Chapter 48 – Faint longing (Translated and edited by Xing)
Tang Xue bustled over to the practice venue after returning from the airport,. When she stepped inside, she immediately saw Zhang Yuewei and a few others chatting and resting at the side instead of training.
“Make way, make way. I, farmer of impeccable class, am back again,” Tang Xue said.
They did not understand why Tang Xue addressed herself as a farmer. When she saw Tang Xue, Zhang Yuewei first rolled her eyes before saying, “Snail, your mom is here to find you.”
“Ah?” Tang Xue was startled.
“She’s in the lounge waiting for you.” From the start to the end of their conversation, Zhang Yuewei spoke in a curt manner. She turned back to continue her conversation with the rest.
Tang Xue could not believe that her mother was actually able to come down and visit her. Her mother was a paediatrician who was extremely busy with work every day. This was to the point that she had slightly neglected Tang Xue’s upbringing in the past and Principal Tang was the one who played a larger role in raising Tang Xue instead. So what exactly happened? Could it be that her mother, after some reflection, had finally remembered that she still had a daughter?
Whoo!
She was so touched!
Tang Xue sprang over to the lounge in excitement. She pushed open the door and before she even saw anyone, shouted out loud, “Mom, you’re finally here!”
When she went in and saw the person inside, she was stumped. “Eh…” Her mom did not look like this…
Mrs Liang had wondered how her first meeting with Tang Xue would be like. No matter how hostile or weird it would be, it did not matter to her. It was impossible for their meeting to proceed warmly. However, she never expected the girl to immediately address her as “mom” at first sight.
What a lack of propriety!
Mrs Liang’s face twisted into a scowl, the two corners of her lips turned down firmly. This made her originally sagging cheeks become even more obvious, causing her to appear rather dour. Her outrage emphasized the pallor of her overly pale skin and she looked like the female ghosts seen on television.
Tang Xue was shocked by her appearance. She could understand the stranger’s outrage as the way she addressed the stranger implied that she was old. All women were mindful of their age. When Tang Xue went out with her mother, she also had to humour her by ignoring her conscience and saying, “Look, everyone thinks that we’re sisters.” Her father, on the other hand, was a little denser. Once, after hearing Tang Xue said this when the three of them were out on an excursion, he retorted, “Then doesn’t this mean that your ‘mother’ had her second child at the age of fifty?” The consequence of her father’s offhand remark was being hammered by her mother till… Well, tsk, tsk, tsk…
Tang Xue reined in her train of thoughts and gave a slight bow to the stranger. “I’m sorry, older sister. I mistook you for someone else.”
“Who’s your older sister?” Mrs Liang became even more annoyed.
Tang Xue sensed that the lady was still extremely irritated. She apologized again and turned, intending to scamper out of the room. She thought that her mother must have been unable to wait patiently in the lounge and went out.
Behind her, the lady suddenly called out her name.
“Tang Xue.”
Surprised, Tang Xue turned back to look at her. “You, you know me?”
“Mm.” Mrs Liang collected her expression and nodded slightly. “I came here specifically to find you.”
Tang Xue clapped a hand to her head, realizing what had happened. It was impossible for her mom to visit her. The person Zhang Yuewei referred to should be this lady.
It was all Zhang Yuewei’s fault. How could a random stranger be her mom simply because she looked the part? That imbecile!
After understanding what happened, she was puzzled again. Tang Xue secretly examined the lady and confirmed that that the lady was someone that she did not know. She then probed, “You’re…?”
Mrs Liang looked at her coldly. “I’m Yu Yan’s mother.”
Tang Xue could tell from Mrs Liang’s eyes that she did not come with good intentions.
——
In the end, Tang Xue was unable to proceed with her training and followed Yu Yan’s mother to a café instead. The reason was that the latter wanted to have a “chat” with her.
A chat it shall be.
The café they went to was the closest one in the vicinity located on campus. Mrs Liang ordered an espresso but did not touch it again after taking a tiny sip.
Tang Xue could read from her lightly raised brows that this café was most likely not up to her standards.
Mrs Liang dabbed her mouth and asked Tang Xue, “Do you know where I first came across your name?”
Tang Xue had not figured out what Mrs Liang was trying to do. Her eyes darted and she asked, “Did Yu Yan mentioned it?”
