Ruan Mian followed her mother to move to Pingjiang West Alley on the same day as the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics.
The whole country was celebrating. All the doors and windows in the alley were open, and the sounds of singing and cheering from the TV sets mixed together and drifted outside.
Shadows of people moved about inside the houses, and moonlight passed through the gaps between the tangled antennas and clothes casually hung out to dry upstairs, illuminating this narrow section of the world.
Ruan Mian’s mother Fang Ruqing said in a soft voice, repeating words she had already said many times, “Remember to call someone when you get to Uncle Zhao’s house. Be good.”
Ruan Mian walked behind with her eyes lowered, watching the trail left by her suitcase wheels rolling over the bluestone road. She responded in a toneless voice, “I know.”
Fang Ruqing heard the reluctance in her daughter’s voice and looked back at her before continuing to walk forward. Her 5 cm high heels accurately avoided all the bumps and holes in the road. Her figure was slender and efficient as she walked. The moonlight shone down from above, weaving through the tangled antennas and clothes hanging from the upstairs terraces of each house, illuminating this narrow corner of the world.
“I know you still blame me and your dad for getting divorced, but Mian, maintaining a marriage is not as simple as you think. There are some things you don’t understand yet.”
Ruan Mian’s father, Ruan Mingke, was a researcher. He and Fang Ruqing were alumni from the same university and fell in love at first sight at the freshman welcome party. Right after Fang Ruqing graduated from university, the two of them registered their marriage. In less than two years, Ruan Mian was born, and the family of three lived happily for seven years.
Around the seventh year when the marriage entered a stale period, Ruan Mian’s parents, who were then around 30 years old, began frequently arguing and giving each other the cold shoulder. There was always a depressive mood at home.
The arguing never stopped after it began. It wasn’t until three years ago when Ruan Mingke was transferred from Pingcheng for work reasons. Before leaving, he had an open and honest talk with Fang Ruqing, and the couple had a brief period of reconciliation.
However, this period of reconciliation only lasted for half a year. Due to the nature of Ruan Mingke’s job, he was seldom home. The frequent arguments from earlier years had already worn away the affection between the husband and wife. Now with the increasing distance and time apart, this marriage was in name only. Divorce was the eventual and best outcome for both of them.
At the end of October last year, the couple divorced amicably. The house and car went to Ruan Mingke, while Fang Ruqing only asked for custody of Ruan Mian.
After the divorce, Fang Ruqing, who worked as a finance manager in a foreign trade company, was popular and soon started a new relationship with Zhao Yingwei, a supervisor in the business department of the same company.
During Chinese New Year this year, Fang Ruqing brought Ruan Mian to meet Zhao Yingwei.
What happened next was very logical – Zhao Yingwei began frequently appearing in Ruan Mian and her mother’s lives. A week ago, the two registered their marriage.
Ruan Mian had always refrained from participating in or commenting on her parents’ decision. She already guessed this day would come, from the first time Ruan Mingke and Fang Ruqing argued recklessly in front of her.
She watched her mother’s back, and after a long time said, “I’m not blaming you.”
Fang Ruqing didn’t continue this thread of conversation. They passed by a fruit stand in the alley, and she stopped to let Ruan Mian pick two watermelons.
While the owner was weighing the watermelons, Zhao Yingwei brought his son Zhao Shuyang over from home to meet them. The man in his forties wore a grey shirt and pants. He had an upright and tall figure, his physique had not gone out of shape, and he had the air of a scholar.
He walked over to the fruit stand and naturally took the suitcase from Fang Ruqing’s hand, “Didn’t I say to wait for me at the entrance of the alley?”
“It wasn’t that far.”
Fang Ruqing took the backpack from Ruan Mian’s shoulder and reminded her to greet him.
“Hello Uncle Zhao.”
Before Fang Ruqing could say more, Ruan Mian looked at the little boy hiding behind Zhao Yingwei and took out two White Rabbit milk candies1 from her pocket, “Would you like some candy?”
Zhao Yingwei looked at Ruan Mian, surprised but also gratified. He held his son’s shoulder, “Aren’t you going to thank your sister?”
Zhao Shuyang took the candy and shyly said, “Thank you, sister.”
“You’re welcome.”
Ruan Mian casually patted his head and smiled, though not obviously.
The Zhao family’s two-story house was at the end of the alley, an old house built a few decades ago. It narrowly missed the government’s demolition line by a few dozen meters.
Besides Zhao Yingwei’s son Zhao Shuyang from his late wife, there was also his daughter Zhao Shutang and his mother Duan Ying.
Zhao Shutang was around the same age as Ruan Mian. According to Zhao Yingwei’s arrangements, Ruan Mian would transfer to Shutang’s class when the new semester started.
