Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 67

Chapter 67 – Knots

We’re doing something special tonight

——

Li Nan arrived early. Qin Han had styled Dandan’s hair into a cute little bun.

They gathered around the table in Zhang Yuqing’s shop, learning to wrap zongzi from Qin Han.

The morning weather was sunny with a gentle breeze. The recent rains had finally stopped, cleansing the sky into an especially captivating hue. The leaves lining the old street were a vibrant green.

Luo Shijin remarked, “These leaves are so green—they practically exude desire.”

Li Nan burst out laughing, nearly knocking over the rice bowl as he slammed his face onto the table.

He teased Luo Shijin, “What desire? That sounds like some sleazy movie title! It’s called ‘vibrant green’—get it right!”

Qin Han had only learned from her grandmother last night. Her skills weren’t particularly refined, barely managing to form the zongzi shapes.

But as a graduate of Normal University, she’d honed her teaching techniques through countless practice sessions. Having delivered numerous simulated and demonstration lessons before graduation, she unconsciously slipped into instructor mode as she prepared to teach.

The young girl held up the bamboo leaves and demonstrated, “First, overlap the two leaves like this. Then roll them into a tube shape and fill it with rice.”

She wasn’t particularly skilled at it. After struggling for a while, a few grains of rice still managed to fall onto the table. Her composure instantly crumbled, and she blushed, saying, “Aiya, I guess I’m not very good at this. It doesn’t look nice at all.”

Zhang Yuqing leaned back in his chair, chuckling as he complimented his girlfriend, “Little Teacher Qin, you’ve wrapped these beautifully. Put a mark on this one so I can eat it when it’s cooked.”

His demeanor was quite mischievous.

Qin Han pursed her lips, inwardly wondering if he had truly been a good student in school.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Whether you were actually a good student.”

Zhang Yuqing smiled. “Have you reached a conclusion?”

Qin Han tilted her head.

Zhang Yuqing’s academic records were undoubtedly excellent. She’d never seen him smoke, and his occasional drinking never led to excessive behavior. He avoided physical altercations except for that incident with Li Nan. To everyone else, he maintained a polite yet distant demeanor, always carrying a faint smile.

Moreover, he’d read extensively, worked part-time to support himself, and demonstrated kindness and responsibility.

After careful consideration, Qin Han had to admit that Zhang Yuqing might indeed have been a good student.

“Am I a good student?” Zhang Yuqing asked with a smile.

Qin Han reluctantly agreed, “I guess so.”

Her manual dexterity was lacking; she hadn’t expected Luo Shijin to be the most skilled among them.

His chubby hands produced remarkably well-formed zongzi, each with sharp angles and distinctive shapes.

Luo Shijin lifted his bundle of zongzi. “Who knew? I, Luo Shijin, actually have this kind of talent. Maybe I should sell zongzi part-time from now on. These little guys are fucking gorgeous.”

Li Nan’s zongzi were poorly wrapped, but he’d focused all his attention on creating decorative knots. The butterfly-shaped ties were indeed quite beautiful.

Dandan spent ages playing with the bamboo leaves, wasting several in the process, until she’d built a small mountain of soaked rice on the table.

As the self-appointed teacher, Qin Han’s zongzi fell somewhere between competent and mediocre. Zhang Yuqing didn’t attempt to wrap any himself, instead sitting beside her as an assistant.

He scooped the rice, tied the knots, and arranged the finished zongzi in neat rows.

Luo Shijin remarked, “Who knew Qing-ge, when in love, would turn out to be this fucking clingy type?”

Zhang Yuqing shot him a glance. “Watch your language. I’m just being attentive.”

“Hey, hey, hey, enough with the hospitality, okay?”

Before they knew it, the morning had slipped away. With the zongzi cooked by noon, the group gathered on Luo Shijin’s electric tricycle, Beibei trailing behind, to deliver the treats to their neighbors.

They visited the grandmother who sold chilled sour plum juice, Grandpa Liu’s bookstore, the street corner barber shop, and the barbecue stall that always grilled them meat.

Their final stop was Grandma Zhang’s house. The elderly woman clutched Qin Han’s hand, refusing to let go. “My dear granddaughter, it’s been ages since you last visited. Let me think… must be several years. Were you too busy trying to give my grandson a child?”

