ATLAS TRANSLATES

After Luo Jingyu returned, he quickly made samples of the purple twilight flowers and sent them to Du Hengzhi via local delivery.

After receiving them, Du Hengzhi messaged Zhan Xi on WeChat saying the flowers were beautiful and would look even more stunning on the dress. He was bursting with inspiration and working on the design, asking Teacher Luo to wait for his update.

Before the National Day holiday, Zhan Xi received a call from her cousin Yin Li, saying she was getting engaged on October 6th and hoped Zhan Xi could return home for her engagement ceremony.

In their hometown, engagement ceremonies were as grand as weddings, with many customs that the older generation particularly insisted on. The younger generation couldn’t argue with the elders – unless one party wasn’t local, local young couples like Yin Li and her boyfriend Xiao Liu had to follow all the traditional customs, or else their families would lose face.

Zhan Xi asked, “Sister Lili, did my mom ask you to call me?”

“Hahaha…” Yin Li laughed awkwardly. “You figured it out.”

Usually, young people working away from home weren’t strictly required to attend relatives’ engagement ceremonies – attending the wedding was enough. Zhan Xi knew Yin Li was getting married next Spring Festival, but hadn’t expected her mother would use this as an excuse to call her home. She couldn’t immediately agree.

“Bring your partner,” Yin Li said on the phone. “Aunt said you have a boyfriend now, right? Bring him to meet us!”

Zhan Xi was shocked: “What did my mom say? Did she say what my boyfriend is like?”

“No, just that you have a boyfriend.” Yin Li asked curiously, “What’s wrong? What’s he like?”

“Nothing’s wrong, I’ll think about it,” Zhan Xi apologized. “Sister Lili, my boyfriend is really busy lately, even if I go back I might be alone. I’ll let you know for sure in a few days.”

Go home or not? Thinking of Chi Guilan, Zhan Xi felt very conflicted.

Whether to bring Little Fish or not made her even more indecisive.

—

On the afternoon of September 30th, Zhan Xi went to Luo Jingyu’s parents’ home for the first time as his girlfriend.

Since it was the last workday before the long holiday, traffic would be especially bad, so they decided to take the subway.

They carried multiple bags – Luo Jingyu brought Mid-Autumn Festival gifts for his parents, as well as gifts Zhan Xi prepared for Little Fish’s family. Coming out of the subway car, they walked toward the exit when Zhan Xi remembered something from long ago and casually told Luo Jingyu: “Last year when I took the civil service exam, the test site was near this subway station. I came and went through here. After finishing the exam that day, when I entered the station, I saw security guards catching a thief – it was quite scary!”

Luo Jingyu wanted to tell her that he was actually the one who had been treated as a “thief” at this subway station, but his hands were full of bags and he couldn’t respond. He could only smile, as if hearing an interesting story.

They didn’t stop at the mini-mart, heading straight to Luo Jingyu’s parents’ home instead.

Zhan Xi wasn’t nervous. Her sign language skills were quite good now – she could communicate with Little Fish normally in daily life. As long as his family members didn’t sign too quickly, it would be fine. Besides, wasn’t there a hearing brother-in-law? Worst case, the brother-in-law could help translate for her.

The complex where the Luo family lived was old, built in the 90s. They had moved here over ten years ago after their welfare factory was restructured, and were surrounded by old neighbors.

As Luo Jingyu led Zhan Xi upstairs, they met an auntie neighbor who happily called out to him: “Little Fish! Coming home for dinner? Haven’t seen you in so long! Oh! Is this your girlfriend? She’s so pretty!”

Zhan Xi sweetly called out: “Hello auntie, I’m Little Fish’s girlfriend.”

The neighbor auntie was stunned for a moment, then quickly said: “Hello hello, you two head on up, those bags must be heavy. Oh my, Little Fish used to be just a child, now he even has a girlfriend. We’re all getting so old!”

Arriving at the fourth floor, Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi exchanged a look before he pressed the doorbell.

The doorbell was like the one in unit 1504, connected to a light bulb – when he pressed it, the light inside would illuminate.

