“I thought I was fine. Besides, there was no way I could let her know about this. How are things at the gallery?”
“How did you know I’ve been busy with the gallery? I haven’t been able to come see you, but why didn’t you send a message with the pigeon?”
“I did. I waited day and night for you to come, but you didn’t, so I made the decision on my own.”
Cursing Liu Yue, he told Wan’er he knew nothing about that. He pulled back the blanket to check on her body, then pulled it back up and tucked her in before going out to buy tonics. When he returned, he sat with her until Zhou got home.
Over the following week, he went to see her every other day, taking chicken or fish each time. When he was back home, Liu Yue would make him a drink with essence of longan.
“So you know how to be nice to people?” he said to her one day.
“As a maid in your house, can I afford not to be attentive, especially when you’re hard at work with her?”
“I don’t dare go out,” he said with a smile, “since you think I go to see Tang Wan’er each time I do. I’m not going anywhere today, so I want you to run some errands. Go see Zhao Jingwu and ask him to take Dr. Song with him to the nunnery.”
“Is Huiming not feeling well? When I went to Tanshi Street to buy fish last Sunday, I saw her on my way home. She was sitting in a car with Secretary Huang, but she didn’t see me and I pretended not to notice her. Hmph! What’s a nun doing using lipstick? I have no respect for her. She shouldn’t be a nun if she wants to pretty herself up. Unlike the other nuns, she wants to know this person and be friends with that one. She’s such a show-off. There are so many pretty girls in the city, but few people have ever heard their names, and yet everyone knows about Huiming, the nun with the fair face and big tits. How did she get sick? Has the Buddha stopped looking out for her?”
“Listen to you. You’re like a hod carrier who looks down on a flour vendor. You’re upset over her good looks, aren’t you?”
“Why would I be upset?”
He was about to mention Tang’s message with the pigeon, but he changed his mind, for he hadn’t told Niu Yueqing or Liu Yue that Tang was laid up. But Liu Yue wasn’t done yet. “I don’t give a damn. That stinky-mouth Meng used to go there all the time, but he stopped after losing the sight in one eye. So now you’re the one who’s there all the time.”
“Are you finished? I ran into Secretary Huang, who told me that Huiming’s back hurt so much she couldn’t sit up straight. So I want Jingwu to have Dr. Song take a look at her. Forget it if you don’t want to go.”
“Can I say no? I won’t be home to make lunch, so you and Dajie will have to eat out.”
“How long will it take to relay a message? I’ll tell her if you get lost there.”
“All right. And I’ll tell Dajie to poison the pigeon.” She walked off smiling.
Liu Yue saw Zhao Jingwu often after they got together. Niu Yueqing noticed but decided not to say anything. She was none too happy about it and had warned the girl with veiled comments, but Liu pretended not to understand. With a foolish grin, she continued to go about everything in her own way. Distracted, she often failed to get food ready at the right time, and she let the laundry pile up. On the day after Tang fainted, Zhao came to see Zhuang at noon, but neither he nor Niu Yueqing was home, which emboldened him to steal a kiss from Liu. After putting him off for a while, she kissed him, so encouraging him that he started groping her. “You’re getting too daring,” she said, but then she undid her skirt and dropped her panties. Zhao had never dreamed they would go that far, but they did, since she was willing. He was too inexperienced and too fearful to last very long. With a laugh of annoyance, Liu sent him to wash the soiled underwear, which he did while making sure she wouldn’t tell anyone about it.
“Do you think I’d tell people and make them feel sorry for you?”
“I can do better. It’s just that I was too excited and too nervous, because this is Zhuang Laoshi’s house. I’ll show you what I can do once we’re married. Don’t talk about me too much around here. Zhuang Laoshi is the observant type. If you say too much and something slips out, he may sense we’ve had sex, and he’d look at me differently.”
“Ai-ya! Why are you so afraid of him? He’s human too, you know. Do you think he doesn’t do this?”
Sensing something hidden in her reply, Zhao pressed her: “What does he do?”
Zhao was astounded when Liu Yue told him about Zhuang and Tang, but he warned her not to tell anyone else. “Zhuang Laoshi has a fine reputation and plenty of credibility, and his disciples and friends all need his help. If people knew that, it could ruin his reputation, and we’d all be done for. As his disciples, we must help promote his good standing in society and be aware of the impact of his authority.”
Liu nodded in agreement but added, “I’ve given you everything, including my body, and something has to come out of this. I’ll go to your place if it’s inconvenient here.”
“I didn’t believe it when Meng Laoshi said that the more women do this, the more daring they get.” He winked to embarrass her.
“Why should I be shy after what we did today? Besides, I’ll be yours one of these days, won’t I?”
“My place is even worse. Let’s see. I’ll get a key to the House of Imperfection Seekers from Zhuang Laoshi tomorrow, and we’ll have our fun there.”
“What’s the House of Imperfection Seekers? I’ve never heard of it.”
Liu oohed and aahed when Zhao told her about the place. “Sounds like a wonderful place. I always wondered why Zhou Min was never home when Zhuang Laoshi went to see Tang Wan’er after she sent the pigeon with a message. So they had a secret place for their trysts.”
The next day Zhao asked Zhuang for the key, making up a story about a friend who needed a place to spend a night. Zhao then secretly made a copy and sneaked over there with Liu Yue.
One day Niu Yueqing came home for lunch at noon, but no one was home. She waited awhile until Liu Yue came up the stairs humming a tune. “Where have you been? There’s not even a shadow in the house,” Niu Yueqing grumbled when Liu opened the door. The girl had run into Zhao on the street, and they had talked until long past the time she was supposed to be home to make lunch, so she had bought some steamed buns. “I went out to buy buns to go with a chicken soup I’m making.”
“How convenient to buy buns. What have you been doing all morning?”
“I’ve been home.”
“Rubbish. I called and no one answered,” Niu Yueqing fumed as she sat down. “Where’s your Zhuang Laoshi?”
“How should I know?”
“No time for food. I need to talk to him about an urgent matter. Call Meng Laoshi’s house to see if he’s there.” Liu called, but Zhuang wasn’t there. Niu Yueqing then called the magazine office, her mother’s place, Wang Ximian, Ruan Zhifei, the newspaper offices, and every other place he frequented. There was no sign of him.
“Could he be at Zhou Min’s house?” Liu Yue offered when she saw how anxious Niu Yueqing was.
Niu Yueqing got on her bike and rode over to Zhou’s place. Zhou, who had just returned from delivering mock-up copy to the printer, was cooking instant noodles. When he told her Zhuang hadn’t been there, she asked about Tang. Zhou said he hadn’t seen her when he got home, adding that she might have gone window-shopping, her favorite activity. Niu Yueqing turned and rode home, venting her frustration from hunger and anger at Liu Yue, who said, “How would I know where he is? You’ve been to every place he could possibly be, except for the House of Imperfection Seekers.” She regretted it the moment she said it.