by Sheng Keyi
‘Yeah. Mr Si is different from us.’ But Sijiang was at a loss to say in which respect they differed.
‘He’s got more status, but if we work harder, we can be like him. You with me on that?’
Sijiang gave an apprehensive nod.
‘Hey, didn’t you say that the cop you met was your sister’s classmate?’
‘I lied so the Ape wouldn’t ask more questions. His name is Zhu Dachang.’
Staring at the piece of paper with the scribbled down number, Xiaohong said, ‘I’ll still have a chance to thank him.’
‘He gave you his number? Ooh, I think someone likes you…’
Xiaohong chuckled and said, ‘Sijiang, you’ve got a twisted mind. Bud has corrupted you. Hey – how’s his kung fu?’
‘What kung fu?’
‘You know, his ‘wrestling’ skills.’
Tittering, Sijiang said, ‘I’m not telling you that. Tomorrow, I’m going to tell Bud that I won’t be working at The 007 Salon anymore either. You and me, we’re going to keep up a united front.’
‘Sijiang, don’t be so impulsive. If you think you should carry on there, then do.’
‘Honghong, let me tell you a secret. When I do massages, if I massage the guy’s privates, they slip me an extra fifty, or sometimes a hundred. The boss knows nothing about it.’ Sijiang’s shadow loomed along the wall.
‘You’ve got a bright future, Sijiang. For a little extra work, you make a hundred and fifty, just like that.’
‘You don’t understand. I always think of it as playing with a dog. You know how it is when a male dog’s all randy? These men, they’re exactly the same. Only difference is they don’t sit there panting with their tongues hanging out. Ah Qing’s even more skilful, in case you didn’t know. She’s got all sorts of tricks up her sleeve!’ Sijiang licked her cracked, dry lips.
‘Who says I didn’t know? The Supervisor told me not to keep working in a salon. He told me all about the things that go on there. By the way, if you see him, will you ask him to leave a phone number for me?’
‘Heard what happened to you yesterday.’ When Bud and Sijiang got back, Xiaohong had just got up. ‘I asked around at the village security office and it seems like it’s a complicated issue. Do you have any kind of relationship going on with Zhan Shibang?’
Xiaohong jumped as if someone had stepped on her tail. ‘Fuck no! I don’t have any kind of relationship with him at all! How can those people be so disgusting? What did they say?’
‘Well, don’t pursue the matter any further,’ he warned. ‘It’s Mrs Zhan who’s on the attack.’
‘Bud, that day we climbed Phoenix Mountain, you know how I turned down Mr Zhan’s offer to open a shop for me to run? Did you tell anyone about that? I only told you and Sijiang,’ Xiaohong glanced at her friend.
‘Ah!’ Sijiang said ruefully. ‘I told Ah Qing. She must have told the boss. No wonder she’s been acting so spiteful!’
‘Nevermind. It could be a blessing in disguise. Something good will come out of it. Something was bound to happen eventually. I never wanted to work in a salon anyway, no matter how bad things got. This all just makes everything easier.’
‘Honghong, I’m going to quit too. It’s almost the Spring Festival. I got a letter from my mother, and I really must go home for it this year.’
‘You earned a little money and now you wanna go back and show off, huh? But Sijiang, I don’t want to go back.’
‘My mother’s worried. She said girls come over here and pick up all sorts of bad habits. Have I picked any up?’
‘How would I know? Ask Bud! If he says you’re alright, then you’re alright.’
Bud laughed, showing an uneven row of teeth. She noticed that the blemishes on his face had disappeared, leaving his skin smoother than before. Or, maybe she had just got used to it.
Xiaohong looked at Bud’s innocent face then looked at Sijiang. She thought to herself, What a perfect match!
Five
I
The paper was crumpled, the phone number written there having long since been committed to memory. Still, Xiaohong was reluctant to discard it. Should she call Zhu Dachang or not? Would he be willing to help her one more time? Would it even be him answering the phone?
Don’t be so bloody irritating! She scolded herself. He gave you the number, at least give him a call.
