This is the end of My Darling! Woohoo! This final post contains the epilogue and author's afterword, which are both only in the printed book (actually, there's an editor's afterword, too, but I didn't include that), as well as some customary closing comments from me. Thank you to everyone who has been reading along and especially those who dropped an encouraging little comment, even though I haven't been around this last month to respond.
Ah, to be the son of a celebrity. The little guy is just adorable...
Epilogue
ONE
Chu Jian endured quite a bit of suffering during the birth of their baby. That evening, after a successful natural birth, she lay on the bed, her entire body drained of strength, and stared at the baby inside that transparent, plastic bassinet. In a quiet voice, she stated to Jian Bianlin, "He came out from me..."
For the entire day, Jian Bianlin's heart had felt as if it was breaking, and only now was he somewhat in the mood to take a glance at that wrinkly little person. "Mm, he came out from you."
"Bring him onto the bed for me to see."
Bending over, Jian Bianlin picked up their baby into his arms, supported him securely, and then set him down beside Chu Jian.
Chu Jian felt even more that this was so amazing, and stroking her baby's hand, she remarked, "Jian Bianlin, look. I really did birth a person out..."
"Mm... You birthed a person."
This was just too amazing. It felt as if it was only yesterday that they were both sitting at that square table in the corner of the living room of Chu Jian's old, dated home, each person occupying one side of the table as they did their homework, and in passing, she would copy a bit of his, too. And now, the next day, they had partnered up and birthed a person out...
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
TWO
When their baby was two years old, Chu Jian and Jian Bianlin took him on a vacation for the first time. To prevent herself and their son from being photographed, Chu Jian brought the baby and went separately from Jian Bianlin. While going through the security checkpoint, Jian Bianlin, as usual, put his cap and sunglasses back on again after passing the screening officer. This brought about a flare up of exhilaration from the people waiting in the queues behind him and nearby. Cries of excitement sounded out incessantly. "Jian Bianlin!" "He's so handsome in real life! So crazy handsome!" "My Baby Jian!" "Dammit! Where's my mobile? Where is it?!" ...
The baby did not understand at all any of what was being said. With the pitter-patter of his little steps, he scuttled from inside the door of the security checkpoint all the way over to Jian Bianlin. "Daddy, uppy!"
In that moment when everyone was still stunned, Chu Jian covered her head and face with a garment and darted over with swift strides, scooping up her son and enfolding him securely in her embrace. Then, like she was doing the 100-metre dash, she fled from there...
"Everyone, my apologies." Jian Bianlin was extremely afraid that Chu Jian would blame him for causing their child to be exposed to the public eye, so very astutely, he chose to remove his cap and sunglasses. With a couple of very unnatural-sounding coughs and a rather solemn air, he unfastened the top two buttons of his button-up shirt. "Let's just take pictures of me..."
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
THREE
Chu Jian loved aquariums. With their little darling in her arms, she examined all the glass tanks one by one, reading the interpretive signs while teaching their son how to say the names of all the different kinds of fish. As Jian Bianlin followed along behind them, the only thing he did aside from taking photographs was to take more photographs—an endless number of photographs... At last, Chu Jian grew displeased, and turning to look at Jian Bianlin, she quietly chastised him, "Why aren't you interacting with our baby? Boys should spend a bit more time with their fathers. It's good for the physical and mental health of the little man."
Restraining his love of taking photographs of Chu Jian, Jian Bianlin stepped closer to them. After gazing intently at the fish inside the glass tank for a long time, he informed their baby in a low tone, "That's the daddy fish. That's the mommy fish. That's the baby fish."
Huh? Chu Jian was taken aback. How can he tell?
Taking a couple of steps to the left, the extremely family-oriented Jian Bianlin very responsibly stated in a soft voice, "That's the daddy lobster, and that's the mommy lobster. And look, that one that's a little smaller is the baby lobster."
Chu Jian: "... Forget it. Just go take pictures..."
Men who were completely immersed in their happy married life and unable to transfer correct scientific knowledge were just too scary.
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
FOUR
When outside the home, Chu Jian liked to stroll through little stores and replenish groceries and other supplies, with the "strolling" part being her form of amusement.
So, into their shopping cart, Chu Jian would continually be tossing items: children's cooling gel strips for fever relief, children's cold medicine, children's hand soap, children's mosquito repellent bracelet, children's...
And the things that Jian Bianlin also would nonstop place into the cart? Same.
