Chapter 301: Trio Q&A Time

I’ve collected some questions for a Q&A session with our trio!

Gan Ji’s Turn

Q: What is the most impulsive thing you’ve ever done?

Gan Ji (smiling as he looks at He Yu): Going to the second floor of the shop and opening that drawer. It started over a decade of pain, and I haven’t been that impulsive since (rubs his hands together). Now, before I open a cabinet, I always ask what’s inside first, hahaha.

Q: Do you prefer love at first sight or love that grows over time?

Gan Ji (thinking): I’d lean more toward love that grows over time.

Q: Why?

Gan Ji (smiling): Well, because I’ve never experienced love at first sight, so I can’t really grasp that feeling. Besides, I’m a firm believer that time reveals a person’s true heart.

Q: If you absolutely had to give your last words, what would you want to say?

He Yu (reaching out to cover Gan Ji’s mouth): We refuse to answer this question.

Gan Ji (smiling): Then we won’t answer it.

Q: What do you consider the shallowest level of pain?

Gan Ji: The shallowest would be physical pain. A scraped knee, a cut from a blade, things like that. I don’t have a strong reaction to physical pain; I think I’m the type who can endure it quite well. To me, that’s the lowest degree of suffering.

Q: What do you hate most about the other two?

Gan Ji: With He Yu, it’s that he’ll do dangerous things for my sake and suppress his own true feelings to accommodate me. I really hate that. As for Lu Ayao, he doesn’t like to communicate when things happen. He keeps things to himself. That’s what annoys me the most.

He Yu (looking at Lu Ayao): I’m touched. Looks like I didn’t raise this cheap son^[1] of mine for nothing.

Gan Ji: Get lost!

Q: Tell us specifically about your first impression of Lu Ayao.

Gan Ji: A very sharp master. He was mysterious and eccentric in everything he did. He rarely talked nonsense, but whenever he did speak, it was always something major. So I was actually quite afraid of him speaking.

He Yu (nudging Lu Ayao with his elbow): He says you’re mysterious and eccentric.

Lu Ayao (staring into space): Oh.

Q: Tell us specifically about your first impression of He Yu.

Gan Ji: Very warm. I felt relaxed doing anything with him. To be more specific, he gave me the feeling of a clear mountain spring.

He Yu: So you’re saying I give off a “watery” vibe?

Gan Ji (spreading his hands): If that’s how you want to interpret it, I can’t stop you.

He Yu (laughs).

Q: Is there anyone you especially admire?

Gan Ji: I used to have many. Part of it was because the people around me were all so incredible, while I was just very mediocre. I admired many of them, but that admiration always stemmed from the fact that they were better than me in certain areas. I would work hard to learn from their strengths, trying to think and act like them. Once I became stronger myself, I gradually stopped admiring them.

Q: What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?

Gan Ji (silent): Performing a shamanic dance^[2] in front of a crowd. Also, when I was a kid during New Year’s, my grandfather made me perform. It was so awkward.

He Yu: A performance? What did you do?

Gan Ji (his smile vanishing): A tongue-twister monologue^[3].

Q: Will you keep painting in the future?

Gan Ji: Yes. Painting is another way for me to express myself besides writing. Plus, I really enjoy going out to paint from nature.

He Yu: Actually, he just uses “painting from nature” as an excuse to go out and gorge himself on food and drink. Last time he said he was going out to paint, he got off the bus and headed straight for a barbecue street. He ran so fast he forgot his wallet, so Old Lu had to go over and settle the bill after he finished eating.

Q: What are the two things you want most in this life?

Gan Ji: Favoritism and freedom.

Q: Do you regret not getting your university degree?

Gan Ji (shaking his head): No. If I had to do it all over again, I think I’d still choose not to study. If I had continued my studies back then, I would have lost even more.

He Yu’s Turn

Q: Do you like your current state of life?

He Yu: I like it very much. It’s just that cooking every day is getting a bit tedious (looks pointedly at Gan Ji).

Gan Ji (ignores him).

Lu Ayao: I can cook too.

