Chapter 5.1

The three-week winter break was finally over. For the students, the winter break was too short; but for Kong Kong, he was so lonely during the break and almost had mold on him. He already forgot how he spent those lonely 12 years by himself.

Cang Qiong was back with many bags in his hands. From a distance, he saw the person whom he had missed so much was waiting on the balcony, causing him to walk faster.

As soon as he entered the door, Kong Kong gave him a big bear bug before he even had time to unload his backpack…

“Qiong Qiong, I missed you so much!”

“Me too.” Cang Qiong tightly hugged Kong Kong’s slender waist. ‘Did Kong Kong lose some weight when I was away? No, it must be my imagination!’

The two stood still, hugging each other for a while before they separated.

“Qiong Qiong, I’m hungry…” In fact, Kong Kong finished all the food in the refrigerator within two weeks. In the past few days, he was so hungry that he tried to look for a c*ckroach in the middle of winter. However, Kong Kong turned to tap water when he found not a single c*ckroach.

“I know.” Cang Qiong took off his backpack and took out many New Year’s goods from his backpack. Then, Cang Qiong grabbed his wallet, “I’m going to the supermarket, you can eat these for now!”

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“I have been studying this cookbook during your winter break. Now I want to give it a try…”

“Okay… No problem!” Cang Qiong happily picked up the book and looked for what he wanted to eat.

When he arrived at school the next day, Cang Qiong received a lot of chocolates. This year’s Valentine’s Day overlapped with the winter break. Many girls were waiting at the front door of Cang Qiong’s classroom; all of them wanted to have the first opportunity to rush in and deliver their chocolates to Cang Qiong!

Of course, Cang Qiong didn’t refuse the chocolates. He accepted all of them, but in reality, what he thought was: ‘Kong Kong will be ecstatic to see all these chocolates!’

At nightfall, Cang Qiong went to the grocery market and bought fresh ingredients. Thinking that he would have Kong Kong’s loving dinner tonight, Cang Qiong couldn’t help but laugh while walking – resulting in passersby to think that he was insane.

From afar, he saw Kong Kong. Cang Qiong waved the food in his hand at him, Kong Kong also waved back.

Kong Kong started to cook dinner, but later they found that there was no rice at home.

“It doesn’t matter. I am going to buy some beer! Let’s have it as compensation for New Year’s Eve!”

When Cang Qiong went downstairs, Kong Kong continued cooking dinner and checked the ingredients Cang Qiong brought. Then, he found a paper bag full of chocolates!

‘Are these for me?’ ——Kong Kong secretly rejoiced. He couldn’t help but open the box, and a letter fell out: ‘To the most handsome Cang Qiong’, it was from a girl.

The box of chocolates turned out to be given to Cang Qiong. ‘Think about it. How can Cang Qiong, a big boy, act like a little girl and buy me some chocolates?’ Moreover, Kong Kong thought of Cang Qiong’s beautiful girlfriend–who actually was Cang Qiong’s godfather–and felt uncomfortable…

The dinner was made fairly well with satisfying color, aroma, and flavor, but the quantities were not enough… Cang Qiong pointed to a plate of curry chicken wings and asked, “I bought 10 chicken wings. How come there are only two on the plate?”

Kong Kong lowered his head and said embarrassingly, “Because I had tried the dishes before you ate…”

He had to try out eight wings in order to make two chicken wings. “Hey… as long as you’re happy, I don’t mind if you eat all 10.”

“You are such a good person.” Kong Kong smiled sweetly.

During their meal, Cang Qiong kept praising Kong Kong’s cooking skills, and Kong Kong felt pleased by his compliments. After a sip of beer, he gained some courage. However, Kong Kong still carefully asked: “Qiong Qiong, do you have someone you like?”

  “Yes, I have!”

  Kong Kong was disappointed! “What kind of person are they?”

“Pretty, cute, gentle, diligent, have a good appetite, and comfortable to hug!”

‘They have already ‘hugged’! Kong Kong was feeling crestfallen. “Are you classmates?”

“No. Not a student.”

