Page 200 - I Live in the Slums: Stories (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

she actually sneered.
“What are you sneering at?” Mama asked in astonishment.
“They kept asking about this. How can anyone ask others about such things? I
will never speak of it. Mama, I can’t tell you, either. You won’t blame me, will
you?”
“Of course not. I’m also sorry that I let you get lost. Still, it seems that you
grew up as a result. When they said you’re insatiable, I was happy. A child who
isn’t insatiable is boring, and so they were praising you.” Mama smiled.
Zhu Zhu changed out of her wet clothing and braided her hair. She was no
longer regretful. She thought to herself that she would have more opportunities,
lots of them. It wasn’t that hard to find the queen’s home.
As for the queen’s nighttime activities, people guessed all kinds of things; the
villagers also took note of a variety of omens. Without exception, each person

thought that the queen’s activity was very important. Just think about it: a queen
was running around in a place not far from the village. What’s more, she was the
queen of Wang Village! Although this wasn’t too strange, it symbolized the
villagers’ innermost passion, but they weren’t content with seeing something
superficially—they liked to delve into it in detail. Everyone thought it was
wrong to follow her deliberately, but this didn’t mean that people criticized those
who had the good fortune to run into her by chance. People approved of that
because it was almost like destiny. The old king’s palace in the wilderness was a
vague concept. It was far away, and its surroundings were quite desolate. No
matter how one looked at it, this was a suitable place for the queen to live. None
of the Wang villagers would be so presumptuous as to call on the queen in her
palace.
But one night it did happen. It was an enchanting autumn evening when

Widow Zhen had just had a terrible fight with her live-in lover and then
furiously walked out in the wild. She walked ahead blindly: she couldn’t see the
bats flying around, nor could she hear the nocturnal birds’ singing, because the
world suddenly vanished from her field of vision. She was pushed ahead by the
power inside her body. She didn’t mind being lost—maybe she wanted to be
lost. Anyhow, she didn’t want to go back home. Wherever she went would be
fine. She wouldn’t regret it even if a wolf devoured her.
In the dark, Zhen ran into a wooden wall and hurt her forehead. She nearly
fainted. She thought doomsday was approaching. After a long time, she
gradually regained consciousness and discovered that she was sitting on the
ground. The gate creaked open.
“Did you come to see me?” a woman asked calmly.
“Yes. I’m calling on . . . ,” Zhen answered obscurely.
“Then come in right now! Didn’t you hear the wolves roaring?” she said