Chapter 55
Cheng Jia Yang
I thought Qiao Fei would come along with my colleagues to see me, but she didn’t.
My feelings were very complicated.
This fiery situation made my heart feel at ease, but it also destroyed my heart. All this time, what had I been struggling with, what had I been pursuing? A person’s destiny was like the trajectory of the stars, not allowing the slightest deviation. I had accidentally pa.s.sed by Qiao Fei, making me not able to find my direction for a long time. As for Xiao Hua, she pulled me back to my original direction.
I would have to go down this path for the rest of my life, calm, peaceful, until I died.
I turned on the cot, when another issue emerged that troubled me. I thought about it carefully and was very clear on what I would tell myself: 80-90% she did not know I had been injured, otherwise she would come to see me. I had a fever one day, she was very anxious. If she knew my circ.u.mstances currently she would come no matter what.
Thus, she definitely didn’t know.
I came back, injured. I would have a look of indifference. She would ask me, I would say, It’s all right.
Right now I was basically all right, then I must go back quickly.
When the doctor suspended my arm, my father came.
He didn’t say much to me, waiting only by my side. Pretending to be a statue, the bandage tying took two hours, he was there for the whole time.
The doctor finished it for me. I sat in his car to return to the Ministry. When I got off, he said to me: “Don’t do much these next few days, return home to rest a bit earlier. Your wound, you still must take care of it.”
I said: “Yes, Dad.”
I returned to my office, naturally going through a pa.s.sionate welcome, warm greetings. I wanted to exchange my work with my colleagues, the head said: “Don’t worry, Jia Yang, rest more.”
I said: “Did you finish the new translation?”
The head said: “It’s basically done. Ah, this is the names of all the people staying in the Ministry. Take a look, you should still take care of the new trainees.”
I took the roster he gave to me and looked at it. Qiao Fei’s name was not on it.
I looked at the head: “You didn’t let that child stay?”
“Which one?”
“The one that knew sign language. The one that you said was equivalent to having two people.”
“You mean Qiao Fei?” The head asked.
“I was still afraid you didn’t know her. Right, Head, where has she been divided to?”
“I don’t know her? The whole ministry knows her.” The head said, “This maiden applied for an office in Côte d’Ivoire herself.”
I immediately froze there.
“What happened? How can you allow female colleagues to go there? It’s chaotic and full of plague. She applied there, did you approve it?”
“If it wasn’t for a lack of people, no one would go, Qiao Fei insisted, and kept reporting to the roster, so her special request was granted, and now this girl is all typical. We must call on the diplomatic front to learn from her .. She’ll leave in a few days, we’re on break now so might as well pack now.
I nodded my head: “Then I’m going. Director, you go do your stuff first.”
I quickly left the head’s office. I heard him say behind me: “Jia yang, don’t be so anxious to start working, take care and rest…..”
I called Qiao Fei’s phone number, this time it was great, she quickly picked up: “Jia Yang?”
“It’s me. Where are you?”
“At home.”
“Don’t go anywhere, I will be there in half an hour.”
“I have to go out now, do you need anything?”
“Let me tell you,” I said into my headset, “Don’t go anywhere.”
I hadn’t knocked on the door when Qiao Fei opened the door. She looked at my arm, her face devoid of expression: “You’ve been discharged.”
“You’re still pretending with me, right?”
I had never felt so evil before, but I had really had enough of this act.
She watched me, quietly making way, letting me in. The door was still open.
There was only her at home. I sat on the sofa, suddenly not feeling like I had to say anything.
After a while, Qiao Fei poured me some water. I lifted my head to ask her: “Do you know what kind of a place Côte d’Ivoire is?”
She didn’t speak, sitting down, her head looking out towards the window.
“I’m speaking to you.”
Then she turned her head, laughing happily, saying: “What about it? As for what? Someone has to go.”
“You worked so hard for nothing? In that type of place, people who know average French can go. Your French studies were all for nothing?” My throat was sore, otherwise I would have roared this.
