104 | Victorious First Battle
Who’d have thought that after I helped fight for an egg that year, that a chubby little girl was going to keep following me around.

After bringing Gu Mingxi’s things into the guest bedroom of Pang Qian’s house, Pang Qian took care of her resignation procedures and then became an unemployed vagrant.

Every day, she drove herself and Gu Mingxi to the furniture and appliance stores to pick out things for their new house. Every day, the delivery truck would come by and drop off something new, and Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi watched as their empty room filled up with a large bed, tables, dresser… In the hot summer, their house still didn’t have air conditioning, so as they went around their house moving things around, their bodies became covered in sweat. And yet, they didn’t feel like it was hot. They didn’t feel tired, and they only felt a satisfying contentment.

When the mattress arrived, Pang Qian was extremely excited. She opened her arms wide and plopped down onto the bed. The gentle bed bounced back, and she enjoyed herself a bit before dragging Gu Mingxi down.

“Our house, our room, our bed.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “And my man.”

He closed his eyes and felt the fragrance of her lips.

She suddenly said, “Gu Mingxi, let’s get married.”

His eyelids opened, revealing a pair of s.h.i.+ning eyes. Who expected her to scrunch up her nose and shake her head. “No, no, we have take care of the entrance exams first.”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

In order to buy some more things for their house, Pang Qian drove Gu Mingxi to the IKEA in Shanghai and they shopped around for the day, returning home with a small car stuffed to the max. Before they left, she invited Wu Feiyan, Yang Lu, and Xue Wenwen out to eat. She said she wanted to introduce her boyfriend to them, but only Wu Feiyan and Xue Wenwen showed up.

Her two roommates had previously heard that Pang Qian’s boyfriend was a bit special, but when they saw Gu Mingxi, they were still a bit startled. But they quickly adjusted their att.i.tude and the group had a happy meal.

As they ate, Pang Qian complained, “I don’t often make it to Shanghai. Why didn’t Lu Lu show up?”

Wu Feiyan and Xue Wenwen exchanged a glance. Wu Feiyan told Pang Qian that Yang Lu and Sheng Feng had broken up.

“Why?” Pang Qian was taken by surprise. “Before I left, I had a meal with Lu Lu and Sheng Feng. They’d decided that after Sheng Feng finished his post grad, they were going to buy a house and get married. When I spoke to Lu Lu on the phone last year, they were still doing well. She told me that he was working at CITIC Bank and work was good too.”

“What else, it was because of the house.” Wu Feiyan sighed. “Sheng Feng’s house in E City is under his parents’ names. They prepared it earlier for his marriage, but it wasn’t very big. Lu Lu’s family said they ought to sell it and put a down payment on a newer and bigger house in Shanghai. Lu Lu’s family said they’d cover the cost of renovations and a new car, and then the two of them would cover the mortgage later on.”

Pang Qian said, “That doesn’t sound bad.”

Xue Wenwen said, “The problem is that Sheng Feng’s family didn’t agree to it. They said that even if the two were to buy a house in Shanghai, it would have to be under Sheng Feng’s name, and they wouldn’t let Lu Lu’s name be added on.”

“Ah?” Pang Qian asked, “What did Sheng Feng say?”

Wu Feiyan said, “The key to it all was Sheng Feng’s att.i.tude. According to Lu Lu, he actually agreed with his parents. Lu Lu was extremely direct then, and she said they should break up. After that, Sheng Feng finally seemed to come to his senses and chased after her and said he’d agree to put her name on the deed. But Lu Lu’s feelings already went cold.”

Pang Qian curled her lips, unable to say anything, feeling disappointed and frustrated.

Xue Wenwen, “Crab, you don’t have to worry about Lu Lu. She already has a new boyfriend, an executive at a foreign investment firm or something. Lu Lu’s work is going well too. When I went shopping with her, she seemed totally fine.”

“How can she be totally fine?” Wu Feiyan said, “Look, Crab called her out to eat but she wouldn’t come, because Crab would definitely ask about Sheng Feng. Lu Lu has to be feeling at least a bit hurt.”

While the three girls talked, Gu Mingxi didn’t interrupt. Instead, the two of them spoke about this topic in the car later.

