ATLAS TRANSLATES

At 9 AM, Luo Jingyu was awakened by the vibration of his smart band.

He opened his eyes, lazed in bed for a while before getting up to dress, removed his smart band, and shuffled to the bathroom in his slippers.

The smart band actually had many functions, but Luo Jingyu only used it as an alarm. It was so small that he barely felt it while sleeping.

Sometimes, he felt grateful to be living in this era, with computers, smartphones, smart watches, 5G networks, being able to shop online, call cars, buy tickets, book rooms, order takeout… For someone with hearing impairment like him, life was considerably more convenient.

His parents had it much harder when they were young, only able to stare helplessly at a landline phone. His dad once told him about wanting to invite his mom to the park – he’d cycled for half an hour to her house, only to find she’d gone visiting relatives. He had to cycle back another half hour, dejected.

Standing before the bathroom mirror, Luo Jingyu noticed his hair had grown quite long, with bangs covering his eyes. He thought about getting a haircut. He had thick, somewhat coarse hair, but his scalp wasn’t oily. After washing and drying, his hair would be especially fluffy, and after sleeping, it would stick up like an exploded ball.

But he didn’t plan to go out today. He had food at home and some orders to finish, so he decided to get a haircut tomorrow when he went grocery shopping.

During breakfast, Fang Xu messaged him, asking about the Christmas orders.

Luo Jingyu replied that he was almost done and would finish everything before the 20th according to schedule.

Fang Xu said OK and told him something else.

[Fang Xu]: Fish, let me tell you, a new client contacted me last night, wanting a custom pressed flower piece. You won’t believe how crazy it is! I was stunned when I heard it.

Big Fish: What do you mean?

[Fang Xu]: They want to make a tree! A cherry blossom tree! [dizzy]

[Fang Xu]: I’ve never heard such an insane request, a whole tree! Can we even make that?

Big Fish: How big of a tree?

[Fang Xu]: Like a real one, a smaller Yoshino cherry tree, the kind we often make. The trunk would be foam board and flower stands, painted, with all flowers made from pressed flowers.

Big Fish: That’s really crazy.

[Fang Xu]: Right? So can you make it?

Big Fish: With enough money and time, yes.

[Fang Xu]: It’s for an event after the Lantern Festival next year, almost two months away. Is that enough time?

[Fang Xu]: I didn’t dare quote a price. Can you calculate it? A whole tree! It must be over 100,000 yuan, right?

Big Fish: Definitely over that. I’ll calculate quickly and let you know.

[Fang Xu]: Okay, I’ll wait for your message.

The screen went dark, and Luo Jingyu took a bite of his rice cake, thinking about this tree.

A cherry blossom tree, specifically Yoshino cherry, was Japan’s most common cherry tree and one of the most frequently made varieties in pressed flower crafts. Not as elaborate as Yaezakura cherry blossoms – perhaps the client thought making a Yaezakura would be too demanding.

Was this the client Teacher Egg had referred – the new owner of “Good Fortune”?

Fang Xu hadn’t said, and Luo Jingyu couldn’t guess. He wanted to tell Teacher Egg about this, but suddenly remembered… he probably shouldn’t message her so freely anymore.

Taking a sip of wonton soup, Luo Jingyu planned to carefully calculate the price after breakfast. He wasn’t good at math and couldn’t afford mistakes – he’d never handled such a high-value order before.

—

That afternoon, Zhan Xi was desperately sleepy, needing two cups of coffee to keep from dozing off.

She was getting a cold again, with a runny nose, probably from being in the cold wind too long the night before and not sleeping well. Yuan Sichen teased her during lunch break, saying that despite looking healthy, she had such a weak constitution – barely recovered from her fever for half a month and now catching another cold.

Zhan Xi blew her reddened nose with a tissue, thinking this time it really wasn’t anyone else’s fault – she’d brought it upon herself.

Little Fish still hadn’t messaged her – twenty-four hours!

