90 Perfect Ending
Are you satisfied with the ending I drew?
Enthusiastic fans of “My Miss Crab” started a Tieba (like a forum site) thread for the story. The most popular question posted there was whether or not Mister Ostrich should try to find Miss Crab.
Pang Qian spent every day hanging around the thread, checking to see the new responses to the question. Most of the community members encouraged Mister Ostrich to once more pursue Miss Crab. Some users were extremely pressing. The lengthy expositions, and even some of the more frightening coercive posts, made Pang Qian want to both laugh and cry. She felt extremely touched.
She’d gotten lots of calls from old friends as well. They all excitedly told her, “Crab! Have you seen this really hot book? The author is Gu Mingxi!”
There were a lot of interesting messages on the Tieba thread.
Old Farmer: Don’t know if the author will see what I have to say. I’m probably a bit older than you. I once had a green plum in my youth too (Note: green plum is part of the phrase used for the female counterpart of childhood friends/sweethearts), but I didn’t know whether or not she liked me. I wasn’t even able to write her a love letter like you did. I didn’t say anything at all to her. After the college entrance exams, we both went our separate ways and didn’t contact each other much. The reason I ended up reading your book was because last month, she’d sent me a copy in the mail. After I read it, I finally realized what she wanted to tell me. Author, if Miss Crab is still in your heart, I support you in going to find her again. There are some things you’ll regret in the future if you don’t do them now. Right now I’m still single, but my green plum already has a family. I suspect that if I’d read this book several years earlier, I’d have mustered up my courage to find her.
Grilled Oyster: I know who Mister Ostrich is!!! But I’m not telling you guys!! Haha!! Will Mister Ostrich see this? Let’s send a signal! Machine factory, barbecue shop, hahaha! I’m already a dad, and she can nearly run now. Hurry up and get together with Crab!
So Handsome the Wind’s in Chaos: Gugugu… Ostrich Gu???? I sat in front of you in high school! The more handsome one! I’m working in Columbia now. What are you f.u.c.king doing? Do you know how many years everyone’s been looking for you? That ugly deskmate of mine, w.a.n.g w.a.n.g w.a.n.g and Little Swallow are getting married soon. You’d better hurry back for their wedding banquet!
Stupid c.u.n.t Upstairs: Ostrich, you better not come to my wedding! Watch me beat you up! From(?) the Stupid c.u.n.t Upstairs!
Sweet Coffee: Haha, seems like a lot of people already guessed who Mister Ostrich is! Actually, I know who he is too. Ostrich, hurry up and go find Crab. If you don’t come back, someone else is going to s.n.a.t.c.h up the crab!
Pa.s.serby A: Why do so many people want Mister Ostrich to go back and find Miss Crab? I keep thinking that it’s not bad that the story has ended here. The two of them both have their own lives. Why keep tying them down to the memories they had as kids? Life is cruel and realistic. Who’s to say that, even if they get back together, that there won’t be some barrier between them after being separated for so long? In the end, their good memories might all be erased. Wouldn’t that be more terrible?
I Have Ears: You say that because you don’t know them.
Fat and Strong Clam: Whoever dares tell Ostrich not to come back to find Crab, let me have a talking to them!!!
…
Pang Qian went to Zou Liwen’s office and said, “Team leader, I want to take some time off.”
“Time off?” Zou Liwen asked. “How long?”
He knew Pang Qian. If she wanted to take one or two days off, she wouldn’t approach him so earnestly.
Indeed. Pang Qian said, “Two weeks.”
“…” Zou Liwen sat behind his desk, glaring at her. “You know the end of the year is really busy, don’t you?”
Pang Qian nodded. “I know. I’ll take care of everything.”
Zou Liwen thought about it for awhile and flipped through the calendar on his desk. He said, “Starting tomorrow, two weeks. No more.”
Pang Qian smiled, “Thank you Team leader!”
During Christmastime, most of China was gloomy and cold. But in Sanya, Hainan, it was as warm as spring.
On Sat.u.r.day, Gu Mingxi got up early. After was.h.i.+ng up, he went to the kitchen to make breakfast.
An hour later, the scent of congee floated in the air. He turned off the fire and went to wake up Dou Dou.
Dou Dou was a 7 year old boy and he liked sleeping in late. Gu Mingxi called him several times and he curled himself up into a ball in his blankets.
