Sheng Keyi - Northern Girls - Life Goes On

‘But he said he likes me, not his girlfriend,’ Sijiang said, utterly confused.

‘He’s toying with you. Us women, we’re too easily flattered. This guy is just one big prostate problem!’ Xiaohong didn’t quite know what a prostate was or what sort of problems it caused. She only knew that, what with the sorts of cures advertised on all the posters along the roadside, it must be something serious and something that nearly all men suffered from. She had her own way of thinking, and gradually her influence over Sijiang grew to the point that the girl adopted her ideas on any and every subject.

One day while entertaining a customer, Sijiang blurted out, ‘You got any trouble with your prostate?’ The man didn’t quite catch what she had said, thinking she had asked him to sit up straight. Before she could repeat herself, Xiaohong smacked the back of her head, and so she swallowed the question.

All the same, they were thirsty for more information on the subject so they spent their after-work hours scouring posters on poles along the street outside the salon. They focused on those with headings like, Good news for prostate patients . Some were only half exposed, while others had so many layers of glue on top that it was impossible to make anything out. When they finally caught sight of one nearly-intact sheet, they were able to put together enough of what they had seen to figure out where the prostate was located.

Sijiang shook her head, ‘A man’s thingy sure is complicated.’

VI

Winter came suddenly, but nothing seemed to dampen the spirits of the two girls. On cold days, their feet were stuck inside shoes that didn’t quite manage to keep them warm, and their fingers, constantly immersed in water as they kept at the hair-washing trade, suffered even more. Each day passed without incident, and Xiaohong began to grow restless. It was as bad as letting one’s sex life fall into a mind-numbing routine, without change of position, pattern or partner. She was bored sick. Even the nice things began to seem like chaff to her. She continued to chat up customers as she scrubbed their scalps, all the while staring out of the window in boredom. Watching the people walking along the street, she felt they all knew what they were doing in life.

‘Why not go to Shenzhen? It’s Hong Kong’s nearest neighbour, so wages there are about ten times what they are here,’ said one of her regulars, Li Mazi.

‘I’ve seen that place on TV. All I know is that the sky is always blue, the buildings are tall, people work like cows and the men have lots of wives. I don’t know if they need shampoo girls, though,’ she said, languorously.

‘Sure they do. Plenty of hair to wash there too. And not just on the head. The local girls are ugly. If someone like you or Sijiang were to go, your stock would be sky high, for sure,’ Li Mazi said proudly, adding that he would be willing to help them make the journey to Shenzhen if they wanted to go.

His words lit a fire under Xiaohong, making her huge breasts heave with enthusiasm, leaping like rabbits trying to escape from the confines of her blouse. As she began to get a clearer idea of the situation, she saw an image of Shenzhen before her eyes, a romantic city that seemed to have risen right out of the lines of a poem, its streets filled with dignified men. When she had finished washing Li Mazi’s hair, she stretched and began to think how good it would be to see the world. The main problem, she thought, was not one of money. She had already saved enough to make it work. What she needed was a companion. She pulled Sijiang aside to talk it over.

‘How far is it?’ Sijiang asked.

‘By train, it’s an overnight journey.’

‘How much is the ticket?’

‘About 80 yuan , I think.’

‘Where will we go when we get there?’

‘Li Mazi said he’d arrange it for us.’

‘Let me think about it.’

‘What’s to think about? If you don’t want to go, I’ll go by myself. And don’t you go accusing me of abandoning you once I’m gone!’

When the end of the month came and Sijiang was still hesitant, Xiaohong lost her patience. She said hotly, ‘Sijiang, it’s a good thing you aren’t in labour. You’re taking forever.’

But her friend remained undecided, wavering back and forth between the two options.

That night in the dorm, Xiaohong settled on a plan.

‘Hey Sijiang, tomorrow morning can you tell the boss I’ve quit? Then at night, I’m going to meet Li Mazi at the train station. You just keep washing, and who knows, maybe one day you’ll be the shampoo queen.’

Her final words pushed Sijiang into action. Her fresh, round face reddened. She said, ‘I’m coming with you!’

I

‘What on earth does he do in Shenzhen?’ Sijiang asked.

‘Whatever the hell he does, it’s none of our business. We’re just there to wash hair. We’ve got enough to worry about, what with sprucing everyone up, adding colour, long hair, short hair, massaging scalps of every shape and size, applying a bit of acupressure here and there. With all we’ve got on our plates, it’s scary enough to think about how we’re gonna keep our own heads above water,’ Xiaohong answered heatedly. Sijiang thought she was sounding more pompous by the minute.

As the train clanked noisily along, the passengers dozed, each drifting off into his or her own dreams. In sudden excitement, Xiaohong elbowed Sijiang in the ribs and said, ‘Hey, tell me what you think we’ll be like when we come back from Shenzhen five years from now.’

Sijiang opened the eyes set so delicately in her apple-shaped face, turned a bewildered gaze on Xiaohong, and then closed her eyes again.

‘God! Wake up, will you? Can’t you just stay awake for a while?’ said Xiaohong, poking Sijiang a couple more times.

‘ I’m awake,’ Li Mazi said, leaning closer to her. The light from the window flickered over his form as the train sped along. Xiaohong felt he was getting a little too friendly.

‘Oh! We’re moving so fast. I think I’m going to be sick.’

Xiaohong covered her mouth and ran to the washroom.

‘We get off here!’ called Li Mazi.

‘What? We’re there?’ Xiaohong was startled out of her sleep. Looking out of the window, she saw the words Guangzhou Station, and turned away to go back to sleep.

‘Let’s go!’ Mazi shook Xiaohong.

‘It’s still dark. Where are we?’ Sijiang said, wiping a bit of drool from her chin and looking out of the window. The light fell on a crowd of people carrying bags big and small, parents with children in tow.

‘Come on! We’ve got to change trains here at Guangzhou!’

‘Oh. Huh? Hey! Where’s my wallet? Crap! I can’t find my wallet!’ Sijiang, fully awake now, was feeling all of her pockets frantically. Finding each one empty as she felt it, she let out a cry of distress.

‘Can’t be! Look carefully. Where did you put it?’ said Li Mazi.

‘Right here,’ Sijiang said, raising the corner of her shirt and showing him the front pocket of her trousers. Li Mazi, reaching over to pat it, found that it was empty, just as she had said.

‘Five hundred yuan ! I can’t believe this!’ Sijiang sobbed, her tiny eyes turning into two narrow slits as she cried. To add insult to injury, all the other passengers in the carriage struggled to hide their knowing smirks, turning to look stoically out of the windows.

Xiaohong felt her friend needed a shock, like a bucket of cold water splashed in the face. ‘How could you just sleep like a pig? You think this is your own house? Your own room? Your own bed? Do you know why there are criminals? Because people like you create opportunities for them to take advantage of! If you aren’t on guard, it’s like you don’t even mind. It’s practically an invitation!’ She knew that if she comforted Sijiang, she would cry even more. She may not have had much of an education, but she knew how to take measure of the people around her.