Pang Qian said a bit regretfully, “Sheng Feng and Yang Lu dated for more than five years. Why didn’t they have more confidence in each other? w.a.n.g Song and Xiaoyan didn’t have this problem, and neither did we.”

Gu Mingxi answered her evenly, “Pang Pang, actually, confidence is a rather extravagant word. Especially because they both also have parents and families behind them. The more people, the more talk. Everyone wants the best for their kids. When you date, you inevitably talk about marriage, and there are some things you just can’t avoid. And when it comes to these things, there’s nothing that is absolutely fair. The more you talk about it, the more likely someone’s feelings get hurt.”

Pang Qian asked, “Who do you think is right between Sheng Feng and Yang Lu?”

Gu Mingxi thought about it. “It doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong. But in my opinion, I always feel that a man should be a bit more generous. A woman doesn’t marry a man because she covets his house. A woman just wants the house as a sort of guarantee.”

Pang Qian smiled. “I suddenly feel like I’m very lucky.”

“About what?” he turned to ask her.

“I seem to have picked up a treasure.” She giggled. “Gu Mingxi, you know, when we’re together, whether it’s in the past or now, I seem to have never worried about these troublesome things. When my mom first mentioned buying a house, I felt she was very meddlesome and I didn’t think it was something we had to worry about. I think that if I were Yang Lu, and I loved Sheng Feng enough, I would just tell him that we wouldn’t have to buy a house in E City. We’d just save money and buy a house in Shanghai. If we couldn’t buy one, we’d just rent. What’s the big deal.”

Gu Mingxi smiled and glanced at her without saying anything.

He thought to himself that actually, he was very fortunate as well. He’d also picked up a treasure.

 

At the end of July, Xu Shuanghua arrived in E City and took Gu Mingxi to a studio. The studio was actually a training academy. The students lived on the campus and practiced there in preparation for a variety of fine arts exams.

The school’s princ.i.p.al was Xu Shuanghua’s good friend, a Mr. Ke, an experienced fine arts teacher who specialized in sketching. Teacher Ke also found teachers who taught color theory and sketch form. After Gu Mingxi made a quick sketch, several teachers examined it and agreed that there wouldn’t be a problem with getting into a program. But he would have to practice like his life depended on it.

And thus, Gu Mingxi started his studying life. Because of his physical condition, he didn’t have to live at the school. Every morning, Pang Qian drove him to the school to practice drawing, and then she would pick him up at night. In the evenings, he stayed at home and studied the high school cultural studies material.

Pang Qian enrolled in a training course for the graduate school entrance exam. She went to cla.s.s every day, and then she studied with Gu Mingxi at night.

It had been a long time since either of them had been students, so at first, they weren’t accustomed to it. Especially Pang Qian. After less than half an hour of working on math problems, she laid down on her desk to sleep.

Gu Mingxi looked at her and shook his head. He’d let her sleep awhile before waking her up. Pang Qian rubbed her eyes and said, “These math problems are much more annoying than the reports I have to write for work.”

Gu Mingxi couldn’t help showing a sour expression. “Then try working on some physics problems.”

Pang Qian laughed happily, “Gu Mingxi, even you have such a day!”

They studied English together. After a certain time, they would compete to see who memorized the most, and the loser would be punished. If Pang Qian lost, she would have to give Gu Mingxi a ma.s.sage. If Gu Mingxi lost, he would have to sing for Pang Qian.

Most of the time, Pang Qian lost, but she happily started ma.s.saging at his legs and back. Gu Mingxi hadn’t practiced drawing to such a degree in a long time, and it was purely for the exam now. When he came home every day, his waist was sore, his legs hurt, and his muscles were stiff. Even his toes would get a bit numb. Pang Qian pulled his legs onto her thighs and started ma.s.saging each of his toes, one at a time.

“Do your feet cramp nowadays?” she asked him. “Don’t lie!”

Gu Mingxi was quiet for a moment and then he nodded. “Sometimes, but what can you do about it.”

“Rest a bit after you draw for awhile.”

“The exam is timed. How can I just rest whenever I feel like it?” He smiled. “Pang Pang, it’ll be over after awhile. I know my body best. You don’t have to worry.”