‘Oh! A career person. Must be mature.’ Kong Kong drank another can of beer. It seemed like some ghost was relieving his sorrows by consuming his beers. Cang Qiong smiled smugly and handed Kong Kong the chocolates he received at school.

“These are the Valentine’s Day chocolates I received today;  All of them are for you!”

“I don’t want them!” The boy was drunk. Kong Kong would never say such words when he was sober.

“Really?”

“Yes!” Kong Kong threw the beer can on the ground. It turned out that ghosts could get drunk too.

Cang Qiong put away the chocolates and asked: “Does Kong Kong have someone he likes?”

Kong Kong thought for a while and answered: “Yes.”

“What kind of person are they?”

“Like you… looks a lot like you!” There really was this person! Now it was Qiong Qiong’s turn to be upset! Kong Kong drunkenly spoke about his past: “I have only met him three times, and I don’t even know his name…I didn’t know I liked him at that time, but only after I died did I feel that it’s called ‘love at first sight’… Besides, he’s a college student… I’m a gay…”

Honestly, Qiong Qiong was only happily teasing him about it before; now it was his turn to be peeved… “How about him? Did he say he liked you?”

“Him? He said he liked me the first time he saw me…”

“Frivolous! Pervert! Not a good thing! Maybe he thought you were a girl!”

“No way…because I wore a boy’s uniform from HuiMing High School. A famous high school near here!…”

“Then why didn’t he protect you?”

Kong Kong unexpectedly cried… “He didn’t know what happened to me, ok!? If– if he knew, he would have definitely come and saved me…”

“Don’t be so sure!”

“If you were in class when something bad happened to me, you wouldn’t even know about it and be able to come save me too…”

What Kong Kong said was true. Even if it were him, he wouldn’t know that something had happened to Kong Kong.

Kong Kong continued: “When I saw you the first day, I really thought you were him… He should know about this room… So, I deliberately used tricks to tease you; if you were him, he would know that I was here…but…”

“But it wasn’t him. It was me, right?” Cang Qiong also started to pour his beer.

Kong Kong nodded, “Yes, he should be in his 30s now. How could he look as young as you? Besides, you were so mean at that time. He wasn’t like that at all…”

“Yes, I was mean, so what?”

Kong Kong suddenly laughed again, “You know what? When you started calling me Kong Kong, I was so happy! Because he also called me in that way!”

Cang Qiong rolled his eyes, ‘If it’s possible, I don’t want to call you Kong Kong anymore…’

“I don’t know what he’s doing now. Maybe he has children, all grown up!”

“He wouldn’t have any children because he’s gay!” Cang Qiong was so angry that he squeezed the beer can! However, thinking about it in another way, he was the only person who could see Kong Kong now, which meant that he was the only one who belonged to Kong Kong. With time, Cang Qiong would definitely eradicate that guy from Kong Kong’s heart!

Cang Qiong’s mind was still clear; it seemed that he wasn’t drunk yet! He suddenly recalled the amulet his godfather gave him, but seeing Kong Kong clearly drunk, he would let Kong Kong know about it tomorrow.

The next day, Kong Kong woke up at noon and found himself holding a box of chocolates in his arms.

   ‘Hah! I will eat all the chocolates that the girls gave you! You won’t have the chance to eat them all!’ ——This was what Kong Kong decided. He seemed to be no longer drunk anymore.

Opening the box, there was a letter that said: ‘To my lovely Kong Kong.’

The content of the letter was as follows: ‘My Kong Kong is pretty, cute, gentle, diligent, and has a good appetite. Due to yesterday’s good meal, I decided to reward you with a box of chocolates as an encouragement.’

“Hehe…” ‘Pretty, cute, gentle, diligent……’ these words sounded particularly familiar.

There was more: ‘This chocolate was bought at the supermarket yesterday, not a gift from a girl. All the gifts I received yesterday were thrown into the trash can.’

  ‘Ah?! How can he dump them?!’ Kong Kong jumped up and rushed into the kitchen. But the trash can was empty and another note was seen in it: ‘Tricked you! The chocolates are in the drawer.’

