, I was the one who accidentally dropped your shoe into the pond. I was too scared to tell you back then. I’m really sorry.”

All the teachers burst out in laughter. Gu Mingxi nearly cried from all the laughing. He remembered that incident as well. After his shoe went into the water, Pang Qian had been extremely anxious. She’d sprawled down on ground by the pond with a stick in her hand, trying to fish back the shoe. At the time, he’d been especially touched.

Gu Mingxi clenched his teeth and looked at Pang Qian. “Pang Pang, come on then. Now you can tell me about all the unlucky things you did in the past that I don’t know about.”

And Pang Qian actually had a bit to say. “I drank your milk during the class breaks. Did you know? It’s because you didn’t look like you were going to drink it, and I was afraid it would go to waste. And then there was one time when we were fighting. I covered your shoes in chalk dust, but you said that it was probably one of the boys who did it. I wanted to tell the teacher about it, but you said forget it. I felt really embarrassed then. Then another time, you said that I lost several volumes of your comics and I said I didn’t remember it. Actually, I knew that I had them, but I didn’t know where I’d put them. My mom might have put it away somewhere, or maybe I just left it somewhere when I was carrying it around. In any case, I knew you wouldn’t get angry with me so I just pretended I didn’t know. Oh, there’s something else you should know. When we were deskmates, I would copy your homework when you weren’t paying attention. And when we were taking a test… I’d cheated off you before. It was mostly in primary school, and then a bit in junior high, and a bit more in high school… Hahaha…”

She leaned against Gu Mingxi’s shoulder, rambling on. The teachers had all quieted down and Gu Mingxi’s expression was calm, as if he’d returned to that carefree time of the past.

The troubles in his past didn’t seem worth mentioning now: It was hard to use scissors, so he was bad at crafts. When it was gym class, he could only run laps by himself, looking on with envy at the other boys playing basketball. No matter how well he could draw, he couldn’t go up to blackboard. He’d never been the class head or class representative. And because he was exempt from sports activities, he was unable to receive an Excellent Student Award. (Note: The term is literally “good student in three things,” referring to studies, athletics, and attitude.)

Gu Mingxi laughed, and then turned and kissed Pang Qian’s head. He said, “Miss Pang, leave me some face, won’t you?”

Pang Qian was joyous. She told everyone, “Then let me say something about how awesome you were. Hey, did you guys know that when Gu Mingxi was in high school, he was always ranked in the top five of the year after every exam? We were at a top high school too, with more than 400 students! Do you know how many points he got on his college entrance exam? 641 points! That’s 130 points more than I got!”

All the teachers were stunned. Gu Mingxi had been teaching for three years and he had the lowest pay of everyone else, because he only had a high school diploma. Everyone knew that he’d dropped out of college, but they didn’t know what his academic history was like before then.

Gu Mingxi said, “Pang Pang, you drank too much. What’s the point of talking about this stuff.”

Pang Qian sobered up a bit as she laughed. She said, “I just remembered some things from the past.”

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After they ate, everyone chatted for a bit before dispersing. Gu Mingxi had Pang Qian get her luggage, saying that he’d take her out to arrange for a place to stay.

“What for?” Pang Qian asked. “I can just stay here at your place.”

Gu Mingxi said calmly, “There’s not much space here, and Dou Dou stays here too. I’ll find somewhere else for you to stay at.”

Pang Qian stomped her feet. “I don’t want to! Dou Dou’s just a little kid. I can sleep on the floor, in the living room is fine. Why do you want me to stay somewhere else?!”

Gu Mingxi remained firm. “Let’s go, don’t dawdle there.”

Pang Qian originally thought she would definitely be staying at Gu Mingxi’s dorm. She was rather upset now. As she lifted up her luggage, she said, “You don’t have to come out. I can find a guesthouse on my own.”

Gu Mingxi crooked his head and looked at her. “What’s wrong, are you angry?”

Pang Qian ignored him.

Gu Mingxi said, “I just wanted you to be more comfortable.”

Pang Qian glared at him. “Is a guesthouse comfortable? I want to stay at your dorm!”

Gu Mingxi sighed. “I didn’t say I was taking you to a guesthouse.”

Pang Qian’s eyes widened. “Ah?”

They took a taxi and passed through the streets of Sanya until they reached the Sanya Bay area. It stopped in front of a the gates to a residential area.

Pang Qian took her luggage from the car and looked around curiously. This was a high class area. The houses glowed with a warm light in the nighttime. The scenery in the area was beautiful. There was even an outdoor swimming pool and some foreigners out for a swim.

The security was very strict there, but when the security officer at the gate saw Gu Mingxi, he smiled and opened the door. Pang Qian pulled her luggage in and followed Gu Mingxi into a high rise. They took the elevator to the 16th floor and got off. Gu Mingxi walked to one door and said, “The keys are in my pocket. Pang Pang, open the door.”

Pang Qian hesitatingly took out the keys from his pocket and then opened the door. She turned on the living room light and could immediately see the small house. It was decorated very warmly, with warm colors and simple furniture. The sliding door to the balcony wasn’t shut, so the night breeze blew in, causing the curtains to flutter.

Pang Qian left her luggage and curiously walked barefoot over to the sliding door. She looked out and saw the sea.

Against the night, the sea was tranquil and beautiful. The bright moon hung in the sky and the stars shimmered against the sky. The breeze blew in, causing Pang Qian’s hair to fly about chaotically and her skirt to dance around. She covered her mouth in awe as Gu Mingxi walked up behind her. With his chest to her back, he lowered his head, closed his eyes, and kissed her smooth shoulder.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“…” Pang Qian turned around and grabbed his neck with both hands. She put her forehead against his and asked, “What’s going on here? Did you lie to me?”

He laughed lightly. “It’s true that I don’t have a car, that I don’t have a great job, that I don’t have a diploma, and that I don’t have arms. But… I have a small house and… A little, just a little, money.”

“Gu Mingxi!”

He didn’t give her the opportunity to pinch him or hit him, because he’d already started kissing her.

The scent of the sea filled the air, a bit salty and a bit tart.

But their kiss was sweet, a sentimental kiss. No more tears and no more hurt.

Gu Mingxi’s house was small. One bedroom, living room, kitchen, and a bathroom. Just 60 sqm. The house was like his dorm, very clean and tidy. But it felt much more like a house.

He brought Pang Qian to the bedroom. She saw two beds, one large and one small. The small one was only one meter wide, pushed against the wall. The sheets and pillows were covered in cartoons, and this was obviously Dou Dou’s bed. The large bed had blue sheets and blankets. At the head of the bed, there were a few books and a ‘help yourself’ back scratcher. It just shouted Gu Mingxi.

“When do you live here?” Pang Qian asked as she looked and poked around. Gu Mingxi said, “During winter and summer break, and also when there are long holidays. Sometimes I come back on the weekends too.”

“When did you buy the house?”

“At the end of 2007. I bought it when I got here.” Gu Mingxi glanced at her. “Shark came down to Sanya to invest in some property. He asked if I wanted to come, and when I came to take a look, I immediately liked it. Shark lent me some money and I had my own savings. The house is small so the price wasn’t that big. I payed half and mortgaged the other half. At the time, real estate was a lot cheaper than it is now.”

Pang Qian asked, “Is it still mortgaged now?”

Gu Mingxi nodded. “Mm, I haven’t repaid the bank yet, but I should be able to in about a year. I’ve already returned the money from Shark.”

Pang Qian was surprised. “You know how to earn money, huh!”

He didn’t say anything and just smiled.

Gu Mingxi pushed open the sliding closet door and sat down on the bed. He pulled out clean sheets and called Pang Qian, “I haven’t been here for two weeks. We should change the sheets, because there’s a lot of dust.”

Pang Qian picked up the blanket and giggled as she asked, “Are you staying here with me tonight?”

She spoke very directly and Gu Mingxi’s expression became a bit unnatural. “No, I have to go back. Dou Dou’s only 7 years old. How can I let him spend the night on his own?” He sat on the bed, pulling open the sheets with his legs. “Every time I come, Dou Dou helps me change it. Without him, it would waste a lot of time.”

Pang Qian pouted and then helped him change the bed sheets. Then Gu Mingxi went to the kitchen to boil a pot of water for her. The kettle was small so he could move it from the sink to the stove on one foot. He turned on the stove.

There was a tall chair in the kitchen, just a bit shorter than the counter. Pang Qian knew that it was easier for him to do things if he had a chair to sit in.

Actually, she hadn’t seen his unconventional way of working in a long time, but it didn’t feel at all unfamiliar. His particular image had already been deeply ingrained in her mind.

Pang Qian watched Gu Mingxi busying himself in the kitchen and was rather shocked. Present day Gu Mingxi was living so well on his own. Pang Qian suspected that even without Dou Dou, he’d been getting on just fine.

After the water started boiling, Gu Mingxi wanted to pour some out, but Pang Qian stopped him. “Let it cool down a bit. I want to drink cooled water.”

Gu Mingxi knew her intent and smiled as he said, “I won’t burn myself.”

“I said I don’t want to drink hot water.” She spoke playfully as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Okay.” Gu Mingxi looked around and then said, “The floor hasn’t been mopped and the furniture hasn’t been cleaned. Do you need me to tidy up a bit?”

“It’s okay, everything seems pretty clean.” Pang Qian pulled him over to the bed. The two of them sat next to each other. “Stop doing all this stuff. Come talk with me.”

“Talk about what?” His voice was gentle, still carrying E City’s accent. “Pang Pang, I have to head back soon. The other teachers have to rest too, so I can’t let them take care of Dou Dou for too long. Sometimes he’s a bit of a troublemaker.”

“Dou Dou, Dou Dou. Do you know how many times you’ve said Dou Dou?”

Pang Qian picked up a pillow and smashed it onto Gu Mingxi. He didn’t try to dodge it, but just watched her with a smile. “What’s wrong? Are you jealous of Dou Dou?”

“Hmph, I’m not just jealous of Dou Dou. There’s someone else I’m jealous over! I saw that Teacher Ji treats you pretty well.” Pang Pang’s voice dripped with sourness. “Gu Mingxi, you’re really involved in too many romances, you know!”

“Teacher Ji does help me a lot. She’s a female, so sometimes when I can’t deal with Dou Dou, I’ll ask for her help,” Gu Mingxi said evenly. “Teacher Ji came to teach in underdeveloped areas, and she’s only been here for a year. She was originally a white collar worker. We don’t have many teachers, but there are a lot of classes, so everyone is extremely tired after classes. A girl like her from faraway was able to persevere for an entire year. I don’t think it was an easy thing.”

Pang Qian was originally a bit jealous of Ji Xiu’er, but hearing what Gu Mingxi had to say, she knew that she’d been rather petty. After all, leaving life behind in a bustling city to come to such a remote place to teach, with an almost non-existent salary… That kind of courage alone was enough to be admired.

Gu Mingxi thought about what else Pang Qian might need. He went to the bathroom cabinet and took out a new toothbrush and towel. He said to her, “There are snacks in the cabinet if you want to eat them. There’s nothing hidden here (Note: Or maybe ‘locked here?’), so you can use whatever. If you need anything else, just call me. I won’t turn off my phone.” He stood in front of her, lowered his head and kissed her forehead. “Pang Pang, I have to go.”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday. I’ll head to the school to meet you, or do you want to come back here?” Pang Qian looked at him with a hurt expression. She said, “I want to talk to you, to listen to you tell me what’s been going on with you. I have a lot that I want to say to you too. One night won’t be enough.”

Gu Mingxi smiled as he looked at her. “I’ll arrange for one of the teachers to watch Dou Dou tomorrow, and then I’ll come over to hang out with you. Sanya has a lot of fun places to go to. But I have to work on a test paper and get ready for class at night.”

Pang Qian asked, “Will you have to pull an all-nighter?”

Gu Mingxi thought about it and said, “Probably. It’s almost time for the semester finals, and I haven’t done any of the work I needed to do this weekend.”

“Then you don’t have to come over. I’ll go find you. We’ll just spend a bit of time together. It doesn’t really matter what we do. And I really want to see what you look like when you’re preparing for class.” Pang Qian stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Hurry back, but be careful. When you get back, give me a call.”

Gu Mingxi left the keys for Pang Qian. As he put on his shoes in front of the door, he took a look back at her. His gaze was gentle and pure, and there was a smile on his face. Pang Qian’s heart thumped. She took two steps forward and then leapt at him. She wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him. Gu Mingxi looked down, and then the two of them suddenly kissed.

Love really wasn’t something you needed lessons for. All that was needed was two hearts that would beat as one. Even Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian, these slowpokes in love, could enjoy the sweet taste of love on their own.

They stood next to the wall. Gu Mingxi pushed Pang Qian against the wall, his broad shoulders and tall body enveloping her, two young bodies tightly bound together. Their burning cheeks rubbed against each other, soft lips entangled, a familiar breath between their lips and teeth. Pang Qian’s heart was pounding. She missed the scent of Gu Mingxi’s body. Completely absorbed in the moment, her hands grabbed onto his back. And then she felt something strange under her abdomen.

Pang Qian was gutsy and also very curious. Her right hand moved lower and lower, until she touched that particular area.

Oh… The little bird had become a big bird, lightly and happily rubbing against her.

Pang Qian went in for a surprise attack and Gu Mingxi’s body stiffened. He closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, breathless as he released her lips. He bit at her ear, voice hoarse and in protest. “Pang Qian, where are you touching?”

“You’re the one who… touched me first!” Pang Qian wasn’t afraid of him and even made a small pinch through the fabric. It felt very strange, different to when she’d helped him pee. She boldly said, “What, it’s all mine anyway! I can’t touch it?”

“Pang Pang…”

Gu Mingxi’s face was completely red. He was a healthy man, but on this regard, he was both reserved and restrained. He opened his eyes to look at Pang Qian. She really couldn’t go against his warm and innocent eyes, so she guiltily moved her hand away.

Gu Mingxi straightened up awkwardly, secretly glancing down at that place on his body. His pants were loose and his shirt was long, so it wasn’t very obvious.

His body felt distressed, but at this moment, he could only keep enduring. He and Pang Qian were both adults and knew this was a very normal thing, but they’d just finally met after so long and neither of them were so unconstrained (by convention). They tacitly agreed not to mention this again.

Gu Mingxi’s voice was still low and hoarse. “Pang Pang, it’s late. I really have to go back.”

Pang Qian’s cheeks were flushed and rosy. “I’ll send you out to get a taxi.”

“Mm.”

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 94 Dou Dou’s Plea
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 94 Dou Dou’s Plea
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Chapter 94 Dou Dou’s Plea
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

I promise you, I’ll be Gu Mingxi’s two hands.

After seeing him out of the residence and sending him off in a taxi, Pang Qian finally wobbled back to his house on her own.

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She was the only one left in the house. Pang Qian started examining her surroundings. She opened the cabinets in the living room and looked at the snacks that Gu Mingxi had mentioned earlier. She knew that it had all been bought for Dou Dou to eat, but they were all very familiar to Pang Qian.

Potato chips, beef jerky, lollipops, chocolate… They were all things that she loved to eat.

When she went to the bathroom, Pang Qian saw that Gu Mingxi had installed a smart toilet. She tried it out. There was a warm stream of water to wash your bottom and also a dryer. Pang Qian was extremely amused. She thought to herself, when she and Gu Mingxi got a house, they would have to add a smart toilet as well. It was so useful and helpful.

And then she became embarrassed by this thought. She recalled earlier when Gu Mingxi’s body had changed. Her face was bright red as she hugged a pillow and rolled around on the sofa. Thankfully there was no one else present.

After she showered, Pang Qian went to the bedroom. Gu Mingxi’s room was decorated as if for a male, except for the shorter desk. Actually, his room wasn’t much different from any ordinary room. Next to his desk, there was a bookshelf. Pang Qian stood in front of it and saw that there was a lot of variety on his bookshelf. Biographies, best sellers, economic analyses, and a lot of professional art books.

There was also a shelf filled with Dou Dou’s children’s books. This way, it really looked like a father’s bookshelf.

There was also a picture frame on the shelf, the only one in the entire house. It was a photo of Gu Mingxi and Li Yan. Pang Qian knew that at that time Li Han was already sick, because she wore a cap and her skin was sallow. But while she snuggled with Gu Mingxi, she had a warm and kind smile.

Pang Qian picked up the frame and spoke quietly to the Li Han in the photo. “Auntie, don’t worry, I’ve found Gu Mingxi. In the future, he won’t be alone anymore.”

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That evening, she laid on Gu Mingxi’s large bed. Holding onto his pillow, she slept soundly through the night.

After Gu Mingxi returned to school, he called Pang Qian to let her know he’d gotten back safely. Then he went over to Ji Xiu’er’s dorm to bring Dou Dou back. Dou Dou hung his head low, looking rather glum.

He was still a child. Although he’d read Gu Mingxi’s ‘My Miss Crab,’ he wasn’t able to understand the meaning behind it. The other teachers had told him that the pretty lady who came today was Teacher Gu’s Miss Crab, and Dou Dou thought, Teacher Gu was really going to leave.

When he was brushing his teeth before bed, he felt very troubled and suddenly started crying. He even accidentally swallowed a mouthful of toothpaste foam and started coughing as if he couldn’t breathe. Gu Mingxi was given a fright and ran to the bathroom. Dou Dou was standing in front of the sink and rinsing out his mouth, his eyes red.

Gu Mingxi knew what Dou Dou was thinking, and even he felt a bit sour inside. He suddenly thought that it seemed like in his life, he was always parting with others.

After Dou Dou was done washing up, he helped Gu Mingxi squeeze out the toothpaste as usual. After he filled a cup with water, he prepared a towel and placed it to the side. He walked shyly over to Gu Mingxi and said, “Teacher Gu, go wash up. After your shower, leave your clothes. I’ll wash them tomorrow.”

