Spring is the Plan of Life-Chapter 1 - Hello

Chapter 1 – Hello 

Novel Title: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)

Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)

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

֍֍֍

‘HELP ME! Are you there?’

After Yao Jinxi finished delivering the package and came back, he saw this message. The time was five minutes ago. The screen was shaking as a side effect. He calmly sat down as he typed and replied to the message.

Tea Seller: Girl, don’t panic! I still have delivery to do here! Won’t I be late to deliver it now?!

Xia Ruonan’s profile picture flickered. She sent back a grinning emoji in response.

Xia Ruonan: Be serious. This is serious business. Are you free on Sunday?

Tea Seller: Oh, tomorrow? I may be free or I may not be free. What’s the occasion? Say it first.

Xia Ruonan: That’s great. I want to invite you out to eat.

Tea Seller: What? Is your boyfriend finally determined to do something to me? Is he throwing me a Hongmen Banquet?

There was no reply on the other side for a while. Yao Jinxi tapped open the KuWo Music Box and changed the background music in the shop to a piece called ‘Gaoshan Liushui’. The little logo of Alibaba’s Wangwang blinked with a blue light. He clicked on it and it was an inquiry about the price of Hua Mao Feng.

After repeatedly addressing each other with affectionate “darling~” for a while, the other party finally placed an order for 1 kilogram of the tea. The person also requested free shipping.

Yao Jinxi switched back to the other window. There was a message from Xia Ruonan on the other side.

Xia Ruonan: Wang Peng won’t be coming. It’s because he won’t be there that I asked you to go. Oh. Brother, please help me. If you don’t come, I won’t be able to do anything about it.

Yao Jinxi chuckled, knowing without a doubt that it was probably Xia Ruonan getting herself into something bad again. After all, when it came to Xia Ruonan, besides her parents, Yao Jinxi understood her the best.

He couldn’t help but send a Yao Ming expression meme: Hey~ What happened to you this time? You must be mentally prepared to ask for help from me, right?

Xia Ruonan: I’ll tell you when the time comes. I have just finished with a meeting. See you at the usual place at noon on Sunday.

Xia Ruonan’s status switched to ‘busy’. Yao Jinxi smiled and shook his head. Of course, he would go. After all, it was Xia Ruonan.

On Sunday, the weather was clear with no clouds in sight. It was an exceptionally rare and beautiful spring day with a slight chill. Yao Jinxi wasn’t awakened by an alarm clock. But rather by the brilliant sunlight. Glancing at the time, it was exactly 11 o’clock.

He leisurely got out of bed and put on a light grey short-sleeved shirt and jeans. He slipped into a pair of versatile canvas shoes, resembling a college student who hadn’t graduated yet.

Last night, Xia Ruonan had sent him a few messages insisting that he should come. It makes Yao Jinxi even more curious about this date.

Today, his tea shop was destined to be closed for the day. While a small business that might not lead to great wealth, the only benefit was perhaps the joy of autonomy and flexible time.

Yao Jinxi calmly recharged his public transportation card and then caught a bus to the place Xia Ruonan had mentioned. Before he even reached the plaza, he received a call from Xia Ruonan.

“You are about to see me yet you still made a call. Do you miss me that much?” With one hand resting on the handrail of the escalator and the other holding his phone, Yao Jinxi smiled. His handsome smile caught the attention of a few girls coming down the escalator, causing them to steal a second glance.

Yao Jinxi could already see the café’s floor-to-ceiling windows. As he caught sight of Xia Ruonan staring eagerly in his direction, his smile intensified, becoming even more radiant. “Hey. Hey, I’ll be there soon. Don’t rush me.”

After finishing his sentence, he reached the staircase. Hanging up the phone, he walked straight over to where Xia Ruonan was and took a seat. Familiarly, he flipped open the menu and scanned the contents. At the same time, he raised his chin slightly and casually asked, “Come on. What do you want to say to this brother? Explain.”

Xia Ruonan summoned the waiter with a sad face. She ordered a pot of chrysanthemum tea for Yao Jinxi, “Oh. I’m going to tell you.”

Yao Jinxi closed the menu and crossed his hands on the table. He smiled as he cooperated, “Tell me.”

“It’s actually like this. I have a colleague who is new in town. He joined the company when I just became the team leader. He is assigned to my team.” At this point, Xia Ruonan let out a sigh and seemed to be contemplating how to organise her words to explain.

Yao Jinxi raised his eyebrows, “Why? Is the newcomer disobedient?”

Not long ago, Xia Ruonan was promoted to be the leader of their team. Given her personality, it posed a bit of a challenge in terms of her managing people. This girl naturally tends to act a bit silly. And when she initially joined the team, the former leader played tricks on her. Despite having the same position and responsibilities, her salary was a bit lower than others. It was something she wasn’t even aware of.

