Their Youth Part 8
It was the winter break of university Year 1, Chen Xiaoxi was back home for about half a month now, and she's missing Jiang Chen like mad. Ever since university started, most of his term breaks were spent in school. There were always things for him to be busy on. On the other hand, the moment term break hit, Chen Xiaoxi sped back home. Her mum said that she prepared good food for her at home. Although she could only enjoy her "like-king" life for at most, the first two days of her return, she still finds joy.
Holiday is good, except for the longing.
Last night Chen Xiaoxi gave a call to Jiang Chen asking him when he will be back, he said he will only be back slightly before New Year. Chen Xiaoxi whined about it and said she misses him, and he only laughed from the other side of the call, saying that the days without her annoying him are very peaceful.
Chen Xiaoxi said, "You don't even call me," he replied, "You are the one that said long distance calls are expensive."
Chen Xiaoxi said, "Then at least get online to chat with me," he replied, "The school cut the internet."
Chen Xiaoxi said, "Then don't you miss me?" he replied, "Still okay."
The Chen Xiaoxi who ended the call mumbled this bastard, but her eyes were gleaming.
Xiaoxi's mother who was washing vegetables in the kitchen couldn't help but shake her head in laughter. Foolish child, do you think lowering your volume will stop me from hearing it? How can the thin walls of an old apartment deter the happiness of youth?
That night Chen Xiaoxi accidentally missed Jiang Chen's call while she was emptying the trash. When she called back, it could no longer get through. Not sure what happened, but perhaps it's the rumored sixth sense, Xiaoxi had this frightening feeling that something was about to happen. She spammed calls back to Jiang Chen, until a lady spoke the line, "The phone of the number you have just dialed is currently turned off."
Chen Xiaoxi comforted herself saying, "That's good that's good, it wasn't a lady voice that said "the number you have just dialed changed girlfriend." Still, she couldn't stay still, she was afraid something had happened to him, but was afraid he was out with some other girl. Honestly, sometimes her degree of love towards Jiang Chen, scares herself.
She paced back and forth the hall about 10 times, finally her mum threw a slipper at her for blocking the television. When she went to her room to hide, her phone rang. A chain of unknown numbers, she picked up the phone.
There came a gentle voice of a girl, she said, "Hello, are you Jiang Chen's girlfriend?"
"Yes."
"I like Jiang Chen, I'm the captain of the school's model club, blah blah blah."
"Oh, captain do you want to suck me into the club?"
(T/N: yes the word "suck" was used, or maybe something along "digest")
"I'm kidding."
Chen Xiaoxi actually didn't have the mood to joke, it was just in that moment her brain short-circuited and the words came out. However, she felt really cool after saying that. There's the demeanor of the first wife, and a humorous one.
The captain said a bunch of stuff. Long story short, she was just trying to prove that she loves Jiang Chen more than Xiaoxi, and suits Jiang Chen more than her.
Chen Xiaoxi didn't know what to say, so she just ended her call. She thought for a while and called back the number that called her, saying, "Captain, you said you are prettier than me, but I have never seen you, how about you send me your photo, bare faced with no photoshop."
The other side went silent for a long while before saying, "Are you nuts?"
Chen Xiaoxi said, "You can't put it that way, I am fine mentally. It doesn't matter if you don't send me your photo, captain you are popular, I can probably find your photo on the internet, I will go to the school's forum to compliment your beauty, and your hobby in snatching other people's boyfriend."
She ended off with a "hmph". She felt so good. Although she wouldn't do such thing, but she can at least scare her.
At this time, Jiang Chen's call came as well, his voice was a little frantic as he asked, "What happened?"
"Nothing," I just got harassed by your fan.
"Then why did you call me until my phone ran out of battery?"
"You called me first," Xiaoxi was still thinking of how to bring up the matter just now.
"I went to play basketball since you didn't pick up," Jiang Chen said.
Chen Xiaoxi remembered that during the call with the captain just now, there was what sounded like dribbling of balls, she felt that something was not right, and so she used a peculiar tone to said, "Just now, our school's model club's captain called to ask me to break up with you."
"Who?" Jiang Chen sounded really puzzled, "We have such a club in school?"
"Do you really not know or are you faking it?" Chen Xiaoxi was a little impatient. "I'm so vexed, they always say I'm not fit to be with you, then who is fit? A fairy?"
