ATLAS TRANSLATES

On Saturday afternoon, Zhan Xi went out to meet Wang He.

Since Wang He had a car, they agreed to meet at a mall in the southwest of Qiantang, so Zhan Xi wouldn’t have to travel into the city.

Zhan Xi wasn’t wearing her down jacket this time. Instead, she wore a creamy white wool coat with a sweater and jeans underneath, paired with ankle boots.

She had on a ginger-colored plaid scarf, with her smooth long hair falling over her shoulders. Her young face was already beautiful, and with light makeup, she looked even more elegant and charming.

Whether from the cold or from shyness, her cheeks were flushed pink. As Wang He watched this girl approach, he felt like a warm breeze on a cold winter day. He was extremely satisfied with Zhan Xi’s appearance and figure.

After greeting each other, since it was around mealtime, Wang He suggested having Cantonese food and chatting over dinner. Zhan Xi had no objections.

Walking with Wang He toward the escalator, Zhan Xi secretly observed this man. Wang He was twenty-eight, looking quite similar to his photos, with short hair, around 175cm tall, neither fat nor thin, with regular features – nothing wrong with his appearance.

Sitting down in the Cantonese restaurant, Wang He ordered while asking about Zhan Xi’s dietary restrictions. Zhan Xi had no preferences about the food, only requesting a hot drink. Wang He ordered her a pitcher of black rice juice.

While waiting for the food, Wang He noticed Zhan Xi sitting very straight and asked with a smile, “Are you nervous?”

Zhan Xi shook her head, “No, not at all.”

Wang He poured her a cup of hot tea and said, “I heard from the matchmaker that you’re preparing for the civil service exam?”

Zhan Xi: “…”

She answered honestly, “I took the written test last month, but I probably didn’t make it.”

“The results won’t be out until January,” Wang He asked further, “If you don’t pass, will you try again next year?”

Zhan Xi said, “I haven’t decided yet.”

Wang He smiled again: “Don’t be nervous, I’m not an exam proctor. We’re just chatting casually. I wanted to take the civil service exam too back then, but I tried for my current workplace first. Unexpectedly, I got in and I’ve been there for over three years now.”

Wang He worked at the Drug Administration Bureau and was said to be very capable with a promising future.

Zhan Xi asked, “Is work busy?”

“It’s alright,” Wang He said, “Since you’re a woman, I actually recommend that you keep trying for the civil service. Getting in would be much more comfortable than working in the private sector. Some positions are busy too, but at least it’s stable. After women get married, their focus usually shifts to family, especially after having children. That’s when you’ll realize how much better the public sector is compared to private companies. If you see any suitable public institution positions open up, you could try those too.”

She really didn’t like discussing these topics… However, thinking carefully, if she had to choose topics herself, she wouldn’t know what to talk about either. She could hardly tell Wang He she wanted to change jobs.

She could only say, “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.”

As the hot dishes arrived one after another, it became the perfect time for them to exchange basic background information. Some things weren’t convenient to discuss over WeChat as they seemed too much like an interrogation, but now that they met in person, Wang He didn’t hold back and gave a full introduction of his family situation.

Where his father worked in which bureau, how his mother was a university professor before retirement, which university and major he studied for his bachelor’s, where he did his master’s degree, when he bought his marriage apartment, its price, location, size, how much it had appreciated in value…

His uncle was very impressive, working somewhere important, his younger uncle was doing well too, working somewhere else important, his classmates were all successful, some had started businesses, some had emigrated, some were pursuing PhDs…

Compared to him, Zhan Xi found she had nothing much to say. Her parents were small-town residents living in a three-story self-built house.

Her mom was retired with a monthly pension of just over three thousand yuan, while her dad worked as a quality inspector at a factory in town, earning four to five thousand yuan a month until retirement. None of her extended family members were worth bragging about, though there were a few lazy good-for-nothings.

Her parents had three things to be proud of in their lives.

First was that long ago, her father had bought a single storefront shop on the town’s main street at a dirt-cheap price, which they had been renting out all these years, with the annual rent covering the family’s living expenses.

Second was that when Zhan Jie graduated from university, before Qiantang’s housing prices skyrocketed, they bought him a three-bedroom apartment with cash in full.

