Chapter 5 Yellow Bird
Pu Zhihe also raised her jujube paste. Hang Liumei stretched out her arm and touched her bowl with a clang. She tilted her head back and took a big gulp. "It tastes good. The red dates have a strong flavor, but not too sweet."
Pu Zhihe looked at the broken date peels on the edge of the bowl and took the initiative to clink them with Xiaomai. The matter was settled.
In college, she and Zhu Fu were studying together. He was playing with his phone while reading seriously, "Hey? Look here. It says—most things can be planned, but when faced with the most important choices, experience and logic fail. You need to rely on your subconscious for guidance, like when it comes to your career that determines your destiny or the lover you truly love."
After Zhu Fu finished reading, he asked Pu Zhihe if their being together was a call of the soul.
The question revealed Pu Zhihe's confusion: why had she never encountered a moment of subconscious influence in her life? This made her remember this mysterious statement.
She practiced in seclusion, ignoring worldly affairs, and emerged with amazing skills one day. This was the legendary life of Hang Liumei.
She was trapped in a shallow and peaceful stone pond in the shade, watching the senior control the clouds and rain, even a small carp was eager to try to jump over the dragon gate.
She envied, but she was also vulgar. She knew her deepest fear: what if she endured the same hardships but never reached the same heights as Hang Liumei? Her greatest fear was not being polished into pearls, but also unwilling to be reduced to rubble.
She had no choice but to cheat and copy an answer from Hang Liumei.
Pu Zhihe went home to pack up her things. Director Ou and Master Pu were cooking. She told them about her day's experiences, and they stomped the chopping board in the kitchen.
"Teacher Hang? Biennale? Which Teacher Hang? What Biennale?" Master Pu put the washed razor clams, scallops and mussels on the dish, bent his legs and hunched his back as he leaned in front of the pile of seafood, staring at them with wide eyes, like the reincarnation of Prime Minister Turtle.
"Teacher Hang Liumeihang from the Dunhuang Research Institute, I said a few days ago that I wanted to meet her, and you even claimed to know her. You've given yourself away."
"Hey! I said 'heard of'. I knew her, but I didn't say she knew me."
"Does she live in Dunhuang or Xi'an? How long will you be gone?" Director Ou rummaged through boxes and drawers looking for two lost crabs. She glared at her husband, complaining that Master Pu was only busy making jokes and not asking about business.
"It's local. This exhibition is touring the country. Teacher Hang said that if she has the chance, she will recommend my work. If it's included in the exhibition, it might be sold. Everything has been arranged, don't worry."
"Why don't you take them out for dinner first? Daddy'll put in a few good words for you. You're still young, and there are some situations you can't handle well. Take this opportunity to learn."
Director Ou pushed Master Pu away. "Have you discussed this with Zhu Fu? Let me remind you, you'll be thirty next year. So many long-term relationships have ended in failure, only for the man to quickly find someone else and get married. You said last week his parents were coming over soon, and if you don't finalize this, why are you still working as an assistant? Others your age already have assistants. What would Zhu Fu's parents think if they knew?"
"If you two can't control me, how can his parents control me? This is my own business, why should I care so much about them?" Pu Zhihe said as she put her arms around her mother's neck from behind and hugged her. "Don't worry about getting married, okay? If he really finds fault with me, then I'm still not satisfied with him."
She felt her mother's heavy sigh: "I don't understand what you want, but I am your mother, and I have to say these things. So, do you think they are here to propose marriage this time?"
"Hey!" Master Pu pulled out a chair and sat down, lifting one foot and dangling it on the other knee, commanding strategically: "We can't appear too anxious. Emotionally, we're the hosts, and logically, they're the men, so they should take the initiative! Come on, come on, the pot is boiling!"
Pu Zhihe immediately called Zhu Fu and finished her talk in a few words. Zhu Fu, on the other hand, poured out some irrelevant suggestions like a bamboo tube pouring beans: "You want to live with her? Where is her house? Is it far from me? Why don't you live with me? When you are busy, go to her place. We can all come back after get off work. My parents also want to spend some time with you. Haven't you always wanted to exercise? I will go to the gym with you. Besides, they are here to see the decoration of the new house this time. You can go with us to see what you like. The elders and the young have different perspectives..."
