Yandai Xie Jie No. 10 Chapter 25

Act 25: Travel

Hang Hang: Don't stick so close to me, it's so d.a.m.n hot…

Qi Ji: d.a.m.n it, don't you know how to sacrifice for others?

Hang Hang: Haven't I sacrificed more than enough? You still have your conscience or not? Who has made me this tired since yesterday? Even right now, my back is still in pain!

Qi Ji: Nonsense, you dare to tell me that you were not willing?

Hang Hang: What kind of sin did I commit in the past life to where I have you as a friend in this life?

Qi Ji: No more, I have no more energy to go on.  Think how many more untold hardships I have to go through ah…

Hang Hang: Don't give up just yet, you have about eighty-one more (hardships) to go!

Qi Ji:    Big Brother…

Hang Hang: If you keep sticking to me, I'll kick you down out of the bed!

Hang Hang pushed Qi Ji who was sticking his whole body to him and jumped out of his bed. When he raised his arm to pull up the curtain, a piercing pain shot through his back from the contraction in his arm muscle. Yesterday, Qi Ji said that he had cramps in his legs; this resulted in Hang Hang being the mule horse to carry all three people's luggage while climbing up the platform.

Right now Hang Hang, Qi Ji and an additional female author were staying at a small village next to the Yellow River. This village is located in the flooding area, so their houses are built up on high platforms to prevent flooding; this can be regarded as the local sightseeing scenic charm of this place.

How did he even get here?

Let's back up a few steps.

As we all know, Hang Hang was heartbroken; given this we can speculate that Hang Hang was in a very bad mood as well. With Hang Hang in this state, Qi Ji asked if he wanted to go somewhere on May 1st; Hang Hang immediately agreed. He is someone who really loves traveling, but after he decided to be in a relationship with that Idiot, he had not taken one step out of Beijing.

Qi Ji organized this trip, actually he was not the one who organized it; to say it frankly, this trip was not as simple as it looked — it was for his work.

The publisher he worked for wanted to publish a book on folk art, so work not pleasure really was the purpose of this trip.  They wanted a book to be written that recorded famous craftsman works and their lives; it would be published under journalist and writer Chen Yu Wen's name.  Qi Ji was also on the trip because after Chen Yu Wen finishes writing it, he will  have to translate it into Spanish so it can be simultaneously published in Europe.  It is speculated that this book will become an important cultural exchange piece at the Book Fair this year. Chen Yu Wen is a thirty-five years old female author and when she took over the project, she requested for someone to go with her to help with some onsite research regarding the craftsmen’s lives.  The publisher agreed and told Qi Ji to come with her; saying that it would be a good experience for him and to try to gather some research of his own. Just like that, the two of them were being placed on the job.

Qi Ji went looking for Hang Hang because he wanted to have someone to take care of him while he was on the trip;  if he was to ask that female author to look after him…ah, that was a bit too embarra.s.sing. He had thought that Hang Hang would not come with him, but he did not expect Hang Hang to pleasantly agree to it. Qi Ji also specifically asked him if something had happened between him and Liang Ze, Hang Hang's reply was nothing. Right, even now, when it was officially over between them, Hang Hang had not told anyone that he and Liang Ze had broken up.

Hang Hang had arranged everything at the store, he even made some arrangements for Qi Ji's big baby "Meng Nan" before leaving on the trip with Qi Ji. Hang Hang had thought of going on a vacation and the current weather was appropriate for some outdoor activities; he also realized going to these kind of places and learning about the craftsman was somewhat interesting. As much as Hang Hang enjoyed the trip he might not be able to finish it.  He found out that this trip would take up to six months to finish at the earliest and Hang Hang could only join them for up to one month, maybe two months if he was pushing it.  He would not be at ease being away for so long, plus he would miss Long Long. Prior to this stop they had already visited so many unique and different places; while there Chen Yu Wen had interviewed many craftsmen special in some particular field such as: origami, flying paper kite, dragon head maker, shadow puppetry and so forth. This had lightened Hang Hang's mood considerably. There are a lot of things to do in life, why should I hold onto such a trivial emotion?

