99 | Under the Chinese Parasol Tree
We’re different from you guys.
Just as Gu Mingxi had never seen Jiang Zhiya with short hair, and had almost not recognized her, no one had seen Xiao Yujing with long hair before. In everyone’s memories, Xiao Yujing was always a short-haired, thin girl. She had a small, oval face, delicate and gentle features, and a quick wit behind her tranquil eyes.
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But the Xiao Yujing standing before them had hair down to her waist. She had on a touch of makeup with a clear and attractive complexion. She wore a dark green coat and a bulging pair off snow boots, the spitting image of a modern, big city beauty.
It really overturned everyone’s image of a “female doctorate.” Everyone knew that Xiao Yujing didn’t dress up much, so they’d expected a makeup-less but confident girl in gla.s.ses.
Xiao Yujing smiled at the table of stunned faces. “What, you don’t recognize me?”
After the group got back to their senses, they stood up to welcome her. Xiao Yujing greeted each one of them. Zhou Nanzhong said to Gu Mingxi, “Gu Mingxi, your reputation sure is big. G.o.ddess Xiao has graced us with her presence for New Year’s. When we invited her out for a meal, she said she didn’t have time. It was only when Wu Min said that you’d be here that the G.o.ddess agreed to come.”
Xiao Yujing also looked over to Gu Mingxi. He’d already stood up and was smiling at her. Xiao Yujing’s expression was very even as she said, “Apologies, but I really am pressed for time this trip back. But when I thought about how I hadn’t seen Gu Mingxi since we graduated high school, and how difficult it was for him to come back, I naturally wanted to stop by.”
w.a.n.g Song quipped, “G.o.ddess, your words aren’t quite right. Which of us have you seen after graduation?”
Xiao Yujing wasn’t angered, but smiled and said, “First off, don’t call me ‘G.o.ddess.’ Secondly, when I was in Beijing, I had a few meals with Wu Min. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him.”
Wu Min smiled and nodded. “This was before she let for America. We had a few meals together, and we went to each other’s schools before.”
Zhou Nanzhong dropped his hand onto w.a.n.g Song’s shoulder. He shook his head and sighed. “See this. The smart kids are just hanging out with themselves, without us. Don’t try to b.u.t.t in.”
Xiao Yujing smiled more. “What are you doing, Zhou Nanzhong? The main character today is Gu Mingxi. Why do you keep throwing fire my way?” Then she looked over at Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian beside him. She spoke joyously, “Gu Mingxi, Crab, looks like you two are finally together. I’m really happy to see that.”
The only open seat at the table was between Teacher Dai and Xie Yi. Xiao Yujing walked over and put down her bag and scarf. She bent over and hugged Teacher Dai. “Teacher Dai, it’s been a long time. How have you been lately?”
“I’m doing well.”
Xiao Yujing sat down and she and Teacher Dai exchanged a few more words. They asked about each other’s situations, and everyone else tacitly kept from interrupting. Finally, Teacher Dai looked over to her side and said, “There’s someone who’s been waiting to greet you.”
Xiao Yujing turned to face Xie Yi and smiled slightly. “Xie Yi, it’s been a very long time. How are you?”
Xie Yi’s eyes were stiff, and he seemed very different from his usual self. But it was only for a moment. Soon, his smile returned and his mischievous expression was restored. “Very good. And yourself?”
“I’m pretty good too, just a bit busy,” she said.
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When the food arrived, everyone picked up their chopsticks, chatting and eating together. Facing this table of people, Gu Mingxi really didn’t feel any pressure at all. His right foot was raised to the table, holding his chopsticks. He leaned over to Pang Qian’s ear and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that we were eating with old cla.s.smates?”
Pang Qian lowered her own voice and said, “I wanted to give you a surprise.”
“Ah…” He sighed. “If you told me earlier, I wouldn’t have needed to dress up like this. These pants are too tight and it’s hard to eat.”
Pang Qian looked at him innocently. “Sorry. I really didn’t expect that you would want… to dress this way.”
Zhou Nanzhong called out, “Hey, hey, hey, you two. What are you whispering about? Let everyone else hear it too.”
Pang Qian looked up and said, “Zhou Nanzhong, you’re really so nosy. Haven’t you ever heard of ‘hear no evil’?”(Note: Or maybe more appropriately ‘listen not to what is contrary to propriety’. I’m not sure if those are really the right translation for this situation, but basically, ‘mind your own business.’)
Zhou Nanzhong chuckled. “Little Crab, seeing how fed up you’re getting, does that mean there’s good news on the horizon?”