“Don’t you feel you are caring about too many things? What status are you using to speak to me?” She kept smiling, but she sharply refuted me, “Listen to me, Cheng Jia Yang, no matter what status you have, you and me, we speak a bit more than we should. Don’t you think this too?”
We had never argued before. Qiao Fei’s words made my fire rise, my legs stood up in an instant, an arm hoisted by my shoulder. I shook it: “You do not know good and evil, Qiao Fei. I, you’re asking me what status I’m using to talk to you? I, what status?”
I was so mad I was speechless, “Yes, you are right. What do I count as? Why am I caring about you? But, Qiao Fei, you won’t think about your parents right? They’ve raised you for so many years, and now you’ve become an interpreter through so much effort. Going to Africa, two years until you return, who can you confront when you come back?”
She didn’t speak, but turned her head around. Her hand trembled, lighting a cigarette for herself, I said: “Give me one.”
She looked at me, putting a cigarette into my mouth, helping me light it.
We were both stabilized for a moment.
I fiercely breathed in a mouthful of smoke, saying to her:
“I have not come to you to discuss this. I have come to tell you, Comrade Qiao Fei, you cannot go to Côte d’Ivoire anymore”, word by word, I said it very clearly, “Don’t you not want to be an interpreter anymore? That’s too good, you don’t even have to be an elite interpreter of the Bureau. I can find you another good place.”
I planned to walk away, not saying anymore words, this more painful than the surgery knife: “You don’t have to go work first. Wait for me to get a new report.”
I said this as I left. My shoulder’s wound was really hurting.
“Jia Yang, what are you doing this for?” She asked behind me, “I do not agree. I will not accept.”
“The civil servant obeys his superior,” I said to her, “and Qiao Fei, you have known me for so long, have you seen anything I can’t do?”
She didn’t say anything sitting there, watching me.
I originally couldn’t stand stable, being like this, a small face, her pair of alluring cat eyes, made my mind shake.
“Who did you learn to smoke from?” I asked.
“Foreign friends, I’ve been smoking for a long time now.”
“Do you know it is bad for your body?”
“Do you know?”
“I don’t care.” I said the truth.
“Me too.” She said.
We really were unsavable, I couldn’t speak anymore with her.
I slammed the door and left.
Qiao Fei
Jia Yang’s recovery was pretty nice, running towards me and roaring.
After he left, I got angrier and angrier. I was usually someone who could talk back, but when I saw Cheng Jia Yang, I ran out of power.
I fell asleep the moment my head fell back.
I was awoken by the ringing of my cell phone. It was already the nighttime.
I looked at the number. It turned out to be Bo Bo. She had just returned from Paris, and wanted to treat me and Xiao Dan to some wine. I didn’t have any energy, and was pretty lazy, so I said to her: “Next time, I’m tired.”
“Why are you so boring ah? Quickly come out. It was hard for Xiao Dan to get out of overtime. Plus, we haven’t seen each other for so long.”
“Ok ok.”
I got up. I washed my face and went out the door.
When I reached the appointed bar, I saw a pair of pretty and bright people.
They looked at me. Bo Bo said: “Ah sit farther away, I don’t want to know what I shouldn’t.”
I felt very sleek.
One day, when I was reading the newspapers, in the April issues, the French Paris Lyons train station bombing news was mentioned, and Zu Zu Ferlande gendarmerie was killed to protect the innocent citizens.
At that time, I crawled under the desk under my window, the sunlight streaming through the big gla.s.s window and shading my body, like a warm pair of hands. I opened my own palms. On it was the mark Zu Zu had given me.
“Are you alright?” I said, “Zu Zu, you said, G.o.d would send you other errands. Are you doing well now?
I am good now, I am a civil servant of my country now, but, sometimes I am a little lonely. If you have time, come see me.”
I heard someone cough. Looking over, Cheng Jia Yang stood at the other side of my book shelf.