Third was raising Zhan Xi, their beautiful and well-behaved daughter who did well in school.

Chi Guilan firmly believed her daughter was destined for prosperity, certain that she would have a stable career and happy marriage in the future. She would tell everyone that Zhan Xi had good fortune, and her standards for her daughter’s future husband were extremely high.

Throughout the meal, even if Zhan Xi had been interested in Wang He initially (which she wasn’t), she would have felt discouraged by now. She wondered where her mother had found this person – his conditions were too good, they were completely mismatched.

Wang He didn’t seem to notice this and asked Zhan Xi after dinner if she wanted to go for a walk.

By then it was dark, the outdoor temperature was very low, and the wind had picked up. Zhan Xi felt cold and asked, “Where are we going?”

Wang He said, “There’s a university town nearby – I did my undergraduate studies there. There’s a Fenglin Night Market street that’s very lively. Shall we go take a walk? It’ll help digest the food too.”

Zhan Xi thought for a moment and agreed.

—

The Fenglin Night Market street wasn’t far from the university town. Since it was Saturday, despite the cold weather, there were quite a few people browsing the market, mostly university students.

Luo Jingyu walked along the night market street wearing a black backpack. He still had his hood pulled down and was wearing a mask. Looking at the bustling crowd, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, walking through the flow of people with his hands in his pockets, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

This was his first time here, and it took him quite a while to find Chen Liang’s stall.

The stall’s location was decent, in the middle section of the night market. It had a two-meter-long shelf with several light bulbs hanging above, illuminating the merchandise brightly. Luo Jingyu noticed an A3-sized sign next to the small items, with red text on white background reading:

Charity Stall Deaf-mute Vendor No Bargaining!

Luo Jingyu: “…”

When Chen Liang saw him, his face immediately lit up with a smile, using sign language while moving his mouth: [Little Fish, you’re here! Come sit!]

Luo Jingyu sat down behind the stall. Chen Liang’s girlfriend Mao Mao was there too, with a baby face and ear-length short hair, holding an electric hot water bottle to keep warm, smiling at Luo Jingyu.

Chen Liang had been sitting at the stall since 4 PM and was quite cold from the wind. Huddling next to his girlfriend, shivering, he asked Luo Jingyu: [Have you eaten?]

Luo Jingyu took things out of his bag, nodding slightly.

He brought many heat-shrink accessories, some from inventory, some made recently. Each piece was in a plastic bag. Finally, he handed Chen Liang a price list and signed: [This is my cost price, I don’t care how much you sell them for.]

Chen Liang looked at it and replied: [Okay, no problem, your prices have always been fair.]

Mao Mao also signed: [Little Fish, your items sell really well. Can you make more for us? I can sell them in my online store too.]

Luo Jingyu’s eyes visible above his mask curved slightly as he raised his hands to sign: [No, I’m too busy lately, I can barely keep up with my own store’s items. These were made in my spare time. If you want to sell more, you can learn to make them yourself, it’s not difficult.]

Mao Mao pouted: [If I could make them as well as you do, of course I would learn. It’s just that I can’t make them well!]

Luo Jingyu asked Chen Liang: [How’s business here?]

Chen Liang lit a cigarette but didn’t answer.

Mao Mao shrugged: [It’s okay. It’s too cold now, we’ll see when it gets warmer. Should be better than before.]

Chen Liang was that poor male classmate who was slapped by a drunk man when he was fifteen.

He was thin and dark-skinned, but his features were spirited. After graduation, he had worked as a kitchen helper in restaurants, and later as a mover, milk deliverer, courier… After meeting Mao Mao, they started running this night market stall together.

Chen Liang wore a hearing aid in his left ear and could hear a little sound, but his right ear was completely deaf. When using sign language, he would move his mouth to speak. Neither Luo Jingyu nor Mao Mao knew how well he spoke, but he enjoyed it immensely, sometimes even speaking to introduce products to customers.

Mao Mao noticed customers looking completely confused, nearly dying of laughter, knowing that ordinary people couldn’t understand what Chen Liang was saying.

They used to set up their stall in the city, but the stall fees were expensive. Later, they heard that Fenglin Night Market had charity stalls for disabled people, so they submitted an application. After waiting for two years, they finally got a spot and immediately moved their business here.

