Sheng Keyi - Northern Girls - Life Goes On

‘It’s a bit of a surprise.’

‘You knew I’d come.’

‘You might as well say I knew you’d want to sleep with me again.’

‘I won’t pretend to be noble. I wanted to come, so I came.’

She giggled.

‘Let’s start again,’ he said.

‘Not continue? Why turn it into starting again?’

‘There was so much going on that night.’

‘You mean you want a relationship?’

‘Why not?’ He paused for several seconds, his big hand scratching his ear and his big feet shuffling over the floor.

‘I suppose it’s likely enough.’ Xiaohong stared at his shoes. They were very clean.

‘I’m just on my way to work. I’ll meet you tonight. We can go for karaoke.’

At six, Xiaohong went to the McDonald’s where they had agreed to meet. It was nearly dark and the rush hour traffic clogged the whole area. There was a hubbub of noise from the crowd, as if everyone were out in force to attend some grand event. The whole world was turned upside down, so why not eat, drink and be merry?

In the restaurant, there were no empty seats. It was packed with people milling about as freely as the aroma of spicy wings and burgers. Xiaohong felt as vulnerable as if she were in a crowded train station, overwhelmed by a sense of annihilation, loss and loneliness. After a moment, she suddenly spotted the flash of his white teeth amidst the sea of black hair, his mouth like a ship floating on its surface.

‘You go and have a seat. It’s across from the washroom. I’ve saved a place for us there,’ Bigfoot told her, then frantically made his way straight to the counter.

Sure enough, they were facing the men’s WC. The door was quite beautiful. The smell of spicy chicken wings and hamburgers floated in the air, and everywhere she looked, people were clasping their cups of cola. Xiaohong sat watching with interest, feeling herself lucky, as Bigfoot used his two great feet to force his way through the crowd, carrying a tray.

‘Fries, chicken wings, burgers, cola, ice cream and ketchup.’

Xiaohong, perhaps affected by the thought of all the exposed rears in the WC, noticed that Bigfoot’s face was even smoother than a baby’s bottom. A clean-shaven man was one who was ready for business, showing himself to be serious and conscientious. It was a sort of silent oath. Xiaohong was a little touched, though she was not really sure if it was because of that face shaved smoother than a baby’s behind or because of the meal. She only knew she was touched, and that what lay behind the feeling was this big-footed man with the charming smile. With his sparkling white teeth, he took a bite of the hamburger. As if in response to the smile on Xiaohong’s face, he said vaguely, ‘I’m hungry! Come on, you eat too.’

Xiaohong liked eating with him like this. What she most disliked were those men who were prim and proper as eunuchs, eating a dainty little bite, then wiping their mouth carefully with a napkin. God, they wiped their mouth as vigorously as wiping their arse! It was better to eat like Bigfoot, nice and easy-going.

Xiaohong poured out some chilli sauce, then dipped one of the tasty, tender wings into it. When she had finished, she stuck her fingers into her mouth, acknowledging both her love of the chicken wings and her appreciation to Bigfoot. She took a swig of her drink then repeated the process, eating the fries in a more flirtatious manner. The fries were long and thin, not easily eaten in a single bite. After she had eaten half of one, she would dip the remaining piece into the sauce, making it all a very complicated process.

‘This was a perfect birthday dinner! Thanks a lot.’ Xiaohong smiled happily.

‘It’s your birthday? Oh! Happy birthday! What do you want to do now?’ Bigfoot asked enthusiastically.

‘I’m full. About to burst. Let’s go for a walk.’

‘It’s not even seven o’clock yet. Let’s go to the park and walk off our dinner. Karaoke doesn’t start till eight.’ Bigfoot turned the romance of a stroll in the park into a mundane thing, a walk to aid the digestion. There was no ambiguity. It was as simple as the chicken wings they had just eaten.

‘Mister, buy some flowers. Flowers for the lady.’

As soon as they reached the park entrance, Xiaohong and Bigfoot were stopped by two five- or six-year-old girls. Each had a large bouquet of roses in her hand, with each rose wrapped in plastic. They were all wilting, as if they had been salvaged from the rubbish bin.

Bigfoot said, ‘I’ll buy you one. Today’s a special occasion.’

Xiaohong firmly blocked his way, saying, ‘You might as well just give her the money. Look at them. How can you even call those broken things flowers? Let’s go. Don’t bother!’

As he took a step, Bigfoot found his leg embraced by one of the girls. Her whole body clinging to him, she cried, ‘Buy one! Buy one! I’m begging you!’

Bigfoot did not move and a crowd began to gather. Left with no choice, he took his wallet from his back pocket and by the light of the streetlamp took out five yuan . Only when he had pulled a drooping rose from the bunch did the little girl let go of his leg. He walked away, carrying the pitiful flower. He didn’t dare give it to Xiaohong. When they had entered the park, following several turns of the path past a sculpture of a giraffe and over a little bridge, he finally shoved the rose into the rubbish bin. He pointed to a bench by the pond and said in a relieved tone, ‘Let’s sit there.’

Bigfoot walked across the lawn to the bench, passing countless shadows of people huddling in the dark. He plopped down onto the white stone seat, facing the dim light of the pond with a faintly stunned expression.

‘You still want to sing? I’m not in the mood.’

‘I’m not really up for it either.’

‘Something bothering you?’ Xiaohong asked, noticing his silence.

‘She wants to marry me. I can’t decide.’

‘You can’t decide to marry her but you can’t decide not to marry her either.’

Shaking his big feet, he did not reply.

‘You love her. And you are bothered by her previous life. It’s obvious you’re a hypocrite. You want to have a good reputation and you want wealth too.’

The willow branches swung freely, tips dragging along the water.

‘I don’t want her money. I’ve already decided on that.’

‘She and the half-million are linked.’

‘So, I don’t want a single kuai from her.’

‘That’s up to you. I can’t console you.’

‘I want to be with you.’

‘Then you’ll really lose out. I’m no virgin myself. I’ve been with lots and lots of guys, and I don’t have half a million to show for it.’

I

After watching a film at the Qianshan Theatre, Specs was a little excited. All he could think of was getting back to the flat he had rented with Sijiang. Her small eyes glared at him, not showing the least sign that she shared his desire and she pulled him along to Ah Xing’s bookshop.

Ah Xing was noticeably pregnant, her tummy protruding like that of a potbellied teddy bear. In slippers, she lazily moved about, clumsy as a penguin. It was no more than ten paces from one end of the bookshop to the other but Ah Xing needed twenty to waddle across it, her hand constantly rubbing her rounded belly, comforting the unborn child there.

‘Looks like they’re about to close.’

‘Hey Ah Xing! How long till you’re a mum?’ Sijiang tittered, feeling Ah Xing’s belly.

‘According to the doctor, about another thirteen days. Have you two started making plans yet?’ Ah Xing’s face was plump and ruddy, with a hint of freckles scattered over it. Sijiang looked at Specs, not sure how to respond.