“Let me sleep a little longer.” With his eyes closed, Dou Dou writhed around on his bed. Gu Mingxi lifted a leg and kicked his bottom. “Who’s the one that said yesterday that he wanted to eat century egg and meat congee?!”
Dou Dou rolled around on his bed, and then he finally opened his hazy eyes. Gu Mingxi grabbed the clothes at the head of the bed with his foot. “Hurry and put your clothes on. Brush your teeth and go pee. Then help me serve the congee.”
Dou Dou was very obedient. He slipped on his clothes and went to wash up. When he was done, he headed to the kitchen. Gu Mingxi watched him and said, “Be careful, it’s hot.”
He’s already prepared a bowl for Dou Dou. Dou Dou scooped the congee from the pot to the bowl and carried it to the table. Then he went back and prepared another bowl for Gu Mingxi.
He was a young child, but he already understood many things and could do a lot.
One big and one small person sat at the table to eat their congee. Gu Mingxi said to Dou Dou, “Today, I have to go out a bit, so I won’t be back for lunch. Go over to Teacher Ji’s place to eat.”
Dou Dou lifted his eyes to look at him. “Where are you going?”
“To see someone. The Auntie Jiang that you met last time.”
Dou nodded, “Teacher Gu…”
He bit the spoon in his mouth, his expression a bit hesitant. Gu Mingxi asked, “What is it?”
“Everyone said that you’re leaving.” Dou Dou looked at Gu Mingxi, his eyes a bit red. “Is it true? Are you really leaving?”
Gu Mingxi smiled. He bent over and took a sip of his congee. “Who told you that?”
“Teacher Ji, Teacher Chen, Teacher w.a.n.g… They all said it.” Dou Dou’s voice was very quiet, his spirits low. “Teacher Gu, if you leave, what will I do?”
“Dou Dou, don’t worry about that now. To be honest, I haven’t decided anything yet.” Gu Mingxi didn’t treat Dou Dou as a child. He didn’t try to beat around the bush or lie to him. He said, “If I leave, it’s because I have a new goal and plan. It’s not to leave you behind. If I leave, I’ll definitely make sure to put you into good hands.”
Dou Dou’s tears started falling. “But I don’t want to go home…”
Gu Mingxi handed (footed?) a napkin over to him. “Don’t cry. You’re a boy, you can’t love crying so much.”
Dou Dou sniffled as he wiped away his tears. Someone knocked on the door. Gu Mingxi turned, “Come in.”
The door opened and Ji Xiu’er poked her head in. “Teacher Gu.”
Gu Mingxi smiled at her. “Teacher Ji, have you eaten breakfast yet? I made some congee. Let’s eat together.”
Ji Xiu’er walked inside. She was a young female teacher, her face rosy red. “That’s okay, I’ve already eaten. i wanted to ask you if you had time this morning? Something’s wrong with my computer again, so I wanted to ask if you could help me reload it.”
Gu Mingxi apologized, “I’m sorry, I have a meeting at 10. I probably won’t be back until after lunch.”
“Oh, it’s like that.” Ji Xiu’er seemed very disappointed. Gu Mingxi said, “I can help you out in the afternoon. If it’s urgent, you can ask Teacher Chen about it. He also knows how to reconfigure it.”
Ji Xiu’er quickly said, “There’s no rush, no rush. I’ll wait for you to come back in the afternoon.”
After eating breakfast, Dou Dou went to wash the bowls. Gu Mingxi prepared to head out, changing his clothes in his room. After Dou Dou wiped off the table, he put the leftover congee into a large bowl, covered it, and put it into the refrigerator. When Gu Mingxi came out dressed, he was already sweeping the floor.
Gu Mingxi felt warm inside and gently said, “Dou Dou, you can stop after you’re done sweeping. I’ll take my shoes off when I get back. Put on your backpack and head over to Teacher Ji’s dorm. Have her go over your writing.”
Dou Dou pouted. “I want to stay at home.” He always called Gu Mingxi’s and his small place “home,” though he’d only lived there for about two years.
“You can’t. You’ll just watch TV and play games on the computer.” Gu Mingxi wasn’t going to be fooled. “Hurry up, I’m going to be late.”
