Mistaken Canary Chapter 68 (Part 1)
Chapter 68.1
6:15 a.m. The alarm went off.
Ying Tongchen forced himself to stir, turned the alarm off, and unzipped the tent to take a look outside. The sky was already tinged with pale light.
A large hand reached over and clasped his. “Sleep a little longer.”
Ying Tongchen yawned. “Get up. Wasn’t it you who insisted on watching the sunrise?”
Zhuo Shu opened his eyes and, seeing him yawn, followed suit. “I was just worried you’d be tired.”
As everyone knows, yawning is contagious.
Seeing him yawn again, Ying Tongchen couldn’t help but follow up with another. “Hurry and get up. I want to leave this godforsaken place.”
Zhuo Shu yawned. “I think it’s not bad here at all—not godforsaken in the least. We truly achieved a transcendence of both body and soul!”
Ying Tongchen yawned again. “Cut the crap and get up already.”
As the two chatted, voices rang out from outside—it was Meng Gong and Zhen Mingxin.
“They’re up too,” Ying Tongchen said as he finished dressing. He reached out to pull Zhuo Shu up by the hand.
Zhuo Shu suddenly yanked him back. Caught off guard, Ying Tongchen stumbled and fell into his arms. “You—”
Zhuo Shu smiled and kissed him.
“Oh gosh!” Zhen Mingxin, passing by their tent, caught sight of the scene and quickly covered Meng Gong’s eyes. “No need to wake them up.”
Only after the two had left did Zhuo Shu finally get up and walk out of the tent with Ying Tongchen.
The mountain ridge was tinged with a faint blush of red, which gradually stretched upward into the sky.
Sitting in front of their tent, they looked out over the landscape cloaked in the quiet mists of dawn. Amid the tranquil scene where the mountain met the sky, a red sun slowly rose.
Clouds rolled and mist dispersed, as if the entire world began to stir—bringing light and warmth. A new day had begun.
Ying Tongchen gazed straight ahead, an inexplicable sense of contentment welling up inside him. Just as he was about to speak, Zhen Mingxin's voice rang out from a short distance away, full of sentiment, “It’s so beautiful. A sight like this—I feel compelled to recite a poem ah!”
Meng Gong replied, “Please do.”
Zhen Mingxin: “At sunrise riverside flowers redder than fire*, a mouthful of pistachios is what I currently desire.”
(TLN: First line is from the poem ‘Dreaming of the Southern Shore’ by Bai Juyi (772-846) of Tang Dynasty. Full poem here - https://www.en84.com/dianji/ci/201007/00002711.html)
Zhuo Shu: “……”
Bai Juyi is probably banging at the lid of his grave.
Meng Gong clapped with enthusiasm. “A brilliant verse, truly. Now give it a title—let’s call it ‘Dreaming of the XX’. What’s the name of this mountain again?”
Zhen Mingxin mused. “I don’t think this mountain has a name. Let’s name it ourselves. We’re sitting back to back now, and we’ll have to leave soon—forced to break off… How about ‘Brokeback Mountain*’?”
(TLN: Apart from Zhen Mingxin’s self-derived meaning, ‘brokeback’ is colloquially used to mean male homosexuality or questionable masculinity, c. 2006 https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Brokeback. From ‘Brokeback Mountain’, a 2005 American neo-Western (gay) romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Kudos to our editor bob for pointing this out because I had no idea of this lmao. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain)
Meng Gong: “Perfect.”
Zhuo Shu: “……”
Ying Tongchen: “……”
“Alright, alright, enough, we should pack up,” Zhuo Shu waved his hand dismissively.
…
After everyone had packed up, Zhuo Shu had just slung his backpack over his shoulders when a faint frown flitted across his face.
Ying Tongchen caught the subtle change immediately and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Zhuo Shu shook his head.
Ying Tongchen stared at him silently, then suddenly stepped forward and unbuckled his backpack. Zhuo Shu tried to dodge, but was stopped cold by the look in his eyes.
Ying Tongchen lifted the back of his collar and saw two dark red welts, each about half a centimeter long, with faint bruising around them.
His gaze flickered. There had been no lighting the night before—he hadn’t noticed anything wrong at the time. In a low voice, he asked, “Did this happen when we fell last night?”
