Chapter 35 Seven Gromit

The curtains were drawn, and the light in the room was dim.

They sit side by side, destroying the earth's ecology together, because the air conditioner is still set to the lowest temperature, competing with the bright and warm air outside.

A movie was playing on the projector. It was only half an hour long, which was the length Xia Cun liked.

Xia Cun likes to watch short films, because every time Xia Lan accompanies her to watch a long movie for several hours, she will feel very uncomfortable. But Xia Lan's biggest hobby is watching movies, otherwise she would not have wanted to join the crew as an art director or set designer, and she would not have met He Shiyan because of a film exhibition. So Xia Cun always accompanies her to watch a feature film even if he feels very uncomfortable.

At this moment, she was looking at the animated short film that she had watched countless times and had memorized by heart, her thoughts racing.

She was looking at Jiang Song, who was watching a movie. He was watching it intently, and she was also watching it intently.

The highlight of the animation is an indoor train chase scene. As a child, Xia Cun would scroll through the same section over and over again after watching it, and Jiang Song exclaimed at this point, "Sugoi ne (How amazing)."

Xia Cun waited until he finished reading before asking him, "Haven't you seen it before?"

He shook his head in the dim light, then turned to look at her: "Do you like this dog very much?"

The "dog" he was referring to was Gromit, from the clay animation "Wallace & Gromit" by Armand Company, also known as "Wallace & Gromit" in Chinese.

And that was another thing Xia Zun didn't do while she was on the island - she wanted to watch another episode of the anime with Gromit.

Gromit is a beige dog with long, drooping brown ears, black eyes, a large, round nose, and a mouth that's always hidden. He can't speak, and his expression is dull, as if he's constantly thinking. He often conveys emotion by tugging at his eyebrows, rolling his eyes, shaking his ears, or hugging his arms.

Xia Cun liked it.

She nodded and said seriously, "Agao is the best dog in the world."

It's like praising your own puppy.

"Nande?" Jiang Song asked, but as soon as he finished asking, he suddenly said in a tone of sudden enlightenment, "Ah, I get it." (Ah, I get it.)

Xia Cun tilted his head: "What did you know?"

"I think I know why you like Mizuno-san." He said faintly, as if he was very dissatisfied with this, "Because you think he is like this dog, right?

“…”

As if to see her more clearly, Jiang Song moved closer in the dim light to observe her. Then, he narrowed his eyes and asked in a tone that was almost interrogative, "That's really the case, isn't it?"

Suddenly, Xia Cun felt a little hot in his ears.

All right.

It seems he was right.

Xia Cun likes Gromit, and also likes the Chinese translation of the name which Xia Lan described as "silly", because Gromit is the true "Wallace and Gromit".

Calm and rational, steady and reliable, she always takes care of all matters for her master Wallace, big or small, and always resolves crises when Wallace gets into trouble. She also wants to be such a reliable head dog, so that Xiaolan will be as inseparable from Xia as Wallace is from Gromit.

Mr. Mizuno is such a calm, rational, steady and reliable person. Perhaps Jiang Song himself does not realize that he may not be able to do without Mr. Mizuno.

She pursed her lips and, almost without warning, announced as if she were announcing a great decision: "Student Jiang Song, I want to be a reliable person."

It was hard to tell whether it was strange or wonderful, but Jiang Song was stunned by her declaration and looked at her for a long time without saying a word.

It was so sudden. But it also made sense. Because she was just like a dancing ball of light.

He seemed to understand a little bit about the strange things Sister Xia Lan said to him when they met that day. Maybe Xia Cun was also a puppy, so he liked people who were as reliable as this dog, and that's why he also wanted to be a reliable person.

Xia Cun is always like a little animal, not because she's cute, but because she's unpredictable. Like a cat suddenly staring at the air, or a dog suddenly chasing its tail, she's always incomprehensible, elusive, and mysterious.

No, it's because she's so cute, floating like a jellyfish, curious like a black cat, and determined like a puppy... so cute.

Jiang Song's heartbeat quickened as he thought erratically. He wanted to unbutton his shirt, put on his summer clothes, and...

"And you?"

Jiang Song was startled by her question and shrank back, feeling a little guilty for some reason, and then said, "I like Miyazaki-san."

“…”

Why does Jiang Song suddenly seem to be talking in his sleep?

Xia Cun tilted his head in confusion: "Who is Miyazaki-san?"

So, Xia Cun learned how to pronounce director Hayao Miyazaki's name in Japanese. It turned out that Jiang Song liked Hayao Miyazaki.

"You look like a character in Miyazaki-san's movie." Xia Cun praised sincerely after hearing this, because Jiang Song was also very gentle and beautiful.

She always speaks her mind, ugly is ugly, beautiful is beautiful. Although everything is subjective, she will express her subjective feelings as the absolute truth.

