Under the Hawthorn Tree (28 page)

Jingqiu didn't understand what he meant. ‘What else would we be doing?'

He didn't reply to her question, but said instead, ‘If I move to Yichang we can see each other all the time. Once your job is sorted out we can meet every day, in the open. We can take walks in the street. How does that sound?'

The scene he was describing sounded as alluring, and far-fetched, as Communism. She saw things more realistically. ‘Once my job is organised I'll be working in the kitchens, or I may even be a teacher, and you'll be in the performance troupe. Will you still want to meet me every day?'

‘Even if you were the canteen's pig I'd still want to meet you every day.'

‘You dog, are you calling me a pig?' She laughed, and gave his forearm a pinch. How could I do that? I'm just like one of those bad girls in books, showing off and flirting, she thought. Worried that he might think her loose she explained, ‘I didn't do that on purpose, I—'

‘What are you apologising for?' he laughed. ‘I like you pinching me, here, do it again.' He took her hand, put it on his arm and told her to pinch.

‘Pinch yourself.'

Seeing that she was embarrassed, he decided not to tease her any more, and instead asked about her brother. ‘Where was your brother sent?'

She told him the story of her brother and Yamin, although she left out the part about the bed. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to talk about that.

‘Your brother is very lucky,' he said, ‘to have found such a good girl. But I'm even luckier, because I found you.'

Although she said she was used to his flirting talk, she was still embarrassed. ‘Me? What's so good about me? I haven't protected you the way Yamin has my brother.'

‘You would, if it was necessary, it's just that up until now it hasn't been, that's all. I would do the same for you. I would do anything for you, I would agree to anything. Do you believe me?' Then, changing the topic suddenly, he asked, ‘How's your hand?'

Unconsciously she put her right hand behind her back. ‘What do you mean?'

‘I've already seen it. Tell me, what happened? Was it that Wan guy? Did he take advantage of you?'

‘No, how could he? Cut my hand with a knife? I was using a small knife to scrape the old notices off the board when I hurt myself.'

‘It has nothing to do with him?'

‘Really.'

‘But if you were holding the knife with your right hand, how could you cut your right hand?'

She looked back at him, unable to come up with a reply.

He didn't ask her again. ‘I've always thought you shouldn't do that temporary work,' he sighed. ‘You should let me look after you, but I'm too scared to say it to you in case you get angry.' He looked at her. ‘I worry about making you angry. Do you worry about making me angry?'

‘Yes, I worry about making you angry and that you will then stop liking me.'

‘Silly! How could I? Whatever you say, if you snub me or treat me coldly I could never be angry with you, never stop liking you, because I believe that whatever you do you must have your reasons. I'll do whatever you want me to, even the things I can't explain. So you absolutely mustn't tease, because I take everything you say as the truth.'

He took her injured hand and rubbed it lightly. ‘Does it still hurt?'

She nodded.

‘If I hurt my hand, if I wore myself out, would it upset you?' She couldn't say the words, but nodded. ‘Then why do you always do this work, injure and exhaust yourself?' he asked. ‘Don't you know how much it upsets me? It hurts, as if someone has stabbed my heart with a knife. Have you ever experienced that kind of pain before?' His expression was solemn and she didn't know how to respond. ‘You can't have, you don't know what it is like. Forget it, I don't want you to know how it feels.'

Why hasn't he held me in his arms today? she thought, slightly petulantly. He just talks and talks and talks. That day she was especially hoping that he would hold her close, although she didn't know why. Not far away she could see people, some swimming while others were strolling around. Perhaps it's not quiet enough here, that's why he's not holding me. ‘There are lots of people around here, let's go somewhere else.'

They stood up and walked along the river to find a new spot. As they walked Jingqiu kept casting glances at him to see if he could read her feelings, or if secretly he was laughing at her. But he looked serious, as if he was still thinking of what they had been talking about. They had walked a long way before they found a place empty of people and sat down shoulder to shoulder on a rock.

‘What time is it?' she asked.

‘Past seven,' he said, looking at his watch.

