Mud bank

Author: Sheng San
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Zhang Qihuai had a guilty conscience, seeing the red sash, his eyes suddenly widened, and he exclaimed, "I forgot about this!" At the end of the late winter of the Year of the Rabbit in 1988, the sky was always overcast, lead-colored, with no wind, chillingly close to the skin. Occasionally, raindrops would fall, sometimes mixed with soft snow, half-dead and half-alive, not giving a decisive break, as if trapping people in a movie theater without curtains, repeatedly screening a dull movie. The hazy and indistinct scenes made it particularly easy to feel discouraged. After a fire incident, Zhi Huiyu's eyelids kept twitching. It wasn't a real illness, just restlessness. A folk remedy was simple and easy to apply—tear off a small paper piece the size of the little finger and stick it on. It was supposed to work immediately, but this time it didn't. Adding another layer for still didn't help. The saying goes, "left eyelid twitches for wealth, right eyelid for misfortune." When both benefit, choose the greater; when both harm, choose the lesser. She hoped to spend money to ward off bad luck. She stuffed her wallet with some spare money, making her pockets bulge. She deliberately squeezed through the crowded market, but after several days, she was lucky enough to avoid any pickpockets who might have been kind-hearted. She felt a twinge of doubt—this eyelid twitch was not for wealth, but for misfortune. Her daughter Zhuoya sent her a red sash from Luchiao, reminding Zhi Huiyu that the Year of the Dragon was approaching, and it was her zodiac year. The daughter was filial, using a silk sash made of red silk, with monkey plastic burdock fasteners on both ends, and embroidered with two dragons playing with a pearl on the front, looking quite exquisite. Originally, this type of sash was used to tie old-fashioned drawers, but now it was more symbolic than practical, worn during the zodiac year to ward off bad luck and bring blessings. Zhi Huiyu was moved, and her eyes reddened. But in her heart, she doubted the effectiveness of the red sash. In her previous zodiac years, she had also worn a red sash, but nothing went smoothly. Sixty years make a cycle, and this zodiac year was an extra special one, meaning more obstacles. She thought she needed to take additional measures to ensure safety. Just as she had received the red sash, someone knocked on the door. The visitor was Zhu Lanfang, the organizer of the Late Sunset Model Team. Zhu Lanfang and Zhi Huiyu were the same age, both like rare fruits that had withstood the test of time. Despite the passage of time, she had preserved most of her youthful beauty, earning admiration. The two were pillars of the "Late Sunset," half rivals and half friends, outwardly warm but secretly competing, neither wanting to lose to the other. Zhu Lanfang was once the leading flower actress of the provincial Peking Opera troupe, renowned and called the "Living Hongniang." Back then, a large photo of her with her master, Xun Huisheng, was hung next to the theater's ticket window, recruiting members for the troupe. Her master was one of the Four Great Danmei, but Zhu found it not challenging enough. She adopted the stage name Lanfang, incorporating Mei Lanfang, the head of the Four Great Danmei, into her name, as if riding two horses at once, revealing her extraordinary ambition. When recalling her past glory, which had spread across half of Jiangnan, Zhi Huiyu felt she was shorter than her. Zhu Lanfang was the undisputed choice as the organizer, including Zhi Huiyu's vote. On stage, Zhu Lanfang played flower roles, and in life, she acted like one too, enjoying exaggeration and dramatics. When they met, they initially had some business matters to discuss. However, Zhu Lanfang's eyes darted around Zhi Huiyu's face, and suddenly, she had an idea. Zhu's eyes was