The door opened quickly. Zhan Xi saw three people appear – the two elderly ones must be Little Fish’s parents? Mr. Luo was tall and wore reading glasses, while Mrs. Luo was well-groomed and didn’t look old at all. Her eyes resembled Little Fish’s, showing she must have been a beautiful woman when young.

Then there was the pregnant woman – Little Fish’s sister whom Zhan Xi had met once before.

All three wore undisguised smiles as they looked Zhan Xi over.

Luo Jingyu had told Zhan Xi that his father and sister were very kind and gentle, while his mother was a bit more impatient, though still a lovable old lady who was easy to get along with.

“Hello Uncle, Auntie, Sister. I’m Zhan Xi, you can call me Huanhuan or Little Zhan,” Zhan Xi spoke up first, not hesitating. Yan Yajuan smiled broadly as she and Luo Mingxiong took the bags from the young couple’s hands, making “ah ah” sounds while gesturing for them to come in.

With her hands free, Zhan Xi signed a greeting. Luo Mingxiong and Yan Yajuan beamed with joy, putting down the gifts and repeatedly signing compliments about how well-behaved and pretty she was, telling her to sit and eat. Their hands moved so quickly together that Zhan Xi’s eyes could barely keep up.

The elderly couple went to the kitchen, leaving their son and daughter to entertain Zhan Xi. Luo Xiaomei looked at Zhan Xi with a smile, signing: [We’ve met once before, do you remember?]

Zhan Xi nodded: [Yes, I didn’t know you were Little Fish’s sister then.]

Luo Jingyu pulled Zhan Xi over to a seated man, signing: [This is my brother-in-law.]

Zhan Xi looked at Gao Yuan – he was about the same age as Luo Xiaomei, of average build with a steady, proper demeanor. However, his legs appeared weaker than normal people’s, his pant legs hanging quite loose, with two crutches beside him.

Zhan Xi knew Gao Yuan could hear, so she smiled and said: “Hello Brother-in-law, I’m Zhan Xi.”

Gao Yuan smiled warmly: “Hello hello, I’m Gao Yuan. Sorry I can’t stand up – my legs aren’t good.”

After meeting everyone, Zhan Xi looked around Little Fish’s parents’ home. The apartment wasn’t large and the decoration was dated. She tugged on Luo Jingyu’s sleeve and signed: [Can you show me your room?]

Luo Jingyu: “…”

Gao Yuan laughed heartily, helping explain for his embarrassed brother-in-law: “Little Zhan, Little Fish doesn’t have a room. This is a two-bedroom apartment – mom and dad have one room, Xiaomei has one room. Little Fish always slept in the living room on a small bed. That bed was still there when I first started visiting a couple years ago. After he bought his own place, his parents removed his bed from the living room.”

As he spoke, Gao Yuan pointed to a corner of the living room now occupied by a cabinet, “See there? It was a one-meter wide small bed, very short. He’s tall so his feet would stick out the end – he had to add a stool at night to rest his feet on.”

Having read her husband’s lips, Luo Xiaomei covered her mouth and kept laughing.

Zhan Xi was stunned – Little Fish had never told her he didn’t even have a room at home.

How pitiful! She looked at Luo Jingyu, who smiled at her sheepishly and pulled her to sit at the dining table, pushing a snack box toward her and signing for her to eat.

At that moment, some sounds came from the kitchen – the vocalizations deaf people make when communicating, quite loud. Only Zhan Xi and Gao Yuan could hear them.

Zhan Xi couldn’t help looking toward the kitchen to see Yan Yajuan running out, followed by a resigned-looking Luo Mingxiong. Before Zhan Xi knew what was happening, Yan Yajuan was already in front of her, handing her a thick red envelope.

“Au-Auntie? I…” Zhan Xi stood up but before she could refuse, Yan Yajuan had already stuffed the red envelope into her hands, signing: [Good child, take it, it’s from Uncle and Auntie for you, take it, take it.]

