Green Plum IslandCh54 - Extra 1

The Third Year (1)

The ferry makes its way steadily forward in the water. Once in a while, a seagull flies overhead. Early summer sunshine beams down through the window. 4c63Vm

“Young man, are you on summer break?” An old lady sitting across from me asks as she peels peanuts. “Would you like some? They’re delicious.” She puts a handful of peanuts into my lap.

I hurry and hold onto them, and after thanking her, say, “Yes, it’s summer break.”

Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Technically, break started a week ago, but Mum wanted me to spend a few days at her house and I couldn’t refuse her, so I spent three days with her. And then Dad somehow heard of it and called asking me to go live with him. I couldn’t turn him down after accepting my mother’s invitation, so I ended up spending three days at his house too.

“Where do you go to school?” Aza6 1

“Hong City University.”

“Aiya, that’s a great school! How glorious for our island pride.” The lady happily hands me another handful of peanuts.

We make casual conversation the rest of the trip and finish off half a bag of peanuts. By the time I get off the boat, I feel bloated.

With the impromptu stays with my parents changing my return date last minute, and Wen Ying having arranged to visit Sun Rui’s parents, Yan Kongshan isn’t able to pick me up because Xiao Tian can’t manage things alone at the bookstore.

mawqGh

My suitcase isn’t heavy; after switching two bus lines, I make it home an hour later.

As soon as I walk in, I find Grandpa sitting before the TV, waving a fan absentmindedly in his hand. He doesn’t notice my arrival. Yan Wanqiu sits on a small stool, doing her homework at the coffee table. When I enter, she looks up and a beaming smile brightens up her face.

“Mian Mian!” She drops her pencil and charges over to me, falling into my embrace.

Grandpa turns around belatedly and stands up when he sees me. “Mian Mian, you’re back! Is it hot? Your face is all red.” He turns his fan towards me and starts fanning, then reaches for my suitcase, but I quickly stop him and tell him I’ll do it myself. zs8ljR

“I’m fine, the bus wasn’t hot. It’s just when I was walking from the bus stop home that the sun was really blazing down.” I pat Yan Wanqiu on the head, telling her to release me. “I’m going to take a shower first.”

***

During my shower, Grandpa and Yan Wanqiu have resumed their previous activities—one watching the telly, the other doing homework. There’s a bowl of mung bean soup on the table with a few flower petals scattered on top. Refreshing and sweet, it’s the perfect thirst quencher.

“What are you doing?” Beside me, Yan Wanqiu’s brows are scrunched. I carry the bowl of soup to her side and peer down at what appears to be a language arts mock exam. NwWqzd

“Doing my summer homework. I have a lot of it. College doesn’t have summer homework, does it? Lucky… I want to go to college too.” She’s the picture of boredom, head propped in a hand.

I don’t think you’ll think that once you get to college, I retort to myself. There’s actually a lot of work.

“Ah Shan says you failed language arts this semester.”

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.

Vmtbbi rtbeiv cba tjnf yffc j qgbyifw obg Tjc Qjcdle, ulnfc tbk rwjga rtf kjr jr j abvvifg, jcv sfa la lr jc lcmgfvlyis teuf qgbyifw. Vtf oilfr atgbeut jcv ajxfr lc lcobgwjalbc fjrlis ogbw ibulmji, jcjisalmji mbegrfr jcv tjr cb qgbyifw wfwbglrlcu ojmar, yea ktfc la mbwfr ab atf mglalmji gfjvlcu qjga bo ijcuejuf jgar, atf jcrkfgr rtf kglafr jikjsr vglnfr tfg afjmtfgr wjv. NG9VtU

“Ah Shan’s a tattle-tale.” The little girl pouts. “I think it’s not my problem. The question asked ‘Why did no one touch the last remaining plate of fish on the table?’ and I wrote, ‘Because none of them like fish.’ and what does the teacher say? ‘The fish is a symbol of hope.'”

A snort of laughter escapes me and I nearly choke.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“What a joke, why is the fish a symbol of hope? So they just cooked the symbol of hope?” Disdain colours Yan Wanqiu’s face, her befuddlement genuine.