Pu Zhihe interrupted his fantasy: "No, I'm not going to work for fun. Also, don't tell your parents about this. My parents have already questioned me for a long time, and I don't want to explain it again."
Zhu Fu continued chattering, "I just thought that since you're moving out, we'll have the chance to spend more time together. You're overthinking it, right? You could live in my bedroom and I'll sleep in the living room. My parents won't mind, and we were planning to get married anyway..."
"Did you not listen to what I said?" Pu Zhihe's temples throbbed with pain. The thought of having to explain this to him made her tired. "Don't mention it anymore. This matter is settled."
Pu Zhihe used to love Zhu Fu's chattering. He was as rambling as a colorful magpie, bringing excitement wherever he went. Her friends assumed her personality would attract mature, reserved men. In the dorm, they bet on how big an age difference Pu Zhihe would find in her partner, with some even going as far as ten years.
As he grew older, his thoughtfulness turned into nagging. People said he had matured, but Pu Zhihe felt that he was just imitating the words and deeds of a mature person. Under the guise, Zhu Fu had become childish, even vulgar.
But Pu Zhihe felt that he had changed too, but he didn't know who changed first.
When they first got together, Zhu Fu was 18 pounds thinner than he is now. He participated in marathons every year and didn't wear glasses. He showed a row of big white teeth when he smiled. He wasn't handsome, but he was energetic and refreshing.
Zhu Fu's roommate wanted to pursue Pu Zhihe and wrote a long love letter to ask Zhu Fu to pass it on. However, Zhu Fu looked at the clumsy sketch on the envelope and mistakenly recognized the girl, so he sent the letter to another girl.
His roommate was furious and asked him that even if his drawing was not good, couldn’t he spell the initials “PZH”?
Zhu Fu said righteously, "You didn't let me open it, so I just followed the direction you pointed and sent it to the girl sitting in the second row of the first group. I also asked her, and her name is Pei Zhenheng."
Zhu Fu went to explain this to Pu Zhihe, but by the time he understood the whole story, his roommate was already with Pei Zhenheng.
Zhu Fu was very puzzled. They were two such different girls, and Pu Zhihe was so nice, how could he fall in love with someone else so easily?
He pursued Pu Zhihe directly, using the excuse of making amends. He delivered three meals a day to her dormitory door, regardless of her preferences. He held an umbrella in the rain and provided shade on sunny days, picking her up day and night on the short route between her dormitory and classroom.
Pu Zhihe thought this was some kind of competition game between boys, so she watched him perform and refused to accept anything offered to her. Zhu Fu ignored her thoughts and continued to show off his skills.
Zhu Fu's matchmaker was a physical education teacher. He rigorously enforced student fitness, raising the 800-meter test to 2,400. Pu Zhihe made a mistake by drinking a can of Red Bull before her exam, then rushed to the bathroom after her run and vomited profusely. Zhu Fu called out to the door to make sure no one else was around, then rushed in, carrying the frail, Lin Daiyu-like Pu Zhihe on his back and rushing to the school hospital.
Pu Zhihe lay on a bed in the school hospital, watching the panting Zhu Fu, and said weakly, "Student Zhu Fu, I'm sick from vomiting today. I'll drink soy milk tomorrow morning."
They told this story to many friends. Later, people said in disbelief that Zhu Fu was like this when he was young, and then patted Zhu Fu on the shoulder and sighed, "You have really matured a lot in the past two years."
Pu Zhihe decided to put Zhu Fu's situation aside for now and went to bed early. In her dream, she was twenty years old again. She hadn't met Zhu Fu, but she had successfully completed the physical education test. A tall boy offered her water, and she took it, forgetting to look up to see who he was.
*
Xiaomai guessed that Pu Zhihe should not be asleep at this time, so she sent her her home address. After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, she put down her phone and heated water for her grandmother's foot bath.
Hang Liumei's entire calf was submerged in the deep wooden barrel, steaming her until she was sweating all over. The warm blood flowed to every limb, making her brain more flexible.
She was in a good mood today. Looking at Xiaomai's busy back, she had only one question: where did he find such a perfect match for her?
Hang Liumei had never exchanged photos with her pen pal, but she could tell something was wrong the moment Pu Zhihe started talking over the phone. Back then, she'd seen Pu Zhihe as beautiful, but soulless. Not wanting to dampen her grandson's efforts, she decided to just have a quick meal and call it a day.
