Chapter 39: Pair
Dad Mai nodded and agreed to go to Hong Kong with them. Hang Liumei reminded him not to forget the opening ceremony in two weeks.
She had decided early on to wear a beige skirt suit, the hummingbird-shaped brooch Xiaomai had given her for her birthday, and a small sheepskin and platinum shoulder bag. Unexpectedly, it started raining early in the morning, forcing her to change shoes. She stepped on a small stool to find her worn black leather shoes, which were so worn that they had creases on the uppers. She didn't mind stepping into the water.
There was a bulge inside her shoes. Hang Liumei took them out and saw that they were the shoe stretchers she and Lao Jiang had made together. She didn't like her shoes to deform, so Lao Jiang had sewed dry straw and sawdust into rags like sandbags to make a cloth bag to support her shoes. When he was first lying in bed, he always liked to assign Hang Liumei these small tasks that were not tiring but kept her busy.
Back then, the two of them couldn't see the eye of a needle, so they squinted their eyes to thread the needle. Old Jiang said summer was approaching, and it was time to put away Hang Liumei's winter leather shoes. Worried she wouldn't have enough, they worked together to sew several cloth-wrapped shoe trees. Later, when Old Jiang's health took a turn for the worse, he couldn't find time to distract Hang Liumei.
Lao Jiang didn't survive that spring.
Lao Jiang, Lao Jiang, I wish you weren't so considerate. Or if you could always be this nice, then you should walk behind me. Hang Liumei wiped the tears from her eyes with her fingers. Today is a happy day, and I shouldn't cry. I'll be done with work soon, and when I'm done, I'll go to Hong Kong on Lao Jiang's behalf. I can show off to him when I see him in the future.
The three of them arrived at the art museum. As a distinguished guest, Hang Liumei was ushered into the VIP lounge by the staff, where she and the other great artists exchanged pleasantries. She immediately spotted Xiuchun sitting there with her cat, the little Siamese cat meowing at her.
Hang Liumei walked while talking rapidly: "Sister Xiuchun, you really don't want to go to Hong Kong with me? Hong Kong, what a great place." She walked over to sit next to Qi Xiuchun and sang softly in her ear: "The waves rush, the waves flow, the vast river never stops..."
Qi Xiuchun glared at her with a smile, "You're going crazy again. How about calling this song 'Shanghai Beach'? I had gastroenteritis and was diagnosed with polyps. I've scheduled a minor surgery and don't want to go through the hassle anymore. You go first, and when I'm better, we old sisters can get together. Besides, isn't it enough for you to take care of such a big family? Has your son agreed to go?"
"I agreed. You see, he's such a shy kid. He's still so shy when trying to match him up."
"By the way, have you contacted Yuyu? Did you forget? That's Teacher Gong's eldest daughter, Xiaoyu! After her family went to Hong Kong, I heard that Yuyu stayed there to become a university teacher. Xiaofang said she had her phone number last time. Ask her for it. Teacher Gong is gone, so Yuyu must remember us. Let's meet up and catch up."
Hang Liumei listened to Qi Xiuchun's instigation on the spot and called. Xiaoyu on the other end was overjoyed to hear that she was going to Hong Kong. She sent her address to Hang Liumei and said that she had a photography studio in Hong Kong Island and asked Hang Liumei to visit it when the time comes.
"I'll soon be meeting an old friend in a foreign land," Hang Liumei excitedly asked, tugging on the little Siamese dog's paw. "What do you think I'll do if I don't recognize Yuyu when I see her?" A moment later, she added, "If we're paying our respects to Teacher Gong, we'll have to bring her some of her favorite food and drink." After much deliberation, she couldn't help but go back to pack her bags. Only when the curator came over and asked her to take a photo did her spirit return to the exhibition.
Pu Zhihe and Xiaomai were walking around outside, and she asked him, "Xiaomi, why didn't you learn painting from grandma?"
