With you for thirteen years CH7

Chapter 7: The Seventh Year

In the midst of a crowd's cheers, Hai Ruo blew out the candles on the cake, with a clap the yellow light in the living room turned on, friends were cheering and clapping, each vying for a bite-sized piece of the cake and turning to smear it on each other's faces.

Hai Ruo was the first to be attacked, the newly styled hair was virtually covered with a layer of cream, she pardoned this while laughing, hugging DongDong in her arms as she circled the sofa dodging her close friend's attacks.

At this very moment, it was a breezy and smooth spring night, it was also Hai Ruo's thirty-six birthday.

It could be said, at the age of thirty-six, the best years of a woman were almost all gone. At the same time where most women are worried about their husband and children, they would try their best to seize the time to delay the irreversible loosening of the face, the fine lines, the age spots, would worry about their black hair turning white, would be concerned about the curse that no one can escape——growing old.

But once you see a woman like Hai Ruo, you can't help but question her age and the fairness of God.

The skin's so soft that it doesn't look like a thirty-six years old woman at all. 

"Live well with your little boyfriend being in your own 'two people's world*'". This man who just made a witty remark is someone who just came back from abroad, when talking he even subconsciously made "quotation mark" hand gestures.

"What even." Hai Ruo heard this saying and could not hold back a smile, putting DongDong up towards her shoulders, waving her hand to say goodbye to all her good friends.

"Ok, DongDong." Hai Ruo looked at the room that although everyone had helped clean a little, but still messy site, "The happy time is over, we need to get to work now."

DongDong also needs to work. People who know Hai Ruo and her cat all say a similar thing——this cat is so smart it's basically perfect, Hai Ruo is also quite proud of DongDong's IQ. Usually at home, DongDong would help out with chores that are within his capacity——listening to this doesn't it sound like a little schoolboy?

Right, the chores he is able to do include arranging the antique history shelf, the bookshelf, help clean the coffee and dining tables, help Hai Ruo get something or hand over some clothing, and, could help spread the bedsheets.

So when everyone else got to know what DongDong could do, each one after the other has all expressed, that Hai Ruo really did not need a so-called boyfriend, "Because other than a husband providing you chromosomes, DongDong could take care of everything else." This year a new mom that just gave birth to a BABY last year brought along her son, "The most wonderful thing is that he won't bicker with you, Hai Ruo you really are a winner in life." 

After spreading out the pink floral bedding, Hai Ruo somehow thought of these words, chuckling, attracting DongDong to look at her confused.

"Meow?" Is something wrong?

"Is just that I suddenly thought about, the words that DongDong is my little boyfriend, thinking about it really is true." Hai Ruo rubbed DongDong's fur on his nape, and playfully pinched his ears. "I don't know what dating feels like, but thinking carefully, it should be something like this."

"Like a silken net is my heart, I can't untie its thousand knots nor set them apart*, exactly what kind of emotion is it, I don't know, DongDong. Do you know?" Pulling up the duvet, Hai Ruo patted the space by her side, DongDong glanced over, meowed, jumped up, rolled on the bed, arriving right at her hand's side. 

Towards her most intimate DongDong, Hai Ruo had the desire to pour her heart out.

DongDong is smart, understands human nature. This is the consensus given by people who know Hai Ruo's cat, but in truth, this is the result Chu Chengyu painstakingly built up. Let's say if a cat likes to watch television, no problem, this is pretty normal, now let's say if a cat likes to read books, ok, probably guessing that they are looking at the pictures or so, also could be explained.

But if you said that a cat could understand human language and could type words, then that is pretty unimaginable, at the very least half of the people would still want to figure what is going on, the other half, such as scientist and so, would very likely dissect him up for experimentation.

Showing his IQ, Chu Chengyu carefully planned out a timeline. In the beginning it was only showing a little bit more interest in the surroundings, then having a higher degree of interest towards the owner's actions, continuing so for a period of time, simply showing special reactions, towards certain words also having some special reactions, then after everyone has adopted "this cat is really smart" way of thinking,  he finally be able to "do as one pleases".

As a result of the humanity he shows, Hai Ruo towards him after he passed the kitten stage, has basically been treating him as an equal, would talk a lot to him, if there are any issues would also "discuss" it with him.

And now, Hai Ruo wants to confide her thoughts that she has never told anyone before to him.

"I'm also surprised about the world inside my inner heart, in truth, before puberty, I would always think that I was no different from anyone else." Hai Ruo held DongDong's body lifting him to the front. "Until my friends beside me all one by one fell in love, that's when I felt that it seemed like my inner heart was missing a piece of something."

