Mistaken Canary Chapter 60
Chapter 60
After the meal, Mu Qing enthusiastically invited Ying Tongchen for a tour around the house, showing him everything from the balcony and pool to the living room, covering it all without missing a beat.
"Mr. Ying, what do you think?" Mu Qing asked as they stood in the basement wine cellar.
Ying Tongchen nodded. "I think it’s great."
"Then it’s settled!" Mu Qing exclaimed as she sneakily pulled out a bottle of 1982 Erguotou* from one of the wine cabinets. "We’ll drink this tonight. Finally, a perfect opportunity!"
(TLN: Erguotou is a style of qingxiang baijiu (a colorless Chinese liquor) originating in Beijing and primarily made in the region surrounding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erguotou)
Ying Tongchen sheepishly smiled and nodded in agreement.
When they returned to the living room, they saw Zhuo Fu and Zhuo Shu had already set up a chessboard, ready for battle.
Mu Qing motioned for Ying Tongchen to follow her with a discrete wave. "I’m going to show you another place."
Following her to the study, Mu Qing said, "Wait here for a moment."
A few minutes later, Mu Qing returned and opened the safe, taking out a red booklet* and a pair of old bracelets from a stack of folders.
(TLN: She took out a housing certificate. There’s a lot of red books in China - passports and marriage certificates are also red lmaoooo. The only difference is that the housing certificate is the bigger one.)
"Mr. Ying... aiyo, every time I call you that, I get this feeling of deep veneration," Mu Qing laughed as she walked back into the study.
"Please just call me Tongchen, Aunt," Ying Tongchen replied politely.
"Alright, Tongchen. Tongchen, what a good name," Mu Qing said as she pulled him to sit in the chair by the desk. She handed him the red booklet and the bracelets. "This is a place that I bought with my husband, and these bracelets were passed down from my mother-in-law. I originally planned to leave them for my daughter-in-law, but now I’m giving them to you."
Ying Tongchen’s expression shifted in surprise, quickly trying to return the items. "Aunt, I can’t accept this."
"Are you looking down on me?" Mu Qing asked, feigning severity.
"No, no," Ying Tongchen quickly denied.
"Then take it." Without giving him a chance to refuse, Mu Qing placed the red booklet in his hands and said seriously, "Consider it a plea from me."
Ying Tongchen felt the item in his hands was burning hot. "This isn’t appropriate."
"What’s inappropriate about it? Just consider it a favor," Mu Qing said, her voice beginning to tremble as she pulled his hand and began confessing, "Tongchen, to be honest, this money... it was secretly saved by us old folks, from our private funds... If A’Shu finds out, he’ll..."
Seeing her nervous and fearful expression, Ying Tongchen tried to calm her. "What will he do? Aunt, just tell me, I’ll help you resolve it."
"He’ll make us sell this condo and buy a villa!" Mu Qing said in agony.
Ying Tongchen: "..." So that’s why you two secretly bought it?
"You know, us old folks really don’t need that many houses. One is enough," Mu Qing sighed. "So, Tongchen, by taking this, you’re helping him save a lot of money. As his boyfriend, isn't it your job to help him save some?"
Her logic was flawless, and the performance was flawless as well.
Ying Tongchen almost got pulled in by her argument. He was about to reject it again when he heard Mu Qing add, "I also have pictures of Zhuo Shu when he was little, even one where he’s wearing a little skirt. Want to see them?"
Ying Tongchen: "Aunt, if you're going to talk about that, my ears are wide open."
"Heeheehee, let's look at them together!" Mu Qing moved a chair and sat next to him, flipping through the photo album while reminiscing. "Oh, this one, he was only three. His dad took him to play basketball. They forgot the ball, so his dad just used him as the ball and threw him into the hoop."
Ying Tongchen: "..."
"This one’s from when A’Shu graduated from kindergarten." Mu Qing pointed to a large group photo.
Ying Tongchen looked at the group of chubby little kids, pushed up his glasses, and leaned in for a closer look, then awkwardly said, "I can’t seem to find him."
"That's right, you didn't find him because he’s not even in the picture!" Mu Qing exclaimed.
"..." Ying Tongchen sighed in relief but couldn’t help asking, "Then why did you keep this photo?"
"To make sure he’ll never forget that day," Mu Qing replied. "I spent half the day carefully giving him a Nezha makeover, and what does he do? Suddenly gets all self-important and flat-out refuses to take the group photo. But look at how great all the little Nezhas look together! He chose to be difficult and he stood apart. Let him regret it!"
Ying Tongchen: "..."
After flipping through a few more pages, Ying Tongchen paused for a moment. He was looking at a picture of Zhuo Shu, about fourteen or fifteen years old, leaning on a classroom desk with the sunlight casting on his side profile and his clean school uniform. He looked like the kind of boy who would attract the attention of many on campus.
"This was taken by the school tyrant," Mu Qing explained.
"?!" Ying Tongchen was confused. "School tyrant?"
The angle of the photo... it looked more like something a secret admirer would take, capturing such a perfect moment. How could it be taken by a school tyrant?
"Yeah, the school tyrant took this photo. I was at a parent-teacher meeting and saw the school tyrant secretly taking pictures of him. He kept grinning at Zhuo Shu," Mu Qing reminisced, "And I immediately knew something was wrong!"
Ying Tongchen: "Why?"
"Well, think about it. Bullies are always into things like blackmail, right? He was definitely planning to take an embarrassing picture of Zhuo Shu while he was asleep and use it to extort protection money," Mu Qing said smartly. "So, I immediately showed up and scared the tyrant half to death."
"..." Ying Tongchen couldn't help but think this tyrant was no ordinary character.
"Then I seized the photo from the school tyrant," Mu Qing continued with a reminiscent smile. "I even told A’Shu about it."
Ying Tongchen's eyelids twitched. "How did he react?"
Mu Qing: "He was very energized. That night, he called the school tyrant to the woods. I heard the tyrant got quite red. I guess he felt guilty."
"..." Ying Tongchen gritted his teeth. "And then?"
Mu Qing continued, "Then A’Shu beat him up, became the school tyrant himself, and from then on, no one dared to sneak pictures of him anymore... Tongchen, what’s that look on your face?"
"Nothing," Ying Tongchen nodded, holding back his laughter. "Thank you, Aunt."
"Huh?"
Ying Tongchen smiled and flipped through the album for a moment. "Why isn't he in the middle school graduation photo?"
Mu Qing replied casually, "Oh, because he refused my Nezha cosplay."
"What about high school?"
"He refused my Nezha cosplay again!" Mu Qing said angrily, "He actually rejected the same woman three times! Hah, men!"
Ying Tongchen’s mouth twitched. "Aunt, you really are a determined woman."
"While also possessing the rare combination of beauty, gentleness, kindness, grace, and intelligence," Mu Qing added.
"Yes, indeed," Ying Tongchen curved his lips slightly, continuing to flip through the album. Suddenly, his smile froze.
Mu Qing leaned over to see, and on the photo was Zhuo Shu walking side by side with a tall girl. She quickly explained, "Don’t overthink it, this girl is actually a guy."
"—Cross-dressing?"
"Yes! They only dated for a few days," Mu Qing said, then proceeded to recount other details of Zhuo Shu’s love life. At the end, she weakly asked, "Tongchen, you’re not bothered by it, right?"
Ying Tongchen covered his face with his hands and swallowed his laughter, his shoulders shaking. After a moment, he dropped his hands and, with a deadpan expression, said, "Hmm, not bothered."
However, his actions and the look on his face terrified Mu Qing. Seeing him cover his face and his heaving shoulders, she thought he was crying from anger and trying to act like he didn’t care. She quickly adopted a concerned tone, patting his back comfortingly. "Sweetheart, don't worry. Mama will always stand by you. If that brat Zhuo Shu dares to bully you, I’ll risk my life to deal with him! I’ll beat him so bad his own mother won’t recognize him!"
Ying Tongchen couldn’t help but laugh aloud, feeling a warm sense of affection as he looked at her with a soft smile. “Thank you, Aunt. If you ever need help in the future, don’t hesitate to ask me.”
“Well, since you’re offering, heh heh, there is actually something I need your help with right now.” Mu Qing rubbed her hands together.
“What is it?”
“I want to try playing the international version of a game, but there’s so much English I just can’t understand.” Mu Qing opened the game interface. “Can you take a look and tell me what I’m supposed to do next?”
“Mr. Ying, this cloze* is too difficult. I want to ask you—” Zhuo Zi walked in holding her workbook. “Mom, what are you doing?”
(TLN: A cloze is an exercise, test, or assessment in which a portion of text is masked and the participant is asked to fill in the masked portion of text. Aka a fill-in-the-blank. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloze_test)
“Can’t I ask questions?” Mu Qing pointed at her phone and turned to Ying Tongchen. “Can you take a look and tell me what I need to do next?”
Zhuo Zi leaned in to take a look, then quickly remarked, “How can you ask Mr. Ying these questions? Such a waste of his talent! Mr. Ying, can you explain this question to me first so I can quickly finish my homework?”
Mu Qing shoved her aside. “No, Tongchen, you look at mine first.”
“Look at mine first!” Zhuo Zi ran back and shoved her workbook in front of him.
“One at a time,” Ying Tongchen smiled. “Aunt asked first, so I’ll help her first.”
“Fine.” Zhuo Zi pouted and waited off to the side.
Ying Tongchen glanced at the game instructions and said, “Aunt, you need to register a username now. You can use either Chinese or English.”
“Okay.” Mu Qing immediately started typing a name.
Zhuo Zi took one look and was stunned. “Why are you using ‘A Zi’? Why are you using my name?!”
“Stop with the ‘mine’ and ‘yours’, we’re family, there’s no distinction between you and me!” Mu Qing immediately clicked submit.
❌ Submission failed.
Ying Tongchen explained, “The name is already taken, you’ll need to choose a different one.”
Mu Qing reluctantly changed her youthful name to a more mature one — ‘Zhuo Zi's mom’.
Failure +1
“No way? This can be taken too?!” Mu Qing was shocked, then had a sudden idea. “Got it, I don’t believe anyone else has the same name this time.”
Zhuo Zi leaned in close to the screen, curious to know what name wouldn’t be taken—she huffed in disbelief! Srsly?! no, she can’t be serious!
— Zhuo Zi's Old Mother.
✅Submission successful.
“Alright, now I can play!” Mu Qing happily grabbed her phone and started the game.
Zhuo Zi: “...Come back here!”
Downstairs, Zhuo Shu and his father finished a round of chess. While his father was reviewing their game, Zhuo Shu went upstairs to see what they were doing.
He stood at the door, seeing his mom sitting by the window playing a game on her phone, while his sister was casually sprawled on the table, quietly discussing a problem with his boyfriend. Ying Tongchen was explaining patiently and carefully, with a few pleasant English phrases occasionally reaching his ears.
Zhuo Shu leaned against the door frame, watching this warm scene, a barely-there smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Zhuo Fu approached from behind, standing next to him. They exchanged a smile, father and son sharing a quiet understanding.
A loud blare from outside shattered the peaceful atmosphere—
“Classmate Zhuo Zi, are you there?!”
Everyone paused their actions. They looked at each other, then turned their eyes toward Zhuo Zi.
Zhuo Zi was equally perplexed. She put down her homework and ran to the balcony, where she saw Shi Tiwei standing at the front gate, holding a megaphone. She called, “What are you doing here?”
As soon as Shi Tiwei saw her, his energy surged. Today, he was determined to confess his feelings!
This time, he had prepared thoroughly. Before the holiday, he had discreetly inquired about Zhuo Zi’s plans. He found out that her parents would be away, leaving her alone at home.
He had observed the stars—it was the most auspicious time to confess!
So, he spent the entire night checking the weather forecast, calculating the best routes, bought flowers, fireworks, and all the props for the confession, even hiring a certain opportunistic student to help him with the setup.
Everything was ready!
All that was missing was Zhuo Zi’s “I do”!