They walked outside. This was Sanya’s Hope Primary School. It wasn’t very large. The school building was two stories high, and there was also a concrete playground are, both funded by corporate donations. There weren’t many teachers at the school. There were a few older, unionized teachers who headed home every day. The young, single teachers weren’t in a union, but were free agents with meager wages. The school prepared a dorm for them. It was a small house, one person to a room, with a shared bathroom and kitchen.
Because Gu Mingxi’s situation was particular and he also took care of Dou Dou, the school took special care of him and gave him a small place that had it’s own kitchen and bathroom. Although it was a simple place, it was enough for him and Dou Dou to live happily.
Gu Mingxi asked Ji Xiu’er to prepare Dou Dou’s lunch and help revise his language skills. After relaying this, he left the school grounds.
Dou Dou glanced over at Ji Xiu’er. “Teacher Ji, your computer already broke three times this month. If it can’t be fixed, you should just buy a new one.”
Ji Xiu’er, “Be quiet! (lit. You’re saying too much / speaking out of turn) Let me see your essay!”
Gu Mingxi rode the bus to his destination. With a messenger bag on his shoulder, he found his meeting place with Jiang Qi.
It was a cafe on the second store of the building, decorated very chicly. There was a large outdoor terrace, and the owner had set up several wooden tables there. The s.h.i.+ning winter sun was extremely comfortable, so the owner didn’t set up the umbrellas for shade. The warm sun streamed onto the terrace. Gu Mingxi squinted and walked toward Jiang Qi.
Business in the coffee shop was light before noon. Jiang Qi was the only person sitting on the terrace. She quickly greeted him, “Hi, Xiao Gu.”
Gu Mingxi sat down across from her and pulled off his bag. He ordered a cup of iced coffee and asked, “Jiang Qi, are you taking advantage of Christmas to come here for a vacation?”
“Hahaha! That’s right, traveling with the people’s money.” Jiang Qi laughed happily. “Xiao Gu, I haven’t seen you in awhile. How have you been lately?”
“Same as always.” Gu Mingxi shrugged. “Final exams are around the corner. You know, I teach a lot of cla.s.ses. It’s a bit tiring. And Dou Dou is very unruly. Kids his age have so much energy to burn off. He’s like a pond loach (Note: From Wiki, “…their ability to detect changes in barometric pressure and react with frantic swimming…”) Although he doesn’t ask for many things, since I took him home, I should raise him well. I usually take him out to play, go roller skating, go eat KFC, ah… Being a dad is a hard job (Note: I think the term used is usually for stay-at-home or maybe single dads.)”
As he spoke, he started smiling. Jiang Qi said, “So now you know it’s not easy raising a child. My daughter’s 3 years old, and she makes me run around in circles. I really admire you. A big kid taking in a little kid to raise him.”
Gu Mingxi laughed out loud. “Dou Dou really understands a lot of things. And there are bound to be inconveniences in my daily life, so having him beside me is very helpful. Don’t just look at him like a kid.” He recalled two years ago and said, “Qi, you didn’t see what Dou Dou was like before. If I didn’t bring him out, I would have had an uneasy conscience.”
Jiang Qi nodded. “I know. You’ve told me before.”
After they were silent for a bit, Gu Mingxi asked, “Qi, has work been busy recently?”
“Yeah, of course it’s busy! I’ve been super busy with all your things!” Speaking of this, Jiang Qi’s eyebrows jumped up. She asked, “By the way, Xiao Gu, have you considered what I talked to you about before on the phone?”
“TV rights?” Gu Mingxi thought for a moment and shook his head. “I think, it’s better to… forget about it.”
“Why? Jimmy (Liao) and Zhu Deyong both sold rights to their ill.u.s.trations, and the adaptations were pretty good,” Jiang Qi said. “Because you’ve never appeared in public, all the production companies are coming to me. It’s like I’ve become your manager. Recently, several companies have discusses with me, and the numbers they’re giving are tempting. For a newcomer like yourself, it’s definitely a large amount of money.”
“It’s not about money,” Gu Mingxi said. “Rather, this story doesn’t have an ending. When I first drew it, I put forth a lot of courage as well. I didn’t want to publish it in the beginning. After ill.u.s.trating several books, I just wanted a break and decided to tell my own story. I didn’t expect it to garner such attention, really.”
“The office is filled with stuff that your fans mailed in. I’ll send all of it over to the school later. Don’t be surprised, there’s really several boxes of stuff,” Jiang Qi said. “Xiao Gu, what are you thinking now? Are you planning on leaving this story unfinished?”