Jiang Song blushed again.

But the girl said, "But that's not what I'm asking."

"What's that asking?"

"What kind of person do you want to be?"

Jiang Song was stunned for a long time before he shook his head in confusion. He didn't know.

Maybe they really are the same kind. Jiang Song is also a vague person.

Xia Cun thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't matter, because I don't know how to be a reliable person either."

There are still many things she doesn't know.

“Knock knock knock—”

There was an unpleasant knock on the door; it was the butler.

The housekeeper of the old house was a man in his sixties. He turned on the light first after entering the house. He glanced at them, as if confirming something, and then smiled and explained his purpose.

Mr. Jiang just got home and asked Jiang Song to go to the reception room, as if there was something important.

"No." He didn't give a reason, just refused.

Xia Cun observed him and found that Jiang Song was in such a bad mood that he looked like he had a body full of fish bones.

The housekeeper still smiled kindly and said, "The master came back with his wife."

He deliberately mentioned Ms. Tanaka, as if that would be more helpful, and it turned out to be true. Jiang Song's fishbone-like bones turned out to be mimosa, which shrank with a light touch and were no longer sharp.

"But my friend is still here," he said.

Xia Cun looked back at Jiang Song. It was the first time she heard Jiang Song say the word "friend".

"Don't worry, I will show Miss Xia around at home."

Jiang Song looked at Xia Cun and saw Xia Cun nodded. He said, "You can also stay in my room and play. I have a lot of games that you can play."

As he spoke, he found the game cartridges on the shelf nearby and brought them all to the sofa as if they were treasures.

Xia Cun nodded, confirming that he would have a good time. Jiang Song then stood up, and the housekeeper smiled and reminded him, "It's still summer outside, maybe you can take off your shirt."

“…”

Jiang Song took off his shirt and left the room dissatisfied.

Xia Cun walked around the room. She first opened the curtains, and the bright light once again passed through the glass window and reached the room.

Looking over the treetops, she could see the shrub sculptures in the courtyard. For a moment, Xia Cun wanted to try pruning plants with gardening shears. Perhaps that would be similar to being a pet groomer. Perhaps when she got home, she could tell Xiao Lan that she had suddenly come up with a career plan while at Jiang Song's house: she wanted to be a horticulturist and could apply for a gardener position here someday.

Everything happened in just a few minutes, and then she turned back to observe the room.

The room's decoration is old-fashioned, with the aesthetic temperament and classical charm of the last century, which does not quite match Jiang Song's temperament, but there are also trendy items with Jiang Song's temperament.

There is no incongruity, but a strange harmony.

Xiao Lan said that this is called aesthetic balance. It seems careless and disorderly, but in fact it is very particular. Repetition and rhythm, visual priority, proportion and scale, and color use all follow some stable principles behind the scenes. Otherwise, it will become a messy pile of elements.

If her gift is placed here, will it look out of place?

What will Jiang Song’s other residences look like?

What kind of room would he have in the apartment near the school, or in his residence far away in Tokyo, or on his private island?

Where would be a more suitable place to put her gift?

Xia Cun suddenly thought of something. She squatted back to the sofa, found Jiang Song’s game console, and boarded his Animal Crossing island.

His island is called "いる島", which should perhaps be translated as "there is an island" or "the island that exists".

He used "いる" instead of "ある". In Japanese, these two words can generally be distinguished by the definitions of "living existence" and "inanimate existence", so in Jiang Song's view, this uninhabited island is a living existence - of course.

He is also known as Hayate in the game, has white hair, and a Band-Aid face mask. Strangely, he also wears a winter outfit in the game, consisting of a hunting hat, a rainbow sweater, jeans, and leather boots.

His little house had matcha-colored wood panels, European-style stained-glass windows, a green iron sofa with brown cushions, and wooden tables, chairs, and a clock, all in a unified color scheme. A beautiful teapot sat on the fireplace, and the overhead chandelier had a vintage-style lampshade...

It turns out that this is Jiang Song’s Animal Crossing house. Maybe her gift can be placed here.

Just as he was daydreaming, there was a knock on the door. Xia Cun looked behind the door and heard a voice asking, "Can I come in?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Cun went to open the door. Outside the door, a woman in black was standing in the corridor.

Her black hair was combed into a big bun at the back of her head. Her face was so thin that it was almost transparent, showing the ultimate bone beauty. Her peach blossom eyes, which were faintly smiling and vaguely distant, were almost exactly the same as Jiang Song's.

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The author has something to say: This is a true mother level [poor][poor][poor]

Jiang Song is indeed enviable... Daguangming Mother [poor]

This chapter finally tells the story behind Gromit! Yes, our Existence Baby has always wanted to be a leader (crossed out) and a reliable person (but it seems that only Miss Xia Lan is reliable?