Luo Mingxiong came over and signed: [We were planning to give it to you after dinner, but Little Fish’s mom was too eager and wanted to give it now. I said you wouldn’t run away, but she wouldn’t listen.]

Gao Yuan and Luo Xiaomei watched and laughed while Zhan Xi held the red envelope awkwardly, turning to look at Luo Jingyu. He was smiling very happily and signed: [Take it, it’s my parents’ sincere gift.]

“Ah…” The envelope was so thick – was it 10,000 yuan? Zhan Xi felt too embarrassed and could only sign to Yan Yajuan and Luo Mingxiong: [Thank you Uncle and Auntie, thank you.]

The dinner dishes were extremely abundant and delicious. The six people sat around the table in an atmosphere that was warm yet quiet.

Everyone communicated in sign language. When Luo Mingxiong and Yan Yajuan signed, they would vocalize, their mouths moving as if speaking, their voices sometimes loud and sometimes soft. Zhan Xi had seen this with Chen Liang and Mao Mao before, but that was outdoors so the impact wasn’t strong. Now in the small room, these unclear sounds were particularly noticeable.

Gao Yuan deliberately sat next to Zhan Xi. Occasionally he would lower his head pretending to eat, not looking at her while moving his lips slightly to speak: “Little Zhan, when his family members communicate, they sometimes vocalize. Don’t be afraid – it’s normal. Since Little Fish doesn’t like to vocalize, I was worried you might not be used to it.”

Zhan Xi was touched and whispered back: “I won’t be, Brother-in-law. Little Fish vocalizes in front of me – I’m not afraid.”

Gao Yuan was startled, then felt relieved. Little Fish didn’t even like to vocalize in front of him, yet was willing to do so in front of Zhan Xi. This showed he already considered Zhan Xi his closest person.

Luo Jingyu hadn’t noticed Gao Yuan and Zhan Xi’s conversation. He kept getting food for Zhan Xi while the family urged her to eat more, saying she was too thin.

Zhan Xi put down her chopsticks and signed: [Since being with Little Fish, I’ve gained quite a bit of weight. His cooking is too delicious – he’s made me fatter.]

Yan Yajuan’s expression was very expressive as she signed: [Not fat, not fat. Girls shouldn’t be too thin – it’s not good. Eat more, eat more.]

It was Luo Xiaomei’s birthday. After dinner, Luo Jingyu brought out a birthday cake. This time, Zhan Xi didn’t foolishly suggest singing the birthday song – she just quietly leaned against Luo Jingyu and watched.

Luo Xiaomei closed her eyes to make a wish, then gently blew out the candles when she opened them. Gao Yuan kissed her cheek and signed while speaking: “Happy birthday wife, forever eighteen.”

This made Luo Xiaomei laugh nonstop.

Luo Jingyu cut the cake to share with everyone. At this time, Yan Yajuan brought some photo albums from her room and handed them to Luo Jingyu, making “ah ah” sounds while gesturing for him to show them to Zhan Xi.

Luo Jingyu was very distressed, not even wanting to take them. He frowned and signed for his mom to quickly take them away. But Zhan Xi had already spotted them with her sharp eyes and took the albums excitedly calling out: “Are these Little Fish’s childhood photos? I want to see, I want to see!”

Yan Yajuan smiled and signed: [These are Little Fish and Xiaomei when they were little – very cute, take a look.]

Luo Jingyu slumped dejectedly thinking: Not cute at all!

Zhan Xi opened the album and finally understood why Yan Yajuan would say Little Fish was cute when little, because — there were actually several photos of Little Fish wearing girls’ clothes!

“Hahahahaha!” Looking at little Little Fish in a dress, Zhan Xi laughed so hard she nearly fell over. “Why is he wearing a dress? Oh my god! Hahahaha… Little Fish you were so adorable when you were little!”

The old photos were developed from film. Luo Jingyu was only three or four years old, while Luo Xiaomei was four years older, quite a bit taller than him.

