Chapter 1: “Yi,” from standing on the stupa where one can catch the stars

The day Ruan Mian moved to Pingjiang West Alley with her mother happened to be the day of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games. The whole country was celebrating. 

In the alley, every residence had its doors and windows open. The singing and cheering from the TV mixed together, and the figures in the house shook. The moonlight penetrated through the gaps between the antennas hovering overhead and the clothes hanging randomly from the families upstairs, illuminating the narrow world.

Mother Fang Ruqing whispered the words that had been said many times before, “When you arrive at Uncle Zhao’s house, remember to pay your respects and be sensible.”

Ruan Mian walked behind with her eyes downcast, looking at the traces of the luggage wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement, and replied tonelessly, “I know.”

Fang Ruqing heard the reluctance in her daughter’s words, looked back at her, then turned back to continue walking. Her five-centimeter stiletto shoes’—“dadada”—precisely avoided the potholes on the road, and her figure was slender and capable. “I know you still blame me for divorcing your dad, but Mianmian, running a marriage is not as easy as you think. There are some things you still don’t understand.”

TL’s Note: Calling her Mianmian is a form of endearment. In English, it’s similar to how you might call someone named John, Johnny instead. 

Ruan Mian’s father, Ruan Mingke, was a researcher and alumnus of Fang Ruqing. They fell in love at first sight at the college orientation party. As soon as Fang Ruqing graduated from university, the two applied for marriage. Less than two years later, Ruan Mian was born, and the family of three lived a happy life for seven years.

It was around the time the marriage reached its burnout period, when Ruan Mian was eight years old, her parents began to fight and have cold wars frequently. The house was always full of pandemonium.

The fighting never stopped.

Three years ago, when Ruan Mingke transferred from Ping city due to work reasons, he had an open and honest talk with Fang Ruqing before leaving. The couple had a short buffer period.

But this short and peaceful period only lasted for half a year. The nature of Ruan Mingke’s job made him unable to return home year-round, and the frequent fights in the early years had long drained out the love between the couple. Now, combined with the widening time and distance, the marriage existed only in name. Divorce was the ultimate and best result for the two of them.

At the end of October last year, the couple divorced amicably. The house and car were left to Ruan Mingke, and Fang Ruqing only asked for custody of Ruan Mian.

After the divorce, Fang Ruqing, the financial team leader of a foreign trade company, understood her market value, and soon found a new flame. It was the director of the business department in the same company, Zhao Yingwei.

During this year’s Spring Festival, Fang Ruqing brought Ruan Mian and Zhao Yingwei to meet.

Afterward, things went as expected. Zhao Yingwei started to frequent Ruan Mian and her mothers’ lives, and a week ago, the two of them received their marriage certificates.

Toward her parents’ decision, Ruan Mian never got involved or expressed her opinion. As early as the first time when Ruan Mingke and Fang Ruqing fought in front of her openly, Ruan Mian already expected that there would be such a day. 

She looked at her mother’s back and said after a long time, “I don’t blame you.”

Fang Ruqing didn’t continue the conversation. As she passed by a fruit stand in the alley, she stopped and asked Ruan Mian to pick two watermelons.

While the vendor weighed the watermelons, Zhao Yingwei walked out of his home with his son Zhao Shuyang and greeted the two. A middle-aged and well-mannered man in his forties, he wore a gray-white shirt and suit pants. His physique was tall and straight, and he was not out of shape.

He walked toward the fruit stand and took the suitcase in Fang Ruqing’s hand naturally, “Didn’t I tell you and Mianmian to wait for me to pick you both up at the alley?”

“It wasn’t that far away.” Fang Ruqing reached for the school bag on Ruan Mian’s shoulder, reminding her to greet him.

“Hello, Uncle Zhao.” Without waiting for Fang Ruqing to say more, Ruan Mian looked at the little boy hiding behind Zhao Yingwei and took out two large white rabbit milk candies from her pocket, and handed them over, “You want candy?”

TL’s Note: “Uncle” (followed by a man’s last name) is a respectful way for children to greet grownup men.