‘Hello. I’m looking for Zhu Dachang.’
‘This is Zhu Dachang. May I ask who’s speaking?’
‘I’m… eh? Are you really Zhu Dachang?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I… I’m… last night…’
‘Oh, it’s you. I only thought of it after you left, but I should’ve asked if you had money for the bus.’
‘Oh…’ Xiaohong’s eyes reddened and she said in a choked voice, ‘I… walked home. It was a long way.’
‘I’m really sorry. I overlooked it. Where are you now?’
‘I’m… at a friend’s rented room. I resigned from the salon yesterday.’
‘It’s better. You don’t want to work in a salon.’
‘Yeah…’ she was touched and her tears began to flow.
‘Hey! Are you crying?’
‘No, I’m not crying.’
‘Give me your address. I’ll come over.’ She told him. He was familiar with the area. ‘Wait there for me. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.’
Hearing these simple words from Dachang, a warm feeling flowed over her. She really wanted to cry on his shoulder. Putting down the phone, it was the first time she had felt truly isolated. Her beloved grandmother was gone, her only sister considered her an enemy, her brother-in-law was coldly indifferent and her father engaged himself in other projects and other women that kept him away from home. No one had the time to listen to her or look after her. She began to feel that her former self had done many absurd things. Though she had hurt her sister badly, bringing disgrace on the whole family, she had maintained a sense of self-righteousness through it all. Only now did she begin to feel some remorse and sorrow over what she had done.
Dachang, though he was a stranger, acted like a friend. Through a simple act of kindness, he showed a depth of concern. She’d never expected to meet such a good person.
She quickly finished tidying up the room, putting away all the underclothes she’d hung out to dry. She tossed them into a basket and stashed it out of sight, then hurried to put on her favourite blouse, wash her face and put on a touch of makeup. When she finished, she turned to the mirror to try out which expression was most appropriate to greet him with. She settled on a pouting smile, finding it the most natural. But when he came in, she had no smile of any kind for him. Instead, her eyes turned red, the corners of her mouth turned down and a sob escaped from her.
‘What happened? Come on, tell me,’ Dachang said anxiously. He wore civilian clothes, a brown jacket over light-blue jeans. Having exchanged his boots for a pair of trainers, he looked more like a normal guy.
‘It’s nothing. Really, it’s fine.’ Xiaohong wiped her tears and put on a smile.
‘Missing home? It’s not easy being on your own far away from home. I know.’
Xiaohong shook her head, then nodded, at a loss to stop the tears. She tried to calm herself.
‘Your friend rented this place?’
‘Yeah. She lives here with her boyfriend.’
‘Then you’re the third wheel?’ he teased. She laughed. ‘Come on. I’ll take you for a nice meal.’
His motorcycle bore a police licence plate. As Xiaohong climbed onto the bike, she immediately felt she would attract a lot of envy.
The bike drove past Dachang’s work place, the very spot where Xiaohong had spent half a day locked up. They drove on for a while then stopped in front of a Western-style café. Newly opened, the café was overrun with baskets of fresh flowers, the ground covered with little red scraps of paper from the firecrackers set off at the grand opening celebrations. The table was small, and their thighs bumped underneath it. X
iaohong did not move away, nor did Dachang. Actually, there was nowhere to move to. It was as if the table had been designed for lovers, pressing them closer together by narrowing the distance between them.
‘I usually have the Indonesian fried rice. It’s not bad. You might like the seafood rice.’
Xiaohong flipped through the menu, looking over the strange-sounding names, unable to work out what connection any of them had with rice. The waitress rattled a bunch of objects. Xiaohong knew that they were called knives, forks and spoons, but couldn’t remember which was which.
‘Zhu Da… er, Zhu Ge,’ she began awkwardly, finally settling on Big Brother Zhu. ‘This is my first time eating foreign food. How do I use these things?’ Zhu demonstrated how to use the cutlery.
‘OK, I get it. Anyway, it’s still filling the stomach, just with different tools that’s all.’
