Chapter 11: Rubbing shoulders
Hang Liumei understood why the car looked like it had just been dug out of the ground. There was a layer of sand floating on the road, and whenever a car passed by, it would bring up a gust of yellow wind.
The car smelled like the fermented sweat of passengers traveling back and forth. The coarse fabric of the seats had worn away, and dark stains of age had accumulated in the corners. Although Hang Liumei herself was covered in dust, she felt a sense of disgust and opened the window. A tricycle passed by, sending a cloud of dust flying into her mouth.
Hang Liumei fanned herself with her hands, not minding the situation anymore. At nineteen, she was still a child, and her decision to go to Dunhuang had been impulsive. But as it neared realization, Hang Liumei felt a sense of security. As they drew closer to Dunhuang, her heart and eyes were filled with glorious ideals and national treasures.
In March in Xi'an, the grass and trees were already beginning to sprout, but here spring had arrived a little later. The branches on the distant mountains were still somewhat bare, but beyond that were the same farmlands, homes, and smoke rising from cooking fires as back home. It felt like she had come full circle and was almost home again.
The people in the seats in front and behind Hang Liumei fell asleep with their heads thrown back and their mouths wide open. The occasional chattering sounded, a rustling that made the sleepers feel more at ease. She gazed out the window at the scenery for a while, then fell into a light nap. Her rest wasn't restful, and she was awakened by the jolting of the car before she'd closed her eyes for long.
Opening her eyes, she saw two rows of poplar trees on either side. The road was so bumpy that the car had to rise and fall, bouncing forward. Every time her grandmother used the sieve, a push of her arm would send the beans flying into the air, only to be caught firmly. The passengers' buttocks bounced up and down on the seats, and Hang Liumei felt like they were the beans in the sieve.
Everyone had woken up and started talking about it.
"It's here again. They never repair it."
"I'm so shaky I feel like vomiting. I'll go home and have some rice water to drink tonight."
"Just bear with it. It's not long anyway. We'll be there soon."
It's coming soon.
This sentence was like the bait on a fishhook, which entered Hang Liumei's ears without leaving any trace, and drew out a trace of excitement from the bottom of her heart, but because there was no one to tell it to, it quickly fell off the hook and went back into her heart.
She reached into her cloth bag for paper and pen, but instead found a hard object at the bottom that she hadn't noticed before. She pulled out a small ball of cloth, half the size of her palm, and unfolded it to reveal a dozen or so pieces of yellowed rock sugar. She had no idea when her mother had put it there, and she hadn't told her.
Hang Liumei's nose felt sore, and she quickly picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, carefully wrapping the rest and putting it back in the bottom of her bag. The closer she got to her destination, the sweeter it became.
"Grandma, Mom, sister and Dad, I'm going to Dunhuang soon." Hang Liumei enjoyed a piece of rock sugar alone, and she also shared the joy with them.
The county town is not big, and the car turned several times before arriving at the station. There were three big vermilion characters on a wooden board - "Dunhuang Station".
It was already dusk when Hang Liumei jumped out of the car, her braids swung as she looked around for someone. Her teacher had explained the time and place before she left, and had made all the necessary arrangements. Logically, a colleague from the institute would have met her when she got off the car.
There were many people talking around, and many people were calling out names, but none of them was her name.
The crowd that had just rushed off the train quickly dispersed, all rushing to their next destination. The previously bustling station suddenly became deserted. As the sun set, Hang Liumei began to worry.
She frantically asked the people around her, "Hello, how do I get to the Dunhuang Institute of Cultural Relics? Hello, is there anyone going to the Dunhuang Institute of Cultural Relics with me?"
Everyone was shaking their heads. Hang Liumei's brows were furrowed, and she was sweating lightly. She irritably pulled her scarf off her neck and continued to run around asking for directions, dragging her luggage.
What should I do, stranded at the station tonight? Hang Liumei looked at the wooden slatted seats where she was waiting for the train and figured, worst case scenario, I could just stay here for the night and find a place to stay when the sun comes up. Then, a hint of resentment welled up in her. What was wrong with her colleague? Did he really not care?
As she was standing there thinking, a middle-aged couple called her. They said they were passing through the village over there and could give Hang Liumei a ride. Hang Liumei looked at the ox cart behind them, then at the station where no one was waiting, thanked them, and got on with the peasant woman.
In fact, if she had waited just a few more minutes, she would have waited for her female colleague to rush out of the alley. Because the institute didn't have any food to welcome new employees, and the car hadn't arrived yet, she went to buy eggs and sugar nearby. No matter how hard she tried, she still missed Hang Liumei.
The old ox, whipped, walked leisurely along the path, while Hang Liumei sat on it, exhausted and hungry. Surrounded by endless sandbanks and deserts, she watched the sun slowly disappear at the junction of heaven and earth, until the last ray of light was gone, like a giant black box closing its lid. Their old ox cart was doomed to fail, and so she was trapped inside.
Fortunately, the moon quietly followed her. As the night drew to a close, a cool breeze picked up. Hang Liumei wrapped her scarf around her again, covering her mouth and nose, and huddled up with her knees hugged. The couple exchanged pleasantries, asking about her age, her hometown, and her reasons for coming to Dunhuang. Hang Liumei answered briefly, her voice hoarse, and they stopped her from talking.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally arrived at the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute. Seeing the lights on in the low-rise bungalow, Hang Liumei didn't care about anything else and pushed open the door with her things. Inside, three or five young men and women sat around a stove, all wearing dark blue work clothes, some even wrapped in thin cotton jackets.