Every night, they stayed at Pang Qian’s house. Pang Qian sat at her desk and Gu Mingxi sat on a chair with a tea table in front of him. The room was very quiet, and there was only the rustling sound of pencil on paper. Sometimes Gu Mingxi would stop to rest awhile. He looked at Pang Qian’s profile, cheek on her left hand, as she scribbled with her right hand. When she came across a difficult question, she bit the back of her pen and stared out. Then she flipped through the lesson material and continued.

She wore loose pajamas and her hair was braided messily. When the light s.h.i.+ned on her bare face, Gu Mingxi saw her smooth neck and long eyelashes, her raised nose, her slightly pouting lips. He’d seen this scene before.

It was just like all those years ago, when they studied together every day.

Pang Qian felt his stare and then turned to smile at him. She dropped her pen and walked over to him.

When her kiss landed on his lips and her arms wrapped around his neck, Gu Mingxi realized that she wasn’t the same silly girl from the past.

That Qixi Festival would be Gu Mingxi’s 27th birthday. He didn’t want to go out to eat and volunteered to cook a meal for Pang Qian’s parents. Jin Aihua was skeptical, but Pang Qian clutched her shoulder and said, “Mom, don’t worry. He can do it.”

Pang Qian helped Gu Mingxi go out to buy groceries. They went to the supermarket and then the outdoor market. And lastly, they headed to the fish market. Gu Mingxi diligently picked out the ingredients as Pang Qian smiled at the side. So this son in law wanted to show off to his future parents in law.

While Gu Mingxi worked busily in the kitchen, Pang Qian helped him out. Jin Aihua was really concerned, so she secretly snuck over to take a look. She saw Gu Mingxi sitting on a chair with the cutting board on the ground. His head was lowered in concentration as he grabbed a knife and cut the ingredients. Jin Aihua nearly had a heart attack.

She scolded her daughter, “Qian Qian, why aren’t you helping?! What if Mingxi cuts off his toe? You always said you were busy with work when I tried to teach you to cook. Now that you’re jobless, you should learn it!”

Gu Mingxi laughed. “Auntie, it’s okay, I can do it. I’d be more worried if Pang Pang were to do the cutting.”

With Pang Qian’s help, Gu Mingxi cooked up six dishes and a soup– Steamed crab, deep fried breaded shrimp, beef and onion stir fry, sausage with bamboo and soybeans, luffa and bamboo shoots, roasted eggplant, and tofu and tomato soup. Jin Aihua and Pang Shuisheng saw the dazzling menu on the table and were indeed startled. They knew what a poor cook their daughter was, which meant that this table of food was all cooked by Gu Mingxi.

Jin Aihua looked at the dishes on the table and asked, “Mingxi ah, did you cut all of these?”

Gu Mingxi was a bit embarra.s.sed. Pang Qian helped him untie his ap.r.o.n as he laughed shyly. “Auntie, I didn’t do that well. Don’t joke about it.”

“What’s not done well?!” Jin Aihua took a bite of the eggplant. The sauce was very fragrant. Then she took a bite of beef, smooth and tender. She couldn’t help praising him, “It’s delicious, even better than when Pang Qian’s dad cooks.”

Pang Shuisheng already had a bit of alcohol, so he frowned and said to Pang Qian, “Qian Qian, let me tell you. When you start your own family, you have to learn how to do some things too. You can’t just have Mingxi do it all on his own. Husband and wife have to share the household duties. When you’re together, you have to help each other and take care of each other. You can’t just throw a tantrum or bully him.” Then he spoke to Gu Mingxi. “And Mingxi, I have to tell you too. You spoil Qian Qian too much. You spoiled her in the past and even more so now. You’re a grown up man, you have to take the lead a bit.”

Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi both nodded modestly. And then she whispered to him, “When my dad gets happy, he starts to drink. After he drinks a bit, he talks a lot. Don’t worry about it.”

Gu Mingxi whispered back in her ear. “Actually, I think that what Uncle said makes sense. It seems I’ve spoiled you too much.”

Pang Qian looked at him. “You regret it?”