“No.’ Mrs Liang shook her head. “It was on your school forum.”
Good grief.
Everything clicked into place.
Tang Xue felt quite guilty and thumbed the tip of her nose subconsciously. She smiled and said, “Auntie, you’re quite tech-savvy. My parents don’t even know how to browse a forum.”
“Mm.” Mrs Liang looked at Tang Xue with pursed lips. Her gaze was calm but sharp and seemed able to see Tang Xue’s every thought.
Tang Xue felt like this lady was possessed by a magic mirror capable of revealing evil. Even if that’s the case, I’m not an evil demon…
Tang Xue felt very uncomfortable. She suppressed her feelings and explained, “Auntie, I know that you might have seen some nonsense on the forum. You might not believe me but those are simply rumours that people came up. It’s all fabricated based on a photo.”
Mrs Liang nodded slightly and responded with another “mm”. However, she did not believe a single word.
Seeing her reaction, Tang Xue was helpless as well. “It’s true…” To be honest, if it was not the fact that she was Yu Yan’s mother, Tang Xue would not even have the patience to sit here and explain matters to her. She felt that their personalities clashed and sitting down to chat with Yu Yan’s mother was a painful experience.
Mrs Liang was not interested in debating the truth with Tang Xue either. It did not matter to her. She said, “Tang Xue, I won’t interfere with how you should act or behave. That’s on your parents, not me.”
When Tang Xue heard this, her expression darkened and she stood up with a whoosh. The hidden message of those words was clear—Yu Yan’s mother was implying that she was a wild child who lacked proper upbringing and governing. Was this really necessary? To involve her parents as well?
She stared at Mrs Liang coldly. If it was not out of respect for an elder, she would have made a cutting retort.
Mrs Liang was someone older after all. She did not lose her calm as easily and coolly leaned back against the sofa. She glanced at Tang Xue impassively before continuing, “But I will interfere if it’s something that involves my son.”
“Oh?” Tang Xue curled a corner of her lips and raised her brow. “How do you plan to interfere?”
“Yan Yan is only seventeen. He should be wholly focused on his professional career instead of getting into a relationship. Furthermore,” Mrs Liang swept her eyes over Tang Xue before continuing in a frosty tone, “He’s a very simple child. The two of you are not suitable.”
Hearing how she was pointing at the mulberry tree while scolding the locust tree[1], Tang Xue could not take it anymore. She nodded obligingly and agreed, “Mm, we’re indeed not suitable.” Mrs Liang was slightly startled at her words. Then, Tang Xue went on, “My mother is a reasonable and good-natured person who is magnanimous and frank in her actions. As for his mother…” Tang Xue scorned and shrugged. “That’s not the case.”
Mrs Liang was finally triggered by Tang Xue’s words. She frowned and said, “You’re rather sharp-tongued, aren’t you?”
“But, auntie.” In contrast to Mrs Liang, Tang Xue was still standing. She bent her body slightly and pressed one hand against the table for support, looking at Mrs Liang unflinchingly. From her top-down angle, it made her seem grave and dignified. This caused Mrs Liang to lean back automatically.
Tang Xue stated, “I want to make something clear. A relationship involves two people; you can’t clap with one hand. I’ll advise you on good faith that rather than try to control someone else’s child, it’s better for you to talk to your own son.”
After throwing out these words, Tang Xue no longer spared her a glance. She slung her bag onto her shoulder and left. When she passed by the bar counter, she gazed at the cashier and pointed behind her. “That lady will foot the bill.”
——
Ultimately, Tang Xue was a little regretful of what she said. She felt that she should not have criticized someone like this. After all, the person in question was still Yu Yan’s mother.
However, with her straightforward nature, she soon thought things through. Since it was something that she had already done, there was no point in being regretful. Whatever, so be it.
Even though this was the case, her mood was still affected by the incident.
Back in her dorm at night, Tang Xue practiced some advanced mathematics questions. It was almost the end of the school term. If she failed too many modules, she would not be able to face her family elders. It would also be tough for her to ask for her red packet money during Chinese New Year.
“My king, are you actually doing homework? Am I seeing things?” Xia Menghuan exclaimed from behind her.
