Chapter 51 – Trip to Lijiang (Extra 3, Part 3)
Novel t.i.tle: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)
*Please read at knoxt.s.p.a.ce, the original site of translation. TQ*
֍֍֍
Just as the receptionist said, the road has been sunny all the way. The temperature has been rising steadily since they reached Yuecheng. Wu Yang rolled up the car window and turned on the air conditioning. The temperature was not set too low to prevent the other person from getting sick later.
Yao Jinxi held a phone in his hand as he anxiously looked at the road ahead.
He didn’t know whether he should take the initiative to make a call back. What’s the time difference with the United States again? Why is it that after so many years, my younger brother’s presence always causes me so much anxiety?
He sighed, “I’m sorry.”
Wu Yang had risen early and was in high spirits. So he asked jokingly, “Did you drink half of my soy milk for breakfast? I forgive you.”
Yao Jinxi sighed again. Whether it was due to discomfort or just an attempt to ease his own mood, he pulled on the seatbelt and sat up slightly. He said, “It’s rare for us to go out like this. I feel like I’ve spoiled the mood.”
“Are you talking about your brother?” Wu Yang seemed to have just remembered about the missed call. “I don’t think he ruined my mood at all. He just brought someone home, right? Why are you so worried?”
That’s really a good question. Under those circ.u.mstances, there’s the issue of him separating from his brother without contact for several years. And then he came home bringing someone to meet the family as if nothing had happened. Coincidentally, his older brother wasn’t even there when he came home. With all these factors combined, shouldn’t he be worried?
Yao Jinxi sat back in silence. “Do you think he might believe I went on this trip just to avoid him?”
“Who does he think he is?” Clearly, Wu Yang’s deeply ingrained negative impression of Yao Jinchen hadn’t changed with the pa.s.sage of time. On the contrary, it seemed to have been subjectively painted even darker in his memory. “Does he think he’s such a big deal that I would take you and hide you away?”
In recent years, it has become increasingly rare to see Wu Yang in such an outspokenly displeased state. Yao Jinxi chuckled helplessly, “Okay, okay. Maybe I’m overthinking it. I’ll give him a call.”
However, after some consideration, he put the phone back down. “It’s too early now. Let’s wait for a bit.”
“Did you see the camera bag in the back?” Wu Yang didn’t point out Yao Jinxi’s dilemma. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, gesturing for him to look behind at the backseat.
“Right now?” Yao Jinxi unfastened his seatbelt and leaned over to grab the bag. He then placed it on his lap. “What’s the matter?”
The DSLR camera inside had never been used since its purchase. Wu Yang usually wasn’t one to fiddle with cameras. It seemed like he bought this specifically for this trip.
Wu Yang looked at the road. “There’s a user manual under the camera. Can you take it out and have a look?”
“Hey, isn’t taking photos your thing? Why are you making me look at it?” Despite saying this, Yao Jinxi still picked up the camera and pulled out the accompanying simple manual. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to use it?”
Wu Yang glanced at him distractedly. His look conveyed a sense of innocence. “Of course, I know how. I just thought you might as well take a look. You can’t keep putting up photos of your products taken with your point-and-shoot camera on Taobao.”
“But all the ones I’ve put up have received good reviews. It’s because of the honest and plain descriptions. The pictures even match the actual items. All Taobao shop owners should learn from me.” Putting the camera aside, Yao Jinxi propped his right cheek on a fist as he casually flipped through a few pages. “This is exaggerated. It’s way too exaggerated.”
“If I’m not mistaken” Wu Yang laughed and shook his head. “Isn’t it common knowledge that people with our s.e.xual orientation are generally more artistic and fresh? We’re supposed to be sensitive to colours or care a lot about dressing up. Sometimes I feel like we’re complete outcasts in that sense.”
“Who told you that? Did you also check this on Baidu?” Yao Jinxi almost burst into laughter. He closed the manual and said, “Actually, I think I’m quite ‘fresh and artistic’. Don’t you think so?”
Wu Yang chuckled, “If you say so.”
Yao Jinxi’s favourite side of Wu Yang was when he smiled like this. The slightly upturned corners of his mouth complemented his features perfectly. It was devoid of any flattery or pretence.
Sometimes Yao Jinxi found it strange how Wu Yang could express such genuine affection and fondness for him through subtle and ordinary facial expressions. It seemed like this affection was so profound, permeating every moment they spent together and overflowing at any given time.
