EL Chapter 54

Chapter 54 – Valentine Special Episode (Extra 1)

Novel Title: 一屋暗灯 (Ephemeral Light)

Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 宋谨 (Song Jin -MC), 宋星阑 (Song Xinglan -ML)

*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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When Song Jin entered the yard, the sky was ominously dark, as if a torrential rain was about to pour down. Moss covered the edges of the pond and the balding plane trees shed their leaves. The scene created a dark, decaying feeling. Looking around, the whole house appeared deserted, emitting an eerie atmosphere of long neglect.

Stainless steel railings had been installed on the outer windows at some point. But it was now wrapped in layers of dust. The interior was pitch black, making it difficult to see anything. Song Jin cautiously called out, “Xinglan?”

There was a rustling sound, and slowly a head emerged from behind the railing. Song Xinglan’s hair was dishevelled, his face dusty and bruised, with traces of dried blood. His right eye was even slightly bloodshot, evidence of severe mistreatment.

“Ge?” He reached out, gripping the railing. His eyes widened in disbelief as he called out to Song Jin, “Ge?”

Song Jin almost staggered forward, wanting to touch Song Xinglan’s face but fearing to aggravate his injuries. His entire hand trembled as he repeatedly asked, “What happened? Who hurt you? Why are you injured…”

“Ge, I’ve been waiting for you for so long…” Song Xinglan tried hard to focus on Song Jin. But his vision blurred due to the bloodshot eye. He lowered his head and rubbed his eyes forcefully, managing to catch a glimpse of Song Jin for a moment. But it was still not clear. Song Xinglan grew anxious, tears streaming down his face. He said plaintively, “Ge, I can’t see with this eye. It hurts so much… Why did you take so long to find me? I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

“Who did this to you…” Song Jin’s voice choked up. He gently touched the corner of Song Xinglan’s eye with his fingertip, feeling a deep purple bruise there. Song Xinglan winced in pain but didn’t flinch away. Song Jin’s heart tightened into a knot, his breath caught. He wiped away his tears and ran to the door. But it was padlocked with a large rusty lock, firmly stuck and immovable.

Song Jin kicked at the door frantically. Song Xinglan, anxiously leaning out the window, shouted, “Ge, it won’t open. Please stop kicking, you’ll get hurt!”

It was futile. Song Jin stood there gasping for breath. The door and the lock remained unmoved, just gathering a layer of dust. He returned to the window, wanting to grasp Song Xinglan’s hand. But Song Xinglan pulled his hand back, forcing a smile at Song Jin. “Ge, my hands are dirty. Please don’t touch me.”

He lowered his head and picked up something. When Song Jin saw it, it was a neatly packaged sky lantern. It was flat and folded.

“Ge, you told me we could fly this lantern on the Lantern Festival. I’ve been waiting so long. Is it almost the Lantern Festival?” Song Xinglan asked with red eyes. “You wouldn’t lie to me, right?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you. I promised you…” Song Jin cried, “I’ll take you out.”

Song Xinglan sniffled and smiled faintly. “I can’t go out, Ge. Please fly it for me here.”

“How can you not go out? Wait here. I’ll find something to open…-” Song Jin turned his head to find a tool to break the lock. But suddenly, he saw someone standing behind him.

It was also Song Xinglan. He was dressed in clean clothes, staring coldly at him. Song Jin instantly froze, his whole body stiffening.

“Ge!” Song Xinglan from the window suddenly shouted heartbreakingly, “Ge, be careful!”

Song Jin watched in horror as this Song Xinglan walked towards him. He was grabbed by the neck and pressed against the wall, feeling bewildered and unable to understand the situation. The other Song Xinglan was trapped inside the house, banging his injured forehead against the railing with his eyes bloodshot. “Don’t touch my brother! Leave him alone!”

“Come with me,” Song Jin heard the new Song Xinglan whisper softly, “or I’ll let him die in front of you.”

“Okay. Okay.” Song Jin’s teeth chattered as he immediately agreed, “I’ll go with you. I’ll go with you…”

“No! Ge, don’t go with him!” came a cry of extreme pain from behind him. Song Jin turned around and saw tears streaming down Song Xinglan’s face. He was crying and begging him, “Please, Ge, don’t leave me… Don’t leave me alone. I’m so scared…”

His heart felt like it was tearing apart. Song Jin felt as if a knife was cutting through his throat, splitting him apart. He suddenly tried to turn back and run. But his wrist was tightly gripped. When he looked back, he saw those cold, expressionless eyes.

A surge of heat rushed up from his chest and Song Jin tasted the strong taste of blood. The scene in front of him collapsed with a bang. He trembled uncontrollably. When he opened his eyes again, the soft light revealed that he was no longer in the countryside. He was not in that yard. But he was in a room with dim lights.

“What’s wrong?” Song Xinglan asked.

