[Unsent Postcards]

#1

Wuwu:

Greetings.

I’m in Grindelwald now, preparing to take the train to Jungfraujoch.

I remembered that when we came to Switzerland to ski during our first year of grad school, you caught a cold as soon as you landed. Later we said we’d go again, but it never happened. Thinking about it makes me feel a bit regretful.

Switzerland without snow is also very beautiful.

Best wishes.

Qiran

July 10th

#2

Wuwu:

Greetings.

I stayed for a while in Vlissingen in southern Netherlands. I was already preparing to leave when my neighbor, an old lady, had her garden fence break. Helping to knock down the fence took two days. I ran to several places before finding somewhere that sold postcards, and none of the styles were very nice.

Every household here has a beautiful garden. There’s a river nearby where I often go to feed wild ducks.

…I’ve run out of space, I’ll tell you more next time.

Best wishes.

Qiran

August 3rd

#3

Wuwu:

Greetings.

Before leaving Vlissingen, I discovered a family-run ceramic workshop. I stayed for a few days and learned to make the simplest cups. The workshop owner asked me to leave an address, saying he’d mail it back to China after firing it, or I could pick it up from him if I passed through Vlissingen again.

To be honest, his craftsmanship is far inferior to yours.

Qiran

August 11th

#4

Wuwu:

Greetings.

My laptop battery died, so I had no choice but to go into the city to get it repaired.

This postcard was bought at a shop near Stockholm Public Library. It’s a view overlooking from the City Hall Tower.

The Airbnb guesthouse we booked last Christmas when we came to Stockholm has stopped operating.

Qiran

October 19th

#5

I’m living in a short-term rental apartment. The neighbors heard I used to make music and invited me to participate in their community music festival. They were short a drummer, so I was pressed into service and played the drum set for a while.

The neighbor followed our band’s music page. After listening to a few songs, he said he liked Wang Yu’s guitar playing.

Wang Yu got engaged, did you know?

I saw you and my brother got your marriage certificate, I wish you both (this line is crossed out)

Tomorrow is your birthday. Happy birthday.

October 26th

#6

I caught a cold.

Fever went down, then came back, for two days straight.

At night I had a dream. I don’t know why I dreamed I was driving you to the hospital, the car broke down and stalled halfway, I was incredibly anxious, afraid of delaying your treatment.

When I woke up, I was relieved it was just a dream

Wuwu… I miss you so much.

(This entire paragraph is crossed out)

October 28th

#7

In Dijon I happened to catch the autumn harvest festival. I bought two jars of jam and some beef jerky. In a few days I’m going hiking—maybe they’ll come in handy. There were flower vendors by the roadside. I looked but couldn’t find any freesias.

I haven’t eaten anything good recently. These foreign foods, eating them for too long is really killing me.

November 29th

#8

Murmansk enters polar night starting in December.

I’ve been staying in a hotel the whole time, writing songs and sleeping, haven’t really gone out. The feeling of opening and closing your eyes to darkness is very strange. I heard that every year there are people who commit suicide here because of the polar night—it doesn’t seem hard to understand.

Christmas seems to be coming. Wuwu, what are you doing right now?

December 15th

#9

I spent an entire day at the harbor.

The snow kept falling. The clothes I wore weren’t warm enough, but I was too lazy to go back and get more. I hope I won’t catch a cold.

This is an ice-free port. Ships frequently depart for the Arctic Ocean. Last time I joked with you about going to Antarctica. I haven’t been to Antarctica yet, but the Arctic is already right at hand.

December 18th

#10

I saw the Northern Lights a few days ago.

I drove with a friend I met here to his parents’ house and happened to see them on the road. There were aurora hunters nearby, many Chinese faces. I added them on WeChat and got a few photos.

This postcard is a printed photo. The colors are slightly distorted, but the clarity is pretty good.

December 23rd

#11

I went to a friend’s house for Christmas and drank a bit too much that evening.

I slept for a long time. When I opened my eyes and saw the sky was dark, I thought it wasn’t light yet and went back to sleep. Slept until I had a headache, pulled open the curtains and the sky was still dark—only then did I remember it was polar night.

Sometimes I feel this is like my current state—no matter how long I wait, that moment when dawn breaks never comes.

December 27th

#12

When I’m alone, I rarely browse airport bookstores—I find them boring. But you habitually would go in and browse, even if you didn’t buy anything.

I departed too early today. There’s still an hour and a half until boarding begins.

A while ago I was in a hurry to return home, now I’m in a hurry to leave.

Probably because I cannot stay in a city where you are.

January 3rd

#13

This year’s New Year’s Eve was even more desolate than previous years.

After midnight passed, I still couldn’t sleep. While packing my suitcase, I discovered there were still unused postcards.

What are you doing right now?

Whatever you’re doing, I think you must be happier than before.

Happy New Year, Wuwu.

#14

Wang Yu said he invited you to the wedding, but you happened to be going to Japan with some industry friends to visit some craftsman who does Shino ware.

The wedding was very lively. Wang Yu’s wife asked who came up with the band name. I said it was you. She said, is that Miss Chen?

In the past, our names were always mentioned together. I thought that was natural and inevitable.

March 15th

#15

I’m planning to stay in London for a while.

I rented an apartment and drove to the supermarket to buy supplies. In the evening I tried cooking pasta myself—it’s actually not that difficult.