Jiang Chen seemed a little shocked, it was silent for a while, actually Chen Xiaoxi got a shock by what she said too, but for a fight, obviously one would choose to say ugly stuff.
"But I don't know any model's club, and I never said you are not good enough for me, so why are you angry?" Jiang Chen replied.
"Then how does she know my number?"
"How would I know why?" Jiang Chen couldn't fathom, "You randomly gave people your number, and you are blaming me?"
Chen Xiaoxi couldn't fathom too, "Since when did I give people my number? You are the one flirting with girls every day!"
"If you are going to be ridiculous, then I don't have time for you." Jiang Chen felt impatient.
"If you don't have time to accompany me, then why are we dating? Go and be busy with your stuff!" Chen Xiaoxi roared at the phone, "Go, don't bother me."
"Who's bothering who?" and the line was cut after this simple line.
Chen Xiaoxi was almost addicted in shouting, but was halted by the simple reply, she didn't even realise to put down the phone.
She was the one who wanted to argue, but she couldn't even handle a word from him, moreover, he was only stating the facts, she was the one who was bothering him….
It was not that Chen Xiaoxi felt wronged, but it was just that whoever likes who more, tend to give in more too. Therefore, Chen Xiaoxi called back, but the phone was turned off.
Chen Xiaoxi really hated China Mobile's phone off prompt.
"What the heck?" Jiang Chen scolded and threw his phone into a bucket of water.
The phone rang for a while in the bucket, but then it just turned into bubbling sounds, there were sparks coming from the phone, and then it laid down the flag and stilled the drums*.
(T/N: it means to have died down.)
"Hehe, oh no," Big Senior Brother smiled apologetically, "Who put the bucket here, I mean do you want to eat outside? The canteen is closed today."
"Lend me your phone," Jiang Chen said.
"It was terminated," He said.
Jiang Chen didn't say anything else, he took his phone and walked out.
"Where are you going?" Big Senior Brother asked behind him.
"Fix my phone."
"The north gate's phone shop is closed as well, it's the holidays, everyone went back home for New Year." Big Senior Brother said.
Jiang Chen heard it but didn't stop walking, if he can't fix his phone then he will at least buy a calling card, at least give Chen Xiaoxi a call back, who knows what she's thinking of right now.
Who knew that when he was out of the north gate, the telephone card shop was closed as well, he didn't have any other choice except to turn to a PC bunk and bought an hour's session to send email and Q messenger chat to Xiaoxi saying that his phone dropped into the water. If she wants to find him, call his dorm. He thought for very long before adding a last line - I really don't know any model.
He played about half an hour of game but still didn't see Chen Xiaoxi coming online, he got hungry so he went out to scavenge for food.
When he returned to the dorm, he saw Big Senior Brother hugging onto the dorm's phone chatting on the bed, he was full of smiles when he said, "Yeah, he ignored me and left, I'm so hungry can you treat me to a meal?"
He vaguely heard a girl's voice from the phone and stopped walking, with his arms crossed he stared at Big Senior Brother, it was then he realized, he smiled awkwardly and said, "He's back, you talk to him."
He passed the phone to Jiang Chen, "I'm going to eat."
Jiang Chen took over the phone, expressionless, and said, "Hello."
"Hello, it's me." Chen Xiaoxi sounded so pitiful, "How's your phone?"
"Spoilt."
"Can it be fixed?"
"Not sure, the shops are all closed."
"Oh."
"Are you still angry?" Chen Xiaoxi asked.
"No," Jiang Chen pulled a chair over to sit down.
"You are obviously angry," Chen XIaoxi mumbled, "Alright, there's nothing else, bye bye."
Jiang Chen blanked out when he heard the beeps, he pulled a chair over in preparation for the, "Are you angry? - No" battle, but she suddenly ended the call, and he felt disappointed.
Chen Xiaoxi hung up the phone and smiled sheepishly at her dad who just got home from work, "Dad, you're back?"
"Who were you calling? Boy or girl? You are still in Year 1…." And he carried on saying things like early love will cause harm on your body and health, cause harm on your brain, cause harm on your eyes, cause harm on whatever body systems you have. Although Chen Xiaoxi thinks that 'early love' is a glorious term, it's embarrassing to use the term 'early love' since she is no longer young. Even so, she still very firmly expressed to her dad saying, "You are right, if I get into love early, then I am such a bad person," kind of thing. This shows that Student Xiaoxi is a very bad person, at the same time she also showed how she doesn't really care about her status as a human.