Origami – the j.a.panese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures. Flying Paper Kite Dragon Head Art Shadow Puppetry

"Hang Hang." Qi Ji also got off the bed, "I was not sleeping in comfort last night."

"Probably not as uncomfortable as I felt." replied Hang Hang as he looked out the window. The place they were staying was on high terrain, the panoramic view of the rolling water in the Yellow River was being captured by his eyes as they spoke, "I gave my pillow to you to hold on to last night and look what happened.  You end up encircling me in your tight gripping arms and I had to lie flat on the bed without a pillow under my head.  On top of that you glued your body onto me, look at how sweaty I have become."

"Aiya, it was your fault!  You know that I have a habit of sleeping hugging onto my pillow yet you didn't let me bring my long pillow with me."

"Hmph! You dare to talk back!"

"Geez, it is only with you that I become this unreasonable," Qi Ji ginned, "let me read you a poem to express my sincere appreciation to you, yeah?"

"You shouldn't even start. Each time I listen to you reading a romantic poem, I'm always at a loss for word."

Qi Ji started to laugh.

"Let's go, maybe Chen Yu Wen is already up."

"Aiyo, Hang Hang, it seems that you are more diligent about my work than me."

"Didn't I say it already, I'm very unfortunate to have known you; since we were young until now, I have always had to take care of you!"

They could not find Chen Yu Wen anywhere.  They decided to ask the owner of the house they were staying at and the Auntie told them that the girl went out early in the morning to look for Elder Dong. Qi Ji knew right away that Elder Dong was the lady they wanted to interview about her special craft as a paper cutter; it was said that the paper being cut by her is very fine and vivid. Qi Ji did not get the chance to ask where to find Elder Dong's residence because the Auntie said that Chen Yu Wen was acting like a crazy maniac.  She told Chen Yu Wen that Elder Dong had died so many years ago, but she did not listen.

With this news, Qi Ji and Hang Hang did not have a specific location to go to, they just simply wandered around the village as tourists. After wandering around for awhile, they both decided to head out to the river bank to appreciate the Yellow River view.

At the east end of the village, Qi Ji and Hang Hang were making their way to the river bank when Hang Hang suddenly saw an old lady. She was a skinny old lady with traces of many years of living profoundly carving their marks on her face. Hang Hang could recognize it was an old lady and not an old man because she had two tied braid tails. In his opinion, to be able to style white hair into such a fine style at an old age was already a miracle.

As Hang Hang watched her, he noticed she seemed to be content basking in the sun sitting on an old rattan chair.

Yellow River – second largest river in Asia; the name “yellow” comes from the perennial color of the muddy water in the lower course of the river, which arises from soil (loess) being carried downstream.

When they approached, the old woman still did not open her eyes.

"Auntie, if we keep on following this path, will it lead us to the riverside of the Yellow River?" asked Hang Hang.

The old lady lightly shook her body but did not answer.

"Auntie?"

Still no response.

Hang Hang was somewhat frustrated, "Auntie, you can slowly enjoy the sun, but don't stay out in it for too long; soon the sun will release high UV rays which are not good for your skin."

After he finished voicing his concern, Hang Hang indicated to Qi Ji to keep moving; he had decided to rely on himself for directions.

At this exact moment, the old lady opened her mouth and said, "young man, you're very kind."

Great, she had scared Hang Hang making him jump on his feet.

"Do you like paper-cutting?" The old lady asked, then took out a pair of scissors and a piece of red paper.

Under the red hot sun, the red paper was like a bright burning flame, but the pair of black scissors revealed a cold aura.

"Let me cut you a big dragon." The old lady said as her hands began to move and the red paper was being folded and cut.  Just like that, the red flame was temporarily being extinguished.

Hang Hang squatted down and stared at those skinny hands.  As he watched he noticed the bony fingers were very skillful and meticulous; they were doing wonders with the scissors, just like a wizard.

"When I die, I can't do paper cutting anymore and I can't do my hair anymore."

Qi Ji also squatted down and looked up at the old lady, she seemed to look somewhat like a crazy person.

The dragon only took a few minutes to completely take shape. When the old lady was finished the result was a flaming red dragon that looked very lively as it was sitting on the plane of paper, its shadow was giving it an uncanny ability to look like it was moving.

"Here, take it."

Hang Hang really liked this dragon, or more so he liked the shadow of the dragon on the paper plane.

He said thank you as he received the souvenir.  Hang Hang also said a few words to the old woman, but she started to close her eyes and stopped answering.

Going with Qi Ji to the riverside of the Yellow River, he then turned to look at the village in the back, but he did not seem to see the old lady's figure.

The sun started to heat up, Hang Hang and Qi Ji came to a stop, and then sat down under a tree for shade.

"This feels really comfortable." Hang Hang leaned against the tree trunk.

"Ha ha." Qi Ji also leaned back, and lightly chuckled.

Hang Hang lazily stretched out his back, then he suddenly heard Qi Ji say: "I should have called Liang Ze, he would really love this. I've read through the novel written by him, I realized then that he is someone who loves to collect folk songs."

Hang Hang fell back sluggishly his hands were hanging at his sides and then he lazily leaned back on the tree trunk.  His eyes were following the flow of the Yellow River, he felt somewhat dizzy as he heard himself said: "Qi Ji, we've broken up."

Qi Ji just lit himself a cigarette, he was about to put away the lighter in his pocket when he stopped his movement, "What did you say?"

"Broke up." Hang Hang found himself surprisingly calm. Was it because he was able to let it go? Probably.

Qi Ji put away the lighter into his trousers' pocket, "Why?"

"Where do you get so many whys?  Yah."

"You feel irritated?" Qi Ji looked at Hang Hang.

Since they were young until now, Qi Ji always saw Hang Hang as someone free and easy going, very strong willed and someone that he can rely on. He had never seen Hang Hang making such a face. Since he was young until now, whoever bullied him, Hang Hang was responsible for solving the problem; he would always find a way to let him receive an apology. Since he was young until now, when Qi Ji was hesitant or in pain, he would always go look for Hang Hang, because he trusted him. When he was in his teenage years, Qi Ji noticed that he had feelings for Hang Hang, but at the same time, he realized that he and Hang Hang were not on the same wavelength. His puppy first love was shattered into pieces, because Hang Hang told him "I think I like men." This sentence did not give him any encouragement, instead it let him gradually put down this strange feeling he had, because Qi Ji knew that Hang Hang was like a distant dream to him. Later on, Qi Ji found out that Hang Hang was in a relationship with a boy, who was very beautiful, delicate and caring; at that time, he had completely given up on his feelings. Unfortunately, that boy did not stay with Hang Hang for too long, after that Hang Hang no longer had feelings for any particular person. Qi Ji had always thought that Hang Hang was probably a free spirited man, no one can tie him down;  but when Liang Ze appeared, Qi Ji felt he was different from the others.  Hang Hang would finally smile when he was with him.  He became incredibly gentle, a kind of gentle that was not out of courtesy, but more intimate. But now…

The conversation came to a stop at this embarra.s.sing topic, Hang Hang looked through the mottle of shade to look up into the sky. Then, he suddenly wanted to say something, but did not know what to say. He did not want Qi Ji to be affected by his negative mood. Out of the blue, he thought about that person named Yi Ke Feng.

"Hey," Hang Hang b.u.mped his shoulder with Qi Ji.

"Hm?"

"That Yi Ke Feng is quite handsome."

"You shouldn't try to woo him, he already has a BF."

"f.u.c.k, why would I want to woo him?" Hang Hang laughed, "Wait, do you like him? Even just a little bit."