Whatever Chu Jian took, he would add another one of the exact same item. At any rate, if she wanted to buy something, he could not go wrong in buying a bit more.
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
FIVE
One time before a vacation, Chu Jian was handed a long list that came from Jian Bianlin's dad as well as her own parents and relatives. Written out on it was a series of items: rice cooker, mouthwash, sunscreen, shampoo massage brush, sponge used to scrub cupboards... Chu Jian was vexed from simply looking at that lengthy list, and it consisted completely of products that could be bought at the supermarket. Therefore, Chu Jian handed the mission over to Jian Bianlin, which he successfully completed.
But they overlooked one thing. These sorts of tourist destinations basically all had fellow Chinese who provided shopping guide services. They also overlooked the extent that Jian Bianlin's face had pervaded into the general populace. As a result, that night, there was a live video on Instagram that revealed the sunscreen that Jian Bianlin most loves to use, the cupboard sponge that Jian Bianlin purposely went to purchase, the shampoo brush that Jian Bianlin highly recommends, the mouthwash that Jian Bianlin loves, the powdered milk that Jian Bianlin's dearest had and then did not ever want to put down again...
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
SIX
There was a period when their baby was especially attached to his daddy. Every night after going to sleep, he would every so often wake up and crawl out from the crib and onto the big bed to look for Daddy. Because of this, there were practically two weeks where Jian Bianlin did not have the opportunity to so much as even touch Chu Jian's finger. Today, after waiting until the baby had finally fallen asleep, Jian Bianlin made every minute and second count. Dashing into the bathroom, he rinsed out his mouth in just a few seconds with mouthwash, squeezed out some soap, and washed his hands. Then, turning the already-asleep Chu Jian over, he bent down and covered her with his body.
His control had been nonexistent to begin with. And then, he heard Chu Jian, her arms entwined around his neck, mumble, "Don't bother taking anything off... Let's just do it."
His heart gave a dull thud in his chest. Chu Jian was completely unaware of just how seductive her words were. But before they could even do anything, the crib began to rock again, and the baby sat up inside, gazing with wide, innocent eyes at the both of them. The little guy did not speak, only stared.
Guiltily, Jian Bianlin turned his head so that his gaze met the baby's, for fear that making even one extra move would leave an unhealthy impact on the child's young mind.
In the end, when Chu Jian turned over beneath him and carried on sleeping, he and the baby were still staring speechlessly at one another...
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
SEVEN
When their baby was learning his numbers, he especially liked the number "8."
There was one time when Chu Jian was away on business, and they were out of milk powder at home. Jian Bianlin had no choice but to drive the car out and bring along their son to the supermarket to buy some milk powder. After they had made the purchase and went back downstairs, he was still putting the item away into the car's trunk when the baby darted off... to begin a lengthy expedition of looking for and recognizing numbers. Beginning with the car beside Jian Bianlin, the little guy found the "8" on the rear licence plate. With a giggle, he said to Jian Bianlin in his little baby's voice, "Eight."
The little darling had an extremely strong thirst for knowledge and also remarkable patience. With a few of his little steps, he pattered up behind the third car. Staring at it for a few seconds, he again found what he was looking for. "Eight."
Jian Bianlin nodded. "That's right. Eight."
His son was gleeful at this. And then, next car...
That night, Jian Bianlin, his cap pulled further down than any other person's, followed behind the entire way while constantly shielding his own face as well as his son's. They went from vehicle to vehicle until they had checked out the large majority of all the rear licence plates in that underground parking garage. If, by chance, the vehicle owner was present and Jian Bianlin was recognized, he would even have to take photographs with the people and give out autographs, with the only request being that the other party did not photograph his son's face...
Hence, without even knowing it, the little darling benefited the whole parking garage of people.
Voluntarily leading the way, he distributed his dear daddy's autograph for an entire evening.
After they returned home and Jian Bianlin was talking on the phone with Chu Jian at their scheduled time, he was still sighing ruefully over this. "I think our baby's stubbornness and patience... comes from me."
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
EIGHT
During the time when the baby was just starting to talk and still did not know many words yet, no matter what happened, he would always simply say, "Brokey." The meanings of that word included, "don't feel well," "it's shut off," "it's broken," etc. So, on those set days when Jian Bianlin was in charge of watching the baby, from morning to evening, he would constantly be hearing, "Brokey."