“The final examinations are coming, my beloved concubine. I don’t have time to pull all-nighters,” Tang Xue replied. She needed to maintain an optimal condition for training. The Ascendance Cup was still waiting for her.
Tang Xue finally experienced for herself how tough Li Yubing had it all this while. She could not imagine how much energy and effort he had dedicated in order to maintain top-notch results in both his studies and interest.
“Calm down, my king. Look at my new nickname,” Xia Menghuan said.
Xia Menghuan had changed both her QQ[2] and WeChat nickname to “Xia Menghuan (happy blind swindler)”. After Tang Xue saw this, she put the phone down on the table speechlessly. “Very creative.”
“Come up with an interesting nickname for yourself. It’ll make you feel good and give you a strong boost psychologically. That’s what Liao Zhenyu taught me.”
Tang Xue’s face twisted into an incredulous expression. “Putting aside the question of whether Liao Zhenyu’s claim has any scientific basis, can you first explain to me how in the world is ‘happy blind swindler’ a good nickname?”
“I think it’s great! If I don’t know the answer, I’ll try to guess blindly and hopefully swindle my way through the questions. Give it a try, my king.”
Tang Xue tried to find a homonym for her name but only “Tang Xue (dripping blood)” came out. Darn it!
In the end, she quietly changed her nickname to “World’s Best Examination-Taker”.
She put down her phone and was about to continue with her assignments when Li Yubing’s video call invitation came in.
Before accepting the call, Tang Xue drew the desk curtains behind her to section the small area she was sitting at from the rest of the room. This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com.
When the call connected, Li Yubing’s face appeared on the phone screen. He smiled at the camera while snow fell around him. Under the sparkle of the white snow, his bright gaze seemed to take on a clean and gentle warmth.
Snow was really quite an amazing thing. Despite being icy-cold, it was capable of lending a heart-warming effect to any scene.
Tang Xue winked at him.
Li Yubing tugged down the thick scarf covering his mouth slightly, revealing the beautiful curves of his lips that were raised in a smile resembling the luminous crescent moon in the sky. He then said, “Fool.” An obvious white mist came out from his mouth when he spoke.
Tang Xue realized that this rascal was actually using a selfie stick. He kept an appropriate distance from the camera which helped his face to appear small and good-looking. What a devious dog.
She silently put her phone on a phone stand and shifted it to the top of her desk. Then, she rested her head on the table and looked up at him.
He was not the only one who knew such tricks.
“Dog,” Tang Xue replied.
Li Yubing said, “It’s snowing at my side.”
“I’m not blind.”
“You definitely haven’t seen such heavy snow before,” Li Yubing countered.
Tang Xue was unable to refute this. She grew up in the South and the snow she usually saw was very fine. Each time, only a miserly amount of snow would fall. The snow would also melt very quickly, resembling the salt sprinkled on dishes while cooking.
For her, snowflakes as large as goose feathers was a myth that only existed in books.
“Let me broaden your horizons.” As Li Yubing spoke, he turned the camera to let Tang Xue see for herself what snowflakes as large as goose feathers were. The stunning visual of snowflakes drifting slowly to the ground filled the screen. The streets were also covered with snow. From one end to another, it was as if the whole world was covered with white. Illuminated by the dancing glow of streetlights, the entire city slumbered under a pristine white blanket.
Done with capturing the streets, the camera turned again and a western-style building came into view. In the sea of white, it shone in golden splendour.
Saint Sophia Cathedral
“What’s this?”
“The Saint Sophia Cathedral.”
After filming the Saint Sophia Cathedral for a while, Li Yubing turned the camera to face a pile of candied Chinese hawthorns[4]. “Don’t they look yummy?”
Tang Xue propped her chin on one hand, looked at the phone but did not speak.
Li Yubing saw Tang Xue looked distracted as if something was weighing on her mind. He asked, “What’s wrong with you? In a bad mood?”
“No…”
Li Yubing said, “Let me tell you something funny to cheer you up.”
Tang Xue expected Li Yubing to say a lame joke. Instead, he started narrating a story. “I just heard this from the team’s driver today. It’s something he personally experienced. So this driver grew up in Jinlin’s Changbai Mountain. When he was young, their family sold pine nuts for a living… Do you know where pine nuts come from?”
