Hearing You Say Love chapter 13

Camping

Driving out of the city ring road, they headed toward the setting sun. As they left the urban area, the traffic gradually thinned out, and the tall buildings outside the window became less dense.

Su Ming turned off the air conditioner, opened the car window, and the breeze filled with the fragrance of flowers instantly flooded the car.

Chen Muchao pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one and handed it to Su Ming, then offered the pack to the backseat, gesturing toward Zou Beiyuan. “Want one?”

“No thanks, I don’t smoke.”

Smoking severely affects heart and lung function, and it’s strictly forbidden for a boxer.

Chen Muchao retracted the pack. “Alright, then we won’t smoke either.”

“It’s fine,” said Zou Beiyuan. “You can smoke, I don’t mind.”

Chen Muchao waved his hand. “Nah, we’ll skip it, we’re almost there. We can smoke after we get out.”

At that moment, they reached an intersection with a flashing yellow light. Su Ming slowly brought the car to a stop, resting his right hand casually on the steering wheel, holding the unlit cigarette between his fingers.

Through the rearview mirror, Zou Beiyuan glanced at him. Su Ming tilted his head, patiently watching the traffic light count down. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his pitch-black eyes were calm, a stark contrast to his flushed appearance from two nights ago, which now seemed like a distant memory.

On their way, they stopped for dinner. By the time they reached Nanmu Creek, night had fully fallen.

Zou Beiyuan and Chen Muchao carried their gear to the riverbank to pick a good fishing spot.

Su Ming wasn’t interested in fishing, so he carried the tent and inflatable mattress to the campsite behind them to set up.

The campsite was a grassy area not far from the river, equipped with public tables, chairs, and restrooms for tourists. Su Ming chose a spot where he could still see Zou Beiyuan and Chen Muchao fishing and set up the tent.

After organizing everything, he saw the two were still setting up their fishing rods by the river. Su Ming sat down at a table in the campsite, propped up his tablet, and opened the Jam Comics app before starting to draw.

The latest chapter, updated two days ago, had already garnered thousands of comments. Su Ming lit a cigarette, rested his chin on his hand, and began scrolling through the reviews.

Most of his readers were young, and their comments were trendy and amusing. Whenever he came across something funny or a thoughtful critique of his comic, he would stop to read it carefully.

He was so focused that he didn’t notice anyone approaching until a sudden coolness on his face made him look up. Zou Beiyuan handed him a can of Coke.

Su Ming took the can and, immediately, turned off the screen. By the time Zou Beiyuan sat down beside him, the tablet had gone completely dark.

By now, the sunset had fully disappeared, and the surrounding forest was enveloped in darkness. The sky was a crystal-clear blue, without a cloud in sight.

Some small, unknown insects chirped in the grass, and the night breeze rustled the leaves, making soft, soothing sounds. Everything felt serene.

Zou Beiyuan opened the Coke, and the sound of the fizz was very reminiscent of summer.

In the distance, dark mountain ridges stretched across the horizon. Su Ming took out his phone and framed the rising full moon that had just climbed over the ridge, then pressed the shutter.

“Collecting reference material again?”

Su Ming nodded and placed his phone on the table.

Zou Beiyuan didn’t say anything further, quietly sitting with him.

Su Ming rested his elbows on the table, supporting his chin. The cigarette between his fingers hovered near his cheek, and every so often, he would turn his head slightly to take a puff. The gray-white smoke drifted through the humid night air.

Non-smokers generally dislike the smell of cigarettes, but Zou Beiyuan found Su Ming’s cigarette smoke surprisingly pleasant, with a faint hint of citrus that drew him in.

“Yesterday…” Zou Beiyuan suddenly broke the silence. When Su Ming turned to listen, he continued, “Isn’t that medication of yours supposed to be applied once a day? Why did you skip it yesterday?”

Su Ming raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the question, then typed on his phone: I went to the therapy center.

Zou Beiyuan responded with a neutral “hmm,” and after a pause, he asked again, “What about today?”

Su Ming had forgotten to bring his medication.

He took a slow drag from his cigarette and exhaled the smoke gently before typing on his phone: Can I ask for your help today?

Zou Beiyuan’s gaze shifted from the phone screen to the distant mountains. His Adam’s apple moved slightly as he said, “Sure.”

Just as Su Ming finished his cigarette, Chen Muchao called Zou Beiyuan over, saying there were fish biting, and he should come quickly.

Nighttime was indeed great for fishing, but Zou Beiyuan only caught small fish.

After releasing the fish, he baited the hook again and cast the line back into the water. Every now and then, as he waited for another bite, he glanced back toward the campsite.

Chen Muchao, also failing to catch any big fish, started losing focus and began chatting aimlessly with Zou Beiyuan.

As usual, Chen Muchao, being quite talkative, gradually became more animated and even shared stories about their time in the sign language club during college with Su Ming.

Finally, Zou Beiyuan found the chance to ask the question that had puzzled him for a long time: “Both you and Su Ming have cochlear implants, so why can you speak, but Su Ming can’t?”

Chen Muchao fell silent for a while, as if deciding how to respond, before sighing and asking, “At what age did you start learning to talk?”

Zou Beiyuan had a feeling his previous guesses were correct. “Around one, maybe two years old?”

“Human infants,” Chen Muchao began explaining, “start understanding language at eight to ten months, around one and a half years is the critical period for oral language development, and from two to three years, they start speaking simple sentences. Between three and six years, they learn to use complex sentences. This process is irreversible; if missed, it’s nearly impossible to fully make up for it.”

Having his suspicions confirmed, Zou Beiyuan suddenly felt an odd emptiness. “So…?”

“I was fortunate enough to get a cochlear implant before I turned one, so my process of learning to speak was the same as yours. But for someone who couldn’t hear any sounds, they can’t naturally learn how to speak. Take Su Ming, for example,” Chen Muchao paused before continuing, “he didn’t get a cochlear implant until he was sixteen.”

In other words, Su Ming had spent the first sixteen years of his life in a silent world.

Zou Beiyuan recalled the picture book’s content. “So… can he still learn to speak now?”

“It’s extremely difficult,” Chen Muchao shook his head. “And the key issue is that he’s very resistant to it.”

“Why resist?”

Chen Muchao turned his head to stare at the water’s surface. The luminous fishing float emitted a faint glow on the pitch-black water. He thought for a moment, omitting the crucial parts, and chose a gentle explanation: “It’s hard for someone who hasn’t spoken for more than ten years to accept the idea of learning to speak like a baby again. In fact, they might find it harder than a baby.”

Zou Beiyuan nodded, also staring at the water, and remained silent.

…

At 10 p.m., Su Ming quickly washed up and crawled into his tent to sleep. When he left home, he had forgotten to bring his melatonin, and with the camp’s streetlights being too bright and the surrounding tents too noisy, he couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried on the inflatable mattress.

From afar, he heard Zou Beiyuan’s voice as if he was on the phone, speaking in a language Su Ming couldn’t understand.

After getting a cochlear implant, Su Ming had spent a long time training to understand Chinese. Foreign languages were completely beyond his grasp—he had even handed in a blank sheet for his English exam during the university entrance tests.

The tent’s waterproof layer wasn’t fully zipped up, so Su Ming propped himself up and, through the mosquito net, saw Zou Beiyuan walking towards him while talking on the phone. He quickly lay back down and pretended to be asleep.

Once his eyes were shut, he became even more sensitive to the surrounding noises. He heard Zou Beiyuan finish his call and approach, his footsteps stopping at the tent’s edge, where they stayed for several minutes.

Su Ming was almost certain Zou Beiyuan was watching him.

Holding his breath, he then heard the sound of the mosquito net’s zipper being opened. He felt Zou Beiyuan lean down closer to him.

What is this straight guy trying to do???

As Su Ming slowed his breathing, a bit of shame crept in. He couldn’t believe he was wondering if Zou Beiyuan was about to kiss him.

But Zou Beiyuan merely brushed aside the hair near his right ear, leaving his fingers resting there for a moment before letting go, seemingly observing his cochlear implant.

Then, a jacket was draped over him.

The jacket carried Zou Beiyuan’s scent, still warm from his body heat. Su Ming could hardly keep up the act anymore. He rubbed his face against the pillow, preparing to open his eyes in a less dramatic manner, when he heard the sound of the mosquito net being zipped shut again.

…

At around 1 a.m., Chen Muchao put away his fishing rod, saying he was too sleepy and wanted to get some rest. Zou Beiyuan asked him, “Are you going to sleep in the car?”

“No, I’ll just squeeze into Su Ming’s tent,” Chen Muchao replied, standing up.

Zou Beiyuan, feeling a fish nibbling on his bait, quickly reeled in his line and calmly said, “I’m feeling a bit sleepy too.”

“Then go rest,” Chen Muchao stored his rod in its box. “I’ll head over first.”

“Okay.”

By the time Zou Beiyuan returned to the campsite and finished washing up using the disposable toiletries Su Ming had brought for them, Chen Muchao was already asleep in the tent.

The night was quiet, and the nearby tents had all settled down, with only occasional snoring breaking the silence.

Inside the tent, Su Ming was lying in the middle of the mattress, sleeping on his back. Chen Muchao was on his right side, while the left side remained empty, as if waiting for Zou Beiyuan.

Zou Beiyuan crouched outside the tent, watching for a while, remembering that Chen Muchao hadn’t washed his face or brushed his teeth.

A dirty person shouldn’t be sleeping so close to Su Ming.

So Zou Beiyuan slipped his hands under Su Ming’s neck and knees, carefully moving him over a bit.

After making space in the middle, Zou Beiyuan took off his shoes and bent down to enter the tent.