Chapter 20

I’ll Go With You

Because birds can fly.

During the first year of junior high, Pang Shuisheng ordered Cartoon King for Pang Qian. Since then, she would intercept the magazine even before it was delivered. She could read each issue multiple times. When the second year started, Pang Shuisheng felt that it wasn’t quite right, so he cancelled the subscription. Pang Qian didn’t care that much. If they weren’t subscribed, she would just go out to buy each issue.

Cartoon King put out one issue each month. In the beginning, it cost 8.50 for an issue, but later the price was raised to 10 dollars. That was a quarter of Pang Qian’s pocket money for the month. But Pang Qian bit the bullet and saved money instead of buying snacks. She never missed out on each installment.

She loved the authors in the magazine. Tang Weiqing, Lin Ying, Ding Dong… When she found a story and artwork that she liked, she never got tired of reading the comics. When there was something she really loved, she’d even make Gu Mingxi copy a scene for her. Who told him to be so good at drawing.

Gu Mingxi started taking lessons for drawing when he was 9 years old. At the time, Gu Guoxiang had already returned from his studies abroad. Seeing his severely disabled son, he couldn’t help but consider what Gu Mingxi’s future would be like.

Even if he graduated from university, what kind of work would he be able to do? Doctor, teacher, policeman… He can’t become those. Driver, factory worker, chef… He can’t become those either, let alone a technician or engineer like himself. With a heavy heart, Gu Guoxiang went for a smoke. He didn’t sleep well for several days, constantly thinking about his originally smart and healthy son. His son would never be able to become a welder like he had. He felt that his heart had been replaced by a stone, a heavy weight pulling him down.

In the end, Gu Guoxiang and Li Han decided to build his art skills in addition to his regular school studies. Gu Mingxi had always liked drawing. Three years after his amputation, his ability to draw with his feet was just as good as when he used to draw with his hands. The ill.u.s.trated characters came to life at his feet. He did seem a bit talented.

So, Gu Guoxiang enrolled Gu Mingxi in the art cla.s.s at the Children’s Palace. He had cla.s.s once a week. When junior high started, Gu Guoxiang found a senior expert art teacher, who came every weekend to give Gu Mingxi lessons. Gu Mingxi progressed very quickly. In the past few years, his use of color and composition were very good. But most outstanding would have to be his rich imagination.

The teacher said that Gu Mingxi’s drawings never felt confined. He had a bold and exaggerated style, especially when it came to drawing animals. He drew rabbits with extremely long ears, and also cats kissing mice. When he was a slightly younger, he really liked to draw birds, all kinds of them with multi colored feathers. Groups of them with their wings spread, flying in the sky.

The teacher said that although Gu Mingxi was very mild mannered and obedient, he had a lot of his own ideas. He wasn’t just a child who followed at someone else’s beck and call.

Pang Qian watched Gu Mingxi draw birds many times. The paper was set on the low table. His right foot held a brush as he made several casual strokes. From the watercolors, a bird appeared.

He put down his brush and grabbed onto a tube of paint with his left foot. With his right foot, he unscrewed the cap. Both his feet were covered in reds and greens, but he didn’t mind. Pang Qian rested her chin in her hands and sat at the side. She sighed, “You draw so well! Gu Mingxi, why do you like to draw birds?”

Gu Mingxi said, “Because birds can fly.”

When he said that, he bit on his thin lips, eyes lowered. His feet were busily working to squeeze out paint, wash his brush, and picked up new colors. Human toes aren’t very short, and they’re stuck together. Only his big toe and second toe could be used, and they couldn’t be as nimble as fingers. But the young Gu Mingxi had to learn how to do things with his feet. He knew that in others’ eyes, it was rather strange, but there was no other option.

He’d imagined flying, just like a bird. But what about wings?

Gu Mingxi’s painting technique was getting better and better. To Pang Qian, that was a very good thing. She would borrow comics from the bookstores, and when she found a scene she really liked, she would force Gu Mingxi to copy it for her.

The teacher’s a.s.sertion that Gu Mingxi wasn’t wholly obedient was because of this. Each time, he would listen and draw for Pang Qian. Over the years, Pang Qian had collected a great big stack of his artwork. Gu Mingxi would sometimes complain, “Why is it always boys? Can’t you pick some pretty looking girls for me to draw?”

Pang Qian drooled over all the pictures of the wide shouldered, long legged handsome guys, and said, “What’s so good about drawing girls? If you like them, go ahead and draw them. In any case, I don’t want them.”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

Pang Qian admired the copies that Gu Mingxi made for her, and couldn’t help but say, “Gu Mingxi, your drawings are really awesome! You can draw comics in the future. Submit something to Cartoon King, and you can be a comic author!”