Zhao Yingwei and Ruan Mian looked at each other. Surprised but relieved, he held his son’s shoulder, “And you still haven’t thanked your older sister yet.”

Zhao Shuyang took the candy and said timidly, “Thank you, older sister.”

“You’re welcome.” Ruan Mian patted his head with a slight smile.

The Zhao family’s two-story home was deep in the alley. The decades-old house was only a few ten meters away from the demolition line approved by the government.

TL’s Note: Especially for urbanized areas in China, the government will usually have a city development plan where they gradually demolish and replace older buildings with newer renovations. Generally, people who lived in those demolished buildings will be given new homes in other locations or allowed to stay in the new building.

Besides Zhao Shuyang, the son left by his late wife, Zhao Yingwei’s family also included his daughter Zhao Shutang and mother Duan Ying.

Zhao Shutang and Ruan Mian were about the same age, and according to Zhao Yingwei’s arrangement, Ruan Mian would transfer to her class after the new semester started.

In the evening, the two families sat and had dinner together. Zhao Yingwei and Fang Ruqing took Ruan Mian to the bedroom on the second floor. Although the room was not big, it had plenty of sunlight and was cozy.

There were several unopened boxes on the desk, and Fang Ruqing explained: “These are models that your Uncle Zhao specially entrusted someone to bring back from abroad.”

Ruan Mian walked over to open one, then turned around, and said her thanks, “Uncle Zhao, I’ve troubled you.”

“No, it wasn’t an issue. As long as you like, it’s fine.” Zhao Yingwei didn’t stay in the room for a long time and left after explaining a few words about the layout of the house.

Fang Ruqing made the bed for Ruan Mian, and sat by the bed, “The quality of education in the No. 8 High School is comparable to that of the No. 6 High School. Your Uncle Zhao has already contacted the teachers and classes. You’ll register on August 30th. When will you end cram school at the No. 6 High School?”

“On the sixteenth.”

“That’s only a few days away. How about I just give your teacher, Mr. Zhou, a call so that you don’t need to go there anymore? It’s quite a long bus ride from here.”

Ruan Mian blinked, “No need. I’d better go there. There are only seven or eight days left anyway. Besides, I still have test papers and materials in that classroom.”

“All right.” Fang Ruqing stood up and didn’t pressure her, “Then, take a shower soon and go to bed early. I’ll wake you up for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Okay. Good night, mom.”

“Mhm.” Fang Ruqing patted her head, “Good night.”

After Fang Ruqing went out, Ruan Mian opened her large suitcase, took out the clothes inside, and put them in the closet. She waited until she couldn’t hear any more sounds outside before taking her pajamas and going downstairs to take a shower.

In this old house, apart from the bathroom in the master bedroom, there was only one other bathroom shared between both floors. Ruan Mian was in the middle of showering when she heard Zhao Shuyang knocking on the door, saying that he wanted to use the restroom.

She answered immediately without even using the shower gel. She simply wiped off the water on her body with a bath towel, put on her pajamas, and walked out to let Zhao Shuyang in.

The door was not closed tightly. Ruan Mian frowned when she heard the sound inside, turned back upstairs, and found a small hair dryer from the suitcase to dry her hair. She turned off the lights and lay down on the bed.

There were constant sounds of movement in the corridor. Ruan Mian turned over. Smelling the unfamiliar scent of laundry detergent on the pillow, she let out a long sigh.

Early the next morning, Ruan Mian didn’t have breakfast with the Zhao family. It was an hour-and-a-half ride from Pingjiang West Alley to the cram school, so she didn’t have time to sit down and eat.

Fang Ruqing sent her out for a ride. Pingjiang West Alley was more popular during the day than at night, and the alley was full of a variety of grocery stores, hair salons, and fruit stands. Under the wind and sun, the plastic sign boards with aluminum alloy frames faded from their original colors.

The sun shined in the morning, illuminating the whole alley brightly.

When they arrived at the bus stop, Fang Ruqing was worried and told her, “If you’re running late because of an exam, call me, and I’ll pick you up.”