“A bit.” He smiled. “Who’d have thought that after I helped fight for an egg that year, that a chubby little girl was going to keep following me around.”

A few months pa.s.sed, and the days grew calm. During the Double Ninth Festival (Note: around October) of 2011, Jin Aihua’s company put on an event for their retired workers, which included a tea party at the tea house.

Jin Aihua dressed up prettily and went to the event. There, she ran into some old neighbors and colleagues. Everyone started chatting about their kids’ work, studies, and relations.h.i.+ps.

Every year, Jin Aihua was the object of envy for the others because Pang Qian’s work was good, her income was high, and their family had moved into a big house.

Zhong Xiaolian once again lamented that she hadn’t been brave enough at the start. After renting a place for three years, she was finally able to move back into the rebuilt apartments, and the houses were pretty much the same size as they had been originally. She always said to Jin Aihua, “Because Shuisheng was more bold, you guys are doing well now. Housing prices are so expensive now that we won’t even have a house for our son when he gets married.”

Jin Aihua was extremely proud. “It was Qian Qian’s suggestion back then. She’s pretty bright after all.”

Zhong Xiaolian asked, “Does Qian Qian still work for that Hong Kong company?”

Jin Aihua didn’t try to avoid the question, “She resigned and she’s getting ready for graduate school.”

“Aiyo, your Qian Qian is going back to school!” A group of old women cried out. “It’s not good for a girl to study so much! Be careful, she might not be able to find a husband later!”

Jin Aihua said, “Quit your nonsense. Our Qian Qian already has a boyfriend! And they’re getting married next year!”

The aunties all got excited. Like a swarm of bees, they started asking about his age, where he was from, what his job and income were, and most importantly, did he have a house.

Jin Aihua replied confidently, “The house is already settled. It’s in our neighborhood, 138 sqm. He paid the down payment and put Qian Qian’s name on the house.”

The aunties were full of jealousy and envy. Zhong Xiaolian suddenly cried out, “Ah… Qian Qian’s getting married soon. I wonder how Mingxi’s doing.”

Someone elbowed her and Jin Aihua looked away. She looked around at their surroundings with a cheerful heart.

As everyone dispersed, each of them reminded Jin Aihua to invite them to Pang Qian’s wedding. Jin Aihua happily agreed. When she was about to leave, Zhong Xiaolian walked over to her.

She said quietly, “Aihua, did you hear, Gu Guoxiang got divorced.”

Jin Aihua was taken aback and asked, “Divorced? With the current one?”

“Mm, the current one. It’s already been half a year. Old Ma still works at the factory, so he told me about it. There were a lot of people earlier who didn’t know, so I didn’t mention it.”

Jin Aihua asked, “Why are they getting divorced? Who gets the child?”

“Why else? When she married Gu Guoxiang, she was just 26. Now she’s only 34, but what about Gu Guoxiang? He’s nearly 55 years old! What kind of 30 year old woman would be willing to stay with an old man like him?” Zhong Xiaolian looked like she was retelling a dramatic movie. “Of course the child will stay with Gu Guoxiang. Didn’t he divorce Li Han to have that kid after all? He’s even giving the woman a pile of money to give up custody rights.”

Jin Aihua wasn’t sure how to respond. “Then he’s going to take care of that kid by himself? How old is the kid?”

“8 years old, just in third grade.” When they got to the topic of the kid, Zhong Xiaolian sighed. “You don’t know, but Gu Guoxiang’s spoiled the kid rotten. Old Ma said that whenever anyone at the factory hears about Gu Guoxiang’s little princess, they all shake their heads. They say she’s very capricious and unruly, she doesn’t understand things and everything must go her way. When she’s unhappy, she throws a fit. And her school results aren’t very good. She just cares about looking at pretty clothes and shoes. She probably got that from her mother.”

“…”

“They said that if you had to compare the little brat with Mingxi, one was obviously like the sky and the other was like dirt.”

 

Jin Aihua returned home with a lot on her mind. After dinner, she told Pang Qian to wash the dishes and sent Pang Shuisheng out to buy fruit. She took the chance to talk with Gu Mingxi.

Jin Aihua said, “Mingxi, did you know that your dad got divorced?”