That night after dinner, Zhao Yingwei and Fang Ruqing took Ruan Mian upstairs to the bedroom. It wasn’t big, but it faced the sunny side and was cozily furnished.
There were a few unopened boxes on the desk. Fang Ruqing explained, “These are models your Uncle Zhao specially asked someone to bring back for you from overseas.”
Ruan Mian walked over and opened one box, then turned back to say thank you, “It was nice of Uncle Zhao.”
“It was nothing. As long as you like them.”
Zhao Yingwei didn’t stay in the room for long. After giving a few instructions about the house arrangements, he left first.
Fang Ruqing made the bed for Ruan Mian and sat on the edge of the bed, “The teaching quality at No. 8 Middle School is comparable to No. 6 Middle School. Your Uncle Zhao has already contacted the teachers and classroom. You’ll report in on August 30th. When does your cram school class end?”
“The 16th.”
“Then there are only a few days left. Or should I call Teacher Zhou and tell him you won’t go anymore since it’s quite far to travel from here?”
Ruan Mian blinked, “No need for that. I’ll still go. There are only 7 or 8 days left anyway, and my test papers and materials are still in the classroom there.”
“Alright then.”
Fang Ruqing didn’t insist. She stood up, “Go take a shower later and sleep early tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow morning for breakfast.”
“Okay, good night Mom.”
“Mm, good night.”
Fang Ruqing stroked her head, then left the room.
After Fang Ruqing was gone, Ruan Mian opened her large suitcase and took out the clothes to put in the wardrobe. When she could no longer hear voices outside, she took her pajamas and went downstairs to shower.
The old house only had an en-suite bathroom in the master bedroom. There was only one common bathroom downstairs. While bathing, Ruan Mian heard Zhao Shuyang knocking on the door saying he needed to use the toilet.
She responded for him to wait a moment, didn’t even use the shower gel, and quickly wiped herself with a towel and put on her pajamas before letting Zhao Shuyang in.
She didn’t close the door tightly and could hear the sounds inside. Ruan Mian frowned, went back upstairs, found a small hairdryer in her suitcase, and dried her hair. She then turned off the lights and lay in bed.
There were constant sounds of people moving about in the corridor outside. Ruan Mian tossed and turned, smelling the unfamiliar laundry detergent scent on the pillow, and sighed deeply.
The next morning, Ruan Mian didn’t eat breakfast with the Zhao family. It took an hour and a half by bus from Pingjiang West Alley to her cram school, so she didn’t have time to sit down and eat.
Fang Ruqing saw her off at the bus stop and reminded her to call if class ended late for exams so she could come pick her up.
Ruan Mian got on the bus holding soy milk and fried dough sticks (youtiao), the small shops lining the road coming into view. On the other side of Pingjiang West Alley was a corner of Pingjiang Mansions.
As the bus went farther, it gradually left this vibrant world where the old and new intermingled.
For the next week, Ruan Mian commuted like this almost daily, until the last day when the cram school organized a farewell dinner and she came home four hours later than usual, close to 9 pm.
After getting off the bus, Ruan Mian bought an ice pop at a roadside stall and walked into the alley while eating it. At this time of night, all the neighbors had their doors and lights off, with only a few houses where the faint light of a television could be seen. The moon was the only source of light here.
The winding alleys were like a maze, easy to take a wrong turn if one didn’t pay attention. Ruan Mian stopped at an unfamiliar intersection, hesitating which way to go. Just then, two chatting young men turned from the alley on the right and looked at her for a few seconds.
Ruan Mian subconsciously gripped her backpack straps tighter. Before the two were out of sight, she turned and walked towards another alley that had light visible up ahead.
Behind her, it was quiet for a few seconds, but soon unhurried footsteps sounded, following her. Ruan Mian’s scalp tingled, but she didn’t dare look back and only quickened her pace.
In the end, she broke into a run. There was the sound of wind whistling in her ears, carrying the sultry summer air.
The light in this alley came from a internet cafe. A few boys stood on the steps at the entrance, and someone was also grilling kebabs nearby.
Ruan Mian ran up to the kebab stall in one breath, startling the boss Li Zhi who was brushing sauce on the lamb skewers over the grill. “You…”
She caught her breath, “Boss, twenty lamb skewers please.”
After saying this, Ruan Mian pretended to casually glance down the road she had come from. There was not a soul, as if the thrilling encounter just now had been her imagination alone.
She looked back at the puzzled gaze of the young man and touched her own face, “What is it?”
Li Zhi laughed, “Nothing. Twenty skewers, right? Coming up.”
While waiting for the skewers, Ruan Mian took out her phone to call Fang Ruqing, but no one picked up despite calling three times.
She didn’t have Zhao Yingwei’s number, let alone the Zhao family’s landline number. She could only call Fang Ruqing every few minutes, but by the time the twenty skewers were done, she still hadn’t reached her mother.