"After a few years of study, my grandmother saw that I had no talent or interest, so she told me to give up. She said that stopping early would help me retain some appreciation for art. I loved pestering my grandfather to play his instruments, but I wasn't serious about it. I didn't even learn the guqin until high school."
"But you already play very well. I've heard that the guqin is difficult to learn. High school is so hard, why did you suddenly start learning the guqin?"
"When I was in my first year of high school, I was recuperating at home after suffering a minor injury. My grandfather had a friend who taught guqin. He came to our house for dinner and played guqin and flute with my grandfather. I thought it was very interesting and I wanted to be able to play with my grandfather in the future."
"It seems that the guqin doesn't require a child's training, so maybe I can learn it in the future."
Xiaomai's mind suddenly flashed back to the night she sat beside him, listening to the piano. He often recalled that scene afterwards. He had always been too embarrassed to admit that he was actually happy about Pu Zhihe's breakup. He couldn't accept how a man like Zhu Fu could be with her, so he blurted out, "Do you want to learn? I can teach you."
She turned around in surprise: "Really? Then you can see if I have talent."
He wondered if she was taking this as a joke again.
After hesitating for a moment, Xiaomai took out an antique ebony hairpin from her pocket and handed it to Pu Zhihe: "This is for you. You can use it to tie up your hair when you play the piano in the future so it won't block your vision. You can also use it when you paint now."
He had previously accompanied out-of-town classmates to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Along the way, they passed many people wearing Hanfu (Chinese traditional costumes). One girl was taking photos near the sculpture, and he noticed the hairpin in her hair, which he instinctively thought would be a perfect match for Pu Zhihe. Then, his classmates saw him suddenly stand up and walk over, thinking he was asking for WeChat. They were wondering if he was possessed, but it turned out he was just asking for a link.
This hairpin was handmade, and he had been waiting for more than half a month. He had been carrying it ever since he received it. If he couldn't give it away, this matter would become increasingly difficult. At first, he only considered what if Pu Zhihe didn't like it. The longer he kept it in his mind, the more he had to consider: what if she asked why he gave it to her? What if she refused to accept it?
But he would rather be questioned by her than have the hairpin hidden at the bottom of his bag. He didn't know when she would leave, and he hoped she would wear it when she left.
Pu Zhihe took it without asking any questions. She spread out her palm, held the hairpin in her hand and said, "I can braid my hair with one hand, do you believe it?"
Xiaomai looked at her with sparkling eyes. Pu Zhihe took the hairpin and twisted it around her head a few times. It only took her three or five seconds to tie her hair up, as gracefully as a female knight sheathing her sword.
"How is it? Zhang Ziyi was like this when I watched Rush Hour. Pretty impressive, isn't she?"
Before Xiaomai could say anything, someone behind her clapped and said loudly, "So handsome! So handsome! I didn't expect to see you here!" She turned around and saw it was Xiaomai's English tutor Jonny. The more people gathered around him, the more excited he became. He grabbed the collar of his frayed denim vest with both hands and walked towards Xiaomai and Pu Zhihe. Only then did Pu Zhihe see that his graffiti short-sleeved shirt underneath had a row of holes cut into it.
"Hey, bro! It's been ages!" Jonny and Xiaomai high-fived, and then tried to chest-bump, but Xiaomai gave him a gentle hug and patted him on the shoulder twice. Jonny turned to Pu Zhihe proudly, "Hello, beautiful assistant! Congratulations on the opening of Teacher Hang's exhibition. My friend works here, so I just happened to come over for a visit. Would you two like a drink?"
Xiaomai and Pu Zhihe both shook their heads. The host announced the start of the ceremony. Jonny popped a piece of gum into his mouth and leaned in between the two of them. "See that middle-aged man sitting there? That's the old curator." "I don't know who that young woman next to him is. She's wearing designer clothes, but she's quite understated, no logos at all. She looks like she's from the old money. She must be someone special." You know in the art world, these bigwigs always bring special people with them...