Confident, he looked at the girl he had dreamed about day and night, cranked the megaphone up to full volume, and began, “Classmate Zhuo Zi, hello, perhaps you don’t know me—”
“No, I know you,” Zhuo Zi replied.
Shi Tiwei wasn’t deterred in the slightest and continued with his script, “But I have kept you in my heart. With your angelic face and devilish body, and a soul as pure and shining as a diamond—”
Zhuo Zi shouted, “You’re completely right! Keep going!”
Shi Tiwei felt greatly encouraged and continued his enthusiastic declaration through the megaphone: "You've long caught my attention. You’re not just an outstanding honor student—you’re also the world’s best—"
At this point, his face turned red. "The world’s best English class representative!"
"Right on!" Zhuo Zi was overjoyed. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect someone to shower her with such extravagant praise in front of her entire family. "Keep going, don’t stop!"
Shi Tiwei, seeing her radiant smile, clenched his fist in quiet triumph—victory was within reach!
He shook the megaphone and proclaimed: "On this joyous New Year’s Day, I want to express my admiration and affection for you! So, Zhuo Zi, my dear classmate, will you be my—"
Just then, two elderly figures appeared on the balcony, flanking Zhuo Zi on either side, peering at him through binoculars.
Shi Tiwei’s voice faltered, and his body swayed, as if he had taken an arrow to the knee.
His hand holding the megaphone trembled slightly.
Wasn’t it supposed to be that her parents weren’t home?!
A woman’s line, no truth to find!
All the meticulous planning that Shi Tiwei had done, all the calculations, didn’t account for one thing: Zhuo Zi’s parents had suddenly received news of a new addition to the family and had canceled all their plans.
Mu Qing called, “Child, you haven’t finished your speech yet. Don’t keep us in suspense.”
Wait… wait, wait, wait! Does this mean… he’s gotten the mother-in-law's approval?!
Shi Tiwei felt a surge of excitement mixed with confusion, still wanting to shout.
But he held it back, steeling himself like a man, and said, “Classmate Zhuo Zi, are you willing to be my—”
From the corner of his eye, he caught a slight disturbance. His eyes flicked to the side and his words came to a screeching halt.
The front door had opened, and a tall domineering man stepped out, his gaze sharp and fierce, as if he could crush Shi Tiwei underfoot at any moment.
Zhuo Shu coldly asked, “Be your what?”
“Be—Be my...” Shi Tiwei nearly wilted.
But that wasn’t even the most suffocating part. A moment later, another figure, tall and stern, stepped out from behind Zhuo Shu.
Why? Why? WHY?!
Why in the world was Mr. Ying here?!
In ancient times, Liu Bei began his empire only to meet an untimely death midway. Today, Shi Tiwei, attempting a confession, met his own demise!
"A’Wei, come on, say it!" Zhuo Zi, who was enjoying the endless praise, eagerly urged him, "You haven't finished your sentence yet!"
"Will... will you be my..." He gulped, glanced at Zhuo Shu, then at Ying Tongchen, and barely escaped a fate of becoming Shi Tiwilt. "Will you be my...one-on-one study partner?"
Zhuo Zi's eyes widened in surprise, her hands covering her mouth, deeply moved by his heartfelt declaration. She hadn't expected him to be such a diligent learner. Without hesitation, she shouted, "I do!"
At that moment, Ban Zhang, who had been hiding in the bushes in the distance, heard his cue. He grabbed his sister and prompted her to keep up, then he ran out, lighting a firecracker, then pulled out a bunch of flowers from behind. Ban Xiaomei was clapping excitedly by his side.
"Go on, give her the flowers!" Ban Zhang quickly shoved the flowers into Shi Tiwei's arms, glancing toward the house where Zhuo Zi was. As he looked, he noticed four people who definitely shouldn’t have been there.
"What’s going on?" Ban Zhang quickly retreated behind Shi Tiwei, whispering.
Shi Tiwei was on the verge of tears. "While some may be living, but they're no better than the dead."
.
.
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TL Note: Not sure if anyone realizes, but the first picture I used for the housing certificate was from this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ualOF-Ew1HM
Anyone else watched it before? XD