Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 30

Chapter 30 – Diction

There are too many sexual descriptions

——

This hug not only surprised Zhang Yuqing but also left Luo Shijin and Li Nan stunned. Qin Han buried her head in Zhang Yuqing’s chest, feeling like she had no way to wrap things up.

Too impulsive. She didn’t know how to explain this hug.

Zhang Yuqing, however, just chuckled, grabbed the collar at the back of her neck, and pulled her away teasingly, “Wow, is being a stand-in this good? Even getting people throwing themselves into your arms?”

Only then did Qin Han let go of him, blushing. She crouched down to play with Beibei, using the action as a way to gloss over the hug.

Luo Shijin took Zhang Yuqing’s wallet and went to buy their usual barbecue, piling it high on the table.

In the center of the table was a watermelon that Luo Shijin claimed to have carefully selected. The moment the knife touched it, it burst open, unbelievably sweet.

The old fan spread the aroma of the barbecue, filling the room with the scent of cumin and chili oil.

Qin Han was quieter than before. Even in the past, when she ate with them, she wasn’t very talkative.

But now, she wasn’t just quiet—there was a feeling as if her happiness had been sealed away.

Zhang Yuqing poured her a large glass of iced sour plum juice and placed it in front of her.

He glanced at Qin Han, who had her head lowered in silence, then suddenly leaned back in his chair and said with a smile to the others, “If you have anything making you unhappy, share it and cheer up our little girl.”

“Damn, Qing-ge! I’ve been unhappy before too, but I never saw you comforting me.”

Qin Han slowly raised her head. She had a feeling that Zhang Yuqing was about to say that sentence.

Sure enough, he glanced at Luo Shijin and said, “Are you a little girl?”

The familiar liveliness helped relieve the tension Qin Han had been holding onto for days.

She took a big sip of the sour and sweet iced plum juice, relaxing bit by bit in its osmanthus-infused flavor.

Luo Shijin and the others actually started talking about their own miserable experiences.

Not only did they talk, but they somehow turned it into a competition.

Luo Shijin slapped the table, “I went to restock the other day, and somehow the back of my three-wheeler started leaking. I was wondering why it was getting lighter and thought I was getting stronger or something.”

He paused. “When I got back, I realized that half the fruit had fallen out! Damn! Tell me, isn’t that miserable enough?”

Qin Han blinked, feeling like she wanted to laugh.

“That’s nothing.”

Li Nan gave him a dismissive look, flipping his long hair back. “I got into a fight with my parents a couple of days ago.”

Li Nan’s makeup and women’s clothing had been discovered by his mother.

She slapped him again, but this time, Li Nan pushed her away.

His father immediately rushed over, “Li Nan, you’re too rebellious!”

Li Nan held his head high and questioned them, “Have you ever thought about it? I’m not rebellious just because I want to be. It’s because this family forced me into it. Have you ever considered sitting down and talking to me properly, even just once?”

Li Nan said, “I thought I was being open and honest enough, but guess what my dad said?”

Qin Han was so absorbed in the story that she forgot to eat her lamb skewer and couldn’t help but ask, “What did he say?”

Li Nan’s father frowned and asked him, Is this why you turned into a freak?

His own father, calling his son a freak.

Luo Shijin sucked in a sharp breath. “Damn, dude, that’s seriously messed up.”

Qin Han was anxious. “And then? What happened next?”

But before she could get an answer, Li Nan raised his perfectly arched, semi-permanent eyebrows and said, “What do you mean what happened next? We’re comparing who’s more miserable here. Did I win against Luo Shijin?”

Qin Han didn’t even have time to react before letting out a stunned, “Ah?”

Some things, if kept bottled up, only fester into deeper sadness. At this gathering, everyone simply spilled out their unhappiness. And talking about it made it better.

Qin Han suddenly smacked the table.

She was always the obedient type, so this sudden action startled Luo Shijin and Li Nan, and even Zhang Yuqing turned his head in surprise.