His last message was still yesterday afternoon’s: [Chat, it’s 7-8 o’clock.]

Zhan Xi felt terrible. After leaving work, she passed a mirror in the first-floor lobby and found her nose as red as a clown’s. Pouting, she thought for a while, then took a selfie. After blocking all her family members, she posted it on WeChat Moments.

[Egg Pudding]: Caught another cold! [pitiful] Photo attached: Bitter face with red nose.jpg

Zhan Xi rarely posted selfies, and certainly wouldn’t post about minor ailments on social media. Even when she had a fever and needed IV fluids at the hospital, she never mentioned it.

But this time, looking at her miserable appearance in the photo, she felt quite satisfied and began waiting for responses.

However, by the time she walked back to Qingque Garden and entered apartment 802, the response she wanted hadn’t come. She received several comments from classmates and colleagues, and surprisingly, some even liked the post.

[Lin Yan]: Rest well, drink more hot water.

[Luo Xinran]: Sweetie, who are you posting this for?

[Zhao Qingqing]: Sweetie, who are you posting this for?

[Yao Ying]: Sweetie, who are you posting this for?

Her three roommates knew Zhan Xi well, especially Luo Xinran. Looking at their identical comments, Zhan Xi felt guilty. Was it that obvious? Then… could the person she was waiting for figure it out?

The result was that even by 10 PM, that person hadn’t commented or sent any messages. Zhan Xi opened WeChat countless times, wondering if she should message him first, but felt too embarrassed. After hesitating for a long time, she put her phone aside.

What’s wrong with him!

She’d given him a chance to show concern about her illness, how could he have no sense at all?

Or… did he not want to talk to her anymore?

Zhan Xi hid under her blanket, squeezing the little whale in her arms, and asked it: “Fish Egg, what do you think your brother is thinking? He said he wasn’t angry, was he lying? Is he actually still mad?”

“Fish Egg” was the little whale’s name, but it couldn’t answer Zhan Xi’s questions.

At 11 PM, Zhan Xi gave up. Feeling unwell and having slept poorly the night before, she turned off the lamp and went to sleep hugging Fish Egg.

At that moment on the fifteenth floor, Luo Jingyu was still awake.

He was organizing the completed Christmas jewelry pieces. With only two days left before Fang Xu came to collect them, he still needed to wrap things up, but could finish everything tomorrow.

In the afternoon, he had given Fang Xu the quote for the cherry blossom tree. Luo Jingyu finally quoted 150,000 yuan, which included material costs, time costs, Fang Xu’s commission, and fees for hiring help.

Luo Jingyu had thought it through – if he really took this order, he would need two assistants to help complete the tree. Not that he couldn’t do it alone, but the process was too intricate with too many petals and leaves. Doing it alone would probably make him sick.

He deliberately avoided checking the time or his phone, afraid of being disappointed.

After 11 PM, he checked WeChat on his phone, and sure enough, Teacher Egg hadn’t sent any messages.

Luo Jingyu didn’t check Moments – his feed was mostly filled with high school classmates, some of whom were doing direct sales and posted dozens of advertisements daily. Rather than blocking them, he simply didn’t look.

Besides, he couldn’t see Teacher Egg’s Moments anyway.

His dinner was braised duck, made by Luo Mingsheng himself, who had given him four ducks. Not too salty, very delicious.

Luo Jingyu got hungry and chopped up the leftover braised duck to make a bowl of rice porridge with duck. After eating, with nothing else to do but not wanting to sleep, he sat down at his workstation in contemplation, took out a pencil and sketch paper, and began drawing design sketches.

He wanted to design a unique set of jewelry for Teacher Egg. Though he’d never told her, he’d made this promise to himself. Even if Teacher Egg wasn’t talking to him now, he still wanted to make this set of jewelry for her, to draw a conclusion to this brief connection.

While drawing, Luo Jingyu thought of her appearance. How nice it was now that her image was so concrete – smooth long hair, eyebrows and eyes, nose and mouth, each feature vivid in his mind.

