novelSeventh of the Seventh
| ← Ch.030 | Ch.032 → |
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May
Let's go. Gu Mingxi, I'll treat you to barbecue!
When Pang Qian was getting in the car, she was still unwilling. But when she got off the car, she was like a completely different person. She followed Gu Mingxi into the new community, full of curiosity. The houses had just been assigned, so a lot of people had come to check out their homes. There were a lot of familiar faces from the factory. When they saw Gu Guoxiang, they were very courteous and gave a greeting.
Gu Mingxi's new house was on the 16th floor. Gu Guoxiang opened the door to their new house. Because the windows weren't closed, there was a blast of wind blowing out at them. Pang Qian opened her eyes wide, looking around at this 120 sqm house. Although it was just the rough grey walls, she could still tell that this was a very big house.
Gu Guoxiang and Li Han started to make a careful inspection of the house. Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian weren't interested in any particulars. They just ran around, back and forth between the rooms.
The master bedroom had a terrace connected to it. The living room also a balcony outside. There were three other bedrooms. One of them was slightly smaller, but the other two were about the same size. One faced south and one faced north.
Pang Qian stood in the south-facing room and said to Gu Mingxi, "Of course you should pick this room to be yours. Look at how bright it is!" She sprawled out next to the window and looked down, her hair blown into a mess by the strong wind up at the 16th story. She said, "And you can see the park when you look down. You can only see the street from the other room. Ay, Gu Mingxi, listen to me. Pick this room!"
Gu Mingxi had been looking at her, smiling. He stood next to Pang Qian, and he was looking around this foreign room, his eyes glowing brightly. Pang Qian ran to the middle of the room, and then spun around in a circle. She gestured with her arms, "Your bed can go here. And the bedside table here. This spot is for the dresser, and here for the bookcase. Your desk can go by the window. When you're doing your homework, you can take a look at the scenery outside!"
When she finished, she was full of envy."It's such a big room. It's bigger than my parents' room. And it's on the 16th floor!"
Pang Qian really was a girl who was easy to make happy. She'd already forgotten about all the troubles with her parents and their work. Although she felt a bit bad seeing him move to a new house, a big house, she was still happy for him.
Who'd have expected that after Gu Guoxiang and Li Han took a look around, they'd bring Gu Mingxi to the north-facing room. Gu Guoxiang seized Gu Mingxi's shoulders and said, "Mingxi, this will be your room in the future."
Pang Qian was about to interrupt, when Gu Mingxi silenced her with his eyes. He nodded, "Okay."
Pang Qian stuffed her words back down, but she felt a bit angry for Gu Mingxi. His parents didn't even ask about his opinions, and they just made the decision for him. What's with that?!
They finished looking around and headed down, when Pang Qian asked Li Han, "Auntie, will that room on the side be Uncle's study?"
"No, " Li Han answered."The study will be the west-facing room."
"Then what about the south-facing room?"
Li Han smiled and said, "It's a spare room."
Pang Qian didn't understand why, if they had a spare room, they didn't let Gu Mingxi have it.
On the way back to the city, Gu Mingxi said to Pang Qian, "Pang Pang, today's my birthday. My (paternal) grandparents are going out to have dinner with my parents and me. You should come with us."
"Ah?" Pang Qian was caught by surprise. She looked at the back of Gu Guoxiang and Li Han's heads. When the two of them didn't give any opinions, Pang Qian said, "Nah, it's okay. You're eating with your family. I'm not going."
Gu Mingxi said, "It's just my grandparents and my aunt. You've met them all before."
Pang Qian was unsure. Li Han turned around and said, "Qian Qian, come along. Next year, when we don't live in the Golden Compound anymore, we won't have as many chances to get together. It might be hard to spend another birthday together."
This saddened Pang Qian. Gu Mingxi looked at her with bright eyes. He nudged her leg with his left foot, "Come along, okay?"
Pang Qian finally nodded, "Mm."
Gu Guoxiang had reserved a room in a restaurant downtown. That evening, Gu Mingxi's grandparents and little aunt arrived. Gu Guoxiang's younger sister was called Gu Guoying. Her son, Dong Yuan, was a year younger than Gu Mingxi. He also graduated from junior high this year.
Dong Yuan had okay grades. During the high school entrance exams, he didn't get into the ("general") school he tried out for. And he wasn't willing to go to a technical school. Gu Guoying pleaded with Gu Guoxiang to help out. With some connections, Dong Yuan was accepted to a good school outside the city. After paying the [out of district] fees, he was getting ready to start school.
Pang Qian had met Dong Yuan before. When they were younger, the three of them had played together a few times. Pang Qian's impression was that Dong Yuan and Gu Mingxi weren't very close. In fact, they were like people from two different worlds. Dong Yuan was a kid who had been spoiled rotten, and he was rather full of himself (alt. opinionated). But his kind of opinionated was different from Xie Yi's sense of independence. Pang Qian even thought that he was a bit crazy.