“Got it.” When the bus arrived, Ruan Mian got onto it with soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks in her hands. On the roadside, the shops bordered side-by-side, and just across the Pingjiang West Alley, the silhouette and profile of the Pingjiang Mansion could be seen. 

The bus gradually moved farther and farther away from this world in which prosperity and old age intermingled.

The following week, Ruan Mian ran back and forth from nine to five like this, up until the last day, when she returned four hours later than usual because the cram school organized a final dinner party.

It was almost nine o’clock when she got off the bus, and Ruan Mian, carrying her school bag, bought a popsicle at a roadside shop, eating while she walked toward the alley.

At this hour, the neighbors had already closed their doors and turned off their lights, and only in a few homes could the TV light be seen from the window. The moonlight had become the only lighting here.

The alleys were intricate and complicated, and a wrong turn could be taken if one didn’t pay attention. Ruan Mian stopped at an unfamiliar cross alley, hesitating on which way to turn when suddenly two laughing and talking men came from the alley on the right, their gaze resting on her for a few seconds.

Ruan Mian subconsciously clenched the strap of her schoolbag. She turned around and walked toward a nearby alley with lights without waiting for the men to move away. 

There was a few seconds of silence behind her, but there was soon the sound of unhurried footsteps. Ruan Mian’s scalp numbed, and she didn’t dare to look back, only speeding up her pace.

In the end, she even started to run. By her ears was the sound of howling wind with the hot and dry breath of summer.

The light in this alley came from a roadside internet cafe. A few boys were standing on the steps of the door, and there were people selling barbecue behind them.

Ruan Mian ran directly to the barbecue stand. Li Zhi, who was brushing the lamb skewers with sauce in front of the grill, was startled by her, “You…”

She gasped, “Hey, twenty lamb skewers please.”

After saying this, Ruan Mian looked at the way she passed by, pretending to be casual. There was no one there, as though the thrilling events that had just happened were her own one-man show.

She withdrew her gaze, looked at the man’s rather baffled stare, and raised her hand to touch her face, “What’s wrong?”

Li Zhi smiled, “Nothing. You want twenty skewers, right? It’ll be ready in a moment.”

While waiting for the skewers to be grilled, Ruan Mian took out her cell phone and called Fang Ruqing, but no one answered. She made three more calls, all with the same result.

In her phone, she didn’t have Zhao Yingwei’s number, and even more so, she didn’t store the Zhao family’s home phone number. She could only call Fang Ruqing every few minutes, but even after the twenty skewers were grilled, Ruan Mian still couldn’t get through.

Ruan Main, holding the grilled skewers on the roadside, hesitated on whether to wait here to continue making phone calls, or to go back daringly. 

Li Zhi, who was on the side, brought the grilled meat skewers to the table and said to the boys next to him, “You guys eat first. The grilled fish will be ready soon.”

Upon hearing the sound, Ruan Mian looked back. Her eyes glanced to the side inadvertently, but she caught sight of a boy standing on the steps, looking at his phone.

He was tall. Although his hair appeared a bit brown and somewhat chestnut under the light and shadow of the internet cafe, it was not black. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt and below were sweatpants of the same color with white bars. He stood wearing a pair of white shallow canvas shoes, and his eyes had an unforgettable profoundness and coldness. 

People were usually sensitive to staring eyes, and the boy sensed the stare. He raised his head and scanned his surroundings. Ruan Mian lowered her head before he looked over in her direction, and her hands and feet were so stiff that they didn’t seem like her own.

Chen Yi didn’t really look in Ruan Mian’s direction.

He looked away without paying much attention, raised his foot, and walked down two steps, “Sister Lu said that the internet cafe ran out of cigarettes. I’ll go to the store to grab some.”

TL’s Note: In China, if you’re acquainted with an older girl/woman that’s roughly in the same generation as you, you usually call them “Sister (Last Name)” to indicate politeness. It’s similar to how people call people of different generations “Aunt” and “Uncle.”

“That’d be great. I’ll go with you to carry back a case of beer.” Li Zhi handed the tools in his hands to others and said, “Watch out for my grilled fish order.”

