Morning and Evening Chapter 7

Chang Ming’an owned a duplex apartment in the city center, but he usually lived in the school’s faculty dormitory building, which was opposite the student dormitory. It was a comfortable one-bedroom apartment.

He had a cat, a calico stray, a very gentle little female. He had found her downstairs on a rainy day a year ago. The little kitten had been soaked to the bone, her fur clinging to her body, shivering under a tree. Chang Ming’an saw her and immediately went upstairs to get a towel, wrapped her up, and took her home to raise. She grew up healthy and radiant, becoming incredibly cute and affectionate. Every day she would meow and scratch at the door like an alarm clock. Even opening the door wouldn’t stop her; she’d trip over it, and Chang Ming’an would have to scoop her up and hold her close before she would calm down. Chang Ming’an returned home after class in the afternoon, holding his cat and standing on the balcony smoking a cigarette. Downstairs, students filed towards the cafeteria after class, like a flowing river. Among them, He Mu, dragging a large suitcase and carrying several bags, stood out. He walked slowly, like a small pebble blocking the flow of the river.

He quickly put down the cat he was holding, ignoring her wagging her tail and meowing at his feet, put on his coat, pressed the elevator button, and went downstairs, just in time to catch up with He Mu who was walking to the entrance of the cafeteria.

He Mu’s major was modern dance. He worked part-time as a teaching assistant at a dance education institution. Recently he had a lot of classes to teach and his part-time job was busy, so he could only pack his luggage intermittently. He sent the larger items home first. Today, taking advantage of the fact that his roommates were not around, he packed the rest in one go and planned to carry them back by himself.

The road was crowded with people coming and going. He moved forward little by little, like a snail carrying its shell, with his head down. Suddenly, someone blocked his way. He looked up and saw Chang Ming’an, who was still slightly out of breath.

“I’ll help you.”

“No need.” He Mu dodged his outstretched hand, looked at Chang Ming’an’s sincere face, and finally explained, “I’m going back to my old house, which is a bit far. I won’t trouble you. I can just take a taxi after I leave the school.”

Chang Ming’an said, “Where you’ll be staying is too far away.”

The old house was in the old city, and the university town was in the development zone. It took two hours each way. If he had classes in the morning, he had to get up very early. It was a bit far, but He Mu didn’t want to stay in the dormitory anymore. His financial situation didn’t allow him to rent a house, so he had no choice but to get up early.

The two stood there in the middle of the crowd, looking somewhat awkward. Passersby would occasionally glance at them. In addition, Chang Ming’an was somewhat famous at the school, and many students liked him, so even more people were watching, and some even greeted Chang Ming’an.

He Mu stood there somewhat uneasy. Once he wasn’t dressed in women’s clothing, he felt a pang of fear at being exposed to others’ gazes. The cheongsam he inherited from his mother, along with his exaggerated and flamboyant makeup, acted like a protective shell. Once he removed this shell, the whispers of the crowd seemed to be directed at him, and everyone’s gaze felt tangible, fixed on him. His hand gripped the handle of his suitcase, and he said in a pleading tone, “Let’s go talk over there…”

Chang Ming’an was stunned for a moment, then reached out and took the handle of his suitcase, dragging it to the lawn below the teachers’ dormitory building next door. There were hardly any people there, only a few teachers taking their babies for a walk after dinner.

He Mu was still wearing a hoodie and jeans, his hair tied in a ponytail, carrying several bags. Chang Ming’an discussed with him, “It’s too far. If you have an early class like this, you’ll be late. Being late too many times is not good. If the counselor is strict, you might get a demerit.”

When Chang Ming’an and He Mu were in the counselor’s office before, he had noticed that He Mu was still very concerned about the school’s punishment. Sure enough, He Mu hesitated and subconsciously looked up at him, his eyes seeming to say, “What should I do?”

