DPM Chapter 76
Translated by Snowfall77
Thump……Liu Yi couldn’t hold himself up anymore. The crutch in his hand loosened. He dropped to the dirt.
“I don’t believe it……I don’t believe it……”
“I have to go to Beijing……
“Dai Rong, you take me to Beijing, I have to see them……”
Yet the sound of Liu Yi’s voice got lower and lower, until eventually there was nothing.
Liu Yi, thirty-eight years old, had persevered for years. He’d made the difficult trek to Xi’an. To have his faith shattered. At which point he was unable to go on. He’d died where he’d fallen.
Liu Meng, his son, stood by his body. Not crying, not moving, just blankly standing still.
Wu Xingyun extended a hand, pulling at Liu Meng, while someone approached to carry Liu Yi’s body away.
“He’s dead?” Liu Meng asked. His voice was soft, a little perplexed and very lost. A ten-year-old who didn’t seem to grasp death.
Crouching down, Wu Xingyun patted Liu Meng on the shoulder: “Don’t be too sad……He……We’ll take good care of you.”
Liu Meng shook his head and stared at Wu Xingyun with two pure, almost transparent eyes, not speaking.
Wu Xingyun remembered the first time they’d met. Looking at each other through a spaceship window, Liu Meng, flawless and beautiful like a deity, had sized Wu Xingyun up with the same expression as now.
At that time, Wu Xingyun had found Liu Meng’s aspect strange, but facing it again now, Wu Xingyun felt a bit entranced. Thinking that Liu Meng might start bawling, Wu Xingyun tried to comfort him: “Don’t be sad.”
“Why should I be sad?” Liu Meng asked.
Leaving Wu Xingyun at a loss for words.
“Everyone will die……Me, you, him……We’ll all die, won’t we?”
Wu Xingyun nodded.
“So……why be sad?” Liu Meng’s face turned slightly sullen. “When Mama died, I cried a long time……I was very grieved. Later, my father’s brothers died one by one, and now my father too, and……We’re all going to die.”
Left speechless, Wu Xingyun reached out and stroked Liu Meng’s head. The ten-year-old showed no smile. There was no emotion whatsoever.
Maybe because of a childhood encircled by mutant lizards and death, passing through the last days.
Without rhyme or reason, Wu Xingyun found the parentless child pitiful, with that clean, flawless gaze, asking in puzzled tones: “Why be sad? We’ll all die, won’t we?”
Wu Xingyun’s heart couldn’t help faintly trembling.
Finally he said: “Some people live a long time, they think they’ll always continue like that. So if a loved one leaves them, they’re broken-hearted.”
Liu Meng’s gaze slightly lowered. After a moment, he held out his hand to Wu Xingyun, saying: “Is this sadness?”
A translucent crystal teardrop in the hollow of his palm, refracting beams of light, accentuated the thinness of his small body.
Holding Liu Meng’s hand, Wu Xingyun spoke gently: “Yes. So……Don’t be anxious, you’ll stay here. Things will get better. Later you’ll be happy.”
“Mmm.” Liu Meng nodded.
Wu Xingyun planned for a couple who’d just recently lost their child to take Liu Meng in. A malnourished ten-year-old wouldn’t be able to survive living alone, he needed someone to look after him. But when Wu Xingyun took Liu Meng by the hand to meet the couple, Liu Meng kept by Wu Xingyun’s side, telling the couple: “I don’t want you to be my parents.”
Thereafter, Wu Xingyun widened his search, introducing Liu Meng to a few others. Each time, Liu Meng would declare: “I don’t like it.”
“Why don’t you let me take this child away?” Dai Rong proposed, “I have many people.”
Liu Meng shook his head at Dai Rong: “I don’t like you……You killed my father.”
Dai Rong heaved a sigh: “This child……Don’t indulge him too much.”
But Wu Xingyun, still hoping for Liu Meng to become happier, asked Liu Meng: “Who do you like?”