Gu Mingxi looked at him for awhile, and then he got up and went to the bathroom.

When he was done, he looked at the basin of clothes. He shook his head and smiled, and then sat down on his chair and started scrubbing them with his feet.

He returned to his room after that, and Dou Dou was already asleep. Gu Mingxi sat down next to him and called softly, “Dou Dou.”

“…”

“Dou Dou.”

“…”

“Ding Jiankang.”

Dou Dou’s voice came out from under his blankets, “Teacehr Gu, I want to sleep.”

His voice carried a tearful sound, and it was obvious he was crying under the covers. Gu Mingxi felt sorry. He understood Dou Dou’s fears. It was just like when he was younger and his mother asked him if he wanted a younger sibling. Gu Mingxi had panicked then. He’d always felt that if his parents had another kid, they wouldn’t want him anymore.

Gu Mingxi knew that no matter what he said to Dou Dou, it would be pointless. He wouldn’t understand it anyway. Gu Mingxi tucked in Dou Dou’s blanket and then went over to his own bed.

On Sunday morning, Pang Qian woke up early and arrived at Hope of Children Primary School. She wasn’t wearing a dress anymore, but instead, she wore a t-shirt and jeans with sneakers. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her face was bare.

Gu Mingxi had already woken up and had already made a portion of breakfast for Pang Qian.

Eating his congee and pancakes, Pang Qian expressed their deliciousness loudly. Dou Dou squinted at her. There were six pancakes on the table, and she’d eaten three on her own.

Dou Dou started calculating. If he ate two, then wouldn’t Teacher Gu only have one left? In the end, Dou Dou just ate one pancake and said he was full.

Gu Mingxi asked, “Does it taste bad? You usually eat two.”

Dou Dou couldn’t lie. He pouted and said, “The last one is for Teacher Gu.”

Pang Qian looked over embarrassed. “Looks like I’ve eaten too much…”

Gu Mingxi looked at the two of them and couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Eat, eat. If it’s tasty, I’ll make a few more. We have the flour for it anyway. Eat until you’re full.”

After breakfast, Gu Mingxi went to his office to grade exams. He called Dou Dou along to work on his homework. Naturally, Pang Qian tagged along. She rested her chin in her palms and watched with great interest as Gu Mingxi graded the paper. He taught three subjects. Four classes total from fifth and sixth grade for math and English, and then he also taught art. He really had a lot of work on his plate.

The teacher’s office was in the academic building. Six people in one room. Gu Mingxi’s desk was short and he leaned against his chair. He held down the test paper with his left foot and marked them with a red pen using his right foot. Seeing how bored Pang Qian was, he pushed a pile of already corrected exams in front of her. “Help me total the scores.”

Pang Qian was very excited, looking at these math problems from so long ago. She said, “When I was younger, I hated these kinds of problems about the distance between A and B. A and B were headed different directions, and A was going this fast and B was going that fast. Nonsense questions like that. Tell me, what does when A and B meet have anything to do with me?”

Gu Mingxi laughed. “Actually, it’s just about fostering a child’s logical thinking and math abilities. There are really some questions that seem pointless, but you were able to reach this point in your life because of those insignificant questions. If you don’t have the foundation for it, you won’t be able to grow, so I’m pretty strict on these kids. If their math foundation is poor in primary school, they’ll have a heard time when they get to junior high.

Pang Qian stuck to him and smiled. “Seems like you really like being a teacher. Being my personal tutor for all those years wasn’t enough for you. Now you’re the king of the children.”

Gu Mingxi turned to look at her. “I’m very satisfied being able to find this job. After all, with my physical condition, it’s not that there’s a lot of work I’m unable to do, but rather, most people are unwilling to give me the chance. The fact that the principal was willing to use me was already very touching to me.”

“I understand.” Pang Qian thought for a moment, and then said, “But when we get back to E City, you probably won’t be able to work as a teacher anymore. Gu Mingxi, when that time comes, you can keep painting. I heard Qi mention that putting out a book requires a lot of work from you too, right?”

Gu Mingxi stopped working. He said, “Pang Pang, I want to talk to you about something. I’ve been teaching my sixth grade students since they were in third grade. I want to be able to teach them until June, to see them graduate and get into junior high. So, give me another half a year. I’ll go back to E City with you in the summer.”

Pang Qian grew nervous with his first sentence, but when he finished, she smiled. “Of course. When the kids graduate, I’ll come to see their graduation ceremony.”

Just then, Dou Dou pushed between them and said, “Teacher Gu! I don’t know how to do this question!”

Gu Mingxi said, “I’m grading exams right now. Let Auntie Crab have a look.”

Pang Qian called out eagerly, “I’ll help, I’ll help!”

Dou Dou blinked his eyes and said, “Forget it, I can do it on my own.”

Pang Qian, “…”

Gu Mingxi was very focused on grading. He saw that Pang Qian was bored again after sitting with him for an hour, so he told her to find Teacher Chen to play ping pong.

On the school courtyard, there was a cement table tennis table. Teacher Chen welcomed the challenge and played with Pang Qian. At first, he looked down on her a bit because she was a girl. But when they started playing, he realized that Pang Qian’s skills weren’t that bad.

So he also started to get serious. They were playing in full swing under the sun, and the teachers in the dorm were attracted out by their cries.

Dou Dou, who was doing his homework, also grew distracted. Gu Mingxi saw him scratching at his ears and told him quietly, “Dou Dou, take a break. Go out and play a bit.”

Dou Dou immediately dropped his pencil and, just like a monkey, he jumped out.

Pang Qian’s opponent had already changed to Teacher Song. She was covered in sweat from the game, but she carried a carefree smile. When they took a break, she looked over at Dou Dou on the sidelines. She asked, “Dou Dou, can you play?”

Dou Dou shook his head. Pang Qian waved him over, “Come here, I’ll teach you.”

Dou Dou walked over boldly. Pang Qian handed him the paddle and showed him how to hold it. She caught a glimpse of his left hand and, just as Gu Mingxi had told her, his middle finger was deformed. No matter how his other fingers moved, his middle finger was always lopsided.

Being so close to him, she could also see the scar on the back of his head. At least ten cm long, and no hair grew out from where the scar way. It was a very astonishing sight.

Pang Qian held his small hand in hers and patiently taught him to hit the ball. Teacher Chen assisted their practice. Dou Dou was very smart and quickly understood the rules of the game. Pang Qian played a game with him. She served the ball to him and Dou Dou waved his paddle to return it. He really was just a seven year old child. Gradually, he started laughing.

When Gu Mingxi went over, Pang Qian was playing against Teacher Wang. Dou Dou was on the side, jumping and cheering for her. He turned and saw Gu Mingxi and called out loudly, “Teacher Gu, Auntie Crab is really good! She was even part of the national team before!”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

Pang Qian laughed where she was standing. Her face was flushed and she was covered in sweat, her bangs stuck to her forehead. With the strong sun shining down on her body, Gu Mingxi felt a moment of despondence. He felt as if he’d traveled back into the past. In his memories, Pang Pang was the world’s most bright, warm, simple, and happy girl.

Dou Dou kept secretly observing this Auntie Crab, who had fallen so suddenly from the sky into their world. All in all, he felt she wasn’t so bad. She was pretty and loved laughing, always chattering on non-stop. She taught him to play ping pong and played with him. She even tutored him with his homework.

Most importantly, Teacher Gu really looked like he liked her. Dou Dou had seen several times, Teacher Gu’s eyes were quietly following Auntie Crab around. His gaze followed her and then he would start laughing.

But Auntie Crab was also kind of annoying at times, for example, during meals.

For lunch on Sunday, Gu Mingxi had cooked a few dishes. They had leftovers, and when it was time for dinner, Gu Mingxi made three bowls of seafood noodles. He, Dou Dou, and Pang Qian ate in their dorm.

While they were eating, Pang Qian thought that the noodles were too bland. Gu Mingxi told her to add some hot sauce, so she did. But after she ate a few bites, she suddenly told Gu Mingxi, “Aiya, I added too much hot sauce. It’s so spicy!”

Gu Mingxi looked at her red bowl and put down his chopsticks. He stood up and said, “Don’t eat it. I’ll make you another bowl.”

Pang Qian quickly pulled at his trousers and said, “It’s okay, I’m not hungry. You eat first. Your noodles will get cold.”

Gu Mingxi lowered his head and glanced at her. He said, “Then, how about you eat my bowl? I only had two bites.”

Pang Qian smiled and said, “If I eat yours, then what will you eat?”

“I’ll eat your bowl. I can eat spicy food.”

He spoke very evenly, and Pang Qian immediately switched their bowls. When she was eating his noodles, she smiled happily.

Gu Mingxi took a bite of her noodles and frowned. “Why did you add so much hot sauce? It’s so spicy.”

Pang Qian said, “Who told you to make the noodles so bland?” As she said that, she added a bit of hot sauce to her new bowl. Her face was covered in sweat as she ate.

Dou Dou didn’t think that the noodles were bland at all. He just felt that this Auntie Crab was really something.

He was a bit worried that Teacher Gu would be bullied by Auntie Crab.

After dinner, Dou Dou immediately cleaned up the dishes. Pang Qian felt bad watching as the little kid went to do the dishes, so she got up and went to the kitchen. She said, “Dou Dou, I’ll wash them. Go watch TV with Teacher Gu.”

Dou Dou looked up at her. He wasn’t much taller than the counter, so he had to use a stool when he washed the dishes. Pang Qian saw that he didn’t move and quickly carried him down. Then she started washing the dishes herself.

Dou Dou stood blankly for a moment, but didn’t leave the kitchen. After a moment, he walked over to Pang Qian and said in a small voice, “Auntie Crab, are you here to take Teacher Gu home?”

Pang Qian was startled. She looked into Dou Dou’s pure eyes and nodded, “Yes.”

Dou Dou’s head dropped as he held onto the counter. He said, “Auntie Crab, will you get married with Teacher Gu?”

Pang Qian couldn’t help laughing at his serious and formal tone. She asked, “Why do you ask?”

“…” Dou Dou hesitated a bit and then said, “Because Teacher Gu doesn’t have arms. If you get married with him, you can’t say he’s troublesome.”

Dou Dou was still small, his voice clean and crisp. He said whatever he wanted to say. After he spoke, he quickly added, “Auntie Crab, you don’t have to be afraid. Teacher Gu doesn’t ask for help much. He can do a lot of things on his own. It’s just that sometimes he takes a long time to do something. In those times, don’t rush him. He’ll feel bad.”

Pang Qian was really touched, her words stuck in her throat. She quietly listened to Dou Dou continue. “Teacher Gu can buy food and cook. His food is really delicious. But when he’s finished, he can’t plate the food, so you have to help him. Teacher Gu can wash clothes, wash the floor, wash dishes. He can even fix computers! Every time Teacher Ji’s computer breaks, Teacher Gu’s the one who fixes it. Oh, and Teacher Gu can sew on buttons! He uses his feet and it’s really amazing! But Teacher Gu showers slowly, and sometimes… Sometimes I help him wash his back. I-I-I help him wipe after he uses the toilet. Wh-when I was younger, Teacher Gu helped me wipe by butt too…” His voice grew faint. “Oh… But this… This… You’re a girl, how can you do it!”

Dou Dou grabbed his head, conflicted. Pang Qian chortled, but her eyes were wet.

Finally, Dou Dou said, “Auntie Crab, if you get married with Teacher Gu, don’t ever get divorced, okay? When my parents got divorced, my dad kept on crying. Crying and crying, and then he hit me. Teacher Gu told me that his parents got divorced too, and his mom was really sad and hurt. So Auntie Crab, don’t get divorced with Teacher Gu. Otherwise he’ll feel hurt.”

A seven year old kid already knew what ‘divorce’ meant. He was like a small grown-up seriously entrusting Gu Mingxi to Pang Qian. He raised his head and said to Pang Qian, “Teacher Gu always says that I’m his two hands. Auntie Crab, after you take Teacher Gu home, will you be his two hands?”

Pang Qian crouched down and, without regard to her bubble covered hands, she hugged Dou Dou tightly. She said, “I’ll be his two hands. Dou Dou, don’t worry.”

Dou Dou’s eyes were red. “You have to promise me.”

“I promise you, I’ll be Gu Mingxi’s two hands.”

“You have to do it for your whole life.”

“Mm, I’ll do it for my whole life.”

Dou Dou finally smiled. “When you get married, can I go to the wedding banquet?”

“Of course!” Pang Qian also smiled as she pat his little head. “When it’s summer break, come to E City to play.”

When they finished washing the dishes, Pang Qian held Dou Dou’s hand and happily walked out of the kitchen. Gu Mingxi looked at them suspiciously and asked, “What were you talking about in the kitchen?”

“It’s a secret!” Pang Qian and Dou Dou both called out.

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 95 Heading Home With Mixed Feelings
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 95 Heading Home With Mixed Feelings
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Chapter 95 Heading Home With Mixed Feelings
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

Gu Mingxi, welcome home!

On Monday, Pang Qian returned to the primary school and found the atmosphere tranquil and relaxed, distinctly different from the weekend.

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The school ground were filled with students. When class was over, big and small kids rushed out to the playground to play wildly. From their clothes, they all looked like they were from ordinary families. When the bell sounded for classes to resume, they all ran back into classroom. Standing at the playground, you could hear the sounds of students in the two story building reading out loud.

Pang Qian outside the window and looked in at Gu Mingxi.

She stood outside the back door to the room so none of the students noticed her. They were holding their books and following along as Gu Mingxi read out loud in English. Gu Mingxi was at the lectern reading, when he lifted his head and saw Pang Qian. He smiled briefly and then continued reading seriously.

Pang Qian held her arms and watched him quietly. She recalled the last time they’d met six years ago in Shanghai. That was probably the most distressing time in Gu Mingxi’s life. Pang Qian occasionally remembered the parting look in his eyes back then.

Time had left a lot of marks on his body. Under the Hainan sun, his skin had gotten darker, but he was also more rugged and healthy now. His hair was trimmed neatly, the back of his neck shaved cleanly. Under the eyebrows that were hidden by his bangs, there was a pair of quiet and reserved eyes.

He had a clean cut face, very manly and handsome, but there was always the trace of a smile on his face. He never minded the strange looks from strangers, and it never stressed him out. He would very naturally ask others to help when he needed it. For example, he’d have the taxi driver take the money from his pocket, or he’d ask one of the other teachers to bring in the recorder for English class.

He was different from his time as a student. Today’s Gu Mingxi didn’t have a single piece of name brand clothing. He wore sandals on his feet all year round, but he was always sure to keep them clean. He bent over and turned the page of the English book on the lectern, his attention focused on the class. Once in awhile, he would lift his foot up high to write on the blackboard.

His posture looked very strange, but the students in his class didn’t seem to think so. As he wrote across the board from left to right, he would have to move his body too. Sometimes he wouldn’t bother putting down his right leg, and he would just hop over on his left leg. And when he hopped, his shirt sleeves would swing in the air. From outside the room, Pang Qian’s heart followed along and jumped.

Ji Xiu’er was carrying her books as she stopped next to Pang Qian. In a quiet voice, she said, “Ms. Pang.”

Pang Qian turned around and saw Ji Xiu’er smiling at her. She said, “Ms. Pang, is Teacher Gu returning to E City soon?”

Pang Qian opened her mouth but didn’t end up saying anything. Instead, she nodded.

Ji Xiu’er looked into the classroom window ad Gu Mingxi and said, “He should go back. You know, I’ve been here for a year, but I’ve never seen Teacher Gu as happy as he was today.”

Pang Qian, “…”

“I was probably ‘My Miss Crab’s first ready,” Ji Xiu’er said. “I would watch as he was drawing. At the time, I asked him if Miss Crab really existed. Teacher Gu smiled and told me he didn’t know. He said that maybe in every boy’s heart, there existed a Miss Crab, and in every girl’s memories, there existed a Mister Ostrich. Sometimes we just don’t know it.”

She forced herself to hold in her tears as she said, “I really envy you, that you were able to find your Mister Ostrich. I’m also happy for Teacher Gu as well, that his time of bitterness can end and he can start his journey of sweetness.”

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The bell rang to signal the end of class. Pang Qian entered the classroom and saw a group of sixth graders surrounding Gu Mingxi, asking him questions. He patiently explained to them and finally realized that Pang Qian was present. Each one of the kids started shouting out, “Teacher Gu! Is this your girlfriend?”

Pang Qian helped Gu Mingxi carry his recorder, books, and lessons. Gu Mingxi turned back to look at her and smiled at the students. “That’s right, this is my girlfriend.”

Several jolly students rushed to shout out, “Hello, Teacher Gu’s wife!”

Pang Qian nearly exploded with laughter.

Pang Qian stayed in Sanya with Gu Mingxi and Dou Dou for New Year’s. Every day, she would sit around at the school. When Gu Mingxi went to class, she would stay in the dorm and watch TV. Occasionally, she would go online and take care of some work.

At lunchtime, Pang Qian followed Gu Mingxi to get an employee’s meal box. The food was very simple but Pang Qian didn’t care. Gu Mingxi always gave the meat in his lunch to her, and Pang Qian didn’t refuse it, shoveling the food into her mouth. A delighted smile appeared on Gu Mingxi’s face.

When the New Year’s break came, Gu Mingxi finally had some free time, so he took Pang Qian and Dou Dou around for two days.

They went to Wuzhizhou Island, Tianya Haijiao, and even went to see the Guanyin of the South Sea of Sanya. In the evening, they returned to Gu Mingxi’s house by Sanya Bay for a seafood dinner.

Being able to keep such a hyper kid like Dou Dou under control, Pang Qian felt very happy. This was her first true date with Gu Mingxi. She let herself indulge and stayed right beside Gu Mingxi, sometimes wrapping her arms around his waist for a hug.

