WC ⋆ Chapter 11

by 🐳ᴍᴀᴍᴀ_ᴡʜᴀʟᴇʏ

# AMENDED TRANSLATION

Jiang Yishen rarely dressed like he wasn’t about to go out for barbecue skewers, so naturally Qi Lin wanted to take him out for barbecue skewers.

The taxi ride back from the airport took just over half an hour. The car cut through the darkness, and Qi Lin had his earphones in, eyes closed, when he felt someone tap the back of his hand. Jiang Yishen said quietly, “Share one with me.”

Qi Lin didn’t open his eyes. He just pulled out one earphone and handed it over.

Jiang Yishen put it in and heard a male voice speaking in a perfectly flat, even tone: “To ensure that practical matters are carried out with lasting effect and sustained grip, one must properly handle the relationship between ‘immediate results’ and ‘long-term outcomes’.”

He yanked the earphone out immediately and stared at Qi Lin in total bewilderment.

“It helps with sleep. Go to sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.” Qi Lin’s expression was utterly serene.

Jiang Yishen put the earphone back in with some skepticism. He had just been thoroughly kissed and his nerves were buzzing with extra energy; he figured not even melatonin would help him sleep. But to his surprise, within five minutes he was drowsy, his head lolling to one side as he drifted off.

He slept soundly. By the time they reached the entrance of the residential complex it was nearly one in the morning, and Qi Lin shook his shoulder to wake him.

When Jiang Yishen opened his eyes, all he saw was Qi Lin’s face close to his. In his half-conscious haze he couldn’t tell where or when he was, and he murmured vaguely, “Baby.”

In his line of sight, Qi Lin’s eyes went wide in an instant, and then with a smack he lunged forward and clapped a hand over Jiang Yishen’s mouth, the posture looking for all the world like a hostage situation: “You, you, fine, are you still hungry? If you’re tired just go straight home. I’ll make porridge for you in the morning.”

Jiang Yishen nodded obediently.

“Does that nod mean you’re hungry or tired?”

Jiang Yishen’s stomach growled.

“Shifu, you can stop right at the entrance to the complex.” Qi Lin said to the driver.

It was the same small gate they’d always used. The car pulled up beside it, and along the row of storefronts a few lights still glimmered here and there. Besides the 24-hour convenience store there was a barbecue shop, though at this hour there were hardly any customers, only the neon signs still blinking.

“You bought your fried chicken strips here last time, didn’t you.” Qi Lin pushed open the door of the barbecue shop, and the warmth that rushed out made the back of their heads swim.

The little shop was kept very clean. They picked a corner by the window and sat down. The table had a laminated paper menu.

“This place stays open this late?” Jiang Yishen yawned. “I figured there wouldn’t be any restaurants open past midnight in a residential area.”

Qi Lin said, “Open until two in the morning. Doesn’t open until noon during the day. This complex is right by the Line 2 subway entrance, so a lot of people get off work past eleven and come out for a late-night meal.”

The owner heard the noise and came out from the back kitchen. Seeing it was Qi Lin, he gave him a nod: “This late?”

“You two know each other?” Jiang Yishen had caught another glimpse of a corner of Qi Lin’s life he hadn’t been part of, and his voice came out faintly sour.

Qi Lin said, “Just got back from out of town. One order of vinegar-pepper tofu.”

“Got it. Want anything grilled? Skip the vegetables, they’re not fresh at this hour.” The owner said, tying on his apron.

Qi Lin slid the menu toward Jiang Yishen: “What do you want?”

“Dumplings when you leave, noodles when you arrive. Want a bowl of noodles?” the owner asked.

“Can’t manage noodles. Give us an order of chicken strips.” Jiang Yishen rested his chin in his hand.

The owner seemed to remember him then, and let out a “hey”: “I’ll grab a flatbread and wrap it up for you. Tastes better that way.”

“Sure.” Just hearing it made Jiang Yishen feel his stomach stir. He wasn’t actually that hungry, just hollow inside, needing to eat something to lift his spirits.

The back kitchen quickly filled with clanging and clattering. Jiang Yishen set the menu on another table: “Do you come here often?”

