The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 4 - 6

Chapter 4 - 6

The child had choked on a fish bone.

Yuching's eyes were blazing red with anxiety as he cursed his wife, asking what on earth she was good for. His wife was so terrified she looked ready to cry. Their eldest daughter, Chun'er, was already wailing aloud. The father-in-law and mother-in-law chimed in separately, one suggesting they use dry cooked rice to swallow it down, and the other advising they use tweezers to pull it out. In the ensuing rush, both cooked rice and tweezers were brought over, but the child's throat was simply too narrow, making both methods unviable.

Crouching nearby and burning with anxiety, Yushuang regarded her nephew with deep affection. "Get him to the hospital right away!" She felt that this entire family was just making a chaotic mess of things.

"Let me try." The voice came from behind her. It was Kanglong. Yushuang asked what methods he could possibly have—was he somehow better than anyone else? When someone chokes on a fish bone, they have to go to the hospital. Yet Kanglong remained completely calm, asking someone to bring over a cup of cool water.

Yuching hurriedly fetched it.

Everyone watched as Kanglong picked up a single chopstick and traced the character for "dan" on the dining table, murmuring incantations with every stroke he wrote. Once he finished writing, he muttered some unknown spell three times over.

"Drink this down." Kanglong handed over the cup of water. Yuching's wife accepted it as if it were holy water, slowly pouring it down her son's throat. It didn't work. The child kept crying. Unflustered, Kanglong said to do it again. Writing the character, chanting the spell, pouring the water—they repeated the entire process step by step.

Miraculously, once the water was swallowed down, the child actually stopped crying. The entire family was profoundly astonished, heaping praise on Kanglong as if he were an immortal. Yushuang asked Kanglong what he had just done. With both hands behind his back, Kanglong answered with a smug smile, "The Nine Dragons Water-Transforming Great Mantra."

In truth, it was merely because cool water was the safest remedy. If that failed, heading to the hospital would have been their only option.

Though completely bewildered by it all, Yushuang didn't have time to press for details as she hurried over to check on her nephew. Yuching's wife, who had been wiping away tears just moments before, was now beaming with radiant joy, teasing her son with silly games.

"Ma..." came a short, sharp cry. Clear and crisp.

The entire room fell silent.

It came again. Spoken by the little child.

This was the very first time he had ever called someone "Ma" in his life.

Yuching's wife was first startled, then overjoyed. Their eldest daughter's first word had been "Pa," and it was only with their second son that his first word was "Ma." It was her! Her son was truly closer to her after all. Her son was calling her Ma! Yuching's wife burst into sobbing wails; after ten months of pregnancy, enduring excruciating pain to bring a child into this world, followed by the trials of nursing and raising him, she had suffered untold hardships.

All of her bitterness seemed to dissolve entirely into that single cry at this very moment. Embracing her son, Yushuang's sister-in-law showered him with kisses and nuzzles while tears streamed down her face.

The mother-in-law reminded her from the side, "Slower, slower, be careful with the child—don't press down on his belly."

Back at the hotel, the image of her sister-in-law cradling her son still echoed vividly in Yushuang's mind. From tears to laughter, and then back to crying and laughing all at once. The sheer concentration of this emotion felt like a nuclear bomb detonating. It whipped up giant waves in the sea of her heart, leaving her unsettled for a long, long time.

This was the joy of life. It had nothing to do with poverty, wealth, or social class. In that singular instant, everything returned to the starting point, reverting to the essence of life itself. Yushuang felt dazed. In the past, she had disliked children so intensely, loathing mothers who took care of kids; whenever she encountered them in the residential compound, she would intentionally detour around them. She had always regarded them as nothing but trouble. Yet today's display of tears and laughter—the raw, primordial emotional impact—unconsciously compelled her to reflect.

Life was a process, and the experience itself was its meaning. Who decreed that this child must achieve great wealth and high status? Who stipulated that he must succeed above all else, and whose life was ever truly perfect? Human existence lasted barely a hundred years—what was the point of all this petty scheming? When all was said and done, everything in the world was dictated by fate, with not a single fraction subject to human control. The only things truly belonging to one's self were precisely these experiences and these memories.

Thinking along these lines, Yushuang couldn't help feeling a lingering sense of melancholy. Was she destined to miss out on this kind of experience? She didn't know. It seemed like there was still time, but she simply couldn't muster the resolve. For a long while, she sat there in a daze, her once-unshakeable worldview faintly beginning to loosen at the edges.

