Green Plum IslandCh22 - What Do I Do?

Fu Wei is about to speak again, but I cut in: “I don’t want to be involved in whatever you guys are doing, and I’m not here to reminisce about the past, so please go.”

Fu Wei had had plenty of opportunities to explain himself to me in the past, what else is there to say now? Not to mention, this is Yan Kongshan’s store and I don’t want to cause him trouble. odXRtm

“You’re not the owner, you can’t kick us out.” Chen Anna wriggles free of Fu Wei’s grasp and comes back to fight with me.

Fu Wei is a person with a lot of pride. Being in such an uncomfortable spotlight out in public like this brings an embarrassed green to the pink and blue mix in his mood index, spreading until it dominates.

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“Enough already, stop arguing here. Aren’t you humiliated?” he mutters to her.

“Why should I feel humiliated?” She gestures at him to show she doesn’t care. D36Xxv

Xiao Tian decides to come back to his senses in that moment and starts placating her. “Little miss, we’re running a business here, so don’t–”

Chen Anna doesn’t let him finish. “Why should I feel humiliated when this disgusting homosexual doesn’t?” Her voice pierces through the store high and clear so that every single patron hears.

I bite my lip and stare at her. Her mood index has turned into a crimson red.

I’ve gotten along well with everyone on the island since I arrived, so much so that I’d forgotten the vitriol with which the average person regarded homosexuality. Being such a minority means being thought of as a heretic, being misunderstood, being labeled as “perverted” without doing anything to warrant it. A stranger’s accusations are whatever, but it’s lethal when it comes from your family, friends, those you genuinely care about. For that reason, Yan Kongshan’s sincerity and acceptance after Fu Wei’s rejection was a precious gift. I don’t suppose I’ll run into another person who looks at me as an equal.

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I don’t even dare make the assumption that my own parents and grandpa will accept my sexuality. I decided a long time ago that as long as I still had synesthesia, I would not come out of the closet to them. You can call it cowardice; I don’t want them to tell me everything is alright and then witness their potential disappointment and anger towards me.

But thanks to Chen Anna, I don’t know if I can still keep my secret. Green Plum Island isn’t that big, but neither is it small. It’s not a place where everyone knows each other, but whenever something happens, news travels fast. I predict that in less than two days, the entire island will be in the know.

And this pisses me off.

“You guys aren’t even dating, are you?” I ask Chen Anna. “Is it reasonable to go this far over an unrequited crush?” N0ur87

“Who are you calling a busybody?!” I’ve clearly jabbed her where it hurts. Her face twists, smoke practically coming out of her eyes. She raises a hand, intending to slap me.

But her hand remains in the air, unable to come down. Yan Kongshan appears from behind her, her wrist in his hand. “Little girl, hasn’t anyone ever told you that violence is wrong?”

He must have come from the warehouse to see what the fuss was all about.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Jarred, Chen Anna turns around and comes face to face with Yan Kongshan’s chest. Finally, she raises her head to meet his face. Yan Kongshan’s height makes him loom over people easily, giving him an intimidating appearance. 3uUaIT

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Chen Anna yanks her hand out of his grasp, reluctantly retreating. “You’re the owner, are you? Listen to me…” She points a finger at me. “This person is a freak who likes men. You don’t know what he might do to your customers, you should fire him if you don’t want trouble.”

Fu Wei grabs her arm, looking even more pissed. “What the hell are you saying? Enough, just come with me!” VadsUY

She opens her mouth, stubbornly refusing to let off, but he drags her towards the exit. At last, she spits out that karma would get “all you homosexuals” and that she feels sorry for my parents.

The glass door swings shut, and peace is restored within the store. No one speaks for a moment.

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Despite knowing that none of this is my fault, I still feel somewhat ashamed. It feels like I’ve just been dissected on a table with my limbs restrained, all my insides exposed under the hot, gleaming sun for spectators to amuse themselves with. Just the inquisitive, curious looks being shot in my direction puts me at a loss.

“Yu Mian, come with me,” Yan Kongshan says brusquely, indicating that I should go to the break room. eKMxFV

My hands curl instinctively into fists and I murmur something vague to Wen Ying and Xiao Tian, smilling at them as I pass, following Yan Kongshan’s footsteps.

He shuts the break room door, then leans against it. “You never told me that was the person you liked,” he begins, his face calm.

Chen Anna had made him angry–earlier, his mood index was red, and it still is. This makes it hard for me to determine whether he’s actually angry at me or not. My mind is a mess; his words are indecipherable. I just let out a “Huh?” and forget to answer him.

He frowns at me, his mood index value falling as he watches me. Now he looks even more angry. I start shaking imperceptibly in fear. q zlJ5

“I’m not blaming you,” he continues, rubbing his head in frustration, seeming like he’s half speaking to himself. “You should have told me– No, you weren’t obligated to– What am I saying…?”

I come back to my senses and explain, “No, he… Fu Wei and I don’t have that kind of relationship. We used to be friends, I thought he liked me so… so I suggested we try things out, he thought I was weird, then decided to tell everyone, and so I became “the freak who likes boys,” and that’s the gist of it.”

