Forgetful Powder

Author: Xi Lingxue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: That year Su Mu had already turned eighteen, and listening to his parents' words only caused him intense pain. After arranging his father's funeral, he quietly completed all the procedures for studying abroad and went alone to Canada. Because his visa was delayed for two days at the post office, he arrived late when he checked in and had to wait until the next semester to enroll. He no longer dared to ask his mother for money, so he went around doing odd jobs, enduring all kinds of hardships, and lived on the run for half a year. After enrolling, it almost became a pattern that whenever exams came around, some small mishap would occur. He studied for six years but never graduated. Moreover, he began to dream, frequently seeing the same woman in his dreams—wearing a white dress, barefoot, with long hair, styled in ancient hairpin arrangements, sometimes with twin ponytails, sometimes with a single one, adorned with phoenix hairpins and gold pendants. She walked in a very strange manner, advancing and retreating unpredictably. It was always her back that he saw—a slender waist swaying as she walked alone amidst flying snowflakes, her steps like a dance, never turning back. Every time Su Mu dreamed of her, he felt an overwhelming urge to cry, an indescribable sense of sorrow. His innate bad luck made it impossible for him to be a sentimental person, yet the haunting dreams left him confused. He longed to see the woman's face clearly and hoped she would turn back. He studied for six years and dreamed of this girl for six years. Then, he received an invitation to his mother's remarriage. His stepfather was named Dong, a retired professor. Su Mu was very happy for his mother's new beginning, but by this time, he had grown utterly tired of studying. So, he decided to imitate his ancestor Fang Hongjian, who had faked a degree, and obtained a fake certificate to pretend to have graduated, staging a "double joy" with his mother's wedding. As soon as his feet touched Xi'an, the white-robed woman vanished, and he never dreamed of her again. Su Mu's luck, however, continued to decline. A foreign student in his prime found it quite difficult to find a job in Xi'an, especially since his diploma was not credible. Knowing that everything was ready except for luck, he dared not apply for high-paying or prestigious positions and instead wasted six months before securing a position as a sales manager in a small clothing factory—a clear case of overqualified for the job. Due to his unstable living situation, he had little opportunity to make friends, but his relationships with colleagues were generally good. In his free time, they would play mahjong or poker together, a brief moment of joy amidst his hard life. One would think that a gambling enthusiast would have some luck, but Su Mu's luck was limited to occasionally winning a few "small hands" when playing mahjong or "soloing" successfully in "Red 4" card games, with stakes not exceeding ten yuan—anything over ten yuan was sure to lose. His gambling luck had nothing to do with skill. During holidays, he would visit his mother with fruits and delicacies. Mrs. Su, now Mrs. Dong, had probably gained weight and become more talkative since her husband was ten years older than her. "Mu, you're almost thirty, why haven't you settled down properly? Bring a girlfriend over for me to see soon! You've been together for a while now—have you thought about getting married?" Su Mu evaded her. "Mom, why are you in such a hurry? Once my luck improves, I'll get married." He thought of the white-robed woman from his dreams. He hadn't dreamed of her in a long time, but he could still clearly remember her way of walking.