I burst out laughing, the vibration almost sending the soup in my bowl flying out. “But then if they don’t like fish, why would they buy fish? It’s a waste of money. Since the question asked, it’s obvious that you’re expected to come up with a deeper connotation behind the fish.” I put my half-finished soup off to the side and pick up her homework, flipping to the passage in question and go through it with her. orcIOU

Yan Kongshan often vents to me on the phone about how difficult Yan Wanqiu is to teach, because she has her set logic and doesn’t listen to her teachers, to the degree where sometimes she even questions grownup logic. Which, quite frankly, I do take her side on. There are a lot of things about the adult world that don’t make sense, yet too many people succumb to them. It’s their choice and there’s no room for judgment, but it doesn’t mean that those who don’t forfeit are abnormal.

Although, I also understand how concerning it can be for a single father to constantly get called in by his kid’s homeroom teacher, so I just share as much of the burden with him as I can…

“Look, you can just analyse these sentences. After you get the hang of it, even if you’re an emotionless question-answering robot……”

After teaching her the ways to answer exam questions that I’ve accumulated over the years, it’s just about time for dinner. 0VRzZX

Grandpa stands up and heads over to cook.

“Qiuqiu, since Mian Mian is back today, why don’t you and Ah Shan have dinner with us?”

“Okay!” she replies, her voice ringing out clearly. Then she cleans up her pens and homework and plops down where Grandpa just sat, picking up the remote and switching to her favourite cartoon channel with practised familiarity.

I want to go into the kitchen to help out, but Grandpa protests saying he’s not so old that he can’t even cook and kicks me out. “I don’t need you here, go out and sit down!” CyxuRa

Having nothing to do, I go back to the couch and watch Spongebob Squarepants with Yan Wanqiu. We’re right in the middle of an entertaining episode when the doorbell rings.

“It must be Ah Shan,” Yan Wanqiu remarks. Her eyes don’t move from the television.

I haven’t been able to come back for three weeks due to finals; all my free time was spent doing revisions with Wen Youran. It’s probably been almost a month since Yan Kongshan and I last saw each other.

It would be lying to say I don’t miss him, and it would also be a lie to say that I’m not worried. LnjBru

When I agreed to stay at Mum’s, it was fine, but by the time it came to Dad, I was afraid Yan Kongshan would be mad at me. Except thankfully, even though he’s clingy in private and likes acting coquettish, generally speaking he’s a mature, steady character and doesn’t get angry over such petty things.

The door swings open inch by inch, revealing him to be inch by inch. His haircut must be recent; short and cropped close to his scalp, giving his facial features a deep, healthy look. He already oozed charisma in his twenties. Now, having crossed the threshold into the age of thirty, he’s like a walking hormone, sending heads turning wherever he goes.

We stand there facing each other and stare at each other silently. And then I say, “I’m back.”

I was the one who went to the door to invite him in, but he doesn’t find anything strange about my greeting. Instead, he smiles and replies, “Welcome back.” VwIXS2

My heart always moves as it did the first time him each time we reunite after time apart—even if it’s just for a single day, a single hour.

Yan Kongshan seems already aware of the fact that he’ll be eating dinner with us, so he didn’t go grocery shopping. After walking through the door, he tosses me a small paper bag. I look inside and see a bunch of crisp green plums.

Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

May is green plum picking season, following which there’s an onslaught of green plum products: green plum wine, green plum cream, green plum jam, green plum preserves. Not every household makes them themselves, but every household is guaranteed to have at least two of these items.

“Green Plum” is the name of this island; there’s too much feeling behind it, so it’s hard for people to not be completely indifferent to them. iKetwx

Although I didn’t grow up here, this island’s pulse flows through my body. Besides wine which I can’t handle, I love everything else, be it jam or preserves. The instant I see the green plums, I start salivating immediately. I send one over to Yan Wanqiu, who takes a huge bite and then scrunches her face up.

“It’s so sour.”

“Is it?” I grab one for myself and take a tiny bite. Sweet and sour spreads through my taste buds, delicious, refreshing. A wonderful appetizer. “I like it.”

I tilt the bag towards Yan Kongshan, gesturing for him to help himself, but he doesn’t even look at it. Instead, he smoothly bends down to take a bite out of the plum in my hand. And then he starts frowning, chewing for a few moments before coming to the same conclusion as Yan Wanqiu. 2q0NvR

“It’s so sour.”

