Axolotl Translations

Zhang Huimin dragged Wei Jiajia all the way to the sports field. When they finally stopped, Wei Jiajia bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath. “You could’ve just used a simple excuse to get me out of there. Did you really need to sprint like your life depended on it?”

“Your stamina is seriously lacking. It’s a good thing you’re not planning to join the army—otherwise,you’d be crying through every training session.” Zhang Huimin shook her head in exaggerated disappointment at Wei Jiajia’s physical state.

“Yes, yes, I’m fully aware of my limitations, thank you very much. That’s why I’m smart enough to aim for a degree in literature. I’ll just settle for an easy desk job after graduation. You, on the other hand, are destined for greatness—a future superstar singer.” Wei Jiajia teased with a playful smirk.

“Of course!” Zhang Huimin said, straightening her back and lifting her chin with exaggerated pride.

Then she shot a glance at her friend and asked, “But seriously, do you think Wang Weiguo likes you? Otherwise, why does he keep finding excuses to talk to you?”

“Don’t be fooled by his good looks. Sure, a lot of people swoon over him, but don’t forget he has a fiancée. And worse, he doesn’t even try to avoid suspicion, constantly hanging around you when his fiancée’s sitting right there in class. That shows that there’s something wrong with his character.”

After a moment of thought, Zhang Huimin leaned in closer, her tone growing even more serious. “You can’t fall for anyone else either, okay? You’re supposed to be my future cousin-in-law! My cousin is way more handsome than any guy in this school—and he’s a college student! Honestly, in my mind, you two are perfect for each other.”

“If you two don’t end up getting married, I won’t approve of you being with anyone else. Neither will our families.”

Hearing Zhang Huimin’s words, Wei Jiajia could only sigh inwardly.

The original owner’s so-called fiancé was someone she had only met once as a child. In the original owner’s memories, his face had already become a blurry recollection.

After all, he was five years older than the original owner and had no interest in playing with little kids back then.

Later, as they grew older, whenever he came back home during his college breaks, the original owner happened to be away at the military base visiting her parents with her younger brothers. Somehow, their paths never crossed.

It had been six or seven years since they last saw each other. Who even knew what kind of person he was now?

Besides, this was the original owner’s fiancé, not hers. Even though she had taken over the original owner’s body and family, she had no intention of inheriting a fiancé that the original owner herself barely knew.

But this wasn’t something she could easily say aloud. Even though society had progressed, traditions like “a parent’s order and a matchmaker’s arrangement” remained deeply rooted. Especially since this engagement was arranged by her now-deceased parents. Without a legitimate reason, it wasn’t appropriate to casually bring up breaking off the engagement.

The two families had always been close. Over just the past six months, Aunt Wenjuan had sent her several gifts. While she always sent something in return, it was undeniable how much warmth and care Aunt Wenjuan had shown to the original owner. Even someone as emotionally distant as her could deeply feel it.

She hadn’t even mentioned anything yet, and Zhang Huimin’s reaction was already so intense. If she were to actually suggest breaking off the engagement, it might create a major rift between the two families. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to hurt Aunt Wenjuan’s feelings.

“You’re overthinking it. I’m still young! I won’t even consider getting into a relationship until after I graduate from college. By then, who knows how old your cousin will be?”

“Besides, even though your cousin and I are engaged, we only met a few times when we were kids. We barely know each other. What if he doesn’t like me at all and is just going along with the engagement because he has no other choice?”

“Think about it—he’s at a military academy now, surrounded by plenty like-minded female comrades who share his ideals and goals. What if he’s already interested in someone? Forcing him to stick with a childhood engagement might stop him from being with the person he truly likes, and that wouldn’t be fair to him either.” Wei Jiajia sighed, giving Zhang Huimin a helpless look.

“That’s impossible! My cousin has a strong sense of responsibility. He’d never be like Wang Weiguo—going after another woman even though he already has a fiancée.”

Zhang Huimin’s temper flared at the mere suggestion. She glared at Wei Jiajia with indignation. No matter how good their friendship was, accusing her cousin of being disloyal was crossing the line.

“Alright, alright, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have doubted your upright cousin without any proof. I just feel like this kind of relationship might be a little unfair to him,” Wei Jiajia quickly said, her face flushing as she wrapped an arm around Zhang Huimin’s shoulder, acting playful to soften the mood. She felt a pang of shame for unjustly questioning a soldier’s integrity.

