ATLAS TRANSLATES

When Luo Jingyu walked Zhan Xi back to the eighth floor, his mind was still in a daze.

For many, many years, he hadn’t voluntarily made sounds in front of others. This kind of restraint was very difficult, requiring him to overcome what was almost human instinct.

Gao Yuan had told him that when eating at his home, his parents and sister would actually make sounds while signing, maybe meaningless “hmms” and “ahs,” or try to “speak” by mimicking normal lip movements. Of course when they actually vocalized, it wasn’t real speech.

Gao Yuan said the deaf colleagues at his workplace were all like this too, thinking it was normal. Even his wife Xiaomei would comfortably make sounds at home. Why could Luo Jingyu always stay silent? Didn’t his throat feel uncomfortable?

Luo Jingyu hadn’t answered him, knowing in his heart that as long as he stayed conscious of it and maintained control, it would become natural with time.

He and Zhan Xi parted at door 802. Luo Jingyu signed to her to sleep early. Zhan Xi hugged his waist, looking up to ask him: “What are your plans tomorrow afternoon?”

Luo Jingyu actually did have plans, taking out his phone to type: [Tomorrow is the Flower Festival, I want to go to the park, festival activities, take photos, it’s work.]

“Work?” After reading the screen, Zhan Xi’s little nose wrinkled, “Going to the park for work? Going alone? What about me?”

Luo Jingyu smiled, typing: [You have class in the morning, do you want to go?]

“I do.” Zhan Xi asked, “Which park? I can come find you directly after class at noon, okay?”

Luo Jingyu nodded, waving his phone, meaning he would send her the park address later.

“Little Fish…” Zhan Xi could see he was feeling down, and even after comforting him for a long time he hadn’t cheered up. She still wanted to tell him what was in her heart, “About just now, don’t think too much about it. I only wanted to hear your voice because I like you. Your voice really does sound good, I’m not lying to you. It’s just the two of us, and Gift is just a cat. When you’re with me you really… don’t need to feel burdened. Let me tell you a secret…”

Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of Luo Jingyu’s clothes, seeming embarrassed, “I’m very relaxed around you, sometimes I hiccup, sometimes I even… poof poof.”

Luo Jingyu: “?”

Seeing his confused frown, Zhan Xi blushed, giving his bottom a pat: “Poof poof! Don’t you poof poof?”

Luo Jingyu of course did poof poof, everyone does poof poof. He just hadn’t understood what poof poof meant until she patted his bottom, then he realized and they both turned bright red together.

Oh right! Poof poof makes sounds too, and has smells – was he like that normally too? Oh god! Luo Jingyu was horrified. Zhan Xi giggled, hugging him again saying: “We’re human beings, not immortals, these are all very normal things. I understand you don’t want to make sounds in public, but when you’re with me you don’t need to be so tense, just relax a bit. I like when you laugh out loud, letting me know you’re truly happy. Little Fish, I don’t want you to hold back so painfully.”

She raised her hand to touch his Adam’s apple, looking into his eyes, “Actually I’m very happy I heard your voice. It really sounds good, I really like it, even better than I imagined. I want to hear it again in the future, don’t always hold it in, okay?”

After reading her lips, Luo Jingyu truly relaxed a bit. Whether it sounded good or not, he had no way to verify, but Huanhuan said it was good, said she was very happy and liked it – he thought, he would just believe her.

Lowering his head to kiss her forehead, Luo Jingyu reached out to gently tap her nose bridge, giving a small nod.

He thought, he would only vocalize for her to hear, it would be their secret between just the two of them. Huanhuan wasn’t afraid, wasn’t disgusted, didn’t make fun of him – that was enough.

After Luo Jingyu left, Zhan Xi took out that clownfish paint drawing from her bag, peeled it off the plastic sheet, and stuck it on the refrigerator door.

Nemo’s colors were very bright – the underwater world was always colorful. Zhan Xi’s fingers traced over the white and orange striped clownfish, her mind going back to Luo Jingyu.

His voice really did sound good, clear and crisp, not hoarse at all.

