OHD Chapter 36: Ten Years

Chapter 36: Ten Years

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

It was New Year’s Eve, a day for family reunions.

Zhou Kai woke up before dawn that day, lying in bed, staring at the photo on the nightstand in a daze. He didn’t get up until he heard some noise outside his door. He climbed out of bed, checked on the little black snake, and left the bedroom, heading to the bathroom to wash up.

When Zhou Kai’s dad saw him up early, he praised him, saying, “Waking up early is good. You should go for a run around the neighborhood to exercise and build strength.”

Zhou Kai’s mom, hearing this, walked out of the bathroom while combing her hair. When she saw Zhou Kai, she was a bit surprised, laughing as she nudged her husband, saying, “It’s the middle of winter, and it just snowed outside. Why make our son go out for a run?”

Zhou Kai’s dad thought about it for a moment and changed his mind, saying, “Then help your mom with some housework, get a bit of exercise that way.”

Zhou Kai saw that his dad was all dressed up, knowing he was getting ready to pick up his grandparents for the New Year. He nodded, “Got it. Be careful on the road, Dad. Drive slow.”

Zhou Kai’s dad looked at him, patted him on the back, and walked toward the hallway.

Zhou Kai stood by the bathroom door and said to his mom, “Mom, take me with you. I’ll help you carry the stuff.”

Zhou Kai’s mom looked at her son’s face, smiled softly, “Alright,” though her eyes still showed some concern.

Zhou Kai’s grandparents didn’t arrive until close to noon, bringing a lot of food and supplies, most of which were for their only grandson.

Zhou Kai’s grandpa had been ill and wasn’t in the best shape, but his eyes still sparkled. With Zhou Kai’s dad supporting him, he walked in with a cane and, upon seeing Zhou Kai, sighed and asked with concern, “Xiao Kai, it’s been months since we last saw each other, and you’ve lost weight?”

Zhou Kai’s grandma also said, “Yeah, look at your face, you’ve lost weight, and your complexion isn’t as good as it used to be.”

Zhou Kai touched his face, helped his grandparents into the living room, and smiled, saying, “I caught a cold last time and lost some weight. It’s fine, I’ll eat more this New Year and get it back.”

Zhou Kai’s mom came out of the kitchen, looked at Zhou Kai, and said meaningfully, “You should eat more, you’re still growing, and studying is tiring.”

Zhou Kai glanced at his mom, touched his nose, nodded, and was then pulled by his grandparents to sit on the couch to chat. They asked if he was tired from studying, or if he was stressed from the college entrance exam.

Zhou Kai smiled faintly and shook his head, answering, “I’m not tired. No, I’m fine.”

If he really had any problem, it was probably that he felt empty inside, like he couldn’t find a place to settle. But, of course, this was not something he could talk about with his elders.

After eating dumplings, a symbol of reunion, the whole family sat on the couch in the living room, waiting to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

Zhou Kai stared at the TV screen, listening to his parents and grandparents chat about this year’s events, feeling distracted.

His phone, which was under his leg, buzzed repeatedly. He took it out and saw that his class groups from junior high and high school were exchanging holiday greetings and sending him New Year wishes.

In previous years, Zhou Kai would always try to come up with unique greetings to send. But this year, all he sent to the group and others was a simple, “Happy New Year.”

Zhou Kai exited WeChat, sliding his finger across the screen of his phone, staring at the “Him” chat he hadn’t opened in a long time. He gripped the phone tightly.

Would anyone wish him a Happy New Year?

Had he eaten dumplings?

It snowed yesterday. Did he wear something warm today?

There was no heating at home; would it be really cold?

It was the last day of the year. Was he still working?

…

Zhou Kai covered his face, trying to push away the endless stream of questions in his mind, forcing himself to think about something else. But it was no use. Whatever he thought of would always circle back, trapping him in the same place, making his heart ache with both sadness and pain.

