Chapter 36 Heart Understanding
Hang Liumei often used that hairpin to half-pin her hair back. Everyone praised it and asked her where she bought it. She was too embarrassed to say that Lao Jiang gave it to her, and Lao Jiang never told anyone. Later, whenever they met and passed each other, Hang Liumei felt that Lao Jiang would turn around and look at her, and she never dared to look back.
Late at night, Xiuchunjie and Yingying had already fallen asleep, but Hang Liumei, for once, was sleepless. She held up her hairpin and examined it in the moonlight. It was the green of sprouting spring grass, a vibrant green not as fresh as the rich green of the poplars and elms common in Dunhuang.
The hairpin is an elongated oval with a floral pattern printed in the center, with three seven-petal flowers clustered together. I've never seen anything prettier than this in the county town, Lanzhou, or even Xi'an. Where did a grown man like Lao Jiang get it?
The entire room was bathed in a blanket of white moonlight. Hang Liumei held a secret in her hands. She wanted to share it, but all she could hear was the steady sound of her breathing. Her heartbeat slowed, and she placed the hairpin beside her pillow, turned over, and fell asleep.
Initially, copying begins with practicing on individual images, and then gradually progressing to copying entire murals. Hang Liumei has recently been working in Cave 98. This is the merit cave of Cao Yijin, the governor of the Guiyi Army during the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, and also serves as a family cave.
The main chamber of this cave features a Buddhist altar in the center, and large sutra paintings cover the four walls. A special feature is the over 200 donor figures adorning the corridor and the lower walls of the main chamber. Hang Liumei planned to begin with the donor portraits of King Li Shengtian of Khotan and his wife on the south side of the east wall. After setting up her easel, she didn't rush to paint, instead concentrating on the details of the murals.
The King of Khotan, adorned with a crown and robes, possessed a pious and peaceful expression, a respectful smile on his lips. Between his right index finger and thumb, he held a precious flower, while his left hand held an incense burner against his chest. The sleeves of his robe were embroidered with flying dragons, blending seamlessly with the folds of his wide, long sleeves. The crown, incense burner, ring, and sword handle were all embellished with jade. Even the most insignificant details, such as the hem of his robe and the setting of his ring, were rendered with spider-like precision.
No wonder Teacher Gong said that this cave has high historical research value. It seems that I will have to spend some time here to study it.
"The Great Dynasty, the Great Treasure, the Great Saint, the Great Ming Emperor of Khotan—" someone behind her read out the inscription of the donor on the wall.
Hang Liumei turned around and asked, "Lao Jiang, why are you here too?"
Old Jiang walked over to her, his arms folded, and, gazing at the mottled murals, replied, "The director has instructed us to focus on repairing this cave. Look, there are hollows here and there. These clay layers have held up for hundreds and thousands of years, and it's really worn out. If they continue to separate from the rock mass like this, the gap between the murals and the rock mass will grow larger and larger. If there's an earthquake or strong wind, the murals will likely fall off entirely."
"And the peeling here," Lao Jiang pointed to a mural that was cracking like scales, with the edges and corners curling up. "The cracks in the white powder and paint layers of this mural will eventually fall off, leaving only the mud layer."
A ray of sunlight shone on the wall, and Hang Liumei saw dust flying in the air. As Lao Jiang spoke, the mural seemed to be turning into powder and disappearing at an imperceptible speed.
"Sister Xiuchun also told me that Mogao Grottoes can't be any older. These are its growth rings. The growth rings of a tree expand from the inside out, while the growth rings of Mogao Grottoes shrink from the outside in. Once it's full, we won't be able to keep it. Lao Jiang, you're almost half an expert."
"Me? I'm still far away. There are still many things we haven't figured out... Am I disturbing your work? Look at me, I'm just talking nonsense to you. You've been painting for so many years, I'm really just showing off my skills in front of an amateur..." Lao Jiang said, putting his hands in his trouser pockets and pacing back and forth awkwardly.
"It's okay. I think what you all said is very good. Sister Xiuchun often tells me about this." Hang Liumei saw Lao Jiang staring at the image of the King of Khotan and suddenly asked him, "Are you starting to like these murals now?"
"After staying here for a while, my mood changes. The paintings in Mogao Grottoes are indeed different from those outside. Especially after you told me about that comic strip last time, I found that the murals here can withstand close scrutiny. For example, the canopy above this person's head is held up by two flying celestial beings. It seems very rare."
Hang Liumei listened quietly to his story, tilting her head in agreement. "Old Jiang, it's true that you're impressed by someone after not seeing him for three days. You're absolutely right. Teacher Gong said that the worship of Vaisravana, the Northern Heavenly King among the Four Heavenly Kings, was prevalent in Khotan at the time. The King of Khotan claimed to be the reincarnation of Vaisravana, hence the painting, in which a flying boy holds a parasol for him, with the Goddess of Good Fortune at his feet. This painting can be used by the archaeological team to study the folk religion of the time."