“From pine trees, of course. Li Yubing, do you take me for an idiot?’
“Okay, don’t interrupt. The pine forest is located on the mountain. When the pine nuts mature, the trees need to be looked after to prevent them from being stolen…”
In order to look after the pine nuts, the farmers would build a temporary hut in the pine forest to stay in and keep guard both day and night. That year, the ice hockey team driver was only thirteen. One night, he followed his father to the pine nut hut for fun and started playing poker cards with the rest to pass time. As they played along, a black bear on a tree nearby slipped and fell. The bear smashed through the roof of the hut and landed directly on the kang bed-stove.
The humans present all received the shock of their lives and quickly ran outside. The black bear received the shock of its life and ran outside as well. It was a splendid spectacle with a hint of comedic relief.
Tang Xue visualized the image of both humans and bear trying to escape in a frenzy and laughed till she was sprawled across the table and could not sit up straight.
Li Yubing looked at her with a smile on his face. Though only a day had passed, he realized that he had many things that he wanted to tell her. There was something that he itched to say. The words were about to come out of his mouth when he changed his mind. In a soft tone, he merely asked, “Feeling better?”
Before Tang Xue could reply, their call suddenly disconnected.
Li Yubing looked at his phone and saw that it was shutting down automatically from a flat battery. He was a little surprised. “Why did it run out of battery so quickly?”
At the side, Jiang Shijia gazed at him like how he would gaze at an idiot. With the minus 30 degree Celsius temperature, it’s already silly enough that you’re using your phone in the open streets of Harbin. Being able to sustain a video call for so long without your phone shutting down is already proof of Heaven being moved by your love!
Li Yubing kept his phone and summoned Jiang Shijia. “Let’s go back.”
They were not allowed to leave the team for too long in the first place.
Li Yubing was staying with Jiang Shijia in the same room under the temporary accommodations arranged by the ice hockey team. When he returned to his room, Li Yubing charged his phone and texted Tang Xue: My phone was out of battery just now.
Tang Xue: Oh.
Li Yubing realized that Tang Xue’s nickname had changed. World’s Best Examination-Taker? What in the world.
He searched for a photo of a roasted sweet photo and edited in the words “World’s Best Potato Chef”[5] before sending it to Tang Xue.
He did not have to wait long for her reply
Tang Xue: Li Yubing, I’m going to kill you!
Li Yubing burst into stifled laughter as he lowered his head to look at the phone clutched in his hand.
Jiang Shijia sat at the side and watched him impassively. After watching for a while, Jiang Shijia suddenly opened his mouth and spoke, “Brother Bing.”
“Mm?” Li Yubing raised his head and looked at Jiang Shijia.
Jiang Shijia said, “Do you what all those people on the news who murder their roommates have in common?”
“Being mentally unsound?”
“Wrong. All of them don’t have girlfriends.”
“…”
Translator’s Notes:
[1] 指桑骂槐 (zhǐ sāng mà huái): Pointing at the mulberry tree while scolding the locust tree. It means to scold someone in an indirect manner, usually under the disguise of criticizing another person.
[2] QQ is a Chinese instant messaging software service similar to WeChat. From Quora, it appears that QQ has younger users as people can sign up for it with an email instead of a mobile number. QQ is also more focused on the Chinese market while WeChat markets itself towards international users as well.
[3] In Chapter 10, I mentioned that the Chinese characters for Xia Menghuan’s name, 夏梦欢 (xià mèng huān), means summer, dream, and joy. She changed her nickname to a homonym, 瞎蒙欢 (xiā méng huān), which means blind, cheat, and joy (character unchanged).
[4] Candied Chinese hawthorns, aka 糖葫芦 (Táng hú lu), is a sweet treat that was available back from ancient times! You guys might have seen it in many ancient Chinese dramas. The coating of hardened sugar syrup balances out the tartness of the Chinese hawthorns. You can also find modern variations of tanghulu which uses other fruits like strawberries or grapes.
Tanghulu
[5] It’s a pun. “世界第一考王 (Shì jiè dì yī kǎo wáng), and世界第一烤王 (Shì jiè dì yī kǎo wáng). Li Yubing replaced 考with 烤, which sounds exactly the same but the former means “test/exams” while the latter means “roast”.