“That’s more like it! My cousin is great—you just don’t know him yet. Once you meet him, I’m sure you’ll like him,” Zhang Huimin said, her expression softening into a smile.

“Come on, let’s head back. Class is about to start…” she said, pulling Wei Jiajia along as they headed back to the classroom.

Time seemed to fly. Other than Wang Weiguo constantly finding reasons to approach her—which always triggered Zhao Ting’s followers into throwing sarcastic remarks her way, much to Wei Jiajia’s growing irritation—life went on as usual.

Before she knew it, it was the day before the college entrance examination. The school gave the students a day off to relax and prepare themselves for the tests the next day.

At this moment, Wei Jiajia had just woken up from a nap. She went to the backyard, picked a few cucumbers, washed them, and sat in the courtyard to enjoy them.

Her grandaunt walked out of the house and sat on a stool beside her. Without hesitation, Wei Jiajia handed her one of the cucumbers.

“The veggies in our backyard have really thrived this year, thanks to Aunt Fen’s care. They’re fresh, green, and vibrant—just looking at them makes me happy. I think this harvest will last us until October. We probably won’t need to buy anything for a while. Homegrown is always fresher, anyway.”

Taking a bite of cucumber, her grandaunt said, “This is delicious—tender, crisp, and juicy. Once this batch is done, we should plant some cabbage, leeks, and beans. Then we’ll pickle them for the winter.”

She glanced at Wei Jiajia’s relaxed expression and asked, “Why didn’t you rest a bit longer? Tomorrow’s the big day. You should take it easy and not stress yourself out.”

“Don’t worry, Grandaunt. I’ve been reviewing well recently, and even the teachers say I’ve made a lot of progress. I think I can get into Shencheng University without a problem.”

“That’s good to hear. Once you’re in college, you won’t be living at home anymore. Thankfully it’s close enough for you to come back on weekends. Otherwise, I’d worry about you being out there alone.”

“Ah, time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, you’ll be off to college, and in a few years, you’ll be ready to get married…” Grandaunt sighed with a hint of nostalgia.

Just then, a small head poked out from the doorway, a pair of curious eyes peering out at the yard.

“Nuannuan, you’re awake? Come here,” Wei Jiajia called, waving toward the adorable little figure.

Nuannuan’s tiny feet thudded against the ground as she ran over and nestled into Wei Jiajia’s arms.

Still groggy from her nap, her little face bore faint pillow creases, and there was a suspicious smudge at the corner of her mouth.

The sight of her was so cute that Wei Jiajia couldn’t resist giving her several big, smacking kisses on her chubby cheeks.

Nuannuan was ticklish and giggled uncontrollably as she squirmed to avoid the kisses, her laughter ringing out and waking Yangyang, who was still nappping inside.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Yangyang listened to the laughter coming from outside. Without hesitation, he climbed out of bed and ran into the courtyard, eager to join in the fun and demand kisses from his sister too.

The cheerful noise in the courtyard eventually woke up the rest of the family from their afternoon naps. One by one, they wandered outside and joined in, playfully teasing the two little ones.

Grandaunt sat back, watching the five children playing and laughing together in the courtyard. A deep, warm sense of joy and contentment spread through her heart.

She was getting old. All she hoped for was to live long enough to see the children grow up healthy and happy, get married, and have children of their own. She didn’t long for wealth or prestige—just peace and happiness.

The next morning, Wei Jiajia got up early. With her family’s heartfelt words of encouragement echoing in her ears, she headed to the examination hall, ready to fight for her past dreams and and the future she envisioned.

While Wei Jiajia was focused on her exam, in another part of the country, a certain someone received a letter from his mother.

“Haoyu, there’s mail for you in the mailroom. I brought it back for you.”

A man, dressed in military uniform stepped into the room. He had sharp, thick eyebrows, bright eyes, slightly tanned skin, and stood at about 1.8 meters tall. He carried a package in his hands.

Qiao Haoyu took the letter from his classmate and glanced at the sender’s address—it was mailed from Beijing.

“Thanks. It’s probably my mom writing to ask if I’m coming home this holiday,” he said as he tore open the envelope and started reading.

But when he finished, Qiao Haoyu was speechless for a long time. For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder—was he even his mom’s biological son?

