"...How's your foreign language?" Hu Ni asked uncertainly. No matter how good a high school graduate's foreign language skills were, they couldn't possibly be better than the foreign languages of the many undergraduates, graduate students, and even doctoral students here. As soon as the question was raised, Hu Ni realized how ridiculous it was.
"...It's alright."
What score did you get in the foreign language section of your college entrance exam?
"...forty-something points."
Hu Ni gasped. This is what you call acceptable? "You should continue your studies; it'll be very difficult for you to find a job like this."
Lianqing smiled dismissively and said, "You don't have a diploma either, but you still found a job. Besides, everyone knows Shenzhen is a good place. 'Go to Beijing and you'll complain about low-ranking positions; go to Shenzhen and you'll complain about low pay; go to Sichuan and you'll complain about getting married too early; go to Hainan and you'll complain about your lack of confidence.' Everyone says Shenzhen has the most opportunities." Suddenly, she smiled knowingly and asked Hu Ni, "Cousin, have you been to Hainan? Are there really many 'that kind' there?"
"What?"
"A prostitute?"
Hu Ni glanced at Lian Qing strangely, then looked back at the television. It was a Korean drama; the female lead, who looked a lot like Kim Hee-sun, was covered in heavy makeup, her face contorted with an exaggerated expression of utter despair, running wildly through the dark streets. The male lead, not exactly handsome but with a "cool" demeanor and attire, was chasing after her. It was a very boring plot. Hu Ni said silently, "I don't know."
"How could you not know? You've been in Hainan for so long."
"I should have figured it out by now if I stayed here long enough!" Hu Ni said irritably.
The two sisters fell silent, both staring at the television. Hu Ni picked up the remote and started changing channels, but Lian Qing protested vehemently, "We watch this program every day at home!"
Hu Ni then retrieved the cigarette butt from the coffee table. She grabbed a bag of sunflower seeds from the table, popped one into her mouth, cracked it open, caught the shell in her hand, and put it in the ashtray. From then on, she couldn't smoke freely in her own home anymore.
"Where's your boyfriend?" Lianqing asked.
How did you know I have a boyfriend?
"Did you use the ashtray?"
"It's for storing garbage."
Lianqing smirked dismissively. Commercials started playing on TV, and Lianqing suddenly turned her head and asked, "Cousin, what's your boyfriend like? Is he rich? What does he do?"
Why are you asking these questions?
"Just give me some advice! What else can I do?"
Hu Ni only watched TV and didn't intend to pay attention to her question.
Lianqing leaned closer and said intimately to Hu Ni, "I want to find a rich boyfriend in Shenzhen."
"You can find it if you want to!"
Lian Qing smiled smugly: "Of course!"
One arrogant remark left Hu Ni speechless for a long time before she finally managed to say, "What gives you the right?"
"Because I'm young and beautiful!" Lianqing suddenly said with a look of disillusionment, "If I don't find a rich boyfriend while I'm young, it will be hard to turn my life around. Like my mother, I'll live a poor life forever."
Hu Ni glanced sideways at her young cousin. Her delicate nose and bright, expressive eyes were so different from the woman she remembered. "Did you have plastic surgery?" Hu Ni asked casually.
"What, can you tell?" Lian Qing almost jumped up, rummaging through the small backpack on the coffee table, pulling out a mirror, and carefully examining her face. She would hold the mirror to the side, peering at it sideways, then hold it up to the front, checking herself over and over. "Can you tell?" she turned to Hu Ni, her expression very serious.
Hu Ni shook her head and said, "She just looks so different from when she was little."
Lian Qing smiled with relief: "Girls change a lot as they grow up!"
"So you're just going to let your aunt do whatever you want?"
"She dares to stop me from doing it!" Lian Qing laughed smugly, her tone domineering and arrogant. Hu Ni suddenly felt a pang of sadness. If her mother were here, would she also use such a tone to show off how pampered she was?