Song Jin shivered as he looked at him. Song Xinglan’s calm gaze was no different from in his dreams, or even from that rebellious teenager from years ago.

In an instant, dark memories flooded his mind. The voice begging him not to leave, not to abandon them, echoed in his head. Song Jin almost began to doubt, to question if there really was a lost soul which was forgotten permanently in that house. He was imprisoned in darkness, alone until death and could only wait for death.

So much so that when Song Xinglan saw his unusual state and reached out to check his forehead for temperature, Song Jin instinctively slapped his hand away. They both paused for a moment. Song Jin stumbled off the bed and stood beside it. He took a deep breath, struggling to remain calm as he said, “I’ll sleep in the next room.”

Song Xinglan said nothing. He just sat on the bed watching him. Song Jin opened the door and left. In the adjacent room, he leaned against the door, feeling cold all over his body and his face. He raised his hand to touch his face and discovered tears had streamed down.

He didn’t sleep all night. Song Jin got up at seven and went downstairs to make breakfast. But as he reached the stairs, Song Xinglan emerged from the kitchen. They locked eyes. But Song Jin looked away.

“The porridge isn’t ready yet,” Song Xinglan said.

Song Jin nodded and turned to go upstairs to wash up.

After washing up and changing clothes, he came downstairs to find the porridge on the table. Song Xinglan was getting ready to leave. He didn’t say a word the whole time. He didn’t ask about last night and didn’t inquire about what caused Song Jin’s unusual behaviour. He just glanced at Song Jin, then opened the door and left, closing it behind him.

Song Jin felt distracted the whole day. Starting off the new year like this was unpleasant. In the afternoon, he came out of the library after borrowing some books. The familiar Cayenne was parked nearby. The window rolled down and Song Xinglan glanced over at him. Without a word, Song Jin silently walked around the front of the car and got into the passenger seat.

The car started moving. They sat in silence for two minutes. Song Xinglan turned the steering wheel in a circle, then suddenly asked, “Are you free these next few days?”

“Mm,” Song Jin’s voice was hoarse. “What’s going on?”

“I booked a flight. We’re going to Laos tonight.”

“To Laos… Why?”

“Song Xiangping is there.”

That name hadn’t been mentioned in a long time. Song Jin was taken aback, turning to look at him with surprise. “Why is he there?”

“He’s in the hospital. He’s dying soon,” Song Xinglan stated succinctly, as if he were talking about someone insignificant, not their father.

***

Upon arrival in Vientiane, Laos, Song Jin completed his landing visa. They left the airport and were met by a Chinese person.

“Do you want to take a rest?” Song Xinglan asked.

Song Jin shook his head. “Let’s go straight there.”

In the hospital elevator, Song Jin was tense and his heartbeat was racing. He weakly gripped Song Xinglan’s sleeve, but was noticed. Song Xinglan held his hand firmly.

Song Jin suddenly became calm.

Walking down the corridor, they stopped in front of a glass window and looked inside. On the hospital bed lay a person with a breathing mask on his face. There were several ulcerated wounds exposed on his skin.

“Tuberculosis and renal failure,” explained the person next to them.

Song Xinglan stated directly: “Drug abuse.”

Song Jin took a deep breath. “Let me go in.” Song Xinglan didn’t stop him and the doctor helped Song Jin put on protective clothing.

Inside the ward, it was quiet. Song Jin walked in, stood by the bed, and looked down at the unrecognisable face of Song Xiangping. He felt pity for him. He was once a prominent businessman. But he had fallen into this state. Yet, he also felt it was fair—some people eventually face consequences for their actions.

Song Xiangping slowly opened his eyes. Through the transparent mask, he recognized Song Jin and became excited. But his limbs were restrained and he couldn’t move.

After a while, he calmed down. He coughed twice and hoarsely said, “You know I’m dying… You intentionally… coming at this time.”

“Yes,” Song Jin replied.

But Song Xiangping strangely smiled, “Just wait… That brat Song Xinglan… won’t have a good ending either…”

“He won’t,” Song Jin said.

“How do you know he won’t… That’s right. You two brothers, acting so well… I even thought back then that your relationship was really bad…” Song Xiangping’s chest heaved heavily. “I should have guessed it when he secretly went to attend your mother’s funeral… He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing!”

Song Jin breathed deeply. He never knew that Song Xinglan had gone to their mother’s funeral. It wasn’t exactly a funeral. Song Jin had only picked up their mother’s ashes from the funeral home. Along with some of her colleagues and a few neighbours, he placed the urn in the cemetery. He couldn’t imagine where the fifteen-year-old Song Xinglan fit into all of that.

“If you had treated him well, none of this would have happened,” Song Jin clenched his fists. “You thought Xinglan was young and didn’t remember anything. So you kept him around, feeling safe. So why did you have to abuse him?”

In truth, there was no point in asking. Some violence has no reason and not all abusers realise their mistakes or repent.

