Yandai Xie Jie No. 10 Chapter 19

Act 19: Coming Home for the New Year

Liang Ze: Do you have all of the items for the New Year?

Liang Bin: I have everything.

Liang Ze: At least let me buy a Dao Xiang dessert box for sister-in-law, alright?

Liang Bin: Ah, about that, go ahead and get it.  In fact, get two or more boxes, buy some chocolate and get some sweet treats or something.  Really any sweet would do, your sister-in-law is pregnant. She cannot stop eating, I'm afraid our home reserves will not be enough.

Liang Ze: Another baby?

Liang Bin: Yeah, almost four months now.

Liang Ze: Nice! Double the happiness!

Liang Bin: Double?

Liang Ze: Yup!

Liang Bin: Xiao Cui is already seven years old…

Liang Ze: Ah, that's not what I mean. Double the happiness is that I am coming back with my boyfriend today!

Liang Bin: What?

Liang Ze: Boyfriend!

Liang Bin: A male friend?

Liang Ze: Correct! If I can't have a girlfriend, I can have a boyfriend. You don't like it?

Liang Bin: …what happened to you, you even call a male friend as your boyfriend! Is it because you have written so many things recently that it has damaged your brain?

Liang Ze: Ah, no, why don't you understand? It's a boyfriend, a male that will be living with me for the rest of my life!

Liang Bin: I understand that, but…

Liang Ze: You won't let me have a girlfriend; so, at the very least I'm getting a boyfriend!

Liang Bin: You…You what?

Liang Ze: Since that's the way it is, I'll call him to get up, and then we'll go buy desserts; see you in the afternoon! Say hi to sister-in-law for me!

"Liang Bin, when is your brother going to be here? Did you ask what he wants to eat? Can he eat rice noodles and meat?" Zhong Yue Wen asked as she looked at the pork chop on the cutting board. She had already pa.s.sed that nauseous time in her pregnancy, now she only wanted to eat as much as she can.

"Mom~there's firecrackers being set off downstairs, can I go watch them?"

"Sure, put on some clothes, and don't stay too close to the firecrackers. Ah, Liang Bin, I'm telling you! You should take down that picture frame in the living room, also make sure to clean the room a bit." Zhong Yue Wen felt especially annoyed with her living room because it displayed a picture that was given to her husband from his own little brother…an enlarged photo of a tribal Chief. Liang Bin would not want to take it down no matter what, saying that Liang Ze would not happy if it was taken down. However, Zhong Yue Wen would stand her ground, saying that she is afraid their unborn baby would be like Liang Ze since she looking at it every day.  If the baby were to be exactly like Liang Ze, Zhong Yue Wen was unsure whether she should just strangle the baby or not.

"Do it." Liang Bin put down the phone, he really did not know how to react to what he just heard as he leaned back down on the sofa. Boyfriend? What kind of boyfriend? Boyfriend? My little brother has a boyfriend? He also said he has to tell the boyfriend to get up?

"Ey, Liang Bin, can you talk less and work around the house a bit?"

Boyfriend…they're living together?

Boyfriend…isn't it that you won't let me have a girlfriend?

"Yue Wen…" Liang Bin lit up a cigarette, opened a Newsweek site in front of him, and looked up at the picture frame hanging across from him.  He then got up, took the picture down, and wiped off the dust. He stared at his handsome little brother who  was completely naked in the picture, while those words of staying together with his boyfriend kept repeating in his head.

"Ah? What? Say it louder, I can't hear you. Oh, this is not really the time, sister Li!"

"Yue Wen," Liang Bin walked towards the kitchen, "What does a boyfriend mean?"

Zhong Yue Wen paused her knife, "Your brother is not here yet…and you are already imitating him?"

"He just called and said he would bring his lover over."

"Ah, what an unlucky girl!"

"A man."

"Ah?"

"He said boyfriend…I still don't understand."

"How do you not understand this?  It's the kind of boyfriend where you can eat dinner and watch a movie together, drink tea together, go to concerts together, kiss like there is no tomorrow and talk about marriage." Zhong Yue Wen was lecturing as she was cutting the meat, when suddenly she said, "What did you say??" her voice volume rose to max level, "Your little brother found a boyfriend??? A brother-in-law?"

The older brother and the sister-in-law looked at each other in bewilderment as they were both dumbfounded.

