Jia Pingwa - Ruined City

“We regret making love because it’s so lifeless, but then a few days later, the desire returns.”

“Then you could both be leaders.”

“Leaders?”

“Which government office these days doesn’t have a leader who frequently makes mistakes? They conduct self-reflections for their superiors and then go out and make the same mistakes again. It goes on and on, and nothing happens to their official positions.”

They had a good laugh over that.

“That’s why we say that food and sex are the basis of human nature,” Xia Jie said.

“Actually, God played a trick on us humans, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“He wants us to live, so we need to eat. But eating is so much trouble. First we have to grow the crops; then, after we harvest the grain, we have to mill it and turn it into food. When we eat, we have to chew, swallow, digest, and get rid of the waste. So much heavy-duty work is involved. But He gave us a desire for food, so we do all this willingly. Take what men and women do, for example. Its original purpose was procreation, but who would go through all the trouble if we weren’t given sexual urges? So just when you’re enjoying the pleasure, you fulfill your responsibility of having children. It would be great if we could go halfway, having the fun without the duty.”

“Is that what that crazy brain of yours thinks about?” Xia said as she reached out to tickle Tang under her arms. Overcome with laughter, Tang struggled out of Xia’s reach and ran across the bridge, with Xia hot in pursuit. One following the other, they ran through the gate and into the park, where Tang collapsed on the lawn. Xia ran over and pounced, but Tang was motionless. So Xia picked up a leg and took off her shoe. “Let’s see you run now.”

“Xia Dajie.” Tang turned her head to call out, her lips bloodless and her face bathed in sweat. Her eyes rolled up as she passed out.

. . .

Xia Jie hailed a pedicab to take her friend to the hospital, but Wan’er woke up on the way and refused to go. She said she’d had fainting spells before and had been overtired recently, which must have brought on another attack. She’d be fine once she got home and rested. Touching Tang’s forehead, Xia noted that the sweat was no longer cold and that the color was returning to her cheeks, so she gave the driver an additional five yuan to take them to Tang’s place. When they got into the quiet house, Tang went to lie down.

“Are you feeling better now, Wan’er?”

“Much better. Thank you so much, Xia Dajie.”

“You really scared me today. I wouldn’t want to live if something terrible were to happen to you.”

“Then you and I would become a pair of sexy ghosts.”

“You can still joke at a moment like this! I’ll make something for you. What do you feel like eating?”

“Nothing.” Tang smiled weakly. “I just want to sleep. I’ll be fine after I wake up. Why don’t you go on home?”

“Why isn’t Zhou Min home? Did he go to work? Let me call him at work.”

“Call on your way home. Why not try Zhuang Laoshi’s place first? He might be there.”

Xia made her another cup of water with brown sugar and set it by her bed before going out to make the phone call.

When she reached Zhuang and told him that Tang had fallen ill, he hopped on his scooter and raced over. Zhou was still at the magazine. Tang wept the moment she saw Zhuang’s face. As he dried her tears, he asked what had happened. After she told him, he was stunned into silence and sat on the bed for a long time. He thumped himself on the forehead. The sight brought secret joy to her, but she said, “You must hate me now. I’m so sorry that I got rid of your child.”

“No, Wan’er, you’ve done nothing wrong. I let you down.” He wrapped his arms around her head and said softly. “I should have been the one to go through the torment, but you had to endure it all alone. You’re really a good woman. But why didn’t you take care of yourself? Why did you have to keep Xia Jie company after you’d just had the procedure?”

“I thought I was fine. Besides, there was no way I could let her know about this. How are things at the gallery?”

“How did you know I’ve been busy with the gallery? I haven’t been able to come see you, but why didn’t you send a message with the pigeon?”

“I did. I waited day and night for you to come, but you didn’t, so I made the decision on my own.”

Cursing Liu Yue, he told Wan’er he knew nothing about that. He pulled back the blanket to check on her body, then pulled it back up and tucked her in before going out to buy tonics. When he returned, he sat with her until Zhou got home.

Over the following week, he went to see her every other day, taking chicken or fish each time. When he was back home, Liu Yue would make him a drink with essence of longan.

“So you know how to be nice to people?” he said to her one day.

“As a maid in your house, can I afford not to be attentive, especially when you’re hard at work with her?”

“I don’t dare go out,” he said with a smile, “since you think I go to see Tang Wan’er each time I do. I’m not going anywhere today, so I want you to run some errands. Go see Zhao Jingwu and ask him to take Dr. Song with him to the nunnery.”

“Is Huiming not feeling well? When I went to Tanshi Street to buy fish last Sunday, I saw her on my way home. She was sitting in a car with Secretary Huang, but she didn’t see me and I pretended not to notice her. Hmph! What’s a nun doing using lipstick? I have no respect for her. She shouldn’t be a nun if she wants to pretty herself up. Unlike the other nuns, she wants to know this person and be friends with that one. She’s such a show-off. There are so many pretty girls in the city, but few people have ever heard their names, and yet everyone knows about Huiming, the nun with the fair face and big tits. How did she get sick? Has the Buddha stopped looking out for her?”

“Listen to you. You’re like a hod carrier who looks down on a flour vendor. You’re upset over her good looks, aren’t you?”

“Why would I be upset?”

He was about to mention Tang’s message with the pigeon, but he changed his mind, for he hadn’t told Niu Yueqing or Liu Yue that Tang was laid up. But Liu Yue wasn’t done yet. “I don’t give a damn. That stinky-mouth Meng used to go there all the time, but he stopped after losing the sight in one eye. So now you’re the one who’s there all the time.”

“Are you finished? I ran into Secretary Huang, who told me that Huiming’s back hurt so much she couldn’t sit up straight. So I want Jingwu to have Dr. Song take a look at her. Forget it if you don’t want to go.”

“Can I say no? I won’t be home to make lunch, so you and Dajie will have to eat out.”

“How long will it take to relay a message? I’ll tell her if you get lost there.”

“All right. And I’ll tell Dajie to poison the pigeon.” She walked off smiling.

Liu Yue saw Zhao Jingwu often after they got together. Niu Yueqing noticed but decided not to say anything. She was none too happy about it and had warned the girl with veiled comments, but Liu pretended not to understand. With a foolish grin, she continued to go about everything in her own way. Distracted, she often failed to get food ready at the right time, and she let the laundry pile up. On the day after Tang fainted, Zhao came to see Zhuang at noon, but neither he nor Niu Yueqing was home, which emboldened him to steal a kiss from Liu. After putting him off for a while, she kissed him, so encouraging him that he started groping her. “You’re getting too daring,” she said, but then she undid her skirt and dropped her panties. Zhao had never dreamed they would go that far, but they did, since she was willing. He was too inexperienced and too fearful to last very long. With a laugh of annoyance, Liu sent him to wash the soiled underwear, which he did while making sure she wouldn’t tell anyone about it.