Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 40

Chapter 40 – Pocket

Qin Han, get up

——

After enduring over ten days of military training, Qin Han finally welcomed the National Day holiday. Yet she soon realized her truly free time was surprisingly limited.

On the first day off, classmates from Imperial City and those staying in the dorms organized a group dinner through their class chat. Qin Han couldn’t refuse and joined them.

Before the break, she’d also agreed to spend two days at her grandmother’s house with her father and one day shopping with her mother.

Out of seven days off, this left her with only three days of true freedom.

After returning from her grandmother’s, Father Qin took Qin Han to a Western restaurant.

This establishment had been a family favorite for years. The same receptionist greeted them as always, and the steak remained as tender as ever.

But Qin Han knew her father wouldn’t invite her mother to this meal.

In fact, she suspected no future dinners with her father would ever include her mother again.

Qin Han brought up her desire to change majors. Father Qin clearly recognized the term “special education.”

He smiled. “I’m proud you’ve found this field. You should visit rehabilitation hospitals and special schools to see the children firsthand. Having the desire is one thing, but possessing the skills to help them is another. I hope your decision isn’t made in a moment of impulse.”

Qin Han nodded.

Father Qin continued, “What made you decide to switch majors?”

“Because…”

After a moment’s thought, Qin Han chose to be honest. “I have a friend whose sister has Down Syndrome.”

“Which friend?”

“You’ve met him before. The one with the shop in Yaonan Alley.”

Father Qin pondered for a moment. “Is switching majors also because of that friend?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Truly just a friend?”

Qin Han’s face flushed. “Dad…”

Father Qin chuckled. “It seems my Xiaohan has grown up.”

After dinner, Qin Han went to the bathroom. When she emerged, her father stood by the car smoking.

In October, the heat had long departed from the wind. Father Qin stood motionless, his figure appearing weathered and aged.

He gazed at the bustling street in the distance, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“Dad.”

Noticing Qin Han’s return, Father Qin extinguished his cigarette. A tender yet melancholic expression softened his features.

He asked Qin Han, “Sweetheart, how has your Mom been lately?”

Truthfully, not well at all.

Mother no longer hummed while doing household chores, nor did she bake cakes or arrange flowers. Instead, she spent her days shopping and attending social gatherings.

It was as if she’d accidentally lost her soul and needed to go to a bustling place to retrieve it.

Qin Han didn’t know how to tell her father, but in the brief moment she hesitated, Father Qin already knew the answer.

He sighed softly. “Remember to discuss the major change with your mother.”

Qin Han nodded.

The next day, while shopping with her mother, Qin Han found no opportunity to bring up the major change.

During the Golden Week holiday, even normally quiet bubble tea shops had lines stretching several meters. After browsing two malls, Mother Qin took Qin Han out for dinner at a western restaurant—the same one where Qin Han had eaten with her father the previous day.

Qin Han didn’t mention they’d already had western food yesterday, and Mother Qin didn’t ask about anything related to Father Qin.

Only after eating half her steak did Mother Qin’s conversation shift from clothes and travel to Qin Han’s university life.

“Xiaohan, is university easier than high school?” Mother Qin asked, cutting her steak with a knife.

Qin Han shook her head. “Not really. I want to change my major, so I’m looking at courses for both programs. Mom, do you know anything about special education?”

Mother Qin’s gaze remained fixed on the steak, as if Qin Han hadn’t spoken at all.

Only after cutting the steak did she speak, “When I was in university, your grandmother always said there were plenty of excellent men around. She told me not to just focus on my studies, but to interact with other classmates.”

As she spoke, Mother Qin lifted her head, her smile strained. “Our university was so prestigious, with so many outstanding men. But tell me, why did I end up clinging to your father like a monkey to a tree, refusing to let go?”

Qin Han hadn’t expected the conversation to take this sudden turn. She felt momentarily lost, unsure how to respond.