But Qin Han, as if making up her mind, declared, “I’ll—I’ll compete too! My parents… they got divorced.”

Through this bizarre competition, Qin Han finally let out the grievances she had been holding in.

Then, following Luo Shijin and Li Nan’s example, she pointed her lamb skewer at them and challenged, “Who’s got it worse than me?”

Her skewer just so happened to point at Zhang Yuqing, making it feel like a provocation.

Qin Han knew that her pain couldn’t compare to Zhang Yuqing’s experiences.

This night was filled with the liveliness and security she was familiar with, making her feel like she could be a willful child here.

She didn’t lower her hand; instead, she even lifted her chin.

“Qing-ge’s misery is old news. It doesn’t count.”

Somehow, a competitive streak had sparked within Qin Han, and she immediately nodded. “Right, it doesn’t count.”

Zhang Yuqing smiled. “Mhm, it doesn’t count.”

Luo Shijin and Li Nan stood up and dramatically announced like hosts of an award show:

“And the most miserable person today is—”

“Qin Han!”

“Now, let’s have Beibei present the prize to Qin Han!”

Beibei had been gnawing on something under the tattoo studio’s bed. Hearing its name, it actually trotted out carrying something in its mouth.

A disposable slipper.

The sole was already chewed up.

Qin Han was momentarily stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter.

A ridiculous misery contest.

A ridiculous prize.

Childish, yet so heartwarming.

The gloom of the past few days was completely swept away.

“Oh, right.”

Zhang Yuqing stood up and brought out a box. “A customer was promoting these the other day, so I bought some. You guys can play with them.”

It was a box of Kongming lanterns.

During the New Year, people often release these red paper lanterns.

As Qin Han held a marker, hesitating over what to write on her Kongming lantern, she found herself at a loss.

Her mother had been doing well lately, and just yesterday, Qin Han had called her father. His work was also going smoothly.

So, what should she wish for?

For her parents to get back together? That was clearly impossible.

Anything else?

Qin Han thought for a moment. It seemed like there wasn’t much she particularly wanted.

Except for one thing.

She subtly turned her head, catching sight of Zhang Yuqing standing at the door, talking to a customer on the phone.

She wanted Zhang Yuqing to like her too.

As soon as the thought formed in her mind, she felt a little dazed, almost entranced, and her marker unconsciously traced the character “弓 (bow)” on the lantern.

Just as she finished writing, she suddenly sensed someone behind her.

Startled, she quickly threw herself over the Kongming lantern, pressing it tightly against the table before turning her head. It was Zhang Yuqing, who had just finished his phone call.

He smiled. “Little girl, keeping secrets?”

“No.” Qin Han denied it outright.

To divert his attention, she blocked the lantern with her body and pushed the marker toward him, imitating a street vendor. “Aren’t you going to release one? Write a wish!”

“Nothing to write.”

“Wishing for your grandmother and Dandan to recover soon—those are valid wishes!”

When it came to her own wish, Qin Han had struggled to come up with something, but for others, she had plenty of suggestions.

Zhang Yuqing twirled his phone in his hand a few times and chuckled. “Wishing won’t help with that. They need medical treatment.”

Desperate to make him leave before he saw her writing, Qin Han quickly asked, “What about a wish for yourself?”

But as soon as she said it, she regretted it a little.

What could he wish for that he could actually obtain?

Nothing, really.

Zhang Yuqing, however, didn’t seem to mind. Lowering his voice, he said, “I have so many desires. I want to love, to eat, and to transform in an instant into a half-lit, half-dark cloud in the sky. But later, I realized that life is just a slow process of being hammered down. People grow old day by day, and their desires fade bit by bit, until eventually, they become like an ox that has taken too many blows. I used to think I would stay fierce and unyielding forever, that nothing could break me.”

The night was deep. Luo Shijin and Li Nan were busy arguing over how to properly attach the small wax block to their lanterns.

