Can Xue - Five Spice Street

‘‘Then am I a fool?!’’ The good friend was furious. The husband looked at him with remorse: he couldn’t stand it. They parted on bad terms for the first time in years. As soon as he left, the good friend roared at his wife, ‘‘Throw the stool he sat on into the garbage! I have really fucking had it!’’ He sulked for several days.

The men of Five Spice Street-consumed with Madam X’s secret-became more sentimental and affectionate. Quite a few dashed to the riverside to ‘‘take in the scenery,’’ waiting to catch that ‘‘great nude scene’’ (the widow’s words) and then play things by ear. Each did this on his own, fearful that others would see through their intentions. If acquaintances ran into each other, their faces flushed as they exchanged small talk: ‘‘It’s a sunny day, isn’t it? No? But don’t you feel a little hot? Haha…’’ Then they would turn and walk away, but not too far; they would just make the rounds in the vicinity. Naturally, this scheming was all for nothing. They didn’t glimpse even Madam X’s shadow. Miffed, they would whisper to themselves: this was a hoax from the beginning-how could this kind of thing go on? If the woman had the guts to strip in a public place, wouldn’t it be better to screw some guys at home? Although stripping sounded exciting and even romantic, it certainly wasn’t the same as making it with some men: it wasn’t even close to the real thing. Why bother running over to a deserted wasteland to do this? It was incomprehensible. Was this some kind of symbolic act? Perhaps just camouflage? Was the real thing behind it? What kind of scene was it when a woman jumped around naked in a deserted place like this? If she couldn’t control herself, she should have done something quietly at home. What did this ‘‘naked act’’ count for? The crowds on our Five Spice Street always had to think everything through every which way: they never reached a verdict lightly and would never give up on a riddle just because they were temporarily stumped. They had to give it hard thought; if they couldn’t solve it, they would keep their eyes open. Sometimes, a small matter could trigger thoughts for a long time, and another small matter could suddenly enlighten them.

Our Madam X might be the world’s most volatile and unpredictable person, whose every action and word was an inexplicable riddle. No experience or common knowledge could help in dealing with her. You’d have to treat her like an extraterrestrial. We’d have to come up with some totally new, extraordinary, non-logical approach. No flippancy, no emotionalism. Maintain composure at all costs. Even if we accomplished nothing, this would be better than shouting and reckless action. Up to now, though there’ve been some small mistakes, and one or two people have disturbed the main process, in general, our people are still observing: they haven’t been indiscreet, nor have they been swayed. This is sensible and shows their good breeding. After Madam X took off her clothes, Five Spice Street became lively for a while: everyone was talking about it, and the talk led to continuous profound analysis and a rich association of ideas. Everyone’s surplus energy now had a place where it could be vented. This in itself was noble-a great opportunity for everyone to refine his or her soul until it was sanctified. But unfortunately, among the people on Five Spice Street there were a few uncouth degenerates who didn’t behave. They charged around everywhere, upsetting the social order and turning good into bad. They messed up everything. They themselves were in the dark about what they hoped to achieve. They just loved showing up all of a sudden and catching you off guard, leaving everything a mess, and then taking their time walking away.

This time, the one who jumped onto the stage was a woman named B — the woman who, during the failed attempt at reeducation, wanted everyone to ‘‘wait for summer’’ to settle up with Madam X. This woman analyzed the situation in great detail and also consulted with Madam X’s friend for an entire day. During the consultation, they were suddenly inspired. The two of them came to a speedy decision: they would have an improvisation on Five Spice Street, using ‘‘living theatre’’ to re-create Madam X’s striptease. They discussed this until their faces were red and their hearts were pounding. They drew up a plan, having considered carefully all the details and possible scenarios. Their eyes heavy with sleep, they mumbled and fell into bed, where they dreamed ambitious dreams. While sleeping, they conserved their strength and stored up their energy, getting ready for tense battle the next day. As soon as it was light, they appeared naked on the two corners of the main street. One walked from east to west, the other from west to east. Except for people who were paralyzed and confined to bed, everyone crowded onto the street. Too timid to approach, they watched this ‘‘avant- garde’’ pastime from a distance. At first, the crowd just screamed wildly. The enthusiasm of those two women was rising to high pitch: they were twisting their arms and hips and shaking their bellies in all kinds of ways; it was an endless tour de force. They cupped their hands around their mouths and cried out to the crowd, ‘‘Ha! Ha! Haha!’’ This seemed to inspire the crowd: one by one, people involuntarily began twisting. Soon they too wanted to take their clothes off. They couldn’t restrain themselves: why not go with it? Maybe not take everything off, but going topless was a great pleasure.

So on this three-mile-long street, everyone was excited. All the people were hugging and kissing everyone they saw, touching others all over their bodies. One or two even ‘‘got on with it’’ on the spot. It was a noisy, rollicking scene. Everyone was sweating profusely and breathing hot and heavy like oxen. At first, the two women’s husbands were furious, but now, when fresh, lively, fleshy women threw themselves at them, they changed their minds and seized the day. As they gasped for breath, the two people said, ‘‘After all, there’s another side to life. All along, we have been too parochial, too unable to enjoy life, as if we were living most of our lives for nothing. We didn’t get anything: we could only be jealous. Jealousy is the worst emotion, indicating impotence. It appears that we should add some new things to our morality; otherwise, we’ll be out of date.’’

The fling went on for a whole day and had an odious, indelible influence on Five Spice Street. The next morning, upon opening their eyes, most people had forgotten their performances of the day before, and when they saw each other, they didn’t talk of it, either. But with stern expressions, everyone began talking of ‘‘moral cultivation.’’ Their expressions revealed anxiety, pessimism, and depression, and also some latent indignation at being taken advantage of. Then, they looked all around, all of them knowing very well who the others were looking for. The two women disappeared. Only after two or three days did they steal back to Five Spice Street. Their sensitive noses detected that there’d been a sharp turn in the course of events: they’d better stay out of the storm tide. It’s said that as they fled, the two of them were at odds again. In order to shift the blame, they assaulted each other ferociously, even ‘‘knocking out one another’s teeth.’’

Sitting at her window, Madam X saw the street scene in her mirror. She feigned self-composure and gave all her attention to combing her hair. After that she polished her shoes, and after that she showed her son how to use the microscope. Then, striking an astonished pose, she said to her husband, ‘‘What the hell? Did I ever give a lecture to these guys? When did I ever do that?’’ Humoring her, her husband said no. He said that she had certainly not given any lecture to ‘‘these guys.’’ It was ‘‘these guys’’ who wistfully thought her soliloquy had been for them: this was their excuse for attacking her. ‘‘This is the biggest joke in the world.’’ (From this, we can also see how hard this husband tried to please Madam X every day; no one could understand how he could tolerate this kind of peculiar way of life. He must have been possessed.)