Night fell, and Mama Su from the snack shop walked over to them. She stuffed two meat buns in their hands, saying, "Eat them while they're hot."
The boys ate the buns and heard Mama Su tell them, "There are no more buses coming in today, and the door of the station has already been shut. Run home now; you can come back tomorrow."
The children trusted Mama Su. They nodded, eating their buns and wiping away their tears, and then went home. As they were leaving they heard Mama Su say with a sigh, "Poor children…"
Song Gang stopped, turned to Mama Su, and said, "You will be rewarded in the next life."
CHAPTER 18
AT THE CRACK of dawn, Li Lan was waiting at the front gate of the hospital. Though in his letter Song Fanping had said that he would not reach Shanghai until noon, after two months’ absence the fierce wave of longing that Li Lan felt for him led her to wake up before dawn and sit on her bed, waiting for daybreak. A roommate, who had awakened in the middle of the night from postoperative pain, was so startled by the sight of the motionless, ghostlike Li Lan that she let out a scream that almost ripped open her new stitches. When she realized that it was Li Lan sitting on the bed, the patient resumed her moans of pain. Li Lan felt deeply sorry. After gently muttering a string of apologies, she picked up her travel bag, walked out of the room, and made her way to the hospitals front gate. The street was dark and empty, and the solitary Li Lan stood there with her solitary travel bag — two silent, dark shadows cast on the hospital gate. This time it was the guards turn to be startled. The old guard with the enlarged prostate gland had awakened needing to pee and walked outside. When he saw the two dark shadows, he shuddered and wet himself, hollering, "Who's there?"
Li Lan told him who she was, what her room number was, that she was leaving today, and that her husband was coming to pick her up. Still unnerved, the old guard pointed at the other dark shadow and demanded, "Who's that?"
Li Lan lifted her bag. "It's a travel bag."
Only then did the old man relax. He circled behind the shack and pissed out the remaining urine, all the while complaining, "Scared me to death, made me fucking wet my pants…"
When Li Lan heard his complaints, she remorsefully lifted her travel bag and walked through the gate and down the street to the corner. She stood next to a big wooden electrical pole and listened to the humming of the current while gazing back at the darkened gate. At this moment Li Lan suddenly felt at peace. While sitting on her bed in the room, she had felt she was waiting for daybreak; but now as she stood at the street corner she felt she was waiting for Song Fanping. In her imagination she could already see his tall, strong figure walking over, filled with passion.
Li Lan — standing there the whole time, her small, frail figure motionless in the dark — was a frightful sight. A few men walking down the street didn't notice her until they were only a few yards away. Seeing her, they jumped in surprise and immediately crossed to the other side of the street, all the while casting backward glances at her. Another man bumped into her as he was rounding the corner and was so startled he trembled all over, but then he feigned calm as he walked around her. As he walked away his shoulders were still ashudder, leading Li Lan to let out a soft chuckle. It was this eerie sound, emanating as if from a female ghost, that thoroughly undid the man, who then took off in a wild sprint.
Only when rays of sunlight illuminated the entire street did Li Lan stop resembling a ghost. She still stood at the street corner, but now she was becoming human. As the street grew busier Li Lan took up her bag and walked back to the hospitals front gate. Now her waiting had officially begun.
The entire morning, Li Lans face was red with emotion. Along the street in front of her there was a sea of red flags and a din of slogans and chants. The parading crowds seemed interminable, heating up the already scorching summer day. The front-gate guard now recognized Li Lan and spent all the morning curiously observing this woman who had frightened him into wetting his pants. He saw that she sought out each member of the parading crowds — which is to say, every person who walked by — with a look of great anticipation. Li Lans excitement was like a little stream flowing into the river, her eyes anxiously searching for Song Fanping amid the crowds. The guard watched her as she stood there for a long, long time, examining the crowds and wondering why no one had come to pick her up yet. So he walked over to her and asked, "When is your husband coming?"
Li Lan turned to answer. "At noon."
When the guard heard this, he returned to his post in disbelief. Glancing up at the clock on his wall, he saw that it was not yet 10 A.M. He thought to himself, There really are all sorts of people in this world! This woman's been standing here waiting since before dawn for a man who is supposed to arrive at noon. The guard regarded Li Lan again curiously, thinking, So, how long has this woman gone without a man? He couldn't resist going up to her and asking, "How long have you been parted from your husband?" Li Lan told him that it had been more than two months. The guard chuckled to himself: So just two months and she's champing at the bit like this. She might look all frail and shriveled, but obviously in her bones she is quite the wanton hussy.
By this time Li Lan had been waiting there for more than six hours. She had not had a drop to drink nor a bite to eat, but her face was still beaming with emotion. As noon approached, her excitement reached a fever pitch, her gaze like a nail piercing the bodies of each of the men walking by. Several times when she saw someone with a figure similar to Song Fanpings, she stood on her toes and waved as her eyes filled with tears. Though the joy was always short-lived, she remained undaunted.
Noon came and went, and Song Fanping never appeared. But Song Fanpings sister hurried over. Drenched in sweat, she emerged from a crowded bus and rushed to the hospitals front gate. When she spotted Li Lan, she excitedly shouted, "Aiya, you're still here."
Song Fanpings sister mopped her brow and prattled on. She said that all the way there she had been so worried she wouldn't make it in time that she had almost taken a bus directly to the depot, but it was a good thing she hadn't. As she spoke she handed Li Lan a bag of White Rabbit milk candies, saying that they were for the kids. Li Lan took the candy and placed it in her bag. She didn't say a single word, only smiled and nodded, all the while glancing out at the streams of people. Song Fanpings sister started watching the men on the street along with her but felt perplexed by her brother's absence and, pointing at her watch, said, "He should be here, it's almost one P.M."
The two women stood at the front gate of the hospital for about half an hour. Song Fanpings sister said that she couldn't wait any longer and had to rush back to work. Before leaving, she comforted Li Lan, speculating that Song Fanping must have gotten stuck in traffic. She noted that it took three transfers from the bus depot to the hospital, and since the streets were filled with demonstrators, traffic was a mess. As a result, it was hard for a person to squeeze through, let alone an entire bus. Song Fanpings sister hurried away but immediately rushed back to tell Li Lan, "If you don't make the afternoon bus, just come stay at my place."
Li Lan continued waiting at the hospital gate. She believed what Song Fanpings sister said, that Song Fanping was probably stuck in traffic, and she continued to watch the men on the street with passion and anticipation. She became increasingly fatigued. Faint with hunger, she sat down on the steps of the guardroom, her body leaning against the door frame; but her head was still held high, and her eyes were still watching intently. The old man in the guardroom glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "You've been here since before dawn, and now its already past two. I haven't seen you eat or drink anything all day. Won't you go get yourself something?"