But Zhan Xi also understood why he was unwilling to vocalize, because when he opened his mouth, it would never make people think of speech. It was more like a vague moan, like the low growl of a trapped beast, a way of making sound completely outside the human language system.

Little Fish had his eyes closed at the time. Zhan Xi could feel him trying to control the volume and syllables, his pitch going high then low, the syllables also changing with his mouth shapes to produce several different kinds.

His voice hadn’t made Zhan Xi uncomfortable. As she said, she just wanted to hear Little Fish’s voice. However, she understood that if Little Fish made such sounds in public, it would indeed be hard for others to accept.

—

The next morning was another beautiful spring day with lovely weather.

At Zhou Lian’s home, she and Zhan Xi had just finished an hour of sign language teaching. Zhou Lian was a bit tired and said to rest for ten minutes, preparing some fruit and snacks for Zhan Xi, letting her look at her treasured collection while eating.

These treasures were old photos, taken with a digital camera back then. She had them saved on computer too, but women of Zhou Lian’s age still had a special sentiment for printed photos, so she had made albums organized by year.

Zhou Lian brought out several albums and placed them in front of Zhan Xi, putting on her reading glasses to flip through them: “I found these this week, waiting for you to come see them… look, Little Zhan, isn’t this Little Fish?”

Zhan Xi looked carefully at the 6-inch photo showing several teenage boys and girls with Zhou Lian. She recognized Luo Jingyu immediately.

Zhou Lian sat with several girls, four boys standing behind them. Little Fish was first from the left, wearing a sports uniform, tall and thin with short messy hair. His eyes and brows looked very similar to now, just more youthful, his face shape also softer than now, with a faint smile.

“When was this, Teacher Zhou? How old was Little Fish then?” Zhan Xi loved it, taking out the photo to capture it with her phone.

Zhou Lian said: “Middle school, third year of middle school, yes, this uniform was from middle school, the color changed in high school. There are several more photos with Little Fish in the back, you can look through yourself.”

Zhan Xi flipped through page by page, really finding several photos with Little Fish, all around fourteen or fifteen years old, still half grown.

Zhou Lian found several more group photos from Luo Jingyu’s high school time. Each class only had about a dozen students. Zhan Xi could easily find him.

How could she not when her Little Fish was so tall and handsome? Always standing at the edge, with a very gentle expression. Zhan Xi asked: “Teacher Zhou, was Little Fish very popular with girls in class? With looks like his, he would definitely have been the school heartthrob at my high school!”

Zhou Lian looked at the photos and smiled: “He was quite popular with girls, but he was very introverted, not the lively type. He almost never interacted with girls, only close with male classmates.”

Zhou Lian seemed to recall things from over ten years ago, “I’ve worked at the school for the blind and deaf for over twenty years, and Luo Jingyu is one of the students who left the deepest impression on me. Little Zhan, I don’t know if you know anything about this school, probably not, right?”

Zhan Xi shook her head. Before meeting Little Fish, she had never known anyone with hearing impairment – how could she know about schools for the blind and deaf?

Zhou Lian ate a small cookie while telling Zhan Xi: “Our school runs for twelve years straight through. After third year of middle school, some deaf students with better academic performance would go study in regular high schools, aiming for college entrance exams. Those children mostly wore hearing aids and had residual hearing.”

“Children like Little Fish who couldn’t hear at all would either stop after middle school or continue high school at our school. High school also had regular subjects – studying hard could lead to university. Little Fish’s sister, Teacher Luo, got into university from our deaf school. But such students were very rare. The vast majority weren’t good at academics. The high school division focused more on vocational education, hoping they could learn practical skills.”

Zhan Xi listened very attentively. Zhou Lian pushed the fruit plate to her. She picked up a pear and crunched into it. The pear was very sweet, its juice wetting her fingers, but she paid no attention to wiping them, just wanting to hear more about Little Fish.

