Axolotl Translations

On the way back, the man couldn’t help but nag, “Other than eating, sleeping, and playing, is there anything you’re actually good at?”

The little bird: “?”

I’m literally a bird. What more do you expect from me?

“You’re even craning your neck at me like you’re offended?” Huo Yunyan could practically feel the attitude radiating off the bird’s tiny body.

The yellow fluffball wasn’t in the mood for his rambling. He flitted over to the console and used his claw to turn on the music.

Party mode: activated.

“…”

He might not know how to sing, but as soon as a beat dropped, the little guy started grooving like nobody’s watching.

Huo Yunyan, about to take him up north for the Lunar New Year, whipped out his phone to record the bird’s little dance and sent it to his dad: [Bringing this thing home for New Year.]

Dad: [You bring it, I’ll break your legs.]

Huo Yunyan: [Mine or the bird’s?]

Dad: [What do you think?]

He had considered leaving the bird behind for those few days. But looking down at the tiny creature napping against his ear, he immediately changed his mind.

Don’t let the sass fool you—Little Feather was clingy as heck. Leave him alone too long and he’d probably go on a hunger strike.

Once the bird was asleep, Huo Yunyan gently tucked him back into his nest. Letting him sleep that close was risky—what if he accidentally rolled over and squished him?

The bird’s neck went all floppy when he slept, like he’d completely powered down. Sometimes his eyes even rolled back. Honestly, the guy should see what he looked like asleep.

“Good night,” Huo Yunyan whispered, placing a kiss on his soft little body.

Shen Jingque never really kept track of dates, so he had no idea the holidays were coming until his human bought him a red scarf and said they were going home for Spring Festival.

“My family isn’t really into birds. So when we get there, just behave, alright?” Huo Yunyan said, stroking him gently, already sounding a little guilty in advance.

The little bird chirped softly and rubbed his cheek against Huo Yunyan’s fingers.

This was his first Spring Festival since coming to live with him. He was truly grateful—and looking forward to the future.

Wrapped up in his red scarf, the little canary followed his human on the journey back home. At first, he perched by the window, curiously watching the scenery flash by. Later, he crawled right into Huo Yunyan’s puffer coat pocket and fell asleep.

“…” Huo Yunyan froze in place. First time wearing this coat, and it looked like the bird had already claimed it as his new nest.

Once they got home, his dad gave him a long once-over. “Where’s the bird?”

Did his son really take that joke seriously and not bring the bird home?

Huo Yunyan smiled and pointed to the pocket of his down jacket, whispering, “He’s sleeping in here.”

His dad said, “Let me see.”

The two of them huddled together, carefully pulling the pocket open for a peek. Sure enough, there was a fuzzy little yellow fluffball snoozing away. Adorable.

“Wake him up. He needs to learn the harsh realities of life.”

Huo Yunyan quickly shielded the pocket. “Let him sleep. He’s tired from the trip.”

His dad grumbled, “Can I put him in my pocket? Mine’s roomy too.”

Just then, Huo Yunyan’s mom came over. “What are you two whispering about? Yunyan, you hungry? Come eat.”

Father and son instantly shushed her with frantic gestures, trying not to wake the bird.

She chuckled and scolded them, “If your grandpa finds out, he’ll twist both your ears off.”

By the time Shen Jingque woke up, he was already in Huo Yunyan’s room. Peeking out the window, he saw snow and instantly chirped excitedly: “Take me outside! I wanna see the snow!”

“You wanna go out?” Huo Yunyan’s voice came sleepily from the bed.

The bird flitted back to his pillow. “Chirp!”

“Give me a kiss first.” This shameless human was always trying to push his luck.

But it was snowing out there! The little canary blinked his big round eyes, then leaned in to peck Huo Yunyan’s cheek.

“This side too,” Huo Yunyan said, turning his face the other way.

A few moments later, his whole face had been covered in tiny kisses. Only then did he get up, satisfied, and start getting dressed to take the bird out.

That bright yellow bird in the snow looked absolutely stunning. The Huo father and son chatted while snapping pictures of their little darling.

Old Grandpa Huo came out with a cane, scowling at the scene. What was so special about a bird anyway? If his grandson had real skills, he’d give him a great-grandchild instead.