Gu Mingxi’s face started burning a little, but Pang Qian had very thick skin. “Not too far away, if not this year, then next year. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely send you a wedding invitation. If you’re still in Columbia, you can just send over a gift.”
“So tasteless! Tasteless!” Zhou Nanzhong was indignant. “Little Crab used to be such an innocent girl. After studying finance, her whole body stinks of copper (i.e. money). Our relations.h.i.+p is so great, why lower it by talking about money?!”
Pang Qian smiled. “Aiyo, who’s the one that said there were two companies in Beijing and Columbia scouting him, saying that the only difference was that the one in Columbia payed more. Without another word, this person just hopped on the plane to work in South America. Definitely a promising youth without eyes for money!”
Zhou Nanzhong glared angrily at w.a.n.g Song, “You even told her about that?!”
w.a.n.g Song confessed, “I didn’t. I just told the wife.”
Li Xiaoyan was very unhappy that w.a.n.g Song sold her out. “Hey, you didn’t say I couldn’t tell anyone! I just told it to Pang Qian as a joke when we were shopping.”
Zhou Nanzhong was astonished. “As a joke?!” Sitting beside Gu Mingxi, he started complaining. “Gu Mingxi, look at your wife. She used to be such a dumb little girl, and now she knows how to ridicule. Must be all the contact with American and Hong Kong money. You’d better be careful in the future. You used to lead her, but now, she’ll probably lead you along.”
Jiang Zhiya spoke up for Pang Qian. “Zhou Nanzhong, you can actually say Pang Qian used to be dumb? Don’t forget that her college entrance exam score was higher than yours by four points!”
Even Teacher Dai joined in. “I remember the year that you graduated, Wuhan’s entrance cutoff was lower than usual. Zhou Nanzhong was lucky. If it were the year before or after, he might not have made it in.”
Zhou Nanzhong nearly wanted to cry. “Teacher Dai…”
Gu Mingxi listened to them bicker, a faint smile on his face. It had already been eight years since he’d seen them last. Hearing them, his memories floated back to his school years. Those endless practice problems, the noisy table tennis gym, the exam countdown on the blackboard, the days and nights spent doing homework with Pang Qian, and all the people gathered together in the cafeteria…
The food at Donghua Hotel were exquisite and delicious. Pang Qian grabbed a piece of tenderloin and placed it into Gu Mingxi’s bowl. She said quietly, “Be careful, it’s hot.” And then she served him a bowl of chicken soup, and quietly added a piece of chicken. Gu Mingxi lifted his eyes to look at her. He really wanted to tell her that he missed those years that they ate side by side in the school cafeteria.
After Wu Min and Xiao Yujing talked for awhile, everyone else was thrown into confusion. Wu Min asked Xiao Yujing about some schools in America as they had studied similar things. Xiao Yujing responded patiently, even explaining about certain school’s research laboratories and doctoral programs. Sometimes she would say things in English, though she wasn’t trying to show off. To Xiao Yujing, English was basically her mother tongue. And after spending a few years in America, as she tried to explain to Wu Min about the situation in America, she hadn’t even considered translating (to Chinese). Fortunately, Wu Min’s English was also very good, and the two of them communicated without issue. That couldn’t be said for the rest of the group
Jiang Zhiya saw that Zhou Nanwei looked like he was listening to scripture. She laughed. “Hey, aren’t you abroad? Why haven’t you picked up the language?”
Zhou Nanzhong got angry. “Lady, they speak Spanish in Columbia!”
Li Xiaoyan and Pang Qian spoke across the table. She asked Pang Qian, “Crab, since you’re together with Gu Mingxi now, are you still planning on post graduate studies?”
Pang Qian halted for a moment and recalled that she had spoken to Li Xiaoyan about going back to school before. They both started working right after graduation, and eventually, they both thought about post graduate studies. Pang Qian glanced over at Gu Mingxi and realized that he’d turned to look at her. His gaze held a glimmer of suspicion. Pang Qian smiled and told Li Xiaoyan, “I’m not planning on it for the time being.”
Li Xiaoyan said, “I’m planning on going back for post graduate studies.”
Pang Qian was surprised, “Really? You decided?”
Li Xiaoyan nodded. “You don’t know, but it’s really hard to get promoted in my field without at least a master’s degree. After w.a.n.g Song and I get married, I’ll be able to get my degree in a year and a half if I’m quick. I plan to finish my studies before having a child, otherwise there won’t be time after that.”
Zhou Nanzhong asked w.a.n.g Song, “What about you? Are you going back to school? Your field puts importance on education background as well.”