“You’re growing more beautiful by the day. I have a mink coat that would look stunning on you.”

Luo Shijin chimed in from the side, “Don’t even mention that fake fur coat of yours. You know it’s just synthetic material from that counterfeit shop you got tricked into buying from during winter. It’s not even real mink—more like rabbit fur.”

Grandma Zhang ignored him, but Qin Han responded with grace. “Grandma, I still haven’t worn the coral bracelet you gave me last time. You don’t need to keep giving me gifts.”

“Then next time, next time Grandma will buy you something nice.”

Grandma Zhang had lost a tooth at the beginning of the year, and when she smiled, a bit of air escaped through the gap, making her look even more endearing.

Grandma Zhang clung to Qin Han, refusing to let go, and kept calling the young girl “granddaughter-in-law.”

Zhang Yuqing clicked his tongue. “Old lady, don’t pretend you don’t know better just to take advantage of our young girl. She hasn’t agreed to marry your grandson yet, so why call her ‘granddaughter-in-law’?”

His smile was gentle, but when Qin Han looked at him, she always felt she was seeing Zhang Yuqing’s “sly” side.

She heard him say, “Changing your mouth requires a fee. Minimum 10,000 yuan.”

After delivering the zongzi, the group finally sat down to eat.

There were still some leftover ingredients from making the zongzi. Li Nan looked at them in disbelief. “Qin Han, did you bring all this? So much? Are you some kind of weightlifting champion?”

Zhang Yuqing leaned close to Qin Han’s ear, smiling. “Call me next time. A boyfriend is free labor. I’ll handle the heavy lifting.”

“But I like carrying things myself,” Qin Han replied, her face flushing. “I like coming home with arms full of stuff and saying, ‘Look, I’m moving in.'”

This had happened twice before.

The earliest memory was from her summer break at seventeen, when she’d come home carrying armfuls of luggage.

Zhang Yuqing had teased her then, eyebrows raised, “Moving in? Planning to take over my place?”

Later, during their time in America, she would often recall those words.

Each time, her heart would flutter with longing.

That afternoon, Zhang Yuqing had a client visit. The tattoo machine’s hum filled the studio.

He’d taken on fewer tattoo jobs now, only accepting those that aligned perfectly with his artistic vision. Though less busy than before, his earnings had multiplied several times.

While Zhang Yuqing worked, Qin Han, Li Nanluo, and Luo Shijin played cards with Dandan, entertaining themselves for the entire afternoon.

By evening, when Zhang Yuqing emerged from the tattoo room with his client, the group’s faces were plastered with paper notes as they continued their card battle.

The customer paused, then roared with laughter. “Qing-ge, this place has such a lively atmosphere! It reminds me of my college dorm!”

After seeing off the client, Zhang Yuqing approached the window table. He gently removed the paper note stuck on Qin Han’s forehead and kissed her brow.

Turning to the others, he demanded, “Luo Shijin, hand over the cards you’re hiding under your butt.”

Luo Shijin grinned sheepishly. “Heh heh heh, Qing-ge, I only hid two cards! I swear I wasn’t cheating. Qin Han’s just too weak at cards, ha ha! She always loses.”

As they spoke, Qin Han played a series of cards: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K. No one called to challenge her.

The young girl finally exhaled deeply and placed her remaining “3” card down. “I finally won a round.”

Dinner was once again at Zhang Yuqing’s shop. Luo Shijin brought two bottles of alcohol when he returned home.

One was white wine, the other realgar wine.

Qin Han examined the bottles curiously. This was her first encounter with realgar wine, yet the name seemed familiar.

After a moment’s thought, she asked Zhang Yuqing, “Is realgar wine the kind they poured into the lotus pond in that movie, making Xiao Qing reveal her true form? You know, from The Green Snake?”

Zhang Yuqing suddenly laughed. “Young lady, you’ve seen such an old film?”

“I watched it at my grandmother’s house when I was little.”

Curiosity about realgar wine drove Qin Han to take a small sip. The pungent taste immediately made her furrow her brow.

“If you can’t handle it, spit it out.”

Zhang Yuqing held out his hand. Embarrassed to spit into his palm, Qin Han spun around twice before finally spitting into the trash bin.

They drank some white wine that evening, but the realgar wine remained largely untouched.

