I'm Handsome: (A picture of kapok boots) What do you think of this, look good?
Love 123: What's this?
I'm Handsome: To warm the feet!
Love 123: Uh, they don't look like any special…
I'm Handsome: What, I bought it online, from Taobao
Love 123: It can't be compared to thick socks or thick cotton slippers
I'm Handsome: No, look, it can be charged!
Love 123: The description is not bad
I'm Handsome: Yup!
Love 123: But, don't you have to place two feet inside?
I'm Handsome: This…I haven't thought of this.
Love 123: I'm not surprised, your thinking is always a bit special compared to most ^_^
I'm Handsome: f.u.c.k!
Love 123: Hold on, there's something going on in Small Leaf's cage.
[10 minutes later]
Love 123: gave birth…
I'm Handsome: ??
Love 123: Small Leaf just gave birth to a cute baby
I'm Handsome: …f.u.c.k! Wait for me, I'm coming over!!
Small Leaf's baby came to this world so suddenly, there was no sign of its existence before. Hang Hang, who had many years of experience in taking care of the chinchillas, did not even notice it. There was no white wax secretion, no hair loss, it just came like that. Or was it born last night? Baby Chinchilla
Right when he opened the cage, the X chinchilla rushed over to him, as if wanting to run away from here as fast as possible. Hang Hang held it up and placed it in the cage next door, blocking the pa.s.sage between two cages. The mother chinchilla just gave birth to the baby not so long ago, maybe she was still very protective, not even letting one to peek at it, as if X chinchilla had suffered through great abuse.
Small Leaf was sitting in the corner of the cage. There was no sign of the newborn. Hang Hang took a few potato chips, luring her to him. Small Leaf got up. Good. The baby was being pressed under her (Small Leaf) body. This is a very dangerous habit: although she tried to keep the newborn warm, she could have killed the baby if she did not pay attention to the time.
Taking up the nest, Hang Hang put in more thick sawdust. Right when Hang Hang was about to touch the still closed-eyes baby chinchilla, Small Leaf immediately threw away the potato chip and showed a disapproval gesture =.=
It is not OK if it is not your master, I see. Ha ha.
The wind chime rang. Hang Hang turned around to look: it appeared to be the Idiot galloping into the store.
"Small Leaf!"
Small Leaf saw Liang Ze coming and immediately started rubbing her body against his finger. Liang Ze was not such a sensible person, going straight to Small Leaf, picking up the nest, taking out the sawdust and sniffed the baby.
"It only lets you touch the baby." Hang Hang stood on the side smiling.
Liang Ze grinned brightly. The baby was so little, fluffy and quite warm. Its eyes were still closed and had yet to move an inch.
"How long it would take to grow bigger?!" Liang Ze turned looking at Hang Hang.
"Pretty soon." Hang Hang gently smiled, "but right now it must be kept warm at all times, and be fed with nutritional supplements. Some calcium proportion is a must for the baby."
"Ah! With you taking care of it, I can be at peace."
"Well, let the baby sleep for now, your hands are getting cold."
"Ok." Liang Ze uncoiled his hands.
Long Long from across the cage showed a bored expression. Hang Hang opened the cage, and that little kid immediately jumped into Hang Hang's palm, the small bald spot was still visible on his little head. Within two to three hops, he got himself onto Hang Hang's shoulder and squatted down.
"Long Long and Ikkyu are still…" Liang Ze saw Small Leaf got down on the ground, looking across to the other cage at Ikkyu.
"Still no progress." Hang Hang gave up.
"Does this mean they don't stand a chance?"
"It's hard to say. I also tried to separate them, thinking of letting Ikkyu go, but…"
"But what?"
"Neither of them was happy."
"Is this some kind of…twisted love?" Liang Ze scratched his head.
"It doesn't appear that it's love either. It looks like the bullying and being bullied relations.h.i.+p."
"Poor Long Long." Liang Ze stretched out his hand wanting to touch Long Long.
Long Long jumped out of the way and went over to Hang Hang's left shoulder.
But this time, it was Ikkyu squatting down in the cage, her teeth bared in a ferocious appearance, Long Long's legs began to tremble terribly on Hang Hang's shoulder.
"This is an oppressive relations.h.i.+p." Hang Hang gave out his judgement.
"…" Liang Ze turned solemn.
