Northern Girls: Life Goes On

by Sheng Keyi

  The doctor muttered something at Dachang. Then turning a backside as round as a panda’s in his direction, she left.

  ‘Female doctors are still women, aren’t they?’ he said, as if in a trance.

  Dachang reluctantly uncovered his nether regions once again, returning to face the reality of a check up by Dr Chen. Using the fingers to pinch and confirm that the vas deferens had in fact been cut was a particular strength of Dr Chen’s, but she seemed to be encountering some problems this time. After spending about ten minutes prodding about, she gave a depressed sigh. ‘Strange, it’s not standing up. I can’t reach the vessels at all.’

  Dachang had not thought that she might want it to stand. Why wasn’t it erect? He didn’t understand it either. But he did know it would be difficult to manage much of an erection when faced with Dr Chen.

  In the end, she said, ‘We’ll test the semen.’

  Dachang felt insulted. He thought she could have avoided the embarrassment of making him remove his trousers and just taken some samples of his bodily fluids.

  ‘It’s not the same thing,’ Dr Chen said. ‘We need a multifaceted check up.’

  She arranged for a small room for Dachang. Inside was a small colour TV and VCR. It was a very professional setup.

  She turned on the video but didn’t leave right away. Two naked people started kissing on the screen. Turning a blind eye, she handed him a plastic cup and said, ‘You just enjoy the show.’

  Dachang stared blankly at the cup. It suddenly hit him what it was for and he began watching earnestly. But the more he watched the blue movie, the limper he became. This upset him so much that he turned positively soft. After fifteen minutes, Dr Chen knocked and came in to have a look. The video was rewinding, the cup was empty, and Dachang’s face was unhappy.

  ‘Oh, you got so involved in watching that you forgot about the real thing, huh? Then how will we do the tests? If the video’s no use, would you like us to call a prostitute for you?’ Obviously, Dachang was wasting too much of her time. She added, ‘I’m serious about the prostitute. Once we had a guy who came in for a check up and he couldn’t squeeze out a thing, not to save his life. His wife wasn’t here to help extract anything either. In the end, we had to call a prostitute before he could manage it.’

  ‘Doctor, I am very sorry. If you’ll just give me twenty minutes, I’ll give it my best effort.’ He was very embarrassed. Dr Chen stared at him a moment, eyes protruding, then turned her fat rump and went out. Dachang simply turned off the video. He sat stewing, and after several minutes, Xiaohong’s face popped into his mind. He immediately picked up his mobile phone and called. When she answered, it was obvious she had been napping in the office, but she quickly perked up when she heard Dachang’s voice.

  ‘I’m at your hospital.’

  ‘No. Don’t tell me you’re expecting again.’

  Dachang fell silent for a while. Finally overcoming the difficulty, he poured out the story in a rushed whisper, telling her everything.

  ‘I… what can I do to help?’

  ‘Xiaohong, your voice is so nice. Use your voice…’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really.’

  ‘…’

  ‘You like me, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘That time… that time… I almost…’

  ‘You almost took me…’

  ‘I couldn’t…’

  ‘I know. You’re the best man I’ve ever known.’

  ‘Xiaohong, talk to me. Talk dirty to me.’

  ‘I… you… it…’

  ‘Yeah…’

  After a few minutes, like a tide coming in from the sea, it poured out like the pounding of hooves from a herd of wild horses, silently galloping across the great expanse of the universe, free and unbridled. All the clouds in the sky rolled up into a heap, white and billowing. His breath was like a torrent, coming in waves, then suddenly her ear was filled with the sound of wind. Xiaohong, unable to contain herself, groaned. Then, laying her head on the table, she wept uncontrollably.

  When Dr Chen returned, she only saw the retreating figure of Zhu Dachang leaving the video room nonchalantly. Suspicious, she went in and looked around, then followed Dachang out and went to the lab. She stood looking at the contents of the plastic cup, trying to judge whether or not it was the real thing. Her eyes protruded even more than usual.

