Two Lives by A Yi

Author:A Yi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: crime and mystery, suspense, stories in translation, Chinese stories, anthology, short stories
Publisher: Flame Tree Publishing
Published: 2020-03-19T20:17:38+00:00

6

At 6 a.m. on November 4, Woman woke up punctually, found emptiness beside her. She pulled the bedroom door open, saw on the table, on the sofa, on the floor no trace of anyone back, then opened the front door. The stairs were empty too. She called, the phone was off. Woman brushed her teeth, washed her face, rubbed some Dabao SOD cream on her face, then took a shopping basket and calmly went out. From total savings of eighty thousand yuan, she withdrew 24 yuan, which was used to buy pork, vegetables, lotus roots, and eggs. When she came back, there still wasn’t any sign of Ba Like in the house. She went to wash rice, cook congee, make pickles. By the time the smell of the congee wafted out, it was already half past seven.

Ba Like’s mother called a few times. She went over.

– Like back?

– Not yet.

– What’s wrong with that man?

– Guess he should be back in half an hour.

The two women started to eat congee while they waited. Light came through the glass window; the house was getting hot. Ba Like’s mother, anxious and worried, shouted: When he’s back, I’ll definitely break his dog legs. I mean it, definitely break his dog legs. Woman didn’t respond, didn’t wash the dishes either, she leaned back on the sofa knitting, knitting stitch by stitch. The clock on the wall moved notch by notch. Ba Like’s mother mumbled a few words, quietly lay down on the bed.

When the clock struck 10, Woman tried in vain to knit a few more stitches, but her hands had no strength. Standing up, her legs had no strength either. She moved to the telephone, dialed again and again. The phone was off. Woman then moved to Ba Like’s mother’s room, found she was crying secretly. Woman reached out a hand, she grabbed her hand, like Ba Like was hiding in her hand.

– My son, you come back, hurry back.

– I’m going to the police, Woman said angrily. When Woman went out the door, she ran right into a neighbor, and called the neighbor in to take care of things. As Woman walked on the street, her two legs got stronger step after step, her breath intensified as she walked. But once she got to the police station, her whole body gave out. The police tried to help her but couldn’t help her up.

– What’s wrong?

– My man’s missing.

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