Sheng Keyi - Death Fugue

Mengliu noticed that a darkness had fallen over Qizi’s face, and her ears were inflamed. He signalled her with his eyes, and pushing his bike walked in the opposite direction, away from the demonstration. Beside the mighty torrent of people rushing towards Round Square, he and Qizi were like a pair of fish swimming against the current, furiously shaking head and tail in their efforts to reach a buffer zone. By the entrance to the Green Flower, they saw Shunyu at the window watching the action. She winked and waved to them.

There was not a single customer in the bar. Her father was wiping glasses at the counter, wearing the expression of a man who was smoking a pipe. His eyes were half closed, and his teeth were clenched on one side. His hair flew and curled chaotically, and his face was flushed.

They sat at the window, their stomachs rumbling. Their morning meal had long since been burned up, but they had no appetite now.

There was an unceasing flow of demonstrators before the bar’s entrance.

Mengliu could not look at the street any longer. Taking out his chuixun , he began to blow a few bars in his frustration, then put it back into his pocket.

Shunyu’s father brought over some food, saying amicably that it was all free. After a while, he brought a jug of wine and said with enthusiasm, ‘I’m very happy to have a few glasses of wine with some young people.’

Mengliu understood that this was his way of rewarding them for not participating in the march. He also wanted to take the opportunity to find out about the young people’s ‘ideas for the future and feelings about life’.

‘I used to play the xun pretty well when I was young,’ he said pleasantly, sighing. ‘The life of a soldier is monotonous, and my comrades-in-arms would pester me all day to play for them. Comrades like to hear the chuixun, isn’t this the popular taste? But the senior officer of our unit thought the tunes were negative and depressing, that they wouldn’t boost morale, so I wasn’t allowed to play any more — though he said a harmonica would’ve been all right. Fuck him! That was only his personal preference. But he was the senior officer, and I was just a soldier. My fingers were itching to play, but I had to control myself and obey orders. The army is inhumane. It doesn’t talk reason…So, look at those people outside. Processions, sit-ins, even if they create a greater disturbance, it’ll all be the same. It’s futile.’

Shunyu’s father rattled on. Some regular customers came in and called to him, and he hastily greeted them. When he came back, the alcohol made him all the more flushed.

‘Shunyu said you two are going overseas to study. That’s good. Such an opportunity isn’t easy to come by! You’ll definitely have a brighter future,’ he continued. Then he turned his criticism on his daughter. ‘I just don’t understand, my girl, why you are reluctant to go abroad. Go add something to your life, like plating something with gold, learn from other people…To tell the truth, there’s a lot of things worth studying overseas…Really, a lot.’ He munched on some roasted peanuts and, his face coming alive, he said as if to himself, ‘This faecal matter has been going on for several months now, hasn’t it?’

Mengliu said cautiously, ‘Off and on for about three months.’

The old man’s nostrils flared, snorting out alcoholic fumes, and he took a hesitant sip of his wine. He seemed about to speak, but held back.

‘I hear that representatives have met with the people, and they have negotiated. It seems they’ve agreed to find some experts to come and study the matter again, and to publish their findings about its DNA.’ Shunyu glanced at her father. Seeing that he didn’t object to what she had said, she continued, ‘But there’s still one condition the official representatives haven’t agreed to.’

‘What condition?’ It was Shunyu’s father who asked, breaking his own rule that no one should speak of politics, much to everyone’s surprise.

‘Father, do you really want to hear about it?’

‘Silly girl. If you’re going to talk about the situation, at least do so clearly.’

Shunyu said, ‘It’s about admitting that people from the Wisdom Bureau got beaten up.’

‘The Wisdom Bureau people were beaten up?’ her father asked.

‘Yes, the newspaper made false claims, saying that it was the police who had been beaten.’

Shunyu’s father took a deep breath, and then muttered, ‘The newspapers always lie, but it’s hard to believe they would stoop so low.’

No one replied to his mumbling, since he clearly didn’t expect an answer. This was his usual attitude. He had his own way of dealing with things.

Just then, more customers came in and Shunyu’s father left the wine jug but took his own cup. As he walked away, he reminded them, ‘Don’t talk politics,’ then swung his large form around to welcome his guests. It was several of his regular customers, and he led them up to the second floor.

‘Your father really loosened up on his restrictions today,’ Mengliu said.

‘The main reason was that you played the chuixun well. My father takes you as a soul mate.’ Shunyu smiled happily. ‘In fact, there’s no generation gap between my father and us. He likes to tell me about how things were when he was young. He did one thing once that was exceptionally absurd and romantic —’

‘Shunyu, come here!’ her father called.

‘He seems to have a sensor. Any time I want to say something bad about him, he calls me.’ Shunyu stuck her tongue out and went to answer her father’s call. When she came back, her face was flushed with embarrassment. She said her father’s old army comrade had come, bringing his son with him, to discuss a marriage between the young man and herself. At this point, the tail of the body of demonstrators disappeared from the doorway, and Qizi’s eyes suddenly looked vacant. ‘Maybe the negotiations will be useful. Then everyone’s hard work won’t be wasted.’

‘Yeah. Many of the leading intellectuals and celebrities are responding.’ Shunyu spoke excitedly, as if she herself were a participant.

‘You act as if you’re concerned about society, but really for you it’s all about Hei Chun. This is called being blinded by love.’ Qizi smiled, looking at Mengliu as he refilled his wineglass. ‘You should seize the opportunity to tell him. If not, it’s likely someone else will grab him.’

In a panic, Shunyu looked toward the inner depths of the bar and seeing her father was still upstairs, she settled her nerves again. ‘Only if you’re the one snatching him from me,’ she retorted.

‘Shunyu, what kind of rubbish is that you’re talking?’ Qizi chided.

Shunyu’s words had aroused Mengliu’s interest. He had had a lot to drink, and the free flow of wine was going to his head. He looked red and hot.

‘Hei Chun is talented, and there are certainly lots of girls who like him.’ His jealousy had provoked a cynical rivalry in him. ‘Especially when he goes up on the podium to speak, he looks so valiant. He speaks well, has a manly voice, and when the girls listen to him, they lose their wits.’ He turned to Qizi and continued, ‘Are you like all the rest? No? I bet your heart thumps at least a few times…Hei Chun, that son of a bitch. He just pretends not to notice the thousands of girls whose hearts throb for him. You’re right! He’s got his eye on someone, the bastard.’

Shunyu stood up silently and left.

Mengliu realised that Qizi’s face had darkened and her eyes were fixed on him in a murderous glare.

‘You…What’s wrong with you? Eh…why are you looking at me like a tigress?’

Qizi did not say anything, but continued to stare at him until tears began to fall. The murderous look was extinguished. She snatched Mengliu’s wineglass and swallowed the drink in one gulp. She drank so fast she choked.