Jia Pingwa - Ruined City

Zhuang did not reply, so they stood there for a while. “Why don’t I walk you home,” he said. He did, then went back to the compound alone.

. . .

When Zhuang told his wife, she was upset but did not reproach the girl. Three days later, an engagement banquet was held at the Afanggong Hotel, where the mayor’s wife, following the old traditions, gave Liu Yue an array of presents: a necklace, a box of imported cosmetic products, a set of sleepwear, a pair of red-and-white high heels, a pair of soft-soled casual shoes, a hair dryer, a leather coat, a fall dress, three blouses, and a blazer. She had never had so many nice things in her life, and she wanted to give the red heels to Niu Yueqing, who declined. So she bought Niu Yueqing a pair of stockings. From then on, Liu Yue made herself up every day, trying out new looks, and whenever she could, she went back into her room to look at herself in the mirror and practice her stockpile of smiles. With new clothes and a more glamorous face came a different way of thinking. She often bought more than the family could consume and then threw out the leftovers when they went bad. When they had visitors, regardless of their status or position, she would pour tea and then sit down in her black embroidered robe. She cut into conversations when she felt like it, sometimes interjecting comments while eating an apple. Puckering up her lips, she would cut a slice, pick it up with a knife, and slip it into her mouth. Displeased by the girl’s behavior, Niu Yueqing said to her once, “Does your mouth hurt, Liu Yue?”

“I don’t want to smear my lipstick,” she said.

With a sigh, Niu Yueqing told her to boil some water. She then shut the kitchen door the moment the girl went in. Knowing that Niu Yueqing did not want her to talk to the guests, Liu Yue came back out of the kitchen looking surly and grumbled all the way to her room. Keeping her anger in check, Niu Yueqing waited until no one was around to ask: “Did you come back by car and leave Zhuang Laoshi waiting on the street that night?”

“The mayor has an official car, and Dazheng asked the driver to take me home, so I got in,” Liu Yue said as she was styling her hair with the dryer. “They would have laughed at me if I hadn’t, and that would have reflected badly on you, too.”

“Then you should have let Zhuang Laoshi know when you came out. He walked you there and waited for you. What did he have while you were enjoying fruit and coffee inside? He waited till midnight, but you came out and just got in the car to be driven away.”

“Did he complain to you about me? I didn’t see him when I came out. Could he really have been waiting all that time? Who knows where they went and what they did.”

“They? Did he invite Meng Laoshi out for a drink?”

Liu Yue’s temper flared up when she saw that Niu Yueqing didn’t believe her. “Who else would it be? Tang Wan’er didn’t go home after we walked out the door; she came with us. When I entered City Hall, they were out there on the street, and I don’t think they needed anything to eat or drink.”

“You’d better watch what you’re saying, Liu Yue. Zhuang Laoshi has many friends, men and women. You’ve gotten a boost in your status, but you would hurt his feelings if he heard what you just said. Besides, Wan’er has always been nice to you. Didn’t she bring over her own clothes for you to choose from that night?”

“Dajie is the Happy Buddha, with a belly big enough to take in things that are too hard to swallow,” Liu said with a laugh. “Just pretend I didn’t say anything. You’re unhappy with me anyway, but I’ll be leaving soon.”

Niu Yueqing mulled over what she had just heard. In the past, she and Zhuang had fought often, but each time whatever it was about was smoothed over; they continued to eat together and slept in the same bed, having sex at least once a week. But since he had met Tang Wan’er, the situation had slowly begun to change. They seemed to fight less and seldom quarreled, but they did not come together for three weeks or more. She wondered if Liu Yue was just being a blabbermouth. He was away a good deal of the time and was withdrawn at home, probably because of all his troubles.

“I don’t like trouble, Liu Yue,” she said to the girl. “You came to work for us because we had a karmic connection. I’ve always treated you like a sister, and I’ve never looked down on you. I wish you could stay here forever, but that’s impossible. Soon you’ll be married into the mayor’s family, a wonderful outcome that both your Zhuang Laoshi and I worked hard to bring about. We don’t expect any repayment, but you must behave well while you’re still here, so that others won’t gossip.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what I think now that you’ve said what’s on your mind. If I were a typical girl from a family in the city, not a maid, would you have said those things to me? In your eyes, I’m always the country girl, the maid, and now you find it hard to take when I’m the equal of any city girl. Of course I’m grateful to you, and I’d be happy to spend the rest of my life here. I’m going to marry a disabled guy who’s like the Monkey King eating a pear when he sits down; who can’t bring his legs together in bed; who stands like a one-legged golden chicken; and who trips over himself when he walks, like a tethered cow. Am I really marrying so well? I want to live so that no one will ever think I’m a maid from the countryside.” As she talked, Liu Yue started feeling sorry for herself, so she went to her room to dry her tears.

Niu Yueqing had wanted to teach the girl a lesson, but she ended up being the target of Liu’s criticism. Feeling her face burn, she wanted to defend herself, but held back. The next day, Zhuang hastily downed two bowls of rice and got up to go to his study. Reminded of what Liu Yue had said about Zhuang and Tang Wan’er waiting together on the street, Niu Yueqing felt her appetite leave her. She stirred the contents of her bowl without putting anything in her mouth. “Can’t you sit and talk awhile after you’re done eating?” she asked.

“My mood is at its worst before and after mealtime, so please don’t bother me.”

“But that’s the only time we have to talk. I wouldn’t ask you to say a word if you weren’t my husband.”

The displeased tone in her voice stopped him. “You’re right. If someone on the street tried to stop my wife and talk to her, I’d call him a rotten bastard. Well, let’s talk, then. It’s a clear day, the high is thirty-four degrees, and the low—” He flicked his wrist and went into his study.

Clamping her mouth shut, Niu Yueqing sighed and pushed aside her bowl and chopsticks. She stood and followed him into the study. “Tell me the truth. Are you involved with Tang Wan’er?” she blurted out, so surprising him that he froze before blowing out cigarette smoke.

“Yes,” he said with his eyes on her face.

Though she had been suspicious of her husband and Wan’er, Niu Yueqing was hoping for the best with her question; he might deny it outright, swear his innocence, or fly into a rage, but there would be no more doubts. But he had calmly said, “Yes.”

Troubled by his response, she felt her face darken. “Well, at least you’re being honest. Now tell me how involved. When you walked Liu Yue to meet Dazheng that night, did you really spend all that time alone on the street? You came home late and told me that Liu Yue got into a car without telling you. Where did you and Tang Wan’er go? What did you do? Tell me.”

Her questions told him that everything was coming to a head. He had said “Yes” in that calm tone because he wanted to test her reaction, but now he regretted his tactic. “Liu Yue,” he called out, “what did you say to Dajie? Are you being a troublemaker?”