When Jian Bianlin shut off the television after finishing only half a program, the baby pointed at the pictureless television screen and said, "Brokey." When he took the baby to get vaccinations, the little guy pointed at the back of his own hand where the needle had been inserted and said, "Brokey." When Jian Bianlin finished washing his face and shut off the tap, the baby pointed at the faucet and said, "Brokey." When the baby was fevering in the middle of the night, the little darling sobbingly point at his own head and cried, "Brokey" ... Moreover, the little guy had extremely strong self-esteem, and each time after he said it once himself, he would make Jian Bianlin repeat it three times.
After one week of this had passed, there was one time when Jian Bianlin was discussing business matters with Xie Bin. While he was solemnly holding a pen, about to sign his name, he discovered that there was no ink left. His first reaction to this was, "Brokey."
... Xie Bin gave a cough, not saying anything.
Sighingly, Jian Bianlin covered his face with both his hands, explaining in a low voice, "My son has been teaching me that lately."
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.Author's Afterword — Do You Still Remember the Dreams of Our Youth?
The online instalments for My Darling began in October 2015 and came to a conclusion in January 2016, which just happened to be the three coldest months of the southern part of the country.
This is my first story about a boy and a girl whose friendship began in childhood.
When I was a kid, I had five or six good guy friends who grew up with me, and we had always had quite good relationships. Anyone who has had a childhood guy friend will know that that sort of relationship is quite remarkable, similar to having another family member. We knew each other since we were three, four years old, that age when you still don't really differentiate between boys and girls. Together we grew up, went to school, and also quarreled. Then when we were grown up, we dated people and broke up, and I watched them go off to study at military academy, which separated us into different parts of the country.
Many years later, when we saw each other again, it was "Whoa, how come he looks like that?" So remarkable.
As we gathered together, eating, drinking, and just having fun, it was just like when we were kids, and we showed not even an ounce of the sensibility and maturity that adults should have.
That's why I have actually always wanted to write about this type of relationship, and also to do it as a form of commemoration. Quietly, without even being aware of it happening, we have all grown up, and quietly, without even being aware of things changing, we cannot return to what we once were. Many relationships have nothing to do with romantic love, but they are still worthy of being remembered. Feelings and relationships are not only about specific people; they also come about because of a specific period in time.
When that age has passed, all those things related to childhood friendships are also gone with the past.
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
When I first started writing this story, I had lofty ideas and aims for it. I even told my BFF, "Humph, humph, humph, humph. I'm starting a cheesily dramatic and exciting story with lots of twists and turns using the movies and television industry as background. Since it has to do with stuff that's part of my day-to-day work, when it's written, it's going to be awesome."
In the beginning, I had thought that, because I understood the inner workings, it would be realistic, and realistic things are always the most interesting to read.
But in the end, I realized that I had overestimated myself. When it was time to begin writing, I suddenly did not want to bring in any complicated stuff into this. That is why you can see that in this story, aside from some small, trivial matters that skirt the edge of the movies and television industry, everything else does not involve it at all.
When you get to the bottom of it, I still just like things that are simple.
With this world, I understand what it is like, and I also know just how disappointing it sometimes can be to people. But those are not what I want to express. Ugly things are not worthy for me to, after completing my strenuous work for the day, still persist beneath my desk lamp, in front of my computer, working late into the night to write them out. As a screenwriter, I certainly understand what a powerful and effective weapon dramatic conflict can be. Yet as an author, I want, in the limited time that I have, to write about people and stories that I genuinely admire and like.
I have always said that it is my readers who have helped me to persevere in continuing to write, because during the times when I have wanted to set down my pen, they have always pulled me back. But each book that I write must be written for me. So long as I have begun the story and written its first word, then it most certainly is because I want to write it, that I love it. So in a certain sense, what I write is also a gift to myself, book by book, and all of them are my process of self-healing and restoration.
Thank you, J&C, for showing up in the winter of 2015 and, thereafter, forever existing.
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.
The line of lyrics at the conclusion of the main story is what I most wanted, when the story came to an end, to give to myself and to all of you:
Do you still remember the dreams of our youth? They are like a flower that shall never wither.
There have been bumps, and there have been setbacks. Who hasn't fallen into the mire before? But still, to the day I die, I will reach for the sun, as well as the dreams of my youth.
© 2013-2016 FANATICAL hui3r.wordpress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r.wordpress.com. If you are not reading this from hui3r.wordpress.com, then this translation has been posted without the permission of the translator.