Gu Mingxi smiled at her and asked, “If I sell a comic, will you buy it?”

“Of course!” Pang Qian cried out excitedly. “I want 100 copies! I’ll give them to everyone I know and tell them that my good friend drew it. That’d be super amazing!”

Gu Mingxi pursed his lips, and then he laughed.

Pang Qian said, “Oh yeah, when you get famous, can you draw me as the female protagonist?”

Gu Mingxi asked curiously, “What kind of story do you want?”

“Something like Fus.h.i.+gi Yugi. Tamahome likes Miaka, Hotohori likes Miaka, Tasuki likes Miaka, and even Nuriko likes Miaka… Anyway, everyone likes the female protagonist! That would be me!”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

Many years later, this type of character would be called moe (orig. malisu or Mary Sue) ^_^

—

After talking to Xie Yi about it, Pang Qian went home and told Pang Shuisheng about going to the comic convention in Shanghai over summer break. Pang Shuisheng immediately refused, “What kind of joke are you playing? How can a kid go so far away by themselves? No way!”

Pang Qian’s stubbornness started to show. Every day after school, Pang Qian would pester Pang Shuisheng about having her parents take her (to the convention).

Pang Shuisheng looked at the time for the comic convention and said, “Doesn’t look like I can go. Work will be very busy at that time, and I’ll probably be away on a business trip for half a month.”

Pang Qian went to look for Jin Ai’hua. She said, “You’re already so old, and you’re still reading comics? These are all for children. Summers in Shanghai are very hot. If you want to go play, I can take you rafting.”

Pang Qian didn’t give up, and started to play a game of tug of war with Pang Shuisheng. Every day, she would talk and talk to him about it. And eventually, she wore him out. He said, “Three conditions. One, you score in the top 10 of your cla.s.s on the final exams. Two, there have to be four people going together. Three, when you get to Shanghai, I’ll find a friend of mine to take you out to eat and find a place to stay. You can’t go around on your own. If you agree / fulfill all three of these conditions, then I’ll agree to let you go.”

Pang Qian was a very single-minded person. She didn’t even think about it before agreeing, “I agree! Dad, you’d better keep your promise!”

She started studying really hard. That left Gu Mingxi a bit dumbfounded. Aside from that, Pang Qian had also started roping in her friends, to pull together four people to go with her.

Naturally, Gu Mingxi was her first target.

“Gu Mingxi, you’ll come with me, right?” Pang Qian grabbed onto Gu Mingxi’s empty sleeve, staring at him with starry eyes. “Gu Mingxi, you always treat me the best. Also, you really like cartoons. When you get there, you’ll be able to see lots of authors who made comics you like. Go with me, go, go…”

With her pleading this way, how could Gu Mingxi refuse? But he also had a big concern. Gu Mingxi said, “Pang Pang, I can go with you, but… It’s not that convenient when I go out. I don’t have arms, so I’ll need someone to help me with the bathroom. And you’re a girl…”

Pang Qian felt that this wasn’t a problem. “You can ask Jian Zhe or Liu Hanlin if they want to come.”

Gu Mingxi really did ask the two of them. Liu Hanlin said that he would be going to his grandparent’s house over the summer. On the other hand, Jian Zhe expressed great interest in the comic convention. All youths would have a certain desire for this kind of excursion, especially when there wouldn’t be any teachers or parents going along.

Jian Zhe went to ask his parents. When he came back, he said that they agreed to let him go.

Gu Mingxi let out a sigh of relief. With Jian Zhe going along, he’d be a lot more a.s.sured.

With Gu Mingxi’s problem taken care of, Pang Qian was elated and went off in search of w.a.n.g Tingting, Sun Mingfang, and Zhang Wei. w.a.n.g Tingting said her parents wouldn’t let her. Zhang Wei was afraid to go. But finally Sun Mingfang brought some good news. She said she could go.

Pang Qian was extremely pleased. When she went home, she told this news to Pang Shuisheng. She boldly patted her chest and promised, “Dad! I’ll definitely make the top 10 on the final exams!”

She became very invested in her studies. She didn’t even watch her cartoons anymore. Every evening, she would carry her backpack over to Gu Mingxi’s house to work on homework together, and she’d ask a lot of questions too.

