Jia Pingwa - Ruined City

“I want to talk to you about something. When was the last time you saw Zhao Jingwu? Be honest with me.”

“It’s been several days.” She blushed. “Did he say something to you?”

Instead of replying, Zhuang asked, “Have you been intimate?”

“I’m leaving if this is what you want to talk to me about.”

“What I mean is,” Zhuang said with a serious look, “do you really love him?”

“Have you had too much to drink? You were our matchmaker, and now you’re asking me if I love him. Do you plan to match me with someone else?”

“Yes.”

Liu Yue looked stunned, and Zhuang continued, “I’ve given it some thought. Zhao isn’t bad, but he’s been around. He’s seen a lot, and he’s clever enough to adapt. Handsome men like him usually have lots of girls chasing after them, and I’m worried that he won’t be nice to you forever. I’d have done you wrong if that happened. I’m not your father, but you work here, and I’m responsible for you. I have another candidate in mind. His looks can’t compare with Zhao’s, but ten Jingwus wouldn’t be his match in terms of social status and financial situation. And your residency could be arranged right way. I’ll be straight with you: it’s the mayor’s son.”

Her eyes lit up. “The mayor’s son?” She immediately shook her head. “You’re toying with me, aren’t you? Why would the mayor’s son want to marry me? I considered myself blessed to be working at your house and having had something with you for a while. I can’t possibly have so many good things happen to me.”

“Well, that’s what miracles are all about. You’re smart and you’re pretty, and those are your best assets. I want to be frank with you. He’s not good-looking, so you’ll have to think about it. If you agree to the marriage, you won’t have to worry about Jingwu. I’ll talk to him.”

“How bad does he look?”

“He has a problem with his leg, from polio as a child. But he’s not a cripple and he doesn’t use a cane. Mentally he’s all there. Many girls want to marry him, but the mayor’s wife hasn’t liked any of them. She’s seen you and likes you a lot.”

“So that’s it. He’s disabled. You’re selling me defective goods.”

“You’re a clever girl, and there’s no need for me to say more. Take your time and think it over while I read. You can tell me when you’ve made up your mind.” Zhuang picked up a book and sat down to read. She sighed and leaned back against the sofa with her eyes shut. Out of the corner of his eye, Zhuang saw two sparkling teardrops roll out of her eyes beneath her long lashes, the sight of which made his heart ache, so he shut the book and stood up. “All right, Liu Yue. Just forget what I said. Go chat with your dajie.”

To his surprise, she rushed into his arms and said tearfully, “Do you think this will work?”

“You will have to decide for yourself.” He dried her tears.

“I want you to tell me. Will it work?” He looked up at the bookcase before nodding. “All right.” She got out of his arms and stood up straight. “I believe my luck is going to change for the better. I can feel it, really. I felt that way the moment I arrived in this city. Go tell them Liu Yue is willing.”

Zhuang opened the door and walked out of the study.

“What were you talking about in there, sneaking around like that?” Niu Yueqing asked.

“What were we talking about? Something big just happened, I’ll have you know.”

“What?” Niu Yueqing was frightened.

“Hitler is dead,” Zhuang said with a smile.

“What a windbag! This is the first time you’ve smiled at me in months!” she said angrily.

Wiping the smile off his face, he said, “I want to talk to you about something.”

Liu Yue picked that moment to walk out. When she heard him, she spun around and went to her own room, locking the door behind her.

“I introduced Liu Yue to the mayor’s son; they’re getting engaged. What do you think of that?”

“Are you engaged in human trafficking? You promised her to Zhao Jingwu, and now you’re handing her over to the mayor’s son?” She was nearly shouting.

“You promised not to interfere when I sought the mayor’s help. So now you have to stay out of this.”

“So you’re getting cold-hearted, marrying her to the mayor’s son?” Niu Yueqing softened her tone. “We may win the case, but have you thought about what to say to Jingwu? We have to rely on him, since we can’t trust Hong Jiang anymore.”

“Would I have gotten into the water if I hadn’t measured the depth?” He went to his study to sleep.

As she sat in the living room, Niu Yueqing turned the news over in her head, wondering how her husband could have dreamed up such a scheme. He was not normally a decisive man, but this time he had shown that he knew how to handle a serious matter. Still, she was beset by apprehension. This had come about because she had more or less forced him to see the mayor, so there was nothing she could say now. She decided to look at it more positively: on the surface, they were being unfair to the loyal Zhao in order to butter up the mayor, but it was in fact to safeguard many people’s best interests by sacrificing those of one person. She asked Liu Yue to come out. “Are you really willing to marry Dazheng?”

“Sure, why not? He’s disabled, but I think that’s my fate anyway. If I married Zhao Jingwu, something might happen to him to make him lose a leg or an arm.”

The girl’s answer impressed Niu Yueqing; obviously she was facing reality, which pleased her. “It’s not that bad, you know. I’ve met Dazheng, and he’s much better than you think. On the other hand, even if he had no arms or legs, he’d still be ten times better than someone with ten arms and ten legs. When you marry him, you’ll be living like royalty. Thousands of people will be green with envy. But you can’t forget us.”

“Of course I’ll forget you. I’ll get the police to arrest you or chase you out of the city, because I can’t have you always telling people that I was once a maid in your house.” Then she laughed, as did Niu Yueqing.

That evening, as Liu Yue made herself up in front of a mirror, Niu Yueqing helped apply blush to her cheeks, watched by Zhuang, who repeatedly told Niu Yueqing to add more. There was nothing bright in Liu’s wardrobe, and Niu Yueqing’s clothes were all too plain, so Zhuang rode his scooter over to see Tang Wan’er. Tang and Zhou were both happy, for their own reasons, when they heard that Liu Yue would be marrying the mayor’s son. Tang gathered up a few items and climbed onto the back of the scooter. “Liu Yue was born with such good luck,” she said along the way, “for now she’ll rise above us all. She’s going to wear my clothes today, but who knows what luxury items she’ll be putting on tomorrow. She could toss her satin and silk clothes into a trashcan, and I wouldn’t be lucky enough to get even one. Obviously you like her more than you do me, for you’ve been thinking about her future, while no one cares whether I live or die.” She choked up.

“Would you accept it if I told you to marry a disabled man? Don’t be envious. You want it all — love, money, fun, beauty, and—”

“And what?”

“You know what I mean. If I knew a man better than me, I’d fix you up with him and wouldn’t even sigh over it.”

She thumped him on the back and said, “I don’t care about anyone else. You’re the one I want. I just hope you’ll marry me as soon as possible.”

Liu Yue, wearing only a bra and panties, was doing her hair with the bathroom door open, so she shrieked and shut the door when Zhuang and Tang arrived. Tang went into the bathroom with a pile of her clothes and said, “He wouldn’t dare look at you even if you asked him to. He’d be afraid the mayor would cut out his eyes.” The two women giggled as Liu tried on the clothes. “Come take a look, Shimu,” Tang said. “These look like they were made for her. The mayor’s son will probably dance around when he sees her.”