Chapter 72: Transitioning
The old painter was semi-retired; the gallery didn’t even have a signboard. Most customers were art dealers who had collaborated with him for decades.
The remaining small percentage of customers were those who happened to see the open gate and stopped in to browse. If they found something they liked at the right price, they would buy it.
But the probability of that is too low. After all, regardless of the old painter’s fame and painting skills, just the value of the painting paper and pigments alone means that a painting wouldn’t be cheap, not something an ordinary person could afford.
Because of this, Mu Mu didn’t have much work at the gallery; most of his time was spent learning to paint from the old painter.
It could be said that this was the easiest job Mu Mu had ever had.
The old painter was a person with a naive persistence in his bones. His expressionless face was natural; he looked serious, but after getting to know him, you’d find him to be a cute old man with a slightly quirky temper.
Mu Mu, with his straightforward nature, unexpectedly got along well with the old painter.
Although the old painter, his boss, said that Mu Mu lacked aptitude and couldn’t be his student, he didn’t hold back at all when teaching Mu Mu.
The two, though boss and employee, got along like grandfather and grandson. Mu Mu loved the gallery’s environment and often forgot the time while painting with the old painter.
Several times, they were still immersed in painting after work hours ended, forgetting all about getting off work.
It was only when Yan Gui Xing came to pick him up that Mu Mu realized how late it was.
Yan Gui Xing naturally seized the opportunity to make a fuss, demanding many “benefits” from Mu Mu.
Besides that, he had also considered not letting Mu Mu go to the gallery anymore. But seeing how much Mu Mu enjoyed it, and how his eyes lit up every day when he talked about what he learned, he gave up the idea of keeping Mu Mu confined at home.
In any case, after the general election, he wouldn’t be able to stay on Liuli Star permanently; he would have to return to the capital star or be stationed in other star systems by the military, and Mu Mu would definitely have to go with him.
Yan Gui Xing himself was used to living on different planets, but for Mu Mu, who had lived on Liuli Star for 17 years and whose only friend was there, he probably wouldn’t be used to leaving his familiar place and going to live on unfamiliar planets.
It’s not that leaving meant never returning, but just that he couldn’t live in the same place as before.
Yan Gui Xing hadn’t figured out how to tell Mu Mu about this; he felt Mu Mu wouldn’t want to leave.
Therefore, he hoped Mu Mu would have a happy time during these days, so that Mu Mu wouldn’t be too sad when he took him away.
That’s right, Yan Gui Xing didn’t tell Mu Mu in advance about leaving Liuli Star. He planned to take Mu Mu onto the starship directly when it was time to go.
Besides concealing the matter of leaving, Yan Gui Xing also concealed his agreement to a marriage alliance with the Mi family for the general election.
He was confident he could handle everything, and Mu Mu only needed to stay by his side, accompany him, and be a happy little fool.
Later, when Yan Gui Xing couldn’t find Mu Mu after searching Liuli Star high and low, he regretted it.
He didn’t regret not telling Mu Mu the truth, but regretted that his actions weren’t cautious enough, regretted that he hadn’t kept a tighter watch on Mu Mu.
Of course, Yan Gui Xing also kept another thing from Mu Mu: the treatment plan for his ears.
However, this wasn’t bad news for Mu Mu; on the contrary, it could be considered a surprise.
The final treatment was scheduled for early September, twenty days before Mu Mu’s birthday and a month before the general election.
Actually, Yan Gui Xing originally wanted to schedule the treatment for September 26th, Mu Mu’s birthday, as a birthday gift.
Gongsun, the attending physician, said it was romantic but rejected Yan Gui Xing’s suggestion. The reason was that the prepared treatment solution had already been injected into the repair tank, and the solution had a short shelf life and couldn’t be kept until Mu Mu’s birthday.
Yan Gui Xing could only regretfully give up his birthday surprise. He told Mu Mu about the ear treatment the night before.
At that time, Mu Mu was squatting in front of the sofa changing clothes for his dolls. Lately, his hearing aid had been malfunctioning more often; the sounds he heard were sometimes loud, sometimes faint, to the point of affecting his life.
However, the old painter said that creation requires quietness, that’s how inspiration comes. Mu Mu thought for a moment and felt that the old painter’s words were reasonable.
Furthermore, when visitors came to the gallery, the old painter didn’t necessarily ask Mu Mu to receive them.
Instead, it depended on what they were doing at the time. If one of them was painting, the other would receive the guests.
Those who came to the gallery were also people with some artistic cultivation and insight; they didn’t necessarily need someone to explain and introduce the paintings; they preferred to appreciate them quietly.
After returning home, when Mu Mu couldn’t hear Yan Gui Xing or others speaking clearly, he would ask them to repeat it.
Everyone knew Mu Mu’s condition, and when Mu Mu asked for a repetition, no one felt annoyed. Instead, they would patiently slow down their speech, raise their volume, and repeat it.
Just like now, Mu Mu didn’t stop arranging the dolls, and without turning around, said, “Gui Gui, I didn’t hear you, can you say it again?”
