Chapter 49 Old Photos
Professor Hashimoto said that it was indeed a bit sudden to make this invitation after just their first meeting, and Professor Hang could take his time to consider it. The time for the visiting scholar program had not yet been determined, and there would be another process in the future, but as long as Professor Hang was willing to go, she would definitely arrange the follow-up matters.
There was a pot of water lilies in the middle of the dining table. The waiter brought a sashimi platter, and dry ice misted the entire table. Hang Liumei felt as if she was in a fairyland. She was so dizzy that she almost picked up the red wine and clinked glasses with Hashimoto. Fortunately, everyone else shouted "Ah!" and called her back, so she drank it all in one gulp with tea instead of wine.
After seeing Hashimoto off, everyone was even more excited than Hang Liumei. They surrounded her and asked her what her plans were.
"Me?" Hang Liumei was already a little tired: "As long as I can still move my body, I will go with his father to fulfill his last wish! Anyway, you can all rest assured, I will never turn it down this time. Besides, it's already this late, what else can happen. I will reply to Professor Hashimoto in two days, let's be reserved for now."
The next day, Dad Mai invited Mai Sui out for dinner.
"Mom, aren't you guys coming together?" Mai Sui asked Hang Liumei when he saw the other three people consciously standing apart from them.
Hang Liumei shook her head like a rattle: "We had an appointment before we came. We have to meet an old friend today. I will decline your invitation this time. We can go together next time."
Wheat Ear turned to his son and asked, "Wheat Ear, you don't want to go with Mom and Dad either?"
Dad Mai stood behind her motionless, concentrating all his strength on his pupils and winking at his son - don't follow her.
Xiaomai shook her head wisely: "I want to go for a walk with grandma."
Mai Sui turned around, stared at Mai Dad and said, "It's just the two of us, let's go."
Mai Sui walked ahead, folding his arms and asked, "What are you going to take me to eat?"
Dad Mai quickened his pace until he was shoulder to shoulder with her, turned his head to look at her and replied, "Do you remember when we used to go to the movies and the people in those movies would often sit on the sidewalk and eat spicy fried seafood? You said at the time that if we ever had the chance to come to Hong Kong, we'd eat at ice cream parlors and dai pai dongs like in Hong Kong dramas. I think you might have already been there, but I found a Chen Gen Ji place and wondered if you'd like to try it."
"Chen Gen Ji? I know. I've been there several times and always had to queue, so I haven't eaten there yet. But that shop only opens in the evening!"
"So I thought we should go hiking on the MacLehose Trail first, and on the way back we'll pass through Sha Tin, which will be just in time for dinner."
After hearing this, Mai Sui stopped and said, "I'm too tired these two days and don't want to go hiking."
Dad Mai also stopped. He suddenly felt that he was a little hasty. Why did he make the same mistake again? He should have asked her what she thought. So he immediately said, "It's not necessary to go. Then tell me, we can go wherever you want to go."
"Since we're having dinner in Shatin tonight, let's go to the university for lunch. The environment at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is good, maybe we can send our son to study here."
The two took the subway directly to the Chinese University of Hong Kong and walked up the mountain road. Although they were visiting the school for their son, they talked about the past. They walked all the way to the famous Wynn College Cliff Restaurant, where Mai Sui suggested they rest.
It wasn't even close to class time yet, so the cafeteria wasn't crowded. Dad Mai grabbed a window seat with a view. Half of the view was the clear, emerald blue sky, and half was the lush, forested mountain. They felt like an elderly couple visiting their child at school, finally able to sit down and enjoy a normal meal in peace.
Mai Sui ordered fried udon with satay pork slices and an extra cup of coffee. Dad Mai had the mouth-watering chicken with white rice. Mai Sui watched him put down his plate and then commented, "I came all the way to Hong Kong, and I'm still eating mouth-watering chicken." As she was talking, she caught a glimpse of Dad Mai still wearing their old wedding ring on his left ring finger. She had thrown hers into the moat when she decided to divorce Jiang Yunyi.
Mai Sui put his sunglasses on his head, picked up his coffee, looked out at the scenery, and stopped talking.