Zhou Lian: “At school, we had art class, computer design class, computing class, cooking class, pastry class, Chinese pastry class… all courses suitable for deaf students’ future careers. My handicraft class also taught them to make practical things, like handmade soap, leather goods and such. The boys all disliked it. In all these years, only Little Fish was an exception. He had special talent in hands-on skills, learning whatever he was taught quickly, doing better than the girls.”

“One summer vacation, I went to Beijing for a handicraft exchange activity. My roommate was a sister several years older than me who had lived in Japan for some years and learned pressed flowers. She had her tools with her and taught me a bit in our spare time. I found it interesting, so after returning I bought some basic materials and tinkered with making a few flowers.”

“After school started, I brought a flower to show students in class – this yellow rose, I remember very clearly.”

Zhou Lian took out that yellow rose preserved for over ten years to show Zhan Xi again, “I told them this was called pressed flower craft, made with fabric. If anyone was interested, they could come find me after class and I would demonstrate how to make it.”

“Later, about three or four girls came to find me, and then I saw Little Fish, face red, peeking around the office door, too shy to come in. Oh, that scene left such a deep impression on me.”

Zhan Xi held the yellow rose, suddenly getting a clear picture in her mind – her Little Fish was just like that! Not just shy, sometimes even timid, always trying to run away when seeing her, like a silly fish.

Zhou Lian smiled gently: “He was only in third year of middle school then, can’t remember if he was fourteen or fifteen. I called him in, and he said he wanted to look at the flower again. I gave it to him, and he held that flower in his hands examining it over and over, eyes shining with light, telling me the flower was really beautiful.”

“Ah…” Zhou Lian sighed, “But sadly the materials for pressed flowers were too expensive, I couldn’t teach them in class. After watching me make pressed flowers once, Little Fish would come look at those few flowers every day. Finally one day, he told me he wanted to learn, asking if I could teach him. I said either pay for materials and I’ll teach you to make a few beginner flowers – I couldn’t teach the difficult ones as I didn’t know them myself.”

“The next day he brought money, his own saved pocket money, jingling with coins and all. My heart instantly softened – what a silly child. I said forget it, I won’t take your money, but don’t tell others, I’ll teach you secretly and you learn secretly. He wouldn’t agree, insisting on giving me all that loose change. In the end I accepted it, several dozen yuan. Little Fish was just that kind of personality, very particular, he wouldn’t allow himself to take advantage of me.”

“I taught him to draw flower patterns, cut patterns, dye colors, use the iron to press – he learned very quickly. But we couldn’t continue for long because I had nothing left to teach him! I only knew three or four flower patterns, which he had all learned. I said if you want to learn more difficult ones, you need to find a teacher.”

“I hadn’t thought he would really take this path. That summer after graduating high school, he went to Shanghai with his luggage.” Zhou Lian looked at Zhan Xi, “Actually I’ve always felt that Little Fish, even if he hadn’t gone into pressed flowers, he would have done well at anything else. Because he’s really a very persistent and pure person who can endure solitude – this kind of personality is very suitable for handcrafts.”

Zhou Lian sighed, “That he chose pressed flowers, such a niche field – though the entry barrier is low, advancement is very difficult. I think he was quite brave, especially being a child who couldn’t hear. The disadvantage lies there too – many things are too passive, without help he can’t resolve them himself. This isn’t his fault, he’s already done very well to achieve what he has. It’s just…”

Zhou Lian looked at Luo Jingyu’s young face in the photo, then raised her head to look at Zhan Xi, “I just feel he should be able to do even better. Really, Little Zhan, you can give Little Fish more encouragement, let him have more confidence. He’s still young, has talent and works hard enough. He just lacks some luck. In this field, he should have greater achievements.”

Hearing this, Zhan Xi thought of the “speech” she helped Little Fish write for Fang Xu – what happened after that?

She recalled that after Little Fish met with Fang Xu, she asked him on WeChat how it went but he didn’t directly answer. She asked if he wanted to have dinner together but he said he had something to do. Then it was the New Year holiday, she went back to Fucun Town, and they never discussed this topic again.