Ruan Mian stood at the roadside holding the packed kebabs, hesitating whether to keep waiting here and calling or mustering her courage to walk back.
Li Zhi brought the grilled meat skewers to the table and called the few boys standing nearby, “Go ahead and eat first, the grilled fish will be ready soon.”
Hearing this, Ruan Mian looked back and inadvertently glanced around, immediately catching sight of the boy standing on the steps looking at his phone.
He was very tall, and under the internet cafe’s lighting, his hair looked somewhat brownish and somewhat chestnut colored, but definitely not black.
However, he wore a black short-sleeved shirt, matching pants with white side stripes, and a pair of white canvas shoes. His eyes were profoundly intense and piercing.
People were sensitive to being stared at. The boy noticed something and looked up, glancing around. Ruan Mian lowered her head before he looked over, her hands and feet stiff as if they didn’t belong to her.
Chen Yi didn’t look in Ruan Mian’s direction.
He retracted his gaze without much thought, took two steps down and said, “Sis Lu said the cafe is out of cigarettes. I’m going to the shop to get two packs.”
“Good timing, I’ll go with you to carry some beer back.”
Li Zhi handed the tools in his hands to someone else and instructed, “Keep an eye on my fish.”
Someone responded, “Got it.”
Li Zhi took off his apron and threw it on the stool, “Let’s go.”
Chen Yi walked down from the steps. Li Zhi draped an arm over his shoulders.
After walking a few steps, Li Zhi looked back at Ruan Mian, “It’s late, why haven’t you gone home yet, young lady?”
Ruan Mian clenched the plastic bag in her hand. Seeing the boy standing next to him, her breathing hitched for a moment. “I’m heading back now.”
“You just moved here recently, right? Haven’t seen you around before.”
Li Zhi scratched his neck and frowned as he asked, “Which part do you live in?”
Ruan Mian considered for a moment. “The Zhao family in the alley.”
“Zhao Yingwei?”
Ruan Mian nodded, “Mm.”
“Then how did you end up here? Did you take a wrong turn?”
Li Zhi chuckled. He removed his arm from Chen Yi’s shoulder and turned to speak to him, “Isn’t the Zhao family in the alley up ahead?”
Chen Yi looked up, his gaze sweeping over Ruan Mian’s face for an instant. His voice was clean and clear, like a stream flowing leisurely through a secluded valley. “Don’t recall.”
“I think it is.”
Li Zhi looked at Ruan Mian, “You know the Li Family Supermarket? The Zhao’s is at that intersection, but the supermarket closes after 8 pm. You probably didn’t notice since you passed by later.”
“We can take you over on our way. Come on.”
“Thank you.”
Ruan Mian carried the now lukewarm kebabs and followed them. Her hands and back were damp with sweat.
Halfway there, Ruan Mian received Fang Ruqing’s return call. After exchanging a few words, Zhao Yingwei who was next to the phone understood what happened and told her to wait at the supermarket entrance while they came to pick her up.
Li Zhi looked back at her, “Your family is coming for you?”
“Yes, thank you for today. I’ll come back another day to buy kebabs.”
Li Zhi snorted, “Sure.”
Beside him, Chen Yi put away his phone, bent down and groped under the shutter door, then forcefully pushed it up.
The supermarket wasn’t closed after all, there were still people inside and the lights were on. It’s just that the door was shut too tightly so no light leaked out.
Now with the door open, the entrance was illuminated.
Li Zhi didn’t chat with Ruan Mian further and followed Chen Yi inside the supermarket. Ruan Mian stood outside and could hear them talking with the people inside.
“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m Li Zhi, he’s Chen Yi!”
After Li Zhi half shouted this, he complained with some dissatisfaction: “How can you even mistake your own grandson?”
“Chen Yi? Who’s Chen Yi?”
This was an old man’s voice.
Another middle-aged man explained, “It’s Old Master Chen Pinghong’s grandson, from the Chen family in Pingjiang Mansions. Your old friend.”
The old man hmm-ed three times, as if he both understood and didn’t understand. “So which Chen or Yi are you?”
It was quiet for a few seconds inside. Ruan Mian couldn’t help but turn back. The boy was sideways facing the entrance, and in front of him sat an old man in a wheelchair who looked to be over eighty.
He slightly bent his waist, and at this angle, his nose appeared particularly high and straight. His lazy-sounding voice said, “In the east, Chen, standing tall in the floating image, can pluck stars.2“
- White Rabbit is an iconic Chinese milk candy brand with a taffy like texture and the flavour of condensed milk. If you’re interested in the White Rabbit candy you can read more about it here (or look it up in your asian grocer, it’s yummy!). ↩︎
- “?????????” is a poetic phrase about a person’s ability to stand tall amidst challenges and achieve remarkable feats, symbolized by plucking stars. ↩︎
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