From one second to a lifetime

Author: Qiu Yepeng Gong Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: If I love you—
I will not climb the climbing clematis,
showing off on your high branches;
I will not learn the lovesick bird,
repeating monotonous songs for the shade;
Nor will I be like the spring source,
bringing cool comfort year after year;
Nor will I be like the perilous peak,
increasing your height,
accentuating your majesty,
even the sunlight.
Even the spring rain.
None of these are enough!
I must be a cottonwood tree beside you,
standing together as trees.
Roots tightly clasped underground,
leaves touching in the clouds.
With every breeze that passes,
we nod to each other,
but no one understands our language.
Delivery room. Tao Yujie is sorting newspapers and letters. She skillfully categorizes them, tying them into bundles and placing them into the bicycle mail bag. She, with a focused expression and nimble hands, wears a grass-green uniform that exudes a simple and elegant beauty. She has excellent cycling skills, and when she proudly rides her shiny, olive-green bicycle, she adds a touch of life to this remote county. The young men on the streets see her and are magically filled with a sense of comfort in their hearts.
She places the newspapers, walks to the table, and briefly smells the "Jasmine" on the windowsill: the flowers stretch their long necks, displaying their charming beauty. Outside the window, fine rain is falling; the sky is a misty, grayish-blue. She opens the window, peeks out, and the raindrops land on her face. She frowns, then glances at the door—no one is there. She checks her watch, glances back at the door again, as if waiting for someone to enter, yet afraid of it. In reality, no one comes in.
Every noon, when her mail truck stops at No. 27 Baitu Lane, a young man is always waiting there: tall, fair-faced, with a neatly combed hairstyle. From her mail delivery, she knows his name is Xia Yutian. When the truck stops, he eagerly comes forward, saying, "You've worked hard!" and offers a flattering smile, reaching to take the newspapers and letters. For some reason, she smiles warmly at others, but in front of him, she doesn't say much.
Look at his enthusiasm: "When will People's Literature arrive?" "Has China Youth come yet?" "Why is there one less newspaper today?" "Truly!" "Are you tired every day?" "What about rainy days?" "Where do you live?" etc. He always tries to linger and chat a bit longer, and he keeps offering to let her drink water or sit for a while.
Whenever this happens, the girl's cheeks turn slightly red, and she just nods or shakes her head with "Hmm" or "Ah." To be honest, Yujie isn't deliberately acting aloof in front of young men; she simply despises their attempts to flirt or play tricks in front of her. When driving on a certain street or lane, she often encounters three or five young men who suddenly appear in front of her. She rings her bell frantically, but they ignore it. So, she doesn't back down, extends the front wheel into the gap between them, and skillfully steers around one of them, emerging victorious.
Laughter and a few whistles echo behind her.
There are also times when she's drinking soy milk at a snack bar, and they appear again: they sit on the bench opposite her, exchanging glances, boasting about their newly bought imported color TVs and record players, intentionally matching their watches, and showing off the white light of their imported automatic watches.
In such situations, Tao Yujie remains dignified and unyielding, returning them with a challenging gaze. Only once, when the young men mispronounced "Kasuga Small Coil" as "Piao Yuan Small Coil," she couldn't help but chuckle and corrected them. Unsurprisingly, they were flattered and wanted to approach her to flirt. Just as she was about to politely turn away, she wiped her lips with a white handkerchief and left. They noticed that her lip-wiping motion was quite charming.
P3-4