"I really shouldn't have shown off just now. You guys know much more profound things."
Hang Liumei felt embarrassed by his compliment. She looked down at her dusty trouser legs and said modestly, "Everyone has their own specializations, and everyone learns things at different times."
"Well, does that work?"
Hang Liumei realized he was talking about the hairpin and nodded, "By the way, thank you for this."
"I——" Lao Jiang just opened his mouth when a young man rushed in from outside and called him, Lao Jiang, someone has driven the sheep to the grotto again. We can't get through, come with me to have a look! As he spoke, he dragged Lao Jiang out. Lao Jiang couldn't help but walk out with him, and his head twisted to look at Hang Liumei.
Hang Liumei watched him leave. The cave was silent. The overlapping footprints on the ground proved that he had followed her closely and discussed the same mural.
After lunch, Hang Liumei didn't return to the dormitory to rest. Instead, she headed for Cave 61. Like Cave 98, Cave 61 was excavated by the Cao clan, a member of the Guiyi Army, during the Five Dynasties period. After a morning of admiring the emperor's portrait, she decided to compare it with the images of the Uighur wife, the Khotan princess, and other female patrons to get a feel for the painting style.
Before she even reached the base of the Mogao Grottoes, she saw a flock of white creatures circling the grottoes—sheep. There were piles of newly purchased saplings waiting to be planted in the next couple of days, but the sheep were nibbling on the young shoots, and a few were even making their way into the grottoes.
Hang Liumei was most afraid of them scratching the lower murals. She ran over, but couldn't find the shepherd. So she broke off a thin branch and whipped the sheep, driving them away. A small, overbite-sized dog leaped out and barked at her. It was small, but it came at her with a fierce force, barking its two small fangs at its lower edge, threatening Hang Liumei. However, even when it jumped, it could only barely reach her knees.
Hang Liumei ignored it and pulled the sheep out of the cave by its tail. The barking of the dog startled the shepherd who was napping under the shade of the tree. He threw his straw hat into the tree pit, put his hands on his hips and walked towards Hang Liumei, shouting in dialect.
"Hey, hey, hey! Who told you to touch my sheep? What if you tear its hind legs?"
"Fellow countryman, you should keep an eye on the sheep when you herd them. They have all gone into the grottoes, which is why I started them. There are national treasures in here. You can take them outside to graze, and I will definitely not disturb you."
"What national treasure? You guys are just scaring people all the time. I've been herding sheep here for years. People used to go in to cook, eat, and sleep, and no one cared. But you guys can't do this or that. Sheep are animals. How can anyone control where they go?"
"If you can't control your sheep, then I'll do it for you. You can't go into the cave, and you can't eat the saplings. We bought them with great difficulty."
"I don't care what you do. If you touch my sheep again, I'll tell you whether I'm willing or not." After saying that, he acted like a rogue and blocked Hang Liumei's way.
Hang Liumei's face turned red but she refused to give in. She stopped trying to reason with him and continued to catch the sheep by turning sideways. The shepherd became anxious when he saw this and stepped forward to grab her arm.
"Xiao Hang, be careful of the sheep's hind legs kicking you! Fellow villager, why are you here again? Drive the sheep out, we really can't let them roam around here!" It was Lao Jiang. He had searched everywhere for Hang Liumei but couldn't find her. He guessed she must have returned to the cave to work overtime, and just as he walked over, he saw this scene.
Old Jiang stood in front of Hang Liumei, trying to block her behind him, but she suddenly jumped out from the side again. While straightening her tangled sleeves, she said calmly, "It was wrong for us to start fighting just now. There's no point getting angry over a few sheep. Why don't you just drive it away? I'll give you those newly bought raisins as a thank you, okay, fellow villager?"
The middle-aged man opposite felt humiliated by a little girl and couldn't hold back his pride. He frowned and swung his arm, saying, "I don't want it. Stop pretending to be so cool. You hurt my sheep today and I'm not done with you..."
Although he was arguing with Hang Liumei, he glanced at Lao Jiang and spoke in a tough tone, but his feet had already moved in the opposite direction of the two of them, and his head was still looking at them stubbornly, completely unaware that the piles of saplings in front of him were messed up by the sheep. One of them even climbed up, and saw three or five saplings fall down and hit the old shepherd.
Lao Jiang shouted, "Watch the road!" and rushed forward to push him aside. He was stunned for a moment, thinking that Lao Jiang was going to fight, so he raised his shepherd's whip and hit him. Lao Jiang was afraid of accidentally hurting Hang Liumei, so he rushed forward and took the blow.
