You have no idea how much your support means to me, Unicorn Squad and ladyblacktea. Thank you so much for the ko-fis!🙇
Chapter 165 Everything is good; all that is missing is you
Dang Hong had planned everything, and as he stepped off the plane, he was received by someone. He was friendly, eager, and had a bright smile.
"I'm also Pan Lei's brother, although I'm a distant cousin from his paternal aunt's family. Pan Yue - she is the daughter of Pan Lei's paternal aunt - is my younger female patrilineal cousin. Pan Yue takes her mother's surname since Pan Lei's uncle (his paternal aunt's husband) married into the Pan family. Pan Yue's father is my Little Uncle. It’s a complicated family tree, isn’t it. My surname is He; I’m He Lian. Pan Zhan and Aunt Dang both called me before you left the country and asked me to look after you. Your family's Pan Lei went even further and made all sorts of threats and promises. We are alumni, so if you have any questions, please contact me. Your house is right next to mine. Pan Zhan requested an independent single house. It’s a small white building with a flower-filled little garden. The people who live nearby are quite friendly. They will send you cookies because you are a new neighbor. Every month, there are community gatherings. Pan Zhan stated that the security must be appropriate for the most important member of our Pan family. Aunt Dang said the same thing to me several times. I considered it and concluded that it is preferable to live near me. I've lived there for nearly ten years and am quite familiar with the neighborhood, so I arranged for you to live next to me. If you are not satisfied, I can assist you in finding another place. There is a Chinese restaurant nearby, and the school is only a 20-minute walk away. A little park is nearby, and shopping is also extremely convenient."
He Lian was incredibly friendly. In Pan Lei's so-called red hair and green eyes territory, he could hear his native language and see a relative who wasn't quite a relative but was also really kind. At the very least, there was no communication stumbling block.
Everyone might be said to have worked hard in order for him to go abroad. But he hadn't met Pan Lei's paternal aunt's family. Pan Lei had mentioned her once, but he had never seen his brave older sister Pan Yue.
"First, let's go to your house, and then I'll show you around. Tomorrow, I'll drive you to school. I live next door to you, so you can ask me any questions you have. I studied here, then worked here as a teaching assistant, and I never returned. Pan Lei is still serving in the army. The uncles and aunts are all OK. When I was in China, I resided at my uncle's house for a while, and the old man and old lady gave me New Year's money. They’re both tough. I haven't been back in a long time. When I see you arrive, I feel as if a relative has come to my home. I'm really happy. I'm the same age as Pan Ge. You must be curious about your brothers’ ages, right? Pan Zhan turns thirty-five this year, Pan Ge and I are both thirty-two, and Pan Yue is one year older than Pan Lei, who should be thirty this year."
"Thirty-one."
They'd observed Chinese New Year. He was also a year older[1], despite the fact that it had only been a few days.
He Lian smacked himself across the forehead. This motion was a little awkward because he was holding two large suitcases.
"Hey, it's not common to celebrate Chinese New Year in other countries, so I ignored it. Let's go, let's go. Why did you pack so much stuff? As long as you bring your ID, you can buy anything here."
Tian Yuan was too shy to admit he didn't know because he slept on the bed while the suitcase was packed. Pan Lei was the one who helped him pack.
He allegedly only left out toilet paper.
"I've never met Pan Yue, his older sister."
"Oh! Well, I guess you'll be able to see her this year. She's supposed to be in Africa right now. She has been in the army for a few years and has traveled the world. She is said to have brought a gun into the streets of Iraq to help calm citizens and stop the US soldiers from opening fire. That's a modern-day female Rambo."
The Pans were a bandit family. They were all bandits from young to old, men and women alike.
A girl from a good family who did not join the General Political Troupe to sing and dance, nor did she become a member of the white-collar elite. Instead, she enjoyed running around with a gun in her hand.
He Lian opened the trunk, grabbed the luggage, put it away, and then swung his arms. There were five large suitcases, and the bags were quite heavy.
"The law and order in our neighborhood is satisfactory, and there are no idle people loitering. They are all small two-story villas. The area is not large, but it is very comfy. I've already cleaned the rooms and purchased new linens and bedding. There is television, Internet, a phone, and a small garage. There are also children from the neighborhood who will frequently ask you for candies. They're adorable. So I suggest you bring candy in your pocket to make the children happy. They can assist you in collecting newspapers, growing flowers, and a variety of other things."
Tian Yuan relaxed, sighed, and smiled. He was confident that the Pan family would take care of everything for him. Everything must have been taken care of, including a person's basic needs. After all, didn't Pan Zhan claim him to be the most important member of the Pan family? In that case, he would undoubtedly be cared for.
He could have such a lovely family thanks to Pan Lei.
He Lian was a polite and attractive man with a bright smile. Despite having been abroad for many years, he possessed the gentleness and elegance of the Chinese people in spades. He believed they would become good friends and get along, whether as family or neighbors.
The roads were smooth, the green spaces were well-kept, and there were children roller skating, middle-aged people jogging with puppies, and elderly folks basking in the sun in their yards. It was a place that made you feel really comfortable. Tian Yuan peered out the car window and realized he liked this place as well. This location helped him unwind.