Additionally, Mao Mao ran a small online store, openly operating under the banner of being deaf-mute vendors, earning some money each month.

Luo Jingyu sat for a while before Mao Mao patted Chen Liang’s arm. Chen Liang turned to look at her, and Mao Mao signed: [I’m hungry, go buy some food.]

Chen Liang’s eyes widened: [You go yourself! I’m hungry too, go get takeout for both of us.]

Mao Mao rolled her eyes: [I don’t want to move!]

Chen Liang’s face was very expressive, his features all scrunched up: [You just want to stay with Little Fish, right?]

Mao Mao got angry and hit him, while Luo Jingyu lowered his head to hide his smile.

He reached out to tap Chen Liang, and when the other looked over, Luo Jingyu signed: [You two go eat together, it’s too cold here. Go eat something hot in a restaurant, I’ll watch the stall for you.]

Mao Mao thought this was a great idea and tugged at Chen Liang’s sleeve: [Let’s go, let’s go, we’ll eat quickly and come back.]

Chen Liang stood up and pointed out all the items on the stall to Luo Jingyu, showing that everything had price tags, and pointed to the sign again, telling him not to accept any bargaining.

Finally, he took down a fluffy white ear warmer headband from the shelf and threw it to Luo Jingyu: [The wind is too strong here, this is for you, wear it to keep your ears warm.]

“…” Luo Jingyu caught the ear warmers, and immediately thought of Teacher Egg. This was something girls would use, cute and soft – Teacher Egg would probably like it.

Mao Mao also pulled out a bunch of red strings from under the stall and gave them to Luo Jingyu: [Little Fish, if you’re not busy, help me braid some strings, you’re good at it.]

Chen Liang opened his mouth to laugh: [Stop taking advantage of Little Fish!]

Who knows what strange sound he made, but a couple passing by the stall both looked over. Chen Liang had no reaction, but Luo Jingyu and Mao Mao both noticed.

Mao Mao slapped Chen Liang: [Lower your voice, people are looking at you.]

Chen Liang scratched his head, sheepishly closing his mouth.

Luo Jingyu signed: [You two go ahead, I’ll braid the strings, just show me the pattern.]

Mao Mao gave him the sample, and Luo Jingyu understood the braiding method at a glance, making a gesture to show he got it.

After Chen Liang and Mao Mao left to eat, Luo Jingyu sat alone at the stall. This wasn’t his first time watching the stall for Chen Liang, so he wasn’t nervous. Looking around at the other vendors and customers, he noticed some people secretly watching him.

Luo Jingyu withdrew his gaze, knowing that his earlier sign language conversation with Chen Liang and Mao Mao had definitely attracted attention. After thinking for a moment, he stood up and took down the “Deaf-mute Vendor” sign, turning it face down under the stall.

The weather was really cold, mainly because of the strong wind. Luo Jingyu’s ears were red from the cold, and he no longer cared if the ear warmers were childish. He put them on his ears and pulled up his hood, then seriously started braiding with several red strings.

That day, he hadn’t contacted “Egg Pudding” because she was going on a blind date.

Luo Jingyu didn’t know her schedule and was afraid of disturbing her, but he kept thinking about her, wondering how her blind date was going.

He hoped it went well, that the other person had good conditions and they would like each other – that would be good.

But he also somewhat hoped… it wouldn’t go well, preferably with the other person liking her but her not liking them.

Teacher Egg was such a good girl, he couldn’t accept the idea of anyone looking down on her.

Last night’s chat had actually made Luo Jingyu very sad, leading to another bout of insomnia.

He vaguely felt that he had developed some feelings for “Egg Pudding” that he shouldn’t have, and when his mind touched this dangerous thought, he even felt panic.

Knowing that some guy had bought her milk tea made him unhappy, and knowing she was going on a blind date made him feel even worse.

But he and Teacher Egg were clearly impossible – from any perspective, they were completely mismatched people.

He had even foolishly tried to test the waters, but the result was obvious – Teacher Egg hadn’t thought about it that way at all.

During the day, Luo Jingyu had been so distracted that he even ruined a simple pressed flower, something that hadn’t happened in the past two years.

Unable to breathe at home, he had actively contacted Chen Liang, saying he would come sit at his new stall.