Gu Mingxi’s expression remained unchanged, though he felt a pang of surprise inside.

He found an opportunity and gave Gu Guoxiang a call. Pretending as if he didn’t know anything, he told his father that he’d already returned to E City and that he was currently studying with plans to go back to school.

Gu Guoxiang didn’t speak about his own situation the entire time. He asked, “Mingxi, where are you staying?”

Gu Mingxi told him the truth. “I’m staying at Pang Qian’s house.”

“Ah!” Gu Guoxiang was a bit unhappy. “What’s this mean! If someone finds out about this, they’ll start to gossip! It’s not like you don’t have family! Mingxi, you can stay with me.”

Gu Mingxi rejected the offer. “Dad, it’s okay. Living at Pang Qian’s house is pretty good.”

Gu Guoxiang was silent for a moment and then he said, “When should we have a meal together? It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your sister.”

Gu Mingxi had only seen Gu Ziyue once before. He didn’t even remember what she looked like. He said, “Dad, we’ll talk about it when New Year’s comes. I’m busy with revision lately, and there’s an exam in two months. After the exam, at New Year’s, I’ll have more time.”

“Okay.” Gu Guoxiang didn’t push him more. “Let’s keep in touch, Mingxi. Take care of yourself.”

Gu Mingxi nodded. “I know, Dad. You take care of your health too.”

In December, Gu Mingxi successfully registered for the entrance exam. The fine arts exam took place the next January.

He prepared well for it. As he carried his supplies and drawing board through the door, Pang Qian gave him a hug and said, “Gu Mingxi, you can do it! I’ll be waiting for the good news outside!”

Although the examinees around him were nearly ten years younger than himself, Gu Mingxi’s eyes s.h.i.+ned confidently. He said, “Pang Pang, I won’t disappoint you.”

January was pretty much exam month. Not only did Gu Mingxi partic.i.p.ate in the national exam, he also partook in two school exams. One of them was for SIVA. Xu Shuanghua said that he’d already looked into it, and as long as Gu Mingxi’s scores for the practical and the cultural exam reached the cutoff, he wouldn’t have to worry about SIVA rejecting him because of his disability. His words cleared Gu Mingxi of all his worries. During the exam, he was calm and focused as his feet changed brushes, washed them, added color… His painting was very simple, but it may have been the most important painting of his life.

After the exam, he put down his brush. His legs felt a bit sore, but he felt very light inside.

Pang Qian also took part in the first round for the graduate entrance exams, and she did very well. Her English foundation had always been pretty decent, so after her dedicated studying and practicing, she felt great walking out from the exam. All that was left was to wait for the results at the end of the year.

When she walked out of the exam, she saw Gu Mingxi waiting. He stood under a large tree on the side of the road. When he saw Pang Qian, he walked over to her.

He didn’t ask her how the exam went, and instead just kissed her forehead. He said, “Now that you’re done, let’s have a meal to celebrate, okay?”

“Okay!” She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked at him happily.

The first report of good news came to Gu Mingxi.

The exam scores were made public, and he’d successfully scored above the cutoff for undergraduate schools. He also pa.s.sed the cutoff for SIVA. That meant that for the next few months, he just had to focus on his cultural studies.

The Spring Festival of 2012 was especially meaningful to Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi, because that was when they moved into their new house.

Although they hadn’t gotten married yet, Jin Aihua knew that Gu Mingxi had a lot inconveniences in his life, so she agreed to let Pang Qian live together with him.

When their relatives came to visit for New Year’s, they also stopped by to take a look at the new house. One after another, they were blown away. In the next half year, Pang Qian’s family all accepted Gu Mingxi. No one called him into question because other than him not having arms, this guy pretty much had it all. He was handsome, genuine, and knew how to make money. He left a good impression and he was a good cook. And of course, he treated Pang Qian better than words could express.

But there were still some who didn’t quite understand Gu Mingxi’s family background. They would ask Jin Aihua, “Why doesn’t Mingxi go home for New Year’s? What about his parents?”

At this time, Gu Mingxi received a call from Gu Guoxiang, asking him to dinner.

“Your grandparents miss you,” Gu Guoxiang said. “Bring Qian Qian, and come visit them.”