It had been two years since he last went home. He thought maybe this letter was because she missed him, asking if he could make it back this year. But no, look at what she actually wrote in the letter!

It turned out that Zhang Wenjuan had written to ask Qiao Haoyu to visit his grandmother in Shencheng during the upcoming holiday, provided he wasn’tt assigned to a field unit.

But that wasn’t the main point of the letter. What was most important was that she urged him to spend time with his young fiancée and work on their relationship—she insisted that their engagement should be finalized before the girl started university.

She mentioned that the girl was beautiful and noted that many boys were already interested in her.

If he didn’t step up now, Zhang Wenjuan feared that once the girl entered university and was surrounded by countless outstanding young men, she wouldn’t even consider a soldier like him anymore. Then her son would be doomed to remain single forever.

Haoyu couldn’t believe what he was reading. Was this something a mother would actually say? A university-educated soldier like him wasn’t good enough for a young girl?And how could she be so sure he’d live a life of loneliness without this engagement?

It was as if the girl had cast some kind of spell on her—his mom seemed to care more about the girl than her own son.

“Haoyu, what’s wrong? Did something happen at home? You look so serious,” asked the man who had just handed him the letter, his tone full of worry.

The man was Zeng Guoqiang, Qiao Haoyu’s classmate. A straightforward and warmhearted Northeasterner, he was one of Haoyu’s closest friends.

“It’s nothing. My mom just wrote to tell me to skip the field unit this summer and head to my grandma’s place in Shencheng instead.”

“Tsk, I thought something serious had happened. It’s just a trip to Shencheng —why are you acting like you’re heading into battle?”

Zeng Guoqiang shrugged nonchalantly. “Our school isn’t that far from Shencheng . It’s about ten hours by train. Since your mom asked, you might as well go and take a look.”

After a moment’s pause, he added, “I wonder how many days we’ll get off this time. If it’s not enough for me to go home, I’d love to visit Shencheng too.

“It’s a big city, after all. I’ve heard they have all kinds of imported goods, fashionable stuff, and even secondhand markets that don’t require ration tickets. I could shop around and pick up some gifts to send back to my family.”

Guoqiang’s eyes lit up as he continued. “Why don’t you bring me along when you go? I won’t stay long anyway. I actually grew up there before moving to Beijing with my family after the founding of the Republic. I know the city like the back of my hand—I can be your tour guide.”

Just then, a few more people entered the room. One of them walked straight up to Qiao Haoyu and stopped in front of him.

“Qiao Haoyu, Comrade Liu Jiaojiao is waiting for you downstairs.”

The lively chatter in the dorm room instantly ceased. The room fell silent as everyone turned their eyes to Qiao Haoyu.

“I’m not going,” he said flatly. “I’m not familiar with her and there’s nothing for us to talk about.”

Qiao Haoyu’s voice was cold and detached, utterly emotionless. He didn’t even bother to look up, still holding the letter in his hand and thinking about his upcoming trip to Shencheng.

“How can you act like this? Comrade Liu Jiaojiao has already put aside her pride as a woman to come and find you, yet you’re sitting here acting so high and mighty?” the visitor angrily shouted.

Hearing this, Zeng Guoqiang frowned in displeasure and retorted, “Zhang Yifeng, what’s your problem? Who does Liu Jiaojiao think she is? Just because she comes looking for Haoyu doesn’t mean he has to go see her.”

Zhang Yifeng didn’t reply but stood there, staring intently at Qiao Haoyu, as if silently declaring that he wouldn’t leave until Haoyu gave in.

Qiao Haoyu calmly slid the letter back into the envelope, lifted his head, and looked at Zhang Yifeng with clear irritation.

“I’ve already told plenty of times to stop looking for me. There’s nothing between us, and there will never be.”

“I have a fiancée. If she insists on coming, I can’t stop her, but I ask you not to encourage her or bring her messages to me. Don’t make me cross a line I shouldn’t.”

“Also, please convey my words to her: she’s already caused me enough trouble. I’d appreciate it if she stops bothering me. I’m committed to staying faithful to my fiancée.”

A sudden burst of laughter broke the tense atmosphere in the room.

Zhang Yifeng stared at Qiao Haoyu, utterly dumbfounded, as if he couldn’t believe such shameless words had come out of his mouth. Then, he turned on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door with a furious “Bang!”

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