Liu Meng stared at Wu Xingyun for a minute: “You.”
Wu Xingyun stared back, gobsmacked. Because after all—in a sense—he too was responsible for Liu Yi’s death.
“You saved us,” Liu Meng continued, “I only want to be with you.”
That night, when Ye Fan got the news, his brow knitted. He wasn’t at all happy about Wu Xingyun taking Liu Meng in.
He wired back: “Although that kid is special……still, I don’t really like him. Let him live alone. He won’t die from hunger.”
Wu Xingyun asked: “Why don’t you like?”
Ye Fan responded: “Who likes a third wheel? Besides, we didn’t give birth to him.”
Wu Xingyun: “………….”
With Dai Rong and Wu Xingyun having met again after a long separation, Ye Fan made it back in Xi’an in about half a month. The three men reunited, the past seemed a lifetime ago.
Dai Rong waxed optimistic about his situation, explaining he’d never expected to control so much territory, but he considered it a wish come true.
Ye Fan regretted that they hadn’t been able to reach any islands. Though it had been a big gain for Ye Fan to free City C.
Idly chatting and cracking jokes, eventually they got to the real business at hand.
Through the past years of expanding their territory and cleaning up what they could, they’d discovered a substantial amount of nuclear warheads. And although most nuclear power plants had been closed, for a few it’d been too late, and there were pockets of severe nuclear contamination.
“I want to go across the oceans, to see what’s happening elsewhere.” Dai Rong told Ye Fan and Wu Xingyun. “What about you?”
Ye Fan and Wu Xingyun exchanged a glance. “Let’s go together. Maybe there’s left-over technology that’d be useful.”
They continued to talk for a long time, familiarizing each other with the state of affairs.
Dai Rong was trying to build a signal station, and anticipated that Ye Fan would cooperate with him.
Wu Xingyun mainly listened, only occasionally offering some Federation-based land development methods. Soon enough they settled on what they felt was a workable plan.
After Dai Rong left, Ye Fan regarded Wu Xingyun with lustful eyes.
Obviously Ye Fan had been gone for four months. As soon as he’d gotten back, he’d had to meet with Dai Rong. Now that difficult work was finally finished, Ye Fan wanted to eat some meat.
What a pity though, Ye Fan had barely stroked Wu Xingyun’s waist when they were interrupted.
Liu Meng had popped up in the doorway and was staring fixedly at Wu Xingyun, making Wu Xingyun’s back tingle.
“Is something the matter?” Wu Xingyun asked.
Liu Meng nodded: “There’s something important.”
Watching Wu Xingyun follow Liu Meng out, Ye Fan’s teeth itched with hatred. He ran outside and kicked an abandoned concrete building until his internal fire died down a little.
Going into Liu Meng’s next door room, Wu Xingyun inquired: “What is it?”
“You haven’t taught me how to read,” Liu Meng complained, “Is that keeping your word?”
" "Watching Liu Meng take out a dictionary, Wu Xingyun felt a sudden headache coming on.
Honestly, not being able to see Ye Fan for a few months, Wu Xingyun missed him badly, but couldn’t say so directly……And Liu Meng’s current agitation was obvious.
“Can I teach you tomorrow?” Wu Xingyun entreated.
Adamantly shaking his head, Liu Meng countered: “I’m already ten years old……The fourth grade of primary school. And I don’t know anything. Will you stay here and teach me?”
Obliged to sit down, Wu Xingyun said: “There’s so many dictionaries, and I’m not familiar with all of them……Should I teach you science and engineering, or mathematics?”
Liu Meng nodded at that suggestion: “Good.”
Wu Xingyun started with the basics of math, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Liu Meng learned extremely quickly, Wu Xingyun only needed to say it once and Liu Meng knew it.
Therefore Wu Xingyun felt rather suspicious that Liu Meng didn’t need tutoring on this subject, especially when he caught sight of the corners of Liu Meng’s mouth curving upwards.