Lianqing glanced sideways at Hu Ni's chest. Hu Ni noticed and subconsciously hunched her shoulders. "Cousin, you should work on that area. It's not big enough," Lianqing said.
Hu Ni was annoyed by this, not because Lian Qing said her "there" wasn't big enough, but because she felt her privacy had been invaded. She said irritably, "What, you've done that too?"
Having shared some secrets with Hu Ni, Lian Qing already considered her a confidante; besides, she was also her cousin. She enthusiastically promoted her breasts: "They're made of the latest materials!"
"Silicone?" Any woman would be interested in such a topic, including Hu Ni.
“Cousin, you’re so old-fashioned. What era are we living in? You still say silicone is the latest material. It’s ‘teardrop.’” Seeing Hu Ni’s doubtful expression, Lian Qing added, “It’s a teardrop-shaped saline bag.” As she spoke, she pulled Hu Ni’s hand to touch her own breasts: “Feel it, it looks very natural. You can’t even tell you’ve had it done when you’re lying down.”
Hu Ni quickly pulled her hand back. She asked, "Is it comfortable to have something inserted inside?"
"I don't feel anything, really."
"Are there any side effects? For example, body shape?"
"You're talking about silicone, but this is a saline implant. It has almost no side effects, and even if it ruptures, it will be absorbed by the body. Besides, the chance of it rupturing is extremely small; it has a very strong load-bearing capacity. Cousin, you should go get it done," Lianqing enthusiastically recommended.
"I wouldn't do it." Hu Ni simply couldn't imagine opening her body and putting something that didn't belong to her inside; the thought of it made her feel awkward.
"Whatever you want," Lianqing leaned back on the sofa and said, "Everything is competitive these days. If you're not in good shape, you can't even keep your husband. There are so many temptations out there."
Hu Ni thought of Qiu Ping. Qiu Ping wouldn't do that; he wouldn't care that her breasts weren't very big. Besides, her own breasts weren't small either. Hu Ni calmed down.
"Maybe I should find a sales job."
"Why?"
"You can only meet a lot of people by doing sales, and you can also meet some bosses. What kind of people can you meet by sitting in an office all day like this?"
Hu Ni looked at her cousin, whose short hair was dripping with water, whose face showed how young she was, her energetic cousin, her clean and pretty cousin, and her somewhat ambitious cousin. Perhaps this was the so-called new generation, the younger generation that made the world more noisy...
The phone rang suddenly. Hu Ni picked up the receiver, and it was Xiao Yan's slightly hoarse voice: "Hu Ni, it's me."
"I know, what is it?"
"Are you free? Come work out with me."
"Not today, my cousin's first day here."
"We've arrived. Shall I treat her to a meal?"
"Never mind, no need."
"Come to my bar tonight, you can't keep other people locked up in a room like you do."
"Never mind, she's still just a child."
"Come on, Hu Ni, these days even 'kids' act more like adults than you. And besides," Xiao Yan smiled knowingly, "didn't you actively ask to go on a blind date? Why aren't you coming anymore?"
"You don't want to get married? That's easy."
"You think I don't know? Aren't you with your little lover again?"
"So what if it is?"
After chatting for a while, I hung up the phone and realized I hadn't seen Xiaoyan for over two weeks, which made me feel a little guilty. Turning around, I saw Lianqing stuffing pickled chicken feet into her mouth, surrounded by mountains of chores, and suddenly felt very tired. I said to Lianqing, "I'm going to sleep. Finish this and quickly pack your things."
Lianqing mumbled a reply, her eyes still glued to the television.
The Angels of Matter (Part 4)
gold
I don't know how long I slept, but when I was woken up by a loud knocking on the door, I knew I had been sleeping very soundly.
Somewhat annoyed, she opened the door, and there stood Lianqing, holding a large bag of winter clothes in her hands, chewing gum as she said, "My closet is full, so I'll leave some here with you."
Hu Ni stood at the door and said, "No, my wardrobe is full too."
