Page 160 - I Live in the Slums: Stories (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

After getting off the bus, she headed for Jixiang Lane. Once there, she found
a dilapidated lane where many bungalows had been demolished. It didn’t look at
all as it had in the past. The city was in the midst of rapid development: the

changes in Jixiang Lane should not have been a surprise, but still she was
shocked by the scene.
Eventually she reached her former home. Her little courtyard remained the
same, but no one was there. Zhou Yizhen saw the faucet outside the door of the
house: she had often washed clothes and mops here. She felt a little sick at heart,
yet she quickly got hold of herself.
She knocked on the door several times, but no one answered. Curious, she
pushed the door gently, and it opened.
It was really strange: the furnishings in the two rooms were exactly the same
as the ones she had had in her home! Hadn’t she moved all of them? What she
and her husband had turned over to Zhu Mei was an empty house. With mixed
feelings Zhou Yizhen sat at her old-fashioned dressing table. She didn’t want to
move, remembering the last time she had sat here. Back then, the bald woman

reflected in the mirror had made her quiver.
She heard approaching footsteps. Probably the owner had returned.
Spotting Zhou Yizhen, Zhu Mei exclaimed, “Sister Zhou, how nice to see
you! I’m so fortunate!”
“Fortunate?”
“Yes. You always inspire me.”
“Hold on a moment. What are you talking about? And what about the
arrangement of the furniture and the various decorative items?”
“Oh, you mustn’t be confused. I designed it so it would look the way it did
before you moved out. Back then, I came to your home several times. Have you
forgotten? I was a designer. How should I put it? At that time, I had sunk to the
lowest point of my life. I decided to cast off my old self and change into a new
and different person. I happened to meet you in the hospital and learned that you
wanted to sell your house. I followed you and your husband here.”
“You made up your mind to change yourself into me?” Zhou Yizhen paled.
“That’s right. Please don’t be mad at me.” As she answered, Zhu Mei looked

Zhou Yizhen directly in the eye. “In fact, you saved me. See? I’m living a full
and healthy life.”
“Hold on, please give me a moment to think.”
“Here—I brewed some tea for you. Have some. You don’t look so good. Do
you want to lie down and rest for a while? This is still your home.”
Zhou Yizhen drank some tea and composed herself. Her gaze dulled and
slowly shifted to those familiar furnishings.
“This is great,” she said, insincerely. “I’ve truly returned to my former home.