Chang Ming’an felt a mischievous glimmer of joy, a feeling reminiscent of the happiness he felt when he first brought the stray cat home and saw her meow at him affectionately. He cleared his throat and said, “How about this? I have an apartment building not far from the school. I can live there; it’s very close by car. I can lend you the teachers’ dormitory upstairs.”

Upon hearing this, He Mu looked up at Chang Ming’an with suspicion, his dark eyes fixed on him, unsure of what to say: “You, you… I…”

Chang Ming’an knew that he wasn’t the type to easily accept kindness from others, so he said the excuse he had already prepared in his mind: “Your mother helped me a lot before. She’s a very good person. I never thought I would run into you again.”

He Mu was still hesitating: “You’ve already helped me.”

Chang Ming’an hurriedly said, “This is the last time.”

He Mu thought about it for a while, bit his lip and then let go, finally asking, “Is she a very good person?”

Chang Ming’an had been waiting for a long time, but he didn’t expect him to ask this. He couldn’t help but smile slightly, and pulled his suitcase towards the corridor, saying as he walked, “Yes, very good.”

Chang Ming’an led He Mu upstairs. As soon as he opened the door, the cat came up to him, meowing sweetly. It circled Chang Ming’an’s legs twice, then stood in front of He Mu, sniffed him repeatedly, and after confirming that there was no danger, it rubbed its scent on He Mu’s shoes twice, leaving its own scent, and then swaggered away.

He Mu was a little nervous, and stood still until the cat left before daring to look around the house.

It was small but cozy. The sea-blue sofa looked large and soft, and there were colorful placemats on the dining table. The teacups were all in sets, a cat tree was nailed to the wall, and several potted succulents and lush green aquatic plants were placed in the sunny spot. It wasn’t much bigger than his old house, but the comfort and cleanliness were many times greater.

The two of them took off their shoes and put on slippers.

Chang Ming’an led him into the bedroom, which was even more comfortable. The bed sheets and pillowcases were in warm colors, and there were soft cushions on the bay window. A few books were casually placed there, and there was a soft beanbag chair next to the bed. The setting sun shone in, making one want to lie down and rest.

Chang Ming’an said, “The sheets and pillowcases were just changed. If you mind, there are new ones on the top shelf of the wardrobe that you can change into.”

He Mu asked in a low voice, “Can I hang my clothes in your closet? There are a few pieces that need to be hung up, otherwise they’ll get wrinkled.”

Chang Ming’an generously opened the wardrobe, pushed a few shirts and suits off the rack to the side to make room, and said as he tidied up, “Use them as you like, you can use them in the kitchen too. Call me if you have any problems.”

He Mu felt embarrassed. He wanted to say that it was too much trouble and that he could sleep on the sofa while Chang Ming’an slept in the bedroom. But after thinking about it, he swallowed his words. He thought it would be better to save some money and rent a single room nearby. He couldn’t keep living on someone else’s property.

Hearing the commotion inside, the cat slowly walked in again, its tail hooked around He Mu’s leg, and it tilted its head back and meowed.

He Mu was a little bewildered as it was his first time interacting with a small animal. Chang Ming’an smiled and said, “You can touch her.”

Upon hearing this, He Mu squatted down and carefully extended a hand. The cat rubbed against his hand, automatically revealing its chin. Enjoying the scratching, it even made purring sounds. He Mu rubbed it a couple of times, his eyes lighting up, and said with great interest, “So cute! What’s her name?”

“Call her…” Chang Ming’an hesitated, then stopped.

He Mu: “?”

“Call her Mumu.”

He Mu blinked, quickly withdrew his hand, and stood up: “W-what…”

Chang Ming’an picked up the cat that was whining and said, “Because we found her under a tree, we named her ‘Mumu’.”

He Mu looked at Mumu lying in Chang Ming’an’s arms, acting all coquettish, and felt a surge of heat in his ears. He cursed inwardly, “Why can’t we call the tree we picked her up from under the tree ‘Shushu’?”