Kong Kong opened the drawer and saw a note inside: ‘I have thrown away all the love letters. Please eat these chocolates slowly. My class schedule for the new semester is on the wall; please wait on the balcony for me as usual. It’s cold outside. Don’t stay there for too long though.’

Kong Kong had been tricked several times just this morning but was still super happy.

At night, Cang Qiong went home with a small rice cooker and a bag of vegetables he just bought from the market in his hand.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you that I went to the market to shop for groceries after my class. How long have you been waiting outside today?”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t mind waiting for you!” Kong Kong took today’s ingredients and walked into the kitchen. Cang Qiong began to wash the rice and deal with the rice cooker. The small kitchen suddenly became crowded.

The steaming food made Cang Qiong feel like he was still at home. Looking at his lovely Kong Kong and eating delicious food, he thought this was the happy life of his little family.

After dinner, Cang Qiong took out the amulet that his godfather gave him. “Wear this then you can walk out of this apartment!”

  “Really?”

“Of course! Let’s give it a try and go to the supermarket to buy some snacks!”

Cang Qiong took Kong Kong’s hand and led him out of the room. Kong Kong’s hand first came out of the door, followed by his left foot, and then his other foot. Finally, his whole body was standing outside of the room!

It was the first time Kong Kong had walked out of this room. Every time he had tried to go out, he would be bounced back, but now he could finally walk out! He cried, feeling overjoyed.

Cang Qiong gently wiped his tears, “Kong Kong, try not to talk to me later, or people will think I’m talking to myself.”

“Uhn!” Kong Kong nodded with tears in his eyes.

He hadn’t walked out of that small apartment for 12 years, and only learned of the city’s rapid changes from the TV. The streets had become wider, the houses were modern; many places were unrecognizable. Along the way, Kong Kong tightly held Cang Qiong’s hand, fearing that he would get lost.

The supermarket had also become especially big. Filled with a lot of things that Kong Kong has never seen before. He wanted to shout with excitement and talk to Cang Qiong, but he held back…

“Kong Kong, throw whatever you want into the basket.” Cang Qiong instructed quietly.

Kong Kong listened very well and kept throwing things into the shopping basket.

“Kong Kong, that’s enough. Save some money. Our money is only sufficient for this month!”

Cang Qiong forgot to lower his voice; other passersby looked at him inexplicably. He immediately lowered his head and hurriedly paid the bill.

“Kong Kong, where would you like to go next?”

“Qiong Qiong, I want to see my mom.”

“Where is your mom?”

Kong Kong shook his head.

“I see. I can help you find your mother and take you to see her.”

That night, Cang Qiong released hundreds of origami cranes on the balcony.

“Go! Find Kong Kong’s mother…”

Three days later, an origami crane came back with a message about Kong Kong’s mother.

So on Sunday, Cang Qiong set out with Kong Kong. While traveling, Kong Kong didn’t need to buy a bus ticket. But Cang Qiong could only take one seat. At first, there were few people on the bus so Kong Kong sat next to Cang Qiong; but when there were more people, Kong Kong had to give up his seat. Cang Qiong put Kong Kong on his lap. From the other’s perspective, Cang Qiong had put his bag that was next to him on his lap.

They transferred from one bus to the other. Eventually, they arrived at their destination: Gate No. 7, Building 4, Fuquan New Village. Kong Kong’s mother now lived in Room 101.

“Kong Kong, let’s go. You can see what your mother is doing through the window.”

“Um,” Kong Kong’s expression was obviously complicated since Cang Qiong had told him that his mother already had another family.

Kong Kong sneakily looked through the window.

He watched for a long time until Cang Qiong’s stomach started to growl, then Kong Kong finally ran back with tears in his eyes…

“Kong Kong, let’s go.”

“Wait.”

After a while, the family of three walked out of the door.

A youth around 15 years old cheerfully called out to Kong Kong’s mother: “Mom, what should I say to grandma for her birthday later?”

“Kong Kong is a high school student now, so you can think about it yourself.”

