Sheng Keyi - Northern Girls - Life Goes On

He lay down on his stomach and Sijiang, not quite knowing how to go about giving him a massage, proceeded on a chaotic program of pinching and prodding at his back. He didn’t seem to mind, concentrating instead on chatting idly with her. When she’d finished with his back, he rolled over. For a moment, Sijiang couldn’t decide where to begin. Bud took her hand and said, ‘Ah Jiang, I really like you.’

Having never heard words like these from a man before, Sijiang felt her apple-shaped face begin to burn. Her lips moved to form the words ‘I like you too’, but just as the words were ready to burst forth, they inexplicably pulled back before she could release them.

‘Ah Jiang, you like me too, right?’

She nodded vigorously.

She took hold of his arm just above the elbow and started massaging. He looked at her and said, ‘My leg’s a little sore.’

She moved to his thigh and began her massage on the outside, working her way inward as she went. Pulling himself up and propping himself on an elbow, Bud asked, ‘Ah Jiang, are you a virgin?’

She hesitated, an unhappy expression coming over her face.

‘Never mind, I’m just asking. Don’t be mad. It doesn’t matter a bit whether you are a virgin or not. I thought… I just wondered if you’d massage this part,’ he said earnestly. His jeans looked like they were inflated. Exhaling, he opened his zip, caught her hand and pushed it inside his trousers.

III

The fellow whose head was currently in Xiaohong’s hands had been to the salon several times before. He worked at the neighbouring factory. He wore an employee ID card on his chest that read ‘Project Supervisor: Si Daling’. In his mid-twenties and quite good-looking, he loved to come in and chat with Xiaohong. She always called him Supervisor, since that was what his badge said. When she’d finished washing and drying his hair, she’d massage his scalp using so little force that it was more like caressing than massaging. He always kept his head forward, avoiding the natural cushion of Xiaohong’s breasts, which made his neck look tense. ‘Relax, lean back a little,’ she said. Upon leaning back, his head touched her chest and he immediately closed his eyes, a seemingly automatic response.

‘Si isn’t a common family name. Is it your real name?’

‘Yeah. I only ever knew one other Si at college. We were especially close, sharing the same surname.’

‘You’re such a nerd. Are all college boys like you?’ Xiaohong’s hand was working on his neck. She felt the skin turn hot and his pulse increase. The Supervisor said nothing. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and looked straight ahead at the mirror’s reflection of a pair of eyes staring at him with a flirtatious smile.

Avoiding her gaze, he said, ‘Why don’t you come and work in the plant? Girls who work in salons pick up lots of bad habits.’

The pair continued to chat. When they’d finished, Si said, ‘Would you like to come to my factory and have a look round?’

The shop was not busy. Ah Qing was arranging towels and clearing up some scattered hairpins. Sijiang had not come out of the massage room. Xiaohong said to Ah Qing, ‘I’m going out for a while. I’ll be back soon.’

Situated on a huge lawn, the factory looked like one big garden. They went into the dormitory and climbed to the third floor. ‘Here it is,’ Si said.

‘You live here alone?’

‘Yes. It’s a bit messy. You like to read? I’ve got lots of books.’

Xiaohong went to the bookshelf to have a look. She picked up a book on appreciating Tang poetry. Flipping the pages, she finally found the starting point. Fortunately, Si was busy pouring tea and didn’t notice her unfamiliarity.

‘You like Tang poetry?’

‘Yeah.’ Though she had, in fact, read some of Li Bai’s poetry describing the moonlight falling into a bedroom, she regretted her affirmative answer as soon as she’d given it. ‘Hey, Supervisor, where are you from?’ she asked, fearing Si would start talking about classical poetry if she didn’t quickly change the subject.

‘Zhejiang. After I left college, I came south to Shenzhen on my own. It’s a tough city. Ah Hong, have a seat.’

She sat on the edge of the bed and Si sat down next to her. Both were antsy in their movements, obviously feeling the awkwardness of the situation.

‘You want to see my photo album?’

‘Of course!’

He pulled out a large album. It was huge. He placed one side on his right leg, the other on Xiaohong’s left thigh, each bearing half the weight of the oversized album. Neither his right arm nor her left moved. They sat as still as if they were soldiers standing at attention, waiting for Cupid to descend upon them. They drew their heads together over the album, Xiaohong’s fringe brushing against Si’s nose as his breath blew softly against it.

‘You’re so handsome. None of these guys are as good-looking as you.’ Their hearts leapt to their throats, making their breathing heavier. The chemistry in the air was dizzying, making them lose all sense of space. Xiaohong struggled to find something funny to say, just to prove she was not getting carried away.

The fingers of his right hand sought those of her left. One, two, three, four, five — step by step, it moved nearer until it pressed upon her left hand. She moved her hand a little and he responded more forcefully. The left hand gave in and the right hand caressed it softly. The album sat on the thighs, with no free hand to turn the pages. The left ear felt hot breath flowing over it, then a tongue tickling it before it was overcome wholly, lost in a tide of lips, mouth and tongue. Her mouth turned to meet the coming flood. There was half a second’s pause and they surrendered to the deluge in a frenzied pleasure.

‘I don’t want to mislead you. I’m sorry. I got caught up in the moment.’ The lips released her gently and the tide receded.

‘You should find a better job,’ Si said, casting his gaze upon her ample bosom.

IV

A woman’s life is never easy. All of the ladies employed by The 007 Salon were unwell. It was not physical, but more of a mental issue. They had all changed during their time at the salon. Ah Ling was thinking of how she could overcome the old man’s stubbornness, breaking down the barrier securely established between them and moving things on to a new level. She was determined to go out and find an easier way to make a living. Ah Qing was so distracted that whenever she washed hair, shampoo dropped onto the customer’s body, but no one knew what was bothering her. Sijiang suddenly seemed like a full-grown woman, her gestures taking on a new charm. Meanwhile, Xiaohong was busy learning to appreciate Tang poetry and, though Si came by less frequently, her mind was forever dwelling on the moment that had passed between them that day in his room. Educated people were different, more easily upset over small matters. Even after all the men she had been with, she’d never felt so intoxicated before. Could it be love?

It was only upon hearing that Si wanted her to find a better job that Xiaohong realised that she had completely forgotten about the Lucky Duck Handbag Factory. Even if she went now, it would be too late. Flinging the book away, she said, ‘Hey Sijiang, come and give me a massage!’

Sijiang was eating some sour plums that Bud had left for her, sucking and chewing on them, her teeth and tongue at war inside her mouth until every trace of flesh had been scraped off the stone and there was no flavour left. She would spit out the pit and pop another plum into her mouth, as if eating the plums was a sign of her loyalty to Bud, though it might have been that the flavour simply helped her to savour her own affections for him. She stood behind Xiaohong, her hands aimlessly kneading away without any rhythm or pattern. Xiaohong’s head touched Sijiang’s chest and she cried out in surprise, ‘Hey Sijiang! Have you filled out? That’s some improvement. Is that what comes from constantly munching on those plums?’