After a long pause, Liang Bin finally said something. "He…told me that."

"What you mean is that…your little brother is…with a man?"

"I don't know what he means…"

 "He is with a man doing…that…that…that…"

"What is 'that'?"

"It's the 'an act that only can be done with a boyfriend' thing!"

"How do I know!"

Zhong Yue Wen looked at Liang Bin for a moment, "such karma…"

"Yue Wen…"

"He sure is your little brother, the infamous Liang Ze! If tomorrow you tell me that he has emigrated to Mars, I will not be surprised!"

"Don't be excited, don't be excited." Liang Bin stepped forward and held onto his wife.

***

"Shuaige, wake up." Liang Ze wrapped his pajamas around himself and then squatted down in front of the bed, the little Chihuahua Diu Diu also came over with its tiny steps.

Hang Hang wrapped in his quilt, was in a very heavy sleep. Last night, after cleaning up the store, he packed up five chinchillas and one little Chihuahua to hurry over to Liang Ze's place, where the two of them watched a movie throughout the night. Hang Hang was completely exhausted.

"Shuaige, the sun is already up above our heads!" Liang Ze reached out his hand to push Hang Hang.

"Easy, just take the sun down." Hang Hang stood up. In Heaven and Earth conscience, within 365 days a year, he didn't have a good day of sleep.

"That is a wonderful idea!" Liang Ze lit up a cigarette, still sitting on the bedside, "but first I need to have a pair of G.o.d's hands."

Hang Hang's body finally moved a bit, unwilling to move much as he looked up annoyingly, "Why so early?" he took a look at the bedside clock, it was only a little bit past 11 o'clock.

"To the supermarket!" Liang Ze answered heartily.

Hang Hang stretched his body as he pulled Liang Ze back onto the bed.

"Shuaige! It'll burn you!" When Liang Ze was being kissed, he made sure to stretch the hand with the cigarette away from them.

"Sleep some more, it's not like we're in a hurry to go to the market." Hang Hang pressed Liang Ze down as his hand brushed over Liang Ze's face.

"We can't, we have a lot to buy, and I told my brother that we will come over in the afternoon!"

"What?" Hang Hang was unclear.

"You need to get up and take a shower; I'll change my clothes and wait for you."

"You said we are going to meet your brother this afternoon?"

"Yup!" Liang Ze took off his pajamas and opened the closet to look for a new set of clothes.

"Then I'll go back to sleep and you go see your brother in the afternoon.  Will you come back tonight?" Didn't he say that he wanted to spend New Year's Eve together? Then why is he doing this? Hang Hang did not quite understand.

With hair still wet from his shower, Liang Ze, turned his head and said, "You are coming with me!" While b.u.t.toning up his s.h.i.+rt.

"Wait…what did you say?" Hang Hang immediately shot up.

"I said that you and I are going to the market to buy some desserts for my pregnant sister-in-law.  Then on the 30th we are both…" Liang Ze took the cigarette hanging in his mouth and tapped the cigarette bud on the ashtray, "coming to my home."

Hang Hang was now completely awake as his brain began to work at double high speed, "You want me…to go back with you to meet your brother?"

"Yup! Shuaige, don't tell me you have slept so much that your brain has turned into a puddle?" Liang Ze b.u.t.toned up his s.h.i.+rt, then took off his pajama pants and pulled out a bundle of pants to pick out a pair of jeans, "Get up. We both should eat out for lunch, I kind of want to eat at the old Bai Kui restaurant." {Translator Input: the name of a Chinese restaurant in Beijing. It has good reviews so I a.s.sume it's very good. I'm not very familiar with it since I have never been here anyway LOL}

"You told your brother?"

"Yeah, I told him, and my sister-in-laws cooking is very delicious." Liang Ze finished putting on his clothes as he smiled he he.

"You told your brother that you will bring me home?"

Liang Ze felt that something is odd with Hang Hang, so he crooked his head to look at him.

"What did you tell him?"

"I said that I am coming over with my boyfriend."

Hang Hang immediately collapsed back onto the bed.

"Com'on, don't sleep anymore!" Liang Ze pulled Hang Hang up.

"Your brother…what did he say?"

"He didn't say anything, now get up, and let's go."