The cold wind on the night market street tousled Luo Jingyu’s hair.

People came and went before his eyes, the scene was fluid, and under the neon lights, this street was bustling and lively, yet extremely quiet.

And Luo Jingyu, staying in this small corner, his posture composed, his gaze calm, yet appeared so lonely.

—

“When I was in university, I would occasionally come here to browse, but it’s been eight or nine years. There have been quite a few changes – several popular snack shops from back then are gone now,” Wang He said as they walked.

Zhan Xi walked beside him, hands in her coat pockets, casually asking, “Did you come here with your girlfriend?”

She thought, surely guys wouldn’t come to browse a night market alone or with other guys?

Wang He admitted, “Yes, girlfriend, but we were young then, just playing around.”

Zhan Xi didn’t like this way of putting it: “Don’t say that. When two people are together, it must be because they like each other, right?”

“That’s true,” Wang He turned to ask her, “What about you? Have you dated before? I heard from the matchmaker that you haven’t, but I don’t quite believe it. You’re so pretty, there must have been many boys pursuing you.”

A vague figure floated in Zhan Xi’s mind. She barely remembered that person’s appearance or name anymore, only remembering how her young heart had fluttered when it first stirred.

She was only a freshman then, nineteen years old, and had indeed had feelings for a boy, but that was all.

They hadn’t known each other for even a month when this tender feeling, which couldn’t even be called “first love,” was killed in its cradle by Chi Guilan. She never contacted him again after that.

Zhan Xi answered Wang He: “I’ve never dated. I was very busy with coursework in university.”

Wang He was even more skeptical: “How busy could university coursework be?”

Zhan Xi thought to herself, try taking two majors and see if you’re not busy! I’ll change my surname to yours if you’re not! But out loud she only said: “Maybe I’m just too slow, I needed to spend extra time to avoid failing classes.”

After walking a bit further, Zhan Xi looked around absently at the stalls on both sides, her mind focused only on going home.

It was too cold, and this road seemed endless! When would they finish walking?…

She heard Wang He say: “Zhan Xi… what do you think of me?”

Zhan Xi didn’t respond, suddenly stopping in her tracks.

Wang He also stopped, continuing to speak: “Meeting you today, I think you’re really nice, a very well-mannered girl. I don’t actually have many requirements for a girlfriend, I just go by first impressions and feelings. I liked you at first sight, and our conversation has been great too. I wonder… what do you think?”

He turned to look at Zhan Xi and found the girl standing motionless, her eyes fixed on a stall not far to their right.

“Zhan Xi.” Wang He called her, but she didn’t respond.

“Zhan Xi?” Wang He patted her shoulder.

Zhan Xi jumped in surprise, her body trembling slightly as she asked: “What?”

Wang He asked: “Did you hear what I just said?”

Zhan Xi seemed lost in thought: “What did you say?”

Wang He: “…”

His expression darkened, but Zhan Xi had no time to care about him as her gaze returned to that stall.

More specifically, to the person behind the stall.

A man wearing black clothes, with his hood up and a black mask.

Such an outfit was uncommon, and Zhan Xi immediately recognized him as the man who lived in the same building as her.

Running into a neighbor wouldn’t be strange, as this place wasn’t far from Qingque Gardens.

The key was that Zhan Xi saw his hands.

It was the first time she had seen the black-clothed man’s hands exposed.

He was braiding red string, his fingers very nimble, working with obvious skill. Zhan Xi even suspected he could braid with his eyes closed.

Those beautiful hands, illuminated by the light bulbs and contrasted against his black clothes, appeared even more fair-skinned. His ten fingers were long, clean, and graceful – like a work of art!

A neighbor with beautiful hands wouldn’t be strange either! There were many men in the world with beautiful hands.

But on the back of his right pinky finger’s lowest joint, there was a red birthmark.

A red birthmark.

Zhan Xi hadn’t known her eyesight could be so sharp. She first noticed this man, then saw his hands, and finally spotted that red birthmark.

She no longer cared what Wang He was saying beside her. She walked a couple steps closer to the stall and softly called out: “Little Fish?”

The young man kept his head down, concentrating on braiding the red string, showing no reaction.

Zhan Xi gathered her courage and spoke a bit louder: “Hi, are you ‘Big Fish Head’?”