Chapter 21 (1/2)
*
“Hurry up and pour it out!” Yang Jie Kang loudly said. “You’ve been shaking it so much the oil is going to come out.”
“Just see how interesting Ah Xiang Po’s family is, to send two bottles of chilli sauce all the way here on a 40-hour train ride,” Zhang Yuan laughed. Both his and He Luo’s dorm rooms have just installed a phone. Every day, the 10 to 11 pm is their unmissable love hour.
“That I haven’t experienced. I spend every weekend lazily at home. Even when I want to help, my mom would throw me out of the kitchen like she’s swatting away a fly.”
“You’re mocking me! Go and stand at a corner, I’ll punish you to stand there!” Zhang Yuan said fiercely, then chuckled. “Burning my kitchen down, breaking my house’s bowl, all that is better than making a fool of myself in your house.”
“My mom always complained about the girlfriend of so-and-so, how she breaks things even when she’s trying to help. I don’t want your parents to have that kind of impression of me,” he said.
“Then you’re my family’s little labour,” He Luo retorted. “Little labour, go and help my dad harvest rice one day! A bag of rice, and then another bag of flour.”
“They’re not my boyfriend. Then are you going or not?”
“Majestic?” He Luo burst out laughing. “My father’s students back then are all disrespectful [in a joking manner] with him. Whatever top ten teachers compet.i.tions, he’ll definitely be ranked as the most gentle teacher!”
“He’s okay now,” she replied. “I wrote a letter home a few days ago, it’s like high pressure water gun. As soon as they read it, their tears begin gus.h.i.+ng.”
“Just be cute with them,” He Luo answered simply. “Thinking about it, they must have missed us.”
“You’re not even by my sideee. I’m aloneeee every day, even when I’m carrying water and riceee. I’m so loneeely, how can I practice being cuteeee.” He Luo took on an exaggerated Taiwanese slang, her mouth pouty and tone a little whiny. She couldn’t stand her own voice and gooseb.u.mps broke all over. Tong Jia Ying who had just walked out of the bedroom happened to hear. She nearly dropped the basin she was carrying, and her eyes and mouths were rounder than usual.
“Everyone in my dorm is playing,” He Luo giggled.
“Big boss, I’m not the one who said that earlier!” Ah Xiang Po panicked, trying to come up with an excuse. “It’s Da Gang who said you sound like a greasy, kept man.”
“It’s just some cla.s.s notes, who will take a closer look! Besides it doesn’t even belong to any of us.” Ah Xiang Po walked over to glance at the paper before hurriedly returning to his original spot, maintaining a safe distance from Zhang Yuan. “Such delicate writing, how feminine.”
He Luo had spent an incredible amount of effort to collect information on the graduate school examination. Cai Man Xin only managed to borrow the test-takers’ notes on the final day before the winter vacation. “They finished the exams today and had already gone out to celebrate,” Cai Man Xin told her, a little apologetic.
“What’s the hurry?” Zhang Yuan had asked. “You can just photocopy it slowly, or wait until the next semester.”
“Look at how smug you are,” Zhang Yuan smiled and held onto her hand, kissing her little finger.
“Don’t be like that. A wife is like a cloth, a brother is like a limb, isn’t it?” Ah Xiang Po immediately turned away. In his opinion, northeast boys would really cut you down if they want to. Their local speciality was the underworld.
*
The parents earnestly told their child to do their homework seriously, even preparing fruit and tea. But the moment they walked away, the child would pull onto He Luo’s sleeve and talk to her about [drama character] Xiao Yan Zhi’s big eyes. Once the topic was brought up, perhaps they would only waste three to five minutes, but it would soon develop out of control. If the parents push the door open to check on them, the little girl would immediately change her tune. “Teacher He, see if what I just said was correct?”
Further, Zhang Yuan’s birthday was coming up. She already had her eye on a present and began saving up to buy it for him.
He Luo replied, “This is the cla.s.sic version of the Rambo series. Every time we pa.s.s by the mall, this is what he’s looking at.”
He Luo laughed. “I also said that to him once.” Seeing that Tian Xin wanted to continue to study the knife, she immediately stopped her. “Forget it. Don’t break the knife, you can only twist it 90 degrees. If you break it, both you and I will be anxious.” She grabbed a flannel cloth and wiped away their fingerprints on it. She placed it back in its holster and back into its matte leather box lined with black velvet. Putting it down, He Luo thought of Zhang Yuan’s surprised expression when he would receive this gift. She imagined how he would subtly tell others that, “My girlfriend gifted me this.” She really couldn’t help her happy smile.
He Luo laughed. “Exactly. It’ll be hard to even sell you off for a few hundred yuan. Whoever spends money to buy you is buying suffering. Who has the money to feed you this little mistress?”
*
“I-I know-know… b-big boss lately has a lot of m-m-money to spend…” Da Gang’s tongue was knotted. “B-but you’re more and more forceful(?).”
“Kao. Am I making money to feed you guys?” Zhang Yuan laughed. “I might as well go to the farms in Jiangbei to rear pigs.”
Da Gang extended his wide palm to high-five him. “T-There’s still Little Lady He.”
“If you really want to, go and ask Chocolate,” Zhang Yuan replied. “I’m not close to her.”
“Eat, eat, eat. Sooner or later there’ll be a stamp on your body saying ‘Safe to eat.’”
Zhang Yuan took the can, fingering the cover ring on it. “I’ll give you the stamp. I have other arrangements.”
On Labour Day, He Luo and Tian Xin returned to their hometown. The atmosphere there picked up about a month later than in Beijing, the willow were just beginning to blossom flowers and the streets were scented with the smell of fresh leaves. Every breath they took felt refres.h.i.+ng and clear.
Inside the car, Mom asked, “Tian Xin this girl is still so cheerful. Does she have a boyfriend?”
“If she has one, then she has one. How can you say ‘considered’?”
“Then what about you? Do you consider to have a boyfriend or not?” Mom asked nonchalantly. “If you have one, then bring him to mom and dad to take a look.”
“It’s still the same one?” Dad turned around to ask.
“It’s good that you’re still together! We were worried that there’s any changes in your relations.h.i.+p since it’s been so long and you hasn’t bring him home yet,” Mom immediately added. “We were worried you kids are not stable enough, breaking up as fast as you got together.”
“Is he at Tsinghua?” Dad suddenly asked.
“Didn’t you say his results are very good and he’s very smart?”
“So he floundered when it comes to the entrance examination. He’s indeed smart, works hard, and even has a good head on his shoulders. But education is very important.” Dad’s tone rose at the end of his sentence, sounding very earnest. He Luo frowned. “Isn’t it just a test? Is there a need to put so much importance on it?”
*
Da Gang interrupted, “Kao. Haven’t you had enough of angering us on a daily basis? We all know your Little Lady He is just awesome, she takes care you from A-Z. If you’re leaving, then just go, what are you showing off for?”
She had already read the two books Zhang Yuan gave her. Since she had rode the train all day, even if it was a bed seat, it was inevitable that her entire body would be stiff. She stretched to loosen her muscles. Da Gang thought she was bored of waiting and immediately pushed forward his laptop. “If you’re bored, you can play a game on my laptop. Zhang Yuan will be back soon, I guess someone has a problem with their laptop. He’s been really busy lately, there were many who called him to fix their laptops.”