Chapter 37: Lightly Drunk
Hang Liumei still likes to flip through her collections of ancient poems when she has nothing to do. Thanks to her grandmother who chased her to the intersection and gave them to her. Now the pages are curled up from flipping through them, but that's a good thing, as it's more convenient this way.
At night, she leaned on the bed, resting her arm on the pillow, reading. Sister Xiuchun teased her, "It's so dark, reading such small words. Be careful not to damage your eyes. It's a good thing our earthen nest doesn't grow flowers, otherwise you, Lin Daiyu, would have to bury flowers after finishing your poems." The two chatted for a while, and Sister Xiuchun felt the room was stuffy, so she took the child outside to count the stars.
Hang Liumei turned to the next page - "Golden wind and jade dew on a cool night, autumn grass in front of the window. Lightly drunk and sleeping, a pillow of river breeze and unfulfilled dreams."
It was Yan Jidao's "Picking Mulberries." She had thought these lines were beautiful before, but today they seemed so corny. She placed the book upside down on Xiuchunjie's pillow and pulled out another one from the table.
"The bamboo grove is dust-free, the water clear, yet reality is far away, separated by the city walls. The autumn clouds linger, the frost flies late, leaving the withered lotus leaves to listen to the sound of rain." Isn't this exactly the line Lin Daiyu had recited? Hang Liumei thought, Lin Daiyu said she didn't like Li Shangyin's poetry, so how could she remember such a strange line? It seems she clearly likes it.
These lines are too gloomy, and they don't fit the scene. Reading any further, I'm really like the Lin Daiyu described by Xiuchunjie. Hang Liumei flipped through the pages of her book, her hair swaying in the breeze, curious about what Lao Jiang was doing.
Old Jiang had just returned from a shower outside. He had been sweating profusely today, so he scrubbed his hair thoroughly. He put an old towel around his neck, donned his old man's vest, and tossed his changed clothes into the basin to wash.
I ran into a few colleagues who greeted me: "Hey, Jiang Shan, you're such a neat freak! They said there's a rabbit hive over there with a bunch of bunnies in it. Let's go check it out."
"The white shirt I'm wearing today will turn yellow if I don't wash it quickly. I'm not going. You guys can have fun." Lao Jiang said with a smile.
"Okay then—Hey, Old Jiang, you reminded me that I have to put away my clothes when I get back. They've been hanging there for several days."
"It's okay. I'll just take it off when I'm drying it. It's a simple thing to do. It's settled. Let's go." Old Jiang was like that. He would often rush over to help others without them even asking. He still had the broken hairpin in his pocket. He had asked Hang Liumei for it that afternoon and had been trying to find tools to fix it for her.
A veteran had warned him before, "Be careful of being kind and being bullied." Old Jiang smiled brightly, saying, "No one can bully a guy like me." Though thin, he was also sturdy, his fists clenched and his arms were thick with muscle. Someone once criticized him behind his back, saying he was fake and eager to show off. Old Jiang, knowing this, didn't defend himself. Later, the man developed a high fever and rolled his eyes. It took Old Jiang and two other young men to lift the 200-pound man onto an oxcart and rush him to the hospital overnight.
He had always been brave since childhood, but after meeting Hang Liumei, he finally knew what fear was. The first time they met, he was afraid of scaring her; when he couldn't find her at the station, he was afraid of losing her; when he saw her arguing with others, he was afraid of her getting beaten; when he saw her being bitten by a dog, he was afraid of her getting hurt.
But what scared him the most was that Hang Liumei proposed to him - he was afraid that Hang Liumei would go back on her word after he agreed.
That was a long time after they met, but Lao Jiang will always remember that day when Hang Liumei suddenly said to him, "If you can stay, let's get married."
When they were discussing marriage, they both acted very naturally, as if they had already discussed it and were just breaking the news. That night, they felt something different, and the deeper the night went, the stronger the feeling became. With just one sentence, they were going to be married.
After agreeing to marry Hang Liumei, Lao Jiang tossed and turned in bed at night, barely able to believe it was real. He slapped his forehead, blaming himself for only being able to play a little tune. He'd said "yes" like a fool, even though the girl had already finished her words. Would Hang Liumei find him cold? Would she find him dismissive?
