In the blink of an eye it was the second day of the new year, also Zhou Ya’s last day of holiday this New Year.
At lunch, Ma Huimin told Zhou Ya that in the afternoon, a former colleague of hers and Zhou Ya’s father from their old work unit would be coming over to visit, and she wanted to keep them for dinner.
Having dinner was no problem, but Ma Huimin also directed Zhou Ya to go shower, shave, and change into something more formal.
Zhou Ya hardly had any formal clothes. Rummaging through his closet, all he found was a white dress shirt he’d bought for an ID photo.
No dress pantsโblack jeans would have to do.
Fang Long assumed some important guest was coming and asked Ma Huimin, “Big Auntie, should I change clothes too?”
Ma Huimin smiled so wide her gums showed, a rare sight. “You don’t need to, you don’t need to. Tonight Zhou Ya is the main event, as long as he’s willing to change, that’s enough!”
Fang Long’s heart gave a sudden lurch. She could roughly guess what this was about.
In the evening, the old colleague arrived, bringing along her husband and daughter.
Ma Huimin was extremely warm, and pulled Zhou Ya to sit in the living room, having him help make tea for the guests.
Zhou Ya didn’t refuse, sitting by the coffee table brewing tea, occasionally joining the conversation.
After greeting the guests, Fang Long went into her room. As she closed the door, she peeked out, pursed her lips, and thought: sure enough, a blind date.
The girl’s name was Shen Ying, twenty-seven this year by actual age, slightly younger than Zhou Ya.
She had a refined appearance, wearing a knee-length skirt and a lace-trimmed blouse, somewhat introverted, spoke little, and didn’t quite dare to look Zhou Ya directly in the eyeโbut she’d steal glances at him whenever she pushed up her glasses.
The old colleague praised Zhou Ya lavishlyโexcellent looks, a business doing well, truly a promising young man.
Ma Huimin also praised Shen Ying for being gentle and refined, working in finance at a school, a job that was easy and stable.
“Speaking of which, Xiao Ying, the middle school you work at nowโZhou Ya went to school there too,” Ma Huimin said.
The old colleague was surprised. “Really? That’s Xiao Ying’s school too!”
Ma Huimin was also shocked. “What a coincidence?!”
Shen Ying pushed up her glasses, smiling bashfully. “That’s right. I’m two years behind Zhou Ya. I saw him around school before.”
“Oh my, what a rare kind of fate. Though back then Zhou Ya was quite the troublemakerโhis father and I were often called in by the school for a talking-to.” Ma Huimin bumped Zhou Ya. “Ah Ya, do you remember Xiao Ying?”
Zhou Ya hadn’t said much this whole time, quietly making tea.
He had no impression at all of the girl across from him, but not wanting to embarrass Ma Huimin, he said vaguely, “Might have seen her. It’s been too long, I don’t remember.”
Fang Long pressed against the door, listening for a while. She couldn’t make out the details, but the adults’ laughter was clear enough.
It sounded like a pleasant conversation.
Inexplicably irritated, she stopped eavesdropping, flopped onto her bed, and put in her earphones to listen to music.
At dinner, Fang Long was seated by Ma Huimin’s arrangement on her left, while Zhou Ya and Shen Ying sat beside each other.
The spread of eight dishes and a soup raised Zhou Ya’s standing even further in Shen Ying’s parents’ eyes. Even though Zhou Ya’s vocal cords were congenitally damaged, making his voice unpleasant when he spoke, he wasn’t truly deaf-mute, and they felt this minor flaw was no big deal.
Shen Ying’s mother even leaned close to her daughter’s ear to say, “This one’s a real catch.”
Halfway through the meal, both sets of parents had already begun matchmaking the two young people, suggesting they exchange contact information after dinnerโphone numbers, QQ, that sort of thingโto stay in touch.
Fang Long ate her whole meal without tasting a thing. Even her favorite braised beef brisket went into her mouth without her being able to tell if it was salty or bland.
Utterly no fun at all.
She hastily finished her rice and put down her bowl. “I’m full.”
Zhou Ya looked over at the sound of her voice.
Ma Huimin was surprised. “Why are you eating so fast tonight?”
“Aโa friend asked me to go sing karaoke tonight. I’ll shower and head out.” Her cheeks puffed, she nodded apologetically to the guests. “Uncle, Auntie, please take your time.”
“Sure, sure, go do your thing.”
Fang Long went back to her room to grab a change of clothes, then headed to the bathroom.
The bathroom wasn’t far from the dining room. Only a thin door stood between them, unable to block out the laughter and chatter from the table.
Not until the shower water ran did the sound of it drown out the noise outside.
After washing her hair, Fang Long reached for the body wash.
She suddenly stopped.
She’d spotted Zhou Ya’s bar of soap.
Recalling the scene she’d once glimpsed spying outside the bathroom door, a wicked idea began to take shape in her mind.
What Zhou Ya could do, she could do too.
She picked up the soap and, starting from her neck, moved southward.
Collarbone, belly, waist, thighs, calvesโฆ
This brand of soap didn’t lather muchโa thin layer, gone the instant water hit itโbut it left Zhou Ya’s scent on her body.
The soap returned to her chest, and Fang Long noticed her breathing had turned slightly ragged.
She paused a moment, then finally pressed the soap in slow circles.
The lather made her skin slick; light scratches from her nails made a flock of butterflies flutter wildly in her belly.
This time Fang Long knew it wasn’t an illusion.
She wasn’t a fool. Though her past few relationships had been immature and naive, she’d been through enough to know what this meant.
She bit her lip, and the soap moved lower again.