“If I’d known men become corrupted once they have money, I should have listened to your grandmother and found someone well-off,” Mother Qin said with a self-mocking laugh.

Mother always claimed Father’s wealth had corrupted him, but in truth, his daily life seemed consumed entirely by work.

The divorce hadn’t made either parent a victim—both had suffered.

Neither had come out better off.

Why had Father become the villain in this story?

Qin Han tried to reassure her mother, “Father is probably just busy with work.”

“You don’t understand!”

Mother Qin lifted her wineglass and drained its contents in one gulp. “Xiaohan, listen to your mother,” she said. “You can date in college, but only someone from a well-off family. Understood?”

She slammed the stemware on the table, her voice thickening. “Men! Money corrupts them all!”

Qin Han choked on a mouthful of salad, the words lingering in her throat.

Her mother’s words always left her uneasy.

On the fourth day of the National Day holiday, Qin Han finally made it to Yaonan Alley.

During a previous shopping trip with her mother, she’d discovered an exceptional ice cream shop. But the distance to Yaonan Alley was too great—even a taxi ride would melt the treat.

She’d spent the entire night strategizing how to bring Zhang Yuqing and the others a taste of that heaven.

After hours of contemplation, she’d devised a solution.

Two massive thermoses now occupied her backpack, ready to preserve the frozen delicacy during transit.

The mall buzzed with holiday crowds. Qin Han waited in line for nearly half an hour.

While waiting in line, Zhang Yuqing called, “Little girl, when are you coming over?”

“Probably about an hour,” Qin Han replied cheerfully.

“I’ll wait for you.”

As he said those two words, Qin Han felt her heart skip a beat.

After finally reaching the counter, Qin Han ordered three large paper cups of ice cream. She carried them to a seat in the bustling mall, ignoring the curious or surprised looks from other shoppers as she transferred the ice cream into her thermos.

In the crowd of people, Qin Han spotted someone she used to know well, Hu Keyuan.

Hu Keyuan and Xu Weiran were both attending universities in neighboring provinces. But every time Hu Keyuan tried to meet up with Xu Weiran, Xu Weiran refused to come out.

Even during this short holiday back in the capital, Hu Keyuan had suggested, “Want to travel together? I’m booking train tickets.”

Xu Weiran’s response had been curt, “I’ve already bought plane tickets.”

Hu Keyuan was wandering the mall alone, never expecting to encounter Qin Han. She couldn’t help but feel that Qin Han seemed quite different from her high school self.

Qin Han sat quietly at a dessert shop table in a white dress, wooden spoon in hand as she scooped ice cream into a thermos.

Her features radiated gentleness, lips curved in a smile and glossed with lip balm.

Unfazed by the gazes around her, she remained immersed in her own world, steadfast and focused.

Hu Keyuan’s brow furrowed.

Does Qin Han have a boyfriend now?

How dare she have a boyfriend?

Hu Keyuan thought bitterly. Both Xu Weiran and I are trapped by our feelings. How can Qin Han have a boyfriend?

Qin Han finished packing her ice cream, tightened the thermos lid, and stored it in her bag before calling a ride-share.

No bus today.

She wanted to reach Yaonan Alley early.

The alley remained unchanged, its usual quiet undisturbed by the holiday crowds.

Elder chess players still occupied the street corner, while a familiar erhu melody drifted through the air from an unknown source.

The basketball-playing boy from the barber shop waved at Qin Han. “Hey.”

Qin Han swung her small bag. “Hey.”

It had been half a month since her last visit.

A sudden urgency gripped her. Qin Han grabbed her bag and dashed out.

She ran toward Zhang Yuqing’s shop.

Upon entering, she collided with someone’s chest, enveloped by the fresh scent of bamboo groves.

Qin Han looked up hastily, meeting Zhang Yuqing’s gentle smile.

He steadied her. “Why the rush?”

The truth slipped out unbidden. “I couldn’t wait to see you.”

