As soon as they entered the room, Fang Muyang said to Fei Ni, "Don't rush around. Let me massage your legs. You must be tired from earlier."
"No need." Though her calves were indeed quite sore. In the new house, Fei Ni had stood on tiptoe with her hands braced against the wall, only her toes touching the floor, so unsteady she could barely stand. Her legs trembled uncontrollably, and to maintain her balance, she had to press hard against the wall. If Fang Muyang hadn't been holding her waist, she might have slipped to the ground. Fei Ni felt a bit embarrassed by her complete compliance. If she hadn't risen on her toes to match his height, they might not have stayed out so late, and her legs might not be this sore now. She thought it would be over soon, but he insisted on leaving her handprints on all four walls of the bedroom.
"If you're not tired, we could—"
Fei Ni picked up a pillow and threw it at Fang Muyang. He laughed and said, "If you're not tired, we can just talk. What did you think I meant?"
Fei Ni simply ignored him after that.
Fang Muyang carried Fei Ni to the bed and, without waiting for her permission, rolled up her pant legs to her knees and began massaging her calves. "How's the pressure? Not too hard, I hope?"
Fei Ni covered her face with her hands, the light from the ceiling filtering through her fingers into her eyes. "Stop pretending with that 'sir' or 'madam' talk."
As Fang Muyang kissed her knee, her eyelid twitched. She closed her eyes and said to him, "We spent so much time today and only got a little done. We can't let this happen tomorrow."
"Your criticism is duly noted."
"Let's tackle the studio tomorrow."
"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it tomorrow. You're busy enough as it is, sorting through the old man's manuscripts."
"I'll still go with you tomorrow. Let's try to finish sooner."
"If you come, it might take longer than if I worked alone."
Fei Ni fell silent because the work they'd done together today was indeed less than what Fang Muyang usually accomplished on his own. But it wasn't her fault at all.
Fang Muyang quickly clarified, "I'm not blaming you. I just don't trust myself."
The next day, Fang Muyang didn't pick Fei up from her factory; she took the bus there herself. When she arrived, he was already tidying the studio. Not only was Fang Muyang planning to add a skylight to the studio, but he also intended to convert the existing window into a floor-to-ceiling one facing the peach tree in the yard—a considerable project.
Fei Ni told Fang Muyang to wash his hands; she had managed to get some quick-boiled meatballs from the cafeteria. Since Old Fang had hired Auntie Yang to help at home, Fei Ni no longer had to think about what to eat after work. It had been a long time since she'd had to compete for meatballs in the cafeteria. Yet today, deciding to join the fray, her speed was still as sharp as anyone's.Fang Muyang moved the dining table, chairs, and loft bed they had temporarily stored at the landlord’s house. Now that they had a new bed, the loft bed had become redundant and was unceremoniously left in the courtyard. Their three small rooms were part of the landlord’s courtyard, and the previous occupants had to pass through the main yard to come and go, constantly running into the landlord and other tenants. But now, Fang Muyang had blocked off the moon gate connecting their home to the landlord’s, replacing it with a new door. Instead of sealing the moon gate with bricks, he used discarded wood to create a door, filling the previously open space. The wood was untreated, retaining its natural color, complete with splinters, and featured a lock in the center, which was usually kept locked. They now used the newly opened door for daily access. Only in special circumstances, like when Fang Muyang needed to move furniture from the landlord’s house, would he unlock the wooden door.
Fei Ni placed the lunch box containing steamed buns and meatballs on the dining table, opened the military kettle, and called Fang Muyang over to eat. Fang Muyang picked up a meatball with his chopsticks and brought it to Fei Ni’s lips. She opened her mouth and took a bite.
Noticing Fang Muyang still staring at her, Fei Ni said, “Hurry up and eat. Once we’re done, we can clean up together.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to come?”
“I thought two people could get it done faster.” Yesterday had been an exception, but today would surely be different. With her sister and sister-in-law coming soon, Fei Ni wanted to finish tidying up quickly. Although her legs had been sore all day, as soon as work ended, she rushed to the cafeteria, grabbed the meatballs, and hurried to their new home by bus. Her legs still felt a bit sore.
“That’s not necessarily true.”
