2005 short story

Author: Editorial Department of People's Literature Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The azalea has bloomed. It's not a big deal, but the problem is that the flower is growing under the window of Yun Kouzi, and it was planted by Lao Yun Tou. Yun Kouzi has a toothache on her upper jaw, which has been hurting her for most of the night, and her face is swollen on one side, making her chin look sharp. She uproots the azalea and throws it outside the iron gate. People passing by step over the flower stems. On the seventh day of the lunar calendar, at half past eight at night, the moon was only half full. The sky was warm and light green, clear and cloudless. Lao Yun Tou came out of the small restaurant and, while entering the main gate, stepped on the dead azalea. He picked up the remains and placed them under a peach tree. The peach tree began to sprout leaves and grew very quickly. The half-blooming flowers were interspersed with green leaves, with purple-red sepals scattered like stars. This season, the alternation and coexistence of new and old are everywhere. Lao Yun Tou leaned under the peach tree and said to himself, "I'll sleep under the tree tonight. I won't go back. If I'm lucky, I'll fall asleep and never wake up again." This was the way he wished to die. Right across from him was the light from the gatekeeper's room, which shone brilliantly all night. The next day, Lao Yun Tou woke up. He yawned and stretched. Since the Lord of Death didn't want him, he had no choice but to keep drinking. The morning air was humid, and a long, light brown earthworm was crawling on the ground, shining all over. It wanted to climb to another patch of grass. He opened his own door, turned off the light, and then went to knock on Yun Kouzi's door. His knock was too loud—it was clearly meant to cause trouble. Yun Kouzi opened the door with sleepy eyes and, seeing that he looked unnatural, immediately closed it, leaving him knocking relentlessly outside. He yelled, "Are you going to open it? If not, I'll break your door!" Yun Kouzi turned around in bed and lay facing the wall. Coincidentally, I happened to be there early that day. Before I even reached the factory, I heard the thunderous knocking from inside. I yelled at Lao Yun Tou and asked what was going on. He was in the midst of a frenzy and had already forgotten the reason. When I asked, he was stunned and said, "It seems like nothing. I just feel uncomfortable, and knocking feels better." P43