Unexpectedly, the next moment, the young woman was invited to the stage. She was the daughter of the old director and the new director of the museum. This Biennale was her idea. Many artists were secretly waiting for her to fail, but in person, they were offering their attention, hoping that her wealth and intelligence would encourage them to participate in exhibitions and marketing, or even better, to directly invest in their works. She was no rich second-generation kid who had failed to make it abroad and returned to China. From conception to curation to execution, she had masterfully executed everything, leading some to murmur that she was harder to get money out of than her father's fingers.
How could Pu Zhihe not have known the new director's resume, but she endured and let Jonny talk enough. After reading out the new director's title, she and Xiaomai looked at Jonny together.
Jonny could only make excuses awkwardly. He didn't expect that this was not an ordinary relationship. It turned out that the best resources were inherited through blood.
"I'll go see if Teacher Hang has come out." Pu Zhihe didn't want to listen anymore and turned to leave.
Jonny looked at her from behind and suddenly patted Xiaomai's chest with the back of his hand. "Hey? I just ran into your grandma. I heard her talking to the old lady next to her about how so-and-so is single now. Is that true?"
Xiaomai didn't want to answer and just said, "We don't know about Sister Zhihe's private affairs."
"That's true. Can you help me make an appointment with her? Let's go out and have fun this weekend. If you don't want to go, just tell her you're not coming."
"No, we have something to do this weekend." Xiaomai refused directly with a dark face.
"Then we can find another time. By the way, can you help me find out what kind of person she likes?"
Xiaomai still looked indifferent and said, "Forget it, it's not appropriate."
"What do you mean by unsuitable? Is it me and her? Or is it inappropriate for you to ask?" Jonny, a veteran, saw through Xiaomai's anomaly in just a few words. "That's really not nice of you, Xiaomai. Hey? Are you secretly in love with the older sister? Why do you look like that? I was just joking, and you're the one who won't help. To be honest, I told you last time at your house that I was interested in her."
Xiaomai, growing impatient with his pestering, made an excuse to leave. He was a bit nervous after Jonny, the big mouth, had just let him know. Jonny had even gone so far as to scheme with him about first come, first served. Xiaomai couldn't quite put his finger on when he'd first started liking Zhihe, but it must have been before Jonny.
As Pu Zhihe walked away, she saw Xiaomai's parents. More accurately, they caught her eye. Mai's father dismounted a heavy motorcycle and strode into the art gallery like a lion. He peered around, locked onto his target, and headed straight for Mai Sui, who stood gracefully like a cheetah at the dessert counter. Pu Zhihe had no choice but to turn around and look for another destination.
"You arrived quite early." Dad Mai made small talk.
"If you come any later, you won't be able to catch your mother's speech." Mai Sui stood up and said, looking at the tip of his nose that was peeling from the sun.
"No, I'll keep track. I heard you invited them to Hong Kong. Mom's in a good mood lately. Thank you."
"Don't thank me, it was Xiao Pu and Xiao Mai who accompanied her—"
"Mr. Mai! Someone familiar is coming over here. It's an artist I know well. Seeing that Father Mai and Mai Sui were standing close together, he asked enthusiastically, "Mr. Mai, long time no see. Who is this?"
"It's my ex-husband, Jiang Yunyi."
"Ah, ah, no wonder I haven't heard about your marriage. Hello, hello." The artist didn't expect Mai Sui to be so direct.
Jiang Yunyi bent down to shake his hand and added, "We got married early and divorced late, and our son is already in college."
After the artist walked away, Mai Sui asked Lao Jiang dissatisfiedly why he talked so many private matters with strangers.
"I'm just stating the truth. If you don't like it, I won't repeat it again." Jiang Yunyi stepped closer to Mai Sui, so close that Mai Sui could smell his aftershave. He went straight to the point, "I'll go with them to Hong Kong to see you, okay?"
Mai Sui chuckled. This rough guy had learned to be submissive first and then make demands. Okay, come if you want.
Pu Zhihe was wandering around with a Coke in her hand when she was unexpectedly grabbed by Jonny again: "Are you free this weekend? Xiaomai said you broke up, do you want to come out and sit for a while?"
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