Chapter 48 – Faint longing (Translated and edited by Xing)
Tang Xue bustled over to the practice venue after returning from the airport,. When she stepped inside, she immediately saw Zhang Yuewei and a few others chatting and resting at the side instead of training.
“Make way, make way. I, farmer of impeccable class, am back again,” Tang Xue said.
They did not understand why Tang Xue addressed herself as a farmer. When she saw Tang Xue, Zhang Yuewei first rolled her eyes before saying, “Snail, your mom is here to find you.”
“Ah?” Tang Xue was startled.
“She’s in the lounge waiting for you.” From the start to the end of their conversation, Zhang Yuewei spoke in a curt manner. She turned back to continue her conversation with the rest.
Tang Xue could not believe that her mother was actually able to come down and visit her. Her mother was a paediatrician who was extremely busy with work every day. This was to the point that she had slightly neglected Tang Xue’s upbringing in the past and Principal Tang was the one who played a larger role in raising Tang Xue instead. So what exactly happened? Could it be that her mother, after some reflection, had finally remembered that she still had a daughter?
Whoo!
She was so touched!
Tang Xue sprang over to the lounge in excitement. She pushed open the door and before she even saw anyone, shouted out loud, “Mom, you’re finally here!”
When she went in and saw the person inside, she was stumped. “Eh…” Her mom did not look like this…
Mrs Liang had wondered how her first meeting with Tang Xue would be like. No matter how hostile or weird it would be, it did not matter to her. It was impossible for their meeting to proceed warmly. However, she never expected the girl to immediately address her as “mom” at first sight.
What a lack of propriety!
Mrs Liang’s face twisted into a scowl, the two corners of her lips turned down firmly. This made her originally sagging cheeks become even more obvious, causing her to appear rather dour. Her outrage emphasized the pallor of her overly pale skin and she looked like the female ghosts seen on television.
Tang Xue was shocked by her appearance. She could understand the stranger’s outrage as the way she addressed the stranger implied that she was old. All women were mindful of their age. When Tang Xue went out with her mother, she also had to humour her by ignoring her conscience and saying, “Look, everyone thinks that we’re sisters.” Her father, on the other hand, was a little denser. Once, after hearing Tang Xue said this when the three of them were out on an excursion, he retorted, “Then doesn’t this mean that your ‘mother’ had her second child at the age of fifty?” The consequence of her father’s offhand remark was being hammered by her mother till… Well, tsk, tsk, tsk…
Tang Xue reined in her train of thoughts and gave a slight bow to the stranger. “I’m sorry, older sister. I mistook you for someone else.”
“Who’s your older sister?” Mrs Liang became even more annoyed.
Tang Xue sensed that the lady was still extremely irritated. She apologized again and turned, intending to scamper out of the room. She thought that her mother must have been unable to wait patiently in the lounge and went out.
Behind her, the lady suddenly called out her name.
“Tang Xue.”
Surprised, Tang Xue turned back to look at her. “You, you know me?”
“Mm.” Mrs Liang collected her expression and nodded slightly. “I came here specifically to find you.”
Tang Xue clapped a hand to her head, realizing what had happened. It was impossible for her mom to visit her. The person Zhang Yuewei referred to should be this lady.
It was all Zhang Yuewei’s fault. How could a random stranger be her mom simply because she looked the part? That imbecile!
After understanding what happened, she was puzzled again. Tang Xue secretly examined the lady and confirmed that that the lady was someone that she did not know. She then probed, “You’re…?”
Mrs Liang looked at her coldly. “I’m Yu Yan’s mother.”
Tang Xue could tell from Mrs Liang’s eyes that she did not come with good intentions.
——
In the end, Tang Xue was unable to proceed with her training and followed Yu Yan’s mother to a café instead. The reason was that the latter wanted to have a “chat” with her.
A chat it shall be.
The café they went to was the closest one in the vicinity located on campus. Mrs Liang ordered an espresso but did not touch it again after taking a tiny sip.
Tang Xue could read from her lightly raised brows that this café was most likely not up to her standards.
Mrs Liang dabbed her mouth and asked Tang Xue, “Do you know where I first came across your name?”
Tang Xue had not figured out what Mrs Liang was trying to do. Her eyes darted and she asked, “Did Yu Yan mentioned it?”
