A Peach Wood Comb

After Ouyang Qing Shao’s divorce, Cheng Lan and Lai Hui had somewhat drifted apart, but recently, their interactions had become more frequent. Not having seen Cheng Lan for months, Lai Hui just looked at this thin, prayerful woman, quietly listening to her choked confessions. She felt like Jesus nailed to the cross, unable to escape, only able to look with compassionate eyes, listening to others’ hardships. “He hasn’t been to see you recently?” Lai Hui asked. Cheng Lan wiped her tears haphazardly with a tissue, shaking her head. “After that incident, he came to comfort me for a while, but then he stopped coming.” It turned out, after Ouyang divorced, he never brought up remarriage with Cheng Lan. Cheng Lan thought it wasn’t appropriate to rush him right after his divorce, just suggesting they get a marriage certificate first. She was a couple of years older than Lai Hui and wanted a legitimate child, but Ouyang, when he heard this, only gave a perfunctory response and dodged the issue. His visits to her place dwindled, coming only once or twice a week, which was rare. Cheng Lan, not being a fool, began to keep an eye on things, bribing Ouyang’s driver with some money to find out he had another woman outside. When she first learned of this, Cheng Lan was in a daze as if in a dream. She saw Ouyang exit the elevator and enter that house. She waited outside the whole night, the wind from the stairwell window slapping her face, waking her from her deep slumber. At dawn, she stood at the door with her arms chilled to the bone. A girl in her twenties escorted Ouyang out, almost bumping into Cheng Lan, apologizing repeatedly, then looking up to see a face flushed as if pickled in vinegar, and was stunned. Cheng Lan, in her rage, grabbed the girl’s hair and punched her in the nose, not waiting for her to cry out in pain, she continued with punches and kicks until the girl’s nose and mouth were bleeding. Ouyang struggled to pull Cheng Lan away, cursing, “You dare to hit someone in front of me, you bitch.” He then threw Cheng Lan against the wall; she flew like a kite and slid down the smooth wall, her earlier ferocity gone. Ouyang seized the chance to take the girl back inside, locking the door and calling for security to take her away. The next day, Ouyang returned to the small villa, apologizing profusely, explaining that the girl was a relative’s child, just graduated and working there, and he was merely looking after her. Cheng Lan sarcastically asked, “Looking after her in the same bed?” Ouyang’s face stiffened, “That apartment is near the company, I’ve been staying there, later gave it to her to use, and occasionally I stay a night or two. I sleep in my room, she in the small room. After you came that day, I chased her out.” Seeing Cheng Lan’s disbelief, he swore, “If I’m lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death…!” The truth was, the girl knew Ouyang was divorced and naively thought they were dating, so she saw no harm, only thinking how to win over this wealthy man. Cheng Lan’s outburst was too much for the girl, who, after the humiliation, had her heart chilled and refused to follow Ouyang anymore. Ouyang had invested quite a bit in the girl but got nothing in return, ending up with both financial and emotional loss. He was hopping mad but had no choice but to come back and appease Cheng Lan, who, among many, was truly devoted to him. After all, if he lied, it would be someone else getting struck by lightning. He cursed with all sorts of dire oaths, who said the heart is the most poisonous? After a day of coaxing, Cheng Lan no longer held it against him; she thought even if he had another woman, he had now chased her away, which meant he still cared for her. When his wife had attacked her, he had decisively divorced, taking advantage of his humble state, she brought up the topic of having a child again, but Ouyang only deferred, saying he was too busy for now. Lai Hui thought Cheng Lan’s wish might be indefinitely postponed, but she didn’t say anything. Cheng Lan was not naive; she understood many things better than an outsider like Lai Hui, but chose not to believe them. After seeing Cheng Lan off, she had no heart for knitting, sitting blankly like an arrow stuck straight into the couch. She only thought: thank goodness I don’t have Zhou Yuqian, thank goodness I have—someone who can’t work, has no family or friends, not even the right to move freely, trapped in a gilded cage all day, waiting for the favor of the gold master, utterly degraded. If she were caught by someone’s wife, beaten and humiliated, she’d have to swallow the bitterness, not even allowed to cry out in pain, but instead, thank them for not taking her to court. Cheng Lan at least had love; what did she have? Just for money, selling herself like a commodity, commodities shouldn’t have love, shouldn’t have thoughts, once they do, not only would they not get money, but the endless emptiness would be unbearable for most. If she had been with Zhou Yuqian for these years, with his average of seven or eight visits a month, would she have to sit by the door waiting for his favor? She shivered at the thought, murmuring, “Thank goodness, thank goodness—” “Thank