ATLAS TRANSLATES

Luo Jingyu’s first reaction was to disagree.

He knew about Huanhuan’s career plans. Although he didn’t fully understand them, he knew she had always wanted to work in media companies or planning departments of large corporations, doing work related to her college major.

How could he hold her back?

He only made small handicrafts. Even Fan Xu didn’t work on this full-time and had other businesses to support him. He just needed an assistant to help maintain client relationships. In this industry, others could work independently. He only needed an assistant because he had no choice. How could that person be Huanhuan? He would be wasting her potential. No, no, absolutely not. He couldn’t hold Huanhuan back. He could handle things himself.

Luo Jingyu anxiously started signing, trying to express his thoughts and persuade Zhan Xi to give up this idea. Worried she wouldn’t understand, he got so worked up that he started making “uh-ah” sounds.

Zhan Xi understood his meaning and simply grabbed both his hands. Unable to “speak” now, Luo Jingyu could only look at her deeply, shaking his head repeatedly, wanting to say “no,” making sounds like: “Bo-uh, bo-uh…”

“Little Fish, listen to me first, just listen to me.” Zhan Xi held his hands and led him to sit on the sofa. Taking a deep breath, she spoke while signing to help communicate: “Actually, I was thinking about this last night. It’s not just an impulse. Today when I went to see Fan Xu, I met that girl who does rose pressing, Guan Rujie. She was in Fan Xu’s office. Do you know what that means?”

Luo Jingyu froze.

“Fan Xu is partnering with her. She’s his new business partner,” Zhan Xi said. “When I saw her, this idea became even clearer in my mind. I want to work with you, to do Xi Yu Flower Pressing! Please don’t think I’m being forced into this or just trying to help you. It’s not like that, Little Fish. I’ve always felt Fan Xu hasn’t fully developed your potential. You’re different from Sister Shao and the others. Sister Shao and them… maybe their goals weren’t as ambitious, you could say they’re more content with the status quo. You should aim to be like Teacher Xu, but you’re also different from Teacher Xu. The difference is that you’re still young, do you understand? Teacher Xu was older than you are now when she started learning flower pressing, while you started at eighteen.”

Zhan Xi spoke slowly, using sign language for everything she could express that way. For what she couldn’t sign, she didn’t try, knowing that Luo Jingyu would understand her this way.

And indeed, he did understand.

Zhan Xi continued: “Teacher Xu’s biggest business now might be teaching. With so many levels of students, each level taking one or two months, a year passes quickly. Let’s put aside the teaching aspect for now. But the other business Teacher Xu can take on – can’t you do that too? I think you can! You just don’t have the channels, no one to help you manage things. Fan Xu won’t do it, but I will! When I was job hunting before, I actually wanted to find something challenging, something that would let me use my creativity. I don’t like routine work.”

Zhan Xi held Luo Jingyu’s hands, gently caressing his long fingers: “Little Fish, in my eyes, you are a project, a product, and these hands of yours are like uncut jade. I want to discover your potential, not just do the business you’ve always done, but take it to the next level! I might not have Fan Xu’s experience or understand hanfu as well, but I have advantages he doesn’t – I know sign language, I understand flower pressing better than him, and I write better than him! I have more comprehensive theoretical knowledge about online media communication than him, and now I just need practical experience to prove it. Most importantly…”

Zhan Xi gripped Luo Jingyu’s hands tighter, looking into his eyes: “Little Fish, I trust you, and you trust me. I won’t cheat you, and you don’t need to be wary of me. Remember how well we worked together at the Maker Festival? Just the two of us managed everything perfectly, without any problems. After saying all this, do you still think I’m not suitable?”

Luo Jingyu didn’t think Zhan Xi was unsuitable – he just felt it would be a waste of her talents to help him.

Zhan Xi saw his concern and smiled sweetly: “Of course, this time I won’t work for free. Either you pay me a salary, or I take a commission like Fan Xu does. Whatever percentage he got, I’ll take the same. What do you think? How much we earn will depend on our abilities!”

Seeing Luo Jingyu looking dazed, Zhan Xi asked: “Did you understand everything I just said? If anything’s unclear, I’ll explain it again.”

Luo Jingyu blinked and signed: [I understand. Let me think about it.]

“Okay.” Zhan Xi spoke while signing, [Think it over carefully. I’ll make a plan first, see how we can start. Little Fish, there’s time, don’t rush. Let’s work together and start with the Hanfu Festival business.]