Fei Ni, afraid Fang Muyang might say something inappropriate again, didn’t respond. She hadn’t yet checked the bedroom and didn’t know if the handprint was still there. She planned to hang something over it to cover it up; otherwise, Fang Muyang would surely seize every opportunity to tease her about it. She lowered her head, quickly ate a few bites, and left the table.
She went to admire the door Fang Muyang had made. Vines were entwined around it—only he could create such a door.
Carved into the door was a small portrait of a young woman, one Fei Ni knew very well.
Fei Ni thought, I’m not a door god—carving me on the door would make people laugh if they found out. Fortunately, the portrait was small and hardly noticeable to most.
Fang Muyang didn’t joke much with Fei Ni today, as he also wanted to finish cleaning up the house quickly. If Fei Ni hadn’t come, he would have slept there himself—he didn’t mind where he slept. But since Fei Ni had come, Fang Muyang, wanting her to rest properly, suggested they head home just after nine.
On their way back, Fang Muyang said to Fei Ni, “I plan to sleep at our new place tomorrow. Don’t come after work—aren’t you eager to read Old Fang’s manuscripts? You don’t need to worry about the renovations.” Fang Muyang knew Fei Ni wouldn’t stay overnight with him there before they officially moved in.
Fei Ni was indeed anxious to read Old Fang’s manuscripts, but this was their home together, and she couldn’t let Fang Muyang handle everything alone.
“Don’t rush too much. We can always move in first and then work on the studio later.”
“If we finish the studio before the Mid-Autumn Festival, you’ll be able to see the full moon through the skylight.”
Fei Ni laughed. “Can’t we see it from the small courtyard? Why do we need to see it from inside the room?”
“It’s not the same.”Fang Muyang’s sister was arriving on Sunday afternoon, so Fei Ni and Fang Muyang began moving in the morning. Fei Ni left all the flowers she had brought for her in-laws, and the few pieces of furniture, piano, and sewing machine they had moved in earlier were taken away, replaced by new furniture. Though called "new," only the bed was truly new; the desk and wardrobe were secondhand, picked up by Fang Muyang from the entrance of a trust store. Their material and condition were far superior to the new furniture in stores. Fang Muyang bought the furniture, but Old Fang provided the money. After the purchase, there was some leftover, so Fang Muyang and Fei Ni added more of their own money to buy the family a state-of-the-art radio cassette player. They left the player behind, and Fang Muyang only took Old Fang’s art albums, which he intended to use for copying and studying.
Before they could even take a proper look at their new home, the two headed to the train station. They had pre-booked a taxi for the return trip from the station, but to get there, they took the bus. Fei Ni couldn’t bear to take a taxi both ways—the fare was forty cents per kilometer, with additional charges for waiting time, which would add up to several days of her wages. At the station, they first met Mu Jing. Over a year apart, Mu Jing hadn’t changed much. Over the years, she and her brother had met only a few times, and each time, he seemed different.
Fang Muyang first called her "sister" during the inter-city exchange. Before that, he had always addressed his older siblings by their names. When he was five, Fang Muyang suddenly concluded that since his birth year was earlier than everyone else’s in the family, he was the eldest—not only was Old Fang younger than him, but even the ancient figures Old Fang admired were far more juvenile. The older they were, the more immature, while he himself was in the prime of human maturity. Holding firmly to this theory, he couldn’t be persuaded otherwise. Yet, when other children younger than him called him "brother," he responded readily without explaining his logic. Mu Jing’s memories of her brother began when he was five. Before that, they lived in a large house where Fang Muyang was always running around, and aside from mealtimes, she hardly ever saw him.
