“They all left when you called out. I did my best to talk them out of it.”
“Who were they?” Niu Yueqing asked.
“How should I know? I saw several of them come in with clubs, and I knew they were here to hit Zhidie’s foot. I have no idea where they came from or why they wanted to hit my son-in-law’s leg, since we haven’t done them any harm.”
“Mother was talking about ghosts again,” Niu Yueqing said. Liu Yue’s face was pale. “No more, Mother,” Niu Yueqing said. “You scare us every time you go on and on like this.”
“Let her talk,” Zhuang said. “Did you manage to stop them, Mother?”
“They were evil spirits, so they wouldn’t listen to me. Go see the abbot at the Yunhuang Temple tomorrow and get some paper amulets. The city is overrun with evil spirits, and only the monk can subdue them. When you get them, paste one above the door and burn a second one, then put the ashes in some water and drink it. Your foot will be fine.”
“I’ll go tomorrow. Now you go back to sleep.” He told Liu Yue to go back to bed, but she decided to sleep on the living room sofa.
Niu Yueqing went to work the following morning. Liu Yue woke up with puffy eyes after a virtually sleepless night. Following a breakfast of milk, a flaky pastry, and one or two other items, the old lady dug up a piece of cloth to make another mask. Liu Yue offered to help, but she did not like the girl’s needlework, so Liu Yue went to talk to Zhuang in the study. When she heard them talking, the old lady looked at them over the top of her glasses.
“Zhidie, didn’t you say you’d go to the Yunhuang Temple?”
“I know.” He went to the bathroom, and when he returned to the living room, he sat down to watch Liu Yue hang a newly washed curtain over the kitchen door. She had on a pair of heels she had bought with the money they’d given her the day before, and the sight of her without stockings was strangely charming. In her tight black shorts she strained to hang the curtain on the doorframe, stretching her body and highlighting her graceful figure.
“You look really nice in those shoes without stockings, Liu Yue,” he said.
“I don’t have hairy legs,” she said, still struggling with the curtain.
“Do they pinch your toes?”
“I have narrow feet.”
“Your dajie has big feet and thick toes, so her shoes usually lose their shape after a week, but that’s nothing compared with some of the people I know. Xia Jie has a hammertoe and can’t wear heels at all, even medium height. Have you noticed how she always hides her feet when she sits down?”
The girl raised her leg to take a closer look. Zhuang took the foot in his hand and, pressing his face close, sniffed the leather and the fleshy fragrance of her foot. With her hands still on the doorframe, she quickly lowered her foot, but not before Zhuang managed to give it a peck. As she stood there, she experienced a ticklish sensation so strong that it even turned her face red. Feigning nonchalance, Zhuang told her he liked the style of her new shoes, which settled her down.
“For a man, you’re very attentive to women’s feet and shoes. People would find that hard to believe.”
“A good farmer makes sure to plant his seeds at the edge of his plot, a good dishwasher always cleans the rim of a pot, and a woman’s beauty shows in her head and feet. So long as you have nice shoes, you’ll look terrific even in rags. Tang Wan’er knows this, which is why she’s so meticulous about her hair. But she’s lucky to have thick, healthy, long hair, with a light yellow tint. Have you ever seen her in the same hairstyle twice? Why do you always wear your hair in a ponytail?”
“Because I don’t have a small purse, and none of my summer shirts or skirts has a pocket. So when I go out and take a handkerchief to wipe my sweat, I have to tie it to my skirt or to my hair for easy access.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I’ll give you money to buy a purse. I’ve recently discovered why women carry purses. I used to think it was to carry money, but it turns out they contain nothing but handkerchiefs, tissues, and cosmetics. “
Liu Yue laughed.
“It’s getting late, Zhidie,” the old lady said when she heard them. “Why aren’t you going to the temple?”
He winked at the girl.
“I’m leaving now.” He grumbled about why Niu Yueqing had told her mother about his foot injury and then agreed that she should come home. She was probably worried that something might happen if he was home with nothing to do but chat with Liu Yue. The thought depressed him; his scalp tingled and he felt itchy all over. Deciding to call Meng Yunfang and ask him to pick up a couple of paper amulets at the Yunhuang Temple, he realized that the phone was off the hook.
“I was wondering why there haven’t been any phone calls while I’ve been stuck in the house. Turns out the phone was off the hook. Liu Yue, did you do this?”
Unable to lie, the girl told him it was Niu Yueqing’s idea, which sent him into a rage.
“Resting? Resting peacefully? Why didn’t she simply send me to prison?”
“I have to do what she wants.”
“What she wants? What she wants is for me to break both of my legs; then she’ll be happy.”
“She’s just being considerate. That’s unfair to her.”
“She is good at making sure that others are fed, warm, and in good health, but she will never understand that some people need more than that to stay alive. Don’t be deceived by her carefree attitude. She actually has a bit of a mean streak and is on guard against everyone.”
“Including me?” Liu Yue asked.
Without responding, he put one hand on the wall to support himself as he walked into the study, where he sat down to stew in anger.
Meng came over later that morning with the amulets, as promised. He expressed his unhappiness that Zhuang had not told him about his bad foot. Though they were like brothers, Zhuang had been keeping his distance, not thinking that there was anything Meng could do to help. He hurried to explain that the sprain was not so bad, but that it would take time to heal. If he had told Meng, it would only have caused him undue worry; besides, he hadn’t told a soul.
“What undue worry?” Meng said, still upset. “I’d have brought you tonics like royal jelly and longan extract. They’re not expensive.”
“When have you ever brought anything with you?” Liu Yue asked snidely. “You load up on food and drink every time you come. Zhuang Laoshi told you about his bad foot when he asked you to get the amulets. So what did you bring for the patient?”
“Stop picking on me. I didn’t bring him anything, but I’m going to give you something.” He tapped her on the top of her head. With a shriek, she cursed him, saying he would not meet with a good end, that he’d get what was coming to him.
“You’re right. The son by my first wife, when I lived in the countryside, joined the army five years ago, and he’s a platoon leader. He wants to be promoted further, to a company or regiment commander, but he wrote last month to say that the army is going to deactivate him and told him to go back where he came from. My son said, ‘They’re all common soldiers, sir, and they can go back where they came from, but I’m a platoon leader.’ The regiment commander said, ‘It’s no different for platoon leaders.’ So my son said, ‘I’ll follow your order if it’s the same for everyone, but I came from my mother’s belly, and I can’t go back, since she’s dead.’”
“That sounds like a son of yours.” More or less appeased, Liu Yue smiled. “How many wives have you had? Dajie said your first wife was from the city and that your son is only eight or nine. How could he be in the army?”