Deaf people have powerful visual memory; if they pay attention, they remember what they’ve seen very clearly.

She was really beautiful.

Luo Jingyu thought, no wonder she hadn’t liked any of those boys from her three blind dates.

Such a beautiful girl, who studied well and had such a gentle, patient personality – what kind of exceptional boy would be worthy of her?

He smiled bitterly and continued carefully drawing his sketches.

—

Another twenty-four hours passed!

Zhan Xi and Luo Jingyu seemed to be in a standoff, neither messaging the other first.

After work on Thursday, Zhan Xi walked back to the complex and first went to the courier collection point to get her packages. She had bought a shoe cabinet and side cabinet during the Double Twelve sales, which were shipped by freight and arrived slowly, finally getting here today.

The cabinets weren’t large, made of boards and screws, requiring self-assembly. Zhan Xi found two large boxes at the collection point, lifted each one – they were quite heavy, especially the side cabinet, and the box was big too.

She carried the shoe cabinet box home, huffing and puffing all the way to the building entrance, placing it by the elevator. There were security cameras here, and the collection point wasn’t far, so Zhan Xi wasn’t worried about the box being stolen.

After setting it down, she walked back to the collection point to get the side cabinet box.

Luo Jingyu had finished his haircut at the salon, bought some groceries at the supermarket, and returned to Qingque Garden.

Entering the building, he saw a large cardboard box by the elevator.

He glanced at it, and his gaze froze – the courier had written in black marker on the box: Building 5, Unit 2, 802, Zhan Xi

Luo Jingyu: “…”

He looked around, saw no one, then walked out of the building entrance to look around. It was already dark, with the community’s street lights on. Luo Jingyu quickly spotted someone carrying a huge cardboard box, swaying as they walked, about fifty meters away.

The box seemed very heavy, and at that moment, she had set it down to catch her breath.

Luo Jingyu didn’t hesitate for even half a second, running over at almost sprint speed.

Zhan Xi hadn’t had time to look up when she saw a dark shadow flash before her, and someone was standing in front of her. She stared at him in surprise. Luo Jingyu dared not meet her gaze, bent down to lift the box from the ground, turned around, and walked toward the building entrance.

Zhan Xi called out behind him: “Hey…”

Then remembered he couldn’t hear, so she fell silent and jogged to catch up.

The two boxes were stacked by the elevator, and Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi stood side by side, waiting for the elevator to come down.

Zhan Xi secretly glanced at him. He was the same as always – black clothes, black pants, black mask. The differences were that he was carrying a bag of groceries and had gotten a haircut. His previously fluffy, thick black hair was much shorter now, revealing his eyebrows and eyes, with the sides and back of his neck trimmed neat and clean.

He never looked at her, avoiding eye contact. Zhan Xi sniffled and secretly moved a bit closer to him. Unexpectedly, he stepped right to maintain a safe distance.

In that brief moment of closeness, Zhan Xi still caught his scent – a bitter, cool plant fragrance, very pleasant. Her cold had left her nose somewhat stuffed, but that scent still managed to seep into her senses.

She couldn’t help taking a deep breath, trying to identify exactly what the smell was, but her nose tingled and she sneezed twice: “Achoo! Achoo!”

Luo Jingyu finally turned to look at her. Zhan Xi took out a tissue to blow her nose, threw it in the trash bin, and quietly returned to her original position.

The elevator arrived. Before the doors even opened, Luo Jingyu had already put his groceries down and picked up one of the boxes. When he saw Zhan Xi trying to lift the other one, he raised his hand to stop her. Zhan Xi looked up at him, and he pointed at the box, then at himself, meaning he would handle it.

He was so gentlemanly. Zhan Xi didn’t fight him on it, instead helping by picking up his groceries and holding the elevator door, watching as Luo Jingyu carried both boxes into the elevator.

Pressing the eighth floor button, the two continued their standing punishment in the elevator car.