When Pang Qian saw Dong Yuan again, she was surprised. He'd actually gotten that much fatter! That stomach, those arms, those legs! His body was nearly double the size of Gu Mingxi.
After everyone arrived, Gu Guoxiang called over a waiter to order. He politely handed the menu to his parents. Both of them said they couldn't see and handed the menu over to Gu Guoying. Dong Yuan rudely grabbed the menu and said, "Let me see!"
Then he started to order. He looked at the pictures on the menu and ignored the cold dishes, hot dishes, and soups. He wanted to eat the things he liked, so he pointed to five pork dishes: honeyed pork ribs, pork trotters in soy sauce, Cantonese-style barbecue pork, battered pork ribs, and pork with vegetables.
Gu Guoying said, "That's enough. Let your grandparents see."
Dong Yuan was unhappy, "I'm not done."
The two elders smiled, "It's alright. Let Yuan Yuan order. The boy's growing, he should eat meat."
Pang Qian was dumbfounded. She happened to be sitting next to Dong Yuan, so she suggested quietly, "Order a sauteed beef with peppers."
Dong Yuan said loudly, "What's so good about that? You want something spicy? Then I'll get chicken with chilies."
Pang Qian, "..."
Under the table, Gu Mingxi nudged her with his leg. She turned to look at him, and Gu Mingxi just shook his head slightly and smiled.
Dong Yuan flipped through the menu for awhile, before handing it back to Gu Guoxiang with an unsatisfied look. Gu Guoxiang quietly added a few more vegetable dishes and a fish, and then let the waiter go.
When the food came out, Pang Qian learned about Dong Yuan's appetite. He ate a piece of battered pork ribs in two or three bites. And then he ate three pieces in a row. He said that the pork trotters were tasty, so Grandpa Gu just put the whole plate in front of him, so that Dong Yuan could eat it on his own. When the shrimp came out, Dong Yuan had a few pieces and said that it would be too troublesome, before immediately brushing half of the serving plate onto his own bowl. That kind of sweeping gesture nearly made the watching Pang Qian go crazy.
Only Gu Mingxi ate very little.
The table in the restaurant was rather tall, so it wasn't convenient for him to eat. To add on to that, there were a lot of people. Out of politeness, Li Han had pulled over another chair next to Gu Mingxi, and she would help him put food into a small bowl there.
Because of this, Gu Mingxi ended up with his back facing Pang Qian. She would occasionally turn to the side to look at him, her heart upset for him. He was the birthday boy, this was his 16th birthday party. But he wasn't even eating at the table. He could only lower his head, hunched over, and grab at the little amount of food on the chair in front of him.
During the entire dinner, it was only Gu Guoying's family talking. She was saying that it was almost time for school to start, that Dong Yuan still needed to buy this and that. After hearing this, Grandpa Gu said to Gu Guoxiang, "Since Gu Mingxi's also starting high school soon, and he'll need a new backpack and new notebooks, why don't you also buy those things for Yuan Yuan too."
Li Han lowered her head, not letting out a sound. Gu Guoxiang nodded, "I understand, I'll make sure Li Han buys them."
Dong Yuan called out, "Uncle, I also want a new computer!"
At that time, computers weren't cheap. Gu Guoxiang said lightly, "Mingxi doesn't have a computer either."
Dong Yuan said, "Even if Mingxi had a computer, he wouldn't be able to use it!"
Gu Guoxiang glared at Dong Yuan across the table, his eyes gradually turning dark. Dong Yuan was probably a bit scared, as he twitched his mouth and lowered his head, settling down.
But Grandpa Gu said, "Yuan Yuan's right. Mingxi really can't use a computer, but Yuan Yuan can use one. Guoxiang, just buy one for him."
Gu Guoxiang didn't respond, but Li Han couldn't stay silent any longer."Dad, a computer costs ten thousand dollars (1500 USD)."
Grandpa Gu didn't know the value of a computer, but after hearing this, he was very startled. But he couldn't take back the words he'd already said. That would mean losing too much face. He couldn't say it to anyone else, so he said directly to Li Han, "What's ten thousand dollars? All of your doctors visits these years have cost how many tens of thousands! Guoxiang is the one earning it anyway."
With regards to Gu Mingxi's family affairs, Pang Qian wasn't very familiar with it. She didn't know what kind of sickness Li Han had gotten. But Gu Guoying quickly gave her the answer, "Sister-in-law, you're still seeing the doctor? What did the doctor say? Speaking of, I have an old classmate that works at E City's Third Hospital. Third's infertility department is very famous. Should I ask her to help connect you with an expert?"