Zhan Xi had thought the matter was resolved since Little Fish and Fang Xu were still cooperating. Now hearing Teacher Zhou’s words, she wondered – was Little Fish’s conflict with Fang Xu really resolved?

—

After sign language class ended, Zhan Xi went to a convenience store to buy some snacks and drinks, also buying herself a sandwich for lunch, then took the bus to the Wetland Park.

Over the years, the Wetland Park had held Flower Festival activities every year, lasting one month. Today was the opening ceremony, also the most formal festival day. The park was very crowded. After buying a ticket to enter, Zhan Xi saw young people wearing hanfu all along the way, both men and women.

Little Fish messaged saying he would wait for her by the Matchmaking Bridge. Zhan Xi wanted to laugh seeing this place name, thinking was he doing this on purpose?

She didn’t have hanfu, specifically wearing a pink-purple long dress with a white knit cardigan over it, her long hair down on her shoulders, light makeup on her face.

Originally thinking she was dressed quite prettily, but compared to those lovely young ladies wearing beautiful hanfu with flower accessories in their hair, Zhan Xi’s outfit seemed quite plain.

In March, the Wetland Park was full of flying birds and growing grass. Though not yet the peak season for flowers blooming, the willow trees had already sprouted tender leaf buds, and various flower buds dotted the branches of flowering trees.

The sky was blue with white clouds. Zhan Xi was in a very good mood as she followed the map to find the Matchmaking Bridge. From far away she saw a tall man in gray clothes leaning against the bridge railing, his long legs crossed, a camera bag on his shoulder, holding a DSLR camera, taking photos.

As if by telepathy, his lens slowly moved this way. When Zhan Xi entered the frame, he froze.

Zhan Xi held her bag behind her back with both hands, almost skipping towards him. Before she got close, she heard the shutter sound “click click” start up.

Luo Jingyu lowered his camera, and when Zhan Xi came before him, he very naturally took off his mask, showing her his smiling face.

“What time did you get here?” Zhan Xi asked.

Luo Jingyu signed the number “ten”, which Zhan Xi could now understand.

“Have you eaten?” Zhan Xi grinned and patted her bag, “I brought food, we can have a picnic.”

Luo Jingyu signed with one hand: [Already ate.]

Zhan Xi looked around. There were many people by the Matchmaking Bridge, with many people gathered around a tree, seeming to be tying red strings to it with small wooden tags hanging from them.

“What are they doing?” Zhan Xi held Luo Jingyu’s arm, pointing at the tree to ask.

Luo Jingyu felt this didn’t need answering – many scenic spots had such trees or walls with love locks or wish tags… He looked down at Zhan Xi and found her cheeks flushed pink, big eyes staring at that tree. He immediately understood.

Luo Jingyu held Zhan Xi’s hand and walked toward that tree. By the tree was a stall selling wish tags with red strings. Luo Jingyu asked Zhan Xi with his eyes – they had only been dating for a week, he wouldn’t dare buy one without her agreement, since it represented both their hearts and aspirations.

Zhan Xi’s face grew redder. She shyly glanced at him once, picked up a wish tag and pretended to ask the vendor: “How much is this?”

The vendor was playing with their phone and ignored her. Luo Jingyu was amused, taking the tag from her hand and pointing to the QR code in the corner – the price was clearly marked, twenty yuan each.

Zhan Xi hid behind him in embarrassment.

Luo Jingyu held up the wish tag to confirm with her again.

Zhan Xi nodded, and Luo Jingyu scanned to pay, then led her to another tree where several pens hung from branches for writing.

He picked up a pen and neatly wrote his name on the left side of the tag: Luo Jingyu, then drew a whale spouting water flowers below it.

He passed the tag to Zhan Xi. Zhan Xi wrote her name next to his: Zhan Xi, and drew a round egg below.

Luo Jingyu took the tag back and added a smiling face to the egg. Zhan Xi took it back and added a heart between their names.

They tied the wish tag to a tree branch. The whole tree was covered in red strings and small wooden tags, each one bearing the wishes of unknown lovers. When the wind blew, the small tags swayed. Zhan Xi looked up at them, looking at the tag with their two names and the whale and egg drawings, feeling so sweet in her heart.

