It was hard to say what brought about the miracle. Morning sickness didn’t interfere with Rania’s appetite anymore, and she was able to suppress the vomiting with the strength of her willpower. Her skin regained its colour and her body returned to its plump state. She was praised as the pacesetter for pregnant women, and invited to travel around giving lectures about her experience in controlling morning sickness, turning the lectures finally into a bestselling book. Her message was, ‘Will determines everything.’ Nailed to Mengliu’s lintel was a golden sign emblazoned with the words Home of a Spiritual Pacesetter. He felt like he was a fake Christ being nailed to a cross, full of unease. He could not break through the shell of Rania’s spirit. She focussed all of her attention on her budding career and her abdomen. Her skin glowed, once again white and lustrous as porcelain.
But during this time, something wasn’t right with Rania. Her temperament was eccentric, flaring up from some unknown source, making Mengliu irritable in his turn. He read that pregnancy could affect the sexual functions of a woman, but Rania’s actions were also very odd. This Lin Daiyu would break plates in her anger, which was swift and fierce. Sometimes she seemed completely out of control, suppressing her vomiting one minute, weeping the next, making a mess of her whole face. He didn’t know whether to stop her, or simply let her vent her unhappiness. He didn’t understand women at all, especially not pregnant women. He felt like he was watching someone else’s wife, wondering what sort of husband she must have to make her so unhappy, thinking he must be a real piece of shit. He also wondered whether the woman had a mother or father, siblings or friends. The government sent servants to care for her, but could they really make her happy? Could they meet all her needs?
Mengliu’s expression, at once innocent and stupid, further intensified Rania’s emotions. She scolded him, this stranger who had come to ruin her life. When the government had been unable to find her a genetic match for a parenting partner, she had been quite happy, since it left her free to participate each day in intellectual debates. Not to say she was all that good at it, but she had developed something of a reputation. She didn’t want to marry and have children, she just wanted to pursue knowledge in order to sharpen her tongue in the debates. She could be subtle and underhanded. The government arranged for her to marry someone she liked, but she found out that he was another woman’s man, and hypocritical to boot. In the end, she thought that Mengliu must be her lucky star. But since he had appeared she’d gotten herself into all kinds of trouble. He was the one who had turned her into a fertility machine.
As her accusations against Mengliu grew more fierce, he grew happier. He preferred her like this. It meant they could really talk.
‘You wrong me when you blame me for turning you into a fertility machine. That is your beloved government’s doing. I was abducted by Swan Valley and have also become a reproductive machine. Maybe you don’t believe me, but the people of Swan Valley are nothing more than data, a bunch of guinea pigs.’ Mengliu took a considerate attitude toward Rania, hoping to catch her at a sober moment. ‘In fact, I’d love to go back to Dayang. If you could help me, I will remember you forever. As for the child…it’s also not what you and I want, and moreover it will be raised by the government. Anyway, you and Su Juli, you Swanese women do not need men. Rania, let me say it again, I was kidnapped and brought here. I will leave Swan Valley sooner or later, and whether or not you choose to believe that is up to you. I simply don’t care about this damned official post, I would rather go back and be locked up in prison than stay here —’ As he said this, Mengliu suddenly stopped, wondering if it was really necessary for him to go back and sit in jail.
Rania flushed. ‘You…are the most sordid man I’ve ever met.’
Mengliu responded cheekily, ‘Since this is how you feel about your husband, you should apply for a divorce. I will certainly cooperate. I’ll present you with all the support you need. Does that sound all right?’ He was mostly sincere in saying this, as he had no desire to quarrel. Rania did not understand. She said he was narrow-minded, making concessions out of condescension toward a pregnant woman. She called him a villain, and said he would never understand the breadth and height of the spirit of Swan Valley. Then she resumed her gentle obliging state, using polite speech to shame Mengliu. He was at pains to smile bitterly as he responded. ‘Tea cleanses the mind and calms the soul. I’ll brew a fresh pot of tea.’
During this time Mengliu’s skill at brewing tea had improved, and he drank it like an addict. It was difficult to imagine how his meetings could be carried on without the beverage. Holding the cup, smelling, sipping — this series of actions could divert attention and demonstrate his leadership qualities. They contributed to the pretence of being serious, churning out ideology reports, digging up a batch of ideas wrapped in spirit, thrashing it out before the others, arguing, holding up their souls which were purer than snow as they cried out.
Rania sat down, looking dignified with her knees touching the underside of the round wooden tea table, her skirt falling over them to the ground. She wore a pale-pink lined jacket. Her neck was slender, with no sign of wrinkles. It was such a waste to use this unblemished youthful body to carry a foetus. Her maternal instinct was still hidden, she exuded a powerful sense of youthfulness and innocence. You could easily think of her as a competitive young girl. Mengliu was visualising her in this way, when she said to him, ‘Let me tell you the truth. I’m not pregnant with your child.’
Mengliu was not as shocked as she expected, his expression was cold. ‘Nothing strange about that. I’ve always doubted the government’s workmanship. In a place where abstinence is practised, this sort of confusion isn’t surprising. But I don’t understand why you are telling me.’
‘If you expose me for having premarital sex, you will be promoted.’
‘But I don’t care.’
‘That’s not being magnanimous. It’s cowardice.’
‘Even if it’s cowardice, that’s how I feel.’
‘You don’t mind at all?’
‘Rania, we are husband and wife in the legal sense, but we have no emotional connection. Still, what do you need me to do? I’ll give it my best shot.’
‘Please expose me.’
‘Why should I expose you? What benefit is there to you?’
‘Do you really want to go back? I know a secret passage.’
‘Huh? A secret passage? Why haven’t you escaped yourself then?’
‘Whether I’m to live or die, I won’t leave.’
‘Even if they’re all just out to test me, they shouldn’t have sent a novice like you to try.’
‘…Mengliu, I haven’t been sent by anyone to test you. I only want to know what you want. Even if I was pregnant with your child, you wouldn’t care about me. You’re the most cold-blooded man I’ve ever known.’
Mengliu handed her a glass of water. ‘Rania, the debt of bearing this child is best paid by Swan Valley.’ When she had calmed down a little, he went on, ‘I want to tell you something serious. Can you guarantee that you won’t tell anyone?’