The light was not very bright. A male singer’s voice came through the speakers, his uncanny vibrato gave Xiaohong goose bumps. ‘So what’s your next step?’ Dachang asked. His hair was short and wavy, and he had a wide forehead.
‘I’m thinking of finding factory work. Do you think you’d be able to help at all?’ As soon as she spoke, she was afraid he would reject her. She waited nervously for his answer.
‘Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve got a room near here. You can stay there for a few days if you want. Of course, I won’t be there.’
‘That’s perfect. Then I won’t have to be the third wheel,’ Xiaohong said, giggling.
II
As Xiaohong got ready to leave, Sijiang cried bitterly. ‘Sijiang, what’re you crying about? It’s not like I’m dying. I’ll still come and see you when I’m free!’ Xiaohong stuffed all her clothes into her bag, suddenly feeling a little sad.
‘Honghong, this is for you. You love wearing it,’ Sijiang said, taking a beige knee-length jacket from its hanger. Xiaohong tried to refuse, but Sijiang stuffed it into her luggage.
‘Now, you take care of yourself. You’ve got to think things through, you know?’
‘Sure.’
‘And what’re Bud’s plans? Have you met his family yet?’
Sijiang shook her head. ‘He never talks about his family.’
‘Well, no matter what, just make sure he helps you find a job in a factory so you can make a better living. Then you can scrape by while you two take your time talking about your future.’
Sijiang nodded, feeling like her heart was breaking.
‘Sijiang, we can only depend on ourselves. You know what I mean? You don’t need to be afraid of others. There’s nothing at all to be afraid of. You just have to be bold, and don’t be taken in by anyone. Don’t let other people get the better of you.’
Sijiang listened, nodding in agreement. Abruptly she said, ‘I have a feeling we’ll be together again.’
Xiaohong laughed. ‘Of course we will! Who knows what will happen in the future. Look at these past few days – things have changed so much. The things in this bag have been packed and unpacked so many times. God only knows what tomorrow holds.’
They were both silent for a while. Sijiang sighed. Xiaohong sighed too, then lifted her luggage and parted ways with Li Sijiang.
III
Zhu Dachang’s room was on the fourth floor of a building next door to the police station. It was a single room with an en suite bathroom. There was a mattress, and the room was well-lit. It was in a completely different league from Sijiang’s little metal shack.
‘With cops living on either side, there’s nothing to fear at night. You just get settled in, and tomorrow I’ll get in touch with the factories. You’d better be prepared, because whether it’s twelve- or eight-hour shifts, it’s going to be tough,’ Dachang said, with a stern expression.
‘I’m not here for a holiday,’ Xiaohong answered. ‘I’m not afraid of hard work. I’m just afraid there’s no work to do.’
Dachang smiled.
He must be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, Xiaohong speculated, but didn’t have the nerve to ask.
Dachang stayed for a little while then said, ‘I’ve got to go to work. You can sleep or read if you want.’ He pointed to the mattress.
Xiaohong picked up a book and flipped through it. ‘It’s so thick!’ she said.
‘You ought to read Human Weakness. I think it would be good for you.’
That one didn’t look too thick, so she reckoned she could finish it. After he left, Xiaohong lay on the mattress thumbing through the book. But how could she read it? Her mind kept turning to Dachang, wondering why he was being so good to her. Did he have some ulterior motive? If so, why had he not acted on it? She continued to flip through the book as she contemplated, eventually drifting off to sleep.
‘Hungry? I’ve got spicy chicken or pan-fried pork. Which one you want?’ Before dark, Dachang was back, carrying two takeout boxes.
‘Hey! That spicy chicken smells good!’ Xiaohong said, licking her lips.
‘Yeah, you can’t just eat instant noodles the whole time. Give it a couple of weeks, and I bet just the sight of the packets will make you want to puke.’
‘Zhu Ge, those instant noodles are enough for me, nice and crispy. I’ve already had a pack.’ She pointed to the box marked Dr Kang.
‘Huh? You ate it dry? How did you manage to choke it down? And without adding any seasoning!’