If Pan Lei were here, he would likewise jog down the street, and he might sneak into a neighbor's yard and pluck a flower to give him as a gift.
They'd wear the same jeans, then take a walk here hand in hand, stop to play with a puppy, offer candy to the kids...it was such a beautiful and cozy location, he wanted Pan Lei to live with him.
No, it wasn't good here, at least not as good as it was at home. Although their building's passages were a little narrow, they had to climb stairs every time they came home, there wasn't much greenery in the neighborhood, and the activities area was also a little small, it was their own home and more comfortable for the two of them to live in. He only had to slightly raise his voice and call "Pan Lei," and that guy dashed over happily.
He'd also sneak home in the middle of the night, crawl in from the foot of the bed, grope his feet, and continue climbing.
How long had they been separated? Why was he missing him so much? This was only the first day; there were 364 more to come.
When they finally arrived at the house, as expected, several enthusiastic neighbors arrived to assist with the luggage, and some individuals brought cookies. He Lian gave him a friendly grin and pointed to the house next door.
"That's where I live. Simply stroll past the lawn in the center to my house. Call me if you need anything. Freshen up. I'll take you to dinner."
Before Tian Yuan could get dressed, he received a phone call. Three minutes before he stepped off the plane, Pan Lei called him. He estimated the timing and called again, this time just as Tian Yuan disembarked.
Why had he called again after less than an hour?
"Have you arrived at your destination, baby? I asked Eldest Brother, who said he had delegated responsibility to a distant relative. The house is said to be excellent. Are you pleased?"
Everything in the house was complete, including the coffee utensils in the kitchen.
"Excellent. Don't worry, everything is alright."
"Of course, I'm worried. You're used to being spoiled by me at home, and now that you're abroad, you have to do everything on your own. I'm afraid you'll never get used to it."
"He Lian lives next door to me. His and my houses are around 100 meters apart."
Only then did Pan Lei feel relieved. He Lian was a good friend. They had known each other since they were children, and he couldn't go wrong. He was reliable and trustworthy[2].
"Baby, record everything and send it to me. Only when I see it with my own eyes can I be confident."
Tian Yuan felt a little helpless in the face of his request. Record everything? Don't tell me I have to take photos of the entire place and send them to him or carry a notebook and stroll through each room once, upstairs and downstairs.
"It's a good thing I had everything ready. Find and open the suitcase labeled No. 5. I packed a digital video camera in it, just for this. Go to every nook and corner, including the bathroom, toilet, and under the bed. Take a photo of everything and email it to me. I want to determine whether that place is suitable for our family’s darling to live."
Tian Yuan actually didn't need to do anything. Pan Lei had methodically prepared everything, and he found the V8. He'd have to sift through all of his belongings to figure out what exactly he'd brought with him.
This guy would keep worrying unless he did what he was told. Tian Yuan got out his camera and turned it on, beginning in the kitchen and explaining as he went.
"The kitchen is fully equipped, but there is a chef missing. I'm afraid what I cook by myself will be awful. Please come here and cook food for me. The knives are here, and the tableware is beneath this location. Let's head to the living room now. The sofa in the living room is maybe a little old, but it's a fabric sofa that I still like a lot. It appears to be warm. By the way, there’s also a fireplace. How nice it will be to read a book while leaning against you, looking out the window at the heavy snow, drinking a cup of hot tea, and munching some cookies. There's a room beneath the stairs. It looks like the Cupboard Under The Stairs, where Harry Potter lived in his aunt's house. If I get a puppy, it can live there. There’s a room downstairs that is ideal for keeping sundries. I'll go look at the school tomorrow. If it's too far, I'd want to buy a bicycle that can be readily stored in that room. Then there are the stairs. The indoor stairs are quite narrow, but pictures can be hung on the wall. Send me some of your photos. I want to put them up on the wall. That's right! I also want photos of our parents and grandparents. Didn't we take a lot of photos during the New Year's celebrations? Make a copy and send them to me. This wall will be covered in family photos. There are three rooms upstairs. The house feels quite big for just one person. One is a bedroom, one is a study, and the spare room will be cleaned and converted into a guest room in case someone comes to stay overnight. He Lian has arranged everything. The linens and quilts are all new, and I like the color. This is the closet, and this is the large bed. Do you really want me to take pictures under the bed? There is a tiny garden in front, but no flowers are in bloom. Everything is nice, and just as bad."
Tian Yuan frowned and made faces at Pan Lei while pointing the camera at his face.
"I need a chef and a housekeeper. Did you see the large bed? I’m also missing a bed warmer. I'll pay you $1000 per month. I'll hire you if you come over. What do you think? This young master will provide for you."
Footnotes:
[1] While most people throughout the world consider the birth age to be zero, for the Chinese, being born automatically implies turning one. On their first Chinese New Year's Day, a Chinese person's age is increased by one year. As a result, a Chinese person may be one to two years younger in Western terms than their traditional "East Asian age reckoning." So, if you have a Chinese friend who says they are 25, he/she could actually be 23 or 24. However, things become more complicated. In Chinese, there are three words for "age": one for the traditional system, one for the modern age, which starts at zero but skips the new year's addition, and one for the solid age, which calculates a person's age in years from birth.
No comments:
Post a Comment