The taste of dating was so wonderful. The temperature of Gu Mingxi’s body, his eyes, his smile, and his scent all kept Pang Qian infatuated. The beach at Sanya was a romantic haven, and Pang Qian walked along the shallow waters with Gu Mingxi. When the feeling was right, she would stand on her tip toes and look up at him before enjoying a deep kiss.

Dou Dou covered his eyes as he stood to the side. As he called out, “Teacher Gu, shame, shame! I’m not looking!” he would still spread his fingers and secretly take a glance at the intimate scene before him.

After New Year’s, every company entered their end of year hustle period, and Jialai Investments was no different. Even though she was on vacation, her business phone kept ringing with call after call.

Gu Mingxi often heard her answering the phone. Sometimes it was her team leader, sometimes it was a coworker, and sometimes it was even a client.

When she spoke about work, Gu Mingxi could understand about half of her conversation. Sometimes Pang Qian would speak completely in English as she was communicating with Europe or Hong Kong. Her English was very fluent and her tone was good. Probably because it was riddled with jargon used in the financial sector, but no matter how carefully Gu Mingxi tried to listen, he couldn’t understand.

Gu Mingxi realized that while Pang Qian often giggled about and seemed rathe simple-minded, when she answered a work related call, she changed completely. When she spoke to clients, her voice was gentle, soft, and polite. When she spoke to her subordinates, she was concise, a bit tough and sometimes cold. When she spoke to her team leader, she changed once again.

“Team Leader…” Pang Qian was laying on Gu Mingxi’s bed, grumbling into the phone. “I’m on vacation. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my boyfriend, so can’t you just help me take care of it for a bit. We agreed on two weeks vacation, and that I’d be back on January 8th… I know it’s really busy at the end of the year… Okay, I’ll try to get back a few days earlier.”

After she hung up the phone, Pang Qian raised her head to look over at Gu Mingxi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She apologized, “I’m sorry, it’s busy at work. I’ll probably have to head back early.”

Gu Mingxi shook his head. “It’s okay, work is important. Look, you’ve been here for several days now, but I haven’t been able to spend much time with you. You’re always waiting around at school, so you must be really bored.”

Pang Qian plopped down next to him and hugged him. She said, “It’s not boring. As long as I’m with you, it’s good.”

The day she left, Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi took a walk along the sea together.

There was a bit of beach nearby the primary school that had palm trees. It was the only place there that hadn’t been turned into a resort area.

The sand there wasn’t very fine. Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian walked along the shore, side by side. There was no one else around. The only sounds came from the waves crashing against the rocks and whistling sound of the see breeze.

Away from the steel and concrete cities, life here was very simple and pure. Pang Qian could feel Gu Mingxi’s mood. In the past days, he rarely spoke to her about his hardships in the past few years. What he spoke about most was the happiness he felt after he came to Sanya.

Gu Mingxi would talk about his students, as if each of them were a part of his family. The primary school was a Hope school (Note: See Project Hope), so the school facilities, software, and teachers couldn’t compare to those at public schools. Most of the students that enrolled there were kids from migrant families or families in difficult situations.

Gu Mingxi told Pang Qian that he felt that for some kids, studying was the most fair and suitable path to change their fate. So when it came to teaching, he never slacked off.

“I always thought you were doing post-graduate studies,” Gu Mingxi said. “Pang Pang, why didn’t end up going back to school?”

Pang Qian looked at him. “Work is busy, with one job coming in after another. If I were to tell Team Leader that I was going to resign and go back to school, he’d probably kill me.”

She told Gu Mingxi about her relationship with Zou Liwem. From Shanghai to E City, Zou Liwen had taught Pang Qian a lot of things. And if it weren’t for him, during the financial crisis, the then-rookie Pang Qian would have probably been out of a job.

Pang Qian smiled and said, “Actually, sometimes I think that Team Leader and I are really alike. Working under him, I really have peace of mind. If he weren’t so cold and different from you, I really might have fallen for him.”

Gu Mingxi squinted at her and asked, “What kind of feeling do I give off?”

“It’s…” Pang Qian looked up at him and laughed. “When you were hovering around me every day, I didn’t think that there was anything special about you, and sometimes you even felt annoying. But later on, when you disappeared from my side, I couldn’t find another person who was just like you.”

She gently embraced him and said, “Gu Mingxi, you spoiled me rotten, you know. Spoiling me for so many years, I started feeling like everything was a matter of course. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realized that no one else would spoil me the same way.”

Gu Mingxi stood on the beach, the tranquil sea beside him. The waves gently kissed the rocks, the wind blew at the hairs by their ears. A cold, crescent moon hung in the sky, the white moonlight casting down onto the water. The light on the waves shimmered like silver scales.

There was a lighthouse in the distance, its red light shining to the sea to guide the sea vessels home. Gu Mingxi looked at the lighthouse, and the wind blew against his empty shirt sleeves. He didn’t say anything, but he gave Pang Qian an answer in his heart.

–Yes, Pang Pang. I also wouldn’t be able to spoil another girl the same way.

Three days after New Year’s, Pang Qian’s vacation time was over. She reluctantly bid farewell to Gu Mingxi and flew back to the busy work in the city.

She told her parents about Gu Mingxi, but she didn’t tell them that he would be coming back to E City for the (Chinese) New Year. Pang Shuisheng was very excited, but Jin Ai’hua was a bit glum.

When she took a walk with Pang Qian, Jin Ai’hua asked her daughter, “What kind of work is Gu Mingxi doing now?”

“Primary school teacher,” Pang Qian replied. “He teaches English, math, and art.”

“Does he have a degree?”

“No,” Pang Qian shook her head.

“He never went back to school?”

Pang Qian continued shaking her head, “No.”

“So he only has a high school diploma?” Jin Ai’hua was both surprised and sorry. “It’s a shame. Gu Mingxi was such a good student.”

Pang Qian was speechless.

Over the weekend, she went shopping with Zheng Qiaoqiao. Pang Qian dragged her to the male clothing section to pick out a down coat. She also bought a bunch of male winter clothing, top to bottom, inside and outside, filling up eight shopping bags.

Zheng Qiaoqiao was stupefied. “Crab, you have a boyfriend?”

Pang Qian’s face was all smiles as she nodded, “Mm!”

“Who is it? The one from the bank before? Yu something or other?”

“Nope, you know him.”

“I know him?” Zheng Qiaoqiao was startled. “It’s not Xie Yi, is it?”

“Have you gone crazy!” Pang Qian shouted out loud. She dragged Zheng Qiaoqiao to the floor below, to a book store. Pang Qian picked up a copy of ‘My Miss Crab’ and handed it to Zheng Qiaoqiao. “You’re so behind on the news. Haven’t you heard about this book? It’s really popular now. Hurry and buy a copy to read when you get home. After you read it, you’ll understand.”

Zheng Qiaoqiao looked at the image of an ostrich and crab on the cover of the book. Surprised, she asked, “You found Gu Mingxi?”

Pang Qian smiled, “That’s right!”

Gu Mingxi’s winter break started early. After the final exams concluded, Dou Dou’s mother came from Guangdong to bring him home for (Chinese) New Year. Gu Mingxi called Pang Qian and told her he’d already bought a plane ticket back to E City. He’d stay at Shark’s place for the time being.

“I haven’t seen Shark in a long time, and I miss him,” Gu Mingxi said. “He said he’d close his shop in Shanghai a bit earlier for the New Year’s and would head back to E City. He said if I headed back a bit earlier, we could have a drink together.”

Pang Qian worried, “I originally wanted to go back to pick you up from Sanya. Will you be okay taking the plane on your own?”

“I’ll be fine.” Gu Mingxi laughed lightly. “Every year, I to back to Z City to visit my mom’s grave, and I go on my own then too. I can take care of myself, Pang Pang. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll go to Z City with you this Qingming (Note: also known as ‘Tomb Sweeping Day’),” Pang Qian said. “I’ll come with you to visit Auntie, okay?”

Gu Mingxi responded, “My mom will definitely be very happy to see you visit.”

The day before he departed, Gu Mingxi sat in his Sanya Bay house packing up. He worked slowly and with much effort, but he wasn’t impatient at all. He just continued to slowly pack his things.

He sat on the floor, using his feet to fold his clothes one by one and put them into plastic bags. Finally, he put the plastic bags neatly into his backpack. Midway through packing, he stood up and headed to the bathroom to grab his toothbrush, a towel, a razor…

He’d moved many times. At the start, it was his mother who packed his things for him. But later on, he was left on his own.

He learned how to pack up his things and call for a moving company to move them for him. As for himself, he only carried a single, large backpack.

In his bag, he put his most important belongings. His passport, ID card, bank card, a photo of him and his mother, a picture of Pang Qian, and some gadgets.

He didn’t want to risk having these items mailed because he’d once lost a box of things in the mail. Gu Mingxi felt terrible thinking that he might lose the things that belonged to him and Li Han, so every time he moved, he would keep certain things on his body.

After he finished packing, Gu Mingxi didn’t sleep until late. He got off his bed and went to turn the light on in the living room.

He stood in the middle of the room and looked around. His house was decorated very simply because at the time, he didn’t really have any money. He remembered when he first arrived in Sanya. It was a winter day and he’d flown in from the cold Northern regions. When he got off the plane, with the sun shining down on his head, Gu Mingxi felt a bit dizzy.

Shark waited for him at the terminal. When he saw him, he quickly helped him take off his coat. “The winters here are 30 degrees (86 F), be careful about heat stroke!”

As the taxi drove down the streets of Sanya, Gu Mingxi looked around curiously. The sky here was cloudy or foggy, and there wasn’t a biting wind. Instead, there was a warm sun and clear blue skies decorated with white clouds. As the car drove along the coast, they passed coconut trees, the drooping branches of large banyan trees, and bougainvilleas in full bloom. The Southern feel was very charming.

Shark was the one who first found the building on the Sanya Bay with a great sea view. He brought Gu Mingxi there to check out houses, and when Gu Mingxi stepped out onto the balcony, he was completely mesmerized by the view of the sea.

Shark pat his shoulders and lit a smoke. He said, “Not bad, right? I knew you’d like it. They have smaller apartments too, so think about it.”

Gu Mingxi really liked one of the smaller places. At the time, the house was all grey and roughly done, but the sea was still visible from the balcony. He walked around the house several times, thinking to himself that this is where he would settle down.

In the past few years, Gu Mingxi was like an ant moving house. He gradually brought things home, and then in the end, he brought back a little boy.

After Dou Dou came along, the house got a lot noisier and messier. But Gu Mingxi felt that this made it feel more like a home.

Gu Mingxi wouldn’t deny that he’d genuinely considered settling down in Sanya. Even if it was thousands of miles away from his hometown, even if he had no relatives in this place, he’d thought before that he could be a happy island dweller here.

The past only existed in his dreams. The ideals and ambitions he once had, the people he wanted to work hard for, none of them were by his side anymore.

Gu Mingxi sometimes felt as if he were in a trance. Without realizing it, step by step, he’d ended up in this place.

When he walked on the school grounds, the students would run over to him and happily call out, “Teacher Gu!”

In his sixth grade class, there were two students, a boy and a girl. The boy was originally from Guangxi and his parents were working in Sanya. The girl was a Sanya native. The two of them had grown up together, lived close to each other, and went to and from school together. They were especially good friends.

But before final exams, the girl had appeared in Gu Mingxi’s office. She cried as she said that the boy would be returning back to Guangxi after graduation.

Look, right beside us, there were always stories of parting. Gu Mingxi could only comfort her by saying that when she went to junior high, she would meet lots of new friends. When that time came, it wouldn’t be so hard.

“You can write letters or call each other or chat on QQ,” Gu Mingxi said. “If there’s a chance, you can even meet up again.”

“What if we can’t meet again?! (crying sounds)” the girl cried in despair. “Teacher Gu, I don’t want new friends! I don’t want to separate from Qiu Zixuan!”

Gu Mingxi looked at this girl quietly and didn’t try to console her again. No matter what anyone had to say, their words would pale here. No one else would understand the bitterness and pain of (some one else’s) goodbye.

She finally dried her tears and left the office. Gu Mingxi sat at his desk, staring ahead blankly. Awhile later, he lifted his head and looked out the window.

Outside the window, the sky was blue. Knowing that he would be leaving here, he couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of sadness and a bit apprehensive of the future.

The next morning, Gu Mingxi woke up early and carried his backpack into Sanya Phoenix Airport.

A volunteer at the airport helped him with his security check. When he boarded the plane, the Sanya sky was clear and the sun was shining, with an air temperature of 25 C. Three hours later, the plane landed at the E City airport. Gu Mingxi got off the plane and went to board the airport bus. He wasn’t wearing much and the wind blew against his face. He was a bit unaccustomed to it now and he stopped in his steps.

He walked out of the terminal with the crowd and Gu Mingxi found a familiar figure.

A coat prepared for him was hanging on Pang Qian’s arm as she waved vigorously towards him. “Gu Mingxi! Over here!”

Gu Mingxi walked over to her, his swaying, empty shirt sleeves catching the eyes of others. But then they saw a young woman rush toward him and throw herself at him, before embracing him tightly.

She stood on her toes and gave him a sweet kiss, and then quickly pulled off his backpack to help him put a coat on. Then she looked up at him, her face full of joy, and said, “Gu Mingxi, welcome home!”

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 96.1 (Part 1) Unexpected Surprise
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 96.1 (Part 1) Unexpected Surprise
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Chapter 96.1 (Part 1) Unexpected?Surprise
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

Part 4. My Heart, Like the Sea

Gu Mingxi, can you say it in a way that I can understand?

Gu Mingxi got into Pang Qian’s car, a red Sagitar. There was a little grey wolf hanging from the rear view mirror and the seat was covered with a Mickey Mouse cushion. There was also a Yoyo and Cici (monkeys) stuck on the dashboard. This was obviously a girl’s car. When the car started, those little monkeys would start bobbing. Gu Mingxi stared at them for a moment and then smiled silently.

[support the translator by reading this on mayyth.com]

He asked Pang Qian, “When did you buy a car?”

“Ah, the middle of last year. I’ve only been back a little longer than a year.”

“Are you planning on going back to Shanghai? There should be more opportunity for expansion there.”

She didn’t answer right away, but after awhile, she said, “I probably won’t be going back any time soon.”

As Pang Qian drove Gu Mingxi around the streets of E City, she realized that the man beside had been silent the whole time.

She didn’t disturb him. It took an hour to get from the airport to Shark’s place. Pang Qian gave him his space, to let him take in all the changes to the city in the long time that he’d been gone.

Along the way, there were a lot of road blocks. Gu Mingxi said, “They’re building a subway here, right? I saw in the news that E City was building a subway.”

“Mm, the first line will open next year. There’s a stop next to my house too.” Pang Qian smiled. “Where did you see the news?”

“E City News Online, and also Baixing forums.” (Note: Baixing is basically like Craigslist.)

As the car passed by the site where the metals factory used to exist, Gu Mingxi looked out the window at the unfamiliar square. He asked, “What’s this place called?”

“New Century Square,” Pang Qian replied. “Hey, see that brown building? That’s where the compound used to be.”

“If they tore down the compound, where does Grandpa Ceng live now?” Gu Mingxi asked.

Pang Qian paused. Then she said, “Grandpa Ceng passed away a long time ago. Before they tore the compound down, he was already gone.”

Gu Mingxi’s pulled his eyes back from the window. He thought for a moment, and then asked, “I nearly forgot. If Grandpa Cai were still alive, he’d be more than 80 years old.”

Pang Qian nodded. “Yeah, we’re already all grown up.”

The heavy machinery factory hadn’t been demolished yet. Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi arrived at Shark’s house.

Shark had already gotten married with Xiao Le, and they had a (more than) 2 year old daughter. They came back from Shanghai for New Year’s. The family of three lived together with Shark’s mother. The second floor of the house was still empty, which was great for Gu Mingxi to stay in.

When Pang Qian saw Shark, she was really angry. A few years ago, she’d gone to find Shark in Pudong a few times. Each time, she’d asked if he’d heard anything about Gu Mingxi, but Shark swore to god that he hadn’t had any contact with Gu Mingxi. He said he hadn’t seen him in the past few years.

Pang Qian clenched her teeth. “Shark, you’re really too much! You saw that I was looking for him all these years! Didn’t you ever feel guilty?! You couldn’t tell him that I’d been waiting for him all that time?!”

Shark quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, sorry. Little Crab, it’s really not that I didn’t tell him. I worried for him too. It was that blockhead Xiao Gu who didn’t get it straight. Go ask him. I tried persuading him for years!”

Gu Mingxi smiled at the side, which made Pang Qian even more angry. She pinched at his waist, “You’re still smiling?!”

“Oh!” He couldn’t help calling out. Shark’s daughter, Tian Tian, ran over at them and started hitting Pang Qian’s legs with her little hands. “Bad guy! Bad!”

“Hey! So even this little girl is your fan?” Pang Qian picked up Tian Tian. The little plump girl glared at her. Pang Qian said, “Little Plump Girl, why are you calling me a bad guy?”

“You hit Uncle!” Tian Tian twisted around with all her strength in Pang Qian’s arms. She pat Gu Mingxi’s face with her little hands and like a child, she said, “Uncle, does it hurt?”

Gu Mingxi smiled and kissed Tian Tian’s forehead. He said, “It doesn’t hurt. Tian Tian’s a good girl.”

Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi had lunch at Shark’s place. Afterwards, she carried his luggage into the guest room. She helped him change out the bed sheets for a clean pair, and as she was about to help him unpack his things, Gu Mingxi stopped her.

“I can take care of it. Didn’t you say you had to head back to work in the afternoon? Hurry and go. I’ve already held up your entire morning.”

Pang Qian pouted. “What’s there to be so polite about with me? I’ve been a bit busy these few days, so I won’t be able to spend time with you. But we can get together over the weekend, okay?”