  The test results were normal, showing no traces of sperm in his specimen. Stunned, he found himself in a wash of mixed emotions. He did not know whether to burst into laughter or drown himself in tears.

  He had no idea how he would manage things at home.

  Eleven

  I

  Who’d have thought that Mr Liao would be leaving? The 35-year-old top surgeon Dr Lei Yigang was promoted to take his place as chairman. He was from Guangdong, practically a native of Shenzhen. People from Guangdong usually gave one the impression of leanness that bordered on flimsiness, but Dr Lei was not like that at all. On the contrary, both his stature and his family background were quite solid. He was not too short and his weight was well proportioned to his height, with just a small surplus. His chubby face was always a picture of the good life, someone who enjoyed a lifestyle of ease. He had not the slightest sign of a beard on his face. This was not because he shaved himself closely but because his beard would not grow anymore. It was often said that this was closely connected with a breakthrough in his research. Contributing to the advancement of gynaecological medicine, he had successfully developed a new type of blade that could lessen the suffering of a woman undergoing a sterilisation procedure by forty per cent, shortening the time required for the operation to fifteen minutes and speeding the recovery time to a mere five days. As for medical expenses, of course, it would save a fortune. This matter would have a great social impact, especially for women, much like the release from the tradition of foot-binding. So, Dr Lei always wore a smile on a face shaved beardless by that blade. Some said it was a humble face, some said it was the gaping grin of a tiger, and some said it was a cunning look. Only Lei Yigang could know for certain what it hid.

  With the hospital’s personnel changes, all the departments were shuffled and this meant promotions in the publicity room. Staffed with just two employees, Xia Jifeng was the obvious one to promote to Publicity Director, which opened up a vacancy for a very lucrative post. To use a negative example, this lucrative post was like an enemy bunker, with countless elite forces all eyeing it, preparing themselves for the noise of battle. Many lurked in the dark, waiting to see who would finally capture it.

  Xiaohong’s propaganda work had been impeccable. Of course, this was credited to Xia, according to an unwritten rule. When one person stands a step higher than another, it’s only natural that he will be the taller of the two.

  When Dr Lei took over his new post, he wasted no time in placing great emphasis on publicity. There was always room for more publicity in his office and thus he needed to have more contact with his PR people. That is to say, he had plenty of reason to be frequently in touch with Qian Xiaohong.

  ‘Hi, Xiaohong. Why don’t you come over to my office and sit down and talk for while.’ Dr Lei said to Xiaohong on the phone. When she arrived, he opened a small window and a leafy branch began tapping gently against the blinds. His beard had still not grown, which always made Xiaohong feel a twinge of regret.

  ‘I’m here, Dr Lei, sir.’ Seeing his posture, she knew this was not just another casual chat. It made her a little anxious.

  ‘You’ve been doing publicity work for quite a while now.’

  ‘Over a year, sir.’

  ‘Then you should understand the hospital’s situation quite well.’

  ‘Um, I guess so.’

  ‘Recently the hospital has decided to introduce some reproductive health services and the publicity needs to be handled well. I’ve assigned some specific work to Mr Xia and I want you to cooperate closely with him on this.’

  Xiaohong nodded, feeling Dr Lei
was being rather vague. Ever since that one night, she and Xia had seldom been in the office together. It was like they were following each other through a revolving door. When Xiaohong came in, Xia went out. When Xiaohong went out, Xia came in. A bit like their love-making, in fact.

  Dr Lei smiled, looking like he was hiding some scheme.

  ‘Also, I need to give a report at the board meeting next Friday. I want you to help me do the summary. Just get the materials together for me. If you have any questions, you can call my mobile phone any time.’ The same innocent smile emerged on his baby face.

  Xiaohong answered nervously, heart pounding as she pondered. This sort of thing had always been written by Xia. How had it suddenly fallen on her head? Was Dr Lei just trying to make things difficult, or was he trying to get something out of her?

  Dr Lei’s beardless smile had no regularity to it. It was so smooth that he looked pitiful, and it made his smile so sinister that it sent chills down her spine. Xiaohong saw the folds and wrinkles of his face as ditches and gullies. His lips were not red, but glistened as if they had been dipped in oil.