“Huh? I got hurt?” Zhuo Shu feigned innocence. “I didn’t even feel anything.”
Ying Tongchen was so angry he wanted to land a punch on him just to see if he really didn’t feel pain, but when his fist came down, it was nothing but a gentle tap. Then, without a word, he picked up Zhuo Shu’s backpack and slung it over his own shoulders. “Let’s go.”
“It’s really nothing,” Zhuo Shu reached out, trying to take it back, but was met with Ying Tongchen’s hand gripping his tightly.
Zhuo Shu froze for a moment, then a grin spread across his face. He forgot how to speak, forgot how to walk—heck, he could probably climb five flights of stairs in one breath without breaking a sweat.
…
On their way down the mountain, Zhuo Shu was led along by the hand, all the heavy gear now on Ying Tongchen’s back. At first, he felt it was a bit undignified for someone who claimed to be the “husband” in the relationship. But then he glanced back and saw the tall, muscular Meng Gong carrying a towering stack of luggage while holding hands with his delicate little lover, Zhen Mingxin. Balance, restored.
Then he overheard Zhen Mingxin cracking jokes to entertain his man, and suddenly felt the pressure.
“Tongchen, are you tired? Want me to tell you a joke?”
“No need,” Ying Tongchen replied.
“Then here’s a question,” Zhuo Shu offered eagerly. “What do you call a foolish dinosaur?”
Ying Tongchen: “……”
Zhuo Shu saw that he didn’t respond and sighed, beginning to frantically search his mental database for another joke.
A while later, as they hiked on, inspiration struck and Zhuo Shu blurted out, “Wait—here’s a better one! If—”
“An ignoramus,” Ying Tongchen suddenly said flatly.
Zhuo Shu: “……”
You definitely listened to the question carefully, didn’t you?!
You were seriously thinking about the answer just now, weren’t you!?
Zhuo Shu chuckled to himself and fired off a few more questions. Ying Tongchen always paused before replying, as if the response took a detour through a long reflection arc before emerging, delivered with grave seriousness.
Their banter carried them to a section of stone steps, where the path finally became easier. The group found a rock to rest on, and while catching his breath, Zhuo Shu caught a glimpse of Zhen Mingxin. Remembering Master Zhen’s selfless lesson the night before, he stood up and walked over to express his gratitude.
“Master Zhen, much appreciated.”
Zhen Mingxin blinked at him in confusion. “For what?”
“Your class last night really enlightened me,” Zhuo Shu said meaningfully. Just recalling the wonderful night nearly made him flash the signature smirk of an overbearing CEO.
Zhen Mingxin’s eyes widened. “You succeeded?!”
Zhuo Shu gave a profound smile. “I did.”
Zhen Mingxin’s smile froze on his face, then collapsed entirely. “Why? Just why?!”
Zhuo Shu looked at him in surprise. “Wait, you failed?”
Zhen Mingxin instantly recalled the harrowing memory of nearly being thrown off the mountaintop the night before and couldn’t help but tear up.
The group continued their slow descent, walking and resting, until they finally reached the foot of the mountain. Since Meng Gong and Zhen Mingxin didn’t have a car, Zhuo Shu offered to drive them to the airport.
After seeing them off, Zhuo Shu adjusted their route. They skipped any further mountain climbing, checked into a hot spring hotel for a full day of soaking, strolled casually through a nearby scenic area, and then set off for home.
“When is your official last day?” Zhuo Shu asked.
Ying Tongchen, who was in the middle of communicating his work handover with the principal, replied, “I have to head back to school tomorrow to pack up. Once the paperwork’s done, I’ll be out.”
“And then?”
Ying Tongchen glanced at the class group chat and gave a soft chuckle. “Final grades come out tomorrow. The students are planning a party in the evening and invited the teachers to join.”
Zhuo Shu chuckled. “Planning to bid farewell in person?”
“Yeah. It’s not like it’s something to be ashamed of.” Ying Tongchen paused. “Take me to K.W. later—I want to pick up a few gifts.”
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TL Note: Credit where credit is due…the ‘ignoramus’ pun was an original created by our amazing editor. 10/10 peak 😎🤏😳🕶🤏