‘I don’t know. I opened it, saw it sitting there dry and so ate it dry,’ she said, attempting to defend herself.
‘Whatever suits you. You can finish the whole box, if you want.’ Dachang shook his head and smiled. ‘I checked around at the factories. I think the conditions at the toy factory are a little better than the others. Tomorrow or the day after, you can report to work. It may take a few more days to get a bed for you, so you can stay here in the meantime. You brought your ID card, right?’
‘I don’t have an ID card.’
‘How old are you?’
‘Seventeen.’
‘Without an ID card, you think anyone’s going to give you a job?’
‘But I haven’t done anything wrong!’
‘Who knows what you have or haven’t done?’
‘If I had an ID card, would it prove I’m no thief?’
‘Look, without an ID card, there’s no way anyone will employ you. So, tomorrow I’ll help you get a temporary ID card. Tell me your date of birth.’
When they had finished dinner, Dachang took her for a ride on his bike. They wound through the industrial area and across a residential neighbourhood to a muddy beach. They stopped there for a while, standing amidst waist-high grass, the wind whipping around them.
‘Don’t go out alone at night. It’s a bit of a chaotic neighbourhood, so you’ve got to be careful,’ Dachang said, as she stood facing the sea.
‘OK. I don’t think I’d want to anyway.’ Xiaohong told him about the time she had been tricked into going to that deserted place in the middle of the night and been treated like a prostitute. She concluded her story with, ‘Things would’ve been better if I’d known you then.’
‘If someone really wants to do something like that, knowing me isn’t any use. What could I have done? In the end, you’ve just got to remember what I’m telling you. Don’t go out alone at night.’
By the time they got back, it was rather late.
‘I start my shift at twelve. If you don’t mind, I’ll just stay here and read for a while,’ Dachang said, glancing at his watch.
‘Of course, it’s your place. You can do whatever you want. Look, I’m going to read too.’ She said, before adding, ‘Eh? Zhu Ge, how do you read this word?’
He came over, scanned the sentence, ‘There’s a dictionary next to the mattress. It’s a teacher with infinite knowledge.’ Looking exhausted, he yawned.
‘Zhu Ge, you’re tired. Relax for a while.’ Xiaohong budged over on the mattress, making more space for him. He leaned back and continued reading. Xiaohong read too, struggling against her own sleepiness. After a while
, her eyes began to close, and her head drooped onto Dachang’s shoulder. The weight on his upper arm grew uncomfortable, but he found it too inconvenient to move. Gradually shifting so that Xiaohong’s head lay in a more level position, he extracted himself and tried to move away, only to find that something had hooked onto his sleeve. Turning back, he saw that it was Xiaohong’s fingers. Her eyes were closed, as if she were caught up in a dream. He pondered for a moment, then reached up and turned off the light. The street lamps outside filled the room with an orange glow.
Dachang, half-lying on the bed, felt his body getting stiff. His right arm was trapped beneath Xiaohong’s left shoulder, her right hand draped across his chest, pressing against his pounding heart. He closed his eyes, afraid to move.
Xiaohong had liked him from the beginning and had always wanted to express her appreciation. Was hooking her finger onto his sleeve an expression of affection or gratitude? She couldn’t be sure herself. She lay quietly, listening to the sound of time slipping away. There was no movement from Dachang. She stretched her body, burying her head into his chest, listening to the drumming of his heart. He inched his way down the bed a little bit at a time. By the time half an hour had passed, he was finally lying flat. Even as he struggled to resist, he steadily lost ground, pledging himself ever more firmly to the bed. Their heads touched, though they tried their best to leave some space between their bodies. Which of them drew closer to the other’s face? It was really hard to say. The whole process was slow as clockwork, making it impossible to tell which movement inspired the other. Dachang’s face was hot, and his breath was laboured and feverish. His rising temperature made him seem ready to explode. He remained motionless, Xiaohong caressing him as she lay draped across his body. His patience amazed her. Had his body not offered irrefutable evidence to the contrary, she would have suspected he was suffering from impotence.