I place a hand on the nearby couch and collapse into it, more upset than angry now. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble for the store.” Wringing my hands together, my head lowered, I add, “Anyway, the new guy is here, so… tomorrow I’ll not come.”

Silence descends upon the break room. Yan Kongshan doesn’t reply for a long time. I assume this to mean he agrees with me. XDVwJL

Goddamn Fu Wei, do his Four Pillars clash with mine? Otherwise why would shit happen to me every time I run into him? Now he’d even ruined my relationship plans.

I dig my nails into the sides of my nail bed, using the pain to relieve the depression I feel. Footsteps approach me, and then Yan Kongshan is squatting in front of me, holding my hand still.

“That’s not– Yu Mian, you haven’t caused any trouble. I wasn’t trying to blame you.”

My hand freezes. The heat of his palm sears my skin, all the hairs on my body rising and starting to trickle with sweat. He misunderstands my reaction and with a soft “sorry,” lets go. ZJkaGv

“You can rest at home for a few days,” he says, standing up, “but I’m letting you stay home not because you caused trouble. I just don’t want those two people coming back to harass you.”

My heart skips a beat, I look up at him. His mood index is colourless, and the value isn’t very high at 65, but he’s not angry at me.

“Thank you.”

He brushes a hand through his mussed up hair, then props it against his waist. “You can save your thanks for when I’ve done something that truly warrants your gratitude,” he says wryly. 8PQsCL

My lips curl up and I shoot him a grin. “Now is the time.”

Because to me, treating me normally is something worth being grateful about.

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Yan Kongshan watches me for a while, then suddenly reaches out to ruffle my hair. His movements are strong and bold.

Since he started turning yellow on occasion for me, he stopped voluntarily making physical contact with me. This is the first time he’s treated me so intimately since the end of the rainstopping ceremony. HtyfwZ

I lower my lids in pleasure, basking in the warmth of his sturdiness, but before long, he jerks his hand away and walks out the room. “You can take a break for a while, I’m going to go back to the shop.”

The break room door opens and closes, and soon I’m the only one left here. I fall backwards into the couch, burying my face between my arms. Inside, I keep asking myself, “What should I do? I really like him… I really, really, really like him. What to do? What should I do about it?”

***

I expect news of my sexuality to spread like wildfire, so during my two days off at home, I prepare myself for an interrogation from Grandpa. But no–he and everyone else in the neighbourhood treat me the same as usual. It’s strange, but I suppose it shows that Wen Ying and Xiao Tian are decent people who don’t go gossiping around. ajDoQl

It’s not until later that I find out that Yan Kongshan had talked to the two of them about it.

***

“You have something to give me?” I still haven’t gone back to work yet when Mum rings suddenly, wanting me to make a trip to her place.

Although there are regular ferries and buses to and from the island, the commute takes at least four hours and isn’t the most convenient. I want to ask her what it is and whether she can just ship it over, but then I think that might not make her so happy, so I don’t complain and instead agree, saying, “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” wFH3J1

After we finish making arrangements, I hang up and soon, Yan Wanqiu is calling for me from downstairs, asking me to take her to see the kittens.

The cats are doing well with dog milk, now grown white and pudgy, several times larger than when I first found them. They get along well with their puppy brethren, often tumbling around in a balled up mess with them.

“You’re going into the city tomorrow?” As I walk Yan Wanqiu home, she suddenly informs me that she can’t visit the kittens tomorrow.

“We have to go to the hospital.” She kicks a pebble on the ground. “We go every month, to talk to the doctor.” xfpwGL

I don’t know what she means by that, but since I have to go visit Mum tomorrow, this means I can get a free ride, doesn’t it?

When I ask Yan Kongshan about it later that night, he tells me that I’ll probably have to go with them to the hospital and that he can only send me to Mum’s in the afternoon. A free ride is a free ride, so naturally, I agree.

The next morning, I wave farewell to Grandpa and set off to Hong City in Yan Kongshan’s car. After crossing the bridge over the sea and driving for two more hours, we finally stop in front of a hospital in the city centre that looks almost vintage.

I learn that the hospital isn’t for dealing with some chronic ailment Yan Wanqiu is afflicted with, but rather, it’s a mental health hospital where she receives counselling. She’d been coming since a year ago to participate in counselling for children with disabilities, to develop positive psychological skills and adapt to the world. PkoQg1

I enter the hospital with her hand in hand, Yan Kongshan following behind us. She hums different melodies and asks me to guess the song.

“Sing it again…” The sun blazes overhead, making me sweat endlessly.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

She starts humming again. Then suddenly, she stops walking, staring straight ahead with a look of astonishment. I pause beside her, following her gaze.

An alluring silhouette of a person stands a ways off, watching us with a faint hint of a smile in their eyes. FBgo73

Or more accurately, watching Yan Kongshan.

I start. Jiao Changyue?

I’d just seen her a few days ago on television, it’s her without a doubt. And naturally, I turn around to look at Yan Kongshan. He too has just noticed her, his footsteps coming to a halt.

Yan Wanqiu and I are caught between them, unsure which way to go. 4sq0To