Yan Gui Xing walked to Mu Mu’s side, looked at the row of dolls on the embroidered sofa, and then at Mu Mu, who was facing away from him, and rolled his eyes at the dolls.
When he left, he definitely wouldn’t take a single one of these dolls for Mu Mu!
Yan Gui Xing sat on the sofa, glancing triumphantly at the dolls that were knocked askew by his movements – so childish.
When he turned to face Mu Mu, his expression was still gentle and doting, “I said, we’re going to the hospital tomorrow to treat your ears. Go to bed early tonight; don’t play with your dolls anymore.”
The last sentence was added by Yan Gui Xing on the spur of the moment.
This time, these words were clearly transmitted to his ears by the hearing aid. Mu Mu looked up abruptly, his face devoid of expression due to the surprise, his forehead adorned with a strawberry hair clip, looking rather cute and dazed.
“Gui Gui, you said we’re going to treat my ears tomorrow?”
Yan Gui Xing ruffled the soft, well-cared-for curls, smiling and nodding. His lake-green eyes were filled with intoxicating tenderness.
“Really? Mu Mu’s ears can be cured?” Mu Mu threw himself into Yan Gui Xing’s arms, knocking Yan Gui Xing’s back against the sofa.
Yan Gui Xing held Mu Mu’s waist, settling him on his lap, leaning back against the sofa himself, lazily watching Mu Mu, and smiling, “Yes. Didn’t I take you to Gongsun for a check-up last time? After the results came out, Gongsun said that the repair tank can cure it. He’s been adjusting the treatment solution this whole time.”
Since he was ten, Mu Mu’s world only had sound with the help of a hearing aid. He had once fantasized about waking up one day and his ears would be better.
But when he woke up again, the world was silent.
And now, Yan Gui Xing told him that after tonight, his ears would be cured. Mu Mu couldn’t believe it; his childhood wish was about to come true.
Mu Mu excitedly hugged Yan Gui Xing’s neck, a happy “so happy” accompanied by kisses on Yan Gui Xing’s cheek, corner of his eye, and lips.
With his lover delivering themselves to him, Yan Gui Xing naturally accepted them willingly, but he still remembered he had things to do tomorrow.
After one time, the still-unsatisfied Yan Gui Xing wrapped Mu Mu in a blanket and took him to the bathroom.
Mu Mu, who usually was so tired his eyes could barely stay open, might have been too happy. Not only did he not show any fatigue, he even teased Yan Gui Xing and they did it again.
Yan Gui Xing wasn’t someone who was overly restrained in matters of intimacy; after another round, he washed and dried Mu Mu, tucked him into bed, and, exceptionally, cleaned the water-splattered bathroom himself.
After cleaning the entire bathroom, Yan Gui Xing was sweating profusely. He could only take another cold shower and dry his hair before leaving the bathroom.
It was already midnight. Mu Mu, who was supposed to be sleeping, had most of his face covered by the blanket, revealing a pair of bright, unwinking eyes looking at Yan Gui Xing.
Yan Gui Xing remained kneeling on one leg on the bed, the other leg on the floor, his hands on the bed, looking at Mu Mu.
Mu Mu’s gaze slid from Yan Gui Xing’s face to his cold-white, muscular upper body, then down to his thighs, circling a certain area before returning to his handsome face.
Yan Gui Xing: “…”
Yan Gui Xing admitted that his face was thick-skinned, but under the gaze of these innocent, childlike eyes, he blushed uncommonly, even his chest flushed a light pink.
He suddenly pulled back the blanket. In the blink of an eye, Mu Mu had slid under the covers. He lay on his side facing Mu Mu, raising a hand to cover Mu Mu’s eyes.
“Sleep.”
Mu Mu’s eyes were suddenly plunged into darkness. He subconsciously blinked twice, his long eyelashes brushing against Yan Gui Xing’s palm, the faint itch causing Yan Gui Xing to softly “tsk.”
“But, Mu Mu isn’t sleepy,” Mu Mu lifted his hand, trying to remove the hand covering his eyes. His soft voice was muffled by the blanket.
Yan Gui Xing was somewhat troubled; he shouldn’t have told Mu Mu so early. Now, the child wouldn’t sleep.
“You’ll get sleepy if you close your eyes.” The hand on his eyes slid to the back of his head, the other hand holding Mu Mu’s blanket; with a forceful pull of his arms, he pulled Mu Mu into his embrace.
Before Mu Mu could speak, he interrupted, “Shut up and sleep. If you make any more noise, I’ll spank you.”
The threatened Mu Mu stuck out his tongue, muttering, “You wouldn’t dare hit me,” but his eyes obediently closed.
Yan Gui Xing thought Mu Mu had really fallen asleep and closed his eyes too. But most of his attention was still on Mu Mu. After about fifteen minutes, hearing Mu Mu’s slightly hurried and irregular breathing, he sighed softly.
Sure enough, the next second, Mu Mu’s voice rang out in the small space enclosed by the bed curtains.
“Gui Gui, Mu Mu can’t sleep. Will you tell Mu Mu a story?”
[Author’s Note]: Yan Moumou: What kind of story? A horror story, perhaps…?