***
Dinner dishes were stir-fried pork with garlic sprout, fried egg with jew's ear mushroom, stir-fried diced chicken with green pepper, and lightly pan-fried cabbage. Hai Hong ate first. After finis.h.i.+ng eating, she went to check on the inventory, since it was the end of the month. Hang Hang ate together with Liang Ze as they were both chatting while eating. Their conversation jumped from chinchillas to annual income tax. From Beijing in late autumn to the first man to walk on the moon. From Wong Ka Kui memorial to the biggest robbery incident, etc. Even though the conversation jumped from topic to topic, the atmosphere was very cordial.Stir-fried pork with garlic sproutFried egg with jew’s ear mushroomStir-friend diced chicken with green pepersPan fried Cabbage
After finished eating, Liang Ze gathered all the trash and put them into a bag to be taken out later. Before leaving he turned to say, "Shuaige! I might not be able to come next month."
Hang Hang was wiping the table, suddenly stopped, "Why?"
"The novel I'm writing is nearing the deadline. The publisher has been rus.h.i.+ng me, yet I still have one third left to finish." Liang Ze went out to take out the trash and came back in.
"Oh, then you've got to finish it quick." Hang Hang clutched onto the towel, feeling a little lost. Would it be lonely? But what could be said? Thinking about it, it was impossible to have Liang Ze coming to the store everyday, seeing that Small Leaf had already given birth to a baby. Until both mother and baby are safe to go home, and if then there is no progressing between Ikkyu and Long Long, then he would take his chinchillas home, right? Then, there would be no point in contacting each other…
"Shuaige!" Liang Ze noticed Hang Hang was in a daze, so he called out to him.
"Ah?" Hang Hang also realized that he was overthinking everything.
"It's rare sight to see you in a daze."
"Oh. Ha ha…out of nowhere it was like that, ha ha ha…"
"Ay, Shuaige! Not being able to see you would make me feel bad." Liang Ze let out a rare sigh.
"Uh…" Hang Hang was a bit surprised, "Not being able to see Ikkyu and Small Leaf would make you feel bad, right?"
'No expectation, no disappointment,' Hang Hang said to himself.
"No!" Liang Ze frowned, "I intend to take Ikkyu with me, since it's been giving Long Long a hard time, but I'll leave Small Leaf here with you. You will take better care for her than me. She needs you! But…ha ha ha. I really don't know how to say it, I really think it would be lonely, not seeing you. You see, I've been coming to your pet store everyday. This place has become quite dear to me."
"Ah, how about taking Ikkyu with you today?" Hang Hang washed his hands and asked.
"Uh, I might have to go in seclusion for at least a month."
Hang Hang had wanted to say "don't take it home, just leave it here with me, so you can concentrate on writing." But then he thought it would be bad. They are his chinchillas. If he does not get to see at least one chinchilla, then…
"Alright, I'll prepare something for Ikkyu. Do you still have some food and snack left? Sand bath, sawdust, and others too."
"I do!"
"Good."
Hang Hang packed everything for Ikkyu, and when he handed them to Liang Ze, the other man asked him this question — "Shuaige! Will you miss me if I don't come by?"
Hang Hang looked at Liang Ze, feeling his brain getting besotted and becoming slightly dizzy. What did he mean? Wasn't that…a bit too ambiguous?
Liang Ze saw that Hang Hang did not answer. Feeling a bit embarra.s.sed and scratching his head, "Ha ha ha…you must feel glad that I'm not coming over, since there will be no one bothering you!"
"No, I will miss that, my caregiving fee gets cut in half."
"Ha ha ha…right, I'll make sure to quickly take care of that!"
Liang Ze took the cage with him and turned to walk out of the pet shop. Hang Hang stared longingly at his back. He did not know whether he saw it or it was just his hallucination, but it looked like Long Long thumping around the cage as if it does not want Ikkyu to leave. This…in the end was it Long Long that cannot let go of Ikkyu or he cannot let go of that Idiot?
Because Ikkyu was with him, Liang Ze did not walk back home like usual. Instead, he hailed a cab. Cars peacefully traveled on the highway, Liang Ze put his hand over the cage, staring at the low-rise building on the roadsides. He had become very familiar with this street. For half a year, from the beginning of summer until late autumn, he took this road to the pet shop everyday. His life seemed to have something to look forward to everyday, that was — bother Hang Hang for some time after get up, then head to the pet shop in the evening. His biological clock got accustomed to such routine for half a year. In this half year he woke up everyday full of life; a six-month of healthy living.
Liang Ze had lied to Hang Hang earlier. His novel’s progress was not one third left to finish, but he only…wrote one third of the novel. He must finish this novel by the end of the month. He could not prolong it further. After coming back from the pet shop, he always felt sleepy, because he woke up early and started the day full of energy and high in spirit=.= But when evening came, his spirit had gone down and his mind turned blank so he did not write anything, and it kept on going like that day after day until it got worse; it wasn't until the publis.h.i.+ng company started rus.h.i.+ng him that he realized he had been procrastinating.