They bought a bunch of desserts at the supermarket, in an a.s.sortment of sizes. When Liang Ze and Hang Hang got to Old Bai Kui restaurant, it was an hour later.

Hang Hang was still in a daze since he woke up…

Boyfriend =.=

He really did not know how to face Liang Ze's older brother, what just happened! He was so not prepared for this, also…he did not expect to meet with the "parents" at this time. Ah, yes, Liang Ze's only family member is his older brother. And Liang Ze…he actually, he actually…said the word boyfriend?? Oh G.o.d, whose brother would not get angry. Is this Idiot out of his mind? But, do I really want to go home with him? Liang Ze, he doesn't mind, but I…do mind.

"Ah, just these." Liang Ze double checked one more time, "hey, Shuaige, do you want to eat something?"

Hang Hang shook his head; obviously his mind was somewhere else.

"So just these for now. Hey! Wait…"

"What else do you need?"

"What snacks do you have?"

"Old Beijing has lots of snacks." The girl smiled.

"Shuaige, this is a Muslim place, so I won't be talking nonsense again, just bring back some laxative (guàn cháng)!"

"What?" The girl's eyeb.a.l.l.s almost fell out of their sockets.

"Ah?" Liang Ze looked a bit confused.

Hang Hang had completely given up on Liang Ze, "just do your thing."

"You don't have some laxatives?" Liang Ze lit up a cigarette with an innocent expression.

"What kind of shop is this?"

"Halal shop! I didn't even say," Liang Ze lowered down his voice, "the word 'pig' once."

"Then what are laxatives (guàn cháng)?" Hang Hang could not help but to face palm.

"Uh…" Liang Ze felt like strangling himself, this was a great example of brain damage!
{Translator Input: so for this joke, it has to do with the p.r.o.nunciation of the words. So Liang Ze means to say "guàn cháng" which means Laxatives, but he misp.r.o.nounces it and it turns out to be "guàn chang" which means pork sausages =.=}

Around three o'clock the two of them entered the downstairs of the newly built apartments where Liang Ze's brother lived. Hang Hang kept on saying that he should not be coming over, maybe Liang Ze should go there by himself.  But Liang Ze reminded him that they had prepared everything already, how could he say he shouldn't go! Hang Hang said to himself, I really do not know why I should be coming over! Basically, he was being forced by Liang Ze to come here =.=

They took the elevator to the eighth floor, and then Liang Ze pushed on the doorbell.

The one who opened the door was a tall refined man with eye-catching facial features. Hang Hang took a look at the man and was certain that this must be Liang Ze's older brother. The brothers shared the same unique eyes: bright and piercing.

"Uncle, how are you~~" said a little girl wearing an adorable small red dress with loosely tied twisted braids, was the first to greet the two.

"Oh my Xiao Cui!" Liang Ze set everything on the ground and then picked up the little girl, "Oh. you're getting chubbier…"

"Please come in," Liang Bin really did not know what to say to Liang Ze, so he moved all the items on the floor out of the way.

"Let me take them in," Hang Hang placed the bags in his hands on the table.

"It's ok, it's ok; this child is impossible, just let me do it." Liang Bin bent down to pick them up.

"Brother, that's Hang Hang." Liang Ze held Xiao Cui up and said cheerfully.

"Liang Bin." The older brother looked up and stretched out his hand, "h.e.l.lo."

"h.e.l.lo," Hang Hang smiled nervously.

After pulling on Liang Ze's hair, Xiao Cui tilted her head and said, "Uncle, who is that uncle?"

"He's Uncle's boyfriend."

Zhong Yue Wen was seasoning the pork belly in the kitchen, after hearing that, the spoon immediately dropped out of her hand.

Hang Hang basically had turned sn.o.bby, he did not know where to look as his eyes kept sweeping left and right…

He immediately spotted the tribal chief picture frame.

Oh my G.o.d, his brother actually hangs it up?

He remembered hearing Liang Ze mentioning this picture before…

Zhong Yue Wen came out of the kitchen and her gaze immediately found Hang Hang.  She studied him carefully as she looked him up and down; he had a lanky body with a rough look that was different than a girl’s, unique facial features and was very easy on the eyes.  Overall, his looks met all of the standards for a handsome man.