Zhan Xi looked at little Luo Jingyu in the photos, barely able to recognize his features. His hair wasn’t cut short like other little boys – he even had bangs. His skin was fair, his face round, his eyes bright and dark, sometimes with a blank expression, sometimes grinning with his little mouth, looking like such an obedient and cute child.

Luo Jingyu sat beside her extremely resignedly while Gao Yuan helped explain: “Actually they didn’t deliberately dress Little Fish in skirts. Back then before he started kindergarten, they were poor, and sometimes in summer he would wet the bed and run out of pants to change into. So mom would put him in Xiaomei’s old dresses that were too small for her. Dad thought it was funny and took pictures. He definitely had boys’ clothes too. Ah… that’s what Mom told me – Little Fish don’t look at me like that, hahaha…”

Gao Yuan caught Luo Jingyu’s resentful gaze and laughed along with Luo Xiaomei. Zhan Xi laughed even harder, hugging Luo Jingyu’s arm saying: “You wet the bed when you were little?”

Luo Jingyu was about to die from frustration, thinking: Who didn’t wet the bed when they were little??

Zhan Xi continued flipping through the album, looking at each photo carefully.

She had seen photos of Little Fish from middle and high school at Zhou Lian’s house, and now seeing his photos from infancy and childhood was like reviewing Little Fish’s growth history. She watched him transform from a tiny tot into a little boy, then into a young teen and youth, finally becoming the gentle and quiet man beside her now.

She used her phone to take pictures of several cute photos, including some of him in dresses. At first Luo Jingyu tried using his hand to block the photos, but Zhan Xi glared at him and he reluctantly moved his hand, watching helplessly as she captured his embarrassing history.

After finishing the cake, Luo Jingyu cleared the dishes and went to wash them in the kitchen.

Yan Yajuan pulled Zhan Xi aside to chat in sign language. The family all knew about Zhan Xi’s situation, so they asked how she and Little Fish met, saying Little Fish had many shortcomings – he was introverted and not good at communicating with people, sometimes very stubborn, with low education, hoping Zhan Xi wouldn’t mind.

Yan Yajuan wasn’t sure of Zhan Xi’s sign language level, so she signed very slowly: [Good child, Little Fish is dating for the first time, you’re the first girl he’s brought home. I can see Little Fish likes you very much – he’s become much happier since being with you. I can also see you’re a very good girl. I hope you and Little Fish can date well, help each other, care for each other. I hope you won’t mind that Little Fish can’t hear. Really, Auntie promises you, except for not being able to hear, Little Fish is a very very good boy. He will definitely treat you well.]

Toward the end, Yan Yajuan couldn’t help crying. Luo Xiaomei quickly got up to comfort her mother. Feeling she had lost composure, Yan Yajuan went to the bedroom with Luo Xiaomei.

Luo Mingxiong either intentionally or unintentionally hadn’t watched their conversation, focusing on the TV instead.

Only Zhan Xi and Gao Yuan remained at the dining table.

Seeing no one was paying attention to them, Gao Yuan spoke up: “Little Zhan, let brother-in-law chat with you for a bit.”

“Oh.” Zhan Xi quickly sat up straight. “Go ahead brother-in-law, I’m listening.”

“Don’t be nervous, just casual chat.” Gao Yuan smiled, “I’m actually a spokesperson. Before you came, we had a family meeting and unanimously elected me to talk with you. What I’m going to tell you, Little Fish doesn’t know about. Whether you want to discuss it further with him afterward is up to you – we have no opinion on that.”

With such an opening, Zhan Xi became even more nervous.

What was going on? Did Little Fish’s family disapprove? But why give her such a big red envelope if they disapproved?

Gao Yuan asked: “Has Little Fish told you that Xiaomei’s baby will have hearing issues?”

Zhan Xi nodded uneasily.

Gao Yuan smiled: “Then… have you discussed children?”

Zhan Xi thought for a moment – they had talked a little but not in depth, so she shook her head.

