Jia Pingwa - Ruined City

“Did he say how?”

“He gave me a summary: Basically, there were some slip-ups in the article, but it didn’t reach the level of defamation, and since the magazine office has dealt with the author, they suggest mediation for both sides to reach an understanding and repair the friendship. That means we won the case. But Sima Gong said Jing Xueyin went to see the chief judge when she heard the decision; she even went to see the party secretary for the Municipal Committee on Politics and the Law, and now the chief judge wants them to submit a new report. At least Sima Gong was true to his word. The decision angered him, so he submitted the original report. The chief judge said to deal with the six-member review committee. Three are leaning in our direction, while the chief judge and the other two are on their side. It’s even, but if the chief judge shows his cards first, it’s hard to say what those on our side would do. They could change their minds, and even if they don’t, we’d lose if one of them abstained.”

Zhou stopped when he saw Zhuang lying on the sofa with his eyes shut. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Zhuang Laoshi?”

“Keep going.”

“That’s all I know.”

“So, what do you think?” Zhuang asked, his eyes still shut.

“This is a critical moment. The committee will meet again in ten days, because the chief judge is attending a meeting in Beijing. I think you should go see the mayor and ask him to work on the secretary of the Committee on Politics and the Law and the chief judge.”

“I can’t talk to the mayor about this. He’s not a friend, like Meng Laoshi, to whom I can say whatever I want. I’ve asked for his help before, but nothing dealing with legal matters, which was why he was dropping hints. We can’t ask him to help us this time. He’s in a leadership position and can only help out with matters that won’t undermine his status and authority.”

“Then—” Zhou Min was chastened.

Zhuang was about to say more, but changed his mind. Alerted by the silence that followed, Tang came in and saw that the two men were having a disagreement, so she quickly brought out the first three fried cakes. After eating one, Zhuang said he had had enough and needed to leave. Zhou tried but failed to get him to stay longer. “Take care, then.” Zhou walked him out to the lane.entrance

. . .

Before Zhuang arrived home, Zhou Min phoned Niu Yueqing from a pay phone at the lane entrance to tell her about his conversation with her husband. He asked her to talk Zhuang around, and she said she would try. The moment he walked in the door, she asked about the lawsuit, urging him to go see the mayor. He had to, she insisted, even if it meant a loss of face, for otherwise they might lose a lawsuit they expected to win. Zhuang blew up, cursing the devious Zhou Min; he had explained his reasons to Zhou, and yet Zhou had called their house before Zhuang even returned. Niu Yueqing kept trying, and Zhuang finally agreed to go see the mayor, though he couldn’t help but grumble about how easy it was for people to get him to do something.

He went to see the mayor the following morning, but the man was out, and Zhuang returned looking cheerful.

“Why are you happy you didn’t get to see him?” his wife asked. “You’ll have to go again, you know that, don’t you?”

“Don’t push me.”

“I know it’s awkward to ask for help, but we only have eight or nine more days. What will we do if you can’t find him at all?”

“I’ll go again tomorrow, then. What kind of writer have I become? I’ve lost my dignity! I’ll go to his house and wait for him, even if it means that I’ll die waiting there. But there’s one thing I have to make clear to you: You can’t interfere with what I do when I ask for the mayor’s help.”

He went back the next day, but instead of asking for the mayor, he went straight to Huang Defu and inquired after the mayor’s son. The son, whose name was Dazheng, had had polio as a child, which had led to atrophy in one leg; he could walk, but with a serious limp that made him look like a stumblebum. Still single at thirty, Dazheng worked for a foundation for the disabled.

“His physical condition hasn’t changed,” Huang Defu said, “but the mayor and his wife want to see him married. He hasn’t liked any of the girls they’ve introduced to him; he wants a pretty girl, but what pretty girl would want to marry him? So he’s gotten temperamental, causing lots of trouble at home, and the mayor can’t do a thing about him.”

“Nothing is perfect in this world,” Zhuang said. “With an unmarried son, no one, not even the mayor of a major city, can live in peace. In the past, people who opposed the mayor laughed at him for having a disabled son. What will they do to humiliate him if he can’t find his son a wife? I’ve been keeping an eye out for them, though, and I’ve finally found one who’s the right age. She has a high school education, is sharp and competent, and is very attractive. I’m sure Dazheng will have no objections, but I don’t know what the mayor and his wife will say.”

“Have you really found such a girl? If she’s OK with Dazheng, his parents will go along. In fact, the mayor’s wife has talked to me several times, but I haven’t been able to find a match. Tell me, where is this girl? What’s her name and where does she work?”

“You’ll recall meeting her if I tell you who it is. My wife said she ran into you once on the street. Do you remember the girl with her that day?”

“The one with double-fold eyes, a mole on her right brow, long legs, white heeled sandals, and a canine showing on the right when she smiles?”

Zhuang was amazed. “That’s her, Liu Yue. She’s a maid in my house. She has everything going for her except that she doesn’t have Xijing residency.”

“Ai-ya! I couldn’t find such a charming girl if I searched with a lantern. A pretty face is a woman’s best asset. Rural residency is no big deal. It would be easy to get her a city residency card and a job.”

Huang accompanied Zhuang to see the mayor’s wife at the Science Commission. When she heard Zhuang’s idea, she was so happy that she took his hands in hers and said, “Thank you so much for working on this. I’ve worried about that boy’s marriage so much, my hair is turning gray. Have you talked to the girl yet? I’m not sure she’d like Dazheng. It’s happened before; a girl he likes doesn’t like him, or he doesn’t like a girl who likes him. When you talk to the girl, make sure to tell her everything about Dazheng. Don’t keep anything from her.”

Less assured now, Zhuang said, “I mentioned it to her in a roundabout way, and she just blushed without saying what she thought. But I don’t think it will be a problem. Liu Yue has a pretty face and a good heart; she’s smart but not beautiful. We can arrange a meeting for them whenever it’s convenient for you.”

“No need to worry about a convenient time. Bring her over tonight if you’re free; if not, she can come on her own. They will know what it’s about, so we won’t have to say anything about what we’re doing. They’ll know. Just let them talk. It would be wonderful if it worked out, but if not, they could be friends. But no matter what, I thank you.”

After a meeting that night, Zhuang went home. Niu Yueqing, who was chatting with Liu Yue, asked if he had managed to meet with the mayor. “I’ll be the one to go jail if it comes to that, and you won’t have to bring me my food, so what are you worried about?” he said to his wife before asking Liu Yue to see him in his study.

“I’ll take food to you if Dajie won’t,” she said with a smile as she followed him into the study. When he closed the door, she whispered, “What nerve you have! She’s home.”