The Flower God would surely bless them!

Zhan Xi thought, Flower God please look at Luo Jingyu – he even makes flowers his profession, where could you find such a devoted worshipper!

After their small “ceremony,” Luo Jingyu hung the camera around his neck and held hands with Zhan Xi to walk around the park.

Boats came and went on the lake. The small square held the Flower Festival opening ceremony with various performances scheduled all day. The small market had stalls selling various snacks. If Zhan Xi’s gaze lingered on something for more than three seconds, Luo Jingyu would want to buy it – like candy figurines, mochi, milk tea, stinky tofu…

Zhan Xi kept holding his arm to stop him: “I don’t want to eat! I’m just looking! I’m not a child anymore!”

Luo Jingyu wouldn’t give in – dating Huanhuan made him want to spend money. These past couple days he had hardly spent anything, hurting his pride!

Finally, Zhan Xi let him buy one string of kiwi candy-coated hawthorns, which they shared slice by slice.

Along the way, Luo Jingyu kept taking photos of Zhan Xi.

He had originally come for work, to gather inspiration and materials, also to take some flower close-ups. But after Huanhuan came, his DSLR only captured her figure.

Zhan Xi discovered Luo Jingyu’s photography skills were quite good, as if he had studied it professionally. He would hold her hand to guide her poses, choosing backgrounds that seemed unremarkable but produced very artistic effects.

Zhan Xi felt so proud – her Little Fish was truly skilled in all arts!

Reaching the flower field area, there were more and more girls in hanfu! The hanfu had various styles and colors. Zhan Xi didn’t understand them but felt every girl looked beautiful, creating the most eye-catching scenery in the park. They all wore flower accessories in their hair, as if competing in beauty with the flowers.

Luo Jingyu also saw his peony hairpin – it was pink. He tugged Zhan Xi’s hand, secretly pointing at that girl for her to see.

Zhan Xi finally saw how peonies looked when worn in a girl’s hair – matching a pink dress, it really carried strong spring vibes, like a little fairy.

There were quite a few boys wearing hanfu too – all in white or blue, some vigorous, some scholarly, waving paper fans full of literati spirit.

Zhan Xi couldn’t help looking at the man beside her – Little Fish was so handsome and tall, if he wore white hanfu, how handsome and elegant, how refined and distinguished he would be!

Luo Jingyu happened to lower his head and meet Zhan Xi’s gaze. Seeing her mischievous smile, he shook her hand, eyes questioning.

Zhan Xi asked: “Little Fish, have you ever worn hanfu?”

Luo Jingyu shook his head.

“Haven’t you been making hanfu accessories all along?” Zhan Xi found it strange, “You’ve never worn it yourself?”

Luo Jingyu waved his hand. Seeing an empty stone bench, they sat down side by side. Zhan Xi took out drinks and snacks from her bag to share with Luo Jingyu.

After eating and drinking for a while, Luo Jingyu typed for her: [Before, someone asked me to model hanfu, I didn’t go.]

“Really? Why didn’t you go?” Zhan Xi looked Luo Jingyu up and down, more convinced he would look good in hanfu because his features were quite delicate and his temperament rather reserved – he really had a hint of classical style.

Luo Jingyu pointed at himself, frowning and shaking his head and hand, clearly completely against considering this.

Zhan Xi pouted, saying: “I think hanfu looks really nice. I’ve never worn it.”

Luo Jingyu paused, patted her arm and signed: [Do you like it?]

“I do.” Zhan Xi smiled saying, “Given the chance I’d like to wear it too, then wear the accessories you make! And have you take photos! Okay?”

Luo Jingyu looked at her beautiful face and excited eyes, imagining in his heart how Huanhuan would look in hanfu.

Learning pressed flowers, he understood hanfu well. Fang Xu had also hired hanfu models to wear his accessories for promotional photos. Luo Jingyu knew what kind of girls would stand out in hanfu – his Huanhuan definitely qualified.