Liu Meng was—laughing?
Thinking maybe he was wrong, Wu Xingyun continued. But after a few moments, Wu Xingyun saw the same expression on Liu Meng’s face again.
“You……” Wu Xingyun asked, “You’re very happy?”
“I’m a fast learner,” Liu Meng made a ‘hmm.’ “Will you stay here tonight, teach me junior high level stuff?”
Wu Xingyun again guessed at some kind of ulterior motive, but he couldn’t read the child’s mind.
“It’s already late today,” Wu Xingyun said. “Get some sleep, we can do more tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Liu Meng acquiesced.
Thoroughly exhausted by that point, Wu Xingyun had no endurance to fulfill Ye Fan’s requirements, instead promptly falling asleep.
Full of spirit, Ye Fan was unreconciled about not getting to vent his feelings. Yet he truly cherished his lover, and contented himself with kissing the other’s lips, then silently enduring.
One day, two days, three days, ten days……
Ye Fan’s patience had reached its limit……Every time Liu Meng managed to interrupt, Ye Fan’s heart welled with deep resentment.
And the last straw was—Wu Xingyun apparently cared more about this little brat, considering him pitiful for recently losing his father.
It was unbearable! Ye Fan hadn’t eaten meat in how many days? He was the more pathetic one!
In the end, Ye Fan decided to have a conversation with Liu Meng: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”
Lowering his head a little, Liu Meng didn’t speak.
Voice filled with repressed anger, Ye Fan went on: “You’re doing this deliberately, aren’t you? I heard your father brag that you’ve already completely learned high school textbooks. But every day you’re wrapped around Wu Xingyun, bugging him to teach you. What do you mean by this?”
" "Still Liu Meng said nothing.
Ye Fan snorted and left, vowing to himself that today he would eat his fill. If he starved any longer, he’d go crazy! Whoever dared to block his way, he would at once—tear them to shreds!
(TN-Liu Meng is quite the blocker—past and future)
DPM Chapter 76
Translated by Snowfall77
Thump……Liu Yi couldn’t hold himself up anymore. The crutch in his hand loosened. He dropped to the dirt.
“I don’t believe it……I don’t believe it……”
“I have to go to Beijing……
“Dai Rong, you take me to Beijing, I have to see them……”
Yet the sound of Liu Yi’s voice got lower and lower, until eventually there was nothing.
Liu Yi, thirty-eight years old, had persevered for years. He’d made the difficult trek to Xi’an. To have his faith shattered. At which point he was unable to go on. He’d died where he’d fallen.
Liu Meng, his son, stood by his body. Not crying, not moving, just blankly standing still.
Wu Xingyun extended a hand, pulling at Liu Meng, while someone approached to carry Liu Yi’s body away.
“He’s dead?” Liu Meng asked. His voice was soft, a little perplexed and very lost. A ten-year-old who didn’t seem to grasp death.
Crouching down, Wu Xingyun patted Liu Meng on the shoulder: “Don’t be too sad……He……We’ll take good care of you.”
Liu Meng shook his head and stared at Wu Xingyun with two pure, almost transparent eyes, not speaking.
Wu Xingyun remembered the first time they’d met. Looking at each other through a spaceship window, Liu Meng, flawless and beautiful like a deity, had sized Wu Xingyun up with the same expression as now.
At that time, Wu Xingyun had found Liu Meng’s aspect strange, but facing it again now, Wu Xingyun felt a bit entranced. Thinking that Liu Meng might start bawling, Wu Xingyun tried to comfort him: “Don’t be sad.”
“Why should I be sad?” Liu Meng asked.
Leaving Wu Xingyun at a loss for words.
“Everyone will die……Me, you, him……We’ll all die, won’t we?”
Wu Xingyun nodded.
“So……why be sad?” Liu Meng’s face turned slightly sullen. “When Mama died, I cried a long time……I was very grieved. Later, my father’s brothers died one by one, and now my father too, and……We’re all going to die.”