"At that time, yes...senior high school, the testing period was here, there was a senior who had already finish his college admission tests and was going to college, during the day of graduation he confessed to me...during that time a bunch of people was making a fuss. The senior was quite popular, I felt that rejecting straightforwardly wasn't that good, so I talked to the senior in private."

"That senior said he liked me for a really long time, doesn't want to give up, said that he wants to continue trying for a bit to see." Hai Ruo placed DongDong on top of her belly, recently eating hotpot a few times, gained a bit more weight, DongDong's front paws tapped a few times, it was soft, causing Hai Ruo to let out a laugh.

"It's ticklish, knock it off. During that time I muddleheadedly felt that there was something about me that wasn't right, the senior pursued me for quite a long time, all the way from me finishing my college admission tests to me attending school at S university. He was a nice person, haven't been in contact for a long time don't know how they are now......"

Hai Ruo was silent for a while, seeming to be organizing what she wanted to say.

"I don't know, the so-called like, what feeling it is." She stroked the fur on DongDong's body, unconsciously pulling her own hair entangling it with his fur, "Friends all say its when their whole world seemed to be only revolving because of that other person, feeling that if the other person is feeling good then they are happy, feeling that every minute and second you want to be together with the other......this is pretty unimaginable, I thought at that time, how could it be, how could there be something that emits such a strong feeling."

"But, at that time, I had never ever had that kind of feeling before. Like if a person was to confess to me, I don't even have their most basic vanity, only feeling distressed about thinking of a way to reject so that it won't hurt them."

"From listening to my friends expressing bitterness and sweetness in their stories I can feel the feelings of bitterness and sweetness, from a love song feel the deep meaning of love, especially from characters, I can depict the emotions and appeal. Because of that, I chose this path for my life and as a career.

For "What was normal at the time*" I was infatuated, also for "Bone piercing lovesickness knows nothing*" I was fascinated, even for "After the phoenix tree being half-dead clearing the frost*" I cried. But when it was my turn, in any case the experiences were all hard to relate to."

"Before there was also someone who was my friend, but after getting rejected they never appeared again, during that time I felt distressed, felt wronged, now that I think about that time it was all youth. When I was young I lived with my aunt for a while, got close to her, you also know, she has been single all the way to now, but the thing that sets her apart from me is, she has had a few boyfriends, from time to time also chasing after love. But after all is said and done, her thinking and mine are common.

She asked me, if you are upset over them leaving after you rejected them, then why don't you just accept them?

I remembered I replied like this:

'I don't want to delay another person's whole life just because of the little discomfort I feel in my inner heart, that would be too irresponsible.'

Aunt on the contrary said, I was still too considerate of others, that the thought of taking responsibility for others shouldn't exist at all, as living comfortably in your life is already difficult enough, worrying more about others, is not realistic at all."

DongDong quietly laid on top of her, listening to her laughing while recounting, the inner heart is calm with no ripples.

"Afterward I was also at a bit of a loss, staying single with so many people around might seem strange, but after getting the key nothing's too bad." DongDong knows the "key", every time someone introduces a man to her, timely, the expression of sadness leaking out would stop any continuation from happening.

Friends who are really close to her understand her quite well, even jokingly calling her "asexual".

"But, there will still be certain people who I don't want to hurt, but I would still unconsciously hurt them......people like Xiao Jing, I......don't understand why."

Following Professor Wu this year Xu Jing has attended many exchanges, the appraisal of her thesis was also very high, in all, the whole process went smoothly. On Hai Ruo's birthday, she had asked someone to bring her gift along——it was a tiny crystal figurine of a mermaid, currently placed on top of the television cabinet, it can be seen every day. Hai Ruo has started taking in graduate students again, this time there are two males and one female, still very cordial, but, not intimate anymore.

A thing like with Xu Jing, she doesn't want it to happen again.

She doesn't understand why someone would like her, Hai Ruo is always open and generous, she would never leave room for ambiguous feelings, after expressing clearly her thoughts, most suitors would leave dejectedly, this kind of thing has happened not only once, this makes her completely puzzled. 

Hai Ruo, her name, don't know if it is a beautiful coincidence or that her parents specially picked it, it has the meaning of Posedian.

And she really is like a goddess of the sea, open, tolerant, but also senseless and ruthless.

Yes, she will never know, when a sea god who should be lofty and cold instead always show a gentle and warm smile, this is the biggest connivance and temptation.

But they will never be able to get her.

No matter how many people, what they chase after for would always be "unobtainable".

But Chu Chengyu, he feels, Hai Ruo isn't like that. And the way he fell in love with her, is also not the same as the usual pattern.

"You say, DongDong, isn't it so strange." After talking on and on Hai Ruo is starting to get sleepy, "Really can't understand."