This time, Luo Jingyu nodded. He was moved by Huanhuan’s words.

How could he not be moved? If Huanhuan helped him, he would have no worries at all. He could work freely, tell her any ideas directly, not like before with Fan Xu where he had to half-beg, half-persuade, only to end up being scolded.

—

The next day was Sunday. Since starting preparations for the Maker Festival, Zhan Xi hadn’t attended sign language classes at Zhou Lian’s house for almost a month. She decided she should continue, working hard towards the “Level 8” qualification.

Near the end of class, she received a call from Zhan Jie. Her older brother’s tone was strange on the phone, beating around the bush asking where she was, if she was free, if she had other plans that day. Zhan Xi said, “Brother, I’m in class right now. Just tell me what’s up.”

Zhan Jie finally told the truth: “Today’s my day off, it’s my day to see Weiwei. I… don’t know where to take him. It’s too hot outside, he doesn’t want to go to the mall, I… so… I asked if he wanted to see his aunt, he… he…”

Zhan Xi almost laughed: “Alright, alright, bring him to my place. Little Fish is home, I’ll be back right after class.”

Zhan Jie pretended to ask: “To the fifteenth floor?”

“Where else, the eighth floor? It’s just a small place, I’ll let Little Fish know and it’ll be fine.” Zhan Xi added, “Oh right, buy whatever food you want to eat and bring it over, Little Fish will cook for you.”

Zhan Jie: “…”

Zhan Xi hadn’t expected that less than a week would pass before she’d see her brother again.

After class, she hurried home. When she opened the door to 1504, she heard children’s noisy voices, cat meows, and cooking sounds from the kitchen.

Zhan Xi felt strange – 1504 had always been a quiet apartment, never this lively before.

The air conditioning was running strong in the living room. Zhan Xi walked in to see Zhan Jie sprawled on the sofa eating watermelon, with Gift obediently staying by his side, seemingly already familiar with him.

The coffee table had been moved aside, and two young boys sat on the carpet. Besides Weiwei, there was Gu Xinchi from next door, also on summer break. They were building with Legos that Gu Xinchi had brought from home – a large set that would become a three-car train when completed.

Seeing Zhan Xi, both children called out to her eagerly, one saying “Auntie” and the other “Sister Zhan.”

Weiwei called Gu Xinchi “Little Chi Brother,” while Gu Xinchi called Zhan Jie “Uncle Zhan.” Zhan Xi couldn’t stop laughing, thinking how mixed up all the relationships were.

She went into the kitchen and saw Luo Jingyu wearing a mask while cooking.

He had caught a cold and was sleeping in when he received Zhan Xi’s WeChat message. Startled awake, he hadn’t even had time to buy groceries before Zhan Jie brought Weiwei over.

The scene was quite awkward at first. When Weiwei saw him, he affectionately called out: “Uncle Little Fish, I missed you so much!”

Zhan Jie’s eyes widened as he asked his son: “You know him?!”

Weiwei realized something was wrong and frantically shook his head. Luo Jingyu smiled and patted his head, taking out his phone to type a message for Zhan Jie: [Brother, I took him to the Children’s Palace once.]

Zhan Jie: “…”

He gave Luo Jingyu a sidelong glance: “Who’s your brother?!”

Luo Jingyu didn’t dare laugh anymore and escaped to the kitchen with the two big bags of groceries Zhan Jie had brought. He cut watermelon for them, brought out drinks and snacks, and finally went next door to invite the idle Gu Xinchi over.

Zhan Jie had brought lots of ingredients – chicken, fish, meat, and vegetables. Zhan Xi hugged Luo Jingyu’s waist and teased him: “Looks like my brother is treating your place like a restaurant and you like a chef.”

Luo Jingyu’s eyes visible above his mask crinkled with helpless amusement as he shook his head. Zhan Xi asked: “Is your cold better? Did you take medicine?”

Luo Jingyu nodded.

Zhan Xi pinched his waist: “Serves you right, having an umbrella but not using it, getting drenched on purpose. You’re really asking for trouble.”

Luo Jingyu yelped “Ah!” in pain.

This was indeed his own fault, trying to be romantic for once but ending up with consequences.

Zhan Xi quickly rubbed his waist where she’d pinched him. Luo Jingyu squeezed her hand and pointed to the living room, telling her to go keep the guests company.

At lunch, Gu Xinchi also stayed to eat. The three adults and two children had a lively meal.

Luo Jingyu used serving chopsticks and sat a bit away from them, watching the scene at the dining table and finding it somewhat surreal.