“I should’ve damn well killed him… Locked him upstairs, starved him to death…” Song Xiangping glared. He stared at the ceiling with his expression contorted. “One time I hit him in the eye. He cried all night, saying his eye hurt… couldn’t see anything… wanted to find his mom, find his brother… Hahaha… But he’s tough, didn’t even go blind…”

Song Jin could barely stand. He stepped back, looking out the glass window, directly meeting Song Xinglan’s eyes. Song Xinglan had been watching him all along. His gaze did not leave Song Jin’s profile. Suddenly, Song Jin realised that the injured Song Xinglan in his dream was not the amnesiac Song Xinglan. But it was the child version of him who had suffered violence and abuse from Song Xiangping. That was his younger brother.

With bloodshot eyes, unable to see, he was saying; “I thought you didn’t want me anymore… And the lantern for the Lantern Festival. I waited so long. Fly it for me…”

It was all part of Song Xinglan’s childhood experiences and the unfinished promise of flying the lantern.

The person Song Xinglan least wanted to see and most hated was Song Xiangping. But now, Song Xinglan could stand calmly outside the hospital room because some hatred was about to come to an end. Most of the responsibility lay with Song Xiangping himself. Neither of the brothers were at fault.

The family feud and old grievances will end here.

Song Jin left the hospital room to remove his protective gear. Song Xinglan took off the wireless earpiece from his left ear and handed it to the person next to him. He said calmly, “After he dies, handle things here and return to the country. I’ll arrange other tasks for you.”

“Understood.”

***

In the hospital corridor, Song Jin and Song Xinglan stood face to face. Song Jin’s back trembled slightly. He raised his hand, slipped it into Song Xinglan’s open coat, and hugged his waist. He buried his face in his chest, quietly, without saying a word.

“Let’s go back to the hotel and rest,” Song Xinglan held his back and gently stroked it twice.

“Are there flights going back home tonight?” Song Jin asked. “I want to go home.”

“There’s one early in the morning. We’ll book it shortly. Let’s eat something first.”

***

This was the shortest international trip Song Jin had ever experienced. It was after three in the morning when they returned home. Opening the door, Grapefruit sleepily rubbed against Song Jin’s feet. He picked the cat up, walked over, and placed him back in his cat bed. Under Song Jin’s gentle strokes, Grapefruit quickly fell back asleep, perhaps also because Song Xinglan stood nearby, compelling him to sleep promptly.

They each showered and brushed their teeth in separate bathrooms. Song Jin dried his hair and stood in the room for a long time, lost in thought. Then he walked out, went to Song Xinglan’s door, and knocked twice.

Opening the door, Song Xinglan was drinking water. Seeing his brother enter, he set down the glass and asked, “Still not sleeping?”

Song Jin shook his head and walked over to hug him. Song Xinglan had just drunk water, his lips were wet. Song Jin tilted his head and kissed his lower lip. Just as they were about to separate, Song Xinglan held the back of his neck and kissed him deeper.

They fell onto the bed. Song Jin was breathing heavily. He touched Song Xinglan’s right eyelid. There were no more bruises, no scars, no redness—just healthiness. Those are all in the past.

Today was Valentine’s Day. But that wasn’t important. Song Jin’s fingertip brushed Song Xinglan’s lips, then he lifted his head and kissed him there.

“During the Lantern Festival,” Song Jin whispered, “let’s go together to fly sky lanterns.”

“Okay.”

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*Translator’s Note: That’s the end. I cried at the end because of the sky lantern thing. It breaks my heart. I kinda sorta wish that the wife-chasing crematorium would be longer and more painful though. But meh. I’m easily satisfied I guess… I also feel sus that maybe it was SXL that caused this drug abuse… Thoughts? This extra chapter was posted on Weibo and it’s the only extra chapter so far. If the author writes more in the future or if I manage to get the hardcopy with those extras that the author had previously mentioned, I’ll update! Please allow me a few months off before going back to proofread this whole translation. Thank you so much for reading my translation. I’ll be happy if you guys can also read my other translations. But do note that my first few translations weren’t that great. But I am working hard to find time to proofread them to satisfy the readers (and the haters hahaha). I don’t know how long I’ll be in this field since there are a few novels that I wanted to translate but was forced to stop in the end. For example, some of Shui Qiancheng’s novels. I really like her stories but at the moment, I steered clear from translating her novels because of some unpleasant things I have gone through in my previous translations of her works. Perhaps I was too ambitious, too excited, and too socially awkward to understand this world but I’ll see until when I can hold on. My new translation is ‘We Have Broken Up’ by Yu Xiaofan. See you in my next translation, I hope. 😘 -K

P/S: I’ve made a new buymeacoffee account. Please do not mention any word such as ‘NSFW’ or ‘Mature’ in your comment if you donate or I’ll be kicked out by them again. Hahahaha!

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