Chinese Labyrinth

Author: Liu Jiming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-09-01
Features: At this moment, she followed the man into the courtyard, walking along while popping sunflower seeds, constantly glancing around with a suspicious gaze at the old house. The man, on the other hand, strode ahead with confidence, stepping into the courtyard as if it were his own home. The moment he entered, he instructed the driver to start unloading the boxes from the car. Shortly after, the driver carried down a variety of sealed, large and small cardboard boxes from the van, the patterns on which suggested they were household goods and appliances. Under the man’s direction, the driver moved the boxes one by one into the eastern wing, which had always been shut tight. The eastern wing faced my western wing, now wide open, with the landlord’s father bowing his back to clean. Saihu sat at the door of the eastern wing, expressionless, staring down at the uninvited guests. I guessed that the man in the leather jacket was probably the landlord’s father’s son. I once heard from a psychologist that the landlord’s father had a son who worked as a mason. Many years ago, he had approached the landlord to bid on some construction projects, but they hadn’t met since then. I heard that he soon became successful, becoming a well-known contractor who not only owned a modern apartment in the city but also moved his entire family there, leaving only the landlord’s father to guard this old house alone.