Flustered, she scrambled for an excuse and thrust the bag containing her ice cream toward him. “I-I was worried it might melt.”

Zhang Yuqing watched her, chuckling softly as he rested his hand on her head. “Understood.”

Whether his response addressed her confession or her ice cream excuse remained unclear.

Li Nan and Luo Shijin had also arrived. Dandan descended from upstairs, freshly woken, while Beibei trailed the group with its tail wagging.

Qin Han’s ice cream received universal praise, but Zhang Yuqing faced criticism.

For no apparent reason, Luo Shijin suddenly declared, “Qin Han, we’ve been suffering without you. Qing-ge refuses to turn on the air conditioning.”

Qin Han was puzzled. “It’s been so hot these past few days. Why don’t we turn on the air conditioning?”

“We don’t get that luxury!”

Luo Shijin burst out, “This capital city’s season is truly unbearable. The autumn tiger, ah, the autumn tiger! It’s so hot it drives you mad. Qing-ge won’t let us use the air conditioning, and the electric fans are all upstairs. Ugh.”

Qin Han glanced toward the tattoo studio. Zhang Yuqing had a customer today and was busy working inside.

Luo Shijin urged her, “Qin Han, go on. Go ask Qing-ge for the air conditioning remote.”

“Why me?”

Li Nan chimed in, “Go ahead. With Qing-ge, only the girls get special treatment.”

“Dandan, are you hot too?” Luo Shijin turned to Dandan. “Tell your Qin Han sister to get the air conditioning for you.”

“Qin Han-jiejie, Dandan’s hot.”

It was truly hot today, and Luo Shijin was acting strangely.

Qin Han didn’t want to disturb Zhang Yuqing while he was working, but Dandan’s sweat was dripping down her neck.

“Fine, I’ll go ask for the air conditioning remote.”

As Qin Han stood up, she caught a glimpse of something outside the window.

She froze, then turned back to look again.

No one outside the window?

Yet Qin Han couldn’t shake the feeling that the figure she’d glimpsed out of the corner of her eye resembled Hu Keyuan.

The door to the tattoo studio rattled with knocks. Qin Han followed by Dandan stood at the entrance, their wide eyes blinking rapidly as they gazed at Zhang Yuqing without speaking.

The customer’s tattoo was a simple line drawing. Zhang Yuqing only looked up after finishing the lines. “What’s wrong?”

The girls’ flushed cheeks and necks suggested they’d been pushed into this. After a moment’s hesitation, one pointed outside and mumbled, “It’s so hot… Can we turn on the AC?”

Zhang Yuqing’s lips curved beneath his mask. He decided to tease her. “Who made you come?”

“I did.”

So she’s loyal enough to take the blame. The girl insisted, “I want to turn on the AC.”

Contrary to Luo Shijin’s claims, Zhang Yuqing usually kept the AC running. He hid the remote because Dandan kept sneaking to turn it on and standing directly in the cold air.

Dandan had a weak constitution, so such a gust of wind would either give her diarrhea or a fever.

Whenever Zhang Yuqing was busy, he always kept the remote control in his pocket or in the tattoo studio.

“Are you really going to turn on the AC?”

“Yes!”

Zhang Yuqing looked back at the tattoo pattern on the customer’s arm and casually said, “Get it yourself. The remote’s in my pocket.”

He was wearing work pants today.

The pants had over a dozen pockets of various sizes.

He thought this would embarrass her into revealing Luo Shijin, but instead, Qin Han actually walked over and started feeling around Zhang Yuqing’s pants.

She murmured while searching, “Is it this pocket? Or this one? What about this?”

The customer held back a laugh as he looked at Zhang Yuqing, mouthing, “Qing-ge, are you okay?”

Qin Han crouched beside him, her fair, soft hands roaming over the pants.

Zhang Yuqing felt like she was digging her own hole and jumping into it.

He took a deep breath. “Qin Han, get up.”