Gu Mingxi smiled and nodded.

Pang Qian sat down beside him and asked, “When are you coming over to my house for a meal? I told my parents that you were back and my dad called you over for a meal.”

Gu Mingxi thought for a moment, and then said, “How about tomorrow night? I haven’t seen them in a long time, and Uncle and Auntie took care of me a lot. I feel pretty bad not having kept in touch all these years.”

“So you know that too, huh.” Pang Qian hugged him. “Then it’s settled. Tomorrow night. I’ll get off work a little earlier to pick you up. I’ll probably have to work overtime tonight, so we won’t get to see each other. I’ll cal you when I get home.”

Gu Mingxi asked, “Do you work overtime often?”

“Yeah. And especially at the end of the year, everyone’s really busy.” Pang Qian smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I won’t work too late. I’ll be home by 10 or 11 at the latest.”

Gu Mingxi frowned. “10 or 11 isn’t late?”

“Aiya, in our line of work, it’s pretty common to work all night too. One time, I didn’t go home for three days and worked at the office until the sky was dark. When I got sleepy, I’d take a nap on the sofa for a few hours, and then get back to work when I woke up.”

Gu Mingxi felt very distressed about it. “How can your body handle that? Pang Pang, it’s too tough like this.”

“That’s what work is like.” Pang Qian reached out and ruffled his hair, and then she touched his forehead. “I’m sure that when you have to get a book out, you stay up all night too.”

Gu Mingxi spoke firmly, “I’ve never worked through the night before.”

“Okay, I’ll watch out for my health.” Pang Qian checked her watch. “It’s already past 1 o’clock, I have to get going. I’ll call you at night. Bye.”

She kissed him on the lips and then grabbed her bag and left.

Gu Mingxi stayed at Shark’s house. He hadn’t met with Shark in a long time, so they spent the rest of the day chatting. In the evening, Clam brought his girlfriend over. He’d already gotten his college diploma and was working at a Volkswagen dealership. Because of his baby face and sweet talk, the customers were happy and business was taken care of quickly.

When Clam saw Gu Mingxi, he was extremely excited. He pointed to Gu Mingxi to show his girlfriend. “Do you know who this is? He’s the extremely popular…”

Shark smacked him on the back of his head, and Clam quickly swallowed the rest of his words. His girlfriend asked curiously, “Extremely popular what?”

“Uh… An internet celebrity.”

“Ah?”

Gu Mingxi smiled. “Ignore his nonsense. I’m just a primary school teacher who occasionally posts drawings online.”

Clam’s girlfriend asked, “What’s your internet handle?”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t revealed myself to the public yet,” Gu Mingxi said. “I’m Gu Mingxi, and you can call me Xiao Gu. In this place, I’m just Shark and Clam’s good friend, nothing more.”

Because they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, everyone drank a bit more than usual at dinner. Clam drunkenly called Oyster, who’d already gone back to his hometown to live. He’d opened his own barbecue place. When he heard Gu Mingxi’s voice over the phone, he was suddenly really moved and started crying. “Xiao Gu! It’s really you!”

Gu Mingxi felt extremely touched. He realized that in all these years, there were more than just a few people who’d been thinking of him.

Oyster said, “When are you and Little Crab getting married? Give me a call then and I’ll definitely be there. Pearl always kept saying she wondered what ended up happening between Xiao Gu and Little Crab.”

Gu Mingxi laughed. “It’s a bit too early to talk about that. Pang Qian and I just… We’ve just been together for a little while now.”

Listening at his side, Clam got really excited. In a loud voice, he called out, “Xiao Gu, Xiao Gu! Did you eat up Crab?” (Note: Literally ‘eat up and wipe clean’)

Gu Mingxi’s face was already red from drinking, but it started burning even more now.

Shark scolded Clam, “Your head’s full of dirty thoughts! You think Xiao Gu’s you?!”

Clam complained, “Xiao Gu’s already 27 years old! Can this be considered dirty thoughts?! If a guy holds himself back for too long, something bad will happen! Hey, Xiao Gu, you’re not still a virgin are you?”

Xiao Le was so embarrassed that she got up from her seat. Clam’s girlfriend couldn’t stand to hear him keep talking, so she grabbed at his ear. “Shut up! You really drank too much!”

Gu Mingxi’s face was so red you could cook on it. He lowered his head and drank more beer through his straw.”

It wasn’t until 11 o’clock that Pang Qian’s call came. She’d just arrived home, and she sounded tired. Gu Mingxi told her about his dinner with Shark and Clam. As Pang Qian listened, she woke up a bit. “Aiya, you guys are terrible. You’re playing around while I have to work overtime? I don’t care, next time, tell Shark to invite Clam over again.”

Gu Mingxi laughed, “No problem.”

“Is Clam getting along well now?”

Gu Mingxi told Pang Qian about Clam, and she said, “Who’d have thought. If I knew, I’d have bought my car from him. I might’ve even gotten a discount.”

As she spoke, she yawned. Gu Mingxi said, “Pang Pang, you’re tired. Get to sleep.”

“But I want to talk with you.”

“Aren’t we meeting up tomorrow? Hurry and wash up, and then go to sleep early. You still have to go to work tomorrow.”

Pang Qian rolled onto her bed with her phone in hand. “Okay, I’ll go wash up then. You sleep early too.”

“Mm, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” She kissed at her phone. “Gu Mingxi, see you tomorrow.”

The next day, Pang Qian got off work and quickly headed to Shark’s place to pick up Gu Mingxi.

Shark helped Gu Mingxi bring a bunch of things to Pang Qian’s car. Pang Qian stared a bit, and then asked, “What’s this? What’s all this for?”

Shark laughed out loud. “The kid’s going to see his wife’s parents. He had me go along with him to buy some gifts during the day.”

Pang Qian looked at the bags carefully. Two bottles of wine, two packs of smokes, two cases of health products, a gift box of fruit, and even a box of jewelry. She looked at Gu Mingxi’s bashful expression and complained, “Why did you buy so much stuff? It’s so expensive!”

“I should do it.” Gu Mingxi smiled. “I’m just worried that you won’t be able to carry it all up, and we’ll have to ask Uncle to help.”

Seeing how apprehensive he looked, Pang Qian couldn’t say anything else. She closed the car door and giggled. “I’m taking the guy I like to meet my parents. Gu Mingxi, are you nervous?”

“No.” He turned his head away, reluctant to admit it.

Pang Qian kept giggling as she closed her mouth.

The car headed toward the Prosperous North neighborhood and then parked the car. She carried out all the bags of things from the car. Gu Mingxi looked around at the unfamiliar area. There were six or seven tall buildings around a park. The park had a pond in it, which was surrounded by evergreens. There was also a children’s playground and public exercise area.

“What do you think of the place?” Pang Qian asked him.

Gu Mingxi looked around and nodded. “Not bad.”

“Compared to the Compound?”

Gu Mingxi looked over at her and laughed as he shook his head. “Can’t be compared.”

Pang Qian also laughed and said, “I think so too, can’t be compared.”

When they took the elevator up, Pang Qian saw Gu Mingxi’s reflection in the mirror.

He was wearing a light yellow down jacket, one of the things Pang Qian had bought for him. The bright color gave off a warm feeing. It’s just that yellow would make a pale person look more pale, and it also made a tan person look darker.

Gu Mingxi examined himself in the mirror. He turned his neck and moved his shoulders. And then he saw the girl beside him faintly smile. (Note: Literally ‘smile but not smile’)

He shrugged, tilted his head and smiled at her. “I’m really tan right now, so yellow doesn’t look good on me.”

Pang Qian shook her head. “No, I think you look really handsome.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” She tilted her head and laughed as she looked at him. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you were First High’s school hunk?”

The corners of Gu Mingxi’s lips curved up. “Wasn’t that Xie Yi?”

“Everyone said you were more handsome than Xie Yi. Didn’t you know?”

“Everyone said…” Gu Mingxi looked at her with shining eyes. “So what did you think?”

“I…” Pang Qian smiled wickedly. “Seeing you all the time as I grew up, I grew so tired of it. At the time, I kept arguing with Li Xiaoyan. She said you were handsome, but I said Xie Yi was handsome.”

Gu Mingxi’s face gave her a dirty look. Pang Qian laughed as she watched him. Then she said, “But when I couldn’t find you, I realized that you were better looking than everyone else. Even when you came to Shanghai all sloppy looking, I still felt that you were the best looking.”

“…”

“To be honest, I saw a lot of handsome guys after that.” Pang Qian spoke slower. “Of my clients and friends, there are some who are mixed and Caucasian. Golden hair, blue eyes, tall, with great qualities – they were really handsome. Even Xie Yi wouldn’t be able to compare. And there were a few colleagues at work who were also extremely handsome. For example, there were a ton of girls who had the hots for my team leader. But so what?”

The elevator dinged as it arrived on the 17th floor. Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi stepped out, and stood in front of Apt. 1702. She turned to Gu Mingxi and said, “Gu Mingxi, no matter how handsome those guys were, in my eyes, none of them could compare to you.”

Then she used her foot to knock on the door. Gu Mingxi had been speaking with her the whole time, but now, he was very nervous. The door opened and Pang Shuisheng and Jin Aihua stood together there.

The feeling of home and family gushed out the door. A warm, brightly lit living room. The rumbling of the exhaust hood on in the kitchen. And the aroma of a delicious meal floating in the air…

Gu Mingxi looked at the middle aged couple in front of him. They were already more than 50 years old. Their hair was greying, their stomachs fat, with more wrinkles on their face, and their stature even seemed to have shrunk.

He still remembered the younger Pang Shuisheng, thick black hair and a strong body. He helped him alter his bike. He had a custom desk made for him. In primary school, when it rained, Pang Shuisheng would ride over on his large bike and take the two kids home.

Gu Mingxi sat in front of him, covered with Pang Shuisheng’s raincoat so he wouldn’t get wet. And Pang Qian sat behind him and would get drenched every time.

Gu Mingxi once brought up changing seats, but before Pang Shuisheng could answer, the dripping wet Pang Qian called out, “No! You can’t hold on, so if you sit on the back, you’ll probably fall off!”

…

That was really a very long time ago. A smile appeared on Gu Mingxi’s face, no longer nervous. In a quiet voice, he said, “Uncle, Auntie.”

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 97 (1/2) Happy New Year (2/2) Happy New Year
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 97 (1/2) Happy New Year (2/2) Happy New Year
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Chapter 97 (1/2) Happy New Year (2/2) Happy New Year
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

If I can’t trust you, then I probably shouldn’t trust myself either.

At Gu Mingxi’s suggestion, Pang Qian called Pang Shuisheng and Jin Aihua to take a look at the house.

[support the translator by reading this on mayyth.com]

Pang Shuisheng and Jin Aihua were both taken off guard, as Pang Qian had been. After they looked around the house in confusion, Gu Mingxi told them that he wanted to buy this house. The two of them looked at him in surprise.

Pang Shuisheng pulled Jin Aihua over to the side and quietly chided her. “Look at you. You mentioned houses, so now Gu Mingxi must want to sell his house in Sanya to put a down payment on this place. This house costs nearly 3 million. Think about how burdensome the mortgage for it will be!”

Jin Aihua didn’t feel very good either. She said guiltily, “I was just saying it. I didn’t tell him to immediately buy a house, and I definitely didn’t tell him to buy such a big house. He could buy something different or smaller too.”

“You shouldn’t have mentioned houses at all!” Pang Shuisheng thought for a moment, and then he said, “This won’t do. Mingxi hasn’t even moved back here yet. I have to convince him that there’s no hurry to buy a house. Getting work is more important.”

There were a few days left before New Year’s. Pang Qian’s family of three plus Gu Mingxi had a family meeting.

They had two things they needed to discuss. One, should they buy this house in the Prosperous North district?

Gu Mingxi wanted to buy it and Pang Shuisheng was against it. Jin Aihua didn’t dare to add her opinion, and just said, “Didn’t we say that Mingxi and Qian Qian should decide their own matters. I’m not butting in.” Pang Shuisheng got very angry and glared at her.

He told his daughter, “Qian Qian, convince Mingxi. Don’t buy this house. There’s no rush to buy one. As parents, we don’t have any grand requests. Look, when your mom and I married, we didn’t have a house. Then we got a small three bedroom house, and didn’t we live well there for more than 20 years? You can also start out in a small place.”

Pang Shuisheng originally thought that Pang Qian would support him, because more than anyone else, she wouldn’t want to put pressure on Gu Mingxi. He hadn’t expected that Pang Qian’s expression would be one of deep consideration.

After the past few years, Pang Qian’s knowledge on real estate had increased. She’d been making money the whole time, and she wanted to buy a house in the middle of the city. Although housing prices had increased a lot from normal, and new residences in the suburbs cost more than 10k per sqm, but Pang Qian felt that the prices would only keep rising. The financial news had been talking about how the federal price regulation on housing would be introducing credit limits and restriction policies, and that might cause the prices to fall. But Pang Qian still believed that this wouldn’t really affect housing prices for property in the heart of the city. Rather, prices would rise, not fall.

If she were only considering for herself, she would definitely choose a smaller house. But she had to include Gu Mingxi in her future plans. Knowing that Gu Mingxi’s plans already included children, Pang Qian’s heart softened. She knew that what Gu Mingxi wanted was a family.

She sat down next to Gu Mingxi, resting her hand on his thigh. She asked, “Are you sure there are no problems with the funds?”

Gu Mingxi said, “No, there are no problems. The money’s already in my account. They just deducted the tax. Adding in my savings, I can make the 1.3 million down payment.”

Pang Qian thought for a moment, and then said, “Then let’s buy it.”

Pang Shuisheng cried out in surprise, “Qian Qian!”

Pang Qian smiled. “Dad, don’t worry. I have some savings too. If we add that onto the initial payment, the mortgage won’t be as high either.”

Now that the first topic was more or less resolved, Jin Aihua felt delighted. The next topic of discussion– Who’s name would the house be under?

Pang Qian and Pang Shuisheng both felt that it should be Gu Mingxi’s name. After they got married, they would add Pang Qian’s name to.

But Gu Mingxi said, “Write Pang Pang’s name.”

Pang Qian immediately refused. “I’m not adding much money to it! At most, 30 or 40 thousand. It’s not because I want my name on the deed!”

Jin Aihua couldn’t help quipping. “30 or 4o thousand isn’t a small amount. Qian Qian, the two of you will definitely be responsible for it together in the future. Both of your names should be on it.”

Gu Mingxi shook his head. “No, Auntie, I don’t mean to add both of our names on it. What I mean is to put it in Pang Qian’s name only.”

Pang Qian cried out, “Gu Mingxi, are you crazy?!”

Pang Shuisheng was also shaking his head. “No, no, that won’t do!”

Even Jin Aihua didn’t take is lightly. “Mingxi ah, you’re putting down more than a million dollars. How can you only write Pang Qian’s name on it?”

Gu Mingxi thought it was really interesting. He smiled and said, “Uncle, Auntie, isn’t your trust in Pang Qian too little?”

Pang Shuisheng said, “It’s not that we don’t trust Pang Qian, but… We’ve seen too many things like this before. For a bit of money or a house, couples, siblings, and parents can all become enemies. Although Qian Qian is our daughter, we look at you as our son too. If you put out that much money for the house, of course your name has to go on it. As for Qian Qian, it’s too early for you two to discuss marriage. After everything is official later on, it won’t be too late to add Pang Qian’s name to the house. In any case, I won’t agree to putting Qian Qian’s name onto it. If your mother was still here, she definitely wouldn’t agree to it either.”

Gu Mingxi felt very touched. The two people in front of him were clearly Pang Qian’s parents, but they were genuinely concerned and considering things for him. He smiled and then explained his thoughts. “I really trust Pang Pang. Really. Uncle, I really trust her.”

He turned to glance at Pang Qian. Her hand was still resting on his thigh. Gu Mingxi continued. “Because of my situation, it will be harder to apply for bank loans. When I bought my house in Sanya, I didn’t have a proof of stable income, and I was disabled. The bank wouldn’t help me with the mortgage at all, until my teacher acted as my guarantor. They acted so harshly at the time when I was asking for a 500 thousand loan. This time, the loan will be more than 1 million, and you can imagine what will happen. Writing Pang Qian’s name is different though. She has a good job with high income, and accumulated funds, so the interest rate will be lower. That’s why I think that it’s the most convenient and reasonable method to just her name on it.”

His words made Pang Qian’s family unable to retort. Pang Shuisheng had also taken out a loan when he bought his house, so he knew a bit about it. Pang Qian worked in the financial sector, so of course she understood very well. For someone with the work history and physical condition that Gu Mingxi had, it would be impossible to get a loan for 1 million dollars.

But she really couldn’t ‘bully’ him this way. She said, “No, I still don’t agree to it.”

Gu Mingxi jumped in. “Pang Pang, don’t let your emotions cloud your thinking. After we finish, we have to quickly sign the contract.”

Pang Qian lowered her head and pouted, her hand drawing on his leg over and over. Then she lifted her head to look at her. She said, “Gu Mingxi, how about we get married.”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

Of course Gu Mingxi didn’t agree to Pang Qian’s suggestion to get married. Who got married after only dating for a month? Pang Qian scoffed. “A month? Why do I feel like we’ve been dating for the past 20 years?”

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The two of them sat inside Pang Qian’s room, where the heater kept them warm. Pang Qian held a large cup of ice cream and alternated between eating a spoon and feeding Gu Mingxi a spoon.

Gu Mingxi smiled. “20 years? Why don’t I remember that? From what I recall, you liked Xie Yi for quite a few years. You even used me to practice confessing to him. What does that count as? Does it count as an affair then?”

“You want to die?! Gu Mingxi, I can’t stand you sometimes! Ugh!” Hearing Gu Mingxi bring up Xie Yi, Pang Qian felt indignant and dropped the ice cream onto him.