Luo Jingyu had already seen the text on the boxes, including the word “shoe cabinet.” After hesitating, he still took out his phone to type and show Zhan Xi, pointing at the boxes on the ground: [What’s this?]

Zhan Xi quickly typed back: [Cabinets, a shoe cabinet.]

Luo Jingyu: [You’re assembling it yourself?]

Zhan Xi nodded.

When they reached the eighth floor, Luo Jingyu helped Zhan Xi carry both boxes to apartment 802’s door. Zhan Xi took out her keys to open the door, while Luo Jingyu stood quietly to the side. After Zhan Xi opened the door a crack, she turned to look at him. He was blinking, lost in thought about something.

Zhan Xi smiled and typed on her phone: [Little Fish, will you help me assemble the cabinets? I’m not very good at it.]

Luo Jingyu looked at her phone screen. Zhan Xi could tell he was blushing from his red-tipped ears.

Finally, he nodded and took out his phone to ask: [Now? At night?]

Zhan Xi typed: [Now.]

She opened the door wide and made a “please” gesture with a smile. Luo Jingyu glanced at her quickly, then lowered his head to think for a while before bending down to pick up the boxes and walk into apartment 802.

In the nearly two weeks since Zhan Xi had moved in, except for Zhan Jie, no one else had entered this small apartment. Luo Jingyu was the first.

He stood awkwardly at the entrance. Zhan Xi brought him a pair of slippers, which he silently changed into before lifting his head to look around the apartment.

The living room was very clean, with a dining table and chairs at the entrance, a sofa and coffee table by the window, and a refrigerator at the kitchen door. There was no other furniture.

Luo Jingyu’s gaze fell on the dining table, where there was a glass vase containing the sunflower lily and bud he had made. The table was natural wood color, and the arrangement looked quite nice. Luo Jingyu’s eyes curved in a smile as his finger touched the little flower bud, as if saying: Hi, nice to see you again.

Zhan Xi saw his gesture and walked to his side, boldly tugging at his sleeve. Luo Jingyu turned to look at her, and Zhan Xi held her phone up to him: [Come in, why are you just standing at the door?]

Luo Jingyu put his groceries on the dining table, then carried the two boxes to a spacious area. Zhan Xi typed on her phone again: [Sit down, what would you like to drink? I have coffee, milk, and hot water.]

Luo Jingyu read this message, thought for a moment, then seemed to make up his mind and typed on his phone: [You can speak, just speak slowly and clearly, I can read lips.]

“Ah?!” Zhan Xi was shocked – he was that skilled? She looked up at him questioningly, and Luo Jingyu nodded gently.

Zhan Xi didn’t know how slow “slowly” should be. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, suddenly feeling like she’d forgotten how to speak. After a long moment, she finally spoke very precisely: “Why… didn’t… you… say… so… earlier! Can… you… understand… what… I’m… saying?”

Luo Jingyu watched her lip movements, his eyes crinkling more deeply. He turned his head as if laughing, then typed on his phone to show her: [I understand, you’re being too dramatic, you don’t need to speak that slowly.]

Wow! He really could read lips? Zhan Xi was thrilled – what an amazing skill!

She eagerly tried again: “What would you like to drink?”

Luo Jingyu shook his head and pointed at the boxes.

Zhan Xi asked: “You mean you want to start assembling the cabinets right away?”

Luo Jingyu nodded again.

Zhan Xi shrugged: “Alright then, you can start working. I’ll wash some strawberries for you.”

She handed scissors to Luo Jingyu and turned on the living room’s heater, then took off her coat, leaving just her sweater and wool pants.

Luo Jingyu was already crouched down unpacking the boxes. Zhan Xi walked over and tapped his shoulder. He looked up at her, and Zhan Xi said: “Little Fish, take off your clothes, it’ll get very hot.” She then pointed at her face, “And can you take off your mask?”

