The Creatures That We Are

“Tell us!” Gao Xinxin made the decision for her father.

“Lin Yue said in a very gentle voice,” Zhuang Mei looked around with a smile, leaving the line hanging for a suitably long time, “Get as far away from me as you can!”

“Nice!” Gao Xinxin was proud of her mother.

“Haha! I knew it!” Gao Yang’s father couldn’t be happier, and he sang his wife praises in hindsight. “My wife’s too brilliant to be coaxed by a playboy!”

Lin Yue smiled with what could be embarrassment or resignation. “Let me tell a story too, about Zhuang Mei’s first failed marriage...”

“Lin Yue! You’re not telling them that!” Zhuang Mei got nervous.

Lin Yue ignored her warning. “Are you interested?”

“I am!”

“Go on!”

“I can have three bowls of rice with the story!”

The others teased while laughing.

The birthday celebration became a gathering to expose each other’s dark history.

Gao Yang listened to the stories of misadventures from when his parents were young. For the first time, he realized keenly that his father and mother didn’t come into this world as fully matured adults. They had been children and then teenagers, and they had many precious memories, as well as a coming of age phase filled with unfulfilled wants and needs, but one they didn’t regret.

After dinner, Gao Yang went to the kitchen to do the dishes, all the while thinking of excuses to take Little Qing Ling away.

Gao Xinxin said from the living room, “Hurry, Brother. We’re going out soon.”

“Huh?” Gao Yang was taken aback. He hurried out of the kitchen. “We’re going out in the afternoon?”

His mother had changed into beautiful autumn’s clothes and put on light makeup. “We’re going to Auntie Mei’s farmhouse and spending the night there.”

“Sounds good.” Gao Yang put on a happy smile before turning to Little Qing Ling. “By the way, didn’t you have things to take care of in the afternoon?”

Little Qing Ling responded without missing a beat, “It’s nothing urgent. I can deal with it another day.”

“Oh, but you have plans in the evening...”

“My friends flaked out on me.” Little Qing Ling didn’t even pause before lying.

Wait, Little Qing Ling, this isn’t what we agreed on.

If you’re going to Zhuang Mei’s place, too, you’ll be spending the night with me. Isn’t that beyond your job description?

Seemingly reading Gao Yang’s mind, Little Qing Ling added, “Auntie Mei’s place has a few empty rooms, enough for all of us to stay the night.”

“Stop faffing around, Son. Let’s go!”

Gao Yang’s father was holding onto the birthday cake, still sealed within its box. He was visibly excited. Due to his mobility issue, he had been trapped at home for a good while. He had wanted to get some fresh air for a long time.

“Alright, a minute.” Gao Yang stopped insisting. He turned around and went back into the kitchen, doing the dishes at a faster pace.

...

Gao Yang, his father, mother, sister, Little Qing Ling, and Zhuang Mei took a seven-passenger taxi to the rural area of the Xijing District. They had a pleasant chat on the way, like they were going on a field trip. In the back, Gao Yang, Little Qing Ling, and Gao Xinxin were sitting together.

Every once in a while, Gao Xinxin would look over, eyeing her brother and sister-in-law with a strange gaze.

The indescribable pressure made Gao Yang worry that his fake relationship would be exposed if he and Little Qing Ling didn’t interact like a couple should, so he extended a hand and rested it behind her, making it seem like he was putting his arm around her shoulder while in truth, his hand was rested on the back of the seat. It was as intimate as he dared to get.

Little Qing Ling paused for two seconds before initiating physical contact, pressing their arms together and resting her head on his shoulder. They looked more intimate and natural this way.

Then Little Qing Ling quietly took out her phone.

A few seconds later, Gao Yang felt his phone vibrate. He took it out for a quick look.

Qing Ling: This counts as snuggling.

Gao Yang grumbled inwardly, Clever you. You made it more obvious because you didn’t want me to negotiate out of paying you, right? It’s just 3 jinwu. You’re looking down on me by doubting me!

An hour later, the six of them arrived at a remote area.

They got out of the car and walked along a narrow asphalt path weaving across a large field, going past a small village before reaching the bottom of a mountain with thriving vegetation. There sat a farmhouse, before which was a concrete front yard; there, sardines were laid out to be sundried.

On the left of the farmhouse was a small pond, and on the right was a fenced chicken pen. Next to it was a plot of farm, where six or seven varieties of produce were grown.

Zhuang Mei led the way while she told them about her life. “I woke up at six every day to feed the chickens, cut the grass to feed the fish, and then went to the farm to exterminate the bugs. Every week, I exchanged chicken eggs, duck eggs, and dried sardines for rice with the villagers, getting some extra money too. I’m more or less self-sufficient here.”

“Every once in a while, I’ll go to the city to buy everyday necessities, as well as vegetable seeds, pesticide, and fertilizer.”

Gao Yang was in the back while pushing his father’s wheelchair.

His father was in a good mood, saying while looking around, “Look, the water is turquoise, the mountain so beautiful... It’s so nice. We used to live in the countryside too, and the air is much fresher.”

“Auntie Mei, don’t you get bored living on your own?” Gao Xinxin took photos of the landscapes with her phone.

Zhuang Mei said, “No, I have so much to do every day. Why would I be bored?”

“Aren’t you scared sleeping on your own at night?” Little Qing Ling asked. She couldn’t imagine enduring nights without the protection of her sister.

“A little at first, but you get used to it.” Zhuang Mei smiled. “This is quite a remote area. If there’s any stranger, the dogs in the village bark. And the villagers take good care of me.”

A few minutes later, they entered the farmhouse.

The living room was quite plain. There was not much decoration or furniture outside of a square table, a few wooden chairs, an energy-saving light, and a ceiling fan.

“Apologies, I don’t have a sofa here. You’ll have to sit on the chairs.” Zhuang Mei headed into the kitchen while she talked. “Make yourselves at home. I’ll make tea for you.”

“It’s fine. I have no use for a sofa anyway,” Gao Yang’s father said self-deprecatingly in his wheelchair.

Soon, Zhuang Mei returned with tea, as well as plums and some dried fruit and snacks she made herself.

They chatted while having tea, mostly listening to Zhuang Mei talk about the difficulties and fun things that happened in her life of self-sufficiency. It was all new to them.

Then they helped Zhuang Mei make the beds in the three rooms, laying down blankets and pillows.

Gao Yang’s mother would be sharing a room with Gao Xinxin, and Gao Yang with his father. Little Qing Ling would have a room for herself.

Time snuck by, and it was four o’clock in the afternoon. It was time to prepare dinner.

Zhuang Mei asked Lin Yue to go forage for mushrooms with her in the mountain in the back. Autumn was the season for mushrooms. They would then slaughter a chicken and braise it with mushrooms as the main dish for dinner.

Alarm blared in Gao Yang’s head. He was immediately nervous when he heard that they were going foraging.

During the Crimson Tide, Zhuang Mei had taken Gao Yang’s mother to forage in the mountain, but then they ended up falling into a ditch. The incident had always struck Gao Yang as suspicious.

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