The man she met on the road changed her mind.
Her eyesight had faded, but her hearing was as sharp as it had been in her youth. Pu Zhihe's impromptu stories were far more amusing than her demure greetings. Hang Liumei loved teasing those who had hidden little secrets but then revealed them.
Since we were going to have a big fight, we needed a playmate. This playmate had to be a stranger; if they were too familiar, we wouldn't be able to move freely. They also had to be interesting, bold, and full of creative ideas, which Pu Zhihe certainly possessed. We could try this kid.
She was obviously in some kind of struggle. Why did she agree to let Xiaomai deceive me? It seemed that she wanted to learn something from me. Then what I could teach her was not just painting. Hang Liumei was very satisfied with her inference.
The grandson beside him clearly knew about it. Since he had deliberately found Pu Zhihe to coax him, he should keep it as a final surprise. Hang Liumei had a subtle smile on her face. She would wait until the last moment to tell them unexpectedly that she had known for a long time that Pu Zhihe was a fake.
Mai Xu poured out the water used for grandma's foot washing, walked around behind her, and took down a new quilt from the top of the closet to prepare for Pu Zhihe's arrival. It had a blue background with white flowers and smelled of mothballs.
Normally, Xiaomai and Hang Liumei lived in this house alone. He had lived on campus, but after Song Jiang's death, Hang Liumei had been unable to sleep or eat, so Xiaomai came home more often. The house had three bedrooms and two living rooms. Xiaomai and his grandmother's bedrooms were adjacent, and the guest bedroom was at the other end of the hallway, which had been cleaned out and left for Pu Zhihe.
People in a family always have different personalities. It is said that the eldest is stupid, the second is smart, and the third is bad. Hang Liumei's family has few direct and collateral relatives. She has only one son and one grandson. But no matter how small the family is, there will always be troublemakers and those who cause trouble. The strangest thing in their family is that the youngest, Mai Xu, is the most steady and keeps everything in his heart.
Xiaomai took the guqin down from the wall of the guest bedroom and carried it back to his own room. He cradled it in his arms, and suddenly, he felt the urge to play. The only piece he could play without studying was "Moon over the Passageway." His fingers plucked and picked, and the melody flowed naturally.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late, and his piano skills were pretty good, so it wasn't too disturbing to the neighbors. When Xiaomai was learning piano, his teacher said that music could be accompanied by poetry. Xiaomai was used to playing with his grandfather, never singing aloud, only reciting in his mind: "The bright moon rises from the Tianshan Mountains, amidst the vast sea of clouds. The wind blows for tens of thousands of miles, passing through Yumen Pass."
The guqin has only seven strings, yet the music it produces is vast and majestic. Xiaomai began learning the guqin as a teenager. His grandfather found an old flute from his youth and played a few passages on it. Later, seeing a guqin and flute ensemble performance, Xiaomai was inspired to learn. He's persisted to this day, but he stopped playing after his grandfather passed away.
He didn't know why he suddenly wanted to play the piano today, but he felt happy and wanted to share his joy with his grandmother. The two of them hit it off immediately, and he had fulfilled a wish.
But he still didn't understand. It was the first time that grandma met Pu Zhihe, but how come she was already very familiar with her and directly invited her to live in her house, and Sister Zhihe agreed so readily - he was not sure at the time that Pu Zhihe would agree.
It seems that my risky move was right, and everyone is happy.
The trees outside the window were rustling in the wind; the temperature would drop tomorrow. The temperature in Xi'an fluctuates wildly in the spring, not really warming up until after Qingming Festival, and then swiftly descending into a long, endless summer.
A circle of bright moonlight reflected in Xiaomai's window reminded him of the day he first met Pu Zhihe. If people were divided into seasons, then Pu Zhihe would represent the night of late spring.
He heard his grandmother clapping along to the rhythm of his piano. He was afraid she'd miss him, so he tried to finish playing quickly. But then he felt a slight sting in his left hand. He looked down and saw a red mark. It must have been so long since he'd played, and pressing the strings too hard had nicked his fingers.
"You play well, Xiaomai. Why don't you play anymore?" Hang Liumei said to him leisurely through the door. "I think you haven't had enough fun today. How about we go out and listen to a live performance and have a drink?"
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