“That’s not the case… In fact, Wu Yang is a very nice person. Although he is a newcomer, he has helped me a lot. There were times when people in the team made mistakes and he helped me solve them.” Xia Ruonan frowned, ” You also know that during that time, I was in a mess.”

During that period, Yao Jinxi was certainly aware of the issue. Xia Ruonan was so caught up in the chaos that they hardly communicated. Also, given that Wang Peng was always uncomfortable with his girlfriend having close relationships with other guys, Yao Jinxi didn’t actively reach out to Xia Ruonan. As a result, the name Wu Yang was truly unfamiliar to Yao Jinxi.

“Excuse me. Excuse me.” The waiter brought up the teapots and arranged them on the table one by one, “Your chrysanthemum tea.”

“Thank you.” Yao Jinxi poured himself a glass, “Isn’t that good then?”

Speaking of this, he suddenly laughed, “Could it be that this Wu Yang has taken a fancy to you?”

“No. Wu Yang has another girl that he likes. Hey, don’t steal my topic away. This matter is not complicated. Since I am the team leader and he is sitting next to me, he is very helpful. Usually, the two of us communicated a lot. How should I put it? I got to know him a little better. It was okay at the beginning.” Xia Ruonan seemed to be unable to figure it out. So she tilted her head, “But just a month ago, he took a leave of absence. When he went to Shanghai, it seemed that his mother had passed away… After returning, his mental state was not very good. So he especially liked to chat with me.”

Yao Jinxi paused, his lips curving into a faint smile. Out of habit, he touched the Buddhist prayer beads on his right hand. “His family member passed away so he must be in a bad mood. What’s so strange about it? You must have an impression of a nurse? You look so easy going that people just want to talk to you.”

“It was fine to chat when we were at work. But he would call me after work. The problem is, he would even call me at 2 or 3 a.m. at night. And sometimes, he would call me in the early morning…” Xia Ruonan spoke slowly. It was clear that this situation was causing her a lot of distress. Even her shoulders slumped as she explained.

The somewhat carefree smile on Yao Jinxo’s face faded, replaced by a touch of seriousness. “He looked for you in the middle of the night? Why was that? Does Wang Peng know about this?”

“Don’t be nervous. He didn’t know anything.” Seeing signs that Yao Jinxi might be getting irritated, Xia Ruonan quickly tried to reassure him, “The content of our conversation was mostly about the continuation of the chat at work. But when someone calls you in the middle of the night to talk about the day’s food at the cafeteria at noon… It’s weird, isn’t it?”

Yao Jinxi pursed his lips slightly and remained silent for a moment.

Xia Ruonan patted her own forehead., “Look. I can’t talk anymore. it’s not that serious, don’t worry. But how should I put it? He’s a person I can’t get rid of. When I chat with him, I always feel that… …”

She cautiously glanced at Yao Jinxi, carefully weighing whether to speak or not.

“What do you feel like?” While Yao Jinxi was still pondering the situation with this Wu Yang and whether it warranted any action, he casually interjected with a question.

“I feel that…similar to you.” Xia Ruonan looked up at the sky and blinked. She avoided eye contact with Yao Jinxi, “It’s not about you right now. It’s similar to your situation at ‘that’ time…”

Yao Jinxi snapped back to attention, then followed with a gentle smile, “What are you talking about? You mean he is as handsome as me?”

Xia Ruonan quickly changed the topic, “Oh, forget it. Um, anyway, I don’t think he has any evil intentions. But he is not in a good state and needs company. But he just came to this city so he doesn’t know anyone. That’s why he is most familiar with me. You have invited me and Wang Peng out to have fun these few weekends. But you know how Wang Peng is…”

Xia Ruonan hesitated to speak ill of her boyfriend and held back her words.

Yao Jinxi shrugged his shoulders, “His salary is not as high as yours but his work is busier than yours. He has less time to spend with you. Such a grown man would even be jealous of me? A gay guy? What do you think you are trying to do by backing him up?”

“Jinxi…” Xia Ruonan looked at him with a troubled expression. She was torn between wanting to speak and holding back.

“Yeah. Yeah. Wang Peng is a peerless good man, okay? Don’t get angry. Just drink another cup of chrysanthemum tea.” They ordered a pot of tea with two small cups. Yao Jinxi poured tea into the other cup and slid it in front of Xia Ruonan, “I told you to drink less coffee. Drinking too much is not good for your heart. You face the computer all day long so drink green tea to protect yourself from radiation. Did you finish the green tea I gave you last time?”