“No.’ Mrs Liang shook her head. “It was on your school forum.”
Good grief.
Everything clicked into place.
Tang Xue felt quite guilty and thumbed the tip of her nose subconsciously. She smiled and said, “Auntie, you’re quite tech-savvy. My parents don’t even know how to browse a forum.”
“Mm.” Mrs Liang looked at Tang Xue with pursed lips. Her gaze was calm but sharp and seemed able to see Tang Xue’s every thought.
Tang Xue felt like this lady was possessed by a magic mirror capable of revealing evil. Even if that’s the case, I’m not an evil demon…
Tang Xue felt very uncomfortable. She suppressed her feelings and explained, “Auntie, I know that you might have seen some nonsense on the forum. You might not believe me but those are simply rumours that people came up. It’s all fabricated based on a photo.”
Mrs Liang nodded slightly and responded with another “mm”. However, she did not believe a single word.
Seeing her reaction, Tang Xue was helpless as well. “It’s true…” To be honest, if it was not the fact that she was Yu Yan’s mother, Tang Xue would not even have the patience to sit here and explain matters to her. She felt that their personalities clashed and sitting down to chat with Yu Yan’s mother was a painful experience.
Mrs Liang was not interested in debating the truth with Tang Xue either. It did not matter to her. She said, “Tang Xue, I won’t interfere with how you should act or behave. That’s on your parents, not me.”
When Tang Xue heard this, her expression darkened and she stood up with a whoosh. The hidden message of those words was clear—Yu Yan’s mother was implying that she was a wild child who lacked proper upbringing and governing. Was this really necessary? To involve her parents as well?
She stared at Mrs Liang coldly. If it was not out of respect for an elder, she would have made a cutting retort.
Mrs Liang was someone older after all. She did not lose her calm as easily and coolly leaned back against the sofa. She glanced at Tang Xue impassively before continuing, “But I will interfere if it’s something that involves my son.”
“Oh?” Tang Xue curled a corner of her lips and raised her brow. “How do you plan to interfere?”
“Yan Yan is only seventeen. He should be wholly focused on his professional career instead of getting into a relationship. Furthermore,” Mrs Liang swept her eyes over Tang Xue before continuing in a frosty tone, “He’s a very simple child. The two of you are not suitable.”
Hearing how she was pointing at the mulberry tree while scolding the locust tree[1], Tang Xue could not take it anymore. She nodded obligingly and agreed, “Mm, we’re indeed not suitable.” Mrs Liang was slightly startled at her words. Then, Tang Xue went on, “My mother is a reasonable and good-natured person who is magnanimous and frank in her actions. As for his mother…” Tang Xue scorned and shrugged. “That’s not the case.”
Mrs Liang was finally triggered by Tang Xue’s words. She frowned and said, “You’re rather sharp-tongued, aren’t you?”
“But, auntie.” In contrast to Mrs Liang, Tang Xue was still standing. She bent her body slightly and pressed one hand against the table for support, looking at Mrs Liang unflinchingly. From her top-down angle, it made her seem grave and dignified. This caused Mrs Liang to lean back automatically.
Tang Xue stated, “I want to make something clear. A relationship involves two people; you can’t clap with one hand. I’ll advise you on good faith that rather than try to control someone else’s child, it’s better for you to talk to your own son.”
After throwing out these words, Tang Xue no longer spared her a glance. She slung her bag onto her shoulder and left. When she passed by the bar counter, she gazed at the cashier and pointed behind her. “That lady will foot the bill.”
——
Ultimately, Tang Xue was a little regretful of what she said. She felt that she should not have criticized someone like this. After all, the person in question was still Yu Yan’s mother.
However, with her straightforward nature, she soon thought things through. Since it was something that she had already done, there was no point in being regretful. Whatever, so be it.
Even though this was the case, her mood was still affected by the incident.
Back in her dorm at night, Tang Xue practiced some advanced mathematics questions. It was almost the end of the school term. If she failed too many modules, she would not be able to face her family elders. It would also be tough for her to ask for her red packet money during Chinese New Year.
“My king, are you actually doing homework? Am I seeing things?” Xia Menghuan exclaimed from behind her.