The second day Xiaoxi was captured for a short stay at her grandma's house, it was so hurried that she forgot to bring her phone. When she was at her grandma house she was embarrassed to use the phone, since the elder always felt long distance call was very pricey. So, Chen Xiaoxi gave up, thinking she will just explain to Jiang Chen when she's back. He finds her too clingy anyway. Since she hardly visits, she will just accompany her grandma. Therefore, she accompanied her grandma by practicing qigong*, go to the market, walk her dog, everything was for leisure, every day felt like an old long song.
(T/N: qigong is a type of breathing exercise.)
A week was enough for her grandma to feel annoyed, she said that young girl should go out and play with boys, there will be no future in sticking with this old woman. The reason why Xiaoxi's grandma said that was because the opposite neighbor has a boy who is one year older than Xiaoxi. Grandma claimed that he watched the boy grow up, his character and personality are resoundingly good, and wants to play matchmake.
Xiaoxi got annoyed by the nagging too, her grandma was constantly making her borrow onion, borrow garlic, borrow salt, borrow oil from the opposite house. In order to prevent people from suspecting that her grandma was very poor, or that they like to covet little advantages, or were beggars, she could only insist on going back home.
She returned home around evening, she put her luggage and went to her phone immediately, her phone battery was flat, and she couldn't find her charger, she stomped around angrily. Only after stomping for a very long while did she realise that there is something called a telephone, so she ran over and called Jiang Chen's dorm, but no one picked up, so she went for her dinner first and waited till after dinner before she tried again.
After dinner her mother clung onto her, talking about grandma, she had to tell her mum how many times grandma woke up in the middle of the night to use the toilet before she managed to escape. She entered her room to turn on her phone and received a bunch of messages, she opened to see and saw that one message that was sent 10 minutes ago was from Jiang Chen. There was only two words and an exclamation mark, "Come down!"
Chen Xiaoxi ran down and read her messages at the same time, the previous message was also from Jiang Chen 20 minutes ago, which read, "I'm below your house, come down."
Xiaoxi chanted in her heart, "I'm dead I'm dead, the weather's so cold and I made Jiang Chen wait so long, die die."
Jiang Chen was leaning on the wall playing his phone, the blue light on the phone accentuated the silhouette of his side profile, like it was drawn from a fineliner. The closer she walked, she could see him frowning, his cheeks showcased his dimples. He noticed her footfalls, he looked up to scan her once, then looked down on his phone again.
Chen Xiaoxi stopped at around two arm's length from him. She looked at him innocently, and didn't dare to walk nearer….. The look Jiang Chen gave her just now resonated eight words, "Death sentence will be pardoned, but you will live in suffering."
(T/N: of course its 8 words in chinese haha.)
She went stiff for a few minutes, Jiang Chen put his phone in his pocket, and said, "You might as well not come down."
Chen Xiaoxi rolled her eyes, "How would I dare."
"I went to my grandma's house, and I forgot to take my phone, my phone's battery ran out, aye how did you know I am back home? When did you came back? Is your phone fixed?" Chen Xiaoxi wanted to explain, but then she felt that things can't be explained simply using one or two sentences.
Jiang Chen knew of her habit of leaving things behind, although he knew that this person wouldn't cut off all forms of communication with him just because she was angry, but he still settled all his things in school and came back home, only did he know from Auntie Lee that the fool was captured to her grandma's house.
Chen Xiaoxi saw that Jiang Chen wasn't talking, so she said again, "When did you come back?"
"Just now."
Actually he was back for a few days, but he didn't know how the words just came out of his lips.
Jiang Chen looked at her, "Why are you standing so far for?"
Chen Xiaoxi crab-walked a few steps and leaned on the wall together with him. Actually, these two only started dating officially for less than three months, things were still a little ambiguous around them, and being apart for about a month made things a little more uncomfortable.
Chen Xiaoxi rubbed her arms and scratched her head, "It seems a little cold here."
Jiang Chen looked down, seeing how messy her hair was, he couldn't help but reach over to tuck the lock of hair behind her ears, "Then we go back?"
