6

Grandma Hui had a white doctor's coat, which though years and seasons past, stayed blindingly white. She kept it on top of her medicine box, neatly folded and wrapped in a clean piece of cloth. Then, when an emergency came up, she grabbed it along with the box and flew out the door. Within moments of arriving at the sick person's house she whipped the coat on over her shoulders and pulled the surgical mask over her head. All that the patient saw of her was her eyes, bright and big, and brows, fine like willow leaves. Then when she bent her head down to take the pulse, the patient could see her ears, delicate pink like fine fuzz on winter melons. When she finished treatment, she took off her mask, tidied her hair though it didn't need it, and said something warm and comforting to the patient with a kind smile. She always emitted a strange almost divine light — at night under dim lamp - glow her face was like a deep - water luminous pearl, in daytime her face shone milk - white in sun coming through the window.

When Grandma Hui's doctor's coat began showing first signs of fading a faint yellow hue, her son Qiangtuo was already ten years old.

One day in spring that year, she was just getting ready to head out of her door with the medicine box on her back, when an official from the commune came in with the production team secretary.

"A rare honor!" Grandma Hui greeted them, "How may I help you?"

"Are you busy?" the production team secretary asked." If not, there is something I'd like to talk with you about."

He explained that a female official from the county town was being sent to Water Village for re - education. She had to live somewhere, and in his opinion, the Huis' household was the most appropriate option.

"We've heard good things about you," the commune official added, "You have some learning, and a reputation as a good person. You'll do a good job of educating her."

"Since arrangements have been made," Grandma Hui said, "I'll be happy to help."

"Wouldn't you like to talk it through with You Hui first?" the production team secretary asked.

"No need. He's a good man. He'll understand."

The commune official, noticing a pile of fir wood outside Grandpa Yu's house, asked Grandma Hui:

"Are you planning to build a new house?"

"Oh no, that belongs to Brother Yu next door, but yes, he is building a new house."

The commune official came to Water Village again the next day, this time with the woman official. He led her into the Huis' house with a ceremonious air, as if she was a distinguished guest arriving at a fine establishment.

"Sister Hui," he said, "this is the official I told you about. Her family name is Liu — you can just call her Little Liu. Thank you, and sorry for the trouble."

He left quickly, without staying for lunch.

Little Liu was visibly uncomfortable, not knowing whether to sit or stand. Grandma Hui saw, and said:

"Comrade Liu, please, I'd like you to feel at home here. It's a small household, just me and my husband and our son Qiangtuo. I'm sure you'll be comfortable here."

Grandma Hui showed her to the room she'd prepared for her:

"It's not as comfortable as it is in the city, but I keep it clean at least. You'll get used to it."

Little Liu put her bags down on the floor, and made a show of rushing to the kitchen, asking:

"Sister Hui, where's the well? I'll go and fetch water."

Grandma Hui grabbed the bucket Little Liu was already holding:

"No need, no need! There are men in the house, we wouldn't ask you to carry water!"

But Little Liu insisted and eventually got her way. It's no small event when a city woman comes to the village, and there were plenty of people eyeing her up as she walked down the road, eager to see how white her skin was.

"Look how white she is!" someone exclaimed, "She's white like a winter melon!"

"Yeah, she's white, but she's not as white as Grandma Hui," another argued.

"Not as pretty as Grandma Hui either!" another chimed in.

"What did she do to get sent here?" someone asked.

"'Illicit relations' is what I heard," someone else replied.

"I heard it was she slept with someone!" said a woman named Qiuyu.

Grandma Hui heard all of this, and she saw the pointing and staring behind Little Liu's back. It made her skin crawl and her ears burn. It felt like it was her they were talking about, not Little Liu. That night, she went to Grandpa Yu's house. He was in the front room, working on his latest wooden creation. He saw she needed to talk, and laid down his axe.

"Brother Yu", she said, "people are talking about Little Liu behind her back, and ... well it feels wrong. She's living in my house, so I'm responsible for her. I just feel, even if she did something really bad to get sent here, she's here to make up for what she did." Grandma Yu was bustling around too, tying up bundles of wood, helped by Wangtuo and Fatuo. When she heard what Grandma Hui was talking about, she sent them into the bedroom to do homework.

Qiangtuo was in another room doing homework with Qiao'er, as usual. They were both in third grade at elementary school now. Qiangtuo was eavesdropping on the adults' conversation, until his curiosity got the better of him and he came running out asking:

"What's 'illicit relations'?"

Grandpa Yu lightly slapped his bottom and said:

"When the grown - ups are talking you're not allowed to listen!"

Grandma Yu laughed, and answered Qiangtuo's question:

"When a woman hears a man say, 'I'm going to bed,' if she says 'I'm going to bed too,' then they are having illicit relations."

On cue, Qiao'er came running out and said:

"Mama, just now I finished my homework and said, 'I'm going to bed' and Qiangtuo said he wanted to go to bed too. Does that mean we're having illicit relations?"

Grandpa Yu laughed so hard. He grabbed Qiao'er and said:

"That's enough! Any more of this talk and I'll spank your bottom so hard you won't remember what day it is! Off to bed with you!"

