Jia Pingwa - Ruined City

. . .

They did not have a chance to use Tiger’s ruse before the Municipal Intermediate Court issued its verdict, which was exactly as Sima Gong had predicted. The news spread quickly, and the phone at Zhuang’s house rang off the hook for days. Guests came one after another, keeping Liu Yue busy boiling water to make tea and sweeping mounds of watermelon seeds into the trashcan. One day a round of firecrackers went off downstairs, after which Wang Ximian and his wife, Ruan Zhifei, Zhou Min, Meng Yunfang, Xia Jie, Hong Jiang, and Hong Jiang and his new bride swarmed in. Niu Yueqing was so happy she shook hands with each of them.

“Well, you’re all here. I knew you’d come, but how did you manage to get everyone together? Who organized it?”

“Who organized it? Heaven did. I won’t shake hands, Dajie. I’m so happy, I need a hug,” Ruan said, drawing loud cheers from the others.

“Great. Let’s see if she has the guts to do it,” they said.

“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” Niu Yueqing said, prompting Ruan to walk up and put his arms around her, which made them roar with laughter. Zhuang had just fallen asleep on the sofa in the study, exhausted from days of receiving a continuous string of visitors expressing their congratulations. He had left early that morning to visit Bai Yuzhu and Sima Gong, then had lain down after he came home. Roused by the crowd, he came out with a smile, offering seats to everyone now that Liu Yue had given them all some Dragonwell green tea.

“What can we offer them today?” Zhuang asked his wife.

“Don’t worry about the food. Liu Yue and I will take care of it. Why don’t you go buy a bottle of Wuliangye, ten bottles of coconut juice, and a case of beer?”

Liu Yue was amazed by the intimate, genial attitude between husband and wife in front of the guests. Zhuang was about to leave when Zhou said that he would go. “Zhou Min is strong, so let him do it,” Niu Yueqing said. “Where’s Wan’er, Zhou Min? Why didn’t she come?”

“She hasn’t been feeling well lately. She feels like throwing up every time she eats, and she complains of a lack of energy. Her belly looks swollen. I’m worried she might have hepatitis. She sends her regards.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. She should be here; she’d make it more festive. How terrible for a young woman to have hepatitis. You should take her to see a doctor, young man. Be careful. She’s such a pretty girl, you need to pay more attention.”

“You’re so nice to be concerned. Actually, it’s better she’s not here,” Zhou said softly. “Wang Ximian’s wife is here today, and Wan’er doesn’t like her.” He walked away, and Niu Yueqing turned to see Zhuang peeling apples for the guests. “Go sit down,” she said as she snatched the knife away from him. “I’ll do it.”

When she finished, she handed the apples to the guests. “Why isn’t Zhao Jingwu here?” she asked Zhuang in a low voice.

“I was wondering that myself. I don’t know.”

“Could it have something to do with Liu Yue?” she asked.

“I’ve talked to him about it twice already. He was incensed over her choice of the rich and powerful.”

“Save your intimate talk for later in bed,” Meng Yunfang said. “You’re ignoring a roomful of guests, whispering like that.”

“You have a foul mouth, Old Meng,” Niu Yueqing said with a smile. “I was just asking him why Zhao Jingwu isn’t here. What’s he up to? Hong Jiang, when you see him, tell him I’m unhappy with him. Does he think so highly of himself that I have to send a sedan chair for him?”

Hong Jiang, who was making a comment to Liu Xiaoka about the calligraphy on the wall, turned to say, “Sure, I’ll tell him and shame him a bit. He must have something urgent to deal with; otherwise he’d be here.”

As they talked, Zhou Min and Liu Yue returned with the liquor. Niu Yueqing set the table, went to the refrigerator to take out some cold dishes that had been prepared ahead of time, and opened cans of fish and some donkey and dog meat. After laying out twelve platters of food, she offered everyone something to drink before going to the kitchen with Liu Yue to cook. They all raised their glasses as Ruan said, “It’s not easy for us all to be together like this. Let’s have a toast for winning the case.”

With a cheer, they downed their drinks. Zhou quickly refilled their glasses before raising his own. “I want to thank everyone, too. We managed to survive the battle.”

“You should be happy now, Zhou Min,” Xia Jie said. “It would have made everyone feel better if you could have gotten Jing Xueyin to come to Zhuang Laoshi’s home.”

“When I went to the toilet yesterday,” he said, “I heard someone crying in the women’s room. I couldn’t tell who it was, so I waited in the hallway to see who came out. She had on dark glasses. I was going to hand her a handkerchief to dry her tears, but decided to let her off the hook.”

“Let her off the hook? You’re such a pushover,” Hong Jiang said. “Everyone who knew about this has been spreading the news, and people are wondering why she even filed the suit, since her affair with Zhuang Laoshi was so long ago. Zhuang Laoshi crushed her by providing the dates and places where they’d made love, and she lost.”

“That’s just gossip,” Zhuang said. “I didn’t even go to court, so how could I do that? “I’ve learned an important lesson, and that is to never get involved in a lawsuit.”

“If that’s gossip, then don’t stop it,” Hong said. “In my view, this must be considered another glorious event in the life of Zhuang Laoshi. Other men couldn’t get a woman to do that even if they wanted to, and there’s no way they could have created such a storm.”

“Zhuang Laoshi’s only mistake was trying to be clever,” Meng Yunfang said. “If it had been me—”

“What if it had been you?” Xia asked him.

With his eyes on his wife, Meng raised his glass, “I’d finish this coconut juice.” He gulped down the contents, making everyone laugh. Someone jeered, saying he was henpecked. Someone else joked that Xia Jie was keeping her man on a short leash.

“Xia Jie is right to do that,” Niu Yueqing said. “A woman must keep a close eye on her man, or something can happen when you least expect it.”

“You’re right,” Meng said. “It’s precisely because she watches me so closely that I’m still a virgin.”

Forcing an awkward smile, Zhuang picked up his pipe. “So you’re Tripitaka, the monk from the Tang dynasty,” he said. “His trip to India for the sutras was made hard because he was a virgin, and all those demons wanted to eat his flesh.”

Wang Ximian’s wife smiled.

“Famed Painter,” Meng said, “why are you so quiet today? Being good when your wife is around?”

“He’s not much of a talker,” Wang’s wife said. “Don’t blame me.”

Meng reached out to snatch the pipe from Zhuang’s mouth and smoke it himself, prompting Wang’s wife to say, “That’s not hygienic, Yunfang. Pipes, like toothbrushes, are for personal use only.”

Meng handed the pipe back to Zhuang. “Women are always worried about hygiene. You say Wang Ximian isn’t much of a talker, so how come that day at the Sheraton Dance Club the two of you were talking each other’s ear off? Is he only a talker with you?”

“Sheraton? I’ve never been there,” she said.

“Ai-ya! I shouldn’t have said that. Let me slap myself.”

“Stop causing trouble, Yunfang. I can tell stories about you if you insist upon telling them about me,” Wang said.

“Go ahead,” Xia Jie said. “I won’t be jealous. Men can have lovers, and so can women.”

“I guess you’ve already done that,” said Ruan. “How come you never told us?”