She was tall and slender, not the strikingly gorgeous type, nor the delicate beauty next door. She had very dignified features, the kind of traditional beauty.

According to Luo Jingyu’s aesthetic sense, girls with Huanhuan’s looks should be dignified and elegant, possessing a certain presence – confident, intellectual, graceful, composed…

But for some reason, she was very obedient and gentle, speaking and acting very properly, with a kind of suppressed emotion, seeming to have gained some timidity and lost some edge.

But he had clearly seen her edge! When she pressed the fifteenth floor button in the elevator; when she grabbed his arm from behind in the banquet hall; when he watched her dancing outside the dance classroom; when she swung her bag to hit him at door 1504; and when she held his head for wild kisses on his sofa…

Besides these times, Huanhuan was mostly a gentle-natured girl. Luo Jingyu occasionally felt confused, not knowing which was the real Huanhuan.

However, one thing he could be certain of – whether it was the gentle and caring Huanhuan or the sharp-edged Huanhuan, he liked them both.

Though he couldn’t hear, his heart was very clear. Huanhuan was truly good to him, without forcing herself, without being perfunctory, without disdain. She had indeed hesitated and struggled, but in the end still chose to be with him. Such an honest and open heart was flawless.

Luo Jingyu took something from his camera bag and placed it in his palm to show Zhan Xi.

It was a pressed flower hair clip, the flower base a very light green, the petals edged in light pink, with a few leaves – small and exquisite.

Zhan Xi asked: “What flower is this?”

Luo Jingyu typed in response: [Tuberose.]

Zhan Xi smiled: “Is it for me?”

Luo Jingyu nodded.

“How do I wear it?” Zhan Xi picked up the clip, about to put it directly in her hair, but was stopped by Luo Jingyu.

He took out a small comb and some hair ties from his bag, stood up, had Zhan Xi turn sideways a bit, and helped do her hair.

Zhan Xi had very long hair. After Luo Jingyu combed it smooth, he gathered part of it up, braided several small braids, tied them, then coiled these braids into a bun slightly to the right of her head, secured it, and finally clipped the tuberose hair clip to her bun.

Zhan Xi had been very obedient letting him do her hair. Passing tourists all saw this scene – a young man actually doing a girl’s hair. Several girls in hanfu looked over covering their mouths and giggling, whispering among themselves. Zhan Xi looked at them, knowing what they were saying – surely saying this brother was so handsome.

After Luo Jingyu finished putting in the clip, Zhan Xi took out her phone to use as a mirror, exclaiming: “Wow! So cute! You actually know how to do such cute little buns!”

What were “little buns”? Luo Jingyu didn’t understand, but Zhan Xi had already pulled him down to sit beside her, saying: “Little Fish, we haven’t taken any photos together yet!”

Luo Jingyu’s expression became somewhat unnatural. Zhan Xi moved closer to him, their heads almost touching, taking out her phone to selfie. The screen showed the man’s shy eyes and the pretty flower in the girl’s hair.

Zhan Xi pointed at her lips’ corner. Luo Jingyu saw it on screen, blinked, then put his arm around Zhan Xi’s shoulders, finally showing a smile.

“Click!” Zhan Xi pressed the shutter.

“It looks so good.” She was very satisfied looking at the photo, sending it to Luo Jingyu, “Little Fish, this is our first photo together!”

Luo Jingyu was also looking at the photo, looking at their faces pressed close together, unable to move his gaze away. Just saving it to his phone didn’t feel enough – he wanted to immediately send it to his parents, his sister, Xiao Zhe, Chen Liang, Teacher Xu…

Tell the whole world he had a girlfriend!

On the taxi ride home, Zhan Xi asked about Fang Xu: “Little Fish, how did your talk with Fang Xu go last time? Did he agree to all your requests?”

Luo Jingyu thought for a bit, typing: [Don’t know how to say, it’s okay now, just like last year, don’t know about the future.]

Zhan Xi looked at his face: “Next time you meet Fang Xu, take me with you, I’ll help you talk to him.”