What a happy family… that child was also called Kong Kong.

“Qiong Qiong…” Kong Kong looked at Cang Qiong and his devastated look made Cang Qiong’s heart ache.

“Your mother married that man on the third year after your death. The man’s ex-wife died in a car accident. He had a child who was originally named Zhou Xiaowen. After they got married, they renamed the child Zhou Xiaokong. I think because your mother wants to remember you…”

“This kid must be a better child than me…I always made my mother angry, so my mother didn’t like me very much…”

“How is that possible? How can a mother hate her child?”

“But–but…I think my mother really doesn’t like me. I tried to do my best at everything, but my mother was still unhappy… She had never laughed as happily as today…”

“Kong Kong, it’s not your fault. Life was hard for your mother and you. In the past, you were the only person who loved her, but now she has a family…” Cang Qiong gathered Kong Kong into his arms, “Kong Kong, don’t be sad. Your mother is happy now, you should stop worrying and be grateful.”

  “Ok!”

“Now, you have to think more about yourself and be happy…”

“I’m just a wild ghost; I don’t dare imagine myself being happy…”

“Who said you are a wild ghost? You were a member of the Kong family during your human life. As a ghost, you are now a member of my Cang family! So, I will give you the happiness you want and need… all the happiness…”

After being silent for a long time, Cang Qiong thoughtfully asked Kong Kong, “Do you want to see anyone else?”

Kong Kong shook his head.

“What about the college boy you like?”

Kong Kong shook his head again, “It’s useless to see him. Besides my mother, the only person I want to see is you…” 

Kong Kong felt sentimental: ‘Qiong Qiong, the happiness I really hope to have couldn’t be given by you… After all, you are a human, and I’m a ghost. I’m not greedy, I am happy as long as you allow me to stand by your side… Maybe one day, you will realize that your feelings for me are simply “out of pity”.’

A few days later, after Kong Kong fell asleep, Cang Qiong stood on the balcony and waited for his origami cranes to return.

“How is it? Is there anyone who looks a lot like me?”

“Reporting to Master: There is no other person who looks as handsome as Master in this city…”

These days, even the origami cranes knew how to flatter.

‘Maybe the person who Kong Kong used to like is no longer in this city…’

Near the end of the month, Cang Qiong’s wallet was empty again. What should he do? He could no longer feed Kong Kong with enough food. Well, he couldn’t feed Kong Kong with enough food anyway.

There were quite a few classmates who worked part-time jobs, so Cang Qiong began to think of doing part-time work.

Cang Qiong’s family was fairly rich. His parents had good jobs, and his father also earned income from fortune-telling, checking feng shui, saving souls, and subduing demons. The only person in the family who didn’t work was his godfather. When Cang Qiong was a child, his godfather acted as his “nanny”. But since Cang Qiong had already grown up, the nanny had retired. However, don’t underestimate the godfather! Cang Qiong remembered, when he was in his second year of middle school, there was a ghost in the next town who was immensely violent, and several ghost exorcists couldn’t do anything with it. At that time, someone came to invite his father to help. Unfortunately, his father was hospitalized for appendicitis. So his godfather pretended to be his father. It was said that his godfather exterminated the ghost in one shot; it was tremendously powerful! Even the demon-subduing equipment hadn’t been used yet! Since then, the fame of the Cang family become widespread. Consequently, becoming wealthy.

Cang Qiong received 800 yuan for living expenses each month, which was supposedly doable for a college student, but he always felt that it wasn’t enough. Plus, the rice cooker also costed several yuan this month…

After hearing from his classmates, he learned that McDonald’s, which was two stops away from the school, was hiring employees. He tried it out after school and was accepted.

Kong Kong was unhappy at first because it meant that the time he spent with Qiong Qiong would be greatly reduced. He was also the main reason why Qiong Qiong had to go out to work. But Cang Qiong said that after he worked at McDonald’s, he would secretly bring home some delicious food such as hamburgers and french fries. Kong Kong laughed when he heard that.

Now, since he promised it, he was determined to accomplish it.