Recalling their first meeting, there was mutual scrutiny and suspicion. At least, Yao Jinxi didn’t have a good impression of Wu Yang initially. Their subsequent interactions were more transactional. He never thought it would lead to the current situation.
It felt like a world away now.
So, how did they end up together? Yao Jinxi occasionally couldn’t understand why such an outstanding man would be so good to him.
He wasn’t someone with an inferiority complex. But when he looked back at everything, it seemed like he hadn’t done much for Wu Yang. Looking at it from a different perspective, Yao Jinxi could understand why he himself fell in love with Wu Yang though.
“After all, as long as this person wants to, he can always do things perfectly.”
Yao Jinxi smiled but then it turned into a slight frown. He reached for his phone and unlocked it. “Is it about time now? I wonder if he’s awake?”
“Even if he had arrived, he should be adjusting to the time difference and sleeping. But anyway, Aunt Yao usually gets up early. You can call and check the situation,” Wu Yang replied noncommittally.
Yao Hong’s daily routine was extremely regular and healthy. With the addition of a pet, she had to get up every morning to prepare food for the cat. Otherwise, Xiao Huang would meow incessantly, which was quite annoying.
Sure enough, Yao Hong quickly answered the phone, “Jinxi? Jinchen arrived in the early morning and is sleeping now. But his…”
Even through the phone, Yao Hong’s hesitation was palpable. She seemed to involuntarily lower her voice, “His friend is currently making breakfast.”
Making breakfast?That was quite an impression.
Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but ask, “Mom, what kind of person is his friend?”
“…He’s a quite enthusiastic foreign guy, with brilliant blonde hair and blue eyes,” Yao Hong spoke with a trembling tone, as if slightly startled. “His name is Nick or something. I have a bit of trouble remembering foreign names.”
Yao Jinxi’s heart skipped a beat. It turned out his friend was really a man?!
Suddenly, there was background noise on the other end of the call. Because the speaking voice wasn’t loud, Yao Jinxi couldn’t make out what was being said until his mother hesitantly responded with “Okay.” It became clear that the other person wanted to talk to him.
“h.e.l.lo, brother. I’m Nick,” came a reasonably standard Chinese greeting. True to Yao Hong’s description, the young man’s voice seemed to carry a certain warmth. Whether it was a characteristic of foreign people in general or just this guy’s outgoing nature wasn’t clear. “I heard you guys went on a trip. When are you coming back?”
It was hard to tell if this inquiry held pure antic.i.p.ation or a hint of reproach. Yao Jinxi didn’t know whether to address his choice of addressing him as ‘brother’ or to directly ask about what was going on between him and Yao Jinchen. In the end, he just answered the question, “Not sure. If you guys had let us know in advance, I could have planned better.”
“Oh, Jinchen dragged me back suddenly. I’m sorry for that,” Nick’s voice carried a hint of regret. But his frankness at least didn’t increase Yao Jinxi’s aversion towards him. Cheerfully and sincerely, he continued, “I’ve heard a lot about you from him and really wanted to meet you.”
Thinking about Yao Hong being nearby, Yao Jinxi found it a bit challenging to express certain things. So he hinted with a touch of meaning, “I’d like to meet you too.”
“But maybe we won’t have a chance this time. The company didn’t give us that much time off, you know. Bosses all around the world are the same,” Nick laughed heartily. He sounded young, confident, and had the enthusiasm that one could imagine coming from someone with brilliant blonde hair. “I think we might have a chance during the Chinese New Year. By then, you must let me taste the tea you brew.”
This person’s personality completely exceeded Yao Jinxi’s expectations. Of course, a few sentences over the phone weren’t enough to define a stranger.
However, suddenly, he wasn’t as worried as before.
Having someone who could maintain a close relationship with Yao Jinchen and help him make decisions about returning home gave Yao Jinxi at least some confidence and hope.
“Alright, Nick,” Yao Jinxi paused and then continued, “I regret not being able to meet you.”
“Same here. Are you guys driving? I won’t disturb you. Bye. Have a great time. Oh! Auntie, leave that to me.” The last word was only half uttered before the call was cut off.
Yao Jinxi stared at the darkened phone screen with a complicated expression.
Sitting next to him, although Wu Yang didn’t hear the other side of the conversation, he had already figured out everything. “So, is your brother the one on top or the one on the bottom?”