Old Jiang hurriedly got out of bed and rummaged through his drawers, pulling out whatever goodies he could find. He picked out a new fountain pen, an old watch, and a pair of silver earrings. One earring was a half-opened flower bud, the other a small leaf. He'd always tried to find something to bring to Hang Liumei when he went to town, but she always refused. Last time, he'd seen these unique earrings, bought them, and never got around to giving them to her. Now, finally, he had the chance.
Lao Jiang was barely satisfied with his compensation plan. He was still excited when he returned to bed and did not sleep for the last night.
Hang Liumei couldn't sleep either. She sat up and saw that Sister Xiuchun's eyes were closed, so she lay down again. She didn't know how to tell Sister Xiuchun about this. If she told her directly, Sister Xiuchun would probably think she was crazy.
"Why are you tossing and turning? Aren't you going to sleep yet?" Sister Xiuchun asked her with her eyes open.
"Sister Xiuchun, I want to tell you something, something very important. Don't be too surprised." Hang Liumei lay on the bed with her face close to Qi Xiuchun.
"Well, what's wrong? Are you and Lao Jiang together?"
Hang Liumei nodded.
"What's the big deal? I saw it a long time ago. What's the matter? It's not over yet? Did Lao Jiang propose to you?"
"Yes, and no."
"Yes and no? What else can you do? You propose to him." Qi Xiuchun said jokingly, but Hang Liumei nodded unexpectedly. She said in surprise: "Sure, Lao Jiang wants to be your son-in-law?"
"No, it was me who proposed marriage, and he agreed."
"It's really rare for you two to be like this."
It's really rare to find someone like you two. Sister Xiuchun said this again at their wedding.
Their wedding was entangled with too many people and things, including their grandmother and parents who reunited after a long separation, their sister and brother-in-law who were about to go to Beijing to study, and their sister Xiuchun who had made up her mind to leave Dunhuang... They were all happy events, but why did it feel a bit sad?
After everyone left, Hang Liumei and Lao Jiang officially began their life together. Before they got married, they rarely held hands and went on dates. Afterward, they loved to climb the low slopes around the Mogao Grottoes and cuddle and chat, saying meaningless, silly things, and also talking about family and friends, but mostly about work.
Hang Liumei told him the stories in the murals, the bizarre imaginations that the Buddhist kingdom left to the world; Lao Jiang told her about the protection of the murals, and told her that foreign experts came in the 1950s and used mysterious reagents to help us repair the murals. It was a pity that they refused to reveal the formula, but the institute has also figured out some tricks over the years.
When they weren't chatting, Lao Jiang would play instruments for Hang Liumei. He knew a lot, including the xiao, flute, xiao, and erhu. One day, he found a cucurbit flute, and after just two days of studying, he was able to play it in tune.
Hang Liumei rested her chin on her hand as she listened to Lao Jiang play the xiao. He had naturally dark skin, thick hair and eyebrows, and a high nose bridge, and strangers had occasionally asked him if he was from an ethnic minority. His brows were also high, slightly overshadowing his eyes. From the side, he looked like a winding mountain road, where the valley gave way to two lakes. His expression exuded a certain innocence, making him seem less approachable. Then there were his lips and chin; they were often said to resemble a couple, sharing the same lower half of their faces.
Old Jiang, usually optimistic and childish, turned serious when he picked up his instrument. No wonder others thought he was from an ethnic minority; he really was like a man galloping through the wilderness. After playing a piece, Old Jiang turned around and smiled at Hang Liumei, as if to take credit: "That part was pretty good, wasn't it?"
Hang Liumei hugged his arm and leaned on his shoulder: "It sounds good. You play it well. The moon and the trees are beautiful."
The row of poplar trees in front of the Mogao Grottoes is lush, their branches clapping in the wind, a sound the locals call "ghost clapping." The sound of the wind, the forest, and Lao Jiang's xiao blend seamlessly. Lao Jiang rests his cheek against the top of Hang Liumei's head, and he involuntarily softens.
"I'm thinking of someone now, who is related to his name. Can you guess who it is?" Hang Liumei asked Lao Jiang.
"Who? Do you miss Sister Xiuchun?"
"He's a great painter, his name is Lin Fengmian. Listen to his name, Lin Fengmian, isn't it the same as what we see now?"
Lao Jiang nodded: "You are still educated."
Hang Liumei teased him, "You can think of a good name for our child in the future. People with the surname Lin often come up with poetic names. But your surname is Jiang, so it's really hard to come up with a three-character name that's so poetic."
