Axolotl Translations

After Qiao Haoyu left, Wei Jiajia locked the front door and prepared to head back to her room.

“Jiajia, is that you?” Her Grandaunt’s voice drifted from the other room.

“Auntie, it’s me. Why are you still awake so late? Did I wake you?” Wei Jiajia quickly responded.

Her Grandaunt had fallen seriously ill after the family’s misfortunes. Though she had since recovered, Wei Jiajia still worried about her.

She knew that at this hour, her Grandaunt was usually fast asleep. If she was still awake, it had to be because she was concerned for her. The thought filled Wei Jiajia with guilt.

“As you get older, you don’t sleep as much. I was just about to lie down,” her grand-aunt reassured her softly.

“Go to your room and get some rest. Nuannuan and Yangyang are sleeping with me tonight, so don’t wake them up.”

“Alright, Auntie. You should rest soon too.” With that, Wei Jiajia returned to her room.

But sleep did not come easily that night. She lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to quiet her thoughts. Every time she closed her eyes, Qiao Haoyu’s handsome face and his heartfelt confession surfaced in her mind.

The more she thought about it, the sweeter she felt inside. So this is what falling in love feels like?

She wondered how Qiao Haoyu planned to pursue her. That thought lingered in her mind until, finally, the soft chorus of crickets in the courtyard lulled her into sleep.

The next morning, Wei Jiajia woke up with a slight headache from staying up too late the night before. She didn’t even get up for breakfast and simply lay back down in bed.

She was half-asleep when she heard the sound of the door opening.

Two tiny figures tiptoed inside, carefully making their way to her bedside. They stood there, watching their sleeping sister with round, curious eyes.

“Yangyang, the sun is already high in the sky, but sister is still sleeping?”

Nuannuan glanced out the window at the bright morning sun, then turned to her twin brother, confusion written all over her face.

“Sister is a grown-up. Grown-ups don’t have to worry about waking up early,” Yangyang answered solemnly, his small face full of conviction. He even nodded as he spoke, as if to emphasize that he knew exactly what he was talking about.

“I want to grow up quickly too! That way, I won’t have to wake up early for school anymore,” Nuannuan said longingly, looking enviously at Wei Jiajia.

Hearing this, Yangyang patted his sister’s head like a tiny elder, his tone full of wisdom.

“Then you have to eat more rice and vegetables. That’s the only way to grow tall and become an adult.”

Nuannuan had always been a picky eater, especially when it came to eating vegetables. And as the more mature twin, Yangyang naturally took this opportunity to educate his younger sister.

Hearing those words, Nuannuan furrowed her little brows, clearly troubled. She couldn’t decide whether growing tall was worth the misery of eating vegetables.

Lying in bed with her eyes closed, Wei Jiajia listened to the amusing conversation between the two little ones, finding it both funny and exasperating.

She had only slept in for one day, and now she had somehow become the “bad example” these two little troublemakers admired.

Just as she was considering whether to pretend she had just woken up and put an end to their discussion, she heard voices coming from the courtyard. It was her Grandaunt, speaking to someone.

The two little ones perked up their ears, listening carefully. The moment they heard an unfamiliar male voice joining the conversation, their curiosity got the better of them, and they dashed out of the room to investigate.

Wei Jiajia let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried that if she opened her eyes now, the little ones would bombard her with questions she wouldn’t know how to answer.

But her relief was short-lived. The conversation outside quickly turned into something so embarrassing that she wished she could just pretend to still be asleep and remain blissfully unaware.

As it turned out, Qiao Haoyu had gotten up early that morning. Originally, he and Zeng Guoqiang had planned to stay the night at the guesthouse, then go to the supply and marketing cooperative in the morning before coming to visit his grandmother’s house with gifts.

But since he had unexpectedly run into Wei Jiajia last night and walked her home, he ended up returning empty-handed.

So, this morning, he and Zeng Guoqiang got up extra early, arriving at the supply and marketing cooperative right when it opened.

Qiao Haoyu purchased four cans of malted milk powder, two bags of White Rabbit candy, a variety of pastries, and some fabric.

Two of the cans of malted milk powder, along with a portion of the candy and pastries, were meant as gifts for Wei Jiajia’s family, while the fabric was for the women in her grandmother’s household.

As for Zeng Guoqiang, since he planned to stay at the Zhang family’s home for a few days, he felt it would be impolite to arrive empty-handed. So, he bought two cans of malted milk powder, several boxes of premium pastries, and some dried noodles—his way of contributing to the household’s food supply during his stay.

Fortunately, Zeng Guoqiang’s family was well-off. Both of his parents had stable jobs, and his older siblings were already married and had been assigned housing through their work units.

As the youngest child, he didn’t have to support the family, so he had been able to save up the allowance he received from school over time.

After finishing their shopping, the two of them strolled back to the Zhang residence, arriving just in time for breakfast.

“There was no need to buy all this! Just coming back home is enough,” Grandma Zhang huffed in disapproval when she saw them carrying large bags of goods.

“I just bought some malted milk for my grandmother’s health—what’s wrong with that?”

Qiao Haoyu casually set everything down on the table, then leaned back into his chair, his posture completely nonchalant.