He lied on the bed and Pang Qian hit him with a pillow. “Stop bringing up Xie Yi!”

Gu Mingxi laughed. After Pang Qian had enough, she lied down on the bed next to him. After she let out a sigh, she turned to the side and supported herself up with her arm as she looked at him.

Gu Mingxi turned his head to look at her with his gentle eyes. Pang Qian’s lips curved up and she said, “You told me back then that you liked a girl in your drawing class. You told me that you liked her, that you really liked her. Do you remember?”

Gu Mingxi blinked. “Ah…”

She reached over to touch his face, her fingers running along her jawline, down to his chin. Her fingers brushed over the stubble there, and she felt it was very scratchy and extremely interesting.

“After I went to Z City and couldn’t find you, I wondered if you might have contacted that girl. So I asked my dad to go to where you took drawing lessons to see if he could find the teacher.”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

“But your teacher said that for the past few years, you’d been studying drawing with two boys, and there was no girl working with you guys.” Pang Qian’s voice lowered. “At the time, I kept thinking that Gu Mingxi was really silly. How could he be so silly.”

He looked at her with his dark eyes, biting on his lips, not saying anything.

Pang Qian smiled. “But then later on, I started to feel more and more that the real fool was me.”

When she finished speaking, she lowered her head and kissed him. He finally closed his eyes and enjoyed her delicious lips. He felt that they were ten million times more delicious than ice cream.

After the two of them kissed for awhile, Gu Mingxi said, “Pang Pang, promise me that you’ll put your name down on the house.”

Pang Qian froze for a moment. Gu Mingxi smiled slightly and said, “It’s going to be our house. What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is yours. I want it to be our house in the future. If you don’t agree, I can’ buy it on my own.”

Pang Qian still wasn’t sure. Gu Mingxi suddenly sat up and bent over to kiss Pang Qian’s forehead. He said, “Unless, you’re going to cheat me?”

Pang Qian frowned and stared at him. “Who knows if one day I’ll just sell the house and run away with the money. Then what will you do?”

“Then we’ll just take it as a gift I sent to you.” He nudged her cheek with his own. “My mom’s no longer here. Pang Pang, right now, you’re the person I’m closest to in this world. Everything that belongs to me is yours. If I can’t trust you, then I probably shouldn’t trust myself either.”

His words shook Pang Qian’s heart. She thought, yes, why was she so adamantly against it? Gu Mingxi trusted her the same as he trusted himself, but right now, she wasn’t the same! Was she worried that she would leave him later?

Would she? Would she?!

Of course not!

Two days before New Year’s, Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian went to meet with the house’s owner and sign the contract. The house was in Pang Qian’s name, and just hers. Because it was nearly New Year’s, everyone decided to handle the rest of the formalities after the holiday. Gu Mingxi transferred the first payment to the real estate agency’s account, and like that, the matter of buying a house was settled.

On the eve of the new year, Pang Shuisheng and his three siblings reserved three tables at a restaurant to have dinner with his parents and their families.

Gu Mingxi went with them to the restaurant. He’d been neighbors with Pang Qian since he was young, so her family all recognized him and knew about his family situation. Even after such a long time without seeing him, each one of them treated him very familiarly.

Little Aunt-in-law said, “Mingxi, why have you gotten so tan? But you’re still very handsome. A bit of a tan adds to your manliness.” (Note: Or more literally, adds to his ‘scent of a man.’)

Little Aunt wiped away a tear and said, “Mingxi, you must have suffered all these years. It’s good that you’re back now.”

Grandma Pang had become a bit senile, and sometimes she couldn’t recognize people. But very curiously, she called out, “Mingxi! Isn’t this Mingxi? Mingxi’s come home!”

Grandma Pang had often taken care of Gu Mingxi when he was younger. The day of his incident with the electric transformer, it was Grandpa and Grandma Pang who had been watching the two kids. The day that Gu Mingxi had his arms amputated, Grandma Pang had cried so much that she’d fainted. She felt that it had been her responsibility, that it was her fault for not taking care of this child, that she’d ruined the rest of his life. Afterwards, every time she came over to the Pang house and brought things for her granddaughter, she never forgot to prepare something for Gu Mingxi next door.

Gu Mingxi crouched down to Grandma Pang, who was shedding tears. With his face next to hers, he said, “Grandma, it’s me, Mingxi. I’m home.”

Grandma Pang patted his head and said, “Good child, good child. This time, don’t leave again. I heard Shuisheng say that your mother passed away. Aiya, Ah Han was such a good person. Why did she suffer so much. But you’ve come back, and that’s good. That’s good.”

Pang Qian walked over to her grandmother’s side and said, “Grandma, Gu Mingxi and I are dating now.”

Grandma Pang didn’t respond, and Grandpa Pang reminded her, “Wife, Qian Qian said that she and Mingxi are meeting.” (Note: The words he used imply that two people are meeting with the intent of marriage.)

“Meeting? Qian Qian and Mingxi are meeting?” As if waking from a dream, Grandma Pang quickly pulled out a red envelope. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I should have prepared a meeting present for Mingxi.” She stuffed a red envelope into Gu Mingxi’s pocket. “Mingxi, I know that you’re a good kid. I’ll leave Qian Qian in your care. Don’t worry.” (Note: The term used here for ‘meeting present’ is for gifts that one gives to a relative or junior when meeting them for the first time. Here, what’s going on is that they’re meeting Gu Mingxi for the first time as part of their own family.)

The food and drinks were served, and the three tables ate and enjoyed their reunion dinner. Other than the young kids present, everyone else had watched Gu Mingxi grow up, so they were very accustomed to his manner of eating.

Pang Qian sat beside Gu Mingxi and helped him put more food in his bowl. She also helped serve him soup and drinks. They knew each other’s tastes, so the food she gave him were all his favorites.

Gu Mingxi had already forgotten when the last time he’d had a proper New Year’s dinner was. For the past years, he’d spent New Year’s in Z City, S City, and then in Sanya.

His first year in Hainan, he declined Shark’s invitation and spent the New Year’s in his Sanya house by himself. At the time, his house had just finished its renovation, and he didn’t have the money to install all the electronic appliances. He didn’t celebrate New Year’s and just made himself a bowl of boiled dumplings. He didn’t take the food out of the kitchen when it was done either. Instead, he stood in front of the stove on his left foot, and raised his right foot to the pot to eat.

The second and third years he spent in Sanya, he had Dou Dou beside him, and the house had a TV. He and Dou Dou would have New Year’s dinner and then watch the celebration programs on TV.

Dou Dou was still young and didn’t really understand the programs, so he would fall asleep pretty quickly. Sitting on the sofa, Gu Mingxi saw the joy and laughter lighting up the TV screen, and he couldn’t help thinking of the people thousands of miles away from him.

Pang Qian’s 4 year old niece, Lin Lin, ran over to Gu Mingxi’s side. She looked curiously at him and pulled on his shirt sleeve. “Uncle, where are your arms?”

Gu Mingxi smiled and said, “I got sick when I was little and my arms went bad, so the doctor had to take them away.”

“Will the doctor return them to you?”

Gu Mingxi shook his head, his eyes very gentle. “No, he won’t.”

“Then what are you going to do?” Lin Lin thought about it and then said, “Uncle, you can go buy two arms.”

Gu Mingxi laughed. “Where do I go to buy them?”

“Taobao!” Lin Lin cried out happily. “Mom says that you can buy anything on Taobao!” (Note: Taobao’s like Ebay)

As midnight approached, Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian started counting down together.

They were at Shark’s house. Shark had a business and was also a bit superstitious. He bought 5000 dollars worth of fireworks and said he wanted to set them off so that the new year would be booming.

When Shark set off the fireworks in front of his house, Pang Qian hid beside Gu Mingxi. She wrapped her arms around his waist and peeked out to look. After all these years, she was still scared of fire, scared of the smell of burning gunpowder, scared of the scent of scorched air. Gu Mingxi knew that this fear came about from the accident when he was 6 years old.

When the bell sounded for midnight, the sky was filled with fireworks, and the air was filled with a deafening sound. Gu Mingxi turned and lowered his head to look at Pang Qian’s cheek. The fireworks shimmered across her face. He could see her scared eyes and pursed lips.

Gu Mingxi smiled as the woman beside him held onto him tightly. He rested his chin on her head, and then turned his head down.

“Pang Pang, don’t be scared, don’t be scared.” The fireworks were very loud, but his voice was surprisingly clear. Pang Qian was enchanted by his voice, and her panicked heart gradually calmed.

He was injured 20 years ago. It was a long time, 20 years. But it was also a very short time, 20 years.

He whispered in her ear, “Pang Pang, Happy New Year.”

“Mm, Gu Mingxi, Happy New Year.”

On the first of the new year, Pang Shuisheng gave Gu Mingxi a thick red envelope and said it was a meeting present. Jin Aihua stood beside him and said, “Don’t bully our Qian Qian, you got it? If you dare to bully her, I won’t forgive you!”

One sentence made everything so very clear. A smile gradually spilled out from Gu Mingxi’s eyes. He turned to look at Pang Qian, who was blocking her face with a pillow, obviously embarrassed. Gu Mingxi quietly said to Pang Shuisheng, “Uncle, don’t worry. I’ll definitely treat Pang Qian well.”

If I can’t trust you, then I probably shouldn’t trust myself either.

Over the Lunar New Year break, Pang Qian was very relaxed and she would laze around with Gu Mingxi every day. On the first day of the new year, she ate at her own home. On the second night, they went to her (maternal) grandparents’. On the third night, they went to her uncle’s. On the fourth night, Pang Shusheng and Jin Aihua’s old colleagues came over to their house for dinner.

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Pang Qian asked Gu Mingxi, “Have you contacted your dad all these years?”

He shook his head, “No.”

“Then… Are you going to meet up with him now that you’ve come back?”

Gu Mingxi pondered for a moment, and then he shook his head again. “I don’t want to.”

Pang Shuisheng was popular, so he had quite a few colleagues and friends from the metals company. Some of them hadn’t retired yet either. In that case, it wasn’t convenient for Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi to stay home. After they ate lunch, Pang Qian dragged Gu Mingxi out for a walk.

They arrived at the New Century Square, which housed a large commercial center, a movie theater, an ice skating rink, a mall, a market, and luxury brand stores. There were also restaurants, tea houses, and coffee shops of all sizes.

Pang Qian dragged Gu Mingxi to a few different male clothing stores. She helped him buy several sets of clothes for winter and even spring. It was all pretty expensive.

After he’d returned to E City, all of Gu Mingxi’s clothes were bought by Pang Qian. Gu Mingxi would say that something was too expensive, even as Pang Qian helped him adjust the collar. She would say, “I’m returning to you all the years we missed out on. I’ll buy all our clothes from now on. All my single colleagues say that I have good taste. Clothes make the man after all. And my boyfriend is so handsome, if he dresses well, that’s just icing on the cake.”

Gu Mingxi curled his lips. “During school, the clothes you wore made people scared to compliment you. A rose red top and a grass green skirt. And you even dared ask me if you looked good… Tsk, tsk.”

“Ugh!” Pang Qian glared at him. “Say that again! Would you believe me if I said I was going to sell the house and run away?”

(Note: There are a lot of instances where Pang Qian will say ‘[you’re so] hateful!’ or ‘[I] hate [you]’ which means that Gu Mingxi is irritating or annoying her. I’m pretty sure I used to translate it literally as ‘Hateful!’ for awhile, but I think recently, I’ve been translating it more as ‘Ugh’ to signify irritation and disdain, because ‘Hateful!’ sounds so stupid… Just to let you know.)

As if it had become her mantra, this sentence would always come out when they quarreled. Gu Mingxi smiled and shook his head. “Go ahead, sell it. If you sell the house, I’ll go back to Sanya to teach, draw, and live in my little house with a view. And then I’ll find another girl…”

“You dare to, you dare to!” She grabbed at his ear, but since they were in public, Gu Mingxi didn’t dare to scream out loud. In a low voice, he said, “It hurts, it hurts…”

Pang Qian released her hand and then helped him rub his ear. Gu Mingxi looked at her, aggrieved. “And your mom even told me not to bully you. You should let her see how her precious daughter is bullying a kid without a mom.”

This person! This person! This person’s face was really getting thicker! Pang Qian was carrying two bags of male clothing, unsure whether to laugh or cry. The two of them stared at each other, and then they both started laughing.

After they finished buying things, they went to a Chamate (Note: A tea place/restaurant, I assume) to eat some things. Pang Qian said she wanted to watch a movie, so the two of them headed down to the movie theater. The theater was decorated festively for New Year’s. There was cheerful music playing and tons of people. Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi were discussing what movie to watch when suddenly a commotion started up.

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A woman’s sharp and shrill voice sounded, “Cheating scum! Adulterers! I’ve caught you this time!”

Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi couldn’t help turning to look. They saw a middle aged woman with curly hair leading a few men and women towards a couple. The man in the couple looked to be more than 40 years old, carrying a few extra pounds, and wearing glasses and a fresh outfit. The woman was about 30 years old with good looks. On this cold day, she was wearing a short skirt with tights and heels.

Things developed very quickly. The middle aged woman had obviously gathered the people with her in advance. Two other men quickly grabbed hold of the man, while three other women gathered around the woman. She wanted to run away, but someone grabbed her arm. How could she escape three other people? The curly haired woman was already standing in front of her. Left and right, she slapped the woman seven or eight times.

The sound was loud and crisp. Pang Qian jumped from the surprise, as she thought about how painful it must have been. The three women had already started to pull at the pretty woman’s clothing.

The pretty woman cried out miserably. Crawling on the floor, crying and screaming. (Note: Lack of pronouns makes me unsure which of them is doing what at times.) The man wearing glasses on the side kept calling for the other women to stop. Some passersby were about to try to calm them, when the curly haired woman started wailing.

It was that old, stereotypical story again. A couple married for twenty years struggled together for years, and their family business was finally going well. But then at this time, her husband cheated on her.

Everyone in the crowd sympathized with the curly haired woman. Her eyes were red as she pointed at the man with glasses. “If you want a divorce, that’s fine! I’ll help you with that! But don’t think about touching the house, the car, the company, the stocks, or the savings! You can try to take me to court, but see if you’ll make it to the hearing with your life intact! And our son! I’m telling you now, don’t ever think of meeting him again for the rest of your life!”

The man with glasses’ face turned ashen. After the curly haired woman finished speaking, she suddenly pulled out a bottle from her bag. She took off the cap and poured it onto the pretty woman, whose hair and clothes got drenched.

No one knew what the liquid was, but then the curly haired woman pulled out a lighter. The pretty woman was terrified as she collapsed to her knees. She knocked her head on the ground and pleaded for her life.

Pang Qian pulled at Gu Mingxi to leave as she reached for her phone to call the police. She was really scared that it had been some sort of gasoline like substance. Then she realized that Gu Mingxi looked very solemn, his feet stuck in place.

The curly haired woman started to laugh as the crowd around started to hide and run. A few people were even recording the scene in front of them.

The curly haired woman tossed away her lighter. Looking down condescendingly at the shaking woman on the ground, she said coldly, “This is water, you won’t die. Fang Hui, I remember that you seduced another man before, and not just one. Have some morals, if just for your daughter. She’s only 7 years old! Do you think everyone will be as forgiving as me? Haha. Be careful, else you might not know what causes your death one day.”

When she finished speaking, she turned and walked away. The ones who had come with her followed suit. The man with the glasses stood there in a daze. He looked at the disgraced woman on the ground and then at the spectator’s mocking eyes. He turned and chased after his wife, “Wife, Wife, I was wrong. Wife…”

Now that the lively scene had ended, the crowd dispersed. Only Gu Mingxi still stood there, looking at the woman on the ground.

Her face had swollen already, and there were marks from the fingers that hit her. Her nose and lips were bleeding. Her stockings had been torn to pieces, and her coat had been pulled off long ago. Her sweater was ripped, her bra strap exposed. Her whole body [censored], as she sat on the ground, breathing heavily.

After a long while, she finally stood up, shaking. All the people passing by glanced over at her. Fang Hui wanted to tidy up her clothes, but she realized that she couldn’t. She took off her heels and carried them in her hands as she limped towards the door.

When she walked past him, she looked at him.

Gu Mingxi was wearing a down coat. With the bulging and puffy sleeves stuffed into his pockets, you couldn’t tell that he was disabled at a glance.

Fang Hui had just suffered a major shock, her eyes filled with fear and resentment. Her face was extremely pale. She just glanced briefly at Gu Mingxi before walking past him.

Gu Mingxi watched her figure walk off, and he knew that she hadn’t recognized him.

Pang Qian pulled at his coat. “What are you looking at? Let’s go, let’s buy our tickets.”

Gu Mingxi turned to her, “What did you want to watch?”

“How about ‘My Own Swordsman’? It’s supposed to be pretty funny.”

Gu Mingxi nodded, “Okay.”

When they went to buy their tickets, he turned back once more, but Fang Hui was nowhere to be seen.

It was evening when Pang Qian was sending Gu Mingxi off. Just then, Gu Guoxiang’s call came.

Jin Aihua answered the phone. Gu Guoxiand, “Aihua, this is Guoxiang. I heard that Mingxi came back.”

Jin Aihua was cracking melon seeds on the sofa as she asked, “Who’s Mingxi?”

“…” Gu Guoxiang’s voice was cordial and solemn. “Aihua, don’t joke around. My son, Gu Mingxi.”

“Haha!” Jin Aihua perked up. “You know that Gu Mingxi is your son? Why are you looking for him at my house? Your son came back but didn’t contact you? Your son, and we have to be responsible for helping you find him?”

Gu Guoxiang held down his temper. “Someone told me that Mingxi was together with Qian Qian at your building. Is it true?”