"Ah, yeah." Qi Ji dangled the cigarette on his lips and nodded. He had never said much about Yi Ke Feng to Hang Hang. Not that he deliberately did not want to say it, just that there was nothing to say really.  That romantic encounter on a French street had somewhat made his heart feel touched, unfortunately that feeling just came and went just like that. The man already had a boyfriend.

"You are…" Hang Hang shook his head, "if you only know how to run away like this your whole life, you will be lonely for the rest of your life."

"Ha Ha. Really?"

"Of course, you…"

"Ey, why do you love to jinx me?" Qi Ji took out another cigarette.

"Regretfully, I can't turn iron into steel."

"Ha ha ha ha…" Qi Ji laughed heartily.

"Keep on laughing, I really don't know what your brain is made out of."

"Didn't you already sum it up?  Aside from being full of literary knowledge, it's nothing but paste."

"Right."

"Hang Hang…" Qi Ji's head leaned against Hang Hang's shoulder.

"Hm?"

"By the time I reach thirty, and if we're still single, then let's stay together with each other."

Hang Hang thought for a moment, "Ok."

"Then I'll get up early every day to read you a romantic poem."

"Don't, that won't change the fact that I have no romantic feelings towards you."

"Ha ha ha ha… alas you're still the same meanie."

"Well, hasn't it always been like that since the day we both were still in diapers."

"Ai, right, now that I think about it, there really is not a bit of romantic flavor in it."

"Obviously."

"But it's all right, you can come to live in my house, then we'll be staying together everyday."

"Ok."

"Then you should learn how to cook now."

"Why am I the one learning to cook? Why isn't it you?"

"I have no talent!"

"And I have it?"

"Well, then let's hire a maid."

"Good idea."

"Meng Nan is the most fortunate one, tsk tsk, he gets to have good meals every day."

"Don't secretly tear the calendar behind my back to shift the time. That's too wicked!" Hang Hang laughed.

Translator Input: Chinese folds like to use the day-by-day calendar, where they can keep track of the date on the calendar by tearing the old day away. So Hang Hang’s joke is about that calendar.

"Wrong, you should know me better than this, I would cry out to the G.o.d of time, and ask for time to fast forward!"

"You're such a fool."

"Yeah, I am."

Just like that, the two of them leaned on each other to talk for a long time.

Qi Ji did not expect that at the age of 29, no sooner or later, that there is someone that has made him unable to fulfill the thirty-year-old contract with Hang Hang.  Of course, it is difficult to fulfill it at that time, because Liang Ze has already become Hang Hang's wife. At the age of 29, Qi Ji picks up a man crouching on the street with a cat, from then on his life has become unusually colorful.

When the two of them returned to the villager's home, it was already two o'clock.  Chen Yu Wen was sitting under the pergola drinking tea, she saw them come back and said, "Dead, she's no longer alive."

"Ah?"

Qi Ji and Hang Hang also sat down.

"I couldn't find Elder Dong, everyone said she is dead." After Chen Yu Wen said that, she saw a papercut hanging in Hang Hang's shirt pocket.

Qi Ji also turned to look at Hang Hang.

Hang Hang got shivers running through him as he took out that papercut. The dragon and its shadow appeared vividly on the table.

"Where did you get it?" Chen Yu Wen stood up.

"East of the village."

Chen Yu Wen wanted to immediately dash out.

"Don't go there," Hang Hang sipped on his tea, "She was no longer there when we headed back."

This incident later became an eternal mystery.  No one knows whether it was the dead coming back to cut that dragon for Hang Hang, or if it was from a mysterious retired craftsman that cut it for him.

Hang Hang only knew that when the old lady cut out this dragon for him, she spread out a dazzling charm that was similar to Liang Ze.

However, according to the historical records, the Yellow River valley paper-cut arts do not have dragons.

In short, it is still a mystery.

Proofread: Jesse