Only in the presence of family did he reveal his roguish, playful side.

Grandma Zhang was immediately amused by Qiao Haoyu’s casual attitude, tapping him lightly with her finger. “You didn’t have to buy so much! We have everything we need at home. You boys train so hard at school—save some money to take better care of yourselves. At your age, you’re always hungry.”

Zeng Guoqiang handed his share of the purchases to Zhang Huimin, who had been quietly standing by, watching the scene unfold.

Caught off guard, Zhang Huimin froze in place, unsure of what to do. In the end, she turned to her grandmother for guidance.

“Comrade Zeng, why did you buy so many things as well? Hurry and take it back. You’re a friend of this rascal in my family—there’s no need to be so polite. Just treat this place like your own home.”

Zeng Guoqiang could feel the Zhang family’s genuine kindness, and his heart warmed with gratitude.

Smiling earnestly, he replied, “Grandma Zhang, please take these. If you don’t, I’ll feel bad about eating and staying here for free.”

Then, he turned to Qiao Haoyu, who was enjoying the show, and shot him a meaningful glance, signaling for backup.

Catching the hint, immediately stepped in. “Grandma, just accept them. This is Guoqiang’s way of showing his appreciation. And don’t worry about us going hungry—our school meals are great. We get meat at every meal.”

Hearing the two young men insist, Grandma Zhang understood that if she refused, they would feel uneasy staying in the house. So, she gave a slight nod to Zhang Huimin, who was still holding the items.

Seeing her grandmother’s silent approval, Zhang Huimin quickly carried everything into the main hall and stored them in a cabinet. Then, she started clearing the dining table, preparing for breakfast.

The Zhang family was quite large—Grandma Zhang had three sons and one daughter, the latter being Qiao Haoyu’s mother.

The eldest uncle’s family consisted of five members, the second uncle’s family had four, and the youngest uncle’s family had five as well, though they were all in the military and rarely came home.

The eldest uncle had two sons and a daughter. His eldest son worked in the local government, and since both he and his wife were busy with their jobs, they could only visit during the New Year. Occasionally, during school breaks, they would send the kids back to spend time with the grandparents.

His second son was studying medicine and was about to graduate and start working. The daughter, Zhang Huimin, had finished high school and was preparing to join a military art troupe.

The second uncle’s two sons were both married and working. The elder one worked in the purchasing department of a machinery factory, and his wife worked in the same factory. Since the factory provided housing for dual-income employees, they lived in the company’s residential complex with their child.

The younger son and his wife both worked in the railway sector. They lived at home, but due to work demands, they had yet to have children.

Grandma Zhang’s children were all very filial. Since she was getting older, the eldest and second sons had moved into the old family house with their wives to keep her company, while the younger sons had taken their own families to live separately.

After breakfast, once the working family members had left, Qiao Haoyu glanced at his watch and casually announced his plan to visit the Wei family. He hadn’t seen Wei Jiajia since last night, and he found himself missing her.

He had dreamt of her the entire night—her image lingering in his mind, tugging at his heartstrings.

Getting up early to buy gifts had, in part, been a convenient excuse to see her.

Grandma Zhang chuckled when she heard her grandson’s words. No wonder the boy had been so absent-minded all morning. So, he had someone on his mind now! But being the wise elder she was, she certainly wouldn’t do anything to ruin her grandson’s romantic prospects.

“Go on then. Take the gifts you bought this morning and pay a visit to Grandma Wang. It’s been two years since you last saw her—let her see how much you’ve grown. That way, she’ll feel more at ease about marrying Jiajia off to you.”

Since Haoyu would be heading out, leaving Zeng Guoqiang alone at home, Grandma Zhang turned to him and said, “Haoyu will be out for a while, so he won’t be able to keep you company. If you don’t mind, Huimin happens to be free. She knows hencheng well, so she can show you around.”

Zeng Guoqiang had originally planned to explore the city on his own that morning, but this unexpected turn of events came as a pleasant surprise.

Hearing Grandma Zhang’s suggestion, Zeng Guoqiang quickly voiced his agreement, “That sounds great! I just don’t know if Comrade Huimin is available.” He turned to Zhang Huimin with a bright smile.

Zhang Huimin hadn’t thought too much about it. She had no plans for the day, and since she was free anyway, she figured she might as well go. Zeng Guoqiang had come with her cousin, and since her cousin was now occupied, it only made sense for her to step in. She certainly wouldn’t let him disrupt her cousin’s love life.

With a friendly smile, she said to Zeng Guoqiang, “No problem. Just give me a moment to change my clothes, and then we can head out.” With that, she turned and walked toward her room.

What she didn’t know at that moment was that in helping her cousin create an opportunity to pursue his relationship, she would end up losing her own heart. But that’s a story for another time.

Seeing that both of them agreed, Grandma Zhang was relieved and turned her attention to helping her grandson organize the gifts he planned to bring to Wei Jiajia’s family.

Qiao Haoyu caught sight of his grandmother’s wise, knowing eyes, and couldn’t shake the feeling that she had seen right through his intentions. But he had thick skin—his expression remained unreadable, giving nothing away.

And that was how he ended up standing in the Wei family’s courtyard before the sun had fully risen and before Wei Jiajia had even woken up.

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