Q: Setting aside your current identity, what job would you most want to do?

He Yu: A cultural relic restorer. That was my childhood dream.

Gan Ji (smiling): I always thought you wanted to be a professional cross-talk comedian.

Q: What do you fear most?

He Yu (glancing at Gan Ji): Him.

Gan Ji: ?

He Yu: I’m most afraid of him dying quietly without a sound.

(A moment of silence)

Q: Tell us specifically about your first impression of Gan Ji.

He Yu: Unbelievably silly. He looked so pure and innocent, the type who could be kidnapped if you took your eyes off him for a second. He was really easy to fool. As long as you looked sincere, you could make up the most illogical excuse and he’d rationalize it for you in his own head.

Q: Did your impression change after getting to know him?

He Yu: To be honest, there’s a big difference in how Gan Ji treats friends versus strangers. I feel like he categorizes people in his heart. There’s a zone for people he trusts and a zone for those he doesn’t. Then he subdivides them into “complete trust” and “conditional trust.” His attitude is different for every level. At first, he doesn’t really share his inner thoughts, but once you’re close, he spills everything. It made me realize his mind is actually quite deep; he’s not as simple as he looks on the outside.

Gan Ji (takes a tactical sip of water).

He Yu (smiling): See? I hit the nail on the head.

Q: Tell us specifically about your first impression of Lu Ayao.

He Yu: Not a single word out of his mouth was true. A total con artist. Honestly, for a while after we first met, we didn’t get along at all. I suspect we both found each other annoying. Whenever we spoke in private, neither of us put on a smile. But luckily, we had Little Gan. The moment he showed up, we’d both put on a friendly face (laughs).

Gan Ji: You’re both great actors.

He Yu (smiling): It doesn’t work anymore. I can’t fool him now.

Q: Did your impression change after getting to know him?

He Yu: He still doesn’t express himself much, but I can clearly feel that he’s relaxed. It’s the kind of feeling where, even if he doesn’t explain certain things, you know he won’t harm you. It’s just that the choice he makes might look bad from your perspective at the time, but when you look back later, you realize it was probably the best choice he could have made for your sake.

Gan Ji (adding): Time lag.

Lu Ayao’s Turn

Q: Are you usually very quiet?

Lu Ayao (shaking his head): I only choose to stay quiet when I’m uncertain. Saying too much can lead to unnecessary arguments, so I usually concede. I prefer to speak after I’ve regained my composure.

Gan Ji (explaining): He is a bit of a shut-in; there is a wall between him and real-world society.

Q: Which do you think is more regrettable: “never having been together” or “failing to stay together in the end”?

He Yu: Now that is a question with some depth.

Lu Ayao (thinking): I think never having been together would be more regrettable.

Q: Why?

Lu Ayao: Because you want to leave a mark. Memories cannot be worn away.

Q: For you, what is the most painful thing?

Lu Ayao: Separation.

He Yu: That got depressing fast.

Q: Tell us specifically about your first impression of He Yu.

Lu Ayao: He keeps things hidden deep inside. He’s very good at dodging topics and has plenty of his own schemes. When Gan Ji wasn’t around, the two of us would talk. I know he’s very good to Gan Ji.

Q: Tell us specifically about your first impression of Gan Ji.

Lu Ayao: He’s very humble, just too kind. If you ask him for a favor and he agrees, he’ll give his all to help you. He’s very serious about his work and doesn’t talk much.

He Yu: You can say that again. Who knows what kind of things he’s thinking about you in his head, though.

Q: Have you ever been hit on by a stranger?

Lu Ayao: Many times.

He Yu: Ever since his surgery to remove the porcelain shards. Whenever we go to the snack street, people come up to ask for his WeChat. In the future, I’m not going out with you anymore! (Slaps his thigh) You steal all my romantic prospects!

A Three-Person Setting

Q: When was the last time you three had a fight?

He Yu (Raising his hand): I have the most right to speak on this. I never fight. Usually, when there’s a fight, it’s between the two of them.