Left speechless, Wu Xingyun reached out and stroked Liu Meng’s head. The ten-year-old showed no smile. There was no emotion whatsoever.
Maybe because of a childhood encircled by mutant lizards and death, passing through the last days.
Without rhyme or reason, Wu Xingyun found the parentless child pitiful, with that clean, flawless gaze, asking in puzzled tones: “Why be sad? We’ll all die, won’t we?”
Wu Xingyun’s heart couldn’t help faintly trembling.
Finally he said: “Some people live a long time, they think they’ll always continue like that. So if a loved one leaves them, they’re broken-hearted.”
Liu Meng’s gaze slightly lowered. After a moment, he held out his hand to Wu Xingyun, saying: “Is this sadness?”
A translucent crystal teardrop in the hollow of his palm, refracting beams of light, accentuated the thinness of his small body.
Holding Liu Meng’s hand, Wu Xingyun spoke gently: “Yes. So……Don’t be anxious, you’ll stay here. Things will get better. Later you’ll be happy.”
“Mmm.” Liu Meng nodded.
Wu Xingyun planned for a couple who’d just recently lost their child to take Liu Meng in. A malnourished ten-year-old wouldn’t be able to survive living alone, he needed someone to look after him. But when Wu Xingyun took Liu Meng by the hand to meet the couple, Liu Meng kept by Wu Xingyun’s side, telling the couple: “I don’t want you to be my parents.”
Thereafter, Wu Xingyun widened his search, introducing Liu Meng to a few others. Each time, Liu Meng would declare: “I don’t like it.”
“Why don’t you let me take this child away?” Dai Rong proposed, “I have many people.”
Liu Meng shook his head at Dai Rong: “I don’t like you……You killed my father.”
Dai Rong heaved a sigh: “This child……Don’t indulge him too much.”
But Wu Xingyun, still hoping for Liu Meng to become happier, asked Liu Meng: “Who do you like?”
Liu Meng stared at Wu Xingyun for a minute: “You.”
Wu Xingyun stared back, gobsmacked. Because after all—in a sense—he too was responsible for Liu Yi’s death.
“You saved us,” Liu Meng continued, “I only want to be with you.”
That night, when Ye Fan got the news, his brow knitted. He wasn’t at all happy about Wu Xingyun taking Liu Meng in.
He wired back: “Although that kid is special……still, I don’t really like him. Let him live alone. He won’t die from hunger.”
Wu Xingyun asked: “Why don’t you like?”
Ye Fan responded: “Who likes a third wheel? Besides, we didn’t give birth to him.”
Wu Xingyun: “………….”
With Dai Rong and Wu Xingyun having met again after a long separation, Ye Fan made it back in Xi’an in about half a month. The three men reunited, the past seemed a lifetime ago.
Dai Rong waxed optimistic about his situation, explaining he’d never expected to control so much territory, but he considered it a wish come true.
Ye Fan regretted that they hadn’t been able to reach any islands. Though it had been a big gain for Ye Fan to free City C.
Idly chatting and cracking jokes, eventually they got to the real business at hand.
Through the past years of expanding their territory and cleaning up what they could, they’d discovered a substantial amount of nuclear warheads. And although most nuclear power plants had been closed, for a few it’d been too late, and there were pockets of severe nuclear contamination.
“I want to go across the oceans, to see what’s happening elsewhere.” Dai Rong told Ye Fan and Wu Xingyun. “What about you?”
Ye Fan and Wu Xingyun exchanged a glance. “Let’s go together. Maybe there’s left-over technology that’d be useful.”
They continued to talk for a long time, familiarizing each other with the state of affairs.
Dai Rong was trying to build a signal station, and anticipated that Ye Fan would cooperate with him.
Wu Xingyun mainly listened, only occasionally offering some Federation-based land development methods. Soon enough they settled on what they felt was a workable plan.
