Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Qin Song was lying back in his massage chair at home, enjoying a session, while He Qian sat on the sofa watching television.
“Honey,” Qin Song said. “Do you think the name ‘Liang He’ sounds like a man’s name or a woman’s?”
“Is the ‘He’ character the one for lotus?” He Qian asked.
“No, it’s the ‘He’ for harmony.”
“Probably a man, then,” He Qian replied. “That character is pretty plain; I’ve never seen a girl use it. Don’t girls’ names usually have the ‘female’ radical, the ‘grass’ radical, the ‘jade’ radical, or the ‘person’ radical?”
“I guess you’re right. There’s also the ‘water’ radical or the ‘rain’ radical-like Ping or Xue and names like that.”
“I remember when my sister was born, so many little girls were named Yuchen, Yaqi, Anqi, Yuxin, Yaxin, Wenxin… stuff like that,” He Qian said. “My mom wanted to pick one of those for her at the time, but she was afraid of her having the same name as everyone else, so she didn’t.”
Having finished her piece, He Qian went back to cracking melon seeds and watching TV.
That afternoon, Qin Song went to the office and hauled Old Hu over to his desk.
“Old Hu, do you think the name Liang He belongs to a man or a woman?”
“Liang He?” Hu Heng asked. “The only thing I know is the Xiliang River. There was that Xiliang River Vinegar Fish in *My Own Swordsman*. Did you watch that when you were a kid? Zhu Wushuang made it! Man, that made me so hungry back then…”
“…I’m pretty sure Tong Xiangyu was the one who made it,” Qin Song muttered.
In the evening, Qin Song bought some fried chicken and a small cake and went to 302 to see Huang Yuanrui.
“Ruirui, do you think the name Liang He sounds more like a man’s or a woman’s? It’s the ‘He’ for harmony.”
After asking, Qin Song counted down in his head: *3, 2, 1…*
“Wait a second,” Huang Yuanrui said. “First, you tell me who Liang He is. Where did you meet them? Come clean!”
Qin Song thought to himself: *I freaking knew it. Nailed it.*
“Oh, you’re overthinking it,” Qin Song said aloud. “It’s just an intern our company hired-a guy! I said the name sounded feminine, but Old Hu insisted it sounded masculine. We argued about it for ten minutes!”
“Big Brother, the two of you are nearly seventy years old combined. Don’t you think you’re being a bit childish?”
“Just give me your take!”
“Well,” Huang Yuanrui mused, “I had a high school classmate named Wang Huihe, and she had a twin sister named Wang Lihe. They were both incredibly smart and did great in school. I remember her saying her father put the ‘He’ character in their names to represent harmony, peace, and the idea that a harmonious family prospers… She really did get along with everyone.”
Qin Song breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re on the same wavelength. I knew it had to be a woman’s name.”
Huang Yuanrui wasn’t finished. “No, wait… there are men with that name too. There was someone in ancient times, surnamed Zhao… what was it? Zhao Hede!”
“…That’s the ‘He’ for ‘suitable,’ not ‘harmony,'” Qin Song corrected. “And besides, Zhao Hede was a woman…”
Qin Song was back to obsessing over the matter.
He had been with Zhang Qiong for so long, yet he had never heard of her having any female friends she went for walks with.
For someone with an ambiguous name to suddenly start messaging her made him instinctively suspect she had found a new man.
He sent Zhang Qiong another message: “Hey sis, what are you up to?”
Zhang Qiong replied quite quickly this time: “Something happened at home. A couple of days ago, someone stuffed a dead rat in Qiqi’s backpack, and they even hung a bunch of dead rats outside her window. I’m scared to death.”
Qin Song replied: “What kind of scumbag does that to a child? Did they not bother to find out who her ‘Little Daddy’ is? Hang on, I’m coming over right now.”
Zhang Qiong: “Don’t come over yet. Qiqi is terrified, so my husband has been staying home to be with her these past few days. Taotao just got back from taekwondo and is home too. It’s not convenient here.”