Her mind filled with fantasiesโimagining if they’d really kissed that night, how far things might have gone.
Zhou Ya had feelings for her.
So did she.
On the other side of a single door, Zhou Ya was eating dinner with a young woman who might become his future partner.
And on this side of the door, she was smearing Zhou Ya’s soap all over her body, sinking into shameful fantasies.
How awful.
By the time they’d seen off Shen Ying’s family, it was already half past eight.
The streetlights on their lane weren’t very bright. Fulfilling his duty as host, Zhou Ya made a special trip downstairs to walk the guests to the street corner.
The ground was somewhat uneven, and Shen Ying’s mother walked carefully, sighing with feeling. “This place really hasn’t changed in ten yearsโthe streetlights are always this dim… A lot of our former colleagues have sold their homes here and moved elsewhere.”
She asked Zhou Ya, who was leading the way ahead: “Ah Ya, why have you all never thought about moving? I heard from your mother that your new place has been sitting empty since it was renovated.”
“My mother’s sentimental about the old place,” Zhou Ya replied simply.
“True, that’s just your mother’s personality.” Shen Ying’s mother continued, “So when you get married in the future, are you planning to live at the new place with your wife, just the two of you?”
The question wasn’t really out of line, but Zhou Ya found himself inexplicably displeased. Just as he was about to answer, Shen Ying hurriedly grabbed her mother’s hand, saying helplessly, “Mom, why are you asking thatโฆ”
Shen Ying’s mother didn’t think much of it. “What’s wrong with it? Just making conversation, getting to know the situation.”
Zhou Ya walked a few more steps and answered her mother’s question honestly: “My mother’s health isn’t good. In the future I’ll still need to keep her close by my side. She and my father took me in and gave me a homeโI’m bound to take care of her until the end.”
Shen Ying’s mother was taken aback, and was about to say something more when Shen Ying’s father cut in: “That’s fine, that’s fine. A young man this filial is getting rarer and rarer these days!”
Shen Ying’s mother gave a dry laugh, echoing the praise for Zhou Ya’s filial piety.
After seeing the guests off, Zhou Ya walked back. He hadn’t smoked all evening, so he took the chance to light one now, smoking it quickly, finishing before he even reached the door.
The moment he stepped inside and closed the door, Ma Huimin was already there to greet him, asking eagerly, “So, so? Did you two hit it off?”
Zhou Ya’s face showed no particular emotion. “No.”
“One meal really is too short a time, so you two should keep in touch more privately.”
Knowing her son’s temperament, Ma Huimin followed behind him, continuing to persuade. “I think the girl is quite good. You’ve got such a hard, stubborn temperโyou need someone gentle as water like Xiao Ying, someone who can tolerate you. One soft, one hard, you two would balance each other well.”
Zhou Ya said nothing, heading toward his room to get clothes for a shower.
Ma Huimin followed him, still persuading: “I talked with her mother privatelyโthis girl is especially pure-hearted, well-protected by her family, that’s why she hasn’t had a boyfriend yet at this age. Just start off as friends. I could tell the girl has some interest in you, always smiling at youโฆ”
Seeing Zhou Ya still unmoved no matter what, Ma Huimin’s tone finally hardened. “I don’t care, Zhou Ya, this year you need to bring a girlfriend home no matter what.”
Zhou Ya, somewhat helpless, finally spoke: “Mom, why have you been so anxious about this lately?”
Ma Huimin looked up at her son, who towered over her, and suddenly her eyes reddened again.
“Mom really doesn’t know how much longer I’ll be able to watch over youโฆ”
Ma Huimin’s voice choked. “Zhou Ya, Mom just hopes that before that day comes, I can see you have a family of your own.”
Unable to bear children, in that era she’d been treated as worse than a sinner.
Her husband’s family had scorned her, saying to her face that she was a “hen that couldn’t lay eggs,” constantly egging her husband on to divorce her and remarry.
But her husband had stayed devoted to her the whole time, even breaking with his own family over it.
In truth, the couple had still hoped to have a child in the family. After much discussion, the two decided to adopt a child from the welfare home in the neighboring county.
Back then, there was a little boy who always sat in the corner, never fighting for attention, never making noise or a fuss.
Small in stature, but with very bright eyes, looking at people with an unusually sincere, earnest gaze.
The welfare home’s director explained the boy was five years old, had been at the home a long time. Because of some issue with his throat, he couldn’t speak, and his personality wasn’t lively or endearing enough, so no adoptive family had ever picked him.
The “little mute” had been found by villagers by the river near the nearby national highway, wrapped in a filthy swaddling cloth, his whole face caked in mud.
No telling how long he’d gone hungryโhe was nearly out of breath, yet still wheezing out silent tears.
โBecause his crying made no sound but breath, no one had noticed him for so long.
The welfare home had other children with no physical impairments and who were younger, but Ma Huimin and her husband went home to think it over for a week, and in the end decided to adopt that “little mute.”
In her husband’s words, it was simply that he felt some inexplicable bond with that child.
It was also the first time either of them had been “parents.” After bringing the child home, the three of them found things somewhat awkward at first.
After much deliberation, the couple decided to give the child a new name.
Zhou Ya’s father wrote the two characters “ๅจๆถฏ” (Zhou Ya) on paper, and gently asked the boy if he liked this new nameโif he did, he should nod; if not, they’d think of another.
They hoped the child’s life could be like the vast sea, stretching beyond sight.
The boy not only nodded, but actually opened his mouth and spoke.
His voice was hoarse, his pronunciation strange, but Ma Huimin could understand he was saying “I like it.”
And “thank you.”