Don't ask who I am

Author: Lin Haiou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: That night was particularly stuffy. Although the doors and windows were wide open and the electric fan kept annoyingly humming, there was still no trace of coolness in the room. Yang Yuanping felt damp beneath him and slightly shifted, only to find that sweat had stuck his bare back to the wooden bed. He wanted to change his position but was afraid of waking his wife beside him, so he endured it. "Not asleep yet?" his silently watchful wife suddenly asked. Yang Yuanping froze: it turned out she hadn’t fallen asleep either! Since that was the case, he felt no hesitation and turned over vigorously. "It’s already unbearably hot, and mosquitoes are taking advantage of the situation—how could I sleep?" His wife nudged his back. "I think you’re missing your daughter." The question made Yang Yuanping feel quite uncomfortable. He tactfully changed the subject. "It’s just hot, how did it suddenly turn into a daughter thing? We’ve been at the Damarhe Farm since coming from Beijing for twelve years—this is the first time we’ve encountered such heat! I never thought that Damarhe, located in the northwest, would be hotter than Beijing. Strange, strange!" "Don’t beat around the bush. If you miss your daughter, then you miss your daughter—it’s not shameful." His wife was right, and Yang Yuanping had no answer. He laughed self-mockingly, "Hee hee," and fell silent. True enough, if he hadn’t agreed to Zhao Kai’s suggestion back then, there wouldn’t have been the "lucky guess" with dumplings. The daughter sleeping beside them now would be Zhao Kai’s daughter, Zhao Ling, rather than their own daughter, Yang Yang. Most employees at the Damarhe Farm came from surrounding rural areas, so they still retained the custom of frequent visits among neighbors. The farm’s employee dormitories were mostly single-story bungalows, so the only three-story simple building there was considered a "mansion." Yang Yuanping was the deputy head of the technical department, a mid-level official at best, and his family was lucky enough to live in the "mansion." Their left neighbor was Zhao Kai, the vice chairman of the farm’s trade union, who also had only one daughter named Zhao Ling. Their right neighbor was Li Jiang, an ordinary elderly employee, but his wife, Zhang Huiying, was particularly capable and served as the deputy head of the farm’s finance department. Since the three families lived door-to-door and were roughly the same age, they got along very well. More interestingly, the three daughters of the three families were all born in the same year. From learning to walk to now, all five years old, they spent their days playing together, just like sisters, which further strengthened the bond between the families, making them practically inseparable. A half-month ago, the farm office issued a notice stating that one cadre would be sent to Lanzhou for a ten-day visit, and due to special considerations, family members were allowed to accompany them. After careful selection, the spot fell to Yang Yuanping, Zhao Kai, and Zhang Huiying, meaning one of the three would be chosen for the trip to study. This "opportunity": the same three families, the same three children, and such close relationships—how could anyone bear to take their own spouse and child out for a sightseeing trip while leaving the other two families behind? It was too heart-wrenching! Fortunately, Zhang Huiying had an idea. She quickly spoke up with her plan: "The quota belongs to the three of us, so we can’t let it go to waste! Now, isn’t it all about fair competition? Let’s do a rock-paper-scissors—three for one—whose luck is better gets to go." Before the others could fully grasp what was happening, she took a coin from her pocket. With a serious expression, she held it up for everyone to see, flipping it back and forth. It was a clean coin, with nothing special on the back but a clear red dot in the center on the front. Zhang Huiying didn’t explain, but instead tossed the coin high into the air and caught it on the table. After taking a closer look, she said, "See? It’s the red dot up. Each of us will toss it once, and whoever gets the red dot up will get the spot. Fair, right?" Although the others thought this method was a bit absurd, they couldn’t come up with a better solution, so they agreed with laughter. The three of them then began to toss the coin almost jokingly in turns. Yang Yuanping and Zhao Kai even acted "gentlemen" and let the lady go first. Zhang Huiying didn’t hesitate either. Clutching the coin, she closed her eyes and thought for a moment before tossing it. Only after it landed did she slowly open her eyes: there was no red dot. She lazily pushed the coin toward Yang Yuanping. Yang Yuanping wasn’t as serious as she was and tossed it out carelessly, but it was also a plain white side. The last to toss was Zhao Kai, who surprisingly didn’t see the red dot either. Yang Yuanping laughed loudly, "It seems none of us are lucky today—should we go to overtime?" Zhang Huiying breathed a sigh of relief, "Of course. Even marathons have to be run to the finish." Sure enough, the second round also ended in a tie. By the third round, Zhang Huiying and Yang Yuanping still hadn’t had any luck, and Zhao Kai had already started yawning. With a wry smile, he carelessly tossed the coin, which landed on the table after spinning, with a prominent red dot showing. Zhang Huiying froze for a moment. "Kai, good luck!" Yang Yuanping’s sincere shout snapped her out of it, and she clapped along with him. Zhao Kai, who was usually reserved, suddenly felt like he had taken advantage of his friends and became a bit embarrassed. When he got home, he seriously discussed the matter with his wife. She was a sensible person and felt uneasy about it too. After careful consideration, they finally came up with a perfect solution. That night, they invited the two neighboring families over for dumplings. As good neighbors, they were excited to enjoy a big city trip, and Yang Yuanping was naturally happy for them. After work, he tucked a bottle of wine into his pocket and led his wife and daughter, Yang Yang, to Zhao’s house.