Qin Song: “Then I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Zhang Qiong: “Okay.”
Zhang Qiong wasn’t lying; the whole family of four was indeed at home.
After that day’s incident, her husband cleaned up the filth outside the window and checked every window in the house. Following a thorough airing out and disinfection, their home finally returned to normal.
In the living room, their son was showing off the new moves he had learned in taekwondo class to his sister. As he practiced, he shouted, “Qiqi, your big brother knows so much now! I’ll protect you. Let’s see who dares to bully you again!”
Watching this scene, Zhang Qiong couldn’t help but smile.
She looked down and sent another message to Liang He: “Are you there?”
Liang He: “I’m here. What’s wrong?”
Zhang Qiong: “I wanted to talk to someone about something.”
Liang He: “Go ahead.”
Zhang Qiong: “I’ve dealt with some very scary things over the past two days. Someone put dead rats in my daughter’s backpack and outside our window. My whole family was terrified.”
Liang He: “You should have told me sooner so I could comfort you. Are you feeling better now?”
Zhang Qiong: “It’s over now, but I’m still scared.”
Liang He: “Who would be so cruel to a child?”
Zhang Qiong: “My husband went to her school to talk to the teacher. They said my daughter is very well-behaved and hasn’t had any conflicts with other children. There aren’t any particularly naughty or bad kids in her class, either.”
Liang He: “You won’t get any real answers by asking a teacher like that. You should report it to the police. Whether it’s a prank or a malicious act, as long as it causes distress to your family, it’s a violation of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law.”
Zhang Qiong: “Oh, you’re right. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Liang He: “You have to learn to protect yourself. When I was living abroad years ago, never mind such a malicious incident-even for common public disturbances like noise complaints, you could just call 911.”
Zhang Qiong: “I’ll discuss it with my husband in a bit and then go to the police!”
Liang He: “Good. That’s the fastest and most effective way.”
Zhang Qiong: “Stay and chat with me for a while longer.”
Liang He: “No problem. Let’s deal with the emotions first, then the problem. We’ll talk until you’re feeling better.”
Zhang Qiong: “I’m so afraid of something like this happening again.”
Liang He: “How about I buy you a dog? I have a friend who runs a kennel; they have several Tibetan Mastiffs with excellent pedigrees.”
Zhang Qiong: “A Tibetan Mastiff? I’ve never seen one… the biggest dog I’ve ever seen was the big wolfdog back in my hometown.”
Liang He: “The Tibetan Mastiff is a large guard dog and is fiercely protective of its owner. In Qinghai and Tibet, they are indispensable companions for the nomadic herders.”
Zhang Qiong: “Then compared to a big wolfdog, which one is stronger?”
Liang He: “Reading that sentence, you sound like a cute little child.”
Zhang Qiong laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Liang He: “My father liked raising Chinese rural dogs, so I grew up with a big wolfdog. Every time I took it out, I felt incredibly imposing. Later, I visited my friend’s kennel and got up close with a Tibetan Mastiff. When I went back home and looked at my wolfdog, I almost didn’t recognize it-it was as if it had shrunk several sizes overnight.”
Zhang Qiong: “Is it really that impressive? How big is it?”
Liang He: “Like a small lion. With a Tibetan Mastiff by your side, even a grown man would be intimidated by you.”
Zhang Qiong: “They might be too big to raise easily. Is there a smaller option…”
Liang He: “Yes, a Pit Bull.”
He then began to explain the characteristics and habits of Pit Bulls to Zhang Qiong.
As they chatted, the remaining fear in Zhang Qiong’s heart vanished.
She closed her eyes and fantasized, as if two majestic beasts were already by her side. They were massive, with powerful limbs and a keen sense of smell. They alertly scanned their surroundings for the slightest movement, sparing no effort to protect her.
Zhang Qiong knew there were no beasts beside her. The Tibetan Mastiff was at the kennel, not in her home.
The one who had truly given her courage was Liang He.