Northern Girls: Life Goes On

by Sheng Keyi

  ‘What is it, Boss?’

  ‘Ah Qing’s been down lately. It’s because she likes Bud.’

  ‘Oh, I noticed she was depressed, but wasn’t sure why. She’s a bit mysterious.’ Xiaohong picked up a fallen branch and waved it about casually. She tried to recall Ah Qing’s face, but couldn’t get past the layer of acne. Sijiang, surprised, stood motionless, looking as if she had done something wrong.

  ‘Ah Jiang, I’m not blaming you. Bud likes you. But before you came along, he was always very nice to Ah Qing.’

  ‘Mr Zhan, I like Ah Qing. No wonder she’s been walking around like she’s in a trance,’ Sijiang said. ‘How could I have missed it?’ A touch of sadness mingled with relief crept into her voice.

  ‘You go on ahead. I’ll catch you up,’ she said, plopping down onto a stone step.

  Xiaohong and Mr Zhan walked on ahead, passing several caves as they climbed the steep steps to the pavilion on the peak. The east side of the hill was shrouded in the smoke from the temple’s offerings. Through the haze, Xiaohong caught sight of the temple’s brilliant orange tiles and red pillars. The surrounding area was filled with neighbouring peaks, clouds rolling across them like a herd of galloping horses.

  ‘It’s so beautiful here and the air is so clear,’ she sighed, her gaze sweeping over the scenery.

  Mr Zhan walked over, hands clasped behind his back. He casually leaned closer and said ‘Ah Hong, are you settling in to life at the salon?’

  ‘It’s not bad. Do you have any complaints?’

  ‘Nah, you’re doing fine. But I’ve been thinking…’ Mr Zhan began cautiously, his eyes falling numerous times onto Xiaohong’s bust, his thin trousers flapping in the wind.

  ‘Go on, Mr Zhan. I promise it’ll stay between us.’ He wore a brazen expression, reminding Xiaohong of the recycling station owner, Mr Zhuang. Either these two looked a lot alike, or it was just that men, once they reached a certain age, liked playing their little tricks when they had a pretty young girl for an audience. Who did they think they were fooling, anyway? Xiaohong saw it clearly enough. The boss’s eyes might only make their way to her cleavage once in a while, but that occasional glance was enough to reveal his most secret desires.

  ‘I’m thinking I’d like to open a shop in another industrial park. You know, selling food and all the daily necessities. A place like that can be a gold mine.’

  ‘Oh, a gold mine. Then what’re you waiting for?’

  ‘Well, I was also thinking that I don’t have anyone to run it. Would you be interested?’

  ‘Eh? Mr Zhan, are you joking? Me? The boss? Aren’t you afraid I’d run away with your money?’

  ‘If you like, you can take it all.’ His voice quivered excitedly, like a randy rooster leaping onto the back of an unsuspecting hen.

  ‘Now you’re really making me laugh. I’d better watch out or Mrs Zhan’s gonna murder me.’

  Mr Zhan seemed to think things were looking promising. Taking the liberty of pinching Xiaohong on the backside, he said, ‘Nice and tight. Sexy.’

  Xiaohong, while not quite managing to hide the irritation on her face, still kept her temper in check and pretended to consider his idea.

  ‘If Mrs Zhan knew your plans, you wouldn’t get in trouble with her?’

  ‘Trouble? I gave her that salon, and the income from it isn’t half bad. She’s got no hold over me.’

  Xiaohong eagerly looked for Sijiang’s arrival. No sooner had she thought of her friend than she began to wonder, might Sijiang have planned all of this with Mr Zhan? If he’d already been bold enough to start pinching her backside, she could only imagine what was next. One misstep now and she would offend the boss, leaving her to pack up and head out yet again.

  Just then, Sijiang’s head appeared as she ascended the last steps. ‘That climb wore me out! How’s the view?’

  VI

  Bud still asked Ah Qing to wash his hair and give him a massage from time to time. Cherishing the opportunity to do so, she expended a lot of energy on each of his visits. Ah Qing was very quiet, rarely smiling wide enough to expose her teeth. Her acne extended across her whole face, leaving hardly any area on either cheek that was not occupied. Nothing seemed to make her despair. As long as Bud still wanted her to serve him now and again, why should she despair? When she took his head in her hands, she was happy, her pleasure running as deep as sorrow.