“The final examinations are coming, my beloved concubine. I don’t have time to pull all-nighters,” Tang Xue replied. She needed to maintain an optimal condition for training. The Ascendance Cup was still waiting for her.
Tang Xue finally experienced for herself how tough Li Yubing had it all this while. She could not imagine how much energy and effort he had dedicated in order to maintain top-notch results in both his studies and interest.
“Calm down, my king. Look at my new nickname,” Xia Menghuan said.
Xia Menghuan had changed both her QQ[2] and WeChat nickname to “Xia Menghuan (happy blind swindler)”. After Tang Xue saw this, she put the phone down on the table speechlessly. “Very creative.”
“Come up with an interesting nickname for yourself. It’ll make you feel good and give you a strong boost psychologically. That’s what Liao Zhenyu taught me.”
Tang Xue’s face twisted into an incredulous expression. “Putting aside the question of whether Liao Zhenyu’s claim has any scientific basis, can you first explain to me how in the world is ‘happy blind swindler’ a good nickname?”
“I think it’s great! If I don’t know the answer, I’ll try to guess blindly and hopefully swindle my way through the questions. Give it a try, my king.”
Tang Xue tried to find a homonym for her name but only “Tang Xue (dripping blood)” came out. Darn it!
In the end, she quietly changed her nickname to “World’s Best Examination-Taker”.
She put down her phone and was about to continue with her assignments when Li Yubing’s video call invitation came in.
Before accepting the call, Tang Xue drew the desk curtains behind her to section the small area she was sitting at from the rest of the room. This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com.
When the call connected, Li Yubing’s face appeared on the phone screen. He smiled at the camera while snow fell around him. Under the sparkle of the white snow, his bright gaze seemed to take on a clean and gentle warmth.
Snow was really quite an amazing thing. Despite being icy-cold, it was capable of lending a heart-warming effect to any scene.
Tang Xue winked at him.
Li Yubing tugged down the thick scarf covering his mouth slightly, revealing the beautiful curves of his lips that were raised in a smile resembling the luminous crescent moon in the sky. He then said, “Fool.” An obvious white mist came out from his mouth when he spoke.
Tang Xue realized that this rascal was actually using a selfie stick. He kept an appropriate distance from the camera which helped his face to appear small and good-looking. What a devious dog.
She silently put her phone on a phone stand and shifted it to the top of her desk. Then, she rested her head on the table and looked up at him.
He was not the only one who knew such tricks.
“Dog,” Tang Xue replied.
Li Yubing said, “It’s snowing at my side.”
“I’m not blind.”
“You definitely haven’t seen such heavy snow before,” Li Yubing countered.
Tang Xue was unable to refute this. She grew up in the South and the snow she usually saw was very fine. Each time, only a miserly amount of snow would fall. The snow would also melt very quickly, resembling the salt sprinkled on dishes while cooking.
For her, snowflakes as large as goose feathers was a myth that only existed in books.
“Let me broaden your horizons.” As Li Yubing spoke, he turned the camera to let Tang Xue see for herself what snowflakes as large as goose feathers were. The stunning visual of snowflakes drifting slowly to the ground filled the screen. The streets were also covered with snow. From one end to another, it was as if the whole world was covered with white. Illuminated by the dancing glow of streetlights, the entire city slumbered under a pristine white blanket.
Done with capturing the streets, the camera turned again and a western-style building came into view. In the sea of white, it shone in golden splendour.
Saint Sophia Cathedral
“What’s this?”
“The Saint Sophia Cathedral.”
After filming the Saint Sophia Cathedral for a while, Li Yubing turned the camera to face a pile of candied Chinese hawthorns[4]. “Don’t they look yummy?”
Tang Xue propped her chin on one hand, looked at the phone but did not speak.
Li Yubing saw Tang Xue looked distracted as if something was weighing on her mind. He asked, “What’s wrong with you? In a bad mood?”
“No…”
Li Yubing said, “Let me tell you something funny to cheer you up.”
Tang Xue expected Li Yubing to say a lame joke. Instead, he started narrating a story. “I just heard this from the team’s driver today. It’s something he personally experienced. So this driver grew up in Jinlin’s Changbai Mountain. When he was young, their family sold pine nuts for a living… Do you know where pine nuts come from?”