“When it comes to marriage, children are an unavoidable topic.” Gao Yuan said slowly, “Last time Little Fish came home, he had quite an argument with his sister about this, it’s been over a month now. When they see each other they act like nothing happened, but I know Little Fish is still very upset about it. And well… mom and dad have been worried that you might break up with Little Fish over the children issue.”

Zhan Xi stayed silent, continuing to listen to Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan: “I know many couples now decide not to have children – DINK. But people’s minds can change. Sometimes it’s the man who changes, sometimes the woman. Once someone changes their mind, the marriage faces a crisis. When Xiaomei and I got married, we also agreed not to have children – partly worried about her deafness being inherited, and partly because of my bad legs, afraid we’d become burdens to the child.”

“But after so many years of marriage, life got better for me and Xiaomei. Our jobs were stable – iron rice bowls, we had a house and car, plus we both really liked children, so we thought about having one.”

Gao Yuan took a sip of tea, “Originally, before the genetic test results came out, Xiaomei told me if the baby would be deaf, we wouldn’t keep it. But when the results actually came, Xiaomei cried and asked me if we really had to give up this child. I knew then that she couldn’t bear to do it.”

“Little Fish said we were selfish, not thinking about the child’s perspective, saying the child would face discrimination all their life and suffer. How could we not have thought of that? Aren’t we living fine just the two of us? Isn’t raising a deaf child a huge pressure? Of course it is! I’m disabled myself – how hard and bitter life is for disabled people in this society, Xiaomei and I understand better than anyone. Why do we still want to keep this child? One reason is we can’t bear to give it up, the other is we feel deafness isn’t the kind of defect that threatens life or affects lifespan. If raised well, the child can learn and live normally. If they can get cochlear implants it would be even better – they could attend regular elementary school, hear and speak, just like other children.”

Zhan Xi nodded, feeling she had no right to comment on Luo Xiaomei and Gao Yuan’s decision. For a young couple who were both disabled, they must have considered things more deeply than others.

“In human populations, there’s always a certain percentage of people born with defects, and some people become disabled during their growth due to illness or accidents – the former like Xiaomei and Little Fish, the latter like me. With advances in technology, this percentage will gradually decrease, but it will never disappear completely.”

Gao Yuan’s tone remained very calm, “When a couple does prenatal testing, it’s to prevent children being born with defects. Everyone knows having a child with physical or intellectual problems affects quality of life and the couple’s relationship. But about deafness… being with Little Fish you should know, except for not hearing, he’s a very healthy person, a living, breathing person with his own joys and sorrows, and his own skills to make a living.”

“Xiaomei and I are prepared to welcome this child. We will give them all our love, are willing to pursue treatments to improve their hearing, willing to nurture them well. Whether they want to study like Xiaomei or learn a craft like Little Fish, we will support them.”

“There’s one thing I want to tell you, something Little Fish doesn’t know. My mother-in-law told Xiaomei later, Xiaomei told me, and we all felt it better not to tell Little Fish.”

Gao Yuan smiled, “Little Zhan, do you know why Little Fish was born?”

Zhan Xi shook her head: “No, he’s never told me about that.”

“My mother-in-law got pregnant with Little Fish by accident.” Gao Yuan said, “They already had Xiaomei then, who was deaf – how could they dare have another child? But since it was an accidental pregnancy, my mother-in-law went to the hospital planning to have an abortion. It was a small hospital, and during the checkup a doctor told her since their first child was a girl, if the second child was a boy his hearing would definitely be fine, saying the inheritance was gender-linked, probably passed to girls but not boys in their family.”

Gao Yuan found this ridiculous, “Do you know how absurd this was? Because my mother-in-law was deaf, that doctor thought she had passed it to Xiaomei. Communication between them was already difficult, and my mother-in-law wasn’t well educated. When she heard the doctor say this, she immediately cancelled the surgery.”