Li Xiaoyan said, “Yeah, I’ve been trying to convince him to go back, but he’s worried he won’t be good at studying after so many years. I told him I would go back to school first. After all, guys don’t have to give birth to children. It’s okay if he goes a few years later.”
w.a.n.g Song’s expression was a bit unnatural. “We’ll talk about these things again later. There’s no rush.”
Xiao Yujing was very interested in this topic, so she joined in on Li Xiaoyan and Pang Qian’s discussion. She encouraged the two of them to go back to school, and it made Jiang Zhiya grow eager.
“Anchor Jiang, what you need as an anchor isn’t more school, but plastic surgery.” Zhou Nanzhong’s filthy mouth extremely angered Jiang Zhiya. She picked up a tomato and threw it at him.
“Everyone says that girls who get a doctorate become extinguished old ladies who never find a husband. My cousin got her doctorate, and now she’s having a hard time finding a boyfriend.” Jiang Zhiya rested her chin in her hands. “But I think Xiao Yujing’s really pretty. Who would ever guess that she’s got a doctorate degree.”
“I still haven’t finished it.” Xiao Yujing laughed. “My advisor really wants me to continue doing research after I get my degree though.”
Everyone: ==
This get together was very pleasant, with no barriers and no ice. Everyone spoke very freely about the foolish things they did as kids in school, and they talked about their plans for the future.
There were two people at the table who remained quiet. One was Gu Mingxi. He usually didn’t speak much in front of people, and since he smiled along with others, no one really noticed.
The other was Xie Yi. He’d always been a very lively character, but that evening, he barely said anything. He just drank one cup after another.
They were drinking red wine. No one else really drank very much, but when the others weren’t watching, Xie Yi suddenly got drunk.
After dinner concluded, Zhou Nanzhong and Wu Min grabbed a taxi home together, since they were headed in the same direction. w.a.n.g Song drank so Li Xiaoyan drove them home. They also sent Teacher Dai home. Jiang Zhiya had to get back to work at the broadcast station, so she drove away on her own. That left Pang Qian, Gu Mingxi, Xiao Yujing, and a drunken Xie Yi.
Pang Qian didn’t drink, and she knew where Xie Yi lived, so she suggested that she would send him home. Xiao Yujing said, “I’ll send him. There are some things I want to say to him anyway.”
In front of Donghua Hotel, a cold wind was blowing, and the contents of Xie Yi’s stomach were unsettled. He ran over to the side, leaned against a tree trunk, and started vomiting. Xiao Yujing stood beside him and helped pat his back. Then she pulled out a napkin for him to wipe his mouth. Xie Yi knew that he looked a mess. He’d never let himself go so much before, and he couldn’t hold his cool anymore.
Pang Qian went to a small convenient store and bought a bottle of water. She walked over to his side and Xiao Yujing stepped aside slightly. Pang Qian turned back and saw her walk over to Gu Mingxi, who wasn’t very far away.
Xie Yi drank half the bottle of water. Pang Qian asked him, “Are you feeling better?”
Xie Yi nodded. Pang Qian helped him up and sighed. “What are you doing? Why did you make yourself so unhappy for all these years? Xie Yi, you’re really not like yourself, you know.”
“Are you lecturing me?” Xie Yi straightened up, and propped himself up against the tree. His face was flushed and he reeked of alcohol. There was a cynical expression in his eyes as he said, “Crab, how long did you wait for Gu Mingxi?”
Pang Qian looked at him in the eyes. “We’re different from you guys.”
“What’s so different?”
She responded firmly, “Everything is different.”
A surge of anger came out from Xie Yi’s eyes. He stared furiously at Pang Qian, and she, not at all scared, stared right back at him.
She kept standing with him under the tree, neither of them turning back to look behind them. There was heavy traffic on the street, and they couldn’t hear the whispers of the two people a few meters behind them.
A few minutes later, Xiao Yujing walked back over. She asked Xie Yi, “Are you feeling better? Can you walk?”
Xie Yi silently nodded. After saying goodbye with Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi, he and Xiao Yujing got onto a taxi.
Now only Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi were left in the cold wind. Pang Qian walked over to his side and hugged him lightly. She looked up at him and said, “Let’s go.”
She drove him back to Shark’s house. Gu Mingxi had drunk a bit of red wine, so he was looking a little tipsy. He asked Pang Qian, “Are you working tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
“Next Monday is Valentine’s Day.”
“Ah?”
“After we spend Valentine’s Day together, I’ll return to Sanya.” His speech was very slow and a bit hoa.r.s.e. “This semester is graduation season, so I’ll be really busy. It’s my first time being in charge of a graduating cla.s.s.”