Yes, Hai Ruo who doesn't know the look of love would obviously not understand.

If it was the past Chu Chengyu, he may also not understand these feelings, but, God gave him a fateful chance between life and death, letting him meet Hai Ruo.

Hai Ruo doesn't realize, now when she is together with DongDong, she's happy, at every moment of the day she wishes to bring him along, feeling that being apart from him isn't right......except for the point that he isn't human, it is in line with the definition of a lover.

But only that, this definition and the definition of a family member overlap too much, making it that she can't distinguish between them, also having no way to distinguish.

But, Chu Chengyu has thought it out, feeling that it doesn't matter, the mood all of a sudden clearing up.

All the feeling of pain comes from you, all the feeling of happiness comes from you.

This way of thinking makes him feel really good, making him feel alive.

Tomorrow morning when waking up, as usual he would express his love to Hai Ruo, would also use his tongue to lick her mouth corners which resembles a kiss that only he would understand.

His love, he can never say it out loud, and can never orally confess, only having one way to make it come true.

This way is called accompanying.

SMALL THEATER:

It's raining today, so bringing out DongDong is not good.

Therefore at home:

As usual after watching the financial report on the news, DongDong was idling away on the sofa——rolling once, then rolling once more.

Skillfully going on the internet, browsing through a few webpages thinking there really was nothing to see, what should I do.

Turning around, ah, the bookshelf is a bit messy, it must be that Hai Ruo was looking through the material this morning and didn't have time to organize back the shelf.

Then, let's just do that.

Ok, the literature on one side, and specialized subjects on the other side, this book......this big bulky dictionary is really too heavy let's just put it here.

Hai Ruo who came home at night, seeing the hard work she put in during the morning taking out the materials being "returned", and DongDong's expressionless "black face" lighting up full of expectations.

............

"DongDong so amazing so smart." Hai Ruo did not even pause, picking DongDong up and spinning a couple of times, "Really great, helped me big time."

Afterward, every time Hai Ruo took out material, after putting the important ones on one side, she would also pick out a few books that were light and make the area messy.

Oh, Hai Ruo forgot to put it away again, thankfully I am here.

DongDong expressionlessly put away books, squatting by the side of Hai Ruo's legs, waiting for Hai Ruo to give him a little kiss on his nose.

*two people's world - basically a world where only the two exist/ world of husband and wife (married life).

All the poems mentioned here each have deep meanings, but I am just translating this novel not explaining poems so what you see here is the most basic meaning of the line just to give you guys the 'foundation' of what Hai Ruo is referring to.

*Like a silken net is my heart(心似双丝网), I can't untie its thousand knots nor set them apart (中有千千结) - this is a part of the poem "A Thousand Autumns (千秋岁)" by 张先 (Zhang Xian). Usually said with the line before [The sky never grows old (天不老), Love won't turn cold (情难绝)] having the meaning: The sky does not age, and love is hard to break. A heart full of affection is like two spider webs overlapping each other, in which there are thousands of knots that are difficult to untie.

*What was normal at the time(当时只道是寻常) from a poem "浣溪沙·谁念西风独自凉" by 纳兰性德 (Nalan Xingde). The full line: "被酒莫惊春睡重，赌书消得泼茶香，当时只道是寻常." 当时只道是寻常 having a deeper meaning of "In the past through normal events, being unable to accomplish one's wishes." The poem vividly expresses the sorrow of the poet for his dead wife. 

*Bone piercing lovesickness knows nothing(入骨相思知不知) from a poem "新添声杨柳枝词二首" by 温庭筠(Wen Tingyun). The full line: "玲珑骰子安红豆，入骨相思知不知?" The full line mentioning the red dot on the exquisite dice and it is deep in the bones, meaning along the lines of wishing her lover luck/ the red dot is also the marking of a date of the lover's return and by it being deep into the bones to show her deep love. This poem is from a women's viewpoint, where she expresses nostalgia for her lover. 

*After the phoenix tree being half-dead clearing the frost(梧桐半死清霜后) - part of a poem "The Partridge Heaven (鹧鸪天)" by 贺铸 (He Zhu). The full line being: "梧桐半死清霜后，头白鸳鸯失伴飞", the second half having the meaning - the white-headed mandarin duck loses its companion. This line has the meaning - The phoenix tree that has been beaten by frost, half a lifetime and half dead; and like a white-headed mandarin duck, lonely and tired. The phoenix tree being "Wutong" in Chinese the Wu character sounds a lot like together, and a pair of mandarin ducks in Chinese culture is a symbol of life long couples. The poet wrote this poem to mourn his dead wife.

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