I dart a look towards Yan Wanqiu quickly, but she’s still focused on torturing herself with the green plum, eyes on the television. She clearly hasn’t noticed anything, and I breathe a sigh of relief before glaring at Yan Kongshan.

“Don’t mess around,” I huff at him in warning.

Now that Yan Wanqiu is older, I’m a lot more careful when I interact with Yan Kongshan so she doesn’t catch on to anything. Even though Yan Kongshan agrees that it’s too early to tell her right now—coupled with the risk of the news leaking elsewhere—he still teases me. It amuses him to see me freaking out, he’s like the devil. xSRVNr

“Okay.” He smiles, then turns casually into the kitchen, asking Grandpa if he needs any help.

At first I think Grandpa is going to chase him out, but then unexpectedly, he doesn’t. He even puts Yan Kongshan on chopping duty. With their teamwork, they finish cooking up a dish in no time.

So Grandpa didn’t kick me out to prove to me that he’s not old, but because he finds me presence cumbersome?

*** ptOX5S

Yan Kongshan and Yan Wanqiu return home not long after dinner. I shower, then lay on the bed reading, hair half-dry.

Next year I’ll have to get an internship, and there aren’t many positions open. Not everyone will be lucky enough to be assigned to the diplomacy department. In order to get in, I need to perform even better and get better grades so that I have a guarantee. It seems that I spend every bit of free time I have studying, drowning in a sea of textbooks. It’s like I’ve gone back to college entrance exam revision days from high school.

Suddenly, there’s a tap on my window. A second later, a tiny rock lands by my feet. I stare at it, then walk over to the window.

Yan Kongshan stands at the fence, looking this way. In his hand is an average-sized rock, which he tosses up and down. It’s pretty clear who my window-smashing culprit is. He doesn’t seem the least bit ashamed at having been caught; he just raises his brows, a challenge on his face. If2iR1

I pretend not to be confused and frown at him, head tilted to the side in mock confusion. He drops the rock to the ground, pats his hands, and whips his phone out of his pocket. A minute later, I get a text.

[If you don’t come down, I’m going to get a ladder and go get you.]

Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Biting back laughter, I flash him an OK sign with my fingers and head downstairs. I figure I’ve gotten enough revenge for his messing with me earlier.

When I reach next door, Yan Kongshan is no longer in the garden, but the door to the house is wide open as if to say, “Please step inside the urn at your own risk, sir.” hOBvsT

Inside, it’s pitch black, not a single light lit.

I walk before the door, then take a tentative step forward. “Ah Shan?” I call out.

No answer. So I take another step forward, feeling for the light switch. Then suddenly, a powerful arm whips out from the side and grabs my wrist, pulling me over.

The door swings shut with a slam. Yan Kongshan pushes me up against it, pressing his body as close as possible. His fingers brush over the area where my blood pulses through my veins while his other arm wraps around my waist, pushing me so forcefully against him that it’s as if he wants our physical bodies to become one. a1lyM7

“Did you miss me?” His head is buried in my neck. As he speaks, his soft lips make contact with my skin and it feels like cotton-like kisses.

I hook my arms over his broad shoulders and tilt my head upwards, giving him more room. “Yes.” My neck tickles. I shudder instinctively. “I did.”

“How much?”

I clench my fingers around his shirt. “Just… to the point of exploding.” bZBumh

He laughs softly. “Which part of you?”

…..Would you believe me if I said it was my heart?

“Ah Shan….” Although, certainly that other part of me also missed him to the point of explosion, but I have a hard time getting those words out of my mouth. So I just call out his name, dragging the syllables out like a whine, hoping he won’t pursue the question.

He can never handle it when I do this. Every time, it distracts him from thinking about anything else. fgFMjz

As expected, his body stiffens and a second later, he bites down on my neck, lifts me up by my thighs up against the door so that we’re at the same height, and then his mouth covers mine in a frenzy.

This kiss, a month in the waiting, sends such a thrill through me that all the hairs on the back of my neck rise and my body trembles uncontrollably. I hold onto his neck, returning the kiss with everything I have.

The night is long, we have a lot of time to tell each other how much we’ve missed each other; life is long, there are still many nights like this one to come.

bNT5qG