Peach and plum

Author: Zhang Zhe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: Yang Jiang said: Mr. Qian wrote a book titled Fortress Besieged, reflecting the life and survival of young intellectuals in the 1930s and 1940s. I wrote a book titled A Clean Well-Lighted Place, reflecting the life and survival of young intellectuals in the 1950s. As for the life and survival of young intellectuals during the transition from the 20th to the 21st century, I know very little. After reading Zhang Zhe's novel, I was surprised to see that a professor, doctoral supervisor, PhD student, and master's student at a prestigious university law school, surrounded by respect, a good environment, and a bright future, were engaged in scholarly research and theoretical discussions. However, this is an open society where academic pursuits and business ventures go hand in hand, teaching and litigation are. As legal representatives, they also know how to exploit loopholes in the law. Money, luxury cars, and beauty weave a new prosperity in the campus. Themes of intrigue, adventure, betrayal, desire, and reputation create a somber tone in the work. Excerpt: The third day, the boss returned. The news of the boss's return from the south was brought to us in the dormitory by our senior sister Liu Tiao. She said, "The boss has returned. He wants to gather everyone for a meeting. It will be at the usual place." The boss, whom our senior sister refers to as "the boss," is also our supervisor. However, our senior sister deliberately avoids calling him "the boss" or "the supervisor." She insists on calling him "Mr."—a term now popularly used to refer to one's husband, a fact our senior sister is well aware of. She knows that "Mr." carries an additional meaning that could easily cause misunderstandings, yet she continues to call him "Mr., Mr." without even using his surname. This raises some issues, creating a sense of ambiguity. In the knowledge economy era, referring to a supervisor as "the boss" is a unique and common practice among graduate students in universities. The term "boss" not only sounds more economical in the mouths of students but also adds an intellectual element, giving it a modern feel. This term, whose origins are unclear, has several reasons. First, calling the supervisor "the boss" feels more reassuring and straightforward, as it suggests the supervisor is both wealthy and powerful. Second, in the minds of students, "boss" has taken on a new meaning. It no longer refers to a businessman or a wealthy individual. A wealthy person may have only a few bucks, but a boss could be a master or a great figure. Third, the term "boss" has fundamentally distinguished itself from the general idea of a company manager. Students refer to their part-time job supervisors at companies as "the boss," while "the boss" is not the same as a general company manager. However, this term is primarily used among students. For example, when two classmates meet, they greet each other without using traditional phrases like "Have you eaten?"—which would sound too outdated. Nor do they use playful phrases like "Are you divorced?" for married men and women. Most students are unmarried, and as scholars, their greetings should be innovative. Therefore, when two classmates meet on campus, they often greet each other with "Are you out?" The question: "Have our boss been out recently?" The answer: "He's out, he's out. Give you a book." This means a book co-authored with the supervisor has been published. Alternatively, the answer could be: "He's out, he's out. I can take a break now." This means the boss has gone abroad to give lectures or has traveled for teaching purposes. It should be noted that when speaking in front of the supervisor, students still call him "teacher" or "Mr." (with the surname). For instance, our boss's surname is Shao, and we sometimes call him Mr. Shao. Using the surname distinguishes him as "our Mr." rather than "your Mr." It also clarifies that Mr. Shao is not the Mr. referred to by the literary world, and more importantly, he is not the special "Mr." in his family. Few female students call their supervisor "Mr." Even fewer omit the surname. Our senior sister Liu Tiao is an exception. She deliberately blurs the line between "Mr." and "Mr.," indicating her ambition to change her status by the boss's side, elevate her position among us, and alter her seniority among the classmates. She might even dream of replacing the mistress. Originally, our senior sister Liu Tiao is younger than us, but we call her "senior sister" because she entered graduate school a year earlier and is also supervised by the same boss. Therefore, we must respectfully address her as "senior sister." Our junior sister Zhen Zhu's situation is the opposite of our senior sister's. She is older than us but one year behind in the program, and we still call her "junior sister." This shows how much campus life values seniority and the principle of "first come, first served." Professors are the same, with a strict hierarchy. From teaching assistants to full professors, there are now eight levels, with significant differences in salary at each level. These levels are like a ladder to heaven—you just climb up one step at a time. The higher you climb, the closer you get to the top. The hierarchy in universities is not particularly unique. It's like calling a toddler "Second Aunt" upon returning to your hometown—it has nothing to do with age. Whether it's our senior sister Liu Tiao or our junior