We'll be heading back soon, and still he hasn't tried to hold me. Is it because it's too hot? The last times he had embraced her, the weather had been cold. ‘You don't like the heat, do you?'

He looked at her without replying, as if trying to work out what she really meant by this question. Her face was burning. He sees right through me, she thought. The more she wanted to hide it the hotter her face felt.

He pulled her to her feet and took her in his arms, whispering, ‘I don't mind the heat, I'm just too scared . . .'

‘Why? I didn't mind last time.'

‘I know, I'm just afraid—' but he didn't finish his sentence and instead leaned close to her ear and whispered, ‘Do you . . . like me doing this?'

Her blood felt as if it was circulating quicker than usual and then indeed something gushed. Damn! she thought. I need to go to the toilet to change the paper.

He continued to pull her in tight. ‘Do you like this? Tell me, don't be afraid, do you like me holding you like this?'

His breath felt scalding hot in her ear. She couldn't wait any longer and whispered, ‘I need to go to the toilet.'

He took her by the hand and they went together but all they could find was a very old, filthy toilet. She had no choice, however, and bracing herself, went in. Quickly, she replaced the thick pile of toilet paper and ran outside.

This time he took her in his arms without any need for hinting from her, and he didn't let go again.

It was strange, usually when she got her period for the first few days it was very light, but uncomfortable. Her back would ache and it would feel like she had a horrible weight in her belly and the pain would only ease once her period was coming to an end. Today, however, it was different. As he held her close the pain seemed to disappear.

Were boys like medicine that could cure period pains? However, it was now obvious to her that she hadn't taken enough toilet paper. ‘I . . . need to buy something,' she faltered.

She found a grocery shop which sold toilet paper, but a young man there made her too embarrassed to buy what she needed. She hesitated at the door worrying that it would stain her clothes but felt unable to move.

‘You wait here, I'll buy it.'

She didn't even have time to ask Old Third ‘Buy what?' before he entered the shop. When he came out swinging two bundles of toilet paper she rushed up to him, and tried to stuff them in her bag. She managed to fit in one bundle and she pushed the other underneath his shirt. Once they were some distance from the shop she said, ‘Why aren't you hiding it under your clothes? How can you be so brazen?'

‘What do you mean, brazen? It's natural, it's nothing people don't know about.'

The next day Jingqiu went back to work at the paper factory, and although she knew that Mr Liu's propaganda department still had work she went straight to see Wan Changsheng to await instruction, as the rules determined. She went to Mr Wan's office-cum-tool cupboard but he pretended not to see her and busied himself assigning tasks to the other temporary workers. Only once he had finished with all the others did he turn to Jingqiu and say, ‘There's no work for you today, why don't you go home. And there's no need to come back.'

‘What do you mean? Are you sacking me? Mr Liu says he wants me to carry on with the magazine today.'

‘If Mr Liu wants you why didn't you go straight to him? What are you doing here?'

Jingqiu thought he was being difficult and this made her angry. ‘You're the boss, you're the one responsible for my work, that's why I came to you. Aren't you supposed to be the one who sends me to Mr Liu?'

‘I told you to go help with the noticeboard, did I tell you to go for walks with him?'

‘When did I go for walks with him?'

‘I thought you were a decent girl,' Mr Wan spluttered. ‘Spending all that time pretending to be a decent girl, more like. You work for whoever you want to work for, but I don't want you here working for me.'

Jingqiu was fuming.

‘Aren't you going? I'm going to get breakfast.' With that, he walked off in the direction of the canteen.

Jingqiu was left behind, cursing herself that she had come back to work for him. How totally spineless, she thought. If only she had not been persuaded to come back by Granny Copper she wouldn't have had to face the humiliation of being fired. She was certain that Wan Changsheng was going to talk to Director Li, and spread nasty rumours about her and Mr Liu. He'll drag my name through the dirt.

Shaking with anger, she thought of finding someone to report Mr Wan to but Mr Wan would be able to clear himself with just the one question: ‘If I did something to her that day, why did she come back to work?'

Feeling wronged, she headed for the factory exit. As she passed the factory noticeboard she saw Mr Liu working frantically, but rather than say hello she slid past. As she left the factory compound she caught sight of Zhang Yi coming towards her eating a fried dough stick.

