[020] A Discussion About Having a Baby

“Isn’t that right?” Shen Mo had been watching his expression closely, and seeing his agreement, her face lit up with joy. A dimple appeared on her left cheek as she smiled sweetly. “That’s what I thought the first time I recited ‘I lift my head and gaze at the bright moon’ as a child.”

“You didn’t understand that line either?”

“I didn’t know the word ‘gaze’ back then, only ‘look,’ and the same with ‘lift’—I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t just say ‘look up at the moon’ and instead used ‘lift my head and gaze at the bright moon.’”

She looked at Fang Chang’an with expectant eyes. “If they just wrote ‘look up at the moon,’ everyone would understand right away, wouldn’t they?”

Fang Chang’an nodded. “That does make some sense.”

“Right?” The young girl, having received his approval, grew even happier and felt more fond of him.

“Yes.”

Fang Chang’an nodded again, then asked offhandedly, “How old are you this year?”

“Eleven.”

“Born in ninety-two?”

“No, I’m from ninety-three. Those born in ninety-two are twelve this year.” The girl corrected him with great seriousness.

Fang Chang’an immediately understood her feelings. Kids always look forward to growing up, and she was probably always younger than her classmates, so she especially hoped to be older. That’s why she spoke in nominal age rather than actual.

He smiled and nodded to show he accepted it. “I’m from ninety-one.”

“Oh.” The girl nodded. “Then you’re thirteen this year.”

Fang Chang’an looked at her delicate, lovely face—already beautiful, but even more so when serious. He wanted to reach out and pinch her cheek, but refrained.

“My birthday’s July seventh, the Festival of Weaving Maidens. What about you?”

“Then my birthday’s earlier than yours—February fourteenth.”

“It doesn’t matter if your birthday’s earlier. Age depends on the year. Since you’re younger than me, you should call me big brother.”

Shen Mo puffed her cheeks and looked at him indignantly. “I won’t. You’re not my brother.”

Fang Chang’an shrugged. “Fine, don’t. I already have a little sister.”

“What?” Shen Mo’s eyes widened in delight. “You have a sister? Really? How old is she?”

“Eight.”

“She’s younger than me!” Shen Mo’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “But isn’t it true the country doesn’t allow younger siblings? How do you have a sister?”

“My parents wanted a daughter, not a son. Unfortunately, they had two sons in a row, so they tried a third time. Luckily, it wasn’t another boy. Of course, they broke the family planning policy and got fined a lot.”

Shen Mo immediately recalled her aunt saying his family wasn’t well-off. Her joyful expression faded as she first studied his face with those beautiful eyes. Seeing he wasn’t upset, she softly consoled, “Don’t be sad. Money can always be earned again.”

Fang Chang’an laughed. “I’m not sad. Spending money for two younger siblings isn’t a loss, right?”

“Mm-hmm!” The girl nodded vigorously, her eyes blinking shyly as she asked, “So you just pay money and get a younger sibling?”

“Uh… Well, only if your parents are willing to have another, of course.”

She blinked, looking puzzled and bashful, then leaned closer to Fang Chang’an as if to share a secret. Fang Chang’an leaned in too, catching a faint milky scent from her.

“Isn’t it just paying money and then picking up a baby?”

Fang Chang’an was admiring her flawless features at close range and nearly burst out laughing at her words but managed to hold back and nodded. “Yes, but only your parents can go pick one up. We can’t just go ourselves—they wouldn’t give us one.”

“Oh.” Shen Mo mulled it over and found it reasonable. Fang Chang’an then asked, “Hey, did your parents ever tell you where you were picked up?”

Shen Mo considered for a moment, deciding she trusted her deskmate enough to share this. She whispered, “My mom said it was at the Second City Hospital. All babies are picked up from there. You too, right?”

“Huh?” Fang Chang’an looked at her in surprise. “No, not me.”

“Really?” The girl’s eyes widened in shock. “Not you?”

“No. My mom said I was picked up from Tang Village, south of the underpass.”

She blinked, clearly confused why their mothers told different stories. “Can you pick up babies from Tang Village too?”

“Maybe kids from town are picked up at the city hospital and kids from the countryside at Tang Village?” Fang Chang’an offered a logical explanation.

Shen Mo thought it over and nodded. “That must be it.”

Fang Chang’an nodded as well, then pointed to her fair, translucent hand. “See? You were picked up in the city, so you’re fair-skinned.”

She compared her hand to his, then placed her left hand on the desk. Fang Chang’an put his right hand next to hers, palm edges touching, and felt the soft and tender sensation.

“You’re fair, too.”

“Not as fair as you.”

Fang Chang’an glanced at her hand, then boldly looked at her face. “And not as pretty either.”

The girl pressed her lips together, but couldn’t hold back the sweet smile spreading across her face. She finally let go and laughed happily, darting a glance at him and saying in a crisp, sweet voice, “You’re good-looking, too.”

Fang Chang’an accepted this with a smile. “We’re both good-looking.”

He leaned in again, as if to share another secret. The girl blinked curiously and leaned closer on her own.

“Looks depend on the person, not where you were picked up from. See Wu Di there? He was probably picked up from the city hospital, but he’s still dark and not good-looking.”