goodness for what?” Zhou Yuqian walked in to see her mumbling incoherently, tears streaming down her face like water had been splashed on it. His stern face darkened, a hint of concern hidden in his sharp eyes. “What’s wrong with you?” “Has your mother’s condition worsened?” Lai Hui turned her face, looking at him with a vacant gaze. “You’re doing this for my own good, right?” “What?” “Asking me every night if I love you or your money, it’s for my own good, isn’t it? You know I can’t love you!” Lai Hui stared at him, her eyes seeming to look past him into a white void. Zhou Yuqian felt embarrassed at being called out, yet seeing her confused and lost expression, he felt a pang of sympathy and sternly said, “What are you talking about? What’s wrong with you?” Lai Hui remained in a daze, her voice growing increasingly ethereal and desperate. “It’s nonsense, really, everything was the same before. Why do I suddenly feel like my life is over now, after all these years?” Only then did Zhou Yuqian realize something was seriously off with her. He quickly sat beside her, pulling her into an embrace. His chest felt like a warm stove, with waves of heat flowing into her, her limbs warmed by her tears. He tried his best to block out the unusual pain stirring within him, but in the end, he found himself powerless, letting her cry, bearing the tingling pain himself. After crying out her despair, Lai Hui finally regained her senses, recalling her earlier trance, she was surprised at how she had ended up in such a state. Mustering some strength, she said with a nasally voice, “I’ve got your clothes all dirty with tears and snot! Let’s go upstairs and change, I’ll wash them tonight.” As she stood to fetch his clothes, Zhou Yuqian grabbed her hand. Usually, he would just go along with her, pretending nothing had happened, but now, he felt he couldn’t ignore it. “Did Cheng Lan come by?” “Oh, she sat for a while!” Lai Hui tried to free her hand but was pulled back onto the sofa. “Stay away from her from now on; every time you see her, you get upset!” Zhou Yuqian looked at her sharply and continued, “From now on, if you want to go out, just go. Don’t stay in this room just because of me. You promised to study abroad next year; you can go visit her too!” Lai Hui turned her head abruptly; Zhou Yuqian avoided her astonished gaze, feeling increasingly that he had been too harsh before. He thought to himself, it’s only half a year left, don’t constrain her too much, at least let her interact with the outside world and learn how to survive in society before she goes. “Go upstairs and get my clothes ready, I’ll be up shortly!” Releasing her hand, Zhou Yuqian instructed. Lai Hui hid her astonishment, returning to her usual calm demeanor, asking, “Oh, are we going out later?” “No, just find me something loose and comfortable! Let’s take a walk before the sun sets!” The villas in Nanling faced the mountains and the sea. Their house had a back door leading to a man-made stone staircase for mountain climbing. Below the stairs was a large garden where sanitation workers were tending to the grass. Autumn in City A was dry with little rain, so the workers used a hose, pinching the nozzle to create a fine mist that sprinkled on the grass and some on Lai Hui. The dark-skinned worker quickly dropped the hose to apologize, while Zhou Yuqian watched her frantically brush off the sparkling water droplets, shaking his head at the worker to indicate it was fine. His dark thoughts resurfaced, and he teased her, “Your luck is still off, the water should have doused you from head to toe, saving you the trouble of bathing.” Lai Hui lowered her head, rolling her eyes secretly, clasped her hands behind her back, and started up the stairs, with Zhou Yuqian following, adding more fuel to the fire. “Climbing with your hands behind your back, from behind you look like a hobbling old woman! So ugly!” The figure in front straightened abruptly, her fingers behind her back twisted a few times before reluctantly dropping to her sides, stiff and unmoving. Zhou Yuqian continued his teasing. “Why don’t you hop to the top? People would think they saw a zombie in broad daylight and wouldn’t dare to challenge you for the path.” The person in front turned around suddenly, glaring at him with furious eyes. Zhou Yuqian, feigning ignorance, said, “Why are you standing there? Lead the way!” Don’t fight with pigs, don’t fight with pigs… Lai Hui repeated to herself several times before turning around in frustration and leading the way up the mountain. The mountain top was a flat area where the property management had built stone benches and tables, planting many trees whose leaves turned red in autumn. Standing by the sea, the view was unobstructed, with the vast sea stretching out, a red sun hanging at the horizon, its orange light scattering across the sea like rouge on a mirror, shimmering with a rosy glow. However, it was a pity… Lai Hui glanced at the person beside her with her peripheral vision, moving her feet a few steps to the left, distancing herself from him. The sun slowly descended, forming a semicircle on the horizon. Lai Hui found it odd that in such a beautiful scene, he always said things that didn’t fit.