Mrs. Wang laughed coldly. “Oh, so Wang Qiyao should be resting this month, should she? That’s funny, I didn’t know. With no man around to rely on, how is she supposed to be able to rest? Will you explain that to me?”
Those words brought an abrupt end to Wang Qiyao’s tears. When she had finished changing and feeding the baby, she said, “Mom, you said I lack tact; but what about you? How do you think it looks when you say such things in front of our guest? After all, it’s not as if he has anything to do with our family. You’re the one who is demeaning me — and yourself! At any rate, I’ll always be your daughter!”
Mrs. Wang was dumbstruck. By the time she was ready to respond, Wang Qiyao cut her off. “This gentleman has the decency to come by and pay his respects. I would never dream of making any unseemly demands on him — and neither should you! All my life I’ve had no one to rely on but myself; I make no other claims besides that. I’m sorry to have troubled you to help out during this difficult time, but I promise you that I will repay you for your trouble.”
Her remarks were directed at her mother, but they were also meant for Kang Mingxun. Mother and daughter both fell silent for a time, until Ms. Wang wiped away her tears and murmured bleakly, “I see I’ve been worrying too much. Well, you are almost through your first month, and it looks like I’m no longer needed here.”
Even as she spoke, she began to gather up her personal effects. Neither Wang Qiyao nor Kang Mingxun dared say a word to persuade her to stay. They watched in shock as she packed her things and placed a red envelope on the baby’s chest. She went out the door and down the stairs; then they heard the sound of the downstairs door closing, and she was gone. Inside the red envelope were 200 yuan and a gold pendant.
When Mr. Cheng arrived, he found Wang Qiyao out of bed cooking dinner in the kitchen. He asked where Mrs. Wang had gone. Wang Qiyao told him that her father was not feeling well and, since it was already almost a month since the birth, she had persuaded her mother to go home to look after him. Mr. Cheng noticed her swollen eyes and guessed that she had been crying, but he decided not to press her and simply let things go at that. With Mrs. Wang gone, the mood that evening was a bit dull. Wang Qiyao was not very talkative and answered Mr. Cheng’s questions absentmindedly, leaving her guest rather down. Mr. Cheng sat off to one side and read the newspaper. He read on for quite some time and the apartment grew quiet. He thought that Wang Qiyao must be asleep, but when he looked over he saw that she had propped her head against the pillow and was staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He quietly approached to ask what she was thinking. The last thing he expected was for her to jerk back and ask him what he wanted. There was alarm in her eyes and a distant look that made Mr. Cheng feel like a stranger. He retreated to the sofa and went on with reading his newspaper.
All of a sudden, rowdy noises broke out from the longtang outside. Opening the window to look out, Mr. Cheng saw that a crowd had gathered around a man holding up a weasel he had caught in his chicken coop. After recounting the beast’s crimes, the man carried it toward the entrance to the longtang with the crowd following close behind. Mr. Cheng was about to close the window when he caught the scent of osmanthus blossoms in the air; it wasn’t terribly strong, but the fragrance went straight to his heart. He also noticed the narrow span of sky above Peace Lane — a deep, deep blue. He felt exhilarated.
Turning to Wang Qiyao, he said, “Let’s have a banquet to celebrate the child’s one- month birthday.”
Wang Qiyao did not say anything at first. Then, breaking into a smile: “Is that cause for celebration?”
“Yes,” Mr. Cheng said more earnestly. “A first-month birthday is always a happy and auspicious occasion!”
“What’s so happy and auspicious about it?”
Mr. Cheng did not know how to answer. Although she had been the one to crush his excitement, he pitied her. Wang Qiyao rolled over away from him.
After a pause, she continued, “Let’s not fuss over this one-month celebration. Let’s simply make a few dishes, buy a bottle of wine, and invite Madame Yan and her cousin over. They have been good to me, coming to see me and all.”
That was enough to put Mr. Cheng back in high spirits. He pondered what kind of soup and dishes they should serve. Wang Qiyao objected to virtually every one of his suggestions, and he had to start from scratch. They became more animated as they argued back and forth about the menu and gradually things went back to normal.
On the afternoon of the dinner Mr. Cheng left work early to pick up the food for that evening. They put the baby to bed early and chatted as they cooked. Mr. Cheng saw that Wang Qiyao was in a good mood, which also put him in a good mood. They arranged the cold dishes in a delightful pattern, garnishing the plate with purple radishes.
Wang Qiyao declared, “Mr. Cheng, you’re not only a great photographer, but you can cook too!”
“And you didn’t even mention what I’m best at. .”
“What’s that?”
“Railroad engineering.”
“I practically forgot your true calling. You see, all along you have been entertaining us with your hobbies, and hiding your real talent!”
“It’s not that I was trying to hide it…. I just never get the chance to show it off!”
Their jovial banter was interrupted by the guests, who had come bearing gifts. Madame Yan brought a pound of cashmere yarn, and Kang Mingxun a pair of gold ingots. Wang Qiyao wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t have given such an expensive gift, but was worried that Madame Yan would take that as a sign that her gift wasn’t lavish enough, so she decided to accept them both and save her misgivings for another day. Everyone went inside to see the baby before dinner and they all commented on how precious she looked. Since there were four of them, it worked out perfectly when they sat down at the table, one person on each side.
This was the first time that Mr. Cheng had met the evening’s guests. Madame Yan had taken note of him, but he had never noticed her, and he had only passed Kang Mingxun on the staircase, when neither could get a good look at the other. Wang Qiyao made the introductions and they proceeded with dinner as if they were all acquainted. Madame Yan already had a good impression of Mr. Cheng and was especially friendly toward him; it wasn’t long before she felt like they were old friends. Although Mr. Cheng was a bit overwhelmed by her warmth, he realized she had nothing but the best intentions. Kang Mingxun, on the other hand, was stiff and subdued. He said little, focusing on the warm rice wine. They finished off the first bottle rather quickly and started on a second. Mr. Cheng excused himself so he could go to the kitchen to prepare another dish, but seeing he was a bit tipsy, Wang Qiyao put her hand on his shoulder, motioning him to sit back down, and insisted that she take care of it. He gently caressed the hand on his shoulder, but she instinctively pulled it away. Kang Mingxun, in spite of himself, flashed Mr. Cheng a rather sharp glance. The effect on Mr. Cheng was instantaneously sobering.
Wang Qiyao returned to the table with the new dish she had just whipped up. By then even Madame Yan, whose cheeks were red, was getting a bit tipsy. She proposed a toast to Mr. Cheng, declaring him a rare gentleman and even quoting the old adage, “It’s easier to find ten thousand ounces of gold than a true friend who can really understand you.” Her words were inappropriate to the occasion; obviously, alcohol was bringing out some hidden truths. Not content to propose a toast on her own, she insisted that Kang Mingxun also drink to Mr. Cheng. Kang Mingxun raised his cup but didn’t know quite what to say. As the rest of the party waited anxiously, he finally came out with something that sounded even more inappropriate.