Chen Xiaoxi shivered from the jolt of electricity from where his fingers grazed.
"Is it that cold?" Jiang Chen obviously mistook her shiver, and placed his arms over her shoulders, "You're dressed like a rice dumpling* and you are still cold?"
(T/N: rice dumpling is a festive food that we eat during dragon boat festival, and it is glutinous rice and meat and nuts and stuff and everything wrapped in leaves in a pyramid shape, and we have a saying that whenever someone wears tons of layers of clothes, they look like rice dumpling.)
"How am I like arice dumpling." Chen Xiaoxi leaned on Jiang Chen, "Hehe."
"What are you laughing for?"
"Nothing, long time no see."
"Stupid."
"Hehe."
"Still laughing?" Jiang Chen looked at her, and saw a layer of mist on her eyes, and it gleamed in the dark. He wanted to laugh, but he felt silly, so he pushed her head away and said, "Didn't you say you were cold? Go home."
Chen Xiaoxi was disappointed, why is this person like this…. Why is he rushing someone that he didn't see for a month back home the moment he sees her, she hate to part with him, but if she doesn't, then it will seem like she is not reserved, so she could only say, "Then I will go back first."
She walked slowly for a few steps and didn't seem to see him catching up to her, so she started to walk faster, when she was about to reach the stairs, hurried steps were heard behind her, when she turned back she was trapped on the wall of the stairs, kabedon style.
(T/N: Kabedon - you, trapped between the wall and your man. Hah.)
Before Chen Xiaoxi even realised what had happened, she could only stare blankly at Jiang Chen's shirt's collar, heart beating like a drum.
Jiang Chen didn't know why he chased her for, he suddenly felt that he shouldn't just let her go like that and thus, decided to chase her. He didn't know exactly what he wanted to do or wanted to say.
The two of them stood in the dark space, a little too close to each other. The air smelled like dust, but more of each other's scent, familiar and vague.
Chen Xiaoxi looked down and touched her nose unknowingly, hair grazing against Jiang Chen's neck, but he didn't shun away from it. He just squinted his eyes, wanting to get a better look of her, but the space was too dark for him to see properly. However, he believed she might have gotten even prettier, more soothing to the eye.
Since it had come to this, lets just go for a kiss.
Jiang Chen was about to lean down, but the Chen Xiaoxi who had been looking down not saying a word suddenly looked up and tipped toe to lean in for a kiss on the side of his lips, then she pushed him off and ran upstairs.
Jiang Chen touched on his lips where it was slightly stinging from the impact.
Although Jiang Chen returned, the two didn't have much time to hang out. Mainly because Chen Xiaoxi didn't dare to, as she was afraid of Jiang Chen's parents since young. When she was playing around the alley at a younger age, she would hide somewhere if she were to see Jiang Chen's parents coming from afar.
First day of Lunar New Year, Chen Xiaoxi whose pocket was stuffed with red packets* proudly went to her mum to tell her that she was going to the streets to find gigolos. Mother Chen was busy preparing gifts to bring back to her parental home*, so she just waved Xiaoxi off and asked her to go and find a handsome one.
(T/N: Red packets are money placed in red mini envelope like packet given by adults to children during Lunar New Year. It is said to help ward off evil spirits 😀 Parental home is the home of married woman's biological parents. In Chinese culture, it is said that a married daughter is like water that has been poured and doesn't belong to her parents anymore. So the married daughter belongs to her husband's family now. However, it is custom during the 2nd day of Lunar New Year for daughters to return to their parent's home with their family. With that said, 1st day of Lunar New Year is usually spent with your father/husband's family.)
Hence Chen Xiaoxi went to find the most handsome guy in her opinion and walked on the street hand in hand.
The good thing about Lunar New Year is that there aren't much people on the streets, none of the shops are opened as well. Sometimes you might even chance upon families setting off fire crackers at the side of the street. And that is when Chen Xiaoxi will act like a weak lady and hide behind Jiang Chen's back saying, "Aye, so scary."
Jiang Chen will pinch on her earlobe and say, "Stop lying, I see you playing with it all the time when we were younger."
While walking on the streets, they met their senior high teacher with her daughter, and her daughter was holding onto a stick of candied hawthorn.