Zhou Kai’s dad saw him suddenly stand up and get dressed, raising his hand to ask, “Where are you going?”

Zhou Kai half-lied, half-meaning it, saying, “A friend of mine is at home alone, no one to keep him company. I… I want to go check on him with some classmates.”

Zhou Kai’s dad frowned immediately. “It’s New Year’s Eve, everyone stays at home. No one runs around outside.”

Zhou Kai paused his hand on the button, then slowly looked at his dad, his eyes full of pleading. “I’ll be back soon, just a little while.”

Zhou Kai’s grandparents spoke up for him, “Go ahead, go ahead, don’t listen to your dad. Kids aren’t like us. They don’t like the TV shows; let him go out and have some fun.”

Zhou Kai’s mom glanced at him. Zhou Kai met her gaze, his eyes slightly red.

Zhou Kai’s mom sighed quietly. She didn’t know anything for sure, but she felt sorry for him. “Remember to come back early. It looks like it’s going to snow. Don’t ride your bike, take the bus.”

Zhou Kai hurriedly nodded, gave his dad a quick glance, and turned to change his shoes in the hallway.

The roasted chicken shop had closed a couple of days before New Year’s Eve. He Ye hadn’t found a new job. Instead, he went to a wholesale factory to buy some red paper and set up a small stall at the bustling street corner.

As he held the brush and wrote couplets on the red paper, He Ye thought about how his dad used to be fine before he got caught up in the gambling world, at least teaching him how to write beautiful calligraphy. It had allowed him to earn a little money during the New Year’s, enough to avoid starving.

Leaning against the wall, looking at the street filled with lanterns and festive decorations, He Ye glanced at his phone before packing up his things.

It was six o’clock. Earlier, around five, a group of migrant workers had come by and bought a piece of the “Fu” character, wanting to hang it on the door of their factory dorms. He Ye charged them one yuan, but they gave him two, then asked, “Hey, kid, why aren’t you going home for the New Year? At this time, every family has already replaced their couplets, no one will come to buy anymore.”

He Ye shoved the extra yuan back into their hands and replied coldly, “You guys just bought it, wait a bit longer.”

He Ye thought, whether he went back or not, it would be the same.

But when He Ye carried the table back home and saw Zhou Kai leaning against the door, turning his head to look at him, He Ye regretted it.

He should have returned earlier. What if it was like last time and that group of people came looking for him again? What would he do?

He Ye was angry, angry that Zhou Kai didn’t listen to him, coming here even though he told him not to, and even coming when He Ye wasn’t at home.

He Ye was also happy. He hadn’t seen this person in over ten days. No, that’s not quite right; he just hadn’t seen the real Zhou Kai. After all, in his dreams, it was always Zhou Kai, as if he had been enchanted or controlled.

Zhou Kai straightened up. When He Ye walked towards him, he was so nervous that his body trembled slightly. He didn’t dare wait for He Ye to speak first, so he said, “I left something here.”

He Ye stared at Zhou Kai’s nose, which was red from the cold, not daring to guess how long Zhou Kai had been waiting for him here. He didn’t call out Zhou Kai’s lie either, just took out his keys and opened the door.

Inside and outside the house, the temperature didn’t differ much. The windows were broken and drafty.

He Ye went inside first, with Zhou Kai following behind. He Ye turned on the lights, leaving the door slightly ajar, and said in a hoarse voice, “What did you leave? Go up and get it yourself.”

Zhou Kai looked at He Ye, but He Ye didn’t look at him. His head was lowered. Zhou Kai swallowed and, after a long pause, lifted his foot to walk inside, climbing the stairs. He sniffled, trying to hold back the sourness in his nose.

But when he reached the top of the stairs, he saw the military overcoats piled up in the living room. Zhou Kai couldn’t hold back and started to choke up. The snot ran down, a small bubble formed from his quick breaths, then popped. Zhou Kai wiped it away, doing his best to stop himself from crying. It was too embarrassing.