“Mm, make sure to work well. I’ll fly over to visit you when I have time.”
“I was wondering…” Gu Mingxi blinked his eyes and looked at the flas.h.i.+ng lights on the street in front of the winds.h.i.+eld. “Would this be the only time in my life that I’ll lead a graduating cla.s.s.”
Pang Qian knew that he was feeling unsure inside, but she wasn’t sure how to help him in that moment. Suddenly, Gu Mingxi straightened up in his seat. He looked out the car window and said, “The Little Market’s still here?”
Pang Qian’s glanced over to where he was looking. On their way back to the heavy machinery area, they pa.s.sed through the center of E City, and they also pa.s.sed by the park near First High.
There were a lot of red lanterns hanging for the New Year’s, lighting up the area. It looked very festive. Pang Qian asked, “It’s still early. Do you want to go in for a walk?”
Gu Mingxi nodded. “It’ll help me sober up too. I’m feeling a little dizzy.”
Pang Qian stopped the car and walked over to the park with Gu Mingxi. There weren’t many people there, but the New Year atmosphere was every present. They walked down the small street to inside the park. In the past, that was where the street vendors congregated, but there was no one there now.
Pang Qian looked around and saw that bench under the parasol tree. She tugged on Gu Mingxi’s sleeve. “Let’s go sit there.”
Gu Mingxi looked over and then bit his lip, his expression bashful.
Pang Qian and he sat down on the bench. She giggled. “It was here, right?”
He lowered his head, and almost incomprehensibly said, “Mm.”
“You… Didn’t you guess that I just didn’t see the letter?” Her voice sounded a bit angry. Gu Mingxi responded innocently, “How would I know that you cut your finger?”
“You really don’t understand me. If I had seen the letter, would I have not shown up?”
“Why couldn’t you have (not shown up)?” Gu Mingxi said, slightly bitterly. “I thought that you’d been scared.”
“Idiot.” She really couldn’t help it, and she pinched at his waist. “Idiot, idiot, idiot!”
After a moment, the two of them quieted. There voices were no longer ringing in the park, and it became very serene. The parasol tree above their heads was just covered in leaf-less branches. The wind blew and they rustled. Occasionally, a car would sound in the distance. Gu Mingxi turned to look at Pang Qian, and Pang Qian leaned her head back. He said, “If you’re cold, come closer. My body’s really warm.”
Pang Qian gave him a toothy grin and quickly scooted over to him. Gu Mingxi was indeed very warm, and he smelled slightly of alcohol. Pang Qian wrapped her arms around him and put her hands into his pocket. It was really warm.
At this point, Gu Mingxi asked, “Pang Pang, did you tell Li Xiaoyan that you were planning to go back to school?”
Actually, when this topic came up during dinner, Pang Qian had felt Gu Mingxi’s spirit drop. Even though he’d been smiling as he listened to their conversation, she knew that he was a bit concerned about it.
At the table, there were two doctoral students, three people with masters degrees, four people in research. And they all studied good majors at good schools. The odd one out was Gu Mingxi, who only had a high school diploma.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t study, and it wasn’t that he didn’t like to study. It’s just that after some uncontrollable events and incidences, he’d moved further and further away from school.
Pang Qian tucked her head into his shoulder and said, “Didn’t I already tell you? I thought about going back to school in the past, but right now, I’m busy with work, and I keep feeling that it’s unnecessary.”
A bit surprised, he asked, “Unnecessary?”
“Do you think it’s necessary?”
“I’m not familiar with your line of work.” He spoke quietly. “I think that if you want to go back to school, you don’t have to be over conscious of me. Even if you have to go abroad, it’s okay. If you think it will be too costly, I’ll make money to support you.”
Pang Qian was stunned. After a long while, she still didn’t say anything.
A bit later, she carefully asked, “Gu Mingxi, do you regret quitting school?”
She originally thought that he would say that he regretted it, or at least consider the question a bit before answering. Instead, he responded quickly, “I don’t regret it.”
“Why not?”
“Even if I was able to get my undergraduate degree, it would have been hard to join the work force. I wouldn’t be able to be anything more than average in that field. Pang Pang, just because I was a good student, it doesn’t mean that I would be able to learn and do everything I tried.” He spoke very sincerely. “If I had studied English, law, or finance back then, maybe I would have been able to persevere and continue, but computer engineering…” He shook his head slowly. “I suspect I really don’t have any talent in that subject.”
Pang Qian looked into the dark night, to Gu Mingxi’s s.h.i.+ning eyes and slightly furrowed brows. She suddenly asked, “Gu Mingxi, have you ever thought about going back to school to study?”