Shen Mo sneaked a glance at Wu Di, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, and ducked her head under the desk. The ends of her bun brushed against Fang Chang’an’s face, tickling him.

He caught a glimpse of her fair nape and went on teasing, “And Wang Hao—he’s even darker than Wu Di.”

Shen Mo glanced back again, still hiding her laughter.

Wu Di, already feeling jealous seeing Fang Chang’an and Shen Mo so close, noticed Shen Mo glance at him and giggle. He was sure Fang Chang’an was saying something bad about him, but had no proof and couldn’t confront him, so he vented his frustration by reciting vocabulary even louder: “Card! C-A-R-D—card! Family! F-A-M-I-L-Y—family! Family!”

Wang Hao was sprawled on his desk, daydreaming. Seeing Fang Chang’an and Shen Mo chatting, he wanted to talk to Wang Ke but didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t close to Wang Ke, and she was better friends with Zheng Lili, but Wang Hao was in between, making conversation awkward.

Wang Ke, of course, noticed Fang Chang’an and Shen Mo whispering. She’d had a good impression of Fang Chang’an and thought well of Shen Mo, but now her opinion of them both had fallen.

Hmph! Whispering during self-study—bad students!

After she finished laughing, Shen Mo remembered something important and asked Fang Chang’an quietly, “So do you have another brother?”

“A younger brother. I’m the eldest—one brother, one sister.”

“Oh.” The girl nodded, her face full of envy. “If I’d known, I’d have had my mom pay for another sibling too.”

Fang Chang’an said, “Don’t worry, there’ll be another chance. Maybe the country will allow picking up another sibling someday.”

“Really?” Shen Mo’s eyes widened, filled with hope.

“I’m sure they will. Think about it—your mom and dad only picked up you, right? It’s only fair if each picks one. If there’s only one, someone misses out. They’ll let you make up for it in the future.”

“Wasn’t it just my mom who picked me up?”

“Your mom did, but your dad must have gone with her.”

“Oh.” The girl tilted her head, trying to puzzle it out, but Fang Chang’an went on, “But that’ll be a long time from now. By then, you’ll be grown up and able to pick up a baby yourself.”

“I could pick one myself?” The girl’s eyes widened with astonishment and excitement.

Fang Chang’an nodded with certainty. “When you’re grown up, every girl can.”

“Really?” Shen Mo’s eyes sparkled, already imagining the kind of baby she would pick. Then, as if struck by a thought, she asked softly, “Will you go with me when I pick one?”

Fang Chang’an nearly choked on his own saliva, but seeing her innocent gaze, he nodded. “Sure. Just tell me when you want to go.”

“Okay.” The girl beamed at his promise, then asked, “What’s your little sister’s name?”

“Fang Yanran, as in ‘peach blossoms smile gracefully beyond the fence’—that Yanran.”

Shen Mo thought for a moment. She didn’t recall the poem but recognized the character and remembered something else to ask. “Is that the Yanran from ‘a graceful smile’?”

“That’s right.”

She asked again, “Yesterday, when you introduced yourself, you recited a poem. What was it?”

“I’ll write it for you.” Fang Chang’an took out his notebook, opened it, and wrote with a ballpoint pen—not bothering to imitate a child’s handwriting but using the semi-cursive script he’d practiced in later years.

“Nine heavens…”

Shen Mo didn’t recognize the next character. Fang Chang’an prompted, “Changhe—it means the palace gate.”

“Oh.” The girl felt outdone, a bit downcast, but continued reading, “In the ninth heaven, the palace gates open; the dignitaries of all nations bow in…”

“Mianliu—the most precious hat.”

Shen Mo repeated it twice, quietly memorizing the new words, then looked up. “Isn’t your name Fang Chang’an? Where’s Chang’an in the poem?”

“This poem is about the Tang Dynasty, when envoys from other countries came to pay homage to the emperor. Where did the Tang emperor live?”

Shen Mo knew the answer and suddenly understood, her expression lighting up with discovery. “You can introduce yourself like that?”

She blinked at Fang Chang’an. “You know so much!”

“Not at all,” Fang Chang’an was worried she’d suspect he’d memorized the poem in advance, so he quickly denied it. “I asked the teacher just to introduce my name, otherwise I wouldn’t have known either.”

Shen Mo sensed something off but couldn’t put her finger on it. She continued, “How should I introduce myself then?”

Fang Chang’an smiled. “Easy. Just say this.”

He cleared his throat, then imitated Shen Mo’s soft voice, “Hello, everyone. My name is Shen Mo—Shen from Shen Fu and Shen Congwen, and Mo as in skin whiter than snow.”

At first, Shen Mo was amused by his impersonation, but at the last line, she was puzzled, then realized what he meant and blushed.

Fang Chang’an explained kindly, “Everyone will wonder, ‘Where’s the Mo in “skin whiter than snow”?’ And then, when they look at you, they’ll understand.”

The girl, shy and flustered, didn’t know how to respond. She bit her lip and looked at him, too embarrassed to speak.

Fang Chang’an asked, “What’s wrong?”

She glanced around, then whispered, “Don’t keep praising me.”

“I wasn’t praising you,” Fang Chang’an replied, genuinely puzzled. “I was just telling the truth. When did I praise you?”