Sighing and Remembering

Author: Eileen Chang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-03-01
Features: The backdrop of Eileen Chang's novels is desolation. Eileen Chang's desolation is a pessimistic lament, a feminine sensitivity and subtlety. Grand themes such as the era, the nation, and revolution are condensed into a scene or a corner of family life. The vast waves of society are distant and fleeting, while the ordinary joys and sorrows of ordinary men and women endure. It is the twists and turns, the ups and downs that form the essence of life.
The doorbell rang, and I went to open the door. Standing there was a woman who was exquisitely beautiful, in a clichéd way. She had large eyes, a small mouth, a cat-like face that was round but sharp, wearing a light gray fine coat that was too loose on her, holding a large bouquet of orchids, lilies, and pearl orchids. She was a little older, but her fatigue seemed unrelated to her—perhaps the lighting was poor, or I had just finished reading an article printed in small font.
"Is it Eileen?" she said. "Don't you recognize me anymore?"
Yin Baoyan was two grades higher than me in school, so although we had never spoken, I remembered her very clearly. She looked shorter than before, perhaps because I had grown much taller.