The first time Mu Jing heard Fang Muyang call her "sister" was after their parents’ incident. He took a free train to her city and visited her at her school. At first, she thought her younger brother had come to seek refuge with her. Their parents were under investigation, and their older brother, due to the nature of his work, had provided a false contact address—it was impossible to reach him there. Fang Muyang, so young and with no one to care for him, must have come to rely on her. Mu Jing felt an unprecedented pressure. Because of their parents’ issues, her own life was already difficult, and she had no means to take him in. Although their relationship wasn’t close, he had traveled such a long way just to see her, and she couldn’t bring herself to refuse him outright. He was tall for his age, but inside, he was still a child. Mu Jing initially felt pity for him, but he showed no trace of worry—instead, he seemed excited, as if he had finally gained freedom. This excitement irritated Mu Jing. She assumed it stemmed from ignorance of his fate and future, believing he would eventually realize what awaited him wasn’t freedom from parental control but a life beyond his own choices. Angered, she told him she simply couldn’t take care of him and urged Fang Muyang to return home quickly—at least there, he could receive a monthly living allowance. Though meager, it would barely sustain him.Fang Muyang was quite taken aback at the time. He had come to his sister's city for an inter-city exchange and naturally wanted to visit her, never intending for her to support him. He hadn't expected to be seen as a burden clinging to her. He said he didn't want to leave immediately—he still wanted to visit the city's famous landmarks and sketch a few more paintings. He had already found a place to sleep; on the train, he had met someone who invited him to stay at their home. He pulled out some pickles he had brought for Mu Jing from his bag, saying they went better with rice porridge than millet porridge. When he said this, Fang Muyang hadn't had rice porridge for many days and couldn't afford millet porridge either—he had been eating coarse cornmeal porridge, sometimes mixed with a few slices of dried sweet potato. Since moving to a small, simple house, he had started receiving a monthly living allowance. It wasn't much, but it was enough to eat to about seventy or eighty percent fullness if he didn't spend on anything else. However, he needed to paint, so he had to buy paper and paints, which meant he was getting thinner and thinner. He told Mu Jing that the address his brother had given him was wrong, and it had taken some effort to find his sister-in-law's place. His sister-in-law was now pregnant, so he gave Mu Jing the new address before preparing to leave.
Mu Jing stopped him and treated him to a meal, ordering all meat dishes. Fang Muyang didn't hold back while eating. Mu Jing then saw her brother off at the train station and gave him some money and food coupons, urging him to take the train home quickly. She said a child like him, who didn't understand anything, shouldn't be wandering around. Fang Muyang didn't take the food coupons and only accepted half the money. With it, he bought several dozen baked flatbreads at the station, where no food coupons were needed. Mu Jing watched her brother board the train, unaware that he got off through another door after boarding. There really was someone who had invited Fang Muyang to stay, someone he had met on the train, but he didn't go. Instead, he slept where he painted, applying plenty of menthol oil to keep mosquitoes away, and ate the flatbreads he had stocked up on when hungry. A week later, he left Mu Jing's city, taking his paintings to a place even farther from home.
Mu Jing saw her brother again in the hospital. She never expected that Fei Ni, who had taken care of her brother back then, would become her sister-in-law.
In the hospital room, with the three of them present, Fei Ni introduced Mu Jing to Fang Muyang, "This is your sister."
Mu Jing still remembered her brother telling her in the hospital room that he wanted to go home. But at that time, they had no home at all.
Now, he was taking her home. However, since Fang Muyang had to wait at the train station to pick up his sister-in-law, Fei Ni went ahead with Mu Jing by car to return home.
There was no small talk between them, and they quickly got to the point that the whole family was looking forward to Mu Jing being transferred back.
But Mu Jing said she had no plans to transfer back.
Author's Note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated with nutrient solutions between 2021-10-13 23:56:04 and 2021-10-15 18:16:41~
Thanks to the little angel who cast a shallow water bomb: Winter Rose 1;
Thanks to the little angel who cast a grenade: Dada's Echo 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: A Little Bit More 2; Dadada, Mi Dada, 3lv Mumu, Sabrinaplus, Que Lan 1 each;Thank you to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Rice Rice Calling Rice 70 bottles; Affirmation 50 bottles; Mia 40 bottles; Riding the North Wind 30 bottles; Manaka 22 bottles; Fenghua, Dada's Echo 20 bottles; An 15 bottles; Mucao Xin, Nini, Herlion, Heaven Rewards the Diligent, Sutira Mi, Mumu Qingqing 10 bottles; ttt06839 9 bottles; Giant Scallion Pancake 8 bottles; Weiran~ 7 bottles; l 6 bottles; Duan San, 43023494, Chai Xiang, Dandelion 5 bottles; Winter is Coming 4 bottles; A Little Yanzi, superru 3 bottles; 45218979, Qu Bu Xia, Dou Dou Long, Lighter, A Chubby Orange Whose Reviews Cause Fur Loss, Yang Zhi Gan Lu, Real, Yuan Duoduo 2 bottles; Yi Shi Liu, Mu Mu Er, 25961642, Listening to the Rain, Little Bunny, Prayers 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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