Gu Mingxi lowered his head in though. His coffee arrived and he drank a bit with a straw. The cold, sweet taste stimulated his taste buds. He said, “This is the ending that I had planned from the beginning. Regardless of what conclusion I came up with, it always felt like once the words were written and set, her and my story would be over.”
He let out a light sigh as he stirred his straw in his cup of coffee, the ice clinking against the gla.s.s. He continued, “I don’t want to sell the rights because I don’t know what kind of ending they’ll make. For the sake of ratings, I suspect it will be a reunion, but the reality is that the ending isn’t so beautiful and satisfying.”
Jiang Qi asked, “So what are you planning to do now? I always thought that after you finished drawing this story, you’d go to find Miss Crab.”
“That’s what I thought before too.” Gu Mingxi smiled so that his eyes curved. “At the time, I felt that I wasn’t in such a poor state. But after I thought about it carefully, I felt that I wasn’t quite ready yet.”
“What do you mean not ready?”
Gu Mingxi didn’t answer her directly, but instead asked another question. “Jiang Qi, do you have a group of friends right now who grew up with you since you were a kid? Males or females. The point is that you were really good friends before, almost inseparable, and you’re still very close friends today. I don’t mean just ordinary friends or cla.s.smates.”
Jiang Qi thought it over and said, “There’s a primary schoolmate, a woman. When we were younger, we were so close, we were nearly a single person. In junior high, we were separated, but then we were in the same cla.s.s again in high school. We became even closer then, and we agreed to go to the same college. But her school results weren’t as good as mine. I went to study abroad for my undergraduate degree and she went to a three year college. By the time I graduated and returned home, she was already working. We still occasionally contact each other, and we meet maybe two or three times a year. We have a meal together and go shopping. She’s probably my longest friend.”
Gu Mingxi asked, “Then are you still close with her?”
“Close?” Jiang Qi didn’t understand. “What do you mean by close?”
“You can tell each other any and everything, regardless of the consequences.”
“Oh! How could that be!” Jiang Qi took a sip of her coffee. “You’d have to be so very lucky to find a friend like that.”
“Exactly, that’s what I think too.” Gu Mingxi smiled. “Qi, it’s not that I don’t have the courage to find her. Rather, going back to find her is a very easy thing. We’ll say ‘Hi, how are you? Long time no see.’ And then we’ll go out for a meal and drink some coffee. That’s all very easy. But what comes after that isn’t easy. I can’t really be considered a lucky person, but I’ve always been glad for the wonderful years of my youth, for the considerate girl who was always by my side. I don’t want to mess up the memories we have together, so whether she’s single or already taken, I still think that I shouldn’t go intrude in her life. We’ve already (crossed paths and) missed out on each other, and we can’t go back.
Jiang Qi smiled. “Have you ever considered that with how well your book is selling now, that maybe she’s already seen it. And maybe you’ve already disturbed her life?”
Gu Mingxi lifted his eyes to her, his lips curling up slightly, a bit of resentment crawling into his eyes. “I said I didn’t want to publish it, but you’re the one who insisted on it.”
“Ha! You’re the one who came to me.” Jiang Qi glared at him. Then she said, “Oh right. I brought along a gift from a fan this time, and it’s a bit particular.”
She lifted a large book from the chair beside her and pushed it towards Gu Mingxi. Then she got up and said, “Take your time. I’m going to the restroom.”
Gu Mingxi didn’t respond because he’s already been startled by the picture on the cover of the book before him.
It was an A4 sized sketchbook, with a craft paper cover. On the cover, there was a watercolor image. That’s right, watercolor.
A red crab baring its claws, sitting on the back of an earthy-colored ostrich. The clumsy brush strokes weren’t exactly appealing, but just because it wasn’t well painted, it didn’t mean the artists hadn’t put in effort. She probably copied the image. The ostrich had slight traces of feathers. But Gu Mingxi thought, Dou Dou probably painted better than this.
The crab and ostrich both looked up at the sky, the Milky Way– If Gu Mingxi was understanding this correctly, those wavy lines in a circle should be the Milky Way. There were also stars in the sky, the five pointed kind that teachers always drew on corrected a.s.signments. On either side of the Milky Way, there was a star. Under the two stars were the words “cowherd” and “weaver girl.” (Note: Two lovers separated by the Milky Way.)
