Chapter 51 African Drum
Translated by Twelve_Months_of_May
You finally know what the Milk Way is.
The candlelight shined onto Pang Qian’s youthful face. In front of her, Gu Mingxi closed his eyes and made a wish. Then he opened his eyes and blew out the candles.
His classmates all cheered out as Pang Qian cut the cake. Each student and teacher all got a piece. After the cake was distributed, she fed a piece to Gu Mingxi. In front of so many people, Gu Mingxi felt a bit embarrassed. But with Pang Qian’s glimring eyes staring at him, he finally opened his mouth and ate the cake off the fork.
Pang Qian giggled as she asked, “Does it taste good?”
Gu Mingxi looked a bit bashfully. He nodded, “Yeah.”
Pang Qian was very pleased, “We did a good job acting! You didn’t suspect anything at all, right?”
Gu Mingxi, “…”
Zhou Nanzhong pat Gu Mingxi’s shoulder. “Bro, sorry about earlier when we sprayed you with the water guns. It was Crab’s rotten idea.”
“Rotten idea?! If we didn’t do that, how could we trick Gu Mingxi to go to his room on his own?!” Pang Qian said with dissatisfaction. “All of Gu Mingxi’s and my birthdays have been during sumr break, so we’ve never celebrated with classmates before. It just happened that this trip happened at the sa ti as his birthday (on the Western calendar). So of course, I had to help him celebrate.”
Wang Song teased her, “Crab, since you care so much about his birthday, during our bonfire party later, you should dance for Gu Mingxi.”
Pang Qian scoffed at him, “Fine, it’s just a dance. Who’s scared of that?”
After dinner, the staff lit up a bonfire in an open area and put on so music. The group of students sat down around the fire, and Jiang Zhiya, who was the arts and literature committee mber and had a beautiful voice, led the group in a song.
A lot of people sang along with her. Later on, the music beca more cheerful and several students bravely stood up, held hands, and danced together around the fire. As they danced, more people joined them. Even Teacher Dai was dragged in by Jiang Zhiya.
Since Pang Qian sat in the corner of the room and her grades were at the bottom of the class, she wasn’t very close with the rest of her class, just like when junior high first started. The people she was most friendly with were probably Zhou Nanzhong, Wang Song, and her physical education partner, Li Xiaoyan. But at that mont, against the light of the fire, seeing both the familiar and unfamiliar faces, Pang Qian felt very touched.
Most of Class 2’s students would continue on to the advanced class, except for eight of nine students, who would be split up into other classrooms. After this sumr break, they’d go their separate ways. This might be the only ti in their lives that they cross paths. Pang Qian turned to look at Gu Mingxi beside her. He sat with his knees up, chin on his knees, watching everyone else singing and dancing. As the flas danced and sparkled in his eyes, a slight smile on his lips, Pang Qian suddenly felt a tug at her heart.
She stood up and dusted off her bottom. “Gu Mingxi, let’s dance together.”
Gu Mingxi lifted his head to look at her, his eyes filled with uncertainty. Pang Qian pat his shoulders, “Get up, we’ll dance together.”
Gu Mingxi didn’t refuse again. He stood up and together with Pang Qian, walked into the circle of people. Pang Qian turned with the music and smiled as she said, “Co on, let’s dance. It’s easy.”
There was a very strong beat to the music, and everyone was holding hands and kicking their legs around. Gu Mingxi watched them, but he really didn’t know how he should dance.
Pang Qian stood beside him and without an explanation, she wrapped her left arm around Gu Mingxi’s waist. Then she grabbed onto Li Xiaoyan, at the end of the line. Gu Mingxi suddenly felt like he was pulled to the side by Pang Qian, and then they were kicking their legs out.
One, two three, kick out the left foot. One, two, three, kick out the right foot.
At first, Gu Mingxi just walked along after Pang Qian, chanically. But after a bit, he finally tried kicking a bit. Pang Qian was elated seeing him start to dance. Pang Qian smiled at Gu Mingxi, a particularly joyful smile, with her hand still around her waist.
Gu Mingxi’s face reddened again. Fortunately, because of the fire, everyone was covered in sweat and no one took note of his emotions.
At so point, a drum started sounding with the music. The drum sound was very particular as well. Sotis it was low and solemn, and other tis, it was exciting and rousing. The calm air would suddenly be filled with an explosive sound. Like the other students, Pang Qian turned back to search for the source of the sound, and then realized that it was Xiao Yujing playing the drum.
Her small fra was carrying a drum, though it wasn’t very big. The drum body was like a trophy. There were drawings on it and so rope around it as well. Xiao Yujing hit the drum with her palms, her head swaying to the beat. The way she looked was very strange.
Pang Qian felt that Xiao Yujing was really too mystical, drumming as if intoxicated. She suddenly raised her eyes and t Pang Qian’s gaze. Xiao Yujing smiled and then closed her eyes and continued to beat the drum.
As Xiao Yujing drumd on, Teacher Dai and Jiang Zhiya joined hands to make an archway. All the students lined up and walked through the “doorway.” The mont that Xiao Yujing’s drum stopped, Teacher Dai and Jiang Zhiya brought their hands down to catch a “fish.”