Li Han's face went red and white. Then the waiter approached, and Gu Guoxiang said quietly, "Let's not talk about this. Eat."
During the whole thing, Gu Mingxi didn't turn around once. Pang Qian was actually pretty close to him. Sometimes, she wanted to get closer, and so she'd secretly reach out her right hand to his back.
She put her finger against his backbone. Since he was bent over, his back was taut, so Pang Qian could very clearly feel his bones and muscles.
Naturally, Gu Mingxi could feel that, but he never turned back, as if the talk around the table had nothing to do with him.
When they were done eating, Li Han brought a cake over to the table, and Gu Mingxi finally stood up. Li Han lit birthday candles for him, and was about to turn out the light in the room when Grandpa Gu said, "Don't do all that stuff. Just blow out the candles."
Li Han stood in place helplessly, looking at Gu Guoxiang. Gu Guoxiang looked at her and then said, "Forget it. We won't sing a birthday song."
Pang Qian watched on, incredulous. Gu Mingxi didn't say anything. And in the end, no one even said "Happy birthday" to him. He just stood there, then bent over slightly and blew out the candles.
Gu Guoying started cutting the cake, and then she gave the first slice to her son, Dong Yuan. Grandpa Gu said, "Yuan Yuan, eat a lot. Your aunt and uncle bought a cake that was too big, we'll definitely not be able to finish it. Yuan Yuan, take it home later. You can have it for breakfast tomorrow."
Pang Qian twitched her lips, looking at Dong Yuan. She was already too tired to say anything to him.
Gu Guoxiang was standing, and he rubbed Gu Mingxi's head. He said, "Our Mingxi is 16 years old now, he's a young man."
It was then that Gu Mingxi smiled a bit. He even turned to give Pang Qian a glance.
Pang Qian just got her piece of cake and ate a bite of it. She felt that this cake was the worst tasting take she'd had in her life.
After dinner, everyone left. Gu Guoxiang drove Li Han, Gu Mingxi, and Pang Qian back to the Golden Compound, and then had to go return the car. After he left, Li Han pushed the kids towards the building. Pang Qian suddenly pulled at the hem of Gu Mingxi's shirt, causing him to look back at her, a pair of eyes in the night looking very bright.
Pang Qian said, "I'm too full, Gu Mingxi. Take a walk with me?"
—-
It was summer, so the air was hot and humid. Even if there was a breeze, it hardly cooled you down.
But in Pang Qian's opinion, walking along the street and sweating with Gu Mingxi was much more refreshing than their meal in that luxurious hotel.
"So Dong Yuan turned out like that. He looks just like a pig." Pang Qian was always very outspoken in front of Gu Mingxi."Do you know, I counted how many pieces of ribs he ate. There were 12 pieces of honey pork ribs, and he ate 7 of them! There were ten pieces of battered pork, and he had 5 pieces! And that pork trotter, the piece was this big! It was so oily! He ate it all, on his own! That really scared me!"
Gu Mingxi couldn't help but smile."Were you really that bored, that you counted how much food he ate? Then, how much did you eat?"
"Not that much, of course. I didn't even eat until I was full, " Pang Qian said with a pout."Who told you to ignore me? You sat there on your own, eating by yourself, and you didn't even turn around to talk to me. Of course I was bored to death."
Gu Mingxi halted in his steps, looked at her a moment, and said seriously, "Are you really still hungry?"
Pang Qian smiled, then pointed her finger at him, "Hey, you didn't eat until you were full either, right?"
Pang Qian knew that Gu Mingxi's appetite wasn't small.
Gu Mingxi's face reddened and he turned his face away. Pang Qian kept up next to him, laughing and scratching at him as she said, "Birthday boy, are you kidding? It's your own birthday, and you didn't even eat until you were full!"
Gu Mingxi couldn't hide from her paws, and finally said, "Alright, stop it. I'm still hungry. What do you want to eat, I'll treat."
Pang Qian looked over his shirt and pants, teasing, "Did you bring any money?"
Gu Mingxi, "..."
Pang Qian laughed, and pulled two 10 dollar bills out of her pocket. She waved them in front of Gu Mingxi's face, "Dadadang! I brought money! Let's go. Gu Mingxi, I'll treat you to barbecue!"
They sat at a small table next to the outdoor barbecue stall. Pang Qian ordered two cups of cola, 4 dollars. Ten sticks of lamb skewers, 10 dollars. Two bowls of stir fried noodles, 6 dollars. They used up all the money, but she was in a good mood, face filled with a smile.
The boss brought out the food and put it on their table. Pang Qian helped Gu Mingxi pull apart his wooden chopsticks. Gu Mingxi lifted his right leg up on the table, waiting for her to put the chopsticks between his toes. Then Pang Qian suddenly called out, "Wait!"