  After Sijiang had finished eating all her plums her mouth still continued in its habitual motion. As she watched Ah Qing rub back and forth on Bud’s scalp, she couldn’t be sure where his heart really lay.

  Business at the salon had been slow recently. When Bud left, only Xiaohong, Sijiang and Ah Qing remained in the salon, each doing her own thing. Ah Ling, finally overcoming the old man, had got her wish of becoming a small business owner. Her departure had quite an impact on the other girls. Ah Qing was especially affected, and experienced frequent mood swings. Though Ah Qing had ridiculed the old man, there was no denying that Ah Ling was now indeed her own boss. Of course, if she married Bud, she could count herself as an even greater success than Ah Ling. Sijiang was thinking the same as Ah Qing, but who knew what was going on in Bud’s mind?

  Si, on the other hand, never showed his face around the salon, and Xiaohong knew he was avoiding her. She’d gone to look for him once at the factory, but had not been permitted past the gate. The guard had a sharp eye, but of course Xiaohong knew that if she really worked at it, she would manage to get him to bend the rules for her. But then, she wondered in frustration, what would she say once she finally got to see Si? She browsed through the Tang poetry each day, thinking of him as she did so. This sort of food for the soul left one hanging in limbo. She felt half-dead. After enduring many days like this, Xiaohong decided to let the Supervisor fade from her mind. This only led to her falling more deeply in love with Tang poetry, a source of great amusement for Sijiang.

  Sijiang did not sleep at the salon. Only Xiaohong knew that she spent her nights with Bud. Xiaohong popped round to their place a few times, one of many cheap rental houses constructed of sheet metal. In summer, it felt like a sauna. While it did not smell of semen, it was surrounded by the overflow from the neighbourhood’s sewage. It was a messy community, with vagrants ambling about during the day. There was no furniture in the house except one bed for sleeping and another upon which they piled their clothes. There was just enough space for two people to move about between the four walls. It pleased Xiaohong that Sijiang was settling into her little nest.

  VII

  One afternoon, Ah Qing was having a nap while Xiaohong and Sijiang chatted, sharing a bag of peanuts. Just then, two men in dark glasses came in.

  ‘Gentlemen, you want a wash?’ Xiaohong asked, getting up and greeting them with a big smile.

  ‘Come with us to the village security office.’ They did not remove their glasses from their immobile faces.

  ‘Why? I’ve got my temporary residence card.’ Having done nothing wrong, Xiaohong was not afraid.

  ‘Enough talk. Get on.’ They practically dragged her to a Yamaha motorcycle. With Xiaohong squashed in the middle between the two men, they took off in a puff of smoke. Sijiang stood for a long time like a block of wood, stunned. She could not understand why Xiaohong had been singled out, leaving her behind.

  The Yamaha drove for about ten minutes before dropping Xiaohong at a courtyard and roaring off. It was crowded with all sorts of people – men and women, glamorous and plain, beautiful and ugly, anxious and unconcerned, nervous and relaxed. Those are more than just words that people use. They are the things one notices about others, formulating judgements based on the way they dress or look. Xiaohong’s eyes wandered over the courtyard and fell on a village security sign. She recognised it then as Bud’s workplace, and her heart leapt. All she had to do was go to the office and find Bud.

  Just as she was thinking this, the iron gate opened and a vehicle pulling a trailer rumbled in. Less than ten minutes later, everyone had been herde
d into the trailer and the door slammed shut. It was pitch black inside.

  Being arrested for no reason was bad enough. Now, on top of that, it was dark, and she had no idea where the vehicle was going as it rattled along. The passengers were all resigned to silence. Xiaohong’s breasts were flattened against her body, making it difficult to breathe. There was a window about the size of a small wash basin that let in a little air, but it didn’t get far into the carriage before it was absorbed by those standing closest to the window. Having inhaled it, they generously released it again, filtered now through their own garlic-scented breath so that the smell of cheap dumplings circulated throughout the trailer.

  Feeling oppressed, Xiaohong resisted the urge to vomit, since she had no space to release it anyway. If she could get a small circle that was free of people, she’d gladly puke up all that she could.

