Sheng Keyi - Northern Girls - Life Goes On

‘Basically, it’s like this. You see if there’s any value to the information here.’ He handed her a few photocopied documents in a file, as devoutly as a girl giving away her virginity. Xiaohong took it, full of gratitude, and began to read, not overlooking even the tiniest of punctuation marks. When she had finished reading, she did not understand a thing. She could only remember that there were a great number of sterilisation cases and that the volume of human traffic was even more alarming. Then it suddenly hit her. People mated every day. Gorgeously apparelled, they flirted all day and went about their night-time business without a stitch of clothing on. This sort of healthy reproductive life led to a whole lot of problems.

She bit the bullet and worked that evening until five or six. When she knocked off, she only had about a hundred words of an introduction, nearly eighty of which were dug out word for word from the summary.

‘If it’s a rooster, then it’s a rooster. No matter how long you wait, it won’t lay an egg.’ Xiaohong finally understood what lay behind that old expression from her hometown. She was now just a rooster, incapable of laying an egg. She’d been put to roost by Dr Lei.

‘Lei Yigang is such a prick!’ Xiaohong mercilessly pounded the desk a couple of times then, quivering, paraded around the office, chest thrust out. She decided not to waste any more time on the report. She would show him. She was a rooster. She couldn’t do a hen’s work.

On the phone with the chairman, all was quiet in the background, as if he were in the car or at home. This gynaecologist’s voice was always soft, like he was treating one of those sensitive illnesses. It was the same touch he used when caring for all the female genitalia he handled.

‘Let’s talk more specifically,’ Dr Lei said, as if just talking would settle Xiaohong’s problem.

‘It’s hard to say it clearly over the phone, sir. This report is very important to you, and I’m afraid I’ll hold everything up.’

‘We’ve still got time. Come on round and we’ll talk about the specifics.’

‘Where are you? And do you want me to bring the materials?’

‘Yes, bring it all. I’m in my office.’

II

Dr Lei was in his office. Xiaohong had not expected this. Nor had she expected to find him sleeping. What was he doing sleeping now, she wondered. His freshly awakened beardless face was especially flushed and boyish. A face like that on a man was unbelievable. His lips were even redder and wetter than usual, always looking as if he had just had a drink.

Breezily, the door swung open. Dr Lei carelessly knocked against Xiaohong as he casually plopped down on the sofa, blithely waving for her to randomly select a spot to sit there as well. The sofa was like plastic, making her backside warm. As her posterior heated up, she inevitably moved, and in moving, the two rear ends were suddenly in quite close proximity to one another. Before they had even started talking business, the pair of arses had already begun a vague dispute of their own.

‘How should I put it? This material is both easy and difficult to write. If you’ve never done it before, it’s quite hard. But once you’ve got started, it gets easier,’ he said, not offering any insight that was of much use. Xiaohong was not awkward this time. She actually looked at Dr Lei and smiled, as if his advice was full of wisdom. She looked very appreciative as she listened. Dr Lei mentioned very specifically his own outstanding contributions to medicine, saying that this could be one of the more important accomplishments of the hospital to focus pen and ink on. It was necessary to look at what had happened before, he said, in order to focus on future advancements, highlight programmes and show the municipal leaders the sort of development the hospital was aiming for.

‘Got it?’ Dr Lei once again seemed to be full of hot air. ‘Xiaohong, you write it up. When you’re done, I’ll have a look and do some tweaking.’ Dr Lei casually reached over and took the material from Xiaohong’s hand. Xiaohong noticed that his hand was as white as if it had been sterilised. On the back of his hand, miraculously, there were a few black hairs. Thinking of how that hand had taken the scalpel to countless women and of the relations it had had with a multitude of women’s private places, Xiaohong felt nauseous and seemed to detect the smell of blood.

‘Dr Lei, your help has given me some inspiration. I’ll go and write it up.’ Xiaohong peeled her backside from the sofa. His hand struck a moment too late. Failing to get hold of Xiaohong, his nails merely grazed her skin. She smiled airily and, gently opening the door, casually went on her way.

Dr Lei drifted up from the sofa.

III

The atmosphere was a little tense, those days. Even the slightest thing would cause idle tongues to pounce like flies, buzzing about finding fault and making irresponsible remarks.

Youqing was secretly entangled with two men and her face grew longer and sharper. Her menstrual cycle was suddenly enshrouded in mystery. She no longer gave regular reports. It was as if, once she was on the right track, the matter was gradually forgotten. Youqing seemed to have some difficulty managing her own private life, such as her relationship with Xia. Unfortunately, Xiaohong had discovered it and, although she was too lazy to expose them, Youqing found it harder to carry on the charade.

That day on the rooftop, when Youqing had cursed Xiaohong for closing in on Xia, Xiaohong had heard everything clearly. Xia had said he could never like her. She understood. Whatever the pair had said after that did not matter. He was dodging her, which just proved how powerless he was. A man who was afraid to face a woman was at the very least weak-willed. Xia was also very hypocritical, his love life mixed up with a wide range of factors. He wanted to go to bed with Xiaohong, but he hid it, always looking over his shoulder as he slunk around. Xiaohong remembered that night very clearly, all of his trembling excitement. If he had not had the desire for some time, if he had not felt some real emotion, then he would not have been so frantic. The way he suppressed his desires, Xia’s life must be devoid of passion. What a flaccid existence!

As Xiaohong brooded over the report, Xia and Youqing were wondering how Dr Lei had come to give the assignment to Xiaohong. When Xia and his ex had divided up their assets after the divorce, he ended up with the apartment. Three bedrooms and a family room in a housing estate that was not too shabby. The lawn was green and full of red flowers throughout the year. Living here gave one a sense of satisfaction, naturally increasing one’s sex drive. So as soon as the pair had decided that Xia should go to Dr Lei at the hospital the next day to discuss the matter of the report, they embraced and made their way to the bedroom. Once they had taken care of things thoroughly there, they continued discussing the feasibility of the plan.

‘Youqing, tell me specifically how you think I should go about it so as not to let Dr Lei misunderstand my intentions. I know he’s an extremely perceptive man, not the usual sort of guy at all. Once you offend him, that sweet, warm smile won’t be turned on you again,’ he said, trying his best to see into the future.

Youqing looked up at him, feeling he was a good man, mature and attractive. Xiao Yuan, in contrast, was still green, sometimes even a little rash. How was it that Xia was a divorcee, she wondered, letting out a faint sorrowful sigh.

Seeing Youqing silent, he shrugged his right shoulder, where her head lay.

Youqing, jostled by his shrug, bit her tongue. She yelped, pushing him away, and sat up, putting her hand to her mouth as her eyes teared in pain.