Les Interprètes Chapter 39.1

Qiao Fei

After two days, Zu Zu came to the dormitory to find me.

I had just finished was.h.i.+ng my hair, and my head was still wrapped with a towel.

I asked him to come in, opened the door wide, and the guy who lived across from me said hi to me.

I sat on a mat, Zu Zu sat on a chair, the small dog sat beside him, the traitor (she’s referring to the dog).

He also didn’t speak. A moment later, he looked at the book I placed on the table, while using his finger to roll the dog’s hair, embarra.s.sed.

Then I felt I was a little too harsh.

Plus, he was my best friend’s little brother. A boy who had just reached the age of 18, had once used such a generous enthusiasm to help me.

I said: “Zu Zu, do you want to drink something? I have green tea, milk, and beer. What do you want to drink?”

At the same moment I asked him, I heard him say: “Fei, where did I wrong you?”

“What are you talking about? How did you wrong me?” I took off the towel from my hair, and when I lowered my head, I thought, good child, you have the talent of a diplomat. Retreating, and even hitting me.

“Haha, Zu Zu don’t think too much about that. That day, it just happened that I wasn’t feeling very good. See, you bought the transportation ticket, and I hadn’t even said thanks. Ai ya, thanks, thanks.”

“That’s good. Please make me a cup of green tea, with mint leaves and a spoonful of sugar.” He said.

“I don’t have any mint leaves. Would it be okay if I put a piece of mint gum inside?”

“Then nevermind.”

I gave him the tea. When he saw me, he laughed. I also laughed.

The little dog stood up, and was about to run outside, its head hitting the table. I said, “Zu Zu, you idiot.”

“Hey!” The boy yelled.

“I was talking about him.” I said.

“Do you not know that you should add a prefix to idiot? You should say,” He paused, and sincerely said, “Zu Zu, you cute idiot.”

Our trip to Avignon took place as scheduled.

On Friday evening, we boarded the small train from Montepellier. Because the speed wasn’t as fast as ⅓ of the speed of the high speed trains, we walked about two hours, before we got to Avignon.

After we got off the train, I quickly took out the dog from the cage. Someone was waiting for us at the train station. An uncle (term used to describe a man about the age of one’s father) said: “Zu Zu, you finally arrived, we were waiting for you.”

The uncle didn’t ask anything, but hugged me, and said: “This is that young lady. Ah. She is really pretty.”

My mouth said thanks, thanks, but my heart said, uncle, you are flattering me. As soon as I get of the train, from a long journey, my face turns shady at the way uncle speaks lies with your eyes open.

I didn’t make the circ.u.mstances clear and called him Uncle Jules along with Zu Zu. Ai ya, a familiar person, a Chinese old friend, so coincidental.

Tranz: Zu Zu called Uncle Jules as in “blood-related”. Qiao Fei called him Uncle as a term that is usually used for older males. Qiao Fei will continue to call him Uncle as in an older male. She is not a.s.sociating herself with the Ferlande family at all and is calling him Uncle as a form of etiquette. We could go on and on about Chinese etiquette… let’s not-

Sitting the car, I asked Zu Zu, how did he happen to have relatives here?

Zu Zu said: “It’s Uncle Jule’s daughter, my cousin’s wedding, tomorrow it will be held. Father and mother are in Italy, Aude went to Chengdu, so I am representing my family to go.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, I should have dressed up a little more.”

Zu Zu looked at me: “You’re pretty beautiful.”

This was a small cla.s.sic city that was even smaller than Montepellier. We hadn’t driven for long, before we reached the the outskirts of the city. Even if it was nighttime, I could still make out the white stone brick wall and the shady dense plants.

Uncle parked the car in front of the door and said: “First go to the kitchen to see your and your sister, they prepared you things to eat.”

Thus I went with Zu Zu and entered the small floor. In the cla.s.sic simple house, I turned around. I had just seen a beautiful red haired maiden, I had just smelled a meat aroma, when I heard Zu Zu laughed loudly. He ran to the beautiful maiden and hugged her: “Haha, you’re great now, you’re marrying. Next will be Aude.”

He hugged the maiden and then hugged the maiden’s mom.

But he didn’t just hug, he hugged and kissed. I remembered an animation from childhood. There was a cuddle monster. The French must have been the prototype (that the animation copied off of).

I hugged the dog and followed along with the music along with the strangers.

After Zu Zu hugged enough, he introduced me to these two people. Ah, it was auntie and the bride. I said, Congratulations. Then I was pa.s.sionately hugged. All right. Everyone came together, not even excluding me.

We ate a simple meal, talked, I told them, what I did in France. How I came to know the two Ferlande siblings, sister and brother. How we were so good together……