While eating, his nose suddenly itched and he turned his head away, using his elbow to cover three sneezes. When he turned back, he found all four people at the table staring at him.

Weiwei spoke first: “Auntie, I wasn’t lying! I said Uncle Little Fish can make sounds, he has a voice, did you hear it?”

Zhan Xi was the least surprised: “I heard it. Your Uncle Little Fish has a very nice voice, Auntie hears it often.”

Zhan Jie glanced at her, then looked at Luo Jingyu. Luo Jingyu’s face was very red, knowing his sneezes had been heard. He felt very nervous and grabbed two tissues to wipe his nose.

Gu Xinchi exclaimed: “Wow! This is the first time I’ve heard Brother Little Fish’s voice! Sister Zhan, have you heard Brother Little Fish talk?”

Zhan Xi smiled: “Yes, I have.”

“What does Brother Little Fish sound like when he talks? I want to hear too.” Gu Xinchi remembered something and said, “Sister Zhan, last time Brother Little Fish asked me what your voice sounds like.”

Zhan Xi paused for a moment, then looked at Luo Jingyu. His face was so red it was unbearable to look at. Zhan Xi tapped Gu Xinchi’s head: “Brother Little Fish’s voice is very nice, but he only speaks for me to hear, understand?”

Zhan Jie had been quietly eating his food, not participating in this conversation.

He could see that Luo Jingyu was very embarrassed, having two children openly discuss whether he could speak. Although it was innocent children’s talk, it would still touch on his sensitive spots.

The young man doesn’t have it easy, Zhan Jie thought.

Later, he would need to teach his son about respecting others and understanding their difficulties. A seven-year-old boy doesn’t understand much about disabled people, and Zhan Jie himself didn’t know much either, having only seen them in news reports and documentaries before.

Now with Luo Jingyu sitting right in front of him, Zhan Jie finally realized why his sister had been so angry when he had kept referring to this person as “the deaf guy.”

After lunch, the two children continued building with Legos while Zhan Xi chatted with Zhan Jie.

She told her brother about going back to their hometown and about Luo Jingyu splitting from his business partner. Finally, she mentioned her plan to partner with Luo Jingyu in his flower pressing business.

Zhan Jie previously knew nothing about flower pressing, so Zhan Xi explained everything in detail – what Luo Jingyu did throughout the year, the scope of the business, how to promote and operate it, how to maintain client relationships…

After listening, Zhan Jie frowned and asked: “So what’s his situation now? No income?”

Zhan Xi said: “How could he have no income when he has his skills? At most it’ll be harder at the start, but it’s not like he has no experience. With me helping him, things will get better.”

“You’ve already decided? You’re not going to look for a job?” Zhan Jie asked.

“Mm.” Zhan Xi took a bite of watermelon. “If things go well, I could make over 100,000 yuan a year, higher than my previous salary. If business gets even better, the income would be even more. I want to try first. Brother, do you think it’s feasible?”

Zhan Jie thought for a while and said: “Try it first then. You’re both young. Dad already said to observe him for two years, so during these two years, do whatever you want. Little Luo as a person… he’s okay, just seems a bit naive, too soft-tempered, looks like someone who could easily be taken advantage of.”

He never called Luo Jingyu “Little Fish,” feeling it was too intimate, nor did he use his full name, which felt too formal. In the end, like all brothers-in-law in the world, he called this temporary brother-in-law “Little Luo.”

Zhan Xi couldn’t help laughing: “Yeah, he really doesn’t have a single bad bone in his body. I’ve never met anyone like him. If you’re good to him three parts, he’ll return eight parts. If you’re good to him five parts, he’ll return ten parts.”

“Then how good are you to him?” Zhan Jie asked. “I see he’s practically offered his whole heart to you.”

Zhan Xi was delighted: “How can you exaggerate like that? You’ve only met him three times.”

“Why do you think I agreed? Why do you think I could convince Dad?” Zhan Jie snorted. “I can see how he treats you. As a person, he’s fine. The key issue now is his work. If his career goes downhill, this won’t work – neither Dad nor I will agree. Think about it carefully yourself.”

In the afternoon, Luo Jingyu asked the two boys if they wanted to bake a cake. They both said yes.

Zhan Jie had bought several large mangoes, so Luo Jingyu made a mango cake. One adult and two children were busy at the dining table while Zhan Jie and Zhan Xi watched from the side.