  After travelling for about twenty minutes, they stopped and the door opened with a whoosh. Everyone leapt quickly down from the trailer to discover it was no paradise that they had arrived in. It was a larger courtyard than the previous one, with even more people squatting or sitting on the ground, creating an open line of sight. It was different from the village security yard. This was obviously the home of some strict bureaucracy. Heavily armed police with batons dangling at their waist paced up and down, their boots clicking along the concrete. When the sound of whipping came from a shed, panic shot through the crowd. Some poor terrified soul tried to climb the wall. As the old saying goes, even dogs will climb a wall in an emergency. He was dragged down and given a good kicking by a group of officers in leather boots, while everyone else looked on. It was clearly a case of slaughtering the chicken in order to send a message to the monkey. Xiaohong watched in utter bewilderment.

  There were some small shacks behind a locked iron railing. Several people stood inside eyeing those in the yard, desperate for freedom. To them, freedom was simply the chance of joining the crowd in the larger compound. Xiaohong looked at herself, standing there in the middle of all this. Sijiang would find Bud and surely he would know this place, wouldn’t he? The concrete ground was cold and hard. Xiaohong had just stood up to stretch her aching legs and rub her sore backside when the shouted order came, ‘Get down!’

  A pair of boots walked towards her and she was faced with an energetic-looking fellow. ‘Please sit down.’ The officer looked at her with an expression of regret, speaking calmly.

  ‘Mr Policeman, I’m not sure why I’m here. What do I need to do?’ Xiaohong, sensitive to the guard’s change of tone, pounced on the opportunity. She looked at him sadly.

  ‘You’ll need to get your friends to bring three hundred kuai to bail you out. Tomorrow morning, everyone will be moved to the detention centre at Zhangmutou. It’s a good forty kilometres from here.’ His skin was almost as black as his boots and his expression was that of a consummate professional.

  ‘Eh? I shouldn’t be here. I’ve got a temporary residence card. I’m innocent, really!’ Xiaohong said, her eyes beginning to tear.

  ‘Hey, Dachang!’ someone shouted from the interrogation room. With a hurried glance at Xiaohong, the officer turned and walked crisply towards the shed.

  ‘Bloody hell! What is going on?’ Xiaohong cursed to herself as she kept a careful eye on the courtyard gate. She waited so long she thought there might be a change of season coming, but still there was no sign of Bud and Sijiang. It grew dark and rain began to fall like bombs from an enemy plane. Caught unawares by the sudden downpour, only a small portion of the crowd managed to stay dry, huddling together for shelter like a coop full of chickens. Xiaohong’s stomach churned as she shifted her weight, first to her right leg, then to her left, changing her position partly to fight off the effects of the concrete on her tired feet and partly to pass the time. Just then, she saw the officer who had ordered her to squat sitting on some steps. It looked like he was recording something in a report. After hesitating for a long time, she finally went over and stood in front of him.

  ‘So, what’s your situation?’ Obviously, he’d already noticed her. He was very young, with an air of boyish shyness still about him. Xiaohong told him her whole story from beginning to end. He nodded, his pen scratching the page as he took some notes. ‘Wow,’ he said, and handed the note to her:

  Bail paid. Please release. Officer in charge: Zhu Dachang

  Her eyes reddened and she wanted to cry.

  ‘Can you give me your phone number?’ She swallowed hard, and her voice came out with a gurgling sound.

  Zhu Dachang hesitated for a second then scribbled down his phone number.

  Xiaohong received it with both hands, fiercely nodded her thanks, then went out of the iron gates and into the gathering dusk.

  VIII

  The night was brightly lit by street lights and the glare of neon. Xiaohong stood on the road and suddenly felt lost in these unfamiliar surroundings. Despite her absolute exhaustion, she forced her resisting legs into action. Asking passersby for directions, she walked all the way back to the salon, thinking over everything that had happened. How could they just pick me up without even questioning me? Why wasn’t Sijiang picked up as well? It couldn’t be Mr Zhan sending me a warning, since he didn’t get what he was after, could it? Questions buzzed through her head as she dragged herself along, fighting off the gnawing uncertainties, asking for directions every now and then. About two hours later, she found herself back at The 007 Salon, where she gorged herself on food.

