Sheng Keyi - Northern Girls - Life Goes On

II

As Xiaohong got ready to leave, Sijiang cried bitterly. ‘Sijiang, what’re you crying about? It’s not like I’m dying. I’ll still come and see you when I’m free!’ Xiaohong stuffed all her clothes into her bag, suddenly feeling a little sad.

‘Honghong, this is for you. You love wearing it,’ Sijiang said, taking a beige knee-length jacket from its hanger. Xiaohong tried to refuse, but Sijiang stuffed it into her luggage.

‘Now, you take care of yourself. You’ve got to think things through, you know?’

‘Sure.’

‘And what’re Bud’s plans? Have you met his family yet?’

Sijiang shook her head. ‘He never talks about his family.’

‘Well, no matter what, just make sure he helps you find a job in a factory so you can make a better living. Then you can scrape by while you two take your time talking about your future.’

Sijiang nodded, feeling like her heart was breaking.

‘Sijiang, we can only depend on ourselves. You know what I mean? You don’t need to be afraid of others. There’s nothing at all to be afraid of. You just have to be bold, and don’t be taken in by anyone. Don’t let other people get the better of you.’

Sijiang listened, nodding in agreement. Abruptly she said, ‘I have a feeling we’ll be together again.’

Xiaohong laughed. ‘Of course we will! Who knows what will happen in the future. Look at these past few days — things have changed so much. The things in this bag have been packed and unpacked so many times. God only knows what tomorrow holds.’

They were both silent for a while. Sijiang sighed. Xiaohong sighed too, then lifted her luggage and parted ways with Li Sijiang.

III

Zhu Dachang’s room was on the fourth floor of a building next door to the police station. It was a single room with an en suite bathroom. There was a mattress, and the room was well-lit. It was in a completely different league from Sijiang’s little metal shack.

‘With cops living on either side, there’s nothing to fear at night. You just get settled in, and tomorrow I’ll get in touch with the factories. You’d better be prepared, because whether it’s twelve- or eight-hour shifts, it’s going to be tough,’ Dachang said, with a stern expression.

‘I’m not here for a holiday,’ Xiaohong answered. ‘I’m not afraid of hard work. I’m just afraid there’s no work to do.’

Dachang smiled.

He must be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, Xiaohong speculated, but didn’t have the nerve to ask.

Dachang stayed for a little while then said, ‘I’ve got to go to work. You can sleep or read if you want.’ He pointed to the mattress.

Xiaohong picked up a book and flipped through it. ‘It’s so thick!’ she said.

‘You ought to read Human Weakness . I think it would be good for you.’

That one didn’t look too thick, so she reckoned she could finish it. After he left, Xiaohong lay on the mattress thumbing through the book. But how could she read it? Her mind kept turning to Dachang, wondering why he was being so good to her. Did he have some ulterior motive? If so, why had he not acted on it? She continued to flip through the book as she contemplated, eventually drifting off to sleep.

‘Hungry? I’ve got spicy chicken or pan-fried pork. Which one you want?’ Before dark, Dachang was back, carrying two takeout boxes.

‘Hey! That spicy chicken smells good!’ Xiaohong said, licking her lips.

‘Yeah, you can’t just eat instant noodles the whole time. Give it a couple of weeks, and I bet just the sight of the packets will make you want to puke.’

‘ Zhu Ge , those instant noodles are enough for me, nice and crispy. I’ve already had a pack.’ She pointed to the box marked Dr Kang .

‘Huh? You ate it dry? How did you manage to choke it down? And without adding any seasoning!’

‘I don’t know. I opened it, saw it sitting there dry and so ate it dry,’ she said, attempting to defend herself.

‘Whatever suits you. You can finish the whole box, if you want.’ Dachang shook his head and smiled. ‘I checked around at the factories. I think the conditions at the toy factory are a little better than the others. Tomorrow or the day after, you can report to work. It may take a few more days to get a bed for you, so you can stay here in the meantime. You brought your ID card, right?’

‘I don’t have an ID card.’

‘How old are you?’

‘Seventeen.’

‘Without an ID card, you think anyone’s going to give you a job?’

‘But I haven’t done anything wrong!’

‘Who knows what you have or haven’t done?’

‘If I had an ID card, would it prove I’m no thief?’

‘Look, without an ID card, there’s no way anyone will employ you. So, tomorrow I’ll help you get a temporary ID card. Tell me your date of birth.’

When they had finished dinner, Dachang took her for a ride on his bike. They wound through the industrial area and across a residential neighbourhood to a muddy beach. They stopped there for a while, standing amidst waist-high grass, the wind whipping around them.

‘Don’t go out alone at night. It’s a bit of a chaotic neighbourhood, so you’ve got to be careful,’ Dachang said, as she stood facing the sea.

‘OK. I don’t think I’d want to anyway.’ Xiaohong told him about the time she had been tricked into going to that deserted place in the middle of the night and been treated like a prostitute. She concluded her story with, ‘Things would’ve been better if I’d known you then.’

‘If someone really wants to do something like that, knowing me isn’t any use. What could I have done? In the end, you’ve just got to remember what I’m telling you. Don’t go out alone at night.’

By the time they got back, it was rather late.

‘I start my shift at twelve. If you don’t mind, I’ll just stay here and read for a while,’ Dachang said, glancing at his watch.

‘Of course, it’s your place. You can do whatever you want. Look, I’m going to read too.’ She said, before adding, ‘Eh? Zhu Ge , how do you read this word?’

He came over, scanned the sentence, ‘There’s a dictionary next to the mattress. It’s a teacher with infinite knowledge.’ Looking exhausted, he yawned.

‘ Zhu Ge , you’re tired. Relax for a while.’ Xiaohong budged over on the mattress, making more space for him. He leaned back and continued reading. Xiaohong read too, struggling against her own sleepiness. After a while, her eyes began to close, and her head drooped onto Dachang’s shoulder. The weight on his upper arm grew uncomfortable, but he found it too inconvenient to move. Gradually shifting so that Xiaohong’s head lay in a more level position, he extracted himself and tried to move away, only to find that something had hooked onto his sleeve. Turning back, he saw that it was Xiaohong’s fingers. Her eyes were closed, as if she were caught up in a dream. He pondered for a moment, then reached up and turned off the light. The street lamps outside filled the room with an orange glow.

Dachang, half-lying on the bed, felt his body getting stiff. His right arm was trapped beneath Xiaohong’s left shoulder, her right hand draped across his chest, pressing against his pounding heart. He closed his eyes, afraid to move.

Xiaohong had liked him from the beginning and had always wanted to express her appreciation. Was hooking her finger onto his sleeve an expression of affection or gratitude? She couldn’t be sure herself. She lay quietly, listening to the sound of time slipping away. There was no movement from Dachang. She stretched her body, burying her head into his chest, listening to the drumming of his heart. He inched his way down the bed a little bit at a time. By the time half an hour had passed, he was finally lying flat. Even as he struggled to resist, he steadily lost ground, pledging himself ever more firmly to the bed. Their heads touched, though they tried their best to leave some space between their bodies. Which of them drew closer to the other’s face? It was really hard to say. The whole process was slow as clockwork, making it impossible to tell which movement inspired the other. Dachang’s face was hot, and his breath was laboured and feverish. His rising temperature made him seem ready to explode. He remained motionless, Xiaohong caressing him as she lay draped across his body. His patience amazed her. Had his body not offered irrefutable evidence to the contrary, she would have suspected he was suffering from impotence.