Have You Got Booze to Boost up My Stories

Chapter 9: Xia Qin and Fang Zishan(2)

Translator: Flying-Lines

After breakfast, Xia Qin washed the dishes in the kitchen, and Zishan leaned on the sofa, looking back at her. This made Zishan feel for the first time that life was so beautiful. They packed up their stuff and went downstairs together to take a taxi to work. This was a busy day and they also had to work overtime at night, so Zishan went out to buy some snack in case they got hungry later. Just as he thought, Xia Qin came to ask Zishan if he had anything to eat around nine p.m. Zishan showed the prepared snack like doing a magic trick. They sat down face to face and began to talk while eating. Zishan always avoided talking about what happened last night, but Xia Qin did not care and said, “You were so sad last night.”

Zishan looked up at Xia Qin and kept looking. Xia Qin closed her eyes. Zishan hesitated for a moment, and finally came closer. Xia Qin blushed and said, “Zishan, promise me you will treat me well, for the rest of your life.”

Now that Xia Qin had decided that Zishan was the one she could rely on, she packed up her things and showed up at Zishan’s door. Zishan was surprised at first, then laughed and reached for Xia Qin’s luggage. Zishan felt happiness came so quickly. In the evening, they went again to Old Flame, a café they frequented.

The shopkeeper was very nice. He was a man in his thirties, but like the fashionable young people, he was not dressed like the people of his age. He was happy every day, and although he opened a café, he never drank coffee but only soybean milk. Every day, when the guests were drinking coffee, he would grind a cup of soybean milk for himself. People including Zishan and Xia Qin found it strange at first. Later, as they talked more and got familiar, they knew that the shopkeeper’s name was Fang Kai.

The saddest thing is not that the person you love doesn’t love you, but that person who loves you for years turns around and leaves.

He was such a strange person, but he was really nice and treated them for the best coffees every time. Fang Kai often took advantage of Xia Qin’s absence and secretly asked Zishan, “When to get married? What a nice girl!” Zishan did not know how to answer. He knew that he still had feelings for the woman named Liu Meng, although it was a shameful thought. On the night of the breakup, Zishan said to himself, “I'll be alone all my life.”

Later, he met Xia Qin unexpectedly. He himself didn’t know how long such happiness would last, so he only smiled, while Fang Kai always murmured he should grasp the opportunity, as if he was talking to himself.

Fang Kai later told Zishan that he once had a girlfriend, nice, quiet and generous. But Fang Kai thought that a premature marriage would bind a man, so he delayed it again and again until the girl could not afford it, and then she broke up with him cruelly. Until one day, Fang Kai felt tired and wanted to depend on her, only to find that she had already married on the other side of the world. Fang Kai used to like coffee very much, but his girlfriend always advised him to drink more soybean milk to nourish his stomach. From then on, Kai quit drinking      coffee and opened this shop, which was a sentimental closure to the past relationship.

Winter came before they realize how time flew and Zishan felt that he should go home to visit. Previously, he had a quarrel with his mother. His father died early and his mother brought him up by herself. His mother asked Zishan to come back early to find a girl and get married. But Zishan was so frustrated that he refused her mother’s request. They had a quarrel about this, because Zishan once said that he would not marry in his life, and he did not know whether he would marry Xia Qin or not, but always felt that he should take her back to meet his mother.

When discussing this with Xia Qin, Xia Qin was unexpectedly happy. They decided to set off for home the day after tomorrow after finishing their work. On the weekend, they went to Old Flame again. When they entered the door, they saw Fang Kai sitting in the corner drinking soybean milk alone. When he saw them, he greeted at them. Zishan and Xia Qin sat down. Fang Kai said:

“Tomorrow, I'm going to close this coffee shop and go to Yinchuan.”

Zishan and Xia Qin asked in surprise at the same time, “Why?”

Fang Kai only said one sentence: “She divorced, in Yinchuan.”

Zishan and Xia Qin both knew that this was the best reason. There was nothing left for him. If he went there, in that clean place he might find the happiness he had longed for.

Zishan and Xia Qin made farewells to Fang Kai, and while Xia Qin was hailing a car, Fang Kai grabbed on Zishan’s shoulder and said, “Xia Qin is a good girl, cherish her.” Zishan nodded. When he came out of Fang Kai's coffee shop, Zishan suddenly thought about where else could they go when they got bored in the future. He hoped that the man named Fang Kai would find true happiness.

Zishan and Xia Qin got off the train and headed for home directly. Zishan had not come back for four years. Passing through the familiar streets, he suddenly felt a sense of time reversal. In this small town, time always went very slowly. When he opened the door, Zishan suddenly did not know how to face his mother. His mother rushed out and was stunned to see Zishan at first. Then she said happily that it was great to see him back. The mother looked carefully at Xia Qin stood behind Zishan. From her expression, he could see that she was quite satisfied. Xia Qin’s proper words and manners made her very happy.

Zishan smiled back to her mother. After dinner in the evening, Xia Qin and Zishan took a walk in the garden downstairs and talked about Zishan’s childhood.

Street lamps light stretched the shadows of two people to very very long...

After staying at home for a week, Zishan and Xia Qin were scheduled to go back by train the next morning. The mother was not happy all night. Zishan knew it was because that his mother would like to spend more time with them. He had to leave and end this sudden happiness, which made his mother very uncomfortable. He decided it was time for him to fulfill his filial duty. When they left in the morning, her mother insisted that she must watch them get on the train before she would leave.

When the train started, his mother turned around to wipe her tears, which was watched clearly by Zishan and made his heart ache badly. At the train station, his mother secretly said to him, “Treat Xia Qin well, I like this child.” His mother actually had something more to say, but knowing that Zishan did not like to mention it, she didn’t continue.

After returning to Shanghai, Zishan and Xia Qin were busy again, with endless work and endless social activities. Although Zishan had already been the manager of the company, there were more things for him to deal with. Whenever passing the Old Lover Café, Zishan would get sad for a while, wondering if Fang Kai was happy now?

In autumn, the streets were full of leaves. Xia Qin said to Zishan that the maple leaves should turn red in no time. Let's go and see on National Day holiday instead of going to your mother’s. Zishan nodded.

Zishan called his mother at noon. He took a walk side by side with Xia Qin in the evening. Xia Qin asked Zishan what he had said on the phone at noon and Zishan smiled but did not answer. In fact, Zishan said this to his mother:

“Mother, Xia Qin is pregnant. I planned to marry her next month and inviteyou to live with us.”