Kanglong pushed the door open and walked in. He and Yushuang occupied separate single rooms just like their living arrangement back home, ensuring neither would disturb the other's sleep. Ever since they left Yuching's place, Kanglong had sensed Yushuang's dejection. Indeed, even as a man, that entire scene had deeply moved him. Her sister-in-law was several years younger than her yet was already the mother of three children. And she?

Many things simply couldn't bear close scrutiny. Once scrutinized, self-pity inevitably followed.

He invited her out for a stroll, mentioning that there was a worthwhile classical garden nearby. Yushuang changed her clothes. Since it was cold outside, she topped her outfit off with a cap. When the two of them arrived at the garden, they found it to be surprisingly small. It had once been the private estate of a wealthy gentry family, built in the Jiangnan style with intricate three-inch ivory carvings.

Upon coming back out, they noticed quite a few young people waiting by the riverbank for a ferry to cross over to the central islet. Kanglong asked if she wanted to go, and Yushuang replied that they might as well take a look. Kanglong chuckled, admitting he had no idea what was over there. Yushuang tossed back a line: "Go with the flow."

They boarded the boat and crossed the river. Once they arrived at the small central islet, they discovered that the opposite bank of the river was going to host a fireworks display that evening. The Ferris wheel on the islet offered the absolute best vantage point to watch it.

"Want to ride it?" he asked, soliciting her opinion.

"Since we're already here," Yushuang said. She had already notified Yuching that she wouldn't be heading back over for the evening and would return for one last meal the following day before leaving.

Bail Yuanhai called, ringing Kanglong's cell phone. After the two men exchanged New Year greetings, Kanglong handed the phone over to Yushuang. Yuanhai's very first words were, "Did you bully old Kang?" adopting a teasing tone.

Yushuang didn't hold back, snapping right back, "I just gave him a New Year's gift."

Taking the bait, Yuanhai eagerly asked what it was. Yushuang laughed and answered, "What? Heh heh, a thorough beating."

The two of them instantly burst out laughing.

Yuanhai asked where they were.

"Waiting for the Ferris wheel," she said.

"Trying to be romantic."

"And what about you?" Yushuang asked.

Bail Yuanhai replied that he hadn't gone out and was celebrating the New Year with a few team members. Yushuang remarked, "Find yourself a woman to take care of you."

Yuanhai struck back, "You'd better worry about yourself instead."

Followed by another round of laughter.

Night had fallen, turning the air chilly. Fortunately, the wind wasn't too strong. A long queue had formed beside the Ferris wheel as people waited for the fireworks to launch before boarding the cabins. Finally, dazzling points of light burst across the opposite side of the river. Kanglong and Yushuang, who had been standing near the front of the line, boarded their cabin first as it swayed back and forth, rising upward into mid-air.

A kaleidoscope of brilliant colors transformed the world into glazed crystal. It was truly breathtaking.

Yushuang couldn't help pressing her palms together in a silent wish as they slowly reached the peak.

Kanglong asked, "Want to do it?"

"Do what?"

"A kiss."

An atmosphere like this certainly seemed to call for a kiss to match it.

Yushuang felt a flutter of joy, yet she still put on an indifferent front, speaking impatiently, "If you're going to do it, just do it." They were both "middle-aged adults"—kissing wasn't exactly a monumental deal. Kanglong stood up and leaned in closer, but the cabin suddenly lost its balance and rocked violently. Yushuang hurriedly told him to sit back down.

With no other choice, Kanglong placed his rear back onto the seat, stretching his neck forward like a swan dipping its beak into water to offer his lips.

Yushuang closed her eyes and stayed completely still. Kanglong didn't move either. Across the river, the fireworks were popping and crackling with tremendous intensity. After waiting for ages with nothing happening, Yushuang finally opened her eyes and snapped in exasperation, "You're supposed to take the initiative! You're the man!"

Fine, fine.

Kanglong had no choice but to stretch his torso forward once more, leaving one foot planted firmly in place to keep the cabin balanced. With much difficulty, they finally managed to complete the kiss.

Casually and anticlimactically done.

What a wretched kiss!

Impatient, Yushuang waved her hand. "Alright, alright, that's enough." Ending it quickly was for the best. This artificially manufactured romance had already devolved into the scene of a vehicular accident—utterly bedraggled.