Gan Ji (Pouting): When do you not fight? Don’t the two of us fight every single day? This morning when you went out for groceries, I told you to take an umbrella because it was going to rain, but you insisted on being stubborn. You came back soaked like a drowned rat and then blamed me for not reminding you!

He Yu: Is that the same thing? At most, that counts as flirting. I was just teasing you. Who was actually fighting with you? The way you two go at it, now that’s a real fight, okay?

Gan Ji (Slumping on the sofa, silent)

Q: Asking Lu Ayao, since you didn’t object, what do you usually fight with Gan Ji about?

Lu Ayao (Snapping out of his daze): Um… when he does things that harm his own health, or when he refuses to listen to advice. I get quite angry then, but we basically never have open conflicts.

He Yu: That’s true. You don’t do direct conflict. You just turn on the cold air until the whole house freezes over.

Gan Ji (Smiling without a word)

Q: What do you each consider your role in the team?

(The three look at each other)

He Yu: I feel like I should at least be the muscle, right?

Gan Ji (Shoving He Yu): Get out of here! You? The muscle? What a load of crap. You’re talking complete nonsense.

Gan Ji: I used to be the “trouble magnet.” Now, I’m probably more like a substitute. I step up when one of the other two is struggling. Actually, with them around, I basically don’t have to worry about anything. I can just lie back and relax (Laughs).

Lu Ayao (Pondering): Scouting, rear guard, anything really. I’m quite flexible.

He Yu (Flatly): Oh, then I guess I’m logistics. The one who starts the fire and cooks. Every time those two go out, they bring nothing. When it’s mealtime, all they know how to do is open their mouths and wait to be fed. Pots, pans, instant noodles, river snail rice noodles… all that random junk gets dumped on me.

Gan Ji (Hitting him): To hell with you! Who eats river snail rice noodles in a place like that!

Q: Who has the highest alcohol tolerance?

He Yu: Gan Ji. He drinks fifty-percent grain liquor, and I’ve never seen him drunk.

Lu Ayao (Nodding)

Gan Ji: I control my intake. If I feel like I’m reaching my limit, I stop.

He Yu: Even so, your tolerance is pretty high.

Q: Out of the three of you, who is the most afraid of the dark?

Gan Ji: Me, I guess. I feel like I’m more afraid of it.

He Yu: He was a bit at first. Later on, he stopped being afraid of stuff like that. After all, people have to go through experiences to grow.

Q: Who is better at taking care of people?

Gan Ji & He Yu: Old Lu.

Lu Ayao (Smiling): I think I’m just okay at it.

Q: How do you divide the chores for a big house cleaning?

Gan Ji: We each clean our own rooms. For the common areas, we split the work. I mostly handle the kitchen. He Yu does the living room and the two bathrooms on the first floor, inside and out. Old Lu is responsible for the courtyard steps and cleaning the large water vat. We grow lotus in the vat and keep a few turtles. It was left behind by my grandfather; it’s very large and deep.

Q: What are the plans for New Year’s? Are you spending it together?

Gan Ji (Looking at He Yu)

He Yu: Those two will be staring at each other at home. I have to go back home this year. I’m someone who’s pretty attached to family.

Gan Ji (rolling his eyes): As if everyone doesn’t know you’re just going back for a blind date.

Q: For an ideal partner, do you prefer someone clingy or someone rational?

Gan Ji: Someone rational.

He Yu & Lu Ayao: Someone clingy.

Q: Why? Is there a specific reason?

He Yu: Does that even need to be said? If you’re looking for a partner, you definitely want them to be clingy, right? Otherwise, if you do your thing and I do mine, how are you supposed to keep a relationship going?

Lu Ayao (nodding): No specific reason. I just feel like we would get along better that way.

Gan Ji (frowning at the two of them): What, am I the weird one here? (Laughs) I just don’t like clingy people. Isn’t it better to do your own thing? Being stuck together every day would get annoying, wouldn’t it?

He Yu (glancing at him): Give it a rest. That sounds way too fake coming from you. (Standing up) Alright, we’re done! Time for bed!