Out of habit and perhaps because they were doing something that they shouldn't be doa ng, the moment those two saw their teacher, they split up far apart from each other, both walking on the far end side of the road. They only didn't bow at each other to signify that they are not very close to each other.
Three dark lines appeared behind Teacher Xu and her daughter's head as they saw how the two of them were sticking so close to each other for one second, and broke apart like a bomb was set off between them the next.
Jiang Chen was the first to realise that they were already out of the devil's grasp, so he pulled Chen Xiaoxi and greeted, "Happy Lunar New Year Teacher Xu."
Chen Xiaoxi greeted while trying to pry Jiang Chen's hands off her, she totally forgot that she was already a university undergraduate, but all she could think was, "I'm dead, I'm going to be called to the discipline master's office…"
"Happy New Year," Teacher Xu looked at their hands that were intertwined, "Chen Xiaoxi don't be scared, I won't call your parents."
Only then did Chen Xiaoxi come to a realisation, she laughed foolishly, "It was conditioned reflex…"
"Actually, which teacher doesn't know what had been going on between you guys, it was all because…"
"Teacher, fire cracker," Jiang Chen interrupted and pointed that the stall that was hanging up the fire crackers, "The young kid will get a scare."
Teacher Xu laughed and said, "Then we will make a move first, do come and see us when you have the time," then she looked at her daughter and told her to say goodbye to big brother and big sister.
"Big brother and big sister goodbye."
"Goodbye."
In the midst of the noisy crackling sounds of the fire crackers, Chen Xiaoxi asked Jiang Chen, "What did teacher say just now? I was busy being shy."
"Your face is so thick what are you being shy for, it's so noisy, let's go somewhere else," Jiang Chen said and covered her ears, hugging her head and walking in the opposite direction of Teacher Xu.
Teacher Xu turned back to look at her favourite students while shaking her head with a smile.
It was during a certain mass exercise period; a few teachers were standing behind their classes chitchatting. A teacher suddenly said, "Teacher Xu, I saw Jiang Chen riding on his bicycle with a girl and they seemed very close. He's first in the cohort, so you have to mind a little, don't let puppy love get in the way of his grades."
The third lesson, Teacher Xu called Jiang Chen into her office, as a qualified teacher, just as every other teachers, she has the habit of breaking up lovebirds.
She still remembers when she asked Jiang Chen if there was such a thing, the 17-year-old calmly answered, "There is."
The bunch of guide lines that she prepared was stuck in her throat, she paused and said, "With who?"
"Chen Xiaoxi," Jiang Chen replied.
Teacher Xu who recently just became a full-fledged teacher was shocked to see such an honest student, she could only ask without experience, "So are you two in a relationship?"
"I think so," Jiang Chen smiled, showing his dimples, "but Chen Xiaoxi doesn't know anyway, I hope you don't look for her, we won't affect our studies."
Teacher Xu was a little bit affected by his smile, but she had to show her stand as a teacher, "You say that now, but you will regret once your grades will drop."
"It won't, please monitor it for us." Jiang Chen said, "I will continue my being in first place, I will try to improve Chen Xiaoxi's grades as well, if I can't do it, then please punish us."
It has been a few years since. Teacher Xu can still recall the expression of Jiang Chen's face when he said those words. There was an air of arrogance from being at an age that fears no heaven or hell, but there was also something most youngsters of that age do not possess - perseverance. It's like charging the future with unbelievable courage.
She suddenly felt that actually, being in love early is also quite touching.
Teacher Xu carried her daughter up, "Girl, mummy taught a lot of students whom I'm really proud of."
"Proud of ahh," the little girl had no idea what her mum was talking about, she was just repeating the end of the sentence.
[Theatre]
I'll add in a disgusting conversation I thought of while waiting for car that day.
(T/N: This is the author's note.)
"Jiang Chen, they said that something more than "like" is "love", what's more than love?"
"Only love."
"What's more than only love?"
"Unable to lose."
"What's more than being unable to lose?"
"It's another me."
"What's slightly more than another you?" Chen Xiaoxi put in effort to emphasize her "slightly".
"It's you."
"Did you attend sweet talk classes?"
"Yep, an organization like that opened a class behind the hospital."
"Really?"
"Idiot."
Translator’s Corner:
Wahhhhhhh this chapter is so long.. It’s like 2 chapters long…