‘Jingqiu? Aren't you working today?'

‘The boss fired me,' she said, betraying her plan to keep silent about the injustice.

Zhang Yi stopped. ‘Why did he fire you?'

‘Never mind, it's got nothing to do with you. You get on.'

‘I'm not busy, I've just come off my night shift. I didn't want the canteen food so I popped out for breakfast before heading back to sleep. Tell me, what happened? Why did he fire you?'

Feeling that it was more than she could bear, Jingqiu told Zhang Yi all about Mr Wan's behaviour, although she glossed over the parts she thought particularly embarrassing.

Zhang Yi flew into a rage, flung the remainder of his dough stick to the ground, then grabbed Jingqiu's hand and pulled her back towards the factory. ‘C'mon, I'll settle things with that hunchback. He must have been aching these last few days, I'll give him a run around, no problem.'

Seeing him raging, looking for a fight, frightened Jingqiu, and just like she used to do when they were young, she pulled at his hand to hold him back. Zhang Yi struggled free from her grip and said, ‘Are you scared of him? I'm not scared of him, a man like that only responds to force, the more you're scared of him the fiercer he becomes.' Fuming, he stomped off towards the factory.

Jingqiu had no option but to follow him to the factory. If something happens, she thought, I'll have put Zhang Yi in danger. He was speaking to someone ahead, probably asking them if they had seen Wan Changsheng, and then he made straight for the canteen. Alarmed, Jingqiu ran after him. By the time she got to the door she could hear them arguing inside.

She saw Zhang Yi shoving Wan Changsheng, shouting, ‘Hey, hunchback, what are you doing firing my friend? Looking for a fight?'

Wan Changsheng looked pitiful, and repeated one sentence over and over, ‘Say what you have to say. Say what you have to say . . .'

Zhang Yi grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him outside. ‘Let's go, we can talk at the scene of the crime.' He dragged Mr Wan to the southern wall of the compound, and though they attracted plenty of looks on the way, no one seemed bothered about getting involved. Even though a couple of people called out, ‘Fight! Fight! Someone call security,' nobody actually responded, and nor did anyone come forward to mediate. Only Jingqiu followed, startled, calling to Zhang Yi to stop.

Once at the wall Zhang Yi released Mr Wan, and pointing at him shouted, ‘You son-of-a-bitch scoundrel, you took advantage of my friend, do you still want to live?'

Mr Wan continued to deny it. ‘How could I possibly take advantage of your friend. Don't listen to her rubbish, she's the one that's loose.'

Zhang Yi walked up and kicked Mr Wan in the shin. Mr Wan let out an ‘ai-ya!' and slumped on to the ground, picked up a brick and then surged forward.

Jingqiu called out, ‘Watch out, he's got a brick in his hand!'

Zhang Yi seized Mr Wan's hands and started shouting and kicking him. ‘Stop it or you'll kill him!' Jingqiu called out, frightened.

Zhang Yi stopped. ‘I'm going to report you, you scumbag, taking advantage of my friend like that, do you know who I am?'

‘I didn't take advantage of her, honest. If you don't believe me go ask her, I didn't lay a finger on her.'

‘Do I need to ask? I saw with my own eyes, you fucking pig's head.' Zhang Yi's fist flailed in the air.

Mr Wan protected his head with his hands and shouted, ‘What do you want? You want me not to fire her, is that it? If you hit me, will you get away with it?'

‘I only hit people for pleasure, I never worry about whether or not I can get away with it.' Zhang Yi let go of Mr Wan. ‘It must be your lucky day. Hurry up, what job are you assigning her, so I can go sleep?'

‘You can help Mr Liu with the factory notices,' Mr Wan said quietly to Jingqiu.

‘Thank you,' Jingqiu said after Mr Wan left, ‘I was really worried that you were going to do something stupid.'

‘Don't worry, he won't dare touch you again. Worthless guys like that, if you don't hit them they don't know how tough you are. You go and help Mr Liu, and if that hunchback gives you any more trouble come tell me and I'll sort it out.'