This was a rare opportunity for him, an opportunity that he had tried to gain for many years, it was…to create a foundation for himself to be a respected literary writer. He could not let such an opportunity go just for a moment of laissez-faire?! But, the eternal loneliness is really miserable. No one wants to be a workaholic, working every day yet there was no one to come home to. It was not easy to accept it. No one wants to wake up in an empty room. Even if the collections grow everyday, they cannot talk with you. No one wants to turn on the TV to play a game or to watch meaningless dramas by oneself after finis.h.i.+ng a day. No one wants to be alone during the weekends, even though there are many c.r.a.ppy drinking friends; no one wants to be alone for the rest of one’s life.
However, such days had finally returned.
The publis.h.i.+ng company rus.h.i.+ng the ma.n.u.script was a good opportunity. Liang Ze thought. He could still adapt back to his lonely life. Eating breakfast by himself, writing the ma.n.u.script by himself, watching the TV by himself, and doing everything by himself. Oh, not really, there are still Ikkyu and Small Leaf.
It was not that his brother does not allow him to have girlfriends. It was that Liang Ze had given up on girls. He treated them so well, yet…
No one will accompany anyone for a lifetime.
This cold loneliness had been with him for so many years.
Suddenly a warm breeze pa.s.sed by, it was…
How does one say this?
It was not normal, right?
Liang Ze had believed that he and Hang Hang are good friends; a very mature friends.h.i.+p, this friends.h.i.+p is very warm and true. Not the kind of friends that you meet at the bar. Not the kind that only meet you when needing something from you. Not the kind that are friends with you because of money. And definitely not the kind of friends that will disappear from your life without a trace…Instead, it is the kind of friend that will look after you when you are sick. Even in the busiest of times, that friend still finds time to hang out with you. That friend will consider of what you want to eat, the friend…
However, no one would accompany you throughout your solitary life. Afterall, eventually everyone would get married, have a family with children, and then depart from your life.
There is no exception.
"Stop here?"
"Ah, right, here's the money."
Got out of the car, Liang Ze held up the cage and said to Ikkyu, "Hey, we're home now, my friend."
***
Hang Hang closed the shop at ten-thirty, went upstairs, took a bath, and then opened a can of beer.
Long Long laid flat on the running wheel. Not moving, not playing, just laid flat on its tummy. Totally listless.
In the empty room, two gloomy males stared at each other.
"Long Long, you miss Ikkyu?" Hang Hang squatted down in front of the cage, hand touching Long Long's head.
Long Long looked up, then laid flat back on its tummy.
One month, for one month, Long Long would not get to see Ikkyu. That means he would not get to see that Idiot.
Hang Hang could not describe his feelings. How could he say he lost something when he never actually has it? However, a plain truth of the reality presented in front of him: Liang Ze is leaving. After he finishes writing his novel, he would come to pick up Small Leaf and the baby. He might buy X chinchilla, and then return to his previous life: writing and still be naive. Maybe he would get lucky and gain a little fame, getting closer to his dream. If he and Liang Ze do not cross path, they would still be friends.
Maybe?
Hang Hang asked himself.
Nothing as maybe or maybe not? Inherently, they were not heading in the same direction. Even a slightest effort was all in vain. If you are to tell someone: I love you — it would be as if there is something wrong with your brain or you have just escaped from the asylum. It was not just simply to preach to deaf ears.
Playing with Long Long for a moment, Hang Hang had a feeling that he would have insomnia tonight.
Unconsciously he turned on his computer, entered into a chat room, everyone was still up. Without thinking, his fingers began to type some words in the chat room, then he opened w.a.n.g w.a.n.g and log in without second thought.
Some messages asked about pet supplies. There was not even one message from "I'm Handsome" =.=
In the chat room, there was a stranger sending a private message request to him, Hang Hang accepted the invitation and started to talk with him. They were both from the same city, so they shared some personal information and pictures. Hang Hang knew exactly what the other person wants but he really was not in the mood for it. The other person was of his type. Normally he would have go forward, but…
The other person was very enthusiastic, after seeing Hang Hang’s pictures, he became more interested, acting cute, and shamelessly trying to get his attention…but Hang Hang got tired of him, now he still preferred that Idiot, how someone that is not romantic and very sloppy could occupy all of his thinking?
【Something has been bothering you? 】The other asked.
【Right. 】Hang Hang answered.
【Heartbroken? 】
【Unrequited love. 】
【Really, why must suffocate yourself? 】
【Ha ha 】
【Want to go out for a bit? 】
【Not in the mood】
【Do you have faith in such love? True love?】
【No】
【Really? 】
【I also don’t know, ha ha】
【Up to you】
【Um】
【I'm out，88】
【886】
[T/N : both numbers mean Bye Bye]
The other man logged out of the messenger, Hang Hang stared lifelessly in front of the computer for some minutes, not moving an inch.