“From pine trees, of course. Li Yubing, do you take me for an idiot?’
“Okay, don’t interrupt. The pine forest is located on the mountain. When the pine nuts mature, the trees need to be looked after to prevent them from being stolen…”
In order to look after the pine nuts, the farmers would build a temporary hut in the pine forest to stay in and keep guard both day and night. That year, the ice hockey team driver was only thirteen. One night, he followed his father to the pine nut hut for fun and started playing poker cards with the rest to pass time. As they played along, a black bear on a tree nearby slipped and fell. The bear smashed through the roof of the hut and landed directly on the kang bed-stove.
The humans present all received the shock of their lives and quickly ran outside. The black bear received the shock of its life and ran outside as well. It was a splendid spectacle with a hint of comedic relief.
Tang Xue visualized the image of both humans and bear trying to escape in a frenzy and laughed till she was sprawled across the table and could not sit up straight.
Li Yubing looked at her with a smile on his face. Though only a day had passed, he realized that he had many things that he wanted to tell her. There was something that he itched to say. The words were about to come out of his mouth when he changed his mind. In a soft tone, he merely asked, “Feeling better?”
Before Tang Xue could reply, their call suddenly disconnected.
Li Yubing looked at his phone and saw that it was shutting down automatically from a flat battery. He was a little surprised. “Why did it run out of battery so quickly?”
At the side, Jiang Shijia gazed at him like how he would gaze at an idiot. With the minus 30 degree Celsius temperature, it’s already silly enough that you’re using your phone in the open streets of Harbin. Being able to sustain a video call for so long without your phone shutting down is already proof of Heaven being moved by your love!
Li Yubing kept his phone and summoned Jiang Shijia. “Let’s go back.”
They were not allowed to leave the team for too long in the first place.
Li Yubing was staying with Jiang Shijia in the same room under the temporary accommodations arranged by the ice hockey team. When he returned to his room, Li Yubing charged his phone and texted Tang Xue: My phone was out of battery just now.
Tang Xue: Oh.
Li Yubing realized that Tang Xue’s nickname had changed. World’s Best Examination-Taker? What in the world.
He searched for a photo of a roasted sweet photo and edited in the words “World’s Best Potato Chef”[5] before sending it to Tang Xue.
He did not have to wait long for her reply
Tang Xue: Li Yubing, I’m going to kill you!
Li Yubing burst into stifled laughter as he lowered his head to look at the phone clutched in his hand.
Jiang Shijia sat at the side and watched him impassively. After watching for a while, Jiang Shijia suddenly opened his mouth and spoke, “Brother Bing.”
“Mm?” Li Yubing raised his head and looked at Jiang Shijia.
Jiang Shijia said, “Do you what all those people on the news who murder their roommates have in common?”
“Being mentally unsound?”
“Wrong. All of them don’t have girlfriends.”
“…”
Translator’s Notes:
[1] 指桑骂槐 (zhǐ sāng mà huái): Pointing at the mulberry tree while scolding the locust tree. It means to scold someone in an indirect manner, usually under the disguise of criticizing another person.
[2] QQ is a Chinese instant messaging software service similar to WeChat. From Quora, it appears that QQ has younger users as people can sign up for it with an email instead of a mobile number. QQ is also more focused on the Chinese market while WeChat markets itself towards international users as well.
[3] In Chapter 10, I mentioned that the Chinese characters for Xia Menghuan’s name, 夏梦欢 (xià mèng huān), means summer, dream, and joy. She changed her nickname to a homonym, 瞎蒙欢 (xiā méng huān), which means blind, cheat, and joy (character unchanged).
[4] Candied Chinese hawthorns, aka 糖葫芦 (Táng hú lu), is a sweet treat that was available back from ancient times! You guys might have seen it in many ancient Chinese dramas. The coating of hardened sugar syrup balances out the tartness of the Chinese hawthorns. You can also find modern variations of tanghulu which uses other fruits like strawberries or grapes.
Tanghulu
[5] It’s a pun. “世界第一考王 (Shì jiè dì yī kǎo wáng), and世界第一烤王 (Shì jiè dì yī kǎo wáng). Li Yubing replaced 考with 烤, which sounds exactly the same but the former means “test/exams” while the latter means “roast”.