Luo Jingyu: “…”

He stood up and removed his black down jacket. Zhan Xi took it and helped him hang it on the wall hook by the door. While Luo Jingyu’s back was turned, she lifted the coat and carefully smelled it. That bitter plant fragrance was even more distinct.

Zhan Xi didn’t dare smell too deeply, afraid she’d sneeze again, so she hung up the coat first.

Turning around, she discovered Luo Jingyu had already taken off his mask.

His sweater wasn’t black!

This was the first time Zhan Xi had seen Luo Jingyu wearing any color other than black, and she was delighted, unable to resist taking a good look.

He was wearing a lake blue crew neck sweater, similar in color to Fish Egg’s belly, soft and gentle. Combined with his tall, slim figure, fair skin, handsome features, and freshly cut neat hair, Zhan Xi thought he looked just like a refined college student, without any hint of worldliness, completely pure and innocent.

Luo Jingyu continued crouching to unpack the boxes, taking out the boards and screws one by one, finally opening the assembly instructions to read carefully.

After washing a bowl of strawberries and placing them on the coffee table, Zhan Xi crouched down beside him to look at the instructions too.

They were very close, her long hair hanging down and even falling onto his knee. Luo Jingyu became uncomfortable and moved away a bit.

Zhan Xi sniffled – wow! His sweater had that pleasant scent too!

She understood now – it must be some kind of aromatherapy from his closet.

Looking at Luo Jingyu, Zhan Xi thought: Who would have guessed! Little Fish is actually quite a refined boy, using aromatherapy!

Luo Jingyu was still seriously studying the instructions. Zhan Xi crouched beside him, her gaze unconsciously falling on his hands.

Ah… seeing these hands up close made them even more beautiful!

The veins on the back of his hands, the red birthmark on his right pinky, the clean rounded nails, the long strong fingers… everything was so beautiful! Wuwuwu… so envious!

Luo Jingyu suddenly turned to look at her. Zhan Xi startled, lost her balance, and fell backward onto the floor with an “Ouch!”

The young man turned his head away and laughed, his shoulders shaking, but not making a sound.

Zhan Xi awkwardly got up and continued crouching. She didn’t dare look at his hands anymore, and with nowhere else to look, she turned to his profile instead.

From the side, his nose was really straight, and his eyelashes were so long!

She also saw his right ear. Little Fish’s ears were very well-shaped too, very clean, with the earlobe neither too big nor too small, and fine down visible on the shell.

Zhan Xi thought, it looks no different from her ears – could he really not hear anything?

Seeing him lowered head sorting through the boards, Zhan Xi tried calling out: “Little Fish.”

Luo Jingyu didn’t react.

Zhan Xi felt a twinge in her heart. She patted his right arm, and when Luo Jingyu turned to look at her, she hugged her knees and asked: “Little Fish, how old are you?”

Luo Jingyu smiled with pressed lips, pointed at Zhan Xi, then at his head, making a circle with his index finger. This wasn’t standard sign language, but Luo Jingyu knew ordinary people should understand the meaning.

Zhan Xi indeed understood: “You want me to guess?”

Luo Jingyu nodded.

Zhan Xi carefully looked at his face – wow! His skin was so good! So fine without any blemishes. As she looked, she noticed Luo Jingyu’s ear tips turning red again as he lowered his gaze, not daring to look at her. Zhan Xi held her right hand under his eyelids, making a “two” with her fingers, then a “three,” and when Luo Jingyu looked up at her, Zhan Xi asked with a grin: “Twenty-three?”

Luo Jingyu shook his head.

Zhan Xi guessed again: “Twenty-two?”

Why was she guessing younger and younger? Luo Jingyu told her the answer, making a “six” with his right hand. Zhan Xi exclaimed: “You’re twenty-six?! You don’t look it at all!”

Luo Jingyu laughed again, seeming very embarrassed.

Zhan Xi hugged her knees again, tilting her head to ask: “Then guess how old I am?”

