Red Peacock [English] (Original Novel by Ju~On, translation by LuckyCasualty)

28. A free bird might long for his master...

Duàn Fēng's surgery went smoothly and was quite successful. The young captain regained some feeling in his leg, and next week, once the wound has healed, he will begin physical therapy. As for the burns on his face, the doctor said that his skin was recovering well enough that a bit of cosmetic surgery would likely restore his appearance to what it was before.

Upon hearing that he would need cosmetic surgery, Duàn Fēng started looking for a youthful, dream-like face that would attract women. He even asked Lù Yī Péng, who visited regularly, to print out a catalog so he could choose. Lù Yī Péng sighed in exasperation.

"Captain Duàn, your old face was fine. You don't need to imitate someone else's face."

Duàn Fēng disagreed. "No, I think my old nose wasn't high enough. What do you think about getting a nose job? Maybe something like yours would be just right."

Lù Yī Péng blinked, and then the cockatoo in the cage squawked,

"Not handsome, not handsome."

"Oh... Xiǎo ChikChik, why do you say that?" Duàn Fēng turned to confront the bird. After the surgery and the healing of his burns, Lù Yī Péng had been bringing Xiǎo ChikChik to visit Duàn Fēng daily, and the two had started to bond,

"When you say 'not handsome,' do you mean me or Inspector Lù?"

"Not telling, not telling," chirped the little bird. Duàn Fēng gritted his teeth.

"Hey... You're taking advantage here. Actually, you're saying that the inspector isn't handsome, right?!!"

"Taking advantage, taking advantage," Xiǎo ChikChik continued.

Lù Yī Péng laughed. Since he started bringing Xiǎo ChikChik to visit Duàn Fēng, Duàn Fēng had seemed more cheerful. Initially, everyone was worried he might fall into depression due to the possibility that he might not walk normally again, and the disfigurement of his face. But Duàn Fēng had a strong mental foundation. He was down for a few days, but then he managed to accept what had happened and tried to comfort himself. Lù Yī Péng truly admired this man.

After arguing with the bird for a while, Duàn Fēng turned back to the young inspector, "Inspector, the fur is starting to grow back. At first, I thought it was a different animal from that day."

"Yeah, it seems like it's shedding its fur because it couldn't find its owner," Lù Yī Péng replied.

Duàn Fēng nodded, then said, "But it's okay now. It has you, Inspector, so it probably won't shed its fur anymore."

Lù Yī Péng smiled and continued, "Captain Duàn, you can get any surgery you want, but I prefer your old face."

"Oh... If I were a woman, I'd think the inspector was confessing his love for me," Duàn Fēng said with a laugh as he saw Lù Yī Péng's expression, "Don't look so scared, Inspector. I really don't want to be your wife. I hear the physical therapy nurse is quite beautiful... Looks like I'll be doing physical therapy for a while. Who knows, Inspector, I might get married before I can walk again."

"Walk first, walk first," Xiǎo ChikChik chimed in.

Duàn Fēng turned to the bird again, "Yes, yes, walk first, then get married."

"Not married, not married," the little bird protested, hopping around in its cage. Lù Yī Péng watched as the man and the bird argued once more.

Duàn Fēng continued to laugh and argue with the bird, which made Lù Yī Péng laugh as well. When it was time for the anti-inflammatory injection, the young inspector said his goodbyes.