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Authors: Yan Lianke
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and laughing. However, Cheng Qing also noticed that over her brother’s grave there were no bees and butterflies, and instead the grave was as bare as a slab of stone on a barren wasteland. She stood staring into space and then began walking toward her brother’s grave. As she approached, she saw that on the graves around her brother’s, the plants—including wild chrysanthemum and mountain asparagus, together with some white jasmine blossoms that the villagers had planted—were allgreen and blooming, and the air was filled with a strong scent of osmanthus blossoms. Spring was over and summer had arrived, and even though jasmine blossoms elsewhere had already withered, over these graves they were still blooming brightly and seemed to have no intention of admitting defeat.
This is what Cheng Qing saw, that on all the other graves grass was growing vigorously, and it was only her brother’s that was completely bare, without any grass or flowers. Not even bees or butterflies were willing to land there.
After a while, Cheng Qing left her brother’s grave. She followed the path she had taken and returned to the office of the village chief, Kong Mingliang. When she saw that Mingliang was getting his coat and was about to leave, she rushed up to him and blurted out,
“I’m already seventeen. I’m an adult!”
Mingliang noticed that her forehead was drenched in sweat. He reached over to wipe the sweat from her brow and saw that her entire body was trembling like the surface of a drum. Without waiting for him to say anything, she closed the door and began disrobing right in front of him. In her hurry, she accidentally ripped off a black button from her collar and it fell to the floor, rolling under the sofa like a ball. At this point, sunlight that was still casually strolling in through the window began making running sounds as it clattered around the room, lighting up some parts while leaving others in darkness. In the end, a patch of light from Cheng Qing’s face shone down on her chest, and under this light Mingliang noticed a pair of objects that had not yet fully taken form, like buns that were not yet fully baked. He reached out to stroke those bun-like objects, then pulled her clothing up to cover them up.
“You aren’t yet seventeen… . Wait, because the town mayor has asked me to make a quick trip into town.” With this, Kong Mingliang quickly headed to the door. When he opened it, as sunlight streamedin and illuminated his body, he turned to look at Cheng Qing and said, “Go see your brother’s grave. It is now covered with flowers.”
Then Mingliang left.
Cheng Qing stood in front of the village chief’s desk until the footsteps in the courtyard had faded away and dusk had fallen. Then she put all of her clothes back on and headed toward the village—to her home. When she arrived at the village square, she saw that the withered grass over her brother’s grave had burst into bloom and had attracted a swarm of bees, butterflies, and chattering orioles.
3. HU DAJUN
I.
Town Mayor Hu Dajun drove to Explosion in the sedan Zhu Ying had purchased with the money she had earned from prostituting herself and had donated to his town.
It was winter, and the yellow sun was directly overhead, like a flaming orb shining down on the mountain ridge. Mayor Hu took the deputy mayor and several other officials in the new sedan, and together they drove through the mountains. As they gazed out the window at the scenery, their faces were shrouded in a bright red glow, and it seemed as though the color would flake right off if you were to touch it. Mayor Hu looked extremely pleased, and the entire way over he kept chortling quietly to himself. The former county mayor was going to the city to become the new city mayor and had agreed to recommend that Mayor Hu replace him as county mayor—because out of the entire county, only Hu had managed to come up with a village like Explosion that was able to become a model of
This is what Cheng Qing saw, that on all the other graves grass was growing vigorously, and it was only her brother’s that was completely bare, without any grass or flowers. Not even bees or butterflies were willing to land there.
After a while, Cheng Qing left her brother’s grave. She followed the path she had taken and returned to the office of the village chief, Kong Mingliang. When she saw that Mingliang was getting his coat and was about to leave, she rushed up to him and blurted out,
“I’m already seventeen. I’m an adult!”
Mingliang noticed that her forehead was drenched in sweat. He reached over to wipe the sweat from her brow and saw that her entire body was trembling like the surface of a drum. Without waiting for him to say anything, she closed the door and began disrobing right in front of him. In her hurry, she accidentally ripped off a black button from her collar and it fell to the floor, rolling under the sofa like a ball. At this point, sunlight that was still casually strolling in through the window began making running sounds as it clattered around the room, lighting up some parts while leaving others in darkness. In the end, a patch of light from Cheng Qing’s face shone down on her chest, and under this light Mingliang noticed a pair of objects that had not yet fully taken form, like buns that were not yet fully baked. He reached out to stroke those bun-like objects, then pulled her clothing up to cover them up.
“You aren’t yet seventeen… . Wait, because the town mayor has asked me to make a quick trip into town.” With this, Kong Mingliang quickly headed to the door. When he opened it, as sunlight streamedin and illuminated his body, he turned to look at Cheng Qing and said, “Go see your brother’s grave. It is now covered with flowers.”
Then Mingliang left.
Cheng Qing stood in front of the village chief’s desk until the footsteps in the courtyard had faded away and dusk had fallen. Then she put all of her clothes back on and headed toward the village—to her home. When she arrived at the village square, she saw that the withered grass over her brother’s grave had burst into bloom and had attracted a swarm of bees, butterflies, and chattering orioles.
3. HU DAJUN
I.
Town Mayor Hu Dajun drove to Explosion in the sedan Zhu Ying had purchased with the money she had earned from prostituting herself and had donated to his town.
It was winter, and the yellow sun was directly overhead, like a flaming orb shining down on the mountain ridge. Mayor Hu took the deputy mayor and several other officials in the new sedan, and together they drove through the mountains. As they gazed out the window at the scenery, their faces were shrouded in a bright red glow, and it seemed as though the color would flake right off if you were to touch it. Mayor Hu looked extremely pleased, and the entire way over he kept chortling quietly to himself. The former county mayor was going to the city to become the new city mayor and had agreed to recommend that Mayor Hu replace him as county mayor—because out of the entire county, only Hu had managed to come up with a village like Explosion that was able to become a model of
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