Chapter 24: Thump-Thump, Kicking the Wall!
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Qian Bin pushed Li Xiangdong away as he leaned in close, staring into his eyes. With a helpless look, he said, “I really haven’t had too much to drink.”
Li Xiangdong smiled. “Then let’s clean up the table.”
“N-no... it’s fine... don’t bother... I’ll... I’ll clean it up tomorrow when I wake up.”
A-Zhe suddenly braced himself against the table and forced himself to stand. He swayed twice and nearly fell, prompting Li Xiangdong to hurry over and steady him.
“Sit down.”
He pressed A-Zhe back into his chair and made sure he was settled. Then he picked up the thermos and poured a cup of water for each of them: A-Zhe, Xiang Lin, and Zhang Sen, the last two already thoroughly befuddled by drink.
“Little Lin, Sanmu, drink some water. Once you sober up, we’ll head home.”
In his previous life, Li Xiangdong would have simply patted himself down and walked away. Why would he have bothered looking after a few drunks?
But he could not do that now. After all, he had lived several decades longer than the others; he understood at least this much about human relations.
Besides, the room was a complete mess, with bones scattered all over the floor. If they did not clean it up themselves, they could hardly expect A-Zhe’s father to come and do it for them.
Hearing the sound of running water from the courtyard, A-Zhe’s father came out of the eastern side room. Seeing Qian Bin washing the dishes, he said, “Just leave them there. You boys don’t need to do it yourselves. Once you’ve had enough to drink, hurry home. Don’t make your families worry.”
Li Xiangdong came out of the main room and tossed the tablecloth to Qian Bin. “Uncle, don’t worry about it. The two of us still need to wait for Little Lin and Sanmu to sober up. We’re just sitting idle anyway, and there isn’t much work. We’ll be done in no time.”
Qian Bin chimed in, “Uncle, go back inside and get some rest.”
“Then I’ll find the flashlight and bring it out for you. Take it with you when you leave.”
A short while later, A-Zhe’s father returned with a flashlight. He flicked the switch twice, confirmed that it still worked, and handed it to Li Xiangdong.
“Dongzi, you take it. You’ll need it to light the way home.”
“All right. Thank you, Uncle.”
Li Xiangdong and Qian Bin divided the work between them, one sweeping the floor and wiping the table while the other washed the dishes. It looked like quite a lot, but in truth, it did not take long.
Back in the main room, the two of them waited for Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen, who were slumped in their chairs drinking water, to sober up.
A-Zhe’s father helped his son, who was completely unconscious from drink, back to his room. Then he returned and sat with Li Xiangdong and Qian Bin in the sitting room. The three of them smoked and chatted.
A-Zhe’s father was in high spirits that day. He was very pleased with these young men, and since he suspected they would find out sooner or later, he told them about his plans to leave the country with A-Zhe.
As the conversation naturally turned in that direction, Li Xiangdong tactfully offered a few words of advice.
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A-Zhe’s father had probably been living in constant fear. After Li Xiangdong’s gentle reminder, however, his thoughts immediately cleared.
“Dongzi, what you said makes sense. We really should write a letter first and ask how A-Zhe’s mother is doing abroad. Otherwise, if the two of us went over there, we wouldn’t know the first thing about the situation.”
Qian Bin said, “Uncle, I don’t think there’s anything so wonderful about going abroad. Aren’t people saying the country is opening up and carrying out reforms now? You don’t need to worry anymore. Wouldn’t it be better to return to school and continue teaching?”
“I’ll think about it. I’ll think about it some more.”
A-Zhe’s father waved his hand. A few days earlier, one of his former colleagues had told him that his work assignment would soon be finalized, but in truth, he did not want to return to the school.
Whenever he remembered being dragged down from the lectern by his own students, he no longer had the courage to stand up there again.
Li Xiangdong could see his hesitation. In his previous life, he had heard A-Zhe mention that his father had seen a psychiatrist abroad and been diagnosed with some kind of psychological disorder.
