Chapter 42: Daily Life 3 (Seeking Continued Reading)

They found a pizza place nearby—if there’s one thing Los Angeles never lacks, it’s pizza joints; they’re practically everywhere. But the non-chain pizzerias each had their own quirks and specialties: a spacious outdoor canopy, a chef who hadn’t changed in decades, unique décor—competition was fierce.

This place, Pizza Place California, was known for its paninis. The bread was soft and fluffy, stuffed with fresh vegetables and a generous helping of roasted beef sirloin. One bite and it tasted just like a northern Chinese pocket sandwich.

Pocket sandwiches are a popular snack in the north, and they’re quite tasty. If you’re curious, you can look up a picture online; but if not, I won’t go on about it here.

They sat under the open-air canopy by the street, eating pocket sandwiches and chatting, almost as if they’d never left home.

There were ravioli drowning in cheese sauce, sprinkled with chopped red cabbage—at first glance, they looked like scoops of ice cream.

Other dishes were equally impressive: seared salmon, baked scallops—enough to open the eyes of Ao Xi, a northerner with little experience of seafood, and they tasted excellent.

After dinner, Ao Xi drove Zhuo Ning back to the apartment. She insisted on coming along; her suitcase was already packed, with just a few things left to move over the weekend.

“What’s wrong with wanting to spend a little more time with my boyfriend?” she said. “Isn’t that allowed?”

“Of course it is. I just don’t want you to get tired—the school and the apartment are over sixty kilometers apart.”

“I don’t mind. I want to,” she replied, shaking her head and pressing her lips together.

Ao Xi couldn’t help running his hand through her hair. “You’re just like a puppy—hey, hey, don’t bite me!”

Back at the apartment, Ao Xi made up the bed for her—just an extra pillow, really. As for the clothes in the small suitcase, Zhuo Ning would handle those herself.

“This short wardrobe isn’t going to work. My clothes are getting squashed. We’ll need a standing wardrobe, something bigger. I have a lot of clothes. No need to change the pots and pans, though—I can’t cook, and you don’t look like you can either. We’ll just eat out, though it might get expensive.”

Watching Zhuo Ning unpack, Ao Xi suddenly found it all a bit surreal. Were they really living together now? It all seemed too fast. Four years of college, and even then he hadn’t managed this.

He was still lost in thought when Zhuo Ning’s head popped into his arms. “What’s wrong, finished unpacking?”

She shook her head. “I wanted to ask—how much do you make a month?”

“My annual salary is a little over eighty thousand. Why do you ask?”

What, she wanted to take over his finances?

He hadn’t even received his first paycheck yet.

“Let me see. After taxes, your take-home pay is only forty-seven hundred a month. The rent here is sixteen hundred, food a thousand, utilities two hundred, car loan and gas four hundred, daily expenses and entertainment another thousand. You’ll only save five hundred dollars a month.”

“That’s not bad. You’ve got the numbers down. Why did you study art, then? You should’ve studied accounting. Why not do it back home at the Central Academy or Beijing Film Academy?”

“Accounting’s a job; art is life. My major’s Art (B.A.). No need to go to those schools. I came to Los Angeles because it’s far from home—no one to keep tabs on me.”

“I guess I’m not sophisticated enough to understand. I always thought art students were slackers.”

She rolled her eyes. “Stereotype.” Then she pulled out a stack of cash from her suitcase and handed it to Ao Xi.

“Here’s forty-five hundred. From now on, I’ll cover all the expenses. You save your salary.”

“What for?”

“To buy a house, of course. I know your parents are gone, and you’ve already naturalized—no one’s going to help you. If you’re staying, I’ll stay too. Eventually, we’ll need a place of our own. With our own house, we can build a stable life.”

“If you’re so well-off, why not just buy one yourself?”

“I don’t have that much money. And if I asked my dad, as soon as he found out I was staying here with you, not only would he refuse, he’d probably fly over and kill you.”

Ao Xi thought, if your dad comes to beat me up, he won’t be the one walking away, but he held his tongue.

“This—this makes me feel like a freeloader,” he muttered, pocketing the money.

She gave him another exasperated look. “Honestly.”

Even her annoyed glances were beautiful. He had nothing to repay her with—except trying even harder at night.

As for the RV and car, Ao Xi debated telling her he’d bought them himself but decided against it. It wasn’t a bad idea to have her ask her dad for more money—let the old man cough up some gold coins.

The days grew longer, the nights shorter—change came fast.

Zhuo Ning would drive back to school at dawn, only to return in the evening, never tiring of the commute.

Even Ao Xi was starting to feel a bit confused. Sure, he was tall and decent-looking, but was he really that charming?

Had she been bewitched? But he hadn’t slipped her anything.

Baffled, Ao Xi could only spend weekends taking her out. He was still on administrative leave, after all, with nothing to do but enjoy himself—and there was plenty to do around Los Angeles.

Not just the Asian night markets—there was the Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival on July 27, complete with traditional performances, acrobatics, martial arts, and more.

This time, the dragon and lion dances he’d missed before were featured in the opening performance, much to Zhuo Ning’s delight.

The performances were impressive, though there were no stunts with lions jumping on poles—maybe the beach made it hard to set them up.

They took a stroll along the beach, but didn’t linger. The beach meant swimsuits, and when Zhuo Ning walked out in hers, all eyes were on her. Ao Xi’s face turned green with jealousy; he wrapped her in a towel and whisked her away, making Zhuo Ning laugh uncontrollably.

The Long Beach Convention Center also hosted a horror convention with hundreds of exhibitors. Attendees could cosplay as horror characters, watch horror films, explore innovative haunted houses, and chat with fellow fans—tens of thousands showed up for the fun.

Ao Xi and Zhuo Ning took one look from afar and fled in terror—monsters and demons everywhere, too frightening for words.

Since Zhuo Ning had missed the 626 Asian Night Market, they drove out to Pomona for the 909 Night Market—a wild, anything-goes kind of event.

What stood out most was a singer performing live from a touring truck. Whether or not the singing was any good, the energy was off the charts—with couples kissing everywhere.

There was a children’s area full of rambunctious kids—American kids were especially notorious.

There were even booths selling guns, with no one paying any mind—a testament to true freedom.

Ao Xi’s favorite was the tomahawk steak—a massive slab of meat slapped on the grill, charred on the outside and tender inside.

If only the meat had been marinated; as it was, it lacked flavor. But the owner handed him an armful of sauces and dry rubs—every flavor imaginable. Just sprinkle some on, and the taste came alive.

Happy days are always short-lived. A little over a week later, one evening after they’d spent themselves in passion, Ao Xi got a call from Aunt Susan—his administrative leave was over. He’d be back at work starting tomorrow.