Page 198 - I Live in the Slums: Stories (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

During that extraordinary night, the queen didn’t sleep. After she returned
from “the other side” of the desert, she washed her face with well water and then
sat down at her desk and began writing her work diary. Her record was cryptic.
For example: “three stones,” “one ditch,” “nursery rhymes,” “sending a signal,”
and so forth. You could guess the meaning of some others. For example: “one
kilometer in ten minutes,” “five kilometers in half an hour,” and so on. They
probably indicated how fast she walked that day. She was very engrossed in
writing her work diary. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes shining like a teenage
girl’s. After she finished writing in her diary, she paced for five minutes in her

room and recalled the boy named Drum. She seemed to know why he had run to
the desert. She wondered, What would his future be like? Would those diamonds
that disappeared shatter his life someday or might they change into a Rubik’s
Cube in his hands? She wasn’t at all worried about him. His pursuit had made
clear his determination. Then the queen turned to thinking about the reality of
the palace—swallows were nesting in the eaves for the first time. This was
inspiring.

2.

Ever since the young man had burst into the queen’s home several years
earlier and been so scared by the atmosphere that he ran out, no one had ever
tried it again. Everyone felt that it would be an offense. However, something
strange occurred. A little girl named Zhu Zhu went to the market with her mama.
The careless mama had no idea how she lost Zhu Zhu in the crowded market.
Zhu Zhu waited for a long time next to a load of potatoes, and still didn’t see her
mama. And so she decided to go home alone. She thought she knew the way.
But the farther she walked, the less familiar the scenery was. She didn’t stop
until she reached a large wooden house. She thought she’d better go in and ask
someone how to get to Wang Village.
She went in, but no one was there. In high spirits, Zhu Zhu climbed onto the
dining room table and fiddled with the coal lamp for a long time. Then she
looked around the living room. She thought the two portraits and the crown on
the wall were not very attractive, and the three porcelain vases were too large.
Just then, she noticed a small staircase concealed behind a large cupboard. When

Zhu Zhu tiptoed up the stairs, she heard her heart palpitate. Would people think
she was a thief? If they caught her, she would say she was looking for her mama.
But would they believe her? She reached the second story. It was unlike the
spacious first floor, which had numerous rooms. The second floor had only one
room, which was open and dark. Next to the room was an almost vertical narrow
staircase. Zhu Zhu entered the room and heard a woman ask, “Little girl, how