That was really hard to figure out. Yao Jinxi thought about it seriously. But he felt like he should know, right? Did he know? The United States was a pretty open-minded country. They could even get a certificate for same-s.e.x relationships. But considering Yao Jinchen’s personality, he always felt like he couldn’t be controlled if he was on top. But he also couldn’t imagine him willingly being on the bottom.
He abruptly stopped his thoughts and relaxed his furrowed eyebrows. “Mr. Wu, I don’t want to discuss my brother’s intimate matters with you.”
“Nick? Turns out he’s a foreigner. Really…” Wu Yang clicked his tongue twice. “Life is unpredictable. Honestly, I actually thought your brother was gay for real.”
Yao Jinxi had nothing to say about this. He had never felt that Yao Jinchen’s feelings toward him were genuine in that way. He didn’t want to delve into this topic, so he casually retorted, “Honestly, I always thought you were straight.”
Wu Yang smiled, “Honestly, before I met you, I thought the same.”
“Do I have that much charm?” Yao Jinxi fell silent for a moment. “This will be another shock for my mom. I’ll call her later to comfort her.”
“Rest a.s.sured. As the ‘big brother,’ you’ve already bravely laid a good foundation for Auntie. Familiarity breeds acceptance. So accepting your brother this time will be easier. Auntie won’t be unfair like that,” Wu Yang said, tilting his head as if contemplating. “And I think this guy Nick will definitely be able to handle Auntie.”
Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle. “You haven’t even met Nick and you have such a high opinion of him?”
“Because he can handle your brother,” Wu Yang a.n.a.lysed with a smirk. “Plus, a few words from him have already made you like him. This guy, if he’s not as good at socialising as I am, then he must have a naturally charismatic personality.”
Yao Jinxi turned to him, very seriously saying, “In our first interaction, he left a better impression on me than you did.”
“If you say that, I might get jealous, you know?” Wu Yang laughed. “Wasn’t I just in a bad state back then? It should be understandable.”
Noticing that Yao Jinxi had been silent for a while, Wu Yang took a moment to glance at him and found him staring straight at him. He couldn’t help but laugh and ask, “What are you looking at? Are you really planning to settle scores with me over my poor performance back then?”
“Oh my. It took how many years to finally settle scores? My reflexes are too slow,” Yao Jinxi clicked his tongue. “I just suddenly wanted to know. What was your first impression of me back then?”
Without hesitation, Wu Yang replied, “Difficult to please.”
Yao Jinxi was speechless. “Why does it sound like you have rehea.r.s.ed this answer like a hundred times? You remember this after all these years? Did I give off such a bad impression?”
“Because I often recall these things when I have nothing else to do. I remember many details very clearly. But you didn’t give off a bad impression,” Wu Yang displayed a nostalgic expression. It was as if he was reminiscing about the past. But he wasn’t recalling something unpleasant. He was rather savouring those moments. “You gave off a comfortable vibe, making people want to interact with you. But you seemed indifferent to everything around you. People like that, in my opinion, are the most difficult to get close to. Because I couldn’t find any points of contact that could pique your interest.”
Surprised by Wu Yang’s words, Yao Jinxi had some fuzzy memories of that time. Still, he remembered that their conversations were just some formalities. So how did it end up feeling comfortable?
Curiously, Yao Jinxi asked, “You… you didn’t happen to develop feelings for me back then, did you?”
Then he quickly denied it himself, “No. It must have been that time when you called me in the middle of the night. My three cups of tea must have won over your heart.”
With that, Yao Jinxi laughed. Discussing such matters seemed pointless. For him, pinpointing exactly when he started liking Wu Yang was a challenge too. “Come on. While the road is still not too crowded, let me take over.”
This day’s journey was much more exhausting than the first day. Yao Jinxi took the wheel for an hour or two in the afternoon. Despite having his driver’s licence for a long time, he hadn’t acc.u.mulated much driving experience. After the stretch of road from Yan Yuan county to Lugu Lake, he voluntarily handed the steering wheel back to Wu Yang.
They had just covered over a hundred kilometres. It took several hours. By the time they arrived, it was already dark. Both of them were feeling physically drained from the b.u.mpy ride, so they found a hotel and went straight to bed.
֍֍֍
*Translator’s Note:
Wu Yang: So, is your brother the one on top or the one on the bottom?
Me: Good question, sir.?
-K
Next update: 2023.12.01
֍֍֍