Zhong Yue Wen stared at Hang Hang for a long time, suddenly she felt a bit of regret in her heart. Such a good looking man…but how come…he is together with Liang Ze…

Hang Hang found the lady of the house had been staring at him, he felt that as the stare went on he was slowly being filled with dread.

Luckily, Liang Ze spoke up just in time, "Sister-in-law, this is Hang Hang; Hang Hang, that is my sister-in-law."

"h.e.l.lo," Hang Hang was a bit afraid of this lady.

"h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo, please have a seat." Zhong Yue Wen was pulled out of her train of thought, and quickly went to get the tea.

"Shuaige, sit here, make yourself at home." Liang Ze laughed heartily.

Hang Hang basically sat down in an unsteady state. He could not figure out this family's thinking towards his relations.h.i.+p with Liang Ze. There was no obvious sign of rejection or acceptance…but it was…strange, very strange.

"Have some melon seeds." Liang Bin sat down on the opposite side of the sofa.

"Is your family Buddhist?" Hang Hang could smell the fragrance in the air the second he stepped through the door.

"No, every time I come by, sister-in-law will always burn incense." Liang Ze grinned from ear to ear.

"It is to ward off evil spirits." Zhong Yue Wen put a cup of tea in front of Hang Hang, "it's Pu-erh tea, can you drink it?"

Pu-erh tea – fermented tea, the production of this type of tea involves microbial fermentation and oxidation of the tea leaves, after they have been dried and rolled

"I've caused you trouble," Hang Hang was feeling sorry; Zhong Yue Wen's belly was getting quite big.

"It's no biggie, it's something I should do. Drink some tea and eat something." She looked at Liang Bin and then went back to the kitchen.

"Brother, how have you been?"

"Not bad, same as usual."

The two brothers casually talked with each other in front of Hang Hang, the older man just listened on, trying not to interrupt. Xiao Cui turned on an animation channel, watched it while eating her snack, occasionally she would turn to play with Liang Ze.

Since Liang Ze had been awake since early morning, he kept on yawning and started to get sleepy not too long after Xiao Cui had gone to sleep. Liang Bin let him sleep in the children's room; and just like that, the living room became quiet with only Liang Bin and Hang Hang left.

It was Liang Bin who started to speak, "Come to the study room with me for a moment?"

"Ah, ok." Hang Hang stood up, took a small blanket on the sofa and put it over Xiao Cui.

Liang Bin's house is quite big with one master bedroom, one small bedroom, one study room, and a child's room. Hang Hang followed Liang Bin to the study room, which was decorated in a unique style. From their outer appearances, the two brothers did not look that much different, but it was obvious their personality were. There are many books on the bookshelves; most of them are books on business. Liang Ze did say that his older brother is overlooking the company left by their parents, and it is very well managed, so he tends to be busy all the time.

Liang Bin saw that Hang Hang was sitting down, so he also sat down, but still did not say anything as he rummaged through the drawers for something.

Hang Hang stayed quiet because he did not know what he was looking for.

After a short moment, Liang Bin took out a pile of magazines, an array of large and small sizes with colorful covers.

"These are what he has written, they have all been published." Liang Bin lit a cigarette, "Want one?"

"Ah, no, thank you." Hang Hang was completely confused and did not understand Liang Bin's intention.

"Not smoking is a good habit." Liang Bin smiled mildly.

Hang Hang only nodded his head, not knowing what else he should do.

"Have a look at what Liang Ze wrote."

"I've already read them, they are very well written."

"Do you find him a very unique person…or a humanistic person?"

"Ah…" Hang Hang really did not know what topic they were talking about now.

"Invisible Love." Liang Bin tapped away some ash, "he wrote it very well."

Hang Hang watched as the smoke rose up in a cloud and then disappeared into thin air.

"But he has absolutely no idea what love is.  He understands it as one person staying together with someone else, being very close with each other until death."

"What do you want to say?"

"How long have you two been together?"

"More than half a year."

"Did my brother tell you about his ex-girlfriends?"

"He did." Hang Hang looked at Liang Bin, neither overbearing nor humble.

"He said that they all left him, right?"

"…"

"The problem lies with him." Liang Bin tapped the cigarette on the ashtray rim, "he hurts them, but he, himself, doesn't know it."

Hang Hang noncommittally listened on.

"I told him to not find a girlfriend; in fact, I want want the best for the girl."

"You can bluntly tell me what is on your mind."