Luo Jingyu gazed at her face, frowning as if in thought, then extended his right hand, crossing his index and middle fingers with the index in front, the other three fingers bent, thumb resting on the ring and little fingers. After showing this, he made an “eight.”

Zhan Xi didn’t understand, asking puzzled: “Do I look twenty-eight?”

Seeing her confused expression, Luo Jingyu remembered that he had shown the sign language for “ten,” but ordinary people had different number gestures – “ten” was different.

He quickly shook his head, extending both index fingers to cross them into an X, then made an “eight” with his right hand.

Now Zhan Xi understood and couldn’t help lightly hitting his shoulder with a hint of coquettishness: “Stop teasing! I’m working already, how could I be eighteen?”

Luo Jingyu typed: [A princess is forever 18!]

“You’re so annoying!” Zhan Xi couldn’t take it and lightly hit him again.

Luo Jingyu smiled even more broadly, even opening his mouth a bit, though he still made no sound when laughing so heartily. Zhan Xi didn’t know how he controlled his vocal cords.

She watched him laugh with her head tilted. His smile was so beautiful, pure and clear, just like an innocent boy. His eyes were bright and gentle – where was the cool guy in black from usual? His whole person was soft and warm, and being near him felt especially reassuring, comfortable, and cozy.

Zhan Xi tried to imitate his earlier gesture from memory, crossing her right index and middle fingers with thumb resting on the other bent fingers, asking: “Is this the sign language for ‘ten’?”

Luo Jingyu thought to himself, ah, Teacher Egg is so smart!

He nodded, and Zhan Xi smiled too: “I learned it.”

Luo Jingyu pointed at his head, then gave Zhan Xi a thumbs up. Zhan Xi knew he was praising her.

After chatting for a while, she stopped bothering Luo Jingyu as he assembled the cabinet. She brought a cushion from her room for him to sit on instead of crouching, while she sat on the sofa, turned sideways, resting her chin on her hand to watch him work.

Luo Jingyu sat cross-legged. He was very tall – even sitting, you could tell he had long legs. Zhan Xi watched him study the instruction manual and sort the boards by type before starting to assemble the shoe cabinet.

Manual dexterity seemed to be Luo Jingyu’s innate talent. Assembling the shoe cabinet was child’s play for him. When Zhan Xi asked if he needed help, he smiled and shook his head, patting his chest and making an “OK” gesture.

After watching him work, Zhan Xi knew he could definitely handle it. Looking at the clock – 6:30 PM – Luo Jingyu had bought groceries to go home and cook, but now he was helping her assemble cabinets. Should she invite him to stay for dinner?

So Zhan Xi asked him: “Little Fish, stay for dinner? What would you like to eat? I don’t have ingredients, we can order takeout.”

Luo Jingyu stared at her blankly, reaching out to point at the dining table where his groceries were.

Zhan Xi looked back and said: “It’ll be late by the time you finish assembly. Do you still want to go home and cook? Just eat here.”

Luo Jingyu blinked and took out his phone to type: [You can cook my groceries.]

Zhan Xi: “…”

Something about that phrase felt off.

But Luo Jingyu seemed completely unaware of any issue. Zhan Xi couldn’t help laughing, knowing he probably didn’t understand internet slang like “my type” or “your type.”

Luo Jingyu indeed didn’t understand why she was laughing. Zhan Xi scratched her head: “I… actually… don’t really know how to cook. I’m afraid I’ll ruin your groceries.”

Luo Jingyu: “…”

He put down the half-assembled shoe cabinet, stood up and dusted off his hands, then typed to show Zhan Xi: [Do you have a wok? Seasonings? Plates?]

Zhan Xi nodded like a pecking chick: “Yes, yes, yes! I have a wok and a rice cooker, oil and seasonings too, and bowls and plates!” As she spoke, she gestured to mime a wok, bowls, plates, and a stir-frying motion.

Luo Jingyu understood and typed: [Takeout isn’t good, I’ll cook.]