Zhan Xi: “…”

Gao Yuan: “There was no fetal genetic testing technology back then. To determine if the baby was male or female, my father-in-law pulled strings everywhere and finally got an ultrasound done. When they confirmed it was a boy, the family was so happy! The doctor had said boys would be healthy, and they weren’t being sexist – otherwise they wouldn’t have given Xiaomei the bedroom while Little Fish had none. They just wanted a healthy child who could grow up to help the family. So my mother-in-law carefully carried the pregnancy for ten months, the whole family eagerly awaiting Little Fish’s birth, only to find out after he was born – deaf. Can you imagine how devastating that was for my in-laws?”

Zhan Xi tried to imagine it and felt… very sad.

“If not for that doctor, my mother-in-law would have had the abortion that day. Little Fish… would not have existed,” Gao Yuan looked at Zhan Xi, pointing to the young man’s back in the kitchen, “In this world, there would be no person called Luo Jingyu.”

Zhan Xi also looked toward the kitchen. Luo Jingyu was still washing dishes – there were many dishes since they had many dishes, so there were lots of plates. He was slightly hunched over, completely unaware of what Gao Yuan was saying in the living room.

Gao Yuan continued, “When Little Fish was four, my father-in-law wanted to get him a hearing aid. After testing they found it wouldn’t work, so the doctor introduced them to cochlear implants. At that time cochlear implants were still new, only available in Beijing. Xiaomei was already too old, and my father-in-law wanted to take Little Fish to Beijing, but when they heard the price… it was too expensive. They had no money, so Little Fish missed the opportunity.”

Gao Yuan sighed, “When Little Fish was around twenty… Xiaomei told me this, his parents don’t know about it. Little Fish only told Xiaomei – the siblings always shared everything. At that time Little Fish was renting a place outside, working desperately to save money, eating poorly, sleeping little, thin as a rail. He finally saved up several thousand yuan and went to the hospital himself to get checked, asking the doctor if he could get cochlear implants.”

Zhan Xi’s heart clenched painfully – so her Little Fish had tried to treat his ears after growing up, but he had never told her.

“But the doctor said it wasn’t possible.” Gao Yuan pointed to his own ear, “Little Fish had profound deafness from birth, had never worn hearing aids, had never experienced any sound stimulation. He had no concept of sound. The doctor said for an adult who had never experienced sound stimulation, getting cochlear implants would be like having constant noise in their ears. Little Zhan, imagine…”

Gao Yuan tried to explain to Zhan Xi, “Imagine from now on, you have noise and static in your ears 24 hours a day, sounds you can’t distinguish any meaning from, even while sleeping, never stopping – how would you feel?”

Zhan Xi considered it and uncertainly asked back: “Go crazy?”

Gao Yuan nodded: “Something like that. You’d have a nervous breakdown, go crazy, wouldn’t even get to the stage of learning to speak – your mind would be destroyed first. That’s why cochlear implants need to be installed early, letting infants adapt from a young age. For pre-lingual deaf adults, doctors won’t install cochlear implants unless they’ve worn hearing aids since childhood and have residual hearing.”

Zhan Xi understood now.

“After that experience, Little Fish gave up hope completely. He told Xiaomei that actually he didn’t care about learning to speak, he just wanted to know what sound was like. His whole life, he had never heard any sound at all.”

Gao Yuan paused, “I think I can understand how Little Fish felt when the doctor refused him back then – it was probably similar to when doctors told me ‘you’ll never stand up again’ after I got sick. Accepting this reality is very painful, but you have to accept it. It won’t not happen just because you don’t want to accept it.”

“After saying all this, I want to ask you, Little Zhan, do you pity him?” Gao Yuan pointed to the kitchen.

Zhan Xi looked at Luo Jingyu’s tall figure and shook her head without hesitation: “Never.”

“I think I can understand why Little Fish would like you.” Gao Yuan smiled in relief, “He’s never met a girl like you before, from childhood until now. Being attracted to you was inevitable for him. I’m actually more curious – given Little Fish’s personality, he probably wouldn’t even dare dream of dating you. Who pursued who between you two?”

Ah… this question again. Once more, Zhan Xi admitted: “I guess I pursued him.”

“No wonder.” Gao Yuan found it interesting, “Your brother has met Little Fish, right?”