The cabin began its descent. A lone bird flew past the window. In the distance was the river, close by was the bird, and all around filled the sky with fireworks. In this exact time and place, a wave of poetical inspiration suddenly struck Kanglong, and he smoothly recited aloud: "'Ask of the world, what is love, that it teaches life and death to pledge? Flying together as a pair of geese across the southern skies and northern wastes, how many winters and summers have your aged wings weathered? The joy of meeting, the sorrow of parting—amidst it all are infatuated souls. You should have an answer: across ten thousand miles of layered clouds, a thousand mountains covered in evening snow, toward whose solitary shadow do you fly away?'"

The cabin touched down. Yushuang felt goosebumps prickle all over her skin. "Alright already, great Doctor, let's get off." Kanglong chuckled foolishly. He was an avid enthusiast of classical poetry and verse.

They slept soundly through the night. The next day brought another round of bustle. If her first visit had left Yushuang astonished, moved, and envious of such lively warmth, her second visit gave her a sort of immunity—she found herself wanting to avoid it.

After finishing the meal, she handed out the red envelopes—three sets in total, giving the unborn child's share in advance. Since she was an aunt, she couldn't visit empty-handed very often, and this was also to save face for Yuching. Once she made sure all proper social pleasantries were tended to, she departed that very evening. She didn't even feel any mood for leisure sightseeing, heading straight back to the big city.

Kanglong sensed her low spirits.

He didn't pry.

On the train ride back, Yushuang sighed repeatedly.

Finding it a bad omen, Kanglong finally asked, "Why do you keep sighing?"

"Did I?"

"Several times already."

Yushuang touched her chest.

"Are you uncomfortable?" he asked with concern.

"No."

"Are you envious?" Kanglong shifted the topic.

Her hidden thoughts exposed, Yushuang's defenses flared up violently as she raised her voice. "I am not!"

"If you want to get married, we'll get married; if you want a child, we'll have a child. It's no big deal."

"I said I'm not!" Her expression changed abruptly as she launched a counterattack. "What's this? Are you having regrets?"

"What do you mean?"

"Regretting being with me."

"Don't be so overly sensitive," Kanglong said. "You know I don't care about those things."

Yushuang turned her body around, squaring her face directly with his, and asked solemnly, "Don't force yourself on my account. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"There's no such thing."

Her mood instantly cleared up, and she smiled. "Do I really have that much of an allure?"

"You are beautiful without even realizing it."

"Not realizing it? As in not knowing it myself? Is that important?" Without thinking, she reached up with one hand to stroke her cheek.

"Just like chestnuts," Kanglong offered by way of analogy. "Chestnuts with their burrs still on are the cutest."

"And what about after you peel the burr off?"

"Once it's peeled, they get a little greasy."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Shifting into a different posture, Kanglong replied, "Whether it's a man or a woman, the moment they realize they're very attractive and start taking advantage of that beauty, they become a bit greasy."

"You're taking a jab at Sister Meng." Yushuang showed no mercy.

"Feel free to see yourself in it if the shoe fits." Kanglong shrugged lightly, injecting a touch of humor.

Yushuang was amused. "So, by that logic, between the two of us, right now, presently, at this very moment, there is romance." She turned the tables to tease him, determined to "toy" with the man.

"There is." Kanglong played along eagerly.

"And then?"

"Then I suddenly want to propose to you."

"Hold it right there, too cliché. If there's romance, you have to get married? Look at Carina Lau and Tony Leung..."

Dreading hearing those two as an example, Kanglong countered, "Marriage doesn't necessarily have to stem from romance either. As long as you don't loathe each other, you can get married."

"I couldn't do that. It has to be born of true romance for me."

"Don't we have romance?"

"Oh, please." Yushuang grew impatient. "No more poetry recitations allowed from now on. Gives me a headache."

With a chuckle, Kanglong leaned his head back against the seat and began chanting, "'Goose, goose, goose, bending your neck toward the sky to sing; white feathers float on the green water, red webbed feet stir the clear ripples...'" Yushuang put on her earphones and gazed out the window. After quite a while, the carriage quieted down. Kanglong turned sideways, facing Yushuang. Her back was turned to him.

"Are you feeling envious of your brother's wife?" he asked softly.

Yushuang shifted slightly. It could just as easily have been interpreted as a minor tremor of her body caused by the swaying train. She closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

She had no intention of answering that question.