Lianqing peeked inside, and Hu Ni turned to show her. The simple wardrobe in her room was much smaller than the three-door wardrobe in Lianqing's room. Lianqing swayed and went back inside. Hu Ni followed. The things that had been sitting in the living room for several days were finally brought into Lianqing's room. Hu Ni saw that the large three-door wardrobe was crammed full of clothes and could hardly believe how many clothes were packed in Lianqing's travel bags.
She still put the bag of winter clothes into the suitcase. The whole room felt cramped, with traces of Lianqing everywhere. The dressing table was overflowing with cheap cosmetics, dolls and clothes were carelessly tossed on the bed, and empty beer bottles lay on the floor. (The refrigerator in the living room was now overflowing with ice cream, soda, fruit, beer, and snacks.) So Lianqing's room was filled with the remnants of those things—on the floor, on the table, everywhere. The walls were covered with Lianqing's proud collection: posters of celebrities—movie stars, singers, and football stars. Then there were her own large "artistic photos." Even under the soft, hazy light, you could see the excessive makeup on her face, the tacky smile, the tacky outfit, the tacky setting. Lianqing in the photo possessed a strikingly tacky beauty, but the person in the photo was so different from the real person that she was almost unrecognizable. I've heard that nowadays, when people meet someone online, after receiving their "artistic photos," they often ask for "casual photos" in return. It seems everyone knows how deceptive "artistic photos" are, but ultimately, they can't resist the allure of their stunning beauty. They spend a lot of money to take a set of gorgeous photos to entertain themselves and others who can be entertained.
Seeing that there was nothing else she could help with, Hu Ni yawned and went back to sleep, but Lian Qing followed her and said from behind, "Cousin, I want to go online."
"No!" Hu Ni said firmly. She knew from their interactions over the past two days that she couldn't be too polite to Lian Qing; she was very clingy and knew how to take advantage of anyone. She couldn't indulge Lian Qing, otherwise her life would be greatly disrupted.
"People can't sleep."
“You sleep all day, so of course you can’t sleep at night. Go to the job market tomorrow and find a job. You’ve been here for days and haven’t made a single move. Go to sleep early.” With that, he shut the door on Lianqing.
Lying in bed, she really couldn't fall asleep. That's just how Hu Ni is; once she's disturbed in the middle of the night, it takes her a long time to fall back asleep. She finally got up and saw it was almost 2 AM. She turned on her computer and saw a short email from Qiu Ping a little after 1 AM. The email said he would be back in the next couple of days and that he missed her. It was a wonderful feeling—somewhere in the world, at a little after 1 AM, a very kind man was thinking of her. Hu Ni slowly closed the email. She lit a cigarette and slowly browsed some news. The night felt warm and comforting.
The Angels of Matter (Part 5)
gold
Hu Ni truly felt the disruption Lian Qing's arrival caused to her life. Since she had just arrived, Lian Qing insisted on taking her along on her dates with Qiu Ping. It wasn't that Hu Ni wanted to, but Lian Qing would cling to Hu Ni without hesitation whenever she knew she was going out to "have fun." This made Hu Ni and Qiu Ping's dates more concrete; their aimless wanderings were gone, and they started going to movies, coffee shops, bowling, and so on. Hu Ni hadn't visited Xiao Yan for a long time because she simply didn't have the time. Meanwhile, the home phone was frequently busy. Lian Qing, having just arrived in Shenzhen, already had someone to talk to on the phone—Fang Hongyu. It was said that Fang Hongyu had already secured a position as the boss's assistant in a very small company. In a company with only a few people, the future of such a position was somewhat unpredictable. If the phone was busy and Lian Qing wasn't on the phone, then she must have gone to Hu Ni's room to surf the internet. What a wonderful world the internet held! Online, she had already started a "family life," held a grand online wedding, and successfully committed bigamy, all without anyone knowing. What a wonderful virtual world!