“Yes,” Zhan Xi nodded.

“The night before Little Fish met your brother, he chatted with me. I told him to act natural, not be too humble, to show your brother his good points. Do you know what he said?”

Zhan Xi’s heart ached a bit as she asked: “What did he say?”

“He asked me…” Gao Yuan said, “‘What good points do I have?’”

Zhan Xi: “…”

Gao Yuan smiled and asked her: “Do you think Little Fish has many good points?”

“Many, too many to count.” Zhan Xi’s eyes stayed fixed on Luo Jingyu’s figure, “I really like him. Being with him makes me so happy.”

Gao Yuan nodded: “He is indeed a very good boy. Xiaomei teaches at a school for the deaf, she’s taught so many deaf students. I work at the Disabled Persons’ Federation, we have deaf colleagues too. But we’ve never met anyone as pure and innocent as Little Fish.”

Gao Yuan was quiet for a few seconds, “Going back to our earlier topic, Little Zhan, you and Little Fish’s biggest issue right now is children. Unlike Xiaomei, Little Fish is absolutely firm about not having a deaf child. Maybe you can accept not having children after marriage now, but what if when you’re older your mind changes? Or what if you accept it but your family doesn’t? Or what if your family can’t accept your husband being deaf at all? These issues, you and Little Fish still need to communicate more and reach an agreement.”

Seeing Zhan Xi’s somewhat lost expression, Gao Yuan comforted her, “You’re still young – Little Fish said you’re 24. To us you’re both very young, only dating for half a year, your thoughts aren’t mature yet. Little Zhan, please don’t feel pressured. We’re very happy you’re with Little Fish now and will bless you both. If one day you break up with Little Fish for whatever reason, we all understand and won’t blame you at all. We’ll still thank you, thank you for accompanying Little Fish through a happy period, and believe Little Fish himself won’t blame you either… These are the words mom and dad asked me to tell you.”

When Luo Jingyu finished washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen and returned to the living room, Yan Yajuan had also come out of the bedroom accompanied by Luo Xiaomei. Zhan Xi finally realized that the time Gao Yuan spent talking with her was specially arranged by Little Fish’s family.

After exchanging looks with Gao Yuan, Yan Yajuan’s gaze toward Zhan Xi became even gentler – it was a mother’s apologetic look. Luo Xiaomei’s expression was calm, Luo Mingxiong remained a kind old father, and in this big family, only Luo Jingyu knew nothing, wearing a harmless smile when looking at Zhan Xi.

It was getting late, so Luo Jingyu and Zhan Xi said goodbye and left. Yan Yajuan said tomorrow was Mid-Autumn Festival, but since they’d already had dinner, her son and his girlfriend didn’t need to make another trip – they could spend Mid-Autumn Festival together just the two of them. Luo Jingyu nodded in agreement.

They took the subway home, arriving quite late.

Ever since the incident with Fang Xu, Zhan Xi mostly slept in 1504, sharing a bed with Luo Jingyu. She was already used to waking up in Little Fish’s embrace, even bringing up her whale plushie. The big bed now held two people and two whale plushies – one big and one small. Sometimes Gift would jump up to squeeze in beside them too, making quite a lively scene.

After returning home, they showered separately in the master and guest bathrooms. Luo Jingyu was much more open now, sleeping in just a t-shirt and underwear, while Zhan Xi still preferred nightgowns. She dried her hair and walked back to the master bedroom in slippers to find Luo Jingyu already waiting for her, leaning against the headboard with an open book.

It was a book he had asked Zhan Xi to help pick out, and he had been reading it for almost a month, getting through most of it.

Zhan Xi would never laugh at him. Little Fish taking the initiative to want to read was a good thing, and she understood that he read slowly.

She jumped onto the bed and hugged Luo Jingyu’s waist, snuggling against him. Their bare legs tangled together in the most intimate position for lovers. Gift also snuck in, jumping onto the bed to curl up against Luo Jingyu’s other side, pressed close to his body.

Luo Jingyu felt like he had two cats, one on each side rubbing against him, making his heart race.