Luo Jingyu wore his mask and patiently taught the two children how to make the cake base. Zhan Xi helped translate his sign language, letting the children take turns trying it out.

When the cake base came out of the oven, the room was filled with a sweet aroma. Zhan Jie hadn’t even digested lunch yet but felt hungry again.

Whipping cream and arranging mangoes were the children’s favorite parts. When the mango cake was done, everyone shared it, and Luo Jingyu cut a quarter for Gu Xinchi to take home to his parents.

Watching Luo Jingyu work methodically and carefully, Zhan Jie was truly impressed. Not just Zhan Xi, but even he had never met someone like this in his thirty-five years of life. It just showed the diversity of human nature.

Before dinner, Gu Xinchi went home. Weiwei was reluctant to see him go – they hadn’t finished building the big train, so the two boys promised to continue playing together next time.

Zhan Jie and Weiwei left after eating dinner. Before leaving, Zhan Xi told him: “Brother, next time when you see Weiwei, if you have nowhere to go, just come to Little Fish’s place. When the weather gets cooler, we can all take Weiwei out together. Having more people makes children happier, and you’re not good at entertaining kids, but Little Fish is! He’s great with children.”

Zhan Jie almost said something but held it back.

What he wanted to say was – he might never be able to have his own children!

After all the guests left, Zhan Xi and Luo Jingyu finally had some time to themselves. They cuddled on the sofa for a while, and Zhan Xi thought of what Gu Xinchi had said. Nestled in Luo Jingyu’s arms, she looked up at him and asked: “Little Fish, did you really want to know what my voice sounds like?”

Luo Jingyu didn’t know how to answer, because for him, this was a question that would never have an answer.

He stroked Zhan Xi’s face, then her throat, then her lips, showing a faint smile, and shook his head while signing: [I know, it’s beautiful.]

Zhan Xi grinned: “My voice is actually okay, just not good at singing, I go off-key.”

Luo Jingyu shook his head again: [Your singing is beautiful too.]

He pointed to the whale floor lamp beside the sofa. At that moment, only that lamp was lit in the living room, its warm yellow light casting striped shadows on the surrounding walls – a scene they had grown very familiar with.

Zhan Xi snuggled closer into Luo Jingyu’s embrace, her ear pressed against his left chest, listening to his heartbeat. She then took his hand and placed his fingers on her throat, and began to sing:

“On some night I will secretly imagine, Will there be a whale passing by the window…”

Luo Jingyu’s eyes gazed at the suspended whale lamp, his fingers feeling the soft, smooth skin beneath them transmitting slight vibrations. In his mind, the lyrics continued:

“Is he also like me, unable to see hope Breaking free from shackles, crossing the ocean…”

He wondered, was this the moment for him to break free from his shackles?

Could he see hope?

He didn’t know.

If he were alone, he would truly feel lost.

But what if he was with Huanhuan?

If they worked hard together, could they really see hope?

Break free from shackles and cross the ocean?

—

Luo Jingyu’s cold improved after two days. Once his head cleared, he made up his mind and agreed to Zhan Xi’s suggestion.

He and Huanhuan would now co-operate “Xi Yu Flower Pressing Art.” Once the decision was made, they didn’t dawdle, making plans and starting preparations separately.

Luo Jingyu had to redesign the custom accessories for the Hanfu Festival, with styles and patterns different from what he’d given Fan Xu, meaning all the flower patterns had to be scrapped.

Finally, he chose several autumn-blooming flowers for samples: begonia, oncidium orchids, mirabilis, and cotton rose, and quickly made two begonia hair ornament samples.

While he was making the samples, Zhan Xi helped him take photos and even set up equipment to record videos.

After editing, she uploaded the videos to Weibo, WeChat Official Account, and Q station to promote the new products for the Hanfu Festival.

Meanwhile, Zhan Xi scouted locations and chose a nice café with a spacious, bright private room perfect for flower pressing experience classes.

She announced the time and location for the experience class: Saturday afternoon, six people, 600 yuan per person, including a drink and dessert. For customers who couldn’t book during the Maker Festival, they could register for 400 yuan and take home their finished work.

After posting the announcement, Zhan Xi first contacted two hanfu circle girls they met at the Maker Festival, inviting them to experience for free. Both girls were delighted and agreed.

The six spots were quickly booked, with more people inquiring. After discussion with Luo Jingyu, they decided not to open more bookings yet.

After all, this was Luo Jingyu’s first time teaching a one-to-six hands-on class. Both Zhan Xi and he wanted to see how the first class went before making further plans.