“Fairly often.” Qi Lin propped his head on one hand and looked out through the glass, which had begun to fog over. “It’s clean. So I come more.”

The smell drifted out through the door curtain. Jiang Yishen asked in a half-distracted way: “When did you make these friends? Close enough to go to a wedding.”

“Second half of the year.” Qi Lin reached into the bag he’d set to one side and pulled out a handful of wedding candies, then a handful of chocolates, and finally a whole pile of lollipops.

Jiang Yishen stared, dumbfounded, as Qi Lin pushed the sweets toward him: “Want some?”

Eating candy before a meal would muddle the flavors, but Jiang Yishen still picked out a few pieces and tucked them into his pocket: “Pretty close, huh.”

“Fairly.” Qi Lin produced a bag of peanuts and sunflower seeds from somewhere and cracked one open. “He did me a favor.”

“Oh…” Jiang Yishen grabbed a few sunflower seeds too. “That thing you had to take care of tonight, did it go smoothly? And your exam, when is that?”

“Not very smoothly. The person I was looking for wasn’t there.” Qi Lin said. “The exam is in March. Running late this year.”

The owner brought a clay pot to the table, steam rising from it. Pepper and vinegar thickened the broth, shredded egg woven through the flavor, scallion whites and glass noodles floating beneath the tofu, the sour-spicy smell of it warming hands and feet in the winter cold.

Qi Lin stirred it with a spoon and fished out a piece of tofu, blowing on it.

He had actually just come back in December from sitting exams in other cities. He’d taken every provincial civil service exam in the surrounding area.

Getting into the public sector was something his family had set their hearts on. The economy had been sluggish these past two years. His dad’s work unit had merged with another company last year, and when they laid people off at the start of the year his dad was let go. The family had lived on his mom’s salary alone for several months.

Finding a new job at fifty-something wasn’t easy. His dad had asked around through every channel he could think of, and what he heard back was that a colleague he’d been close to at his old unit had suddenly collapsed at lunch. It was only because the cafeteria was full of people and he was rushed to the hospital that they found out it was a cerebral infarction. Fortunately he’d been brought in quickly and there was no lasting damage.

At that age, with frequent late nights and a fair number of underlying conditions, everyone at the unit kept nitroglycerin and quick-acting heart pills on hand. But many things came down to doing what you could and leaving the rest to fate. His parents valued an iron rice bowl and the full benefits package. They just wanted things to be as stable as they could be.

Qi Lin had studied humanities. Right after graduating he’d spent two months at a media company doing user operations, and was stunned by the industry’s staggering turnover rate and overtime hours. In the end, because the team leader was terrible, the entire group of interns fled.

After fleeing, Qi Lin surrendered to the public sector. Even though jobs with government positions these days still had endless overtime for no reason, at least there was a job to show up to. The employment outlook for humanities fresh graduates was as bleak as fishing for minnows in a desert, or hunting for a cactus in the ocean.

The owner was chopping the chicken strips with loud thwacks, and soon brought out a large flatbread wrap: a hot, soft flatbread folded around freshly fried golden chicken strips, the seasoning sauce brushed into every corner, rolled up with shredded kelp and green leaves.

The person Qi Lin had gone to the temple to find wasn’t there. He’d left his contact information with a few of the nearby street vendors, saying he’d pay for their help. When Jiang Yishen asked what wish he had actually made, Qi Lin still wouldn’t say.

Jiang Yishen could tell he wasn’t deliberately hiding it. Perhaps the timing just wasn’t right.

The two of them ate their fill and then strolled back unhurriedly. The streetlights stood silent along the road, small pools of orange-yellow light linking one to the next, stretching all the way home.

Both of them were exhausted. They tidied up quickly and went to sleep, and this time lying down together on the bed felt completely natural.

They thought they’d finally sleep straight through till morning, but they hadn’t even managed four hours before, at five in the morning, Jiang Yishen’s phone woke them both.

The incoming call showed a landline number. When he picked up it was the Instructor’s voice, the background very noisy, with something like airport announcements in the distance. Jiang Yishen listened for a moment before realizing something was off. It was the sound of a hospital.