"Then we'll use your surname, Hang, and add some meaning to it, and call it the Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal."
…
They all wanted to capture this moment, but it was so fleeting. The days of Dunhuang revolved around the Mogao Grottoes, and if it weren't for the changing seasons, one would even forget the passage of time.
If Lao Jiang got off work early, he would wait for Hang Liumei outside the grotto where she was painting. He was afraid of blocking her light, so he would hide nearby and deliberately scare her when she was about to come out. Hang Liumei always wanted to fight back, but Lao Jiang was so foolish and bold that he wasn't afraid to pretend to be a ghost and scare her when he was up at night.
The couple returned home for their first Lunar New Year celebrations after their marriage, first to Kaifeng, Lao Jiang's hometown, and then to Xi'an, Hang Liumei's hometown. Lao Jiang had an older brother and older sister, both married with children, and a younger brother still in school. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, there was no time to return to her parents' home. Concerned that her sister might be upset, she took her to the temple fair early in the morning. A spark from a firecracker stand somehow flew off, causing a cascade of explosions. The second sister had lost contact with Hang Liumei, and when she returned home and saw she hadn't returned, she called Lao Jiang along to look for her.
Old Jiang was sipping noodle soup in the house when he heard about it and immediately jumped up and ran to the temple fair. He found Hang Liumei, perched on a tree branch, watching the opera. Old Jiang lifted her up by her hips and helped her down. Seeing that Hang Liumei was still intact, with only two burnt holes in her clothes, he finally felt relieved.
Hang Liumei saw him running out wrapped in his father-in-law's tattered cotton-padded jacket, stepping on the uppers of his shoes. His handsome face turned red and white with anxiety, his hair flying in all directions. He pointed at him and laughed. He finally caught him scared. Lao Jiang pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, saying, "You are such an ungrateful person. I am worried about you, and you are still smiling."
When they arrived in Xi'an, their sister and brother-in-law were already home. They excitedly told Hang Liumei and Lao Jiang about their university life in Beijing. "You two have the foundation and the professional skills. You just need to prepare well and it won't be a problem." They strongly encouraged them to seek better opportunities.
Hang Liumei and Lao Jiang hesitated. Xi'an and Beijing seemed like better options, but now it wasn't just Dunhuang that couldn't leave them; they couldn't leave Dunhuang either. Hang Liumei had cried secretly under her covers because she missed home, and she'd wandered to the ninth floor in the middle of the night to gaze at the dark caves. She'd wake up the next morning still wanting to stay, willingly.
"Let's wait a little longer," Hang Liumei replied, "until there's a suitable opportunity."
Every time a new bride returns home, her mother-in-law and mother-in-law teach her to be a good wife. So, after returning to Dunhuang, she learns to do the laundry and cooking for Lao Jiang. Lao Jiang refuses, saying, "You're tired standing for so long painting, so I can do it myself." Hang Liumei thinks he's a bit of a germaphobe, even more meticulous than she is. Even after years of wearing his clothes, his collars and cuffs are still spotless, and he scrubs the dishes to a gleaming shine.
Lao Jiang wanted to hand over all his salary to Hang Liumei, but she refused, saying, "We're both building a family together, and we both earn the same. Just keep it for yourself and we'll come back when we need it." Hang Liumei didn't know what she was thinking at the time. Perhaps she hadn't reacted to the suddenness of the marriage and felt embarrassed to manage Lao Jiang's money. She also felt a little proud. She could earn money too, so why should she take a man's?
She was so polite that Old Jiang was at his wit's end. He pulled out a small iron box and showed it to Hang Liumei: "This will be our family's little treasury from now on. I'll put all my money in it. You have to hide it well."
"Married people always call the man the head of the family, why do you keep pushing me to take over?"
"Everyone in the family is managed by the shopkeeper. I can't hold onto the money, and if you put it in my pocket, I'll easily spend it recklessly. Women are more attentive, and if they listen to you about how to spend money, we can live a prosperous life." Old Jiang put the box at the bottom of the chest and conscientiously deposited the money into it every month. Later, Hang Liumei followed suit.
Finally, a major event that required money came: Hang Liumei became pregnant. It was because of this child that all the things that followed happened.
Hang Liumei understood all the reasons why Lao Jiang gave up Hong Kong. Doesn't she want to live her life without regrets now? Hong Kong was Lao Jiang's regret, so she made a new decision.
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