Not much happened over the next few days. Other than Yuxiu’s progress in her study of the abacus, there were no substantial developments in the personal realm. But, eager to get things started with Little Wei and Yuxiu, Little Tang began looking for the right time and the right place. Once that was settled, she could remove herself from the picture.
Children have to make their own happiness. It is important for them to go public on their own. Boys and girls can’t always play games of hide-and-seek. Strike while the iron is hot. That’s the line in “The Internationale”: “We will succeed if we strike while the iron is hot,” which can only mean that all people advocate exactly that. So Little Tang invited Yuxiu back to the house, to which she reacted with a look of reluctance. Yuxiu knew what was coming and was not sure how to deal with it. But Little Tang took her by the hand and, without waiting for a response, set out for home. Given her experience in such things, Little Tang knew what she was doing. Since shyness is expected of a girl in such circumstances, a little arm-twisting is called for. The more you twist, the better your chance of getting her to go along. This time, instead of taking the long way around, Little Tang headed straight to the rice mill compound, half of which was taken up by red and green brick buildings that served as rice storehouses. As she gazed at the buildings with their red or green roof tiles, Yuxiu was impressed by the imposing size of the government mill.
“This is where Old Gao works,” Little Tang said. Yuxiu knew that Old Gao was Gao Wei’s father, Little Tang’s husband.
“He isn’t the head of his section,” Little Tang commented as if she were talking to herself, “but his word carries as much weight as the best worker.” Yuxiu tensed when she heard this. She knew Little Tang well enough to guess that she was hinting at something directly related to Yuxiu and her future. What she heard in the comment that Old Gao’s word carried weight was that Little Tang’s word carried more weight than his and that her fate was in Little Tang’s hands.
There is something extraordinary about a government office, Yuxiu mused. Whoever works in one can make decisions that determine other people’s futures.
Yuxiu’s breathing quickened and her mind worked at warp speed, all because of her prospects there at the mill. With growing confusion, she walked into Little Tang’s house. Gao Wei was waiting for them, just as Yuxiu had expected. That saved her from a case of nerves. He’d apparently been waiting for some time and seemed anxious, but he was trying to hold it in—the embarrassed look on his face bordered on anguish. Yuxiu, poised by comparison, was in control of her emotions. They sat in the living room, Gao Wei facing south, Yuxiu facing north. Little Tang, facing east, kept them company by engaging in meaningless small talk. The atmosphere was both casual and strangely tense. They sat like that for a short while before Little Tang stood up as if something had just occurred to her and said, “I was going to buy a watermelon, but it slipped my mind.” Yuxiu quickly got to her feet, but Little Tang gently pushed her back down.
“You sit there. Just sit and talk,” Little Tang said, picking up a nylon mesh bag on her way to the door. She’d barely stepped outside before she came back to shut the door behind her. Yuxiu turned her head, and their eyes met just as Little Tang smiled at Gao Wei, a special, proud smile unique to mothers who are happy for their sons. “You two have a nice chat, I’ll be right back.”
Yuxiu and Gao Wei were alone in the room; the steam generator supplied the only sound. The silence, which had arrived abruptly, had a special, almost threatening quality. It was immediately apparent that neither Yuxiu nor Gao Wei had been prepared for that silence as they looked in vain for a way to dispel it. They were both being sternly tested by the somber atmosphere—this showed especially in Gao Wei’s face, although Yuxiu was not doing much better. Wanting to say something, she all but forgot where her mouth was. Fear began to register on the face of Gao Wei, who abruptly stood up. “I… I,” he stammered. That’s all that emerged as his breath came in labored spurts. Poor Yuxiu didn’t know what to do, and she was suddenly reminded of the heavy breathing around the haystack the night she was raped.
Gao Wei took a step, but it wasn’t clear if he was going over to open the door or walk toward Yuxiu. Terror engulfed Yuxiu. She jumped to her feet, her palms jutting out in front, and she cried, “Don’t come any closer! Stay where you are!” The suddenness shocked Gao Wei, who did not know what to do. His only thought was to flee. But Yuxiu beat him to it. She bounded to the door, jerked it open, and ran for all she was worth. In her state of alarm, she missed the gate and was stopped by the wall. She pounded her fists on it. “Let me out of here!” she screamed.
Little Tang, who had not gone far, heard the scream and rushed back to see Yuxiu pounding on the wall.
Wondering what was going on, she took Yuxiu by the arm and led her to the gate, where the girl broke free and fled, leaving Gao Wei and his mother standing in the yard. Gao Wei stared blankly at his mother for a long moment before he could speak. “I didn’t do anything,” he pleaded in his defense, looking deeply ashamed. “I didn’t touch her.”
Little Tang dragged him into the house and surveyed the living room carefully. There was no sign of anything amiss. She was sure that her almost pathologically shy son would never have laid a finger on the girl. She’d have been happy if he were bold enough to do something like that. So what went wrong?
She sat down, crossed her legs, and tossed her nylon bag onto the table. “Forget about her,” she said. “I knew all along that she was the hysterical type. What nerve! A girl from the countryside trying to pass herself off as something special in my house!”
Yuxiu hated herself.
How could I have done something like that? Everything was going fine until I ruined it. Now I won’t even be able to master the abacus.
She was crestfallen.
Aunty Little Tang had been so good to her, but after botching things so badly, Yuxiu wouldn’t be able to face her again, let alone talk to her. She shuddered at the thought of seeing Aunty Little Tang. Imagine her surprise when Yuxiu ran into her the next day in the market. If she hadn’t known better she’d have thought that Aunty Little Tang had planned the encounter. It was too pat to be a coincidence. All Yuxiu wanted was to get away, but it was too late. Little Tang stopped her. Thinking she wanted to talk about what had happened the day before, Yuxiu decided to say something to avoid the subject, but Little Tang was the first to speak. “Yuxiu,” she said with a ready smile, “what are you fixing for lunch?” Before Yuxiu had a chance to reply, Little Tang pulled her basket over to look inside. It was empty. “On a hot day like today, the leeks will be tough. You don’t want any of those for Director Guo. His teeth are bad.”
Yuxiu conjured up an image of her brother-in-law brushing his teeth in the morning, and how he first took something out of his mouth. Probably false teeth. “Ah,” Yuxiu murmured as she nodded and smiled.
Little Tang acted as if there’d been no incident the day before—as if it had never happened. Apparently, she was not going to talk about yesterday—not now, not ever. This was good news to Yuxiu, although she could tell that Little Tang’s speech was a bit crisper than usual and her smile broader. Even the crow’s-feet by her eyes stood out more than usual. Yuxiu knew that the smile was intended to inform her that their friendship had run its course. It was over.