The day before the final exams, Pang Qian sat in Gu Mingxi’s room with a big bowl of chilled watermelon. Li Han had cut up the watermelon into chunks. There were two forks for Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi to eat together. In the end, the bowl ended up in Pang Qian’s arms.

She ate a piece herself, and then she fed a piece to Gu Mingxi. It was a very natural action. She used the same fork for both of them. Gu Mingxi also didn’t refuse any of it, eating the watermelon, piece by piece from her hands.

Seeing Pang Qian in a daze, Gu Mingxi asked, “Pang Pang, do you really want to go to Shanghai to see the comic convention?”

“Mm,” Pang Qian nodded. Not sure who she thought of, she blushed a bit. Then she said, “I want to see what Tang Weiqing looks like, and I want her autograph.”

“Mm,” Gu Mingxi lowered his eyes and didn’t say any more.

Pang Qian closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. She murmured, “Gu Mingxi! Grant me strength!”

The final exam results came out. In all nine of her cla.s.ses, Pang Qian performed above average. She just made it, placing 10th in the cla.s.s.

Pang Shuisheng had nothing to say, only waving his hands in release.

The day they picked up their test results, Pang Qian shyly asked Xie Yi, “Xie Yi, will you be there for all three days of the comic convention? My dad already gave me permission to go to Shanghai.”

Xie Yi was a bit surprised, “Really? I’ll be there the whole time. My friends and I have a booth there too. Look for us. It’s called ‘Starlight Comics Group.’ If nothing comes up, I’ll be there every day. Remember to find me when you go.”

Pang Qian nodded her head like a bird pecking at grains. She smiled like flowers and said, “Mm, okay!”

But, when school was over, she couldn’t smile anymore.  Sun Mingfang told her that she wouldn’t be able to go to Shanghai over the summer. Why? Her test results this time were too poor. Her parents would definitely find a university student to tutor her over break, and she’d have to study every day.

What else could Pang Qian say? She didn’t expect that Gu Mingxi would hit her with another blow on their way home. “Pang Pang, Jian Zhe just told me that he can’t go to the convention, because his parents are taking him on a vacation. The tour group they’re going with just happened to be on the same days as the convention.”

Pang Qian froze. If Jian Zhe couldn’t go, that basically meant that Gu Mingxi couldn’t go. Didn’t that just leave her on her own?

Thinking of all her hard work to make 10th place, which was completely unprecedented for her… And in the end, it was all in vain. Pang Qian was riding her bike and suddenly felt very wronged. Her eyes reddened, and her tears started to fall.

In that moment, Gu Mingxi started to panic. He wasn’t afraid of Pang Qian’s loud, noisy crying. But seeing her tears fall silently then, he really couldn’t stand it. He rode his bike next to hers, and kept encouraging and coaxing her, but she didn’t hear any of it. Her tears just kept on falling.

When they got back to the bike shed at the Golden Compound, Pang Qian didn’t wait for Gu Mingxi. She just carried her backpack and ran towards the building. When Gu Mingxi called after her, she ignored him.

That evening, Gu Mingxi went to Pang Qian’s house to look for her.

She held her knees, sitting in her chair. She gave him a look of resentment, her face unhappy.

Gu Mingxi sat down on the edge of her bed and said patiently, “Why are you getting angry with me? It’s Sun Mingfang and Jian Zhe who can’t go, not me. Why are you ignoring me? It has nothing to do with me.”

“How does it have nothing to do with you?!” Pang Qian cried out. “If Jian Zhe can’t go, you can’t go either! That just leaves me. What am I supposed to do?!”

Gu Mingxi looked pa.s.sed her and said quietly, “Even if Jian Zhe can’t go, I can still go.”

Pang Qian thought she misheard. “What did you say?”

Gu Mingxi turned around to look at her, his face slightly flushed. He sat in the shade of the room, eyes glistening, and said clearly, “Pang Pang, I said I could go with you. If you can’t find anyone else, then we’ll just go, the two of us. But you can’t tell your parents, otherwise they’ll be worried.”

“Really?” Pang Qian didn’t quite believe it, her mouth hanging as she looked at him. She stammered a bit, “But the bathroom…”

“I’ll figure something out,” Gu Mingxi said quietly. “At home, I can urinate on my own. When we’re out, I guess I can just drink less water…”

“You don’t have to go to that trouble.” Pang Qian squinted her eyes. Suddenly, in a serious tone, she said, “Gu Mingxi, I wanted to tell you last time. Actually, I can help you with the bathroom too. What’s so hard about it? When we were little, didn’t I play with your little bird all the time?”

Gu Mingxi, “…”