“Xiao Jiang, Lu Fan was in an accident. He’s at the hospital now. There’s an ID card in his desk drawer. Can you all bring it over for him?”

Jiang Yishen only caught the first half of that sentence. His head immediately rang like a bell and he sat bolt upright. He remembered that the day before yesterday, Fan Zi had invited him to go out that evening, and he’d been preoccupied with finding Qi Lin and hadn’t agreed to go.

“An accident! What happened, is it serious? Is he okay? When did this happen? Did anyone call the police?”

Qi Lin had also been woken by the call, and was equally startled.

It had all happened so suddenly. They were completely caught off guard. Jiang Yishen kept asking questions while his mind was already running through how to use the loop reset, when he heard the other end say: “Oh, he got drunk and rode his bicycle into a flower bed. Lay there on the ground all night without anyone finding him. Lucky the old man doing his morning jog spotted him, otherwise the poor kid would’ve frozen solid!”

Jiang Yishen nearly passed out from sheer exasperation. He got out of bed while calling his roommates, telling the ones still in the dormitory to bring Fan Zi’s documents, and also coordinating their cover stories so as not to expose the fact that he himself had also been out all night.

By the time he cursed his way to the hospital, a few of his roommates had already been and just left to go buy breakfast. Fan Zi was lying half-dead on the hospital bed with an IV drip in his hand, looking like he had no obvious external injuries.

The Instructor had gone to handle the admission paperwork, leaving Jiang Yishen to fuss over Fan Zi and ask how he was. He learned that Fan Zi had suffered a mild concussion and had vomited copiously beside the flower bed. He’d thought it was just the alcohol, and after throwing up he’d closed his eyes and gone to sleep, somehow managing to also pull his trapezius muscle in the process.

The doctor had him admitted for two days, with IV drips and mandatory rest. Jiang Yishen was speechless with admiration: “How did you end up drinking again? And that much? And you had to go out on your own when you were that drunk?”

Fan Zi was dizzy to the point of nausea, and his voice was listless: “It was my first drink of the new year, okay! Damn it, I barely drank anything on New Year’s. I was too busy watching you and your ex make out!”

Jiang Yishen ground his teeth together: “How did you not choke on it? What time did you fall?”

Fan Zi held up four fingers: “Four thirty. I was going to watch the sunrise.”

“Give it a rest.” Jiang Yishen pushed his hand down. “The Instructor called your parents. You just wait.”

There were two soft knocks at the ward door. Both of them immediately straightened their backs, thinking it really was the parents, but when they turned their heads it was Qi Lin peeking in.

Jiang Yishen saw it was him, raised an eyebrow, and looked down at his watch: “Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to sleep a bit longer?”

“Ah! Ah?” Fan Zi cried out from the sickbed. “What? What?”

“Still capable of talking, are we?” Qi Lin peered in toward Fan Zi.

Fan Zi went quiet, scanning the two of them with considerable wariness, trying to detect any trace of something romantic in their interaction.

“Here.” Qi Lin handed in a takeout bag. The logo was from a porridge shop nearby. The roommates had just mentioned going there to buy breakfast, so it seemed they’d just barely missed each other.

Jiang Yishen took it and opened it to look inside: “Whose is this?”

“Yours.” Qi Lin said.

Fan Zi started wailing again: “How come there’s nothing for me?”

“I didn’t know if you were allowed to eat.” Qi Lin said, studying Fan Zi’s head with what appeared to be genuine interest.

Fan Zi covered his head with both hands, face contorted in misery: “I have no appetite. I’m so dizzy.”

“Then rest.” Jiang Yishen pulled a chair over and sat down beside him. “The doctor said someone needs to stay with you today. I can only eat right in front of you.”

Fan Zi opened one eye through the gaps in his fingers and asked: “Are you two back together?”

Jiang Yishen was focused on lifting the lid. Qi Lin was focused on examining his sorry excuse for a skull. Yet they spoke in unison: “No.”

Fan Zi covered his eye again, looking as though he had no desire to speak further. After a long moment he said quietly: “To think you two also got together in a hospital back in the day.”