Gu Mingxi stared at her her, his eyes wide open. Pang Qian laughed and said, "I'm going to sing you a birthday song first!"
She clapped her hands as she sang, and she was singing very loudly. The customers around them had their eyes on the two of them. Gu Mingxi's face was burning. When Pang Qian finally finished singing the song, he finally let out a breath.
Pang Qian wasn't done yet though. She picked up her glass of cola and lightly hit her cup to his, and a crisp "ding" rang in the air. She laughed and said, "Gu Mingxi, happy birthday!"
It was really hot outside. Her nose glistened with beads of sweat, and her bangs were stuck to her forehead. But in Gu Mingxi's eyes, this Pang Qian was pretty cute.
They started taking big bites of their noodles, and it was delicious. Out of convenience, Pang Qian even fed Gu Mingxi the lamb skewers. He didn't mind and just took a bite of the lamb from her hand.
While they were eating, the stall boss came over and put down a plate with two grilled sausages. Pang Qian stared for a moment, then said, "Boss, we didn't order this."
The boss laughed and said, "Today's Qixi, and it's this student's birthday. My treat."
From my other translation: The Qixi Festival, sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival or Chinese Valentine's Day, occurs on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. It celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaving girl, two lovers who were separated by a galaxy, only able to meet once a year. (Also, recall Mingxi's name and the Qixi Festival from Ch. 2)
Gu Mingxi was a bit embarrassed, but Pang Qian cheered, "Thanks, Boss!"
Her mood got even better. After she and Gu Mingxi ate their sausages, the two of them walked home with full bellies.
Pang Qian couldn't refrain from asking Gu Mingxi about Li Han. He said, "After my mom's miscarriage last time, the doctor said that it would be harder for her to get pregnant again. For the past two years, she's been taking medicine to recuperate."
Pang Qian asked, "Your mom's already 40 years old. She still wants another baby?"
"Mm, " Gu Mingxi nodded. He kept looking at his toes as he walked."Not only do my parents want one, my (paternal) grandparents want it too. They always say that you raise a kid so that they can take care of you when you get older. Even a daughter is fine. But someone like me, not only might I not be able to take care of them, but I might even become more of a burden."
"Nonsense! That's not true!" Pang Qi got angry.
Gu Mingxi looked at her comically, "Why are you so agitated? I'm only telling you what they said. It's not as if that's what I think."
Pang Qian felt depressed inside, unsure of what to say.
Gu Mingxi lifted his head up to look at the sky. They were standing at the gate to the compound. It was a very open area, and there weren't many lights, so the stars in the sky could almost be made out.
Seeing Gu Mingxi staring at the sky, Pang Qian also looked up. After staring for a long time, she asked, "What are you looking at?"
"The Milky Way, " Gu Mingxi said."Can you see it?"
Pang Qian: =△=
Gu Mingxi looked at her with disdain."You can't even make out our galaxy?!"
Pang Qian cried out, "I'm nearsighted, okay?!"
"Stop lying, you're not nearsighted." Gu Mingxi felt a bit helpless. He couldn't reach out and point to it out to her in the sky. He could only say, "Do you see the brightest star there?"
"Oh..." Pang Qian took a careful look around the sky, then pointed. Unsure, she asked, "That one?"
"Mm, " Gu Mingxi smiled."That's the weaving girl (Vega)."
Pang Qian blinked a few times. Then she asked, "Which one's the cowherd (Altair)?
"On the other side of the galaxy. It's a little dimmer... Do you see it?"
"No." Pang Qian said impatiently, "I don't even see the galaxy!"
"It's that thing that looks like a group of clouds. We're in the city, so it's really not obvious to see." Gu Mingxi shook his head."You even read Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac and Constellation Palace Myth..."
Pang Qian smacked him a few times on the back."So what! What's that got to do with anything?"
After she finished hitting him, she didn't pull her hand back. Instead, she rested her hand on his shoulder, looking up at the sky with him.
Later on, her other hand joined the first, lightly resting on him. She relaxed, her two arms resting on his body, around his neck.
Gu Mingxi's body stiffened as he realized the girl's soft body was stuck to his. Her arms were sticky with sweat, emanating warmth, stuck to the bare skin near his shoulders. It wasn't actually very comfortable.
He could even feel her breathing, the clean sound of air moving near his ear. It even carried a slight scent of cumin from the lamb skewers they ate. The weight of her body pressed against his body without restraint. Gu Mingxi's heart was beating extremely fast, his face growing hot. Although he was a bit reluctant to let her go, he also felt that if she continued holding on, he'd make a fool of himself.
Gu Mingxi twisted his body, feigning anger, "Let go! Aren't you hot?!"
Pang Qian hummed a few lines, then said coyly, "So stingy. Just let me stay here awhile, I ate too much."
| ← Ch. 030 | Ch. 032 → |