Dad Mai picked up a piece of chicken, dipped it in some red oil, put it in his mouth, chewed a few times and swallowed it. Seeing that Mai Sui had no intention of eating, he advised: "Didn't you get diarrhea after drinking coffee before? Why are you drinking it instead of eating now? If you're thirsty, I'll go buy you something else to drink."
"I've gotten used to coffee. I feel tired if I don't drink it for a day." Mai Sui put down his coffee and picked up his chopsticks. Without looking up, he said, "You didn't like onions before, but now you're not picky about them either."
"It seems that people will change." said Dad Mai.
Mai Sui didn't comment on his conclusion. As students began to arrive, she observed them and said, "I wish Xiaomai could attend a school like these kids. I didn't plan well for her back then." Then, seemingly recalling the tragedy that led to their divorce a few years ago, she changed the subject. "But it's good to have him by Grandma's side now. I think they have a good relationship, old and young."
"You're right. I didn't plan well for the child. It's all my fault. When you and my son needed me the most, I tied you together and walked away. I was so smart I thought I'd keep you at home, but I later realized that was the worst possible move. I owe you." Dad Mai suddenly became serious. He had been brewing these words for a long time. Now might not be the perfect time, but he was afraid if he didn't say it now, he'd never have the chance again.
Mai Sui picked up the cup and took a sip: "Don't be so excited, it's all over."
"It's not over, at least not for me."
"This is the best possible outcome. I'll be staying in Hong Kong for a long time, not just one or two months, but probably three to five years. What else can we do? Just accept reality. What's done is done."
"If I stay here with you, will it still count?"
Mai Sui stared at him without saying a word, and he also didn't say anything, waiting for her to give an answer.
*
Hang Liumei, Pu Zhihe and Xiaomai were leisurely moving between the gaps between the skyscrapers. The address given by Xiaoyu seemed to be hidden somewhere here.
"If Xiaomai's father's wife-finding matter wasn't more important, I would have brought him along to meet his sister Xiaoyu today. They had a great time in Dunhuang back then. But it wouldn't be good if too many people rushed over at the first meeting, so the three of us will go first, and he can come later later." Hang Liumei's excitement was beyond words, and she told the two of them vividly about their past experiences in Dunhuang.
Besides Sister Xiuchun, the Gong family was the closest people to Hang Liumei. When she first arrived in Dunhuang, Xiaoyu was still a little girl. On the first day Teacher Gong was teaching Hang Liumei, Xiaoyu hid behind the door and watched her. Hang Liumei beckoned her over and tied her hair with a new hairband, and she and Hang Liumei became good friends.
At that time, Hang Liumei was very playful. When she was not working, she would drag Xiuchunjie and Xiaoyu to play skipping rope together, and run to the mountains to dig holes and roast potatoes. The young women and children together were a story in itself.
When Xiaoyu, who was playing around and didn't finish her homework assigned by Teacher Gong, asked Hang Liumei for help, she was already a parent. Even before becoming a parent, Hang Liumei had already accumulated extensive experience tutoring Xiaoyu, even getting frustrated when she couldn't explain a simple question. Later, after giving birth to Jiang Yunyi, Hang Liumei felt that daughters were the best, as Xiaoyu was much less of a worry.
Teacher Gong was like a mother, Qi Xiuchun like an older sister, and Xiaoyu like a younger sister. They were there for Hang Liumei, even when she cried over homesickness. Unfortunately, Teacher Gong was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. She visited several hospitals, but all of them insisted surgery was necessary. She also had a double uterus, a more complex condition than most. They ultimately left Dunhuang and came to Hong Kong for treatment.
After hearing that Teacher Gong's surgery was successful, Hang Liumei even spoke to her on the phone. But the cancer later metastasized, and several years after Teacher Gong's death, Hang Liumei finally had the opportunity to pay her respects.
The three of them groped their way to the door of Xiaoyu's studio. Before they could ring the bell, a middle-aged woman with short hair rushed out.
"Sister Liu Mei?"
"Xiaoyu? Xiaoyu! I knew it was you at first sight. You look exactly like your mother!" Hang Liumei and her held each other's arms, and tears fell as soon as they spoke.
Xiaoyu's full name was Wen Chuyu. She was ten years older than Hang Liumei's son, Jiang Yunyi, and was already in her late sixties. A brilliant student, she was admitted to university in Shanghai, and later studied in Hong Kong, which gave her the opportunity to bring her mother to seek medical treatment. Even after years of separation, Hang Liumei recognized her instantly: this was Teacher Gong's daughter.