Though it was a ga of their childhood, everyone had fun playing. Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi naturally participated as well. The whole ti, Pang Qian rested her hands on Gu Mingxi’s waist, pushing him as they played. Their luck was good though, as they were never caught. The “fish” who got caught had to put on a performance. A tide ca when Wang Song was caught. He cleared his throat and suddenly turned to Li Xiaoyan, shouting out, “Li Xiaoyan! I like you! Will you go out with ?”
Li Xiaoyan’s face turned completely red from embarrassnt. All their classmates grew lively. Teacher Dai was young and didn’t think this was the ti to combat the students’ fervor. So she just told Wang Song, “You’ll be in my class again next sester. When the ti cos, I’ll deal with you!”
Pang Qian watched the scene unfolding and shouted out loud with the crowd. Then she leaned over to Gu Mingxi to gossip, “I’ll bet with you, Li Xiaoyan won’t agree to it.”
Gu Mingxi asked, “Why?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
The boys started whistling and clapping, and the girls egged Li Xiaoyan on to agree. Li Xiaoyan didn’t dare to state her position about it with Teacher Dai present, so she just turned and ran off.
Pang Qian said quietly, “See, I was right.”
As everyone hissed and booed, Gu Mingxi asked Pang Qian curiously, “How were you so sure?”
Pang Qian naturally whispered into his ear, “Li Xiaoyan told before that she liked you.”
Gu Mingxi, “…”
Pang Qian started laughing. She looked up and saw that the staff was here to put out the fire, so she knew it was nearly ti to head back to their rooms.
She made the most of the ti left and dragged Gu Mingxi over to Xiao Yujing. Xiao Yujing was carrying her drum to leave when Pang Qian asked, “Xiao Yujing, that’s a drum, right?”
“Yeah, it’s called a djembe. It’s a type of African drum. I brought it along when I ca back to China.” Xiao Yujing pat the face of the drum and it sounded with a boom, crisp and pleasant. “I heard there would be a bonfire today, so I brought it along. After we ca back here, I’ve never had a chance to play it, since it would disturb the neighbors.”
Pang Qian’s eyes were filled with envy. “Can I try it once?”
“Of course.” Xiao Yujing brought the drum over to Pang Qian. Pang Qian said, “It’s kind of heavy.”
“Yeah, it’s made of wood.” Xiao Yujing helped her to put it on. Seeing Gu Mingxi, who’d been standing beside Pang Qian, she said, “Crab, try it out.”
Pang Qian tried using her hand to hit the drum face. Boom boom, boom boom, boom boom boom. “It’s so much fun,” she said. “Really, it’s so interesting.”
“Do you like it?” Xiao Yujing flicked her fingers. “I’ll give it to you.”
Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi looked at her, dumbfounded.
Pang Qian scrambled to return the drum. “Aiya, don’t joke around. I’m just intrigued by it. It’s a drum you brought back from abroad.”
Xiao Yujing didn’t mind. “I knew you wouldn’t accept it. Actually, I haven’t played the drum in many years. This drum doesn’t have any aning for . If you don’t want it…” She suddenly turned to Gu Mingxi. “Why don’t I gift it to Gu Mingxi then. Today’s your birthday, so this is a birthday present. It’s old, so I hope you don’t mind.”
The drum was still in Pang Qian’s arms. Xiao Yujing hid her hands behind her and looked at the two of them with a smile. “Okay then. It’s so hot out. I’m going back to shower and sleep. I’ll go first. Goodnight.”
When she finished speaking, she went back to the guest house. Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian looked at each other. Then Pang Qian lowered her head back to the drum in her arms. After staring for half a day, she said, “Gu Mingxi, you didn’t thank her.”
Gu Mingxi, “…”
“I still feel that this isn’t quite right.” Pang Qian felt awkward. “How about I go return it to her later?”
Gu Mingxi thought for a second and then shook his head. “No need. The drum, you can have it.”
“?” Pang Qian was very startled. “Xiao Yujing said that it was a gift for you!”
Gu Mingxi stared at her. “What use would I have for a hand drum?”
“It would make a decent display too.”
“I think… Xiao Yujing really doesn’t care about it,” Gu Mingxi said. “She knew I would give the drum to you. And you really like it.”
Pang Qian frowned, “Please, I don’t like it that much…”
She thought, Xiao Yujing really was an odd girl.
The students trickled back to the guest house. Pang Qian carried the drum and walked back together with Gu Mingxi.
The leaves on the trees rustled in the wind. Pang Qian looked up at the vast sky that was hard to see back in the city. She suddenly brightened up and pointed upward, “Look, the Milky Way!”
Gu Mingxi looked up and smiled. “You finally know what the Milk Way is.”
“I asked Xie Yi,” Pang Qian said proudly. “He printed out so pictures for to see and told which part was the Milky Way. The computer at his house actually cos with a printer. In color too.”
Gu Mingxi’s face turned sour.
Pang Qian didn’t notice though. She happily continued, “By the way, Gu Mingxi, did you know? Next sester, I’ll be in the sa class as Xie Yi again!”
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