During dinner, Qin Han taught Dandan to address teachers at school properly, while calling her “Qin Han-jiejie” at home.

At first, Dandan was reluctant to speak. But when she wanted to address Qin Han, she would mutter to herself,

“Dandan is at home now. At home, I should call her ‘sister’.”

After this murmured reminder, she would finally say, “Qi Han-jiejie.”

Dandan clung to Qin Han throughout the night. Before bedtime, she insisted on having Qin Han accompany her to her bedroom, where they washed up together. Qin Han even told her a bedtime story.

When Qin Han returned to Zhang Yuqing’s bedroom, she found him already bathed, leaning against the bed with half-dry hair as he scrolled through his phone. His bare chest exuded a lazy yet alluring aura.

“What’s that on Dandan’s wrist?” Qin Han asked, seeking conversation.

“A five-colored thread. The elders in Yaonan Alley have this tradition—they put these on children for the Dragon Boat Festival.”

Zhang Yuqing unzipped the back of her dress and handed her a short-sleeved shirt. His voice brushed against her ear as he murmured, “Go wash up, little girl.”

Blushing, Qin Han took the shirt and slipped into the bathroom.

When she emerged refreshed, Zhang Yuqing’s bedroom was empty. She searched downstairs but found only Beibei sprawled asleep on the floor.

Just as she considered calling, the shop door chimed. Zhang Yuqing strode in, asking, “Finished?”

“Where did you go?”

Zhang Yuqing raised his hand. “I got this from Grandmother. I thought you might like it too.”

He held up a thin, multicolored cord woven from five different colored threads.

Qin Han felt a mix of surprise and delight. She had actually liked the one Dandan was wearing, but hadn’t dared to say so, fearing Zhang Yuqing might think her childish.

Yet he’d noticed.

“Is there a special meaning to wearing it?”

“Not really. It’s just for good luck.”

Zhang Yuqing pondered a moment. “Some people keep it on until Qixi, praying for a hundred years of harmonious marriage. Kids usually take theirs off the first rainy day after Dragon Boat Festival for safety.”

Qin Han extended her wrist. “Then I’ll wear mine until Qixi too!”

“No need. Safety is enough.” Zhang Yuqing’s eyes sparkled with amusement, his words carrying a hint of arrogant pride. “We don’t need blessings. Our relationship will flourish naturally.”

He slipped off his short sleeve, hearing Qin Han sigh. “Now I can’t wear it either, Zhang Yuqing.”

“Why not?”

“Teachers can’t wear jewelry. It distracts the children.”

Zhang Yuqing took the multicolored string from her hand and crouched down in front of Qin Han. “Then let’s put it on your ankle.”

The drawn curtains fluttered in the evening breeze, occasionally puffing up before flattening again.

The bedroom still carried the faint fragrance of bamboo groves.

Qin Han knew what would happen tonight, leaving her somewhat anxious.

But Zhang Yuqing didn’t seem in any hurry. He stood bare-chested, his toned muscles and irresistibly alluring masculine scent on full display, yet patiently knelt before her to fasten the multicolored string around her ankle.

The five strands twisted together formed a thin cord, making it somewhat difficult to tie knots.

His movements were so confident and composed, his fingertips hooking the string with practiced ease.

Qin Han recalled that morning half a month ago when he had caught her as she nearly stumbled. He had smiled and said, “Young lady, my fingers should still be quite dexterous.”

Her entire body felt like it had been thrown into a charcoal furnace. She raised her hand and fanned her face twice.

Zhang Yuqing finished tying the five-colored thread, took a small pair of scissors to trim the excess, then looked up at Qin Han. “When’s your class reunion tomorrow?”

“It was supposed to be at noon, but I just checked the group chat.”

Qin Han flipped through her phone as she spoke. “Seems our homeroom teacher isn’t available at lunchtime, so it’s being moved to the evening. The class president just sent the restaurant address—we should arrive before 5 PM tomorrow.”

“Then sleep in a bit longer tomorrow morning.”

“Why?”

Zhang Yuqing set the scissors aside, braced his hands on the bed’s edge, and pressed them against Qin Han’s forehead. “We’re doing something special tonight. You’ll probably be a bit tired afterward.”

He leaned closer, and the phone in Qin Han’s hand tumbled onto the bed.