  The Ape’s cooking had never seemed quite so delicious before. Even the boiled chicken, its joints still a little bloody, hit the spot, though usually the mere sight of it was enough to turn her stomach. Had she spent much longer in that courtyard, even a meal of human flesh served up on a platter would have suited her just fine. Nervously, Sijiang watched her eat. When half the bowl of soup had disappeared into her stomach, Xiaohong noticed the look of guilt on her friend’s face.

  ‘Honghong, I tried to find Bud, but he’s gone to Guangzhou and won’t be back until tomorrow. I was going to come and get you then.’

  Finally finding the energy to complain, Xiaohong put down her bowl and chopsticks and said, ‘Tomorrow? I’d have been done for by then. They’re sending everyone to Zhangmutou tomorrow!’

  ‘So how’d you get out?’ Sijiang was just about shocked speechless.

  ‘I met a cop inside, my sister’s classmate. He helped,’ she said, casting a glance at the Ape. ‘Auntie, your cooking is delicious!’ she said, turning to the older lady, whose face was inscrutable, her mouth never quite managing to conceal its overlarge set of teeth.

  Xiaohong suddenly felt very lonely. Her eyes reddened as she thought, Sijiang’s got Bud and the Ape has The 007 Salon. If I’d really had to wait till tomorrow, relying on others, who knows what sort of torture I’d be facing now? Fortunately, to her credit, even in her darkest moments, she still had a bit of pride. Not a single tear dropped from her eyes.

  That night, when the salon closed and everything had been tidied away, the Ape came to Xiaohong for a little talk.

  ‘Ah Hong, you know I’m running a small business here. We’ve never had any trouble before.’ As she spoke, she paid no attention to her teeth, allowing them to protrude from her mouth every which way.

  Xiaohong kept her cool, understanding the Ape’s meaning, but not knowing what sort of strange trouble was brewing. After consideration, she said, ‘Auntie, I have no idea how something like this could’ve happened.’

  Ignoring her, the Ape went on with her own concerns, ‘I’m running a legitimate business here. When people see you picked up from The 007 Salon and hauled in, it damages our reputation.’

  Xiaohong cursed silently. What a load of shit, she thought. The whole place smells of semen! Absorbing the blow, she sat silently through the Ape’s hypocritical speech, waiting for her to finish.

  ‘Ah Hong, it seems The 007 Salon won’t be able to keep you.’ The Ape’s deflated lips finally managed to spit out her main point.

&nb
sp; Can’t fucking keep me? As if I’d want to stay! She resisted the urge to voice her thoughts. Choked with rage, she stood up and turned her angry face to the wall and her silent back to the Ape. She couldn’t lay into the woman, since she hadn’t collected her wages yet. If she showed her feelings, she would lose out, and it would have no effect on this fucking bitch anyway!

  ‘Auntie, it’s not Ah Hong’s fault. She’s the victim here!’ Sijiang said, seeming mildly deranged.

  Ah Qing had sat throughout the exchange, saying nothing as she toyed with a comb. Suddenly, as if dragging her voice up out of a pit, she said, ‘The boss has plenty of troubles of her own!’

  ‘Yeah, that’s right,’ the Ape latched on to Ah Qing’s words. ‘Ah Hong, you’ve done your job well. I’m also in a difficult position here.’

  Xiaohong turned around. The Ape had thought she was crying, and so was surprised to see the smile on her face as she said, ‘Ma’am, thank you very much for taking such good care of me these few days – your delicious cooking, and the way we ate together like one big family… it was really heart warming.’

  ‘Ah Hong, about this month’s wages – you’ve been here eighteen days, so that’s two hundred and fifty.’ The Ape exhaled, once again exposing a smile that looked like mourning.

  Two fifty! That’s funny. I’ve got no idea how the old Ape came up with that figure. But I do know I deserve every penny of it, Xiaohong thought as she neatly accepted the money from the boss’s hand.

  The Ape turned away, a sinister smile on her face.

  IX

  ‘Honghong, the boss says you went out that one afternoon, and there in broad daylight you were well, you know… hooking. She says that’s why you were picked up.’

  ‘Hooking in broad daylight? Because of the time I went to Si Daling’s factory? If I’d really got it on with the Supervisor, I’d have been the first to admit to it when I was dragged over to Zhangmutou!’ Furiously, she dumped the contents of her luggage on the bed in Sijiang’s little shack.