Li Xiangdong could not explain the details. He was a straightforward man who knew little about mental illness—he understood only such things as an upset stomach and diarrhea—but he did know that A-Zhe’s father no longer dared to stand behind a lectern.
He suggested, “Uncle, I don’t think you necessarily need to go back to the school. You taught economics at a university. You could consider finding a way to transfer to a government department. Isn’t reform and opening up all about developing the economy? That would be right in your field.”
A-Zhe’s father’s eyes lit up, but he soon became uncertain again. He decided to leave the matter for later.
“Enough about me. Let’s talk about you boys. You’ve all gotten married these past few years. How old are your children...?”
The three of them chatted for more than half an hour. After drinking several cups of water, Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen had sobered up considerably.
“Uncle, sorry to have troubled you today. We’ll be heading home.”
Remembering that A-Zhe had promised him the square stools, Li Xiangdong added, “A-Zhe said you don’t want these stools anymore. Could you give them to me?”
“We don’t need them, that’s true. But Dongzi, what do you want these old relics for? I don’t want to get you into trouble. We’d better just throw them away.”
A-Zhe’s father had no affection left for such things. He was afraid they would bring trouble.
Seeing his expression, Li Xiangdong found it somewhat amusing.
“You don’t have to live on tenterhooks the way you used to. All that is over. Just put your heart at ease.”
He called Qian Bin and the others over to help, giving each of them a stool to carry.
There was no moon in the sky that night. Once they stepped out of A-Zhe’s house, the world outside was pitch-black.
The country’s power generation was still insufficient. To give priority to industrial electricity, even households in the capital frequently suffered power cuts. Candles remained a necessity in everyday life.
Under such circumstances, there was no point even thinking about streetlights. If there were any at all, they were little more than decorations.
Li Xiangdong led the way, holding the flashlight A-Zhe’s father had given him.
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The alley was utterly silent. Having suddenly returned from the prosperous future, Li Xiangdong felt uneasy and vaguely frightened.
To keep his imagination from running wild, he called out, “Little Lin, Sanmu, are you two all right now?”
Zhang Sen replied, “I’m fine. I felt much better after taking a leak.”
“Then hold on tight to those plates. Be careful not to drop them and get scolded by your wives when you get home.”
Each of their families had been sent home with a plate of food. After drinking, they naturally had to bring the plates back. Even a poor household possessed a fortune in small things; every needle and thread cost money.
“I’m taking home so much meat. So what if I break the plate? If she dares make a fuss, I’ll slap her across the mouth!”
Xiang Lin lurched along, swaying from side to side. Alcohol had made a hero of a coward. Besides, his wife was not there, so he could say whatever he pleased.
“Yeah, right. What a load of hot air.”
“I think your wife would be the one slapping you.”
“Hahahaha! Little Lin is shorter than his wife by a whole head. Even if he wanted to hit her, he couldn’t reach!”
Their laughter grew louder and louder until a nearby resident opened a window and cursed at them.
All of them were married now and had children, so they were more mindful of their reputations than before. They quickly lowered their heads and hurried away.
“Just leave the stools by the door. You boys head home. And remember to return the flashlight to A-Zhe’s house tomorrow.”
Li Xiangdong stood in front of his own gate and handed the flashlight to Qian Bin, whose home was the farthest away.
He pushed at the tightly closed gate, but it did not budge. Everyone at home must have gone to sleep by then. His grandparents were especially light sleepers, and waking them would be troublesome.
Li Xiangdong squatted down by the gate, took out the last of his cigarettes, and lit it. He watched until Qian Bin and the others turned into the alley and disappeared.
Then he rose and walked around to the back wall of the western side room where he lived. Facing the spot above the earthen bed, he kicked the wall hard twice.
He pressed his ear against it and listened to the sounds inside. Then, smoking his cigarette, he ambled slowly back toward the gate.
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