He ignored the real cat and put the book on the nightstand before turning to embrace the fake cat. She nestled softly in his arms, smelling wonderful, her body and hair carrying the same scent as his – a rich milky fragrance that made him hungry. He lowered his head to kiss her lips.

Sleeping together for a month as a young couple in love, they had done many intimate things, just stopping short of that final step.

This was something Luo Jingyu insisted on more than Zhan Xi.

Zhan Xi hadn’t thought much about it originally, but after talking with Gao Yuan, she understood Little Fish and his family’s thoughts. They probably… all felt this relationship wouldn’t last, so they hoped Little Fish could hold back, not do anything that might “hurt” her.

This way, if they broke up someday, Little Fish and his family would feel a bit better about it.

After being intimate for quite a while, Luo Jingyu finally released Zhan Xi reluctantly and signed: [Were you nervous today?]

Zhan Xi shook her head.

Luo Jingyu smiled, and because they were lying so close, his signing movements were very small: [My parents really like you. My mom said you’re even prettier than in photos.]

Zhan Xi touched his face: “Silly.”

Her fingers gradually moved down, her fingertips touching his protruding Adam’s apple. He couldn’t help but swallow, making his Adam’s apple bob.

Zhan Xi looked up at him and said: “Little Fish, call me.”

Luo Jingyu was startled, his long eyelashes trembling slightly as he opened his mouth hesitantly: “hua eh hua eh…”

This was their little game. He had progressed from only being able to make “h” sounds to being able to pronounce the whole syllable, closer to “Huanhuan” than his previous “wai eh wai eh,” though still not quite standard. Zhan Xi was already very satisfied.

“Huanhuan, Huanhuan.” Her fingertips pressed against his Adam’s apple, feeling the vibrations when he vocalized. Luo Jingyu called a few more times, his expression becoming confused, as if asking: What’s wrong?

Zhan Xi didn’t answer, didn’t want to say anything. She looked at his familiar face, clear eyes, and once again reached up to touch his cheek. He also raised his right hand to cover the back of hers.

His hand was larger than hers, warmer, with a prominent red scar on the back that was still healing.

The doctor said fortunately Luo Jingyu wasn’t prone to scarring – though a scar remained, it wasn’t as ghastly and ugly as imagined. Four centimeters long, pink in color, extending from the back of his hand to below his ring finger. But every time Zhan Xi saw it, she still felt heartache.

Luo Jingyu had asked her if she would no longer like him since his hand was now scarred.

She said no, she was more worried about his hand function being impaired, because he not only needed his hands for work but also to speak. No matter what his hands looked like, they were her most precious treasure.

Zhan Xi suddenly raised her face to kiss Luo Jingyu, this kiss much more passionate than before, kissing him until he fell backward onto the bed. The movement startled Gift, who meowed and jumped off the bed, watching the entangled figures of the two-legged creatures, not daring to come back up.

This kind of passionate and uninhibited Huanhuan was one Luo Jingyu had never seen before. When it came to intimate matters, they were both very shy, each time quietly and playfully engaging in small intimacies. Just those little intimate moments already made Luo Jingyu incredibly happy.

Zhan Xi’s initiative now made him feel especially honored. After being pressed down and kissed for a long while, he turned over and embraced her, gradually becoming the one actively advancing.

…

Just as Luo Jingyu tugged at his pants, preparing to get up and go to the bathroom once again, Zhan Xi suddenly grabbed his hand.

At this point his body was in a very awkward state, his face red as a tomato, heart pounding chaotically. He just wanted to quickly go relieve himself. When he looked back at Zhan Xi, his eyes held pleading and grievance.

Zhan Xi sat up, stubbornly holding his hand. Her long hair fell softly over her shoulders, one side of her nightgown neckline had slipped down revealing her white shoulder, the nightgown wasn’t long and her two slender white legs were clearly displayed before Luo Jingyu.

She bit her lip, her gaze hazy, her palm sweating – just like his.

She said softly: “Little Fish, don’t go.”