On the cover were three words, large and handwritten with a black pen.
Gu Mingxi lowered his head and flipped the page with his mouth. Hi Mister Ostrich, how are you. For the several years that Mister Ostrich wasn’t by Miss Crab’s side, Miss Crab appeared to have lived a beautiful and happy life. But in fact, she’d missed him so much she nearly went crazy. When she went on a business trip up north, she went to that small northern city once more. She found the school Mister Ostrich once studied at and the teacher there told her that Mister Ostrich had officially withdrawn from the school. He and the school no longer had any relations. Miss Crab once again went to the rental house that Mister Ostrich once lived in. Of course, she didn’t find anything. New residents had already moved into the house, children’s clothing hanging out to dry in front of the window. Miss Crab felt that Mister Ostrich was likely no longer in this city anymore, but she didn’t have a clue about where he could be. She spent the night in this city. The winter there was very cold. Miss Crab didn’t know how Mister Ostrich lived through those few years. Did his feet get frostbitten? Was putting on and taking off his clothes very inconvenient? Mama Ostrich had already pa.s.sed away, but the stubborn Mister Ostrich never went to find Papa Ostrich, not even once. Miss Crab thought about him being on his own. When it was raining, there would be no one to hold an umbrella for him. When he was eating, there was no one to help serve him… Miss Crab refused to think about whether Mister Ostrich had a new lady by his side. She was still here waiting, so how could he fall in love with someone else? Dearest Mister Ostrich, Miss Crab finally saw the letter you stuffed into that picture frame. It’s been seven years, so the paper’s already gone yellow. Mister Ostrich, did you know, seven years ago, when you were waiting in the park, Mister Peac.o.c.k invited Miss Crab out to play ping pong. Miss Crab and Mister Peac.o.c.k were at the side of the ping pong stage, enthusiastically discussing how to fill out their college selections. Miss Crab wasn’t at all interested in where Mister Peac.o.c.k was planning on going to school. She just happily said that she wanted to give Mister Ostrich a surprise, to go to the same college as him! Mister Peac.o.c.k asked, “Crab, do you like Mister Ostrich?” Miss Crab nodded, “Mm.” Yes, she liked Mister Ostrich. Not that kind of like, it was a different kind of liking. Miss Crab remembered something that Mister Ostrich told her once. He said that there are some things that pa.s.s when they’ve pa.s.sed. And there are some people who would only accompany you for a certain period in your life. Mister Ostrich must have thought that he was just another one of those pa.s.sing people in her life, no different from the coming and going of her cla.s.smates. But that’s not right. He was the most s.h.i.+ning figure in her life, the most tender touch and companion she’d ever had. Miss Crab could talk on for three days and nights, and she still wouldn’t be able to list all the good things there were about Mister Ostrich. Perhaps in others’ eyes, Mister Ostrich wasn’t a perfect person, but in Miss Crab’s eyes, he was the best person. Miss Crab never had the chance to tell Mister Ostrich that she knew things must have been difficult for him all these years. But their lives were both still very, very long… Miss Crab really hoped that Mister Ostrich could be the person who was beside her for the rest of her life. In these years, they’d lost each other in the sea of people. Thank G.o.d for giving them the chance to meet again. This isn’t a story without an ending, it’s one with a sweet ending. A cheesy, cliche, happy ending. There’s never been another ending. From the moment that Miss Crab and Mister Ostrich met, it was decided that they would be together. – Miss Crab, Christmas 2010 The last image was still not the prettiest to look at, but you could also still tell the author had made an effort. The ostrich had closed his gentle eyes, and the red crab was on his back, two claws gently hugging his neck. A pair of footsteps sounded behind him. Someone was walking slowly towards him. Gu Mingxi’s whole body stiffened. He didn’t turn around or stand up. That person had already walked up to him. He could feel her breath, just like in a dream. He slowly closed his eyes. The sun was s.h.i.+ning strongly, so even when he closed his eyes, it was still bright. The whole time, he was holding his breath. But when her fingers touched his back, he suddenly relaxed. He let out a deep breath and opened his eyes. He lowered his head and saw a pair of tender hands move slowly from his shoulders to his chest, until finally, her arms wrapped around him. “Gu Mingxi,” her voice rang in his ears. “Are you satisfied with the ending I drew?”