He had been crying so much these past few months, he didn’t even know where all these tears came from. He wasn’t a woman; was he made of water?

But when Zhou Kai turned toward He Ye’s bedroom and saw the messy bed, the blanket that hadn’t changed its shape or position, and the condoms and lubricant at the foot of the bed, Zhou Kai couldn’t hold it anymore. His face instantly got wet.

“Damn… damn!”

He clenched his fist and punched the wall, not wanting to feel this way anymore. He wiped his tears and ran down the stairs with a loud thud. He stood in front of He Ye, opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the tears started falling.

He Ye was crouching on the floor, leaning against the wall. When he heard Zhou Kai crying, he lifted his head and looked at him. His eyes were also red.

Seeing everything upstairs made Zhou Kai almost explode with rage, but when he saw He Ye looking at him with that deathly gaze, Zhou Kai’s heart softened, the pain unbearable.

Slowly crouching down, Zhou Kai reached for He Ye’s hand. Their fingers touched, both cold as ice.

He Ye tried to pull his hand back, but Zhou Kai wouldn’t let him. He held onto it tightly, squeezing.

He asked He Ye, “What are you doing? Do you really not see yourself as a person?”

“Who’s going to see you like this?”

If he hadn’t come, he wouldn’t have known. He Ye became like this because of him.

Zhou Kai felt like his heart was being torn apart. Slowly, he moved closer to He Ye, placing his other hand on He Ye’s knee, almost whispering the words through gritted teeth.

He asked He Ye, “Why can’t it work? I like you, and you like me. Why can’t it work?”

He Ye looked at Zhou Kai, mouth open, struggling to breathe, unable to say anything.

Zhou Kai asked again, “I’m not afraid. What are you afraid of… He Ye, what are you really afraid of?”

“You weren’t like this before…”

The old He Ye had been so confident, so full of life. When faced with difficulties, others would panic and lose direction, but He Ye could always quickly solve the problem, still able to smile and say, “This little difficulty, nothing to be afraid of.”

Now, he was just facing a problem that would take time to solve, so why had He Ye become like this? Why had he tortured himself this way?

“Money is earned by people, and money isn’t everything. You’re fine, we’ll work hard together. I’ll be here with you, and everything will be okay.” Zhou Kai remembered what his grandfather always told him, forcing out a smile that was uglier than crying, rubbing his thumb on He Ye’s rough palm, saying, “There’s no obstacle you can’t get past, as long as you want it, as long as you dare, there’s nothing you can’t overcome.”

Tears fell and shattered. He Ye raised his hand to touch Zhou Kai’s face, wiping away his tears, softly saying, “It’s different, Zhou Kai, you…”

Zhou Kai didn’t want to hear He Ye’s words of despair. He pulled He Ye into his embrace, pressing his lips against He Ye’s. Tears flowed between their lips, and the kisses licked them away.

He Ye pushed Zhou Kai twice, but couldn’t push him away. He closed his eyes, no longer holding back, and hugged Zhou Kai with even more force than Zhou Kai had hugged him.

That kiss was salty and bitter, but also tinged with an unforgettable sweetness.

The kiss lasted so long that He Ye could feel Zhou Kai’s breath trembling in difficulty. He pulled his tongue back, and Zhou Kai thought He Ye would push him away again. He hurriedly buried his face in He Ye’s neck, rubbing the skin wet.

He Ye didn’t want to push Zhou Kai away. He didn’t want to push him away, and he didn’t want to let go. He held Zhou Kai close and took deep breaths several times before asking with a trembling voice.

He told Zhou Kai, “I told myself I’d pay off the debt my dad left me in fifteen years. Stumbling through, earning more or less, and suddenly, almost five years had passed.”

He asked Zhou Kai, “In ten years, if I still can’t escape this situation, we’ll break up.”

“Will you still be with me, Zhou Kai?”