Unexpectedly, Hang Liumei was not afraid. The whip fell to the ground in front of them. Hang Liumei quickly stepped on it with her foot. The shepherd exerted force on the other side, and the whip was stretched straight, almost pulling Hang Liumei down. Lao Jiang advised her to loosen her foot, but she turned a deaf ear to it. She leaned over, grabbed the whip, and explained to the shepherd in a gentle voice: "Don't get excited, he was just saving you!"
The other side couldn't hear anything. "Help your grandma!" He cursed and pulled hard. Hang Liumei fell forward. Lao Jiang reached out to hold her, but she had already stepped on the dog's tail. The local dog screamed, jumped up, turned around and bit Hang Liumei's calf.
Hang Liumei immediately fell to the ground in pain, hugging her legs. Lao Jiang didn't bother to fight with him. He squatted on the ground, supported Hang Liumei, and asked nervously: "Did it bite you? Is it serious? Are you unable to walk? Don't be afraid, I'll take you to check the wound!"
Hang Liumei frowned and turned pale as she said to Lao Jiang, "Why do I feel like I bit a bone? I can't stand up. My leg is powerless. It's over. Quick, go get someone. I want to see the director, I want to see the village chief. Send me to the hospital."
"Okay! Okay! Wait for me, I'll go right away!" Old Jiang was about to let go of Hang Liumei, but then he felt he couldn't: "I can't leave!" He looked up and said sternly to the shepherd: "Your dog got into trouble, you can at least help us find someone to come over, right? Look at what you've done to her."
The shepherd saw Lao Jiang's eyes turned red with anxiety, and then saw Hang Liumei gritting her teeth in pain, and finally began to panic: "You are just trying to scare me! Everyone has been bitten by a dog. This dog has such small teeth, how can it be that serious! I don't care, I still have to herd sheep, I'm leaving!" After saying this, he ran away in a hurry.
"You bastard!" Old Jiang's head was about to smoke. He put Hang Liumei's arm on his neck to support her to stand up, then half-knelt down and let her fall on his back.
"Lao Jiang, Lao Jiang, you don't have to carry me. Really, you don't have to. I'm going to fall."
"Xiao Hang, I'm sorry to bother you. I'll carry you back to the dormitory first. I'll borrow a car to take you to the county hospital this afternoon. Don't be afraid!" Lao Jiang shook her on his back to carry her higher to prevent her from slipping down.
Then he ran towards the courtyard like he was on two hot wheels. Hang Liumei's legs were tightly clamped by his arms around her waist, and she couldn't jump. She patted Lao Jiang's shoulder and said, "Lao Jiang, it's okay. I'm fine. This is enough."
"No! Stop moving! We'll be there soon!"
"My leg is fine!"
"Ah?" Lao Jiang finally stopped, but still didn't let go of Hang Liumei. "Really? Don't be embarrassed. If you're injured, you must get treatment. Otherwise, how will you stand for long periods of time to draw in the future?"
Hang Liumei reached down and pulled up a section of her trouser leg. "It just bit my trousers. My leg is fine, look. Okay, let me down first."
Lao Jiang bent down doubtfully, and Hang Liumei jumped off his back. Lao Jiang asked, "Look again, are there really no wounds?"
Hang Liumei lowered her head and carefully examined him, reassuring him, "It didn't bite anything through my pants, just a little skin break, not even bleeding." Seeing beads of sweat glistening on Lao Jiang's forehead, she retorted, "Didn't I just wink at you? Just pretend to be hurt and scare him away. I thought you understood, so I acted so convincingly."
Lao Jiang wiped his face with his sleeve, smiled bitterly and said, "Really? I didn't notice that. I was so careless."
Hang Liumei, like him, brushed her hair back with her backhand and felt something was wrong. She reached back and realized the hairpin had fallen out. The two of them walked back and found the deformed hairpin halfway.
Lao Jiang apologized to her, saying, "I'm sorry, Xiaohang, I probably stepped on you just now."
Hang Liumei smiled at him and said, "Why do you like to take the blame so much? Are the soles of your shoes that hard? I think the sheep must have walked through here just now and stepped on them."
Seeing that she was still staring at the hairpin with regret, Lao Jiang comforted her, "It's okay. Next time someone from our place goes to Beijing, I'll ask him to bring you another one."
"It's so valuable. You brought it all the way from Beijing. Don't spend any more money. There's no use for such a good thing here, and I can't just keep accepting it for free..." Hang Liumei's voice became quieter as she spoke, and she changed the subject in due time: "We scared that shepherd today. He probably won't dare come here again. We've done something great."
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