Back then you always said you wanted to try my cooking, even egg fried rice would be fine.

Why was I always so impatient before?

May 24th

#16

I spent an afternoon at the RAC.

Seeing ceramics students going in and out, I thought about picking you up from school on Fridays back then.

You hated parties, but you accompanied me to countless ones.

Yet I never once accompanied you to open a kiln.

May 28th

#17

I’m sorry, I don’t dare tell you—I’m now renting the same apartment you rented back then.

I don’t know how many tenants it’s had since. I can’t find any trace of you having lived here anymore.

Even the curtains have been changed to a rather unattractive dark blue color. I think you would really hate this color.

June 2nd

#18

Yesterday while making curry rice, I discovered a very faint circular mark on the marble countertop.

It was burned there when you forgot to use a trivet and put the pan directly on it. Do you remember?

So those traces are still there.

June 5th

#19

I drank yesterday. When I woke up in the early morning, I saw the moon in the sky through the window.

There was another time when I was also drunk and stayed overnight at your place.

It looked exactly the same as it did then.

June 14th

#20

Autumn has arrived in the northern city.

During those years of study, you really disliked the climate in the northern city, except you thought autumn was nice.

That bookstore you liked has been turned into a bubble tea shop.

The world changes too fast.

September 20th

#21

I met with some friends who make music in the northern city. Everyone says times are hard and it’s very difficult to survive in this profession.

Many people are considering changing careers. They asked if our band was also going to disband.

Wang Yu got married, and the others are also gradually entering into family life.

I still want to hold on, hold on until there’s really no other choice.

September 27th

#22

The Palace Museum held an exhibition of ancient porcelain. I made a reservation and went to see it.

Things I couldn’t understand before, I understand now.

This sweet white glaze piece on the postcard—Wuwu, you would probably like it.

October 13th

#23

Wuwu, happy birthday.

October 27th

#24

Before polar night arrived, I came to Murmansk again.

Night gives me inspiration, and Murmansk’s night has no end.

I want to write a song for you.

November 18th

#25

I took a boat to the Arctic Ocean to see whales.

We encountered rough seas. The seasickness made me vomit the whole time.

I seem to only dream of you when I’m sick.

November 22nd

#26

Today I went to the market to pick out a housewarming gift for you. I saw a set of Russian-style porcelain and thought it was very suitable, but I was afraid the delivery wouldn’t be reliable.

Porcelain is like that—too beautiful and too fragile.

When I turned around, I discovered I’d accidentally shattered it to pieces.

I think you would least want to see such a scene.

November 26th

#27

I heard your wedding date has been set.

The song still isn’t written.

Wuwu, sometimes I feel like I’m just a waste.

December 15th

#28

The studio expanded and is preparing to open a branch. I’ve been a hands-off boss for nearly two years—I’m truly ashamed.

I came back to do preparatory work and secretly went to your studio.

The main door was open. You were inside trimming clay.

I didn’t call out to you, afraid of disturbing you.

This was enough.

April 28th

#29

Summer has arrived in the Southern Hemisphere.

I’m in Buenos Aires now, preparing to continue south to Ushuaia.

I met some backpackers who asked why I had a pile of unmailed postcards in my bag.

I laughed and said I didn’t have money for stamps.

November 22nd

#30

I’m planning to stay in Ushuaia for a while, making preparations to board a ship to Antarctica.

There are many Chinese tourists. A group of independent travelers invited me to join them, but I refused.

This place is said to be the end of the world, yet it’s more lively than a marketplace.

The postcard shows the red lighthouse at the end of the world.

November 29th

#31

Couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night, so I got up to take a walk.

There was actually a twenty-four-hour convenience store that was open.

I’m not the only insomniac. There was a girl sitting by the window eating instant noodles.

I bought water and was about to leave when she asked if I was the lead singer of Quantum Neon.

I thought she was a fan. She said her best friend liked our band and had helped queue up for signed CDs back then.

But she had listened to the band’s songs and didn’t like them, couldn’t understand them.

She asked me for an autograph, planning to take it back as a birthday present for her friend.

December 2nd

#32

Today I went to buy a windbreaker and ran into the girl from the convenience store at the shop.

What a coincidence. We had lunch together.

She didn’t book a ticket to Antarctica in advance and is planning to stay here for a while to see if she can get a discounted standby ticket.

I wished her good luck.

December 4th

#33

I have arrived on the Antarctic continent.

Crossing the Drake Passage, I vomited again until I wished I were dead.

In the evening on deck, I ran into that girl again. She got a standby ticket and happened to be on the same voyage.

We had a drink at the cruise ship’s bar. Somehow we got to talking about the stupidest thing we’d done in our lives.

I said, the girl I liked was lying in my bed, and while I was hesitating about whether to make a move, she had already fallen asleep.

I played video games all night.

Later that girl became my sister-in-law.

The girl asked, is that really true?

I said it’s true—no ordinary person could make up something this stupid, right?

The girl laughed heartily. I also laughed heartily.

December 9th

#34

Wuwu, this is the last postcard I’ve decided to write to you.

Over two years, from one end of the world to the other.

Countless corners once held traces of you and me.

Countless corners no longer hold traces of you and me.

I wish you eternal happiness.

If this happiness is something my brother can give you, then I wish you both a hundred years of happy marriage.

This time it’s sincere.

December 12th

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