—

# ISSUE LOG

|—|—|—|—|—|

| 助眠的，睡吧 | “It helps me sleep. Go to sleep.” | “It helps with sleep. Go to sleep.” | Tone shift / Awkward phrasing | The original phrasing “helps me sleep” is ambiguous—it could mean Qi Lin is saying it helps him personally. The corrected version clarifies that it’s a general sleep aid. The Chinese “助眠的” is an adjective describing the content, not a personal statement. |

| 小区门口 | “the entrance of the Residential Complex” | “the entrance of the residential complex” | Capitalization | “Residential Complex” should not be capitalized as it’s a generic location descriptor, not a proper noun. |

| 这小区挨二号线地铁口，很多人加班到十一点多出来吃夜宵 | “This complex is right by the Line 2 subway entrance, so a lot of people get off work past eleven and come out for a late-night meal.” | “This complex is right by the Line 2 subway entrance, so a lot of people get off work past eleven and come out for a late-night meal.” | Punctuation / Clarity | The original translation uses a comma where a period would be more appropriate to separate two related but distinct sentences. However, the comma is acceptable here as it shows causal relationship. No change needed. |

| 上车饺子下车面 | “Dumplings when you leave, noodles when you arrive” | “Dumplings when you leave, noodles when you arrive.” | Omission / Explanation | This is a Chinese idiom/saying. The original translation captures it, but the context suggests the owner is quoting a common saying about travel food. The translation is adequate. |

| 其实十二月时他刚刚从其他地方考完回来 | “He had actually just come back in December from sitting exams in other cities.” | “He had actually just come back in December from sitting exams in other cities.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 这两年经济不景气，老爸的单位去年和其他公司合并，年初裁员时下岗 | “The economy had been sluggish these past two years; his dad’s work unit had merged with another company last year, and when they laid people off at the start of the year his dad was let go.” | “The economy had been sluggish these past two years. His dad’s work unit had merged with another company last year, and when they laid people off at the start of the year his dad was let go.” | Punctuation | The semicolon should be replaced with a period to avoid em-dash equivalents and improve clarity. These are two separate thoughts. |

| 老爸通过各方渠道打听合适的工作，结果打听到原先单位里一个走的近的同事中午吃饭时候忽然晕倒 | “His dad had asked around through every channel he could think of, and what he heard back was that a colleague he’d been close to at his old unit had suddenly collapsed at lunch” | “His dad had asked around through every channel he could think of, and what he heard back was that a colleague he’d been close to at his old unit had suddenly collapsed at lunch.” | Punctuation / Clarity | The original translation is correct but could benefit from a period instead of a comma to separate independent clauses. However, the comma works here. No critical change needed. |

| 幸亏食堂里人多，送到医院了才知道是脑梗，好在送的及时没有大碍 | “Fortunately he’d been brought in quickly and there was no lasting damage.” | “Fortunately he’d been brought in quickly and there was no lasting damage.” | Omission | The original translation omits the detail that it was only because the cafeteria was full of people that he was discovered and rushed to the hospital. The amended version should include: “It was only because the cafeteria was full of people and he was rushed to the hospital that they found out it was a cerebral infarction.” |

| 岁数摆在这里，又常常熬夜，基础病不算少，单位里人人都备着速效救心丸和硝酸甘油，可许多事也是尽人事听天命 | “At that age, with frequent late nights and a fair number of underlying conditions, everyone at the unit kept nitroglycerin and quick-acting heart pills on hand, but many things came down to doing what you could and leaving the rest to fate.” | “At that age, with frequent late nights and a fair number of underlying conditions, everyone at the unit kept nitroglycerin and quick-acting heart pills on hand. But many things came down to doing what you could and leaving the rest to fate.” | Punctuation | The comma before “but” should be replaced with a period to separate two independent clauses more clearly. |

| 爸妈看重铁饭碗和六险一金，只想着能稳当一些是一些 | “His parents valued an iron rice bowl and the full benefits package; they just wanted things to be as stable as they could be.” | “His parents valued an iron rice bowl and the full benefits package. They just wanted things to be as stable as they could be.” | Punctuation | The semicolon should be replaced with a period for better readability and to avoid em-dash equivalents. |