Luo Jingyu looked at her, not reacting for a long while.

Zhan Xi held his hand: “Really, whenever you meet anyone, as long as you’re willing, I can accompany you. You can tell me your meaning clearly, and once I understand, I can help speak for you.”

Luo Jingyu lowered his eyes and gripped her hand tightly. After a while, he finally raised his head and gave her a gentle nod.

—

Over the next few days, Zhan Xi helped Luo Jingyu secure two custom orders.

Mrs. Wu’s peony arrangement needed five flowers, with color and style requirements given to Luo Jingyu, the whole piece priced at six thousand yuan.

Miss Fu’s sister was getting married at the end of March and wanted a preserved bridal bouquet as memorial, requiring lilies, lily of the valley and pink roses. Luo Jingyu quoted the market price of five thousand yuan, and Miss Fu paid the deposit without bargaining.

Zhan Xi called Zhan Jie and learned that Qin Fei had returned from her business trip. They were still sleeping separately, still in a cold war.

What Zhan Xi couldn’t understand was that Zhan Jie still hadn’t properly talked with Qin Fei, hadn’t even figured out why she wanted a divorce.

Zhan Xi asked: “Has sister-in-law tried to talk to you?”

“Of course she wants to talk, but I don’t even want to deal with her. It’s good for both of us to cool down, we just argue when we talk,” Zhan Jie impatiently said. “Alright alright, don’t meddle in our business, what would a kid understand? It’ll be fine after a while.”

Zhan Xi: “…”

Luo Jingyu was actually someone who couldn’t stay idle. In previous years after the Flower Festival ended he would also have half a month’s break. Since it was the season of spring flowers blooming, he would take this time to go out gathering inspiration, taking many flower photos.

He would also experiment with some uncommon pressed flower patterns, making some intricately designed small decorative pieces. When really having nothing to do, he would help Chen Liang make lots of heat shrink jewelry to sell at night markets – they could both earn some money.

Now having taken two custom orders with one week deadline each, time wasn’t tight, so he worked very carefully. Especially for that peony arrangement – Luo Jingyu drew several design sketches just for the layout, only starting work after Mrs. Wu confirmed.

During this time, Fang Xu contacted him asking about his next plans. Luo Jingyu told him honestly he planned to open for custom orders at the end of March, work for a month, temporarily not taking large batch pre-orders, saving energy for July to prepare for October’s Xizheng Hanfu Festival.

The Hanfu Festival lasted a week and was definitely the biggest order of the year. Preparation had to start in July, not only having themed pre-orders like the Flower Festival, but also custom pieces in collaboration with hanfu studios. Some young ladies really didn’t mind spending money – they would pay generously for beautiful and unique accessories. So Luo Jing yu wouldn’t have any free time throughout summer.

Fang Xu: When are you going for advanced training this year?

What a Big Fish: After May 1st.

Fang Xu: One month?

What a Big Fish: One and a half months, leaving May 8, coming back around June 20.

Fang Xu: Then you can’t take many custom orders in April. Why don’t you open earlier? Last time you said the 25th, now pushed to 30th? You’re not even busy, just open on the 20th.

Fang Xu: Why? Not making money anymore? Custom orders have high profit!

Luo Jingyu wasn’t stupid. Thinking less trouble was better, he didn’t want to tell Fang Xu he had already taken two custom orders. After thinking for a while, he found a perfect reason.

What a Big Fish: I need to date, I have a girlfriend now.

Fang Xu: What! You were so busy these past months you barely had time to sleep, yet you had time to get a girlfriend?? Are you joking?? Is this real?

Fang Xu: Is she deaf too?

What a Big Fish: She can hear.

Fang Xu: Fish oh fish, you must have been scammed! You just earned some hard money, better hold onto it tight. You barely go out, don’t tell me this is online dating? What kind of person is she? Tell me.

Luo Jingyu: “…”

Strictly speaking, it could be considered online dating.

But he didn’t want to tell Fang Xu, only answering—

What a Big Fish: Not a scam! My girlfriend is very cute!