Morning and Evening Chapter 9

In an unfamiliar house, He Mu felt very uncomfortable, his hands tucked into the front pockets of his hoodie, his ten fingers twisting nervously. He watched Chang Ming’an watering the flowers and feeding the cat, standing there unsure of what to do. He wanted to sit on the sofa, but felt a little embarrassed.

He was still thinking about what Chang Ming’an had just said.

“Your mother helped me a lot before; she’s a very good person.”

Is this true?

His memories of his mother were hazy. Ever since he could remember, people around him always told him that he was a child without a mother, that his mother was too cruel to leave him. From the snippets of conversation from relatives, his mother was said to have been promiscuous and therefore pregnant out of wedlock. In his mind, his mother was just a vague shadow. The only things he could rely on, besides what others said, were the trunk full of cheongsams she left behind and the nursery rhyme she sang.

“Twinkle, little star, twinkle, little star, it winks at you…”

He Mu couldn’t help but hum softly. Chang Ming’an was on the balcony, the setting sun casting a pale yellow glow on him. The adorable cat Mumu walked over silently, circled around He Mu’s feet, plopped down on the back of his feet, and looked up to meow softly.

He Mu squatted down, scratched Mumu’s chin, glanced up at Chang Ming’an’s back, and called out softly and tentatively, “Mumu?”

The cat tilted its head and looked at him, its amber eyes blinking slowly.

Chang Ming’an could tell that He Mu was very uncomfortable, so after he finished tidying up, he said, “I’m leaving now. The cat can’t be moved right away, so could you please take care of her for a while? Just give her some food, clean her litter box, and brush her fur. Thank you.”

He Mu really liked the kitten, but his expression remained indifferent as he said, “No trouble at all, thank you.”

Chang Ming’an left the spare key behind, closed the door, and left.

He Mu let out a long sigh, carefully sat down on the sofa, stretched, and rested for a while. He got up and drew the curtains on the balcony and the bay window in the bedroom, turned on a small lamp, and the room was immediately enveloped in dim light, which made him feel much more at ease. He opened his suitcase, took out the women’s underwear and silk women’s nightgown that he had hidden at the bottom, and put them on. He let his hair down and draped it over his shoulders. The touch of his bare skin against the smooth fabric made him shiver, but he was completely relaxed, and his steps became lighter.

He looked at the slightly faded nail polish on his toenails, kicked his slippers aside, walked barefoot on the wooden floor, sat on the plush rug with the coffee table on it, leaned back against the sofa, and focused on applying nail polish to himself. Mumu was lying not far away, swishing its tail.

He Mu carefully painted each of his toenails, then hugged his knees and blew on them. He reached out and whispered to the cat dozing nearby, “Mumu…”

The cat opened its eyes alertly, stretched its front legs and yawned, then hopped over in a few steps and nuzzled its head into He Mu’s palm.

“Could it really be called ‘Mumu’…” He Mu muttered to himself.

He glanced at the kitten purring incessantly and thought to himself, “This little devil will definitely listen to anything I ask.”

When it was time for bed, He Mu glanced at Chang Ming’an’s soft double bed, hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed to the top of the wardrobe to take a new quilt, spread it on the spacious sofa, curled himself up like a silkworm cocoon with only his head sticking out, and lay there playing on his phone. Mumu jumped on top of him, stepped on his butt, and comfortably curled up into a ball.

Chang Ming’an came over every day or two. He hadn’t taken the cat away yet, saying that the balcony of the apartment wasn’t enclosed, so he could only leave the cat here for now. He Mu had no objections and wouldn’t object, since he was staying at someone else’s house. Every time Chang Ming’an was coming, he told He Mu in advance, and He Mu hid his women’s clothes and changed back into his hoodie and jeans. The two basically didn’t talk, or he would answer a few words when Chang Ming’an asked something.

He Mu sometimes ran into Chang Ming’an on campus. He found it strange that the two of them had never met before, but once they got to know each other, they always bumped into each other on the huge campus.

Every time they met, Chang Ming’an would smile at him. He Mu would just nod hurriedly, put his hands in the front pockets of his hoodie, sling his backpack over his shoulder, and walk away quickly, his ponytail swinging behind his head.

Twice, he passed by the lecture hall where large classes were held and heard Chang Ming’an’s unhurried voice coming through the microphone from afar. He deliberately slowed his pace and walked past the window. The lecture hall was packed. Chang Ming’an stood on the podium, his trench coat off and draped to one side, his light blue shirt sleeves rolled up, and a pair of half-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, making him look very refined.

“Adam Smith’s ideas on trade are the foundation of his entire free-market economy…”

He Mu walked past the window without stopping.

When the weekend came, Chang Ming’an asked him on the phone if he wanted to go back to the old house.

He Mu said he wouldn’t go back because he needed to work part-time on the weekend, teaching children to dance, so he wouldn’t be going back there.

Upon hearing this, Chang Ming’an said he wanted to have dinner with him on the weekend.

He Mu stuffed his women’s clothes into his suitcase, paced nervously around the room, looked at the plants on the balcony, the succulents on the shelf, and then at Mumu’s cat food bowl and litter box. He folded the blankets on the sofa and put them back on top of the wardrobe. When Chang Ming’an opened the door, He Mu was shoveling poop for Mumu on the balcony, with Mumu sitting next to him supervising.

Mumu couldn’t sit still as soon as she heard the door open. Chang Ming’an put down the key, took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door, squatted down, reached out and beckoned, and called softly, “Mumu.”

He Mu, who was shoveling poop, trembled, his heart skipped a beat, and the tips of his ears turned a little red.

Chang Ming’an, holding the cat, said, “It seems to have gotten heavier.”

He Mu, holding the spatula, said, “It’s… it’s alright.”

Chang Ming’an weighed it in his hand again, and said thoughtfully, “It was tiny when we first picked it up. If it eats this much, it’ll have to go on a diet.”

He Mu looked at Mumu, who had turned over and revealed her snow-white belly, and was surprised once again. Such a beautiful cat was actually a stray. He said, “You’ve taken good care of her.”

Chang Ming’an laughed and said, “I wasn’t planning on keeping a pet, but it was too pitiful, so I picked it up.”

He Mu remained silent, his hands clasped behind his back. Chang Ming’an said, “What do you want to eat? Let’s go out to eat.”

“No.” He Mu subconsciously refused. The thought of going out to dinner with Chang Ming’an in front of so many people made him uneasy. But the thought of dressing up as a woman and going out to dinner with Chang Ming’an made him feel awkward, as if it would distort their innocent relationship, making him even more uncomfortable.