“Yunyan, come out with me tomorrow to meet some friends,” he said. The granddaughter of an old buddy was around the right age—maybe they could hit it off.

Huo Yunyan got instant goosebumps. With his experience, he knew exactly where this was going. His grandpa definitely wasn’t just planning a casual visit—it was another blind date ambush.

“Grandpa, I finally have a few days off. I just wanna relax at home,” he said, trying to dodge it.

“Playing with toys is a waste of your future,” Grandpa snapped. “When are you finally getting married? Am I ever going to see a great-grandchild before I die?”

Huo Yunyan: “…”

The little yellow bird, bouncing around in the snow: Uh-oh… the boss is getting hit with a marriage ultimatum.

He stopped hopping and tilted his head, listening intently to the drama.

“Grandpa, that kind of thing depends on fate. I just haven’t met the right person yet,” Huo Yunyan said.

His grandpa snorted. “And how are you supposed to meet someone if you never go out? What, you think someone’s gonna break into your house and fall in love with you while they’re at it?”

Poor guy. Shen Jingque decided his human needed saving. Without warning, he spread his wings and flew off.

“Better than being forced into something fake…” Huo Yunyan was saying when he noticed the bird had taken off. He panicked. “Little Feather?! Stop right there!”

When he finally caught up, he found the little guy waiting calmly behind a tree.

“Why’d you fly off like that?” Huo Yunyan asked, scooping him up and brushing the snow off his feathers.

“You’re so pretty. Who’s this adorable little guy, huh?” He couldn’t help planting a kiss on his pet.

The response he got was a cold little bird foot right to the face.

“Okay, okay, it’s freezing. Let’s head back.”

Back at the Huo house, Little Feather was officially banned from the dinner table. He was barely allowed to sit on Huo Yunyan’s lap, and he couldn’t even see the feast up on the table. What’s the point of being a bird if you can’t enjoy life?

To make it worse, he had to listen to people talking trash about him.

“He’s even holding it during dinner? Just put the bird back in the room.”

“He’s not making noise or anything. What’s the big deal?” Huo Yunyan said. “If he’s alone in the room, he gets scared.”

“Chirp!” Exactly!

His mom chimed in, “There are a lot of people coming and going for New Year’s, and a bunch of kids around too. I’m saying this for your own good—just put it in the room.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Huo Yunyan said, not really taking it seriously.

Little did he know—he’d planned for everything, except that a guest might bring a cat.

The moment the cat saw the bird, it lost its mind and launched into full predator mode. If Shen Jingque hadn’t flown off fast enough, he would’ve been bird toast.

Even so, the cat still managed to swipe him—he lost several feathers in the process.

Terrified, the little bird took shelter on the chandelier and refused to come down, trembling like a leaf. Huo Yunyan’s heart shattered. He didn’t know whether to blame himself or the cat.

After the ordeal, he finally coaxed the bird down and the two of them stayed holed up in his room for the rest of the day.

Thankfully, he wasn’t seriously hurt. But just imagining what could’ve happened—those claws against such a tiny body—made Huo Yunyan shudder.

“For your own safety, you’re stuck in the room from now on,” he said.

The little bird drooped. Northern snow was pretty, sure, but he wasn’t a fan of this place.

Thankfully, they weren’t staying much longer. Once the New Year passed, his human would take him back to the south. And back home, now a little thinner from the north, Little Feather returned to his throne and resumed his spoiled ways. Life was good again.

He was being such a little troublemaker lately that his owner seriously considered sending him off to preschool—to let a teacher deal with him for a change.

One morning while Huo Yunyan was brushing his teeth, the bird flew over and grabbed the squirt of toothpaste right off the brush with his claws—flinging it everywhere. Furious, Huo Yunyan immediately went looking for the birdcage. “You’re seriously bored, huh? Fine, I’ll send you off for some proper education.”

The mischievous little bird perched calmly on the bar, licked his paw, and shivered a little at the minty chill.

Huo Yunyan chased him around the room for several laps. When he finally caught him, he couldn’t bring himself to lock him up. Instead, he carried him over to wash his paws.

The toothpaste prank had left both of them a mess—Huo Yunyan’s face was splattered, and the bird was covered head to toe in minty goo.