“Ask the person who saw it,” Jin Aihua said coldly. “In any case, I didn’t see it. To be honest, I really do want to see Mingxi. To ask him if he’s suffered all these years. To ask him how he got through all these years, after his mother passed away, without any arms, all by himself!”

“Aihua…”

“If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

“…”

“Oh, by the way, don’t you dare come to my house. We don’t welcome you as a guest.”

When she finished speaking, she mercilessly hung up the phone. The now retired woman wasn’t at all scared of Gu Guoxiang. She harrumphed and then turned to Pang Shuisheng sitting beside her. “Don’t stare at me. I’m just outraged at the injustice for Ah Han.”

Pang Shuisheng wrapped his arm around her shoulders and said, “Who’s staring at you? Wife, that was beautiful!”

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 98 Spring Festival Dinner
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 98 Spring Festival Dinner
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Chapter 98 Spring Festival Dinner
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

We’re here. Who else is already here?

The one who told Gu Guoxiang the news (about Gu Mingxi) was obviously not Fang Hui, but rather an employee at the metals company, one of his subordinates, if you will. He originally lived in the Golden Compound, and now he lived at the New Gold Park. Over New Year’s, he was having dinner at a restaurant in the New Century Square, when he happened to see Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian walking together.

[support the translator by reading this on mayyth.com]

He’d watched Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian grow up, so he naturally didn’t forget their faces. Even after so many years, now that the kids had grown up into a young man and woman, he still recognized them immediately.

When he returned home that night, he considered it for awhile, and then he gave Gu Guoxiang a call.

Gu Mingxi was very surprised at how many relatives Pang Qian had. From the first to the fifth of the new year, they had a get together every day. He obediently followed Pang Qian to each of her relatives’ homes, obediently greeted everyone with her and ate, and then obediently received red envelopes.

Gu Mingxi couldn’t really understand the rules of Pang Qian’s family. Whether it was Jin Aihua’s side or Pang Shuisheng’s side, a lot of older people all gave him a red envelope, saying it was a first meeting present. When they returned home, Pang Qian pulled the packets out of his pocket and quickly counted the money. Then she recorded this down in a notebook.

“Goodness, my uncle actually gave you 3,000! What’s going on here?” Pang Qian shook her head and sighed. “When my cousin brings her boyfriend home, then it’ll be our turn to bleed [out money?].”

After this Spring Festical, Gu Mingxi received 50 thousand dollars from the red envelopes. He asked her curiously, “We both work, so why do we get red envelopes?”

Pang Qian smiled, “Because you’re my boyfriend, and it’s the first time I’m bringing you back for New Year’s. Our family has a custom of giving a first meeting present for the kids’ partners. Everyone gives some, though how much depends on their financial situation. In any case, this is something that comes and goes. We’ll have to repay it later.”

Gu Mingxi said, “But I didn’t see you give any red envelopes to the kids.”

Pang Qian looked at him with wide eyes. “I’m not married yet. It’s enough that my parents give it. After we get married and we have our own family, you won’t be able to hide even if you wanted.”

“So it’s like that. You don’t have to give money if you’re not married yet?” Gu Mingxi suddenly realized. “I give Dou Dou New Year’s money every year.”

Pang Qian laughed. “That’s different. You’re basically acting as his dad.”

On the subject of Dou Dou, Gu Mingxi recalled the call Dou Dou had given him for New Year’s. The kid told him Happy New Year, and Gu Mingxi asked if he was happy staying with his mom. Dou Dou dropped his voice.

“Mom and Uncle have a son and daughter, though they like their son more.” Dou Dou asked Gu Mingxi, “Teacher Gu, when are you returning to Sanya? Can you pick me up on the way?”

Gu Mingxi said, “I’ll head back before the end of winter break. Your mom will send you back then.”

“Will I still be able to live with you?”

“Of course.” Gu Mingxi really couldn’t find it in him to say that he would only be staying in Sanya for another half a year. He said, “Dou Dou, be good. I’ll bring you a present, okay?”

After he hung up the phone, Gu Mingxi felt a bit sour inside. After two years of knowing each other, he and Dou Dou had already formed a deep emotional ties. He knew that Dou Dou relied on him, but he also knew that it would be difficult for him to keep raising Dou Dou.

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“Gu Mingxi, what are you thinking about?” Pang Qian’s voice called him back to the present. She looked at him and smiled. “Tomorrow is the sixth (of the New Year), and we have one final dinner party to go. When it’s over, we’ll be free!”

Gu Mingxi forced a laugh. “There’s still one more? When it’s over, your vacation ends too.”

“Is there something you’re unhappy about? Didn’t I spend every day with you?” She snuggled up to him. “We’re having dinner tomorrow at Donghua Hotel. Do you want to walk around there during the day, or do you want to stay at home?”

Gu Mingxi thought for a moment, then said, “Stay at home. Actually, I like staying with you in this room, just chatting and listening to music. That’s enough.”

“It’s so nice to raise you.” Pang Qian laid down on the bed and wrapped her arms around him. She really liked hugging him, as if the steady flow of warmth from his body could cure the hunger and thirst of her skin.

She nestled her cheek to his shoulder. Gu Mingxi turned his head and kissed her, and then asked, “Which relative are we eating with tomorrow night?”

“Not a relative, but a few friends.” Pang Qian giggled. “They wanted to see you, so I agreed.”

Gu Mingxi was a bit surprised. “Your friends?”

“Mm.”

“Do they know about my condition?”

“They know.”

He didn’t say another word.

Before they left the next day, Pang Qian helped Gu Mingxi pick out his clothes. He usually didn’t much care about how he dressed, but that day, he wanted some opinions about it.

A beige, wool vest with black trousers and a black belt. Black shoes and a short, light grey wool coat. His handsome appearance made Pang Qian’s heartbeat quicken.

He’d actually never dressed so formally before, because those types of clothes made it inconvenient for him to do things. Usually, Gu Mingxi dressed very leisurely, but because he was meeting Pang Qian’s friends, he hoped that he would appear well next to her.

“Gu Mingxi, you’re simply too handsome!” Pang Qian helped him with his belt and then neatened his collar. Her eyes were full of love, and then she saw how unusual Gu Mingxi looked. She smiled and asked, “Are you very nervous?”

He shook his head, but he didn’t seem very sure of that. Pang Qian smiled and said, “Is it because you’re meeting my friends? You don’t have to be nervous. They’re all very good people.”

Gu Mingxi quietly sighed. He said, “Pang Pang, I don’t have any arms, after all.”

“You asked me before if I felt you were embarrassing.” Pang Qian pulled at Gu Mingxi’s shirt and lifted her head to look at him. “Gu Mingxi, you said it yourself then, that you didn’t think there was anything embarrassing (or disgraceful) about yourself.”

“I was young back then. I didn’t understand (the world),” he said a bit helplessly. “I’m okay, but I’m meeting your friends today. I don’t want them to talk behind your back later after seeing me.”

“They won’t!” Pang Qian held his face in her hands. “Later on, I’m going to take you to Yang Lu and Sheng Feng’s wedding, and you’ll meet lots of my college classmates. And I have to take you to our company parties and outings. Our company has a lot of activities! I’m even going to take you to weddings and receptions for my clients. Because you’re my boyfriend, and later you’ll be my husband, I hope that you can join my social circle and meet my friends. I’m sure that they’ll really like you.”

Seeing his crinkled brows, she stroked his forehead and said, “Gu Mingxi, you weren’t like this before. In the past, you were a lot more confident.”

Gu Mingxi’s gaze was fixed on her eyes, and gradually, they curved. His lips curved up as well. He said, “Pang Pang, for myself, I’m okay with anything. But now that I’m together with you, I really want to do better. I don’t care if people gossip behind my back, I never cared about that. I’m afraid that other people will talk behind your back because of me though. These people are your friends after all. Don’t you think that, being together with me, you’ll eventually come across this kind of situation? There will definitely be someone who comes to you and says ‘Pang Qian, with such good qualifications, how did you find such a boyfriend?’ They may not have any ill intentions, but once you hear it, you’ll definitely feel bad inside. To be honest, I couldn’t think of any way to resolve this. I can’t just hide at home and never meet your friends, so… What I wanted to say was that being with me, you’ll have to face a lot of these questions and situations in the future. Have you ever thought about it before?”

Pang Qian burst out with a laugh. “Gu Mingxi, be careful or else I might sell your house. What’s the point of talking about these trivial things right now? Hurry up, we’re going to be late.”

As they rode the elevator down, Gu Mingxi looked at himself in the mirror. Pang Qian tiptoed and helped him tidy his hair. Then she kissed him on the cheek. “Stop looking, you’re already handsome enough! If you were to go onto ‘If You’re the One’ (Note: A dating game show), none of the ladies would turn off their lights for you.”

Gu Mingxi laughed. “Would I be that welcome? Then does that mean I lost out ending up with you? Maybe I should go onto ‘If You’re the One’ to try it out for real.”

“It’s a loss, a big loss. Hurry and go sign up!” Pang Qian laughed. “If you register for it, then I can sell your house and make more than a million dollars!”

Pang Qian brought Gu Mingxi to the Donghua Hotel Restaurant. When they walked up to the private room, they could hear lots of chattering. Gu Mingxi called Pang Qian and asked, “Pang Pang, do I look okay?”

Pang Qian looked him up and down and then gave him a thumbs up. Then she gave him an encouraging look and then pushed open the door to the private room. She popped her head in and said, “We’re here. Who else is already here?”

Gu Mingxi stood behind her and only heard the cheers that came. Then the door was pulled open and a lot of people ran at him. He looked at them, stunned. Before he could respond, a short haired woman had already come to hug him.

“Gu Mingxi! Ah– It’s really you!” Gu Mingxi lowered his head and saw Jiang Zhiya’s charming face. It was the first time he’d seen her with short hair, so he nearly didn’t recognize her.

Zhou Nanzhong was beside her and pat her on the shoulder. “Hey, hey, Anchor Jiang, don’t you care about Crab? What do you mean by hugging someone else’s boyfriend? Bullying him because he can’t push you away, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m bullying him! So what?” Not only did Jiang Zhiya not loosen her hold, she hugged Gu Mingxi even more tightly. Then she loosened her arms and said, “Gu Mingxi, why are you so tan now? You’re nearly darker than Zhou Nanzhong, who’s living in Columbia now.”

Gu Mingxi glanced over at Zhou Nanzhong, and he’d indeed gotten tanner and a bit chubbier. Looks like the sun in Columbia was really strong, and the food wasn’t bad either.

Zhou Nanzhong walked up and gave Gu Mingxi a guys’ hug. He knocked onto his back with his fist and said, “Long time no see, bro. Where did you run off to all these years?”

Wang Song followed suit and gave Gu Mingxi a strong hug. Then he pullled Li Xiaoyan over and told Gu Mingxi, “Bro, Li Xiaoyan and I are getting married in May. When we send out invitations to you and Xiao Qing, you’d better show up to the reception dinner!”

Wang Song and Li Xiaoyan’s appearances hadn’t changed much. They just looked a bit more mature. Gu Mingxi looked at them and finally was able to say, “Congratulations. I’ll definitely be there.”

Wu Min walked up to Gu Mingxi and pat him on the shoulder. “Still remember me, your old rival?”

Wu Min and Gu Mingxi had continually fought for 2nd place in their first year of high school. Back then, Pang Qian stopped caring about Xiao Yujing’s test results, because she was someone you just couldn’t catch up to. Instead, she always went to find out Wu Min’s scores, and then she’d find it regrettable that Gu Mingxi had only lost out by two or three points.

Gu Mingxi had pretty much calmed down. He smiled and nodded. “Of course I remember.”

The last to appear in front of Gu Mingxi were Teacher Dai and Xie Yi. Teacher Dai had already started crying. She walked up to him and gave him a warm hug. She said, “How are you now, Gu Mingxi?”

“I’m well, Teacher Dai. Really.” Of course, in front of all these people, he really didn’t want to cry. But he couldn’t stop his eyes from getting red. Gu Mingxi did all he could to stop the tears. Xie Yi walked up to him, still as dazzling as ever. His elegant features were flawless, and with a tailored, slim fitting suit, he was really unspeakably handsome.

Xie Yi looked at Gu Mingxi meaningfully, and then he also hugged him. After the hug, his expression suddenly changed. With a pow, he punched Gu Mingxi in the stomach, and it wasn’t without some power. The pain made Gu Mingxi bend over. Everyone around them was startled, and Pang Qian cried out in panick, “Xie Yi, what are you doing?!”

“I’m punching him for you!” Xie Yi’s eyebrows jumped up. He said to Pang Qian, “You obviously wouldn’t be able to bear hitting him, right? This kid went missing for so many years. One light punch isn’t really all that much. While he was tanning in Sanya and watching the girls in bikinis, did he ever think of you?!”

“Xie Yi!” Pang Qian called out. She held onto Gu Mingxi’s back as she asked, “Gu Mingxi, are you okay?”

Gu Mingxi gasped and finally stood up straight. He shook his head. “I’m fine. Xie Yi was just playing around. Don’t worry.”

Thanks to Xie Yi, he was able to hold his tears back.

As everyone sat down around the dinner table, Pang Qian helped Gu Mingxi take off his coat. Xie Yi handed the menu over to Teacher Dai, and everyone else was chatting among themselves. Gu Mingxi listened on quietly, learning a bit about these old friends’ current situations.

After graduate school at Wuhan University, Zhou Nanzhong started working at an engineering firm and was sent to Columbia to build a power plant. This was his first time back spending New Year’s back home since then.

Wang Song worked for the city’s labor bureau as a civil servant, and Li Xiaoyan worked at an office. The two of them had already renovated their new home and were preparing to get married.

Jiang Zhiya was transferred and was currently working on news, no longer the weather girl.

Wu Min got into Tsinghua’s post graduate program and was currently studying there. After that, he would have to go abroad for two years. He said that later on, he would be doing scientific research work.

There wasn’t anything that needed to be said about Xie Yi. After finishing his graduate studies in America, he returned to start a business, and his production company was thriving.

Even Teacher Dai wasn’t working at First High anymore. She’d been transferred to Fifth High and been promoted to vice principal. Teacher Dai picked a few dishes to order and handed the menu over to Jiang Zhiya to let everyone else pick some things. And then she smiled as she asked Xie Yi, “Aren’t we still waiting on someone?”

Xie Yi’s expression was a bit unnatural, a bit absent minded. Just then, the door to their room opened. Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi turned around and saw a delicate and pretty woman with long hair standing there. She was taking off her coat and scarf as she apologized, “I’m sorry I’m late.”

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 99 Under the Chinese Parasol Tree
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 99 Under the Chinese Parasol Tree
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Chapter 99 Under the Chinese Parasol Tree
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

We’re different from you guys.

Just as Gu Mingxi had never seen Jiang Zhiya with short hair, and had almost not recognized her, no one had seen Xiao Yujing with long hair before. In everyone’s memories, Xiao Yujing was always a short-haired, thin girl. She had a small, oval face, delicate and gentle features, and a quick wit behind her tranquil eyes.

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But the Xiao Yujing standing before them had hair down to her waist. She had on a touch of makeup with a clear and attractive complexion. She wore a dark green coat and a bulging pair off snow boots, the spitting image of a modern, big city beauty.

It really overturned everyone’s image of a “female doctorate.” Everyone knew that Xiao Yujing didn’t dress up much, so they’d expected a makeup-less but confident girl in glasses.

Xiao Yujing smiled at the table of stunned faces. “What, you don’t recognize me?”

After the group got back to their senses, they stood up to welcome her. Xiao Yujing greeted each one of them. Zhou Nanzhong said to Gu Mingxi, “Gu Mingxi, your reputation sure is big. Goddess Xiao has graced us with her presence for New Year’s. When we invited her out for a meal, she said she didn’t have time. It was only when Wu Min said that you’d be here that the goddess agreed to come.”

Xiao Yujing also looked over to Gu Mingxi. He’d already stood up and was smiling at her. Xiao Yujing’s expression was very even as she said, “Apologies, but I really am pressed for time this trip back. But when I thought about how I hadn’t seen Gu Mingxi since we graduated high school, and how difficult it was for him to come back, I naturally wanted to stop by.”

Wang Song quipped, “Goddess, your words aren’t quite right. Which of us have you seen after graduation?”

Xiao Yujing wasn’t angered, but smiled and said, “First off, don’t call me ‘goddess.’ Secondly, when I was in Beijing, I had a few meals with Wu Min. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him.”

Wu Min smiled and nodded. “This was before she let for America. We had a few meals together, and we went to each other’s schools before.”

Zhou Nanzhong dropped his hand onto Wang Song’s shoulder. He shook his head and sighed. “See this. The smart kids are just hanging out with themselves, without us. Don’t try to butt in.”

Xiao Yujing smiled more. “What are you doing, Zhou Nanzhong? The main character today is Gu Mingxi. Why do you keep throwing fire my way?” Then she looked over at Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian beside him. She spoke joyously, “Gu Mingxi, Crab, looks like you two are finally together. I’m really happy to see that.”

The only open seat at the table was between Teacher Dai and Xie Yi. Xiao Yujing walked over and put down her bag and scarf. She bent over and hugged Teacher Dai. “Teacher Dai, it’s been a long time. How have you been lately?”

“I’m doing well.”

Xiao Yujing sat down and she and Teacher Dai exchanged a few more words. They asked about each other’s situations, and everyone else tacitly kept from interrupting. Finally, Teacher Dai looked over to her side and said, “There’s someone who’s been waiting to greet you.”

Xiao Yujing turned to face Xie Yi and smiled slightly. “Xie Yi, it’s been a very long time. How are you?”

Xie Yi’s eyes were stiff, and he seemed very different from his usual self. But it was only for a moment. Soon, his smile returned and his mischievous expression was restored. “Very good. And yourself?”

“I’m pretty good too, just a bit busy,” she said.