sister Zhen Zhu, they are both happy with this arrangement. When the older male students call our junior sister Zhen Zhu, a woman past her prime, "junior sister," she naturally feels right at home. She will blush and twirl her hips, acting naive and cute, as if she's reverted to her youth of eighteen. Our senior sister Liu Tiao is young and beautiful, full of self-confidence, and we call her "senior sister." She delights in it, as if she's gained some advantage, acting modest and mature, with a dignified posture and full breasts. Currently, we have a senior sister younger than us whom we must call "senior sister," and a junior sister older than us whom we must call "junior sister." This makes our interactions with them difficult, and we often get into trouble. For example, our junior sister Zhen Zhu, whose age is a taboo topic. She is older and unmarried. If you kindly offer to throw her a birthday party, she will erupt in anger. Enraged, she is no longer a "junior sister" but becomes "Mama." She curses: "Does it matter if Mama has a birthday? It's none of your business, bitch!" Our junior sister is from Wuhan, Hubei, and when she curses in her local dialect, her words are particularly sharp. Back then, you had no choice but to run for your life. You should never talk about love in front of our senior sister. Liu Tiao has loved our boss since her undergraduate days, and it is rumored that she pursued him even when she was accepted into his graduate program. However, Mr. Shao has a family, meaning we have not only "the mistress" Zhao Ruying but also his daughter, Shao Qianqian, who is studying abroad. The fact that our senior sister Liu Tiao is deeply in love with the boss is no secret. If you mention this, be careful—it could turn her into a troublesome "junior sister." Her mood will remain gloomy for a long time, as if caught in her hometown's rainy season, with tears trickling like rain. This melancholy will fill your heart with white hairs. When our senior sister Liu Tiao came to tell us about meeting the boss, we were lying in bed talking about women. Senior brother Wang Wan felt utterly defeated. He had been dating Dong Yin for over a year, but their relationship had only progressed to holding hands. This was far behind our junior brother Li Yu. Our junior brother had only been dating Lan Na for less than a month, and they had already gotten into trouble on campus. After the incident, he did the unthinkable—rented a small apartment outside campus with Lan Na and started living together. This made it impossible for the four of us to live together in the dormitory anymore. Our junior brother had returned to the dormitory after hearing about the boss's return, joking that he was coming back to rest. After resting, he planned to leave. During this time of brotherhood, we all teased our junior brother for his experience with his girlfriend. At that moment, the lights in the dormitory had already been turned off. If there was moonlight, it would crawl in through the window sill; if it was a moonless night, the streetlights at the corner would cast a faint glow into the dormitory. In any case, the four of us lay in relatively dark but visible conditions, and our junior brother began to share his experience in "handling" his girlfriend. Step by step, how he started, how he proceeded, and how he moved forward. In the end, he warned his senior brother that if he didn't "settle" his girlfriend before graduation, she would be gone as soon as he graduated. Our junior brother and his girlfriend Lan Na went from meeting to falling in love and then "settling" it—all in just one month. During this month, his courtship process was almost entirely conducted over the phone, as the phone offered a certain privacy and mystique. Even if he was rejected, it would save face. Throughout his entire courtship, he made only four phone calls. Generally, it was very difficult to get through to a female student's dormitory phone. The entire dormitory had only one phone. After dialing, the dormitory head would use the intercom to call the person you wanted to talk to, and the conversation would take place in the dormitory head's office. Thus, in a month, our junior brother managed to reach his girlfriend only four times. To call her, he spent thousands of dollars on a mobile phone. To afford the monthly bill, he had to work at the law firm. On weekends, when the female dormitory phone lines were busiest, our junior brother sent out signals every five minutes on his mobile phone. On weekend afternoons, countless waves of signals shot toward the single phone in the female dormitory. Our junior brother's signals were the most frequent and intense, reminding us of the story of a comet colliding with the Earth—the one with the most power would pierce through the surface and enter the core, completing a new life. In the end, our junior brother's signals overcame all others and connected the phone (though this "victory" only happened four times in a month). The basic content of his four phone calls was as follows: First call: Our junior brother said, "I love you!" Lan Na answered on the other end, "Pah!" and hung up immediately. Second call: Our junior brother said, "I love you!" Lan Na answered, "Go love yourself." Then she hesitated before hanging up. Third call: Our junior brother said, "I love you!" Lan Na answered with a nasal voice, "Hmmph," and hung up gently. Fourth call: Our junior brother said, "I love you!" Lan Na answered, "You dare not love me!" and hung up angrily.