Xu Xiaobin - Dunhuang Dream

“I’m thirty; a little on the old side, right?” She smiled, taking a bite of melon.

19

Xiao Xingxing was far more shaken by Sanwei Mountain Temple than she was by the Thousand Buddhist Caves.

Zhang Shu had taken her for a camel ride with the idea of spending a long, carefree evening at Yueya Spring to relax completely.

Dusk at Yueya Spring possessed an intoxicating beauty, filled with a romantic atmosphere. Zhang Shu looked at Xingxing from behind as she rode the camel and felt an emotional upwelling. Her silhouette was pretty and full. At dusk, her short hair turned gold, and her flowery skirt was lifted by the breeze, as if some heavenly maiden were scattering flower petals. He couldn’t believe she was thirty and had a four-year-old son.

He wanted to say something to her, today, here, at the Yueya Spring.

But Xiao Xingxing insisted upon going to Sanwei Mountain Temple. She was set upon locating that monk who looked like Ananda. Her recalcitrance made Zhang Shu angry.

“He might know something about Lakshmi!” In the end, Xingxing played her trump card and had her way.

20

Dayejisi didn’t necessarily have a smile pasted on his face the way Zhang Shu had described. He treated Xiao Xingxing coldly.

“From ancient times, those who are particular about fortune-telling tell only the fortunes of men.” He sat on a mat next to a Buddhist table. It was very dark inside. As per the rules, Xiao Xingxing burnt incense sticks and worshiped the Buddha. Zhang Shu accompanied her but said nothing.

“Why tell the fortunes of men and not women?” Xingxing seemed so anxious that she wanted to grab the stick for tapping the wooden fish from his hands and hurl it away.

“The fate of woman is unfathomable,” said Dayejisi haughtily, bringing his palms together without really even looking at her.

“It’s my fault. I told her about your ability to tell fortunes, sir,” said Zhang Shu in a low, muffled voice. “Since we are here, I entreat you, sir, to please tell her fortune, good or bad.”

“May I ask what relation this female benefactor is to Zhang Shu?”

“She’s a relative of mine,” said Zhang Shu, without thinking. Xiao Xingxing almost burst out laughing. She thought it amusing that Zhang Shu, who was normally so serious, could lie with so much composure.

“I will do as Zhang Shu wishes.” Dayejisi stood up, smiled, and fixed his eyes on Xiao Xingxing’s face.

“This female benefactor’s face is quite strange!” He suddenly exclaimed as if in a Shanxi Opera.

“In what way?” Zhang Shu seemed more nervous than Xingxing.

“In looking at this female benefactor’s face, I see she has delicate and pretty features as well as a white and good complexion. Her hands are small and squarish, and she should belong to the element of metal. But her pupils are black as lacquer, indicating she is intelligent, lively, and likeable, also belonging to the element of water. Though this female benefactor’s form is incomplete, still there is harmony in her bones and flesh. The Mayi Physiognomy says: ‘One’s bones determine one’s ups and downs in life. You don’t want to be too fat or too thin. When too fat, Yin overcomes Yang; when too thin, Yang overcomes Yin. In their complementarity, Yin and Yang form a single whole. Moreover, her breath is long and leisurely. A mountain shines when there is jade in the rocks; river charms when there is gold in the sands.’ This is the best treasure. I heard her voice a moment ago and it is pleasing, the so-called sound of flowing water, the cries of flying jade birds, and the playing of stringed music. It’s just, it’s just. .” Dayejisi hesitated for a moment, the trace of a sneer on his lips. “It’s just that the mole at her hairline on the left of her forehead is not very auspicious. I’m afraid she will dominate her loved ones.”

Xingxing’s heart thumped. “Venerable sir, by loved ones, do you mean my husband?”

Dayejisi smiled surreptitiously. “I am a monk, and it is not a good idea to discuss mundane affairs. When she was eighteen, the female benefactress encountered difficulty, depriving her of a loved one. And twelve years later, the same thing will occur, unless you rein in at the last moment and resolutely retreat posthaste.”

“In twelve years. That means this year!” cried Xingxing.

“That’s why I want you to retreat while you can,” said Dayejisi as he took up her hand to look at her palm. “The female benefactress’s palm is actually quite good, showing both prosperity and long life. Moreover, your internal organs and physiological functions are extremely young — at least ten years younger than your actual age. Such good qualities are worth protecting. I urge the two of you to leave here before you regret it.”

“Venerable sir, I’d like your advice on something,” said Zhang Shu, seeing that Dayejisi was about to leave. He stepped forward. “Venerable sir, you are from these parts and have seen a lot. I was wondering if you know about the painting Lakshmi Bathing in Cave Seventy-three. .”

Before Zhang Shu could finish, Dayejisi waved both hands and looked irritated. Zhang Shu noticed how sensitive he was with regard to the matter and his evasiveness.

“Was he very accurate?” Zhang Shu asked Xingxing. He was dying to know who the “loved one” was when she was eighteen.

“Not bad,” said Xingxing, who had wanted to say that he was too accurate. Then she suddenly remembered that she lost Xiaojun when she was seventeen and not eighteen. She didn’t know why, but she was unwilling to tell Zhang Shu about these past events. For some reason she felt Zhang Shu was self-centered. He was treating her so well because of the distance between them, but as soon as she got close to him or she threw herself at him, he would very quickly tire of her.

She had known quite a few men, and for this reason she had them pegged within a matter of moments.

21

Xiao Xingxing locked herself in her room and painted.

When Zhang Shu went to visit her, he discovered that she had painted a lot of strange lines, some of which resembled fish or birds.

“Are you all right, Xingxing?” he asked with concern.

She smiled sadly and said, “The reason I came here was to verify a dream.”

“Verify a dream?”

“Yes. Since I was very little, I’ve often had dreams, strange dreams. But the oddest thing is that my strange dreams have a way of coming true. Once they come true, I no longer have them. The dream of the last two years is especially strange. . In the dream. . I see myself coming to a large cave covered inside with frescoes. I can vaguely make out what appear to be painted asaras, bodhisattvas, heavenly kings, and muscular men. . I knew it was the Mogao Caves. But in one of the caves is a huge pool of water in the middle of which is standing a person. .”

“A person?”

“Yeah, a young person. You could say a boy. He looks seventeen or eighteen, tall, thin, broad, and square-shouldered. . oh, the boy slashes his wrist with a small knife and the blood spurts out. He is standing like a ramrod in the middle of the water like a fountain of blood. The water soon turns red. The frescoes around him soon turn red as well. But the strange thing is that boy’s expression. He seems to be smiling. His face. . it gradually becomes transparent like a piece of transparent paper. What’s more, he becomes thinner before my eyes and looks unreal. .”

“Are you okay?” he asked, alarmed at seeing how pale she had become.

She smiled wanly, as if all the vitality had vanished from her body. “It’s nothing. I have an old ailment — when I see blood, I feel dizzy and sick. Sometimes I can’t even think. It must be a reflex.”