"I don't mean to be hostile." Liang Bin explained. "I just want to clear it up for you, my wife and I don't want to see…how do I say this? We don't want to see him hurting another person."

"Liang Ze is not like that," Hang Hang did not understand why this older brother was  saying something like that about his own little brother.
{Translator Input: Poor Hang Hang, remember the saying: parents know their child best. Same goes with Liang Bin who is like Liang Ze's parent. He knows his own brother much better  than anyone on this earth, and he just wants the best for you. He is being kind, because most family member could careless about it and just let you get hurt. So appreciate the advice ^^ even though I know that you will get hurt later on for the same reasons being explained here by Liang Bin T.T}

"My brother, I know that he is a good person, not bad, but…you know that he has trouble socializing with other people."

"Not like that," Hang Hang said with certainty, "I've thought about us, you…"

"No, I want to clarify this point, I'm  not saying this because it is you that I oppose." Liang Bin made sure to emphasize the "you" in his speech, "I just want to simply tell you this."

"There's nothing wrong with Liang Ze, just sometimes he is a bit childish."

"He will ignore people when he's busy, if he says he will not see you, he would not even come to see you once.  All day he keeps on whining that he's hungry; and his room is always in a chaotic state that you can't find your way to walk in it…" Liang Bin said all of this in one breath, "he always does that, right?"

"Not really."

{Translator Input: My answer: YES! Remember when he had to write his ma.n.u.script, he would not even contact Hang Hang for the whole week, and even turned off his cell phone. Hang Hang went crazy at that time. He said he cannot see Hang Hang for the whole month, he actually did not go see Hang Hang at all, even though he did try to rush his ma.n.u.script, but the point is, NO CONTACT WHAT SO EVER; not even a message. The first time he met Hang Hang, he finished Hai Hong's meal box, and often comes by the store at mealtime and eat. And it's a fact that his room is a mess! Remember those useless collections that made you wonder how the f.u.c.k he got them? So yeah, his room is in a chaotic state! Point proven: Liang Bin knows his brother best.}

Liang Bin seriously observed Hang Hang for a moment, "Well, let's not talk about this, if he doesn't act that way then that's good." Liang Bin was unsure whether his brother has changed or not. At  first, he did not accept the fact that his brother had personality defects, but Liang Ze's girlfriend ran away one after another.  The first time, he can blame the girl; the second one, he can again say the girl is at fault.  However, if it was not for the third one who frankly told him that the problem lies with his little brother, he would still firmly be convinced that it was the girl's fault yet again. Liang Ze really does not know what love is, he doesn't even have the slightest idea of that feeling.  He can write a lot of profound and moving love stories, but he has never been in love. He is always bossing women around, he has never has any kind of reciprocity in his relations.h.i.+p. To him, women are people who do laundry and cook for him with the addition of s.e.x; and nothing else. He only knows how to make money and provide women with a luxurious lifestyle, but his heart has never opened up to anyone.  For Liang Ze, it seems that in this lifetime he only knows his own benefits and will not love anyone, overall to ask him to show how to love is a big issue for him.

{Translator Input: Liang Bin finally says the real problem with Liang Ze. That is the reason why he doesn't have a girlfriend, or they all left him. Just think that this person is your boyfriend, trust me, you definitely are going to leave his sorry a.s.s and move on with your life; I don't feel sorry for him}

Therefore,…this is a man in front of him now? Will there be any difference?

Basically, Liang Bin had given up All hopes with Liang Ze.  He believe in this lifetime, his little brother would do whatever he liked, hang out with good-for-nothing friends and if he was annoyed he would cuddle up in his room all by himself.  He would not go to other people because he would not want to make them feel sad.  But now…his little brother brought back a "boyfriend".

Liang Bin did not say anything else, Hang Hang also kept his silence. In Hang Hang's eyes, that Idiot is a very noisy child, he is someone who easily makes other people go crazy, and is someone who would do something unpredictable at any time. However, Liang Ze is very simple and kind-hearted, in fact, he has many good characteristics, and his eyes are always so bright. That is why he chose him. He would never regret this decision. He did not understand what Liang Bin was saying.  The Idiot has never treated him that way, so should he be worried?

Soon after, Hang Hang found out that he was being too naive. Unfortunately, it was too late.

Proofread: Jesse