  This matter weighed heavily on Xiaohong’s mind. She thought, Fuck! Obviously Dr Lei is screwing me over. If I screw up this article, it’s going to come to a bad end. How the hell am I going to get a report of more than five thousand words done?

  ‘Xia Ge, can you lend me the original materials to refer to for my report? I’ll use that material in my write up.’

  Xia was a little stunned when Xiaohong asked him this. He thought, How is it that the report is to be done by her? If she does it, what’s left for me to do? What is Dr Lei up to with that girl?

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘The summary report for Dr Lei’s meeting next week.’

  ‘What did he say about it?’

  ‘That’s all he said.’

  Things were definitely not that simple. Xia felt Xiaohong must be hiding something big. She was obviously wary of him. She must be playing her own political games, secretly scheming to obstruct him. Xia’s good will towards Xiaohong and the passion he had felt that night made him ashamed. He reluctantly dug out some materials, like a farmer grudgingly parting with some of his seed crop to share a few sprouts with someone else.

  ‘Basically, it’s like this. You see if there’s any value to the information here.’ He handed her a few photocopied documents in a file, as devoutly as a girl giving away her virginity. Xiaohong took it, full of gratitude, and began to read, not overlooking even the tiniest of punctuation marks. When she had finished reading, she did not understand a thing. She could only remember that there were a great number of sterilisation cases and that the volume of human traffic was even more alarming. Then it suddenly hit her. People mated every day. Gorgeously apparelled, they flirted all day and went about their night-time business without a stitch of clothing on. This sort of healthy reproductive life led to a whole lot of problems.

  She bit the bullet and worked that evening until five or six. When she knocked off, she only had about a hundred words of an introduction, nearly eighty of which were dug out word for word from the summary.

  ‘If it’s a rooster, then it’s a rooster. No matter how long you wait, it won’t lay an egg.’ Xiaohong finally understood what lay behind that old expression from her hometown. She was now just a rooster, incapable of laying an egg. She’d been put to roost by Dr Lei.

  ‘Lei Yigang is such a prick!’ Xiaohong mercilessly pounded the desk a couple of times then, quivering, paraded around the office, chest thrust out. She decided not to waste any more time on the report. She would show him. She was a rooster. She couldn’t do a hen’s work.

  On the phone with the chairman, all was quiet in the background, as if he were in the car or at home. This gynaecologist’s voice was always soft, like he was treating one of those sensitive illnesses. It was the same touch he used when caring for all the female genitalia he handled.

  ‘Let’s talk more specifically,’ Dr Lei said, as if just talking would settle Xiaohong’s problem.

  ‘It’s hard to say it clearly over the phone, sir. This report is very important to you, and I’m afraid I’ll hold everything up.’

  ‘We’ve still got time. Come on round and we’ll talk about the specifics.’

  ‘Where are you? And do you want me to bring the materials?’

  ‘Yes, bring it all. I’m in my office.’

  II

  Dr Lei was in his office. Xiaohong had not expected this. Nor had she expected to find him sleeping. What was he doing sleeping now, she wondered. His freshly awakened beardless face was especially flushed and boyish. A face like that on a man was unbelievable. His lips were even redder and wetter than usual, always looking as if he had just had a drink.

  Breezily, the door swung open. Dr Lei carelessly knocked against Xiaohong as he casually plopped down on the sofa, blithely waving for her to randomly select a spot to sit there as well. The sofa was like plastic, making her backside warm. As her posterior heated up, she inevitably moved, and in moving, the two rear ends were suddenly in quite close proximity to one another. Before they had even started talking business, the pair of arses had already begun a vague dispute of their own.

  ‘How should I put it? This material is both easy and difficult to write. If you’ve never done it before, it’s quite hard. But once you’ve got started, it gets easier,’ he said, not offering any insight that was of much use. Xiaohong was not awkward this time. She actually looked at Dr Lei and smiled, as if his advice was full of wisdom. She looked very appreciative as she listened. Dr Lei mentioned very specifically his own outstanding contributions to medicine, saying that this could be one of the more important accomplishments of the hospital to focus pen and ink on. It was necessary to look at what had happened before, he said, in order to focus on future advancements, highlight programmes and show the municipal leaders the sort of development the hospital was aiming for.