| 戚林是文科专业出身，刚毕业时去传媒公司干了两个月用户运营，被行业内惊人的离职率和加班量震撼，最后由于leader人太烂，整组实习生都跑路 | “Qi Lin had studied humanities. Right after graduating he’d spent two months at a media company doing user operations, and was stunned by the industry’s staggering turnover rate and overtime hours. In the end, because the team leader was terrible, the entire group of interns fled.” | “Qi Lin had studied humanities. Right after graduating he’d spent two months at a media company doing user operations, and was stunned by the industry’s staggering turnover rate and overtime hours. In the end, because the team leader was terrible, the entire group of interns fled.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 跑路后戚林便向体制内屈服，尽管这年头带编制的工作也有事没事加班个没完，可好歹是有班可上 | “After fleeing, Qi Lin surrendered to the public sector. Even though jobs with government positions these days still had endless overtime for no reason, at least there was a job to show up to.” | “After fleeing, Qi Lin surrendered to the public sector. Even though jobs with government positions these days still had endless overtime for no reason, at least there was a job to show up to.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 文科应届生的就业形势差得如同沙漠里捞小鱼，大海里找仙人球 | “The employment outlook for humanities fresh graduates was as bleak as fishing for minnows in a desert, or hunting for a cactus in the ocean.” | “The employment outlook for humanities fresh graduates was as bleak as fishing for minnows in a desert, or hunting for a cactus in the ocean.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 戚林在寺庙找的人不在，他留了周边几个摆摊小贩的联系方式，只说有偿帮忙，江亦深问起来到底许了什么愿，他又不肯说 | “The person Qi Lin had gone to the temple to find wasn’t there. He’d left his contact information with a few of the nearby street vendors, saying he’d pay for their help. When Jiang Yishen asked what wish he had actually made, Qi Lin still wouldn’t say.” | “The person Qi Lin had gone to the temple to find wasn’t there. He’d left his contact information with a few of the nearby street vendors, saying he’d pay for their help. When Jiang Yishen asked what wish he had actually made, Qi Lin still wouldn’t say.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 江亦深问起来到底许了什么愿，他又不肯说 | “When Jiang Yishen asked what wish he had actually made, Qi Lin still wouldn’t say.” | “When Jiang Yishen asked what wish he had actually made, Qi Lin still wouldn’t say.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 两个人吃饱喝足后才慢悠悠地溜达回去，路灯沉默地立在路边，一小团橘黄色的光影一片连着一片，一路延伸至家 | “The two of them ate their fill and then strolled back unhurriedly. The streetlights stood silent along the road, small pools of orange-yellow light linking one to the next, stretching all the way home.” | “The two of them ate their fill and then strolled back unhurriedly. The streetlights stood silent along the road, small pools of orange-yellow light linking one to the next, stretching all the way home.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 今天两个人都很疲惫，简单收拾一下便睡下，这回他们往床上躺得无比自然 | “Both of them were exhausted. They tidied up quickly and went to sleep, and this time lying down together on the bed felt completely natural.” | “Both of them were exhausted. They tidied up quickly and went to sleep, and this time lying down together on the bed felt completely natural.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 还以为终于能一觉到天亮，却没想到只睡了四个小时不到，凌晨五点时，江亦深的手机吵醒了他们 | “They thought they’d finally sleep straight through till morning, but they hadn’t even managed four hours before, at five in the morning, Jiang Yishen’s phone woke them both.” | “They thought they’d finally sleep straight through till morning, but they hadn’t even managed four hours before, at five in the morning, Jiang Yishen’s phone woke them both.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 来电显示是座机号码，接通后却是导员的声音，那边背景音很嘈杂，还有类似于机场的广播声，江亦深听了会儿才发现不对，那是医院的声音 | “The incoming call showed a landline number. When he picked up it was the Instructor’s voice, the background very noisy, with something like airport announcements in the distance. Jiang Yishen listened for a moment before realizing something was off. It was the sound of a hospital.” | “The incoming call showed a landline number. When he picked up it was the Instructor’s voice, the background very noisy, with something like airport announcements in the distance. Jiang Yishen listened for a moment before realizing something was off. It was the sound of a hospital.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 小江，路凡出了车祸，现在在医院，他的桌子抽屉里有身份证，你们帮他拿一下过来吧 | “Xiao Jiang, Lu Fan was in an accident. He’s at the hospital now. There’s an ID card in his desk drawer. Can you all bring it over for him?” | “Xiao Jiang, Lu Fan was in an accident. He’s at the hospital now. There’s an ID card in his desk drawer. Can you all bring it over for him?” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 江亦深只听进去了前面半句，顿时脑子嗡地一响，猛地坐起来，他记得前天白天凡子邀请他晚上一起出去玩，他惦记着找戚林没有答应 | “Jiang Yishen only caught the first half of that sentence. His head immediately rang like a bell and he sat bolt upright. He remembered that the day before yesterday, Fan Zi had invited him to go out that evening, and he’d been preoccupied with finding Qi Lin and hadn’t agreed to go.” | “Jiang Yishen only caught the first half of that sentence. His head immediately rang like a bell and he sat bolt upright. He remembered that the day before yesterday, Fan Zi had invited him to go out that evening, and he’d been preoccupied with finding Qi Lin and hadn’t agreed to go.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 出车祸！怎么回事，严重吗？人还行吗？什么时候的事！报警了吗！ | “A car accident! What happened, is it serious? Is he okay? When did this happen? Did anyone call the police?” | “An accident! What happened, is it serious? Is he okay? When did this happen? Did anyone call the police?” | Word choice | “A car accident” is more specific than the Chinese “出车祸” which simply means “was in an accident.” The original translation assumes it’s a car accident, but the context later reveals it was a bicycle accident. The corrected version uses the more generic “An accident.” |