[support the translator by reading this on mayyth.com]

When the food arrived, everyone picked up their chopsticks, chatting and eating together. Facing this table of people, Gu Mingxi really didn’t feel any pressure at all. His right foot was raised to the table, holding his chopsticks. He leaned over to Pang Qian’s ear and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that we were eating with old classmates?”

Pang Qian lowered her own voice and said, “I wanted to give you a surprise.”

“Ah…” He sighed. “If you told me earlier, I wouldn’t have needed to dress up like this. These pants are too tight and it’s hard to eat.”

Pang Qian looked at him innocently. “Sorry. I really didn’t expect that you would want… to dress this way.”

Zhou Nanzhong called out, “Hey, hey, hey, you two. What are you whispering about? Let everyone else hear it too.”

Pang Qian looked up and said, “Zhou Nanzhong, you’re really so nosy. Haven’t you ever heard of ‘hear no evil’?”(Note: Or maybe more appropriately ‘listen not to what is contrary to propriety’. I’m not sure if those are really the right translation for this situation, but basically, ‘mind your own business.’)

Zhou Nanzhong chuckled. “Little Crab, seeing how fed up you’re getting, does that mean there’s good news on the horizon?”

Gu Mingxi’s face started burning a little, but Pang Qian had very thick skin. “Not too far away, if not this year, then next year. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely send you a wedding invitation. If you’re still in Columbia, you can just send over a gift.”

“So tasteless! Tasteless!” Zhou Nanzhong was indignant. “Little Crab used to be such an innocent girl. After studying finance, her whole body stinks of copper (i.e. money). Our relationship is so great, why lower it by talking about money?!”

Pang Qian smiled. “Aiyo, who’s the one that said there were two companies in Beijing and Columbia scouting him, saying that the only difference was that the one in Columbia payed more. Without another word, this person just hopped on the plane to work in South America. Definitely a promising youth without eyes for money!”

Zhou Nanzhong glared angrily at Wang Song, “You even told her about that?!”

Wang Song confessed, “I didn’t. I just told the wife.”

Li Xiaoyan was very unhappy that Wang Song sold her out. “Hey, you didn’t say I couldn’t tell anyone! I just told it to Pang Qian as a joke when we were shopping.”

Zhou Nanzhong was astonished. “As a joke?!” Sitting beside Gu Mingxi, he started complaining. “Gu Mingxi, look at your wife. She used to be such a dumb little girl, and now she knows how to ridicule. Must be all the contact with American and Hong Kong money. You’d better be careful in the future. You used to lead her, but now, she’ll probably lead you along.”

Jiang Zhiya spoke up for Pang Qian. “Zhou Nanzhong, you can actually say Pang Qian used to be dumb? Don’t forget that her college entrance exam score was higher than yours by four points!”

Even Teacher Dai joined in. “I remember the year that you graduated, Wuhan’s entrance cutoff was lower than usual. Zhou Nanzhong was lucky. If it were the year before or after, he might not have made it in.”

Zhou Nanzhong nearly wanted to cry. “Teacher Dai…”

Gu Mingxi listened to them bicker, a faint smile on his face. It had already been eight years since he’d seen them last. Hearing them, his memories floated back to his school years. Those endless practice problems, the noisy table tennis gym, the exam countdown on the blackboard, the days and nights spent doing homework with Pang Qian, and all the people gathered together in the cafeteria…

The food at Donghua Hotel were exquisite and delicious. Pang Qian grabbed a piece of tenderloin and placed it into Gu Mingxi’s bowl. She said quietly, “Be careful, it’s hot.” And then she served him a bowl of chicken soup, and quietly added a piece of chicken. Gu Mingxi lifted his eyes to look at her. He really wanted to tell her that he missed those years that they ate side by side in the school cafeteria.

After Wu Min and Xiao Yujing talked for awhile, everyone else was thrown into confusion. Wu Min asked Xiao Yujing about some schools in America as they had studied similar things. Xiao Yujing responded patiently, even explaining about certain school’s research laboratories and doctoral programs. Sometimes she would say things in English, though she wasn’t trying to show off. To Xiao Yujing, English was basically her mother tongue. And after spending a few years in America, as she tried to explain to Wu Min about the situation in America, she hadn’t even considered translating (to Chinese). Fortunately, Wu Min’s English was also very good, and the two of them communicated without issue. That couldn’t be said for the rest of the group

Jiang Zhiya saw that Zhou Nanwei looked like he was listening to scripture. She laughed. “Hey, aren’t you abroad? Why haven’t you picked up the language?”

Zhou Nanzhong got angry. “Lady, they speak Spanish in Columbia!”

Li Xiaoyan and Pang Qian spoke across the table. She asked Pang Qian, “Crab, since you’re together with Gu Mingxi now, are you still planning on post graduate studies?”

Pang Qian halted for a moment and recalled that she had spoken to Li Xiaoyan about going back to school before. They both started working right after graduation, and eventually, they both thought about post graduate studies. Pang Qian glanced over at Gu Mingxi and realized that he’d turned to look at her. His gaze held a glimmer of suspicion. Pang Qian smiled and told Li Xiaoyan, “I’m not planning on it for the time being.”

Li Xiaoyan said, “I’m planning on going back for post graduate studies.”

Pang Qian was surprised, “Really? You decided?”

Li Xiaoyan nodded. “You don’t know, but it’s really hard to get promoted in my field without at least a master’s degree. After Wang Song and I get married, I’ll be able to get my degree in a year and a half if I’m quick. I plan to finish my studies before having a child, otherwise there won’t be time after that.”

Zhou Nanzhong asked Wang Song, “What about you? Are you going back to school? Your field puts importance on education background as well.”

Li Xiaoyan said, “Yeah, I’ve been trying to convince him to go back, but he’s worried he won’t be good at studying after so many years. I told him I would go back to school first. After all, guys don’t have to give birth to children. It’s okay if he goes a few years later.”

Wang Song’s expression was a bit unnatural. “We’ll talk about these things again later. There’s no rush.”

Xiao Yujing was very interested in this topic, so she joined in on Li Xiaoyan and Pang Qian’s discussion. She encouraged the two of them to go back to school, and it made Jiang Zhiya grow eager.

“Anchor Jiang, what you need as an anchor isn’t more school, but plastic surgery.” Zhou Nanzhong’s filthy mouth extremely angered Jiang Zhiya. She picked up a tomato and threw it at him.

“Everyone says that girls who get a doctorate become extinguished old ladies who never find a husband. My cousin got her doctorate, and now she’s having a hard time finding a boyfriend.” Jiang Zhiya rested her chin in her hands. “But I think Xiao Yujing’s really pretty. Who would ever guess that she’s got a doctorate degree.”

“I still haven’t finished it.” Xiao Yujing laughed. “My advisor really wants me to continue doing research after I get my degree though.”

Everyone: ==

This get together was very pleasant, with no barriers and no ice. Everyone spoke very freely about the foolish things they did as kids in school, and they talked about their plans for the future.

There were two people at the table who remained quiet. One was Gu Mingxi. He usually didn’t speak much in front of people, and since he smiled along with others, no one really noticed.

The other was Xie Yi. He’d always been a very lively character, but that evening, he barely said anything. He just drank one cup after another.

They were drinking red wine. No one else really drank very much, but when the others weren’t watching, Xie Yi suddenly got drunk.

After dinner concluded, Zhou Nanzhong and Wu Min grabbed a taxi home together, since they were headed in the same direction. Wang Song drank so Li Xiaoyan drove them home. They also sent Teacher Dai home. Jiang Zhiya had to get back to work at the broadcast station, so she drove away on her own. That left Pang Qian, Gu Mingxi, Xiao Yujing, and a drunken Xie Yi.

Pang Qian didn’t drink, and she knew where Xie Yi lived, so she suggested that she would send him home. Xiao Yujing said, “I’ll send him. There are some things I want to say to him anyway.”

In front of Donghua Hotel, a cold wind was blowing, and the contents of Xie Yi’s stomach were unsettled. He ran over to the side, leaned against a tree trunk, and started vomiting. Xiao Yujing stood beside him and helped pat his back. Then she pulled out a napkin for him to wipe his mouth. Xie Yi knew that he looked a mess. He’d never let himself go so much before, and he couldn’t hold his cool anymore.

Pang Qian went to a small convenient store and bought a bottle of water. She walked over to his side and Xiao Yujing stepped aside slightly. Pang Qian turned back and saw her walk over to Gu Mingxi, who wasn’t very far away.

Xie Yi drank half the bottle of water. Pang Qian asked him, “Are you feeling better?”

Xie Yi nodded. Pang Qian helped him up and sighed. “What are you doing? Why did you make yourself so unhappy for all these years? Xie Yi, you’re really not like yourself, you know.”

“Are you lecturing me?” Xie Yi straightened up, and propped himself up against the tree. His face was flushed and he reeked of alcohol. There was a cynical expression in his eyes as he said, “Crab, how long did you wait for Gu Mingxi?”

Pang Qian looked at him in the eyes. “We’re different from you guys.”

“What’s so different?”

She responded firmly, “Everything is different.”

A surge of anger came out from Xie Yi’s eyes. He stared furiously at Pang Qian, and she, not at all scared, stared right back at him.

She kept standing with him under the tree, neither of them turning back to look behind them. There was heavy traffic on the street, and they couldn’t hear the whispers of the two people a few meters behind them.

A few minutes later, Xiao Yujing walked back over. She asked Xie Yi, “Are you feeling better? Can you walk?”

Xie Yi silently nodded. After saying goodbye with Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi, he and Xiao Yujing got onto a taxi.

Now only Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi were left in the cold wind. Pang Qian walked over to his side and hugged him lightly. She looked up at him and said, “Let’s go.”

She drove him back to Shark’s house. Gu Mingxi had drunk a bit of red wine, so he was looking a little tipsy. He asked Pang Qian, “Are you working tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“Next Monday is Valentine’s Day.”

“Ah?”

“After we spend Valentine’s Day together, I’ll return to Sanya.” His speech was very slow and a bit hoarse. “This semester is graduation season, so I’ll be really busy. It’s my first time being in charge of a graduating class.”

“Mm, make sure to work well. I’ll fly over to visit you when I have time.”

“I was wondering…” Gu Mingxi blinked his eyes and looked at the flashing lights on the street in front of the windshield. “Would this be the only time in my life that I’ll lead a graduating class.”

Pang Qian knew that he was feeling unsure inside, but she wasn’t sure how to help him in that moment. Suddenly, Gu Mingxi straightened up in his seat. He looked out the car window and said, “The Little Market’s still here?”

Pang Qian’s glanced over to where he was looking. On their way back to the heavy machinery area, they passed through the center of E City, and they also passed by the park near First High.

There were a lot of red lanterns hanging for the New Year’s, lighting up the area. It looked very festive. Pang Qian asked, “It’s still early. Do you want to go in for a walk?”

Gu Mingxi nodded. “It’ll help me sober up too. I’m feeling a little dizzy.”

Pang Qian stopped the car and walked over to the park with Gu Mingxi. There weren’t many people there, but the New Year atmosphere was every present. They walked down the small street to inside the park. In the past, that was where the street vendors congregated, but there was no one there now.

Pang Qian looked around and saw that bench under the parasol tree. She tugged on Gu Mingxi’s sleeve. “Let’s go sit there.”

Gu Mingxi looked over and then bit his lip, his expression bashful.

Pang Qian and he sat down on the bench. She giggled. “It was here, right?”

He lowered his head, and almost incomprehensibly said, “Mm.”

“You… Didn’t you guess that I just didn’t see the letter?” Her voice sounded a bit angry. Gu Mingxi responded innocently, “How would I know that you cut your finger?”

“You really don’t understand me. If I had seen the letter, would I have not shown up?”

“Why couldn’t you have (not shown up)?” Gu Mingxi said, slightly bitterly. “I thought that you’d been scared.”

“Idiot.” She really couldn’t help it, and she pinched at his waist. “Idiot, idiot, idiot!”

After a moment, the two of them quieted. There voices were no longer ringing in the park, and it became very serene. The parasol tree above their heads was just covered in leaf-less branches. The wind blew and they rustled. Occasionally, a car would sound in the distance. Gu Mingxi turned to look at Pang Qian, and Pang Qian leaned her head back. He said, “If you’re cold, come closer. My body’s really warm.”

Pang Qian gave him a toothy grin and quickly scooted over to him. Gu Mingxi was indeed very warm, and he smelled slightly of alcohol. Pang Qian wrapped her arms around him and put her hands into his pocket. It was really warm.

At this point, Gu Mingxi asked, “Pang Pang, did you tell Li Xiaoyan that you were planning to go back to school?”

Actually, when this topic came up during dinner, Pang Qian had felt Gu Mingxi’s spirit drop. Even though he’d been smiling as he listened to their conversation, she knew that he was a bit concerned about it.

At the table, there were two doctoral students, three people with masters degrees, four people in research. And they all studied good majors at good schools. The odd one out was Gu Mingxi, who only had a high school diploma.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t study, and it wasn’t that he didn’t like to study. It’s just that after some uncontrollable events and incidences, he’d moved further and further away from school.

Pang Qian tucked her head into his shoulder and said, “Didn’t I already tell you? I thought about going back to school in the past, but right now, I’m busy with work, and I keep feeling that it’s unnecessary.”

A bit surprised, he asked, “Unnecessary?”

“Do you think it’s necessary?”

“I’m not familiar with your line of work.” He spoke quietly. “I think that if you want to go back to school, you don’t have to be over conscious of me. Even if you have to go abroad, it’s okay. If you think it will be too costly, I’ll make money to support you.”

Pang Qian was stunned. After a long while, she still didn’t say anything.

A bit later, she carefully asked, “Gu Mingxi, do you regret quitting school?”

She originally thought that he would say that he regretted it, or at least consider the question a bit before answering. Instead, he responded quickly, “I don’t regret it.”

“Why not?”

“Even if I was able to get my undergraduate degree, it would have been hard to join the work force. I wouldn’t be able to be anything more than average in that field. Pang Pang, just because I was a good student, it doesn’t mean that I would be able to learn and do everything I tried.” He spoke very sincerely. “If I had studied English, law, or finance back then, maybe I would have been able to persevere and continue, but computer engineering…” He shook his head slowly. “I suspect I really don’t have any talent in that subject.”

Pang Qian looked into the dark night, to Gu Mingxi’s shining eyes and slightly furrowed brows. She suddenly asked, “Gu Mingxi, have you ever thought about going back to school to study?”

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Home  My Mister Ostrich  Chapter 100 Dream Becomes Reality
MY MISTER OSTRICH
Chapter 100 Dream Becomes Reality
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Chapter 100 Dream Becomes Reality
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May

Part 4. My Heart, Like the Sea

If you died, what would happen to me?

Gu Mingxi returned to Shark’s house and his whole family was gathered around the TV. The little Tian Tian happily ran over when she saw him walk through the door. She called out, “Uncle!”

She seemed to like Gu Mingxi very much. He smiled and crouched down to welcome her hug as Tian Tian ran into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Shark called out to Gu Mingxi, “Kid, come over to eat fruit and watch TV.”

Gu Mingxi shook his head. “Not this time. I had a bit to drink, so I want to wash up and rest.”

Shark asked, “Do you need my help?”

“No…” Just as he opened his mouth, he started to regret it immediately. “Shark, I really do need your help today. Can you help me take off my clothes?”

Shark looked him over, and then he laughed as the two of them headed up the stairs. “You’re dressed very nicely today.”

He laughed sheepishly, his emotions still in a flurry.

Shark helped him take off his shirt and pants, and then Gu Mingxi headed into the bathroom. As he was about to shower, he suddenly thought of Pang Qian’s words again.

Clothes off, he stood in front of the mirror and looked back at his reflection.

Gu Mingxi was already 27 years old, not young anymore. After all the struggles he went through, his face looked older than others his age, like Xie Yi. Although his lips were still red and his skin still tender, Gu Mingxi had some wrinkles around his eyes.

He’d have to study for a year in preparation. A 28 year old man going to take the college entrance exams. Wasn’t that more like a fantasy than real life?

Under the parasol tree in the park, Pang Qian told Gu Mingxi that she’d spoken to Teacher Dai privately during dinner. Teacher Dai was the vice principal at Fifth High and there were new teachers joining every year. She said that Fifth High was a top high school, and the teachers at those kinds of schools usually went to graduate school. It wasn’t as severe for junior high schools though, and an undergraduate degree would suffice.

Pang Qian asked about primary school.

Teacher Dai said that for most primary schools, an undergraduate degree was enough, and sometimes even junior college graduates could work there. There were some teachers who didn’t study education, but if they excelled in their field, that would also sometimes be sufficient.

Pang Qian told Gu Mingxi, “Do you want to keep teaching? If you do, then we’ll just both work really hard. When Teacher Dai heard about your experience in Sanya, she said that if you could get your undergraduate diploma, she could help you find a job later on.”

For Gu Mingxi, school and studying had already long ago become a dead dream. He thought that he would never return to the school campus for the rest of his life. But when he heard Pang Qian’s words, he had a hard time digesting it. He said, “But even if I can get into a college, by the time I finish, I’ll already be 32.”

“So what?” Pang Qian’s eyes sparkled. “There’s no age restriction on the college entrance exam. Who said that only teenagers could go to school?! Have you seen on the news? A few years ago, a 60 year old grandpa participated in the entrance exams too. You’re still so young!”

“But…” Gu Mingxi still felt like he was in a dream. Pang Qian reached over to his crippled shoulders and said gently, “I know you’re apprehensive, Gu Mingxi. You won’t be alone at school. I’ll go with you, I’ll go to graduate school. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll always be here with you.”

Gu Mingxi looked at himself in the mirror once more. He wriggled his shoulders and the skin and bones there moved oddly. For nearly his entire life, there had been a lot of people who pitied Gu Mingxi. His clever brain, elegant appearance, and his family background. If that accident hadn’t happened, he would have become the pride of everyone. He’d have become some expert in a field.

“If” has always been a very cruel thing. Right now, Gu Mingxi’s physical state means that he won’t be able to work most jobs. It’s a regret that he’ll carry all his life, something he can’t reverse. But Gu Mingxi still had the chance to change his fate, little by little.

–Do you want to keep teaching?

–Yes.

It wasn’t a glamorous job and it didn’t pay exceptionally well. It was tough, complicated, with a lot of pressure. Sometimes you came across unreasonably parents. But this profession gave thousands of families hope. As a responsible teacher, one could change many lives, just like Dou Dou’s.

Gu Mingxi looked at his reflection, and his gaze slowly became determined. He knew that his fighting spirit had been ignited. His dream that had been sleeping all these years was finally awakened.

After Pang Qian sent Gu Mingxi back to Shark’s house, she returned home to the Prosperous North. After she parked her car, she carried her bag out and heard a humming sound nearby.

As she walked, she suddenly heard a low voice say, “Qian Qian.”

Pang Qian was startled. She turned around, and under the courtyard lights, she saw Gu Guoxiang.

It had been many years since she’d seen Gu Guoxiang. The last time must have been back in high school, before the college entrance exams. She was chatting with Gu Mingxi in Apt. 502 when Gu Guoxiang came over looking for Li Han.

She hadn’t seen him in eight years. Gu Guoxiang was no longer the graceful and extraordinary man in Pang Qian’s memories. He’d gotten a lot older, the wrinkles heavy on his face, and he’d put a bit of weight. No matter how you looked at him, he was definitely a man over 50.

“Uncle… Gu?” Pang Qian asked, guarded. “Are you here to see my parents? They’re upstairs.”

“No, Qian Qian, I came to see you.” Gu Guoxiang walked over to Pang Qian. After a bit of silence, he got to the point and asked, “Has Mingxi come back?”

Up close, Pang Qian could see even more clearly how Gu Guoxiang had aged. His dyed hair was growing out white at the roots. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Behind his glasses, he squinted his eyes, and then asked again, “Qian Qian, tell me. Has Mingxi come back?”

Pang Qian was silent for a long while, and then she finally nodded. “Mm, he came back.”

“Why didn’t he look for me?” Gu Guoxiang sounded unhappy and also a bit suspicious. “Do you have his phone number? Can you give if to me? Qian Qian, it’s already been so many years since I’ve seen him. I really miss him.”

Pang Qian blinked her eyes and then pulled out her phone. “Uncle, give me your phone number. I’ll let Gu Mingxi call you.”

“I haven’t changed my number. Mingxi knows it.”

Pang Qian lowered her phone. “Uncle, I’m sorry, I can’t give you his phone number. I have to ask for his considerations.”

“Nonsense! Qian Qian, how can not understand things? Mingxi too! He was away for so many years! And when he comes back, he doesn’t contact me! Does he still consider me his father?!” Gu Guoxiang was a bit angry, and his leadership senses came out. He felt that he was the senior here and Pang Qian was of the younger generation. He’d already searched her out and asked her calmly, so how could she make him lose so much face.

Pang Qian looked at him a bit blankly. Then she said, “Uncle, did you know that Gu Mingxi quit school?”

Gu Guoxiang was taken aback, and then he grew shocked. “Mingxi quit school?! When did this happen?”

“You didn’t know?” A snicker escaped from her lips. “That means that in all these years, you hadn’t once gone to B University to check up on him. Otherwise, how could you not know? He quit after his first year there.”

Gu Guoxiang’s face turned red and white. Pang Qian said, “Uncle, I’m younger than you and there are some things I shouldn’t say to you, because it’s very impolite. But I can’t stop myself. Uncle, you’ve never once sought out Gu Mingxi in all these years, so what right do you have to tell him to search you out now that he’s back?”

Pang Qian didn’t hide this meeting and she told Gu Mingxi all about it. Gu Mingxi thought it over all night, and then the next day, he called Gu Guoxiang.

The two of them met at a cafe. They didn’t hug or greet each other. They didn’t have a long-awaited, moving reunion. And there was definitely no crying scene. Gu Mingxi sat down across from Gu Guoxiang and looked at his father. He spoke quietly, “Dad.”

His expression was calm and even, neither happy nor angry, just like a stranger’s. Gu Guoxiang felt a knife cutting into his heart. He would have rather seen Gu Mingxi glare at him with hatred, to denounce him loudly. At least then he would know how to react. Maybe he would have cried painfully and embraced his son. He would apologize, repent, and then win his son’s forgiveness.

But Gu Mingxi’s expression didn’t waver in any way. He just smiled lightly and said, “Dad, how have you been?”

Gu Guoxiang was startled. He nodded, “Alright.”

He asked Gu Mingxi about his situation the past years, and Gu Mingxi responded simply. So simply that he covered six or seven years worth of time in just two minutes.

Even with Li Han’s death, he spoke succinctly.

Gu Guoxiang wanted to ask for more details, but Gu Mingxi just smiled and shook his head. “Dad, what’s passed has passed. There’s no need to talk about it anymore.”

Okay, Gu Guoxiang thought. He asked abotu Gu Mingxi’s future plans instead. Gu Mingxi said, “I’m teaching in Sanya. I have to return before winter break ends.”

Gu Guoxiang asked, “Are you together with Qian Qian now? I mean… Are you two dating?”

Gu Mingxi nodded without a word.

Gu Guoxiang asked again, “When do you plan to return to E City to stay?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Gu Mingxi continued smiling. “Dad, don’t worry. Even when I come back, I won’t bother you. You don’t have to be so concerned about me. I can take care of myself.”

Gu Guoxiang nearly acted on his anger over how Gu Mingxi glossed over everything with those words. But when he saw Gu Mingxi’s calm expression, he suddenly felt cold inside. Because he’d suddenly become aware that Gu Mingxi wasn’t angry at him, but rather had spoken genuinely.

This meeting lasted only half an hour. Gu Mingxi declined Gu Guoxiang’s offer to a meal and said that he’d already made other plans. Gu Guoxiang had no other option, and could only send him out.

Pang Qian’s red Sagitar was already parked outside the cafe. When she saw Gu Mingxi, she got out of her car. Gu Guoxiang saw the two young adults and said heavily, “Mingxi, if you run into any troubles, you can tell me. I can help you.”

Gu Mingxi was quiet for a moment, and then he nodded. “I know. (I give) thanks to you, (Dad).”

On the way to the Prosperous North, Gu Mingxi remained silent. His forehead stuck to the passenger side window as he stared out in a daze.

Blood is thicker than water– What an interesting phrase. Gu Mingxi had seen Dou Dou’s father before. When he was sober and saw the bruises and wounds all over his son’s body, he couldn’t stop himself from crying. But when he was ill (drunk?), he became a monster and lost his mind.

Dou Dou’s dad was sick, so there was some room to forgive. But Gu Mingxi’s dad?

“Do you think I’m very stubborn?” Midway into their journey, Gu Mingxi suddenly asked this question. He didn’t turn his head, just speaking softly.

Pang Qian shook her head, “I don’t.”

“When I came back, I should have taken the initiative to see him,” Gu Mingxi said. “He’s my father after all, and he raised me for many years. And when my mother was sick, it’s not that he didn’t offer any help.”

Pang Qian knew that he was just speaking out all the things on his mind, so she didn’t cut in.

Gu Mingxi finally pulled back his gaze and looked over at Pang Qian. He said, “But I can’t forget the state my mother was in when she died. Pang Pang, my mom never did anything to my dad that she would need to feel sorry about. Her life shouldn’t have been like this. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better for things to have been more serious when I was electrocuted back then. If I had died then, I would have forever remained the smart, healthy, good son in my father’s memories. He would remember me, miss me, and he would love my mother even more. And then they would have been able to have another child who would be nearly 20 years old now. He or she would be studying at a top university, and be our parents’ pride.”

“Then what about me?” Pang Qian asked. “If you died, what would happen to me?”

“None of our story would have happened, Pang Pang.” He laughed lightly and even shrugged his shoulders. “You’d have a really awesome boyfriend right now, and you might even be married.”

“Did you ever consider that if you had died, I might have lived in regret for the rest of my life?” Pang Qian didn’t turn to look at him, but was focused on driving. Her tone was even and ordinary. “I was the one who threw that frisbee onto the transformer. I would have felt that I killed you.”

“What about now?” Gu Mingxi asked her. “Are you together with me to make up for it?”

“What do you think?” Pang Qian’s lips curved up. “Gu Mingxi, without you in my life, I would be a very different person now. I studied finance, so I wouldn’t enter into a money losing deal. Do you think I would stick by your side for my entire life to make it up to you, if I didn’t love you?”

He looked at her with worry. Pang Qian continued, “I’m not sure when you started thinking about ‘death,’ but from what I know about you, you’ve never thought about dying. You tried harder than anyone else to live. That’s why when you went missing and I couldn’t find you, I kept telling myself to live well, because I knew that somewhere on the map, you were working hard to live well too. I knew that we would finally meet again, and I hoped that I could become someone excellent and brand new when I stood in front of you, the way you once expected of me. Everyone else would say, ‘Pang Qian, you’re lazy and a glutton. You’re not smart, not the studying type.’ But you never gave up on me, and you kept pulling me forward. Gu Mingxi, I’m warning you, you’d better not talk about things like dying or living again! Your mom’s already passed away. Regardless of how your relationship with your father turns out in the future, you have to remember this! That for me, Pang Qian, you have to keep living well!”

After she spoke, she blinked her eyes a bit. Gu Mingxi stared at her in a bit of a daze. He waited until the car stopped at a red light intersection, and then he moved closer to her and nudged her with his left shoulder.

“Pang Pang, don’t cry,” he said. “I promise you, I won’t talk about it again. Actually, what you said was right. I’ve never thought about wanting to die. I was just saying, if I had died in the beginning…”

“You’re still talking about it!” Pang Qian turned to glare at him, and Gu Mingxi quickly silenced himself. Then he said, “Okay, I won’t talk about it ever again!”

“You can’t even dare to think about it!”

“I won’t think about it.”

His face was filled with sincerity and also regret. Pang Qian finally stopped her tears and smiled. “Zhou Nanzhong was right. In the past, you were always the one to lead and guide me. In the future, I’ll be the one to lead you.”

Gu Mingxi glanced at her and thought to himself– When it came to something neither of them was familiar with, who would lead whom?

Pang Qian looked suspiciously at his reddening face and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” He cut off his thoughts and then looked out the window at the passing scenery.

Gu Mingxi didn’t meet again with Gu Guoxiang. After the Spring Festival break ended, the real estate agency was back at work. Pang Qian started taking care of the purchasing procedures. She gave all her information to the agent who went to the bank to check the mortgage. The agent said, “Ms. Pang, you have a very good job and good credit. You’ve never bought a house before either. The mortgage shouldn’t be a problem.” Gu Mingxi finally felt settled.

They spent Valentine’s Day together, though it wasn’t really a special occasion. They went to a restaurant for a meal and then went to watch a movie. Then Gu Mingxi bought Pang Qian a rose while they walked down the street.

“You’re so petty.” Pang Qian looked at the rose wrapped in clear plastic. She giggled. “You’re trying to win me over with ten dollars?”

Gu Mingxi smiled but didn’t say anything. When Pang Qian sent him back to Shark’s house, he told her quietly that the present he’d gotten her was upstairs.

Pang Qian waited in the car for him. When Gu Mingxi made his way down, there was a paper bag in his mouth.

Pang Qian happily accepted the bad and pulled out what was inside. Suddenly, she was dumbfounded. Gu Mingxi had actually bought her a purple swimsuit– And a bikini at that!

Pang Qian didn’t know what to say, and Gu Mingxi’s face reddened too. Seeing her gaze turn suspicious, he immediately explained, “I was wondering what I should buy you, and I thought I should get you something you’d use. And then I suddenly thought that it would be getting warm in a few months, and when you come to visit Sanya, you’d probably go swimming. So I bought you a swimsuit…”

“How did you buy it?” Pang Qian was very suspicious. “A grown up man like you went to the market to buy a swimsuit?”

“No…” Gu Mingxi said. “I had Xiao Le (Shark’s wife) help me out. I told her the color and style.”

“Then, then what about the size?”

“I told her.” Gu Mingxi smiled. “It should fit. Your figure, I know it well.”

Pang Qian nearly spit out blood.

After Valentine’s Day, Gu Mingxi still had another week of vacation. He decided to return to Sanya to get ready for classes. Pang Qian was very with busy work as well. The two of them set up when they would meet again.

When Qingming came, they would head to Z City to visit Li Han’s grave. (Note: Also known as Tomb-sweeping Day, and occurs in early April on the Western calendar.)

Pang Qian seng Gu Mingxi to the airport. Before he got to security, she really couldn’t bear to see him go. She hugged him for a long while, until Gu Mingxi gave her a long kiss. Then she finally and reluctantly let him go.

After his plane took off, Pang Qian held Gu Mingxi’s thick coat in her hands, staring off in a daze. She sniffed the coat, and it was full of his scent. Pang Qian stuffed her head inside his coat, and she realized that she’d already started missing him.

Gu Mingxi flew back to Sanya and returned to his house in the Sanya Bay. He spoke with Dou Dou’s mother on the phone, who said she was a bit busy for the next few days, so she would send Dou Dou back home on the weekend.

He slept alone by himself that night. The next morning when he woke up, Gu Mingxi didn’t feel well. He was dizzy, his throat was itchy, and his nose kept running. E City was very cold, and Sanya was very warm. Gu Mingxi knew that, the sudden temperature change had caused him to catch a cold.

Gu Mingxi was very healthy and rarely got sick, but when he did get sick, it took awhile to get better. When others caught a cold, they would get better in four or five days. If he caught a cold, it got very serious. Without exception, his light cold would become serious. He would get a fever, start coughing, and he’d only slowly get better after he went to the hospital for an IV drip.

He really hated getting sick. Dou Dou was so young, so he wouldn’t be able to help him at the hospital anyway. And then he didn’t want to disturb the other teachers.

It was really a very helpless thing. Although he’d lost his two arms, he was very passive when it came to many things.

Gu Mingxi cookied himself some congee and had that for breakfast, and then lunch, and then dinner. He sat on the tall chair in the kitchen and grabbed the food from there. Even when he started feeling dizzy and faint, he forced himself to keep eating.

When it was too tough, he would go to sleep. He didn’t even dare to turn on the air conditioning. His nose kept running, so he could only sit up time and time again to grab a tissue with his foot and raise it to his noise.

He drank a lot of water, and then he had to keep using the restroom. Every time he had to use the restroom, he always had to take off his pants and it was very annoying. Gu Mingxi grew tired of it.

That evening, Pang Qian called. Without thinking much, Gu Mingxi just picked up the phone. Pang Qian was startled to hear his hoarse voice, and then he couldn’t help coughing a few times. Pang Qian asked, “Are you sick?”

“Mm, I caught a cold. It’s probably from the change in temperatures.” Gu Mingxi laid down on his bed, with his ear to the phone. “Don’t worry, I’ll get better soon.”

“You can only say something like that to Teacher Ji. As if I don’t know you! Who knows how long it will take you to get better after a cold!”

Hearing the anxiety in her voice, Gu Mingxi’s heart softened, and his body didn’t feel so terrible anymore. He said, “Pang Pang, hearing your voice, my head doesn’t hurt anymore. Really.”

“Have you gone to the doctor?”

“No, I don’t need it. It’s just a cold.”

“Did you take some medicine?”

“I took some White With Black.” (Note: This is an over the counter cold medicine)

“Make sure to drink a lot of water.”

“I drank a lot.”

“Did you take your temperature? Do you have a fever?”

“A little. It’s not 38 degrees yet.”

Pang Qian was silent for a moment. Then she suddenly said, “No, Gu Mingxi, I won’t talk to you now.”

She quickly hung up the phone. Gu Mingxi didn’t have the strength, so he didn’t bother calling her back. It was already 7:30 at night, and he fell asleep on his bed. Occasionally he would get up to go to the restroom or blow his nose, but most of the time, he was deep in sleep.

The sky was already dark and the world outside the window had grown quiet. At some time, the a rustle sounded from the living room.

Gu Mingxi didn’t have the strength to get up. He didn’t even open his eyes. He wondered, what was that noise? A rat? A cockroach? A thief?

Let them be. There was nothing worth money in his house anyway. As he was thinking this, he he heard a thump sound. Gu Mingxi turned onto his side and forced his eyes open.

He heard a pair of footsteps, lightly and distinctly. The light in the living room was also on, and the rays of light came through the crack of the door.

Gu Mingxi wondered if this thief was crazy. He was stealing and he turned the lights on?!

He groggily sat up and was about to go out to see. That’s when the door to his room opened.

The living room was lit up, but his room was pitch black. That person walked toward him, her back to the light. He could only see her silhouette. He wondered if his brain was cooked and he was imagining things.

She sat down on the edge of his bed, but didn’t say his name. She just reached out her hand to feel his forehead. Quietly, she said, “Oh no, it’s a bit hot. You really have a fever.”

As she spoke, she wanted to get up and get him a towel. But just as she got up, he hurried to call out, “Don’t go.”

She turned to look at him, stunned. He was unable to grab onto her, so he sat up and leaned his whole body onto her.

She naturally embraced him and let him rest his head on her abdomen. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his body was covered in sweat. Arms around his shoulders, she said, “I’m going to get you something cold for your head.”

“Don’t go,” he said. “Don’t go. Don’t go.”

“Okay, I won’t go.” She smiled.

“Let me keep dreaming.” He laughed, his cheeks taking in the warmth of her body. He rubbed his cheek on her like a cat. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a good dream. Pang Pang, don’t go.”

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