After Dai Rong left, Ye Fan regarded Wu Xingyun with lustful eyes.
Obviously Ye Fan had been gone for four months. As soon as he’d gotten back, he’d had to meet with Dai Rong. Now that difficult work was finally finished, Ye Fan wanted to eat some meat.
What a pity though, Ye Fan had barely stroked Wu Xingyun’s waist when they were interrupted.
Liu Meng had popped up in the doorway and was staring fixedly at Wu Xingyun, making Wu Xingyun’s back tingle.
“Is something the matter?” Wu Xingyun asked.
Liu Meng nodded: “There’s something important.”
Watching Wu Xingyun follow Liu Meng out, Ye Fan’s teeth itched with hatred. He ran outside and kicked an abandoned concrete building until his internal fire died down a little.
Going into Liu Meng’s next door room, Wu Xingyun inquired: “What is it?”
“You haven’t taught me how to read,” Liu Meng complained, “Is that keeping your word?”
" "Watching Liu Meng take out a dictionary, Wu Xingyun felt a sudden headache coming on.
Honestly, not being able to see Ye Fan for a few months, Wu Xingyun missed him badly, but couldn’t say so directly……And Liu Meng’s current agitation was obvious.
“Can I teach you tomorrow?” Wu Xingyun entreated.
Adamantly shaking his head, Liu Meng countered: “I’m already ten years old……The fourth grade of primary school. And I don’t know anything. Will you stay here and teach me?”
Obliged to sit down, Wu Xingyun said: “There’s so many dictionaries, and I’m not familiar with all of them……Should I teach you science and engineering, or mathematics?”
Liu Meng nodded at that suggestion: “Good.”
Wu Xingyun started with the basics of math, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Liu Meng learned extremely quickly, Wu Xingyun only needed to say it once and Liu Meng knew it.
Therefore Wu Xingyun felt rather suspicious that Liu Meng didn’t need tutoring on this subject, especially when he caught sight of the corners of Liu Meng’s mouth curving upwards.
Liu Meng was—laughing?
Thinking maybe he was wrong, Wu Xingyun continued. But after a few moments, Wu Xingyun saw the same expression on Liu Meng’s face again.
“You……” Wu Xingyun asked, “You’re very happy?”
“I’m a fast learner,” Liu Meng made a ‘hmm.’ “Will you stay here tonight, teach me junior high level stuff?”
Wu Xingyun again guessed at some kind of ulterior motive, but he couldn’t read the child’s mind.
“It’s already late today,” Wu Xingyun said. “Get some sleep, we can do more tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Liu Meng acquiesced.
Thoroughly exhausted by that point, Wu Xingyun had no endurance to fulfill Ye Fan’s requirements, instead promptly falling asleep.
Full of spirit, Ye Fan was unreconciled about not getting to vent his feelings. Yet he truly cherished his lover, and contented himself with kissing the other’s lips, then silently enduring.
One day, two days, three days, ten days……
Ye Fan’s patience had reached its limit……Every time Liu Meng managed to interrupt, Ye Fan’s heart welled with deep resentment.
And the last straw was—Wu Xingyun apparently cared more about this little brat, considering him pitiful for recently losing his father.
It was unbearable! Ye Fan hadn’t eaten meat in how many days? He was the more pathetic one!
In the end, Ye Fan decided to have a conversation with Liu Meng: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”
Lowering his head a little, Liu Meng didn’t speak.
Voice filled with repressed anger, Ye Fan went on: “You’re doing this deliberately, aren’t you? I heard your father brag that you’ve already completely learned high school textbooks. But every day you’re wrapped around Wu Xingyun, bugging him to teach you. What do you mean by this?”
" "Still Liu Meng said nothing.
Ye Fan snorted and left, vowing to himself that today he would eat his fill. If he starved any longer, he’d go crazy! Whoever dared to block his way, he would at once—tear them to shreds!
(TN-Liu Meng is quite the blocker—past and future)