Someone replied, “Alright.”

Li Zhi took off his apron and threw it on the stool, “Let’s go.”

Chen Yi walked down the steps, and Li Zhi wrapped his arms around Chen Yi’s shoulders. After walking down a few steps, Li Zhi looked back at Ruan Mian, “Little girl, it’s already this late. Why don’t you go home?”

Ruan Mian clenched the plastic bag in her hand. Seeing the boy standing next to him, for a moment, her breathing became uneven, “I’ll head back now.”

“You just moved here, right? I didn’t see you before.” Li Zhi scratched his neck and asked with a frown, “Where do you live?”

Ruan Mian thought for a second, “With the Zhao family in the alley.”

“Zhao Yingwei?”

Ruan Mian nodded, “Mhm.”

“Then how’d you get here? Did you go in the wrong direction?” Li Zhi laughed, let go of the arms on Chen Yi’s shoulders, and turned his head to talk to him, “Isn’t the Zhao family on the road ahead, in the alley?”

Chen Yi raised his gaze, eyes flicking past Ruan Mian’s face. His voice was clean and clear, like a spring flowing slowly in a hollow valley, “I have no idea.”

“I seem to remember it like that.” Li Zhi looked at Ruan Mian, “You know Li’s Supermarket? At that intersection, you just need to make a turn to get to the Zhao residence. That supermarket closes at eight o’clock, so you probably didn’t notice it when you passed by. Come here, let’s go. We’ll take you there along the way.”

“Thank you.” Ruan Mian followed them with the no longer warm grilled skewers, her palms and back covered with sweat.

Halfway there, Ruan Mian received a call back from Fang Ruqing, and they spoke to each other briefly. Zhao Yingwei stood next to the phone and listened to the conversation, and he understood the situation. He asked her to wait at the supermarket entrance and told her that they’d come to pick her up now.

Li Zhi glanced back at her and continued chatting with Chen Yi. When he reached the supermarket entrance, he asked Ruan Mian, “Is your family coming to get you?”

“Yes. Thank you for today. I’ll go visit your stand to buy skewers next time.”

Li Zhi chuckled and nodded his head, “Sure.”

On the side, Chen Yi put away his phone, bent down, rummaged around under the rolling shutter door, and then pushed the door up with his strength. It turned out there were still people inside the supermarket, and the lights were still on. Since the door was closed tightly, the light didn’t leak out. Once the door opened, a large area of the doorway was illuminated.

Li Zhi didn’t continue chatting with Ruan Mian, and he followed Chen Yi into the supermarket. Ruan Mian stood outside and heard the two of them talking with people in the supermarket.

…

“How many times have I told you before? I am Li Zhi, and he is Chen Yi.” Li Zhi shouted and complained, “How can you not even recognize your own grandson?” 

“Chen Yi? Who is Chen Yi?” This was an old man’s voice.

Another middle-aged man spoke, “He’s the grandson of Mr. Chen’s family in Pingjiang Mansion—your old friend Mr. Chen Pinghong.”

The old man “oh”-ed three times in a row, as if he understood, and as if he didn’t, “Then which Chen and which Yi are you?’

The room was quiet for a few seconds. Ruan Mian couldn’t help but turn around. The boy was facing the door sideways, and in front of him was an old man sitting in a wheelchair whose face showed his age.

He bent his waist slightly, the bridge of his nose looking particularly high from this angle. His voice was lazy and nice, “Er Dong for ‘Chen,’ and ‘Yi,’ from ‘standing on the stupa where one can catch the stars.’”

TL’s Note: This is wordplay. Many Chinese characters sound the same but are written with different strokes. This is why Chen Yi needed to explain that his last name, Chen, was formed by two other characters—Er and Dong—and that his first name, Yi, was adopted from one of the Song Dynasty poems that opened with “standing on the stupa where one can catch the stars.”

The author has something to say: —The story of Ruan Mian and Chen Yi began during the summer, and the story of me and you also began in Lixia—one of the twenty-four solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar which indicates the beginning of summer. I hope that we can have a beautiful and unforgettable summer for each other.