| 事发太突然，他们被打了个措手不及，江亦深嘴上问着，心里已经盘算着如何利用循环重置 | “It had all happened so suddenly; they were completely caught off guard. Jiang Yishen kept asking questions while his mind was already running through how to use the loop reset” | “It had all happened so suddenly. They were completely caught off guard. Jiang Yishen kept asking questions while his mind was already running through how to use the loop reset” | Punctuation | The semicolon should be replaced with a period to separate two independent clauses more clearly. |

| 啊呀喝醉酒骑自行车撞上花坛了，在地上躺了一晚上都没人发现，幸亏早上晨跑大爷看见他了，不然人都要冻坏了啊！ | “Oh, he got drunk and rode his bicycle into a flower bed. Lay there on the ground all night without anyone finding him. Lucky the old man doing his morning jog spotted him, otherwise the poor kid would’ve frozen solid!” | “Oh, he got drunk and rode his bicycle into a flower bed. Lay there on the ground all night without anyone finding him. Lucky the old man doing his morning jog spotted him, otherwise the poor kid would’ve frozen solid!” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 江亦深听得差点气晕头，一边起床一边给室友打电话，让在寝室的室友把凡子的证件带上，还要串通口供，不能在这风口浪尖上暴露自己也夜不归宿 | “Jiang Yishen nearly passed out from sheer exasperation. He got out of bed while calling his roommates, telling the ones still in the dormitory to bring Fan Zi’s documents, and also coordinating their cover stories so as not to expose the fact that he himself had also been out all night.” | “Jiang Yishen nearly passed out from sheer exasperation. He got out of bed while calling his roommates, telling the ones still in the dormitory to bring Fan Zi’s documents, and also coordinating their cover stories so as not to expose the fact that he himself had also been out all night.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 他骂骂咧咧赶到医院的时候，几个室友已经来过了，刚离开去买吃的，凡子正半死不活地躺在病床上，手上挂着点滴，看着倒是没什么外伤 | “By the time he cursed his way to the hospital, a few of his roommates had already been and just left to go buy breakfast. Fan Zi was lying half-dead on the hospital bed with an IV drip in his hand, looking like he had no obvious external injuries.” | “By the time he cursed his way to the hospital, a few of his roommates had already been and just left to go buy breakfast. Fan Zi was lying half-dead on the hospital bed with an IV drip in his hand, looking like he had no obvious external injuries.” | Grammar | No change needed. Correct. |

| 导员去帮他办住院，留下江亦深围着凡子嘘寒问暖，才知道他摔了个轻微脑震荡出来，在花坛边上大

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