At the end of the month, Hu Ni showed Lian Qing a staggering phone bill and asked, "So, are we splitting the bill in half, or what?"
"I don't have a job yet!" Lianqing cried out in grievance.
"Then go find a job!" Hu Ni said coldly. "Do you know how much this apartment costs per month? After three months, you'll have to pay half the rent, plus other expenses, which will also be split 50/50 starting next month." Hu Ni had already spent almost all her savings on the apartment deposit and three months' rent in advance. Even if Hu Ni could afford to support Lian Qing, she couldn't let Lian Qing's lazy habits continue. Lian Qing pouted and quickly went back to her room. Hu Ni didn't want to give in. She insisted that Lian Qing couldn't continue being so lazy; it wouldn't do her any good. People can't be lazy, Hu Ni believed. Once someone becomes lazy, it's like being addicted to opium—it's very difficult to eradicate.
Within days, Lianqing found a job as a sales assistant at a decent company. Hu Ni couldn't understand how she had been hired by such a well-known home appliance company; it seemed Shenzhen truly was a city for women. Gritting her teeth, she emptied her bank account and bought Lianqing a cell phone as a congratulatory gift, partly for her work, and partly to keep track of her whereabouts. She felt responsible for Lianqing.
Lianqing was genuinely excited when she got the phone, but then regretted that it wasn't the one she wanted. Hu Ni coldly said, "If you like that one, save up and buy it yourself." Lianqing didn't mind, took the phone, and started dialing to test its performance.
“You’ll have to pay your own phone bill,” Hu Ni said.
"I know, I know!"
The next day, Lianqing started work.
The Angels of Matter (Part Six)
gold
How long has it been since she last saw Qiuping? They only talk briefly on the phone each day, very briefly. Hu Ni tells herself it's okay, Qiuping's busy. In truth, she trusts him; she believes every word he says. He told her to wait for him because he wanted to marry her, and Hu Ni would wait for him her whole life. She believes him. But she misses him terribly, yet she has to suppress her longing, suppress the urge to call him. Because perhaps he's working, and she's afraid of disturbing him.
On the weekend, Qiu Ping still said he was busy. Hu Ni said, "It's okay, you go ahead and do your work." After hanging up the phone, she felt a deep sense of loss.
Hu Ni rushed back, thinking that since it was the weekend, Qiu Ping might invite her out for dinner, so she hurried back to change her clothes. Now, there was no need to rush. After changing into casual clothes, she looked in the refrigerator and found that there was nothing in the refrigerator besides snacks that could be eaten as a meal. There was a bag of noodles in the kitchen; she would cook some later if she got hungry.
Lianqing hasn't come back yet either. She comes back very late these days, saying she has to work overtime.
She grabbed an apple, sat on the sofa watching TV, and felt a pang of emptiness in her heart. Picking up the phone, she realized that only Xiaoyan's number was a legitimate reason to dial. In less than a minute, Hu Ni had banished her disappointment from the evening; she was going to Xiaoyan's place. Gu Peng wasn't there either; he was away on a business trip.
She changed into a white long dress and a black silk shirt, and was about to leave when Lian Qing returned.
"Are you going out, cousin?" Lianqing asked as she went into her room.
"Why are you here so early today?" Hu Ni asked as she followed her in. She was wondering whether she should bring her to Xiao Yan's place too; she couldn't just leave her alone at home.
"I have a very important social engagement tonight, so I'm coming back to change." With that, Lianqing changed out of her suit.
Hearing that Lianqing had other matters to attend to, Hu Ni couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
As they spoke, Lianqing had already discarded several outfits, finally changing into a light blue sundress. She turned to look at Hu Ni questioningly. She was so beautiful it was almost enviable.
“Isn’t it inappropriate to wear this? You’re going out to work, not to play. Your colleagues and clients might have a different opinion of you if you dress like this.” Hu Ni didn’t forget her role as both “older cousin” and “guardian.”
"You just need to care whether it looks good or not," Lianqing said impatiently.