Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Buzz…
Buzz… Buzz…
Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…
The phone vibrated on the tabletop for a long time before Zhang Zian opened his eyes even a little.
So sleepy…
Really sleepy…
He wiped his face with his hand, picked up the phone, and saw the screen. It showed that the caller was… Mom.
His heart twitched inexplicably as he stared at the word for two seconds. He swiped the phone with his finger to connect.
“Hello…” His voice was a little dry.
“Hello? Zian, are you at work? Or are you still sleeping? Mom didn’t bother you, did I?”
There was a familiar voice on the other end of the line, but he didn’t know why. Perhaps he hadn’t heard it for a long time. He felt somewhat distant from it.
“No…” His throat was really dry, and he felt like something was stuck in it.
“That’s good,” his mother said with relief. “I sent you a few messages, but you have not replied to me. I was afraid that you were asleep. I wanted to call you again tomorrow, but I am afraid that tomorrow will be too late…”
“No, I didn’t go to sleep… I just didn’t see your text. What’s the matter?”
He was awake and looked around subconsciously.
This was an ordinary one-bedroom and one-living-room rental house. The place was not large and there were not many things in it. However, it was more than enough to live alone.
His usual laptop was on the table, and the screen had automatically hibernated because the mouse and keyboard had not been operated for a long time.
His other hand moved the mouse, and the screen lit up, showing unfinished work reports brought back from the company during the day.
It seemed that…while he was sitting in front of his laptop, he had fallen asleep.
He grabbed at his hair angrily and looked at the time in the lower-right corner of the laptop screen. It was already around 10 o’clock at night, and the work report would be due and needed to be handed over to the boss tomorrow.
His parents should have already gone to bed at this time, so why had they called today?
He stood up with his mobile phone in one hand, went to the water dispenser, and brewed a cup of coffee with hot water to refresh himself.
“Zian, it is the long, eleven-day golden holiday week. Will you be coming home?” his mother asked rather tentatively over the phone. It was as if she was afraid that he would give a negative answer.
He clipped his phone between his cheek and his shoulder and walked to the window. He pulled up the corner of the curtain and looked out into the night.
It was not his hometown of Binhai, but another city. He had gone to college here and easily found a company that would hire him. He’d stayed on after graduation.
This was a big international city with many more job opportunities than Binhai City. In addition, the salary offered was much higher. It attracted young people from nearby areas, much like a magnet.
“Oh… Yes, I should be coming back.” He took a sip of coffee and tried to get his mind back on the right path.
There was a calendar issued by the company on the wall. It was now at the end of September, and there were not a few days left before the Golden Week holidays started.
“If you are coming home, remember to buy tickets in advance. The tickets for the eleventh are hard to buy. If you don’t buy them soon, you won’t be able to get them.” His mother heaved a sigh of relief over the phone.
“Yes, I know that. Is there anything else?” he asked absentmindedly.
Was his mother calling because of this?
Even if the ticket for September 30th was difficult to buy, the ticket for the 11th would be much easier to buy. It also did not matter if he reached home in the morning or evening.
Perhaps because he had dozed off sitting in a chair, his brain was not fully awake.
“There’s one more thing…”
His mother was hesitating on the other end of the line.
“What’s up?”
There was an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
“That… Auntie Liu from our street, do you remember her? She runs a laundry business from her home,” his mother said.
His brain froze for a while as he slowly remembered this piece of information. “Yes, I remember. What is it?”
“It is like this… Auntie Liu heard that you are not dating yet and intends to introduce you to a girl. Shall we take advantage of the Golden Week holiday and meet this lady? I have seen the photos. She looks really nice. She works in a good place too. Come back and see her?” His mother’s voice was almost pleading.
He was rather disturbed by what he’d heard. Like many young people, he was disgusted with the idea of going on arranged blind dates. Upon meeting the person, the conversation would often get awkward. After the chat session, he always had to foot the bill as well…
If everything had been normal, he would most definitely will reject it and may not want to go back on this long vacation. However…
The words of rejection came to his lips, but they did not make their way out.
“Okay, fine.” He spoke softly.
He promised so readily that his mother was very surprised.
“That… Then that’s it?” She eagerly confirmed with him and explained, “I called this late mainly because Auntie Liu has been rushing me. I will definitely let her know by tonight. If not, the girl might go off and meet someone else… I think the girl is good. You can try interacting with her. Take it as making a new friend…”
“Yes, I know. Just a meeting… But let me say this first. Whether it succeeds or not, I cannot promise anything…” He said. “Even if I like the girl, she may not feel the same way, you know?”
“Yes, yes, it is like this. That’s why I said to meet and try it out. Who knows? Both of you might just get along well.” His mother happily replied to him on her side. “You are no longer young. The neighbors in our neighborhood who are your age… Most of them are already married or are at least dating. If you don’t pay attention to this, you may be left all alone… I heard that there are more than thirty million more Chinese marriage-aged men than women. Thirty million! What can I do? The more you drag your feet, the harder it is to find someone…”
Usually, he was very disgusted with this kind of talk. It was not the first time he’d heard this. However… As he heard his mother continue on and on with such talk, he felt a sense of peace. As long as this feeling did not stop, he was willing to listen to it all the time.
“Oh, the old man is urging me already. Should you go and sleep? I will not bother you. Go to bed early, and remember to buy the tickets, both ways. Don’t forget to buy the ticket for the trip back to your own place. Buy the ticket for the seventh and stay at home longer. Mum will prepare a lot of delicious food for you. Do you understand?”
“Well, yes, I know. I will go to sleep after I buy the tickets.”
He had already returned to his desk, glanced at the unfinished work report on the screen, and told a small lie to his mother.
“Okay, then I will hang up first. Rest early. I will call Auntie Liu to confirm this.”
“Okay. You also go to bed early.”
His mother hung up the phone with great enthusiasm.
He stared at the call record on the screen. However, when he blinked, it seemed like the call record disappeared.
After a moment, he laughed.
He must have slept until he had gone mad…
The caffeine made him more awake. He sat down in front of the computer and bought the round-trip ticket for Golden Week to Binhai City. After that, he hurriedly completed the work report that was to be submitted tomorrow.
The night was still long.