Hang Liumei was blown by the warm breeze in the room and couldn't help sneezing. "Hello everyone, I'm here to report. My name is Hang-Achoo!"
The others were stunned, and they all stood up, escorted her in, sat her down, helped her take her luggage, and brought her hot tea. Hang Liumei, her throat already burning with thirst, took a big sip from the tea, and the burn made her tongue stick out.
Seeing her complexion improve, a thin girl spoke to her: "Comrade Hang Liumei? Why did you come alone? Did you see us picking up your colleagues?"
Hang Liumei shook her head: "I waited at the station for a long time, and almost everyone left, so I took the ox cart here."
"You're so brave, walking at night on your first visit! There are wolves around here." Another short young man asked around, "Where's Xiao Qi? She's an old hand, there's no way she got lost! She was the one who got left behind when we went to the county town last time. If this keeps happening, don't let her go on such trips anymore."
Someone nearby immediately retorted, "Xiao Sun, you can't say that. She took a detour to buy cheap rapeseed for the institute. How can someone be blamed for doing good deeds? Xiao Qi might have run into trouble. Let's stop making sarcastic remarks."
The others started chatting about this topic. It was late at night, and everyone mobilized each other to go out and look for someone. Hang Liumei hurriedly drank the remaining tea, with tea foam still stuck in her throat, and then she stood up, put on her coat and prepared to go out.
"Bang!" The door was kicked open from the outside and hit the table next to it. Everyone exclaimed "Ouch" in unison.
A cold wind blew in, making them squint their eyes. A tall, round-faced young woman appeared in the night. She had a long, thick pigtail tied with a red hairband. Her forehead was illuminated by the light. Her round eyes in her deep eye sockets were intimidating without anger, and she had a resolute temperament. It was rare to see a woman with such energetic eyes.
Hang Liumei guessed she was the one coming to pick her up. She was dressed brightly, with a red scarf and red cloth shoes, looking like a teenage girl, yet with a tough, mature look. If she had seen her at the station, Hang Liumei would have remembered her.
She walked in with her things in her hands, shouting, "Oh my god, I'm freezing! In Dunhuang, you really can't go out at night! Didn't you say someone would come today? I waited until the last bus and didn't see anyone!"
Everyone made way, revealing Hang Liumei standing in the back. "She's here. What's going on between you two? She got here before you."
She stuffed the things into the hands of the person next to her, walked over quickly, shook Hang Liumei's hand, and quickly and sharply asked a series of questions to Hang Liumei, "You are Xiao Hang, Hang Liu—Hang Liumei, right? I arrived early and bought some things, and then I was a little late. How could you disappear in the blink of an eye? You should have waited longer!"
Hang Liumei's hands had just been warmed by the teacup when they were suddenly grabbed by her cold hands. Goose bumps appeared on her arms and she stammered in response: "I waited, but didn't see..."
"Were you on that afternoon bus? I told you someone would pick you up, so why didn't you stop running around? You scared me so much that I ended up waiting there until dark! You really did follow someone else, how dangerous!"
"I thought no one was coming, and I was afraid it would get dark and I'd have nowhere to go..."
Hang Liumei was interrupted before she could finish her words: "Forget it, as long as you arrived safely. My name is Qi Xiuchun. I heard you are from Xi'an? I am from Mizhi. 'Mizhi woman and Suide man', I am a Mizhi woman, we are even from the same province! The director went to Lanzhou for a meeting. I will take you to familiarize yourself with the environment for the next two days, and then arrange a job for you when he comes back. Come, let's applaud and encourage Hang Liumei to join the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute."
The people around followed Qi Xiuchun's instructions and applauded to welcome Hang Liumei. Qi Xiuchun also let go of her hand, clapped his hands vigorously a few times, ran back to the door, brought the bag of eggs and showed it to Hang Liumei: "You've been traveling all day, you must be hungry. We saved noodles for you tonight, and added two eggs. How is it? Is it okay? Is there anything else you want to eat?"
Hang Liumei nodded obediently: "Okay."
"Hey, you're such a tight-lipped person! At the institute, the biggest rule is to be honest. Everything else is very relaxed. You might feel embarrassed when you first arrive, but you'll understand once you get to know us better. Here, we just say what we want to say. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Remember that!"
Hang Liumei thought in her heart that you had already said everything you wanted to say, but for the sake of the eggs, she unilaterally reconciled with Qi Xiuchun.
"Come on, I'll take you to dinner." Qi Xiuchun took her for two steps and then turned back. He patted his head and opened the bag and rummaged through it. "I almost forgot to distribute the things. Here, Xiao Gao, the sewing kit you wanted, Lao Zhao, the pen ink... I hope everyone's got it all. It took a lot of effort to get all of these for you. Today, I'm responsible for half of your mistakes."
Hang Liumei stood behind her and waited for her to finish. After saying goodbye to everyone, Qi Xiuchun urged Hang Liumei to leave: "Okay, let's go quickly. Finish your meal and rest early."
"Sister Xiuchun, I want to take a bath tonight, is that okay?"
"Take a shower? You can't take a shower today. I'll boil two pots of water for you so you can wipe yourself. Let's wait until the weather gets warmer." Qi Xiuchun widened his eyes and arranged this matter.
Hang Liumei pinched one of her braids, smelling the dusty smell, then watched Qi Xiuchun's swiftly approaching figure. She decided to finish her dinner first. She jogged to catch up with Qi Xiuchun, imagining countless times the scene of arriving in Dunhuang, which ended with this bowl of hot noodle soup.
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