“Behave, or I’ll send you back to Grandpa’s.”

That was Little Feather’s worst nightmare. Whenever Huo Yunyan threatened him with that, he’d straighten up for at least three days.

Once peace was restored, Huo Yunyan finally went back to shaving in front of the mirror, occasionally shooting warning glares at his feathery little delinquent.

The bird blinked innocently, then flapped over to the faucet, hinting that he wanted the water turned on so he could wash his face too.

“Didn’t I just wash you?”

Now that the weather was getting warmer, the bird had fallen in love with bathing and splashing around.

But Huo Yunyan didn’t allow him to get his feathers soaked all the time—it could lead to skin issues.

Fine, no bath then. Stingy.

Shen Jingque watched his human finish getting ready—washed, dressed, and rushing out the door for work. And once again, he didn’t take him along.

It had been a while since Huo Yunyan brought him to the office. Things had been hectic lately, and bringing the bird would’ve been too distracting.

Which meant Shen Jingque spent most of his time stuck home alone. That’s why he acted out so much. He didn’t want to be bored and lonely. He wanted freedom!

If Huo Yunyan had time to hang out with him, it wouldn’t be so bad. Barely tolerable, even. But now? He barely even spent time with him. Rude.

To be fair, Huo Yunyan really was swamped. And having the bird at the office would’ve made it harder to focus. So it was better for both of them if he stayed home.

Still, when he came home and saw the pitiful little stare from his bird, Huo Yunyan couldn’t help feeling guilty. Like the weekend before, he promised again: “This weekend, I’ll take you to the beach.”

Shen Jingque let out a skeptical chirp. “Chirp…” Yeah right. That’s what you said last week. And what happened? One phone call and boom—off to work again.

“I swear, I’m not lying this time,” Huo Yunyan said. “Even if not for you, I need a break too.”

And when the weekend finally came, another work call did come in—but this time, Huo Yunyan turned it down without hesitation. “Can’t. I’m taking my bird to the beach this weekend. Whatever it is, let’s deal with it Monday.”

“…You sound like you’re raising a kid,” the person on the other end laughed.

“Pets need companionship too. I haven’t spent real time with him in ages,” Huo Yunyan said.

“You only have one? You should get another so they can keep each other company,” someone casually suggested to Huo Yunyan.

That comment got him thinking. Honestly, he had considered it before. Little Feather was all alone… and he did seem kind of lonely.

And besides, the little guy was growing up. Maybe it was time to find him a partner.

If he did get another bird, though, there was no way he’d hand-raise it again. Little Feather was one of a kind, and he’d already poured all his patience into raising him.

“Baby, how about I find you a little partner?” Huo Yunyan scratched the bird’s neck gently, feeling guilty. “Might stop you from giving me those sad, pitiful looks all the time.”

Shen Jingque nearly fell off his perch. What?! A partner?

“Chirp!” No thank you. I don’t need some random bird messing up my life.

“Alright then, I’ll take that as a yes,” Huo Yunyan said, completely misinterpreting the response.

Yes your head!

Shen Jingque pecked at his hand in protest. Absolutely not! He didn’t know why, but just the idea of his human bringing home another bird made his blood boil.

What made it worse was that the usually sharp Huo Yunyan didn’t seem to notice his clear rejection. Instead, he laughed and teased, “Oh? So excited to meet your future partner, huh?”

…Are you blind or something?!

Huo Yunyan added, “This time, I’m definitely picking one that can sing. Otherwise your kids’ll all be like you.”

Shen Jingque almost exploded. Singing, singing, it’s always about singing! Is singing really that big of a deal?

He was smart, adorable, and had a ton of personality! Did none of that count for anything next to some bird that could hold a tune?

He was so frustrated he fluffed up and turned his back on Huo Yunyan completely. But sulking was pretty normal for him, so the man didn’t think much of it.

But he was serious. Huo Yunyan really started looking for a potential partner.

And that’s when Shen Jingque finally realized… In his owner’s eyes, maybe he wasn’t special. Just a pet. Just one bird among many.

And all this time, he’d been dumb enough to believe this bond between them was something different.

It hurt. A lot.

Shen Jingque didn’t want another bird in this home. And if Huo Yunyan insisted… then he’d rather fly away forever.

---

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter