Silent Separation (何以笙箫默) – Gu Man (Epilogue 2 & Afterword)

October 2, 2014 by peanuts 51 Comments

 

UPDATE: I’ll post the last epilogue in Dec so you need to wait abt 7 weeks, not 7 years for it.

If you read the novel before November 2010, this is the ending of the first published novel. However, the third and final epilogue was added to the subsequent republished novel so there is more to come. There is nothing meaty about this tidbit except sweet and cute moments between Yi Chen and Mo Sheng. I’ve even translated the Yellow Mountain bit which was not included in the physical book but nonetheless written by Gu Man. In addition, I’ve also included Gu Man’s afterword on the novel.

I am sure all of you got Yi Chen’s love confession, no dummie right 😛 ? I’ve made it so obvious for you. FYI, bongsd didn’t get the love confession when she read it in Viet and lidge refused to tell me if she got it or not so I suspect she also didn’t 🙂 Because of the confession, I did not translate those sentences exactly like the novel as it is impossible 😦

PS: Bongsd just wished us a happy belated international translation day which was on 30th Sept which I didn’t even know, thank you 🙂

Epilogue 2: Bits and pieces (translated by peanuts & edited by lidge)

1. About the Photo

On a certain day, lawyer He was surprised to discover the old photo in his wallet had been replaced with a recent head shot of someone.

After returning home, he asked that someone.

That someone said boldly and confidently: “You always look at my teen photo. Then when you look at me now, you’ll feel I’m getting older.”

Ever since marrying a lawyer, someone can argue better now.

---

2. About the Baby’s Name

One day while stewing pork soup on the stove, Mo Sheng, who was bored, decided to find something meaningful to do.

For example, thinking of a name for the baby in the future.

She took a Hanyu Da Zidian (one of the most comprehensive Chinese character dictionaries) and flipped through it. Mo Sheng found out naming was a really difficult task. Choosing a name which would sound good and be meaningful to suit both refined and popular tastes was really not easy.

An idea suddenly flashed in her mind, Mo Sheng came up with a simple and easy way to name the baby.

The father’s surname and the mother’s name, then add another word. The name immediately came out – He Mu (it means to admire in Chinese) Sheng.

Good-looking and also pleasant to hear.

The crucial point is it must be very meaningful.

Mo Sheng was pleased with herself and ran to the study. She wrote it on a paper to ask Yi Chen for his opinion.

Yi Chen looked at it and raised his eyebrows, changing it with the stroke of a pen.

Change the middle “Mu” word to “Bi”

He Bi Sheng?

He Bi Sheng ??!! (it means why give birth or why born in Chinese)

Mo Sheng was depressed, even for the baby.

Poor baby, not yet born but already disliked by the father.

---

3. Confession ???

Also, on a certain day.

When Yi Chen was resting in the study, he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have not spoken that three words to someone.

It just so happened that someone came into the study to look for novels to read.

Yi Chen easily pulled her over and made her sit on his lap, both of his arms circling her waist, his chin resting on her neck.

“Help me to flip the pages.”

“Huh?” Mo Sheng stared blankly and looked at the files on the table.

“Yes, page 14.”

Finally, I understood what he wanted me to do.

Lazy person!

However, Mo Sheng, who was used to being enslaved, still helped him to turn to page 14. She could not help but complain: “Yi Chen, you are very lazy.”

“Ya, ya.” Yi Chen seemed to have decided to be lazy to the end, “Underline the first sentence in the first paragraph for me.”

“Oh.” Mo Sheng picked up a pen and drew a crooked line below the sentence.

——”I want to point out that our country’s research on preliminary issues on private international law (The Conflict of Laws) was adapted from the British jurist J.H.C. Morris’s point of view……”

“The third sentence from the end.”

—— “You have already been in contact with the police, then you must know the law provisions here regarding this kind of situation.”

What’s this? Seemed to be a conversation in a law case, why underline it?

Under Yi Chen’s direction, she flipped through more than a dozen pages again.

“Can’t find that word in the middle.” She heard Yi Chen muttered to himself, looking a little annoyed.

Mo Sheng totally could not understand.

“Change the book.” Yi Chen stretched out his hand and conveniently took out a magazine from the bookshelf behind him.

Huh? This …… seemed to be a special issue of her magazine. Yi Chen was also interested in magazines for women?

“The first sentence in the third paragraph on this page.”

Uh …… Reading magazine, also have to underline the main point?

—— “I often go to the countryside during spring, a season when the sky is incredibly blue……”

“In the fifth line.”

—— “Love to tell lies, the nose of the child will grow long, he smiles and pinches my nose ……”

“The last sentence.”

—— “You sure you saw him coming out of here at nine o’clock?”

What is all of this? Mo Sheng was underlining, starting to yawn and getting a little sleepy. Yi Chen did not say anything anymore, just pressed his cheek against her fragrant hair.

“Mo Sheng?”

“……Oh.” She replied vaguely, her voice sleepy.

Yi Chen carried her onto the bed, covered her properly with the quilt and kissed her hair.

“Dummie, goodnight.”

---

4. Bedsheets

Christmas, A City was bustling with noise and excitement, but Yi Chen was rather gloomy.

A few days ago, Yi Chen traveled interstate to work. He had just returned home today, but he was dragged by Mo Sheng to go to the supermarket. Today was Saturday night and tomorrow was Sunday, obviously it was a good time to use up some physical strength. Hence, why need to stroll in the supermarket?

Ah, although shopping will also use up a lot of physical strength……

Yi Chen pushed the shopping cart and Mo Sheng kept filling it up with things. When they passed by the bedding products area, Mo Sheng thought she ought to change the bedsheets at home.

Thus, she bent over to choose some bedsheets.

Yi Chen usually did not concern himself with such trivial matter so Mo Sheng based her choice entirely on her own preference.

Sky blue color with white flowers design.

This one will do.

When she was going to put it into the shopping cart, Yi Chen spoke, “This color is not good.”

It was rare that he had an opinion so Mo Sheng looked at him in surprise and immediately changed to another color. “What about this?”

He continued to shake his head.

After changing a few designs and colors, Mo Sheng was depressed. “Why aren’t these good as the colors and designs are also very stylish?”

“No, they don’t match your skin color.”

Coincidentally, two girls walked past them and heard what was said. They giggled and turned round to look at them with ambiguity in their eyes.

The slow-witted Mo Sheng acted like normal and did not realise the words spoken by her hubby in public has what meaning. She whispered: “So long as it is  comfortable, it is good enough.”

……

Hey, Mr. He Yi Chen, when you were walking in the supermarket,  what was your brain thinking?

---

Yellow Mountain (Huangshan) Note

Early next morning after breakfast, a group of people took the bus to Cloud Valley Temple (Yun Gu Si). There were two ways to go up the hill, take a cable car or by foot. Mo Sheng saw a large crowd at the cable car station and didn’t know when it’ll be their turn. She pulled Yi Chen’s sleeve, “We’ll climb up.”

Yi Chen had no objection, just a little skeptical. “Later, if you can’t climb, don’t cry out loud.”

“I will not.” Mo Sheng said proudly. “I run around outside all day long so my physical strength is a lot stronger than someone who sits in the office every day.”

Yi Chen smiled and did not argue with her. However, Xiao Hong was unhappy and shouted: “Zhao Ah Sheng, you need a spanking?”

Mo Sheng intended to comment about Yi Chen and did not expect to offend her colleagues who also sat in the office, resulting in everyone glaring at her.

Hehe, Mo Sheng gave a few forced laughs, then dragged Yi Chen to run away.

To climb from Cloud Valley Temple to White Goose Peak (Bai E Ling) was about two hours by foot. The landscape on both sides of the mountain road was refreshing and delightful. When Mo Sheng started to climb, she was feeling relaxed and cheerful. From time to time, she would stoop to pick up odd shaped stones and stuffed them into Yi Chen’s backpack or stop to take a look at some of the flowers and plants which she had not seen before. After climbing for a while, the speed gradually slowed down. More than an hour later, she was in ​​no mood to look at the scenery anymore, only feeling she couldn’t even lift up her feet.

Yi Chen frequently slowed down his pace to wait for her. Mo Sheng was not satisfied at lagging behind and grasped for breath: “Pffff…… there is no reason, I run around outside every day …… huff …… you sit in the office every day, how can your physical strength be better than me?”

Huff……

So exhausting.

After finished talking, Mo Sheng had no more energy so she sat on a big rock and stopped climbing.

Yi Chen stood beside her, heard her question, could not help but laughed out and raised his eyebrows, “Mo Sheng, am I usually very slack to make you think my physical strength is weak?”

“Huh?”

The sentence sounded like nothing, but the more Mo Sheng thought about it the more she blushed. Yi Chen’s eyes clearly looked mischievous and he can’t pretend to be naive. Mo Sheng jumped up and walked at a faster pace, wanting to get rid of him. She walked too fast and did not pay attention to the path. As a result, she carelessly stepped on a stone, slipped and fell down.

Yi Chen was nowhere near her so he was not able to pull her back, only managing to help her up from the ground. Her pants were torn at the knee, vaguely wisps of blood can be seen, the skin was surely broken. Yi Chen felt a little distressed and wanted to lecture her, but seeing her frowning expression, his rebuke turned into concern.

“Is it painful?”

“…… I seem to have twisted my foot.”

Luckily, they were not too far away from White Goose Peak. Yi Chen carried Mo Sheng on his back so she happily rested on his shoulders and rejoiced in his misfortune: “Humph! who told you to make me angry.”

Bite his face, bully him back.

Yi Chen said: “If you continue to be naughty, we’ll have to stay here tonight.”

“Then stay la since there is no tiger.”

A moment later, she started to sing softly at the side of his ear: “…… the turtle carrying its heavy shell, step by step climbing up……” (Gu Man’s nickname is turtle because she is very slow [it is pronounced as man in Chinese] in writing her novels.)

Yi Chen heard this children’s song before. After listening to her singing it twice, he still felt something was wrong, thought for a moment, then told her: “It is snail.”

“What?” Mo Sheng stopped singing.

“Not turtle, it is snail.”

“Oh.” Mo Sheng thought for a moment but cannot remember clearly because it is such an old song.

“They are the same since both also have a shell.”

She took out a bar of chocolate from her pocket, fed herself first, then asked Yi Chen: “Do you want to eat?”

Without waiting for him to reply, she stuffed the chocolate into his mouth. Yi Chen accidentally bit her fingers and Mo Sheng quickly pulled back. The chocolate melted in the mouth, after some bitterness, it tasted sweet.

There were not many people on the way up the mountain. When there were only the two of them, Mo Sheng hugged him with both of her hands, their heads leaning against each other. She softly hummed her song, this time finally she did not sing wrongly.

“…… the snail carrying its heavy shell, step by step climbing up……”

(English translation of lyrics)

Yi Chen carrying his heavy shell, step by step climbing up to their destination.

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China Edition

Taiwan Edition

Afterword

It is four o’clock in the morning now.

I’ve just finished typing a little epilogue.

So strange, I was very sleepy just now, but afraid that I’ll forget what to write tomorrow so I soldiered on. However, I am feeling very awake now. After getting into bed, I got up again and decided to finish writing the afterword.

Probably because I am feeling very excited, that the conclusion of ‘Silent Separation’ is finally within reach.

I first started writing the novel in September 2003 on Jinjiang online serialized website. By the end of 2003, I managed to finish writing the first 70,000 words. Later, because of my graduation in the 4th year of university and also busy working on my first job, I put aside my writing. I think if afterwards there were no online readers who continuously urged and encouraged me, I’ll not have the motivation to finish writing. Although I was often threatened by readers who wanted to kill turtle to hurry up, the turtle still crawled. However, I only feel gratitude and guilt from beginning to end. Sometimes, when I chat with Bai Bai (I think it is Mo Bao Fei Bao – the author of Really Really Miss You’s nickname) and Xiao Xi (Ming Xiao Xi – author of Summer of Bubbles) about each other’s readers, I always said, the readers of ‘Silent Separation’ are the most gentle and patient.

Then Xiao Xi and Bai Bai, who wished to see my expression, said: As your readers, can they not have patience?!

They are right ～～>＿<～～

I am really slow (really don’t want to admit this = _ =). I’ve always been slack, unambitious and wanted to live a stable life. If you whip me once, then I’ll only crawl one step. This kind of person probably will not make it big. However, if I’ve actively worked hard, maybe what I’ve written will not be ‘Silent Separation.’

The passing of life is like watching the scenery. If you walk fast, you can see more of the scenes. If you walk slowly, you’ll be able to appreciate the beauty and details of those scenery more.

I think I must be the latter kind of person, enjoying the most ordinary and tiniest details in life. Then try my best to write about them.

This sounds like I am justifying my slowness ……

Er er, let’s get back on track and continue to discuss ‘Silent Separation.’

Some of my inspirations on ‘Silent Separation’ stemmed from going to the supermarket with my mother one day. There were a lot of people in the supermarket, very crowded. My mind suddenly produced the beginning scene in ‘Silent Separation’.

A couple who love each other but parted ways. Many years later, they unexpectedly meet amidst the crowd. They stare and faintly gaze at each other, then walk away separately.

At the beginning of ‘Silent Separation’, I wanted to write such a brief encounter. Then only gradually flesh out the story. Later, even the characters have their own temperament and no longer subjected to my control.

A friend once asked me, what did I want to express in the novel?

Actually when I was writing the novel, I merely wanted to write a story only and basically did not think too much. Since she was so earnest in her question, I also earnestly thought about what I really wanted to express.

I think the answer is as such:

The are many beautiful love poems in the world, but the happiest one must be this verse —— For life or death, holding your hand, and growing old together.

‘Silent Separation’ wants to express this kind of happiness.

Gu Man

14 December 2005