  ‘Got it?’ Dr Lei once again seemed to be full of hot air. ‘Xiaohong, you write it up. When you’re done, I’ll have a look and do some tweaking.’ Dr Lei casually reached over and took the material from Xiaohong’s hand. Xiaohong noticed that his hand was as white as if it had been sterilised. On the back of his hand, miraculously, there were a few black hairs. Thinking of how that hand had taken the scalpel to countless women and of the relations it had had with a multitude of women’s private places, Xiaohong felt nauseous and seemed to detect the smell of blood.

  ‘Dr Lei, your help has given me some inspiration. I’ll go and write it up.’ Xiaohong peeled her backside from the sofa. His hand struck a moment too late. Failing to get hold of Xiaohong, his nails merely grazed her skin. She smiled airily and, gently opening the door, casually went on her way.

  Dr Lei drifted up from the sofa.

  III

  The atmosphere was a little tense, those days. Even the slightest thing would cause idle tongues to pounce like flies, buzzing about finding fault and making irresponsible remarks.

  Youqing was secretly entangled with two men and her face grew longer and sharper. Her menstrual cycle was suddenly enshrouded in mystery. She no longer gave regular reports. It was as if, once she was on the right track, the matter was gradually forgotten. Youqing seemed to have some difficulty managing her own private life, such as her relationship with Xia. Unfortunately, Xiaohong had discovered it and, although she was too lazy to expose them, Youqing found it harder to carry on the charade.

  That day on the rooftop, when Youqing had cursed Xiaohong for closing in on Xia, Xiaohong had heard everything clearly. Xia had said he could never like her. She understood. Whatever the pair had said after that did not matter. He was dodging her, which just proved how powerless he was. A man who was afraid to face a woman was at the very least weak-willed. Xia was also very hypocritical, his love life mixed up with a wide range of factors. He wanted to go to bed with Xiaohong, but he hid it, always looking over his shoulder as he slunk around. Xiaohong remembered that night very clea
rly, all of his trembling excitement. If he had not had the desire for some time, if he had not felt some real emotion, then he would not have been so frantic. The way he suppressed his desires, Xia’s life must be devoid of passion. What a flaccid existence!

  As Xiaohong brooded over the report, Xia and Youqing were wondering how Dr Lei had come to give the assignment to Xiaohong. When Xia and his ex had divided up their assets after the divorce, he ended up with the apartment. Three bedrooms and a family room in a housing estate that was not too shabby. The lawn was green and full of red flowers throughout the year. Living here gave one a sense of satisfaction, naturally increasing one’s sex drive. So as soon as the pair had decided that Xia should go to Dr Lei at the hospital the next day to discuss the matter of the report, they embraced and made their way to the bedroom. Once they had taken care of things thoroughly there, they continued discussing the feasibility of the plan.

  ‘Youqing, tell me specifically how you think I should go about it so as not to let Dr Lei misunderstand my intentions. I know he’s an extremely perceptive man, not the usual sort of guy at all. Once you offend him, that sweet, warm smile won’t be turned on you again,’ he said, trying his best to see into the future.

  Youqing looked up at him, feeling he was a good man, mature and attractive. Xiao Yuan, in contrast, was still green, sometimes even a little rash. How was it that Xia was a divorcee, she wondered, letting out a faint sorrowful sigh.

  Seeing Youqing silent, he shrugged his right shoulder, where her head lay.

  Youqing, jostled by his shrug, bit her tongue. She yelped, pushing him away, and sat up, putting her hand to her mouth as her eyes teared in pain.

  Xia, tired and not inclined to comfort her, lay thinking about his own troubles. Youqing’s eyes had first started tearing because of the pain but gradually she began to really cry. And as she cried, she grew melancholy. Uncertain what had happened to her, Xia was puzzled by her behaviour.