Beibei was barking, chasing a moth, while other small insects flitted toward the lights, tapping against the glass window.

But Qin Han only heard Zhang Yuqing’s quiet words.

Her nose stung, and when she lifted her head to look at him, she saw the teasing smile on his face.

He smirked. “I was messing with you. That’s not my quote.”

“Then whose is it?”

“Wang Xiaobo.”

Qin Han blinked. “A line from a book?”

“Yeah, Golden Age.”

Zhang Yuqing tossed his phone into the air and caught it again as he walked away. “But don’t read it yet. Wait until you’re older.”

“Why?”

“You’re really asking me why?”

He turned back, grinning. “Because there are too many sexual descriptions in it.”

Qin Han’s face instantly turned bright red.

But after walking a few steps, Zhang Yuqing returned and held out his hand. “Give me the marker.”

Taking it, he grabbed a Kongming lantern and casually wrote a line on it.

His handwriting was still elegant and striking—

“Wishing Qin Han a life free of worries.”

“You’re at the age where girls should be smiling. Stay happy.” Zhang Yuqing said as he handed the marker back.

Qin Han stared at his lantern for a long moment. Then, turning around, she quietly erased the “弓” character on hers.

She had originally wished for Zhang Yuqing to like her.

But now, she changed her mind.

For him to remember Wang Xiaobo’s words so clearly, there had to be some personal resonance.

Even if he truly remained “unyielding forever,” she still hoped his life could be a little lighter, a little easier.

Nearby, Li Nan tucked his long hair behind his ear and shouted, “Luo Shijin, what the hell did you write?!”

“What? You can’t read?”

“Of course I can read, but—”

“Then why are you asking me?”

“No, seriously, are you doing extra work as a delivery man?”

“Bullshit! I’m fully committed to my fruit-selling career!”

Qin Han glanced over and was equally puzzled.

Luo Shiijin’s words were piled up messily and she asked, “Zhongtong (中通 )?”

Luo Shijin roared, “What Zhongtong?! It says ‘AWESOME (牛逼)’! AWESOME!!”

—t/n: Zhongtong is a well-known express delivery company in China.

Zhang Yuqing had been unwrapping a lollipop, but he laughed so hard it fell to the ground.

“What’s so funny? Let me see what you guys wrote!”

When Luo Shijin saw Zhang Yuqing’s lantern, he was about to call him biased, but after a moment, he hesitated and instead said, “Alright, I get it. I’m not a little girl, so I don’t deserve Qing-ge’s blessings.”

Li Nan was helping Qin Han release her lantern.

The wax block had already been lit. Qin Han held the lantern carefully, waiting to let go as the paper shell gradually expanded.

Luo Shijin walked over, circling around it.

“Hope… Yao… Oh, Yaonan Alley… can—”

Luo Shijin suddenly realized, “You’re wishing for Yao Nan Alley to be demolished?”

Hearing that, Zhang Yuqing turned to look at Qin Han.

The girl was thinner than when they first met. Her face was tinted orange-red by the lantern’s glow, smiling as usual, looking no different than normal.

But what kind of wish needed to be hidden?

“Damn, good bro! Even when making wishes, you’re thinking about making us rich! Respect!” Luo Shijin laughed and pounded Qin Han’s back.

Luo Shijin had a cleft palm, and his slaps were especially painful.

Qin Han stumbled forward from the impact, accidentally letting go of the lantern.

“Ah! The lantern!”

It wobbled past the treetops, casting a flickering shadow on the ground before slowly floating up into the night sky.

Qin Han sighed in relief. “Good thing it didn’t fall.”

Turning her head, she suddenly met Zhang Yuqing’s thoughtful gaze.

She had already prepared an explanation, rehearsing it in her mind countless times, so when she spoke, it was completely natural.

“You wrote one for me, so I wrote one for you. We’re even.”

After two seconds, Zhang Yuqing smiled as he always did.

“Alright, we’re even.”