Xia Ruonan went along with the flow and took a sip from the tea cup with a guilty conscience. “Not yet…”

Yao Jinxi clicked his tongue disapprovingly, “It’s been so long. What are you drinking then? It just so happens that a new type of tea is on the market. I’ll send some over for you in a few days.”

Xia Ruonan held the cup and smiled, “By the way, we haven’t finished talking yet.”

Yao Jinxi snorted and waved his hands, “No need. I probably understand what you mean. This Wu Yang will come here later?”

While he wasn’t particularly interested in playing the role of a confidant big brother, since it was Xia Ruonan’s trouble, he couldn’t help but lend a hand. He had encountered Wang Peng before and knew him well. After all, there had been a breakup between him and Xia Ruonan in the past.

“Yes. He also made an appointment to see me today.”

“I understand. I will contact this little brother more in the future.” Yao Jinxi had formed a rough image of Wu Yang in his mind – a man who enjoyed playing and relied easily on others, or perhaps, he could be described as someone with a bit of immaturity. He figured Wu Yang was likely good-looking. He also probably hadn’t faced too many setbacks, “Isn’t it so that he would bother you less?”

“It’s not like that. Just treat it like you are making more friends. Aren’t you alone all the time?” Xia Ruonan felt like she was sighing so much today that she might have fallen in love with sighing itself, “I really can’t find anyone else other than you. To be honest, I really don’t hate him. You’ll understand when you see him. He’s really…”

“Tell me. Who have you ever hated?” Yao Jinxi looked at Xia Ruonan mischievously with a frivolous smile on his face.

Xia Ruonan said sternly, “Of course I have people that I hate. I hate that one very much. I really hate having to know him.”

Even though no names were mentioned, it was enough for both of them to understand. Yao Jinxi casually sipped his chrysanthemum tea and remained silent. Xia Ruonan also didn’t seem interested in pursuing the topic further. She raised her hand to check the time, “The appointment is 12 o’clock. It’s almost time for him to be here.”

The statement was like an announcement. As the words settled, the sound of the welcoming chime at the entrance could be heard. A man stood by the doorway, taking a brief look around the interior before making his way toward Xia Ruonan and Yao Jinxi’s location.

“Wu Yang.” Xia Ruonan smiled and said, “You’re here.”

Wu Yang greeted them gently with a “hello” before taking a seat next to Xia Ruonan. Yao Jinxi calmly observed this man, realising that he was quite different from what he had imagined.

He was tall. Taller than himself at least. He wore thin-rimmed glasses that sat atop a high bridge nose. His lips were perfectly outlined, his gaze gentle, and his demeanour composed. His appearance was so handsome that describing him as mere ‘good-looking’ would be an understatement.

Yao Jinxi suppressed a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

— Damn. The product description and the actual content don’t match at all, bruhhhh!

֍֍֍

*Author’s Note: Oh no, a new story has been written. It will be updated every day for the first few days. After that, it will be updated every other day [beating chest].

Here’s a shout-out to the completed works XD

-YXF

֍֍֍

*Translator’s Note: YJX regarded himself as ‘brother’ to XRN even though they are not blood-related. This story is really good. You guys will love it as much as I love it. You will fall in love with both MC and ML. There’s not much dog blood but lots of sweetness of two people caring for one another. I’ve read a lot of YXF’s works but so far, this is the best that I’ve read. -K

*GLOSSARY: 

Hongmen Banquet: “鸿门宴啊”. “This is a pretty fun idiom as this is jam packed with ancient history. Basically, you would use this idiom to describe a situation where it appears to be festive, celebratory, fun, an opportunity for pacification, but it is really a situation that is dire, dangerous, or even deadly. A situation that is created under false pretences, expressed with a lie through one’s teeth, harbouring ulterior motives. This resembles a trojan horse, but much more involved than a trojan horse as conspirators put on a continuous facade to lower suspicions, lower defences, and do damage.” [source: http://surl.li/kkdlc ] KuWo Music Box is a music player in Chinese. Just like Windows Media Player or VLC Media Player. But it is in Chinese and there’s also karaoke functions. Gaoshan Liushui [高山流水] is a famous guqin piece by Bo Ya meaning ‘High Mountains and Flowing Water’. Alibaba’s Wangwang or Aliwangwang is an online shopping app that is connected with Taobao. Much like Shoppee or Lazada. Hua Mao Feng [花毛峰] is a premium grade Jasmine Chinese Tea. It means “Flower Mountain Top”. It is scented with jasmine flowers for a period of time long enough for it to absorb the sweet fragrance of the flowers. In addition, the tea is decorated with a smattering of jasmine blossoms.  Yao Ming expression meme: Buddhist string:

Next update: 2023.09.13 [Updates will be every alternate days]

֍֍֍