Teacher Gong spent her days studying the Buddha's every smile and frown, cultivating a kind and compassionate expression. Xiaoyu continued her studies and became a professor, nurtured by the vast sea of knowledge, and like her mother, she was a lotus flower emerging from pure water.
"Sister Liumei! I never thought I'd see you again. It's been decades!" Xiaoyu said, covering her mouth with her hands as she laughed. "I was so excited all of a sudden. Look, my accent is almost coming out."
The two wiped away their tears and went in to see Xiaoyu's photography works.
Photos of all sizes surrounded everyone who stepped through the door. Hang Liumei turned around and said to Xiaoyu, "Xiaoyu, you are so talented. This place of yours is truly a different world."
"Sister Liumei, you haven't seen what I prepared for you." Xiaoyu said and took Hang Liumei to a group of black and white photos. Hang Liumei looked closely and found that these were the photos they took in Dunhuang that year.
In the center is a group photo of everyone at the entrance to the Mogao Grottoes. Several new children joined the institute at the time, including Jiang Yunyi, who was held by Hang Liumei in the second row, on the left. Everyone wore familiar work clothes, and behind them stood the now-defunct old gate and a blurred plaque.
Hang Liumei pointed at the photos and read out the names one by one: "Look at how young your sister Liumei was then, and there's Lao Jiang; you were almost as tall as your mother then; this is Xiaofang, this is Lao Yang, and there's Lao Qi..."
Looking back, there are photos of colleagues working in the grottoes, photos of everyone planting trees with hoes, photos of them hiking into the city in the spring, photos of them gathering together to eat the "three traditional dishes", photos of them dormitories, photos of them building a nine-story building...
Hang Liumei scanned the photos one by one, afraid to miss a single one. She paused for a long moment before each one. They held so many memories, those vivid moments of life replaying in her mind. She wanted to capture every detail, fearing that if she looked away from the photos, her memories would fade away. Until the very end, even though she was clearly in Hong Kong, Dunhuang seemed to have returned to her.
An unfamiliar photo caught Hang Liumei's attention. It was the summer of 1995, and Hang Liumei remembered it clearly. It was an unusually rainy summer, with a dark cloud rolling in from nowhere, pressing down on the Dunhuang sky. Accustomed to drought, they were all worried by the unfamiliar humidity—the sudden change in climate was a nightmare for the murals.
After another heavy rain, the Dangquan River flooded.
From the moment Hang Liumei arrived at the Mogao Grottoes, she had never seen the river surge so violently. The then-director led the team and the security guards in flood control, hand-in-hand with sandbags. This photo captures Hang Liumei, Lao Jiang, and their son, standing back and forth, passing sandbags. Other colleagues' busy backs or arms waving vigorously can be seen interspersed throughout the photo.
Hang Liumei was about to reach out and press the photo to see it more clearly, but she was worried about damaging the unique copy, so she withdrew her hand.
Xiaoyu, who was standing nearby, took the photo down and placed it in her hand. "Sister Liumei, you haven't seen this one either, have you? The photos here are from the camera Uncle Qi left behind. I developed and restored them because I want to hold a photo exhibition for you in the future."
Hang Liumei held the photo, and middle-aged Jiang came alive before her eyes. When her son was young, he wasn't often home, so there were very few photos of the three of them together. She hadn't expected such a special photo to be taken. She held up the photo and asked, "Xiaoyu, I'm so embarrassed to say this right away. Um—we don't have many memories of our family of three. Can you take this photo—?"
Hang Liumei was too embarrassed to finish what she was saying, but Xiaoyu already understood.
"Sister Liu Mei, I can take any other photo, but this photo was left by the dean for my mother. There's an inscription on the back, so I can't make the decision."
Hang Liumei understood Xiaoyu's dilemma, but she really couldn't see any mystery in the photo. She turned over the back and saw handwriting.
"Treasure your passion, even if you spill it, it will turn into a turquoise wave." From Qiu Jin's "Drinking Together"
Her memories that were washed away by the rainstorm came back to her.
Yes, this photo also contains Teacher Gong’s long-cherished wish, which she cannot take away.
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