Qiangtuo wanted his mother to go home with him, but she sent him away. Grandpa Yu told her:

"Don't worry, I'll go have a word tomorrow. It's that Qiuyu who always starts the rumors, so I'll go talk with her and hopefully that'll be the end of it."

But Grandma Yu thought this was a bad idea:

"Qiuyu's got a wicked mouth on her, I'm just worried you won't be able to get through to her. Why don't I go instead?"

Grandpa Yu didn't back down:

"You? You're no match for Qiuyu. She'd have you for breakfast! I'll go. I've got nothing to fear from her."

She kept on: "Will you just listen to me! I don't want you to go!"

"What, you think I should be afraid of her?" he asked, taken aback now.

Grandma Yu bowed her head:

"I know you're not afraid, but I am! I'm afraid of her."

"If you're so afraid, why do you want to be the one to talk with her?" he asked.

"If she wants to talk nonsense and start rumors, why not just let her? Anyway, if she goes too far there's a Party official here — let her deal with her!"

This last remark frayed Grandpa Yu's temper:

"What are you saying! She's not just an official. She's a woman, who's here in Water Village for re - education. Don't you think she's already in a tight enough spot? How can we sit by when people gossip about her? Sister Hui would never say what you just said, I'll tell you that much. She knows better than you do!"

Now Grandma Yu was angry too, her voice quivering louder:

"You're right. I don't know as much as Sister Hui! If I did, there wouldn't be any need for Qiuyu to gossip behind her back!"

"What? What did she say?" Grandpa Yu pressed her, his voice growing louder too, "What does she have to say about Sister Hui? It was Sister Hui who saved her when she was so sick back then. Remember how sick she was? If it weren't for her, Qiuyu wouldn't be with us now!

"What are you talking about? Qiuyu doesn't go around spreading rumors because she keeps grudges. That's just what she does. She doesn't care who she talks about!"

They argued on and on, but Grandma Yu just couldn't bring herself to bring up what was really her central point, what all the arguing was really about, which was that Qiuyu had been going around saying Qiangtuo was actually Grandpa Yu's son. Actually, Grandpa Yu knew all about this rumor, though he pretended not to. He knew that if he brought it up there would be no good way for that conversation to end. Then there was also the fact he was scared if he and his wife started arguing about it, Grandma Hui would hear about it.

So, he stayed silent a while, trying to think of a way out of this. Eventually, he said:

"Don't worry, I've worked out what to do. And I won't go looking for Qiuyu without good cause."

Grandma Hui went to check on Little Liu before going to bed. The disgraced official was writing in a little notebook when she saw Grandma Hui come in.

"Big sister, come in! Please, won't you sit down?" she gestured.

"Are you keeping warm enough at night?" Grandma Hui asked. "It's only just spring, the nights are still cold. I hope your blanket isn't too thin."

"It's not too cold. I'm used to it actually," Little Liu replied." Big sister, I should probably tell you, I'm actually older than you are, even though I call you big sister."

Grandma Hui looked little Liu up and down afresh:

"You city people stay inside in the shade on sunny days, and you keep dry when it's wet outside. No wonder you look a little younger. You know, to country people, city people are so beautiful!"

Little Liu laughed:

"Actually, big sister, you're more beautiful than the city people I'm used to! When a city woman's beautiful, it's because she had beautiful clothes, but when a country woman's beautiful, it's natural."

Grandma Hui blushed:

"You're just flattering me! How could a country woman like me compare to city people?"

"Your accent, you don't sound like a local," little Liu observed.

"No ... but there's not much I can say about that. I don't know where I'm from. I became a wanderer when I was very little, like ragweed on the river ... I still don't know what wind blew me here to Water Village."

"Well, the way you speak sounds local. It's just your accent that's different ... Actually, you pronounce some of your words the northern way."

Little Liu spoke thoughtfully, as if trying to trace Grandma Hui's home from her voice. She observed her silently for a while, then heaved a deep sigh:

"You've suffered in this life too, big sister."

Grandma Hui sighed too, then laughed, as if to comfort Little Liu. Then, without meaning to, she found herself looking at the notebook lying open on the table. When she realized, she quickly looked away.

"Big sister, are you ... can you read?" Little Liu asked.

"No, I wouldn't make that claim, not in front of an official like yourself! I just know enough to read the newspapers, enough at least that I know what is acceptable to say and what isn't — enough that I know not to say reactionary things. And then I also know a few of the words on my medicine bottles, so that I don't give people the wrong medicine."

Little Liu closed the notebook, saying:

"Big sister, do you know about my mistake? What I did?"

Grandma Hui looked away, embarrassed:

"Whatever you did, all that matters is you're here, making up for it."

"I'm scared about tomorrow. I'll have to go out to work, and everyone will be there, looking at me. How am I supposed to hold my head up in front of them?" she sighed.

"There's no one in the world who hasn't done something wrong in their life. Trust me. There are good, honest people here. They won't talk down to you. As long as you work hard and show that you're a good person, they'll see that!"

"I just don't know if I can look at myself in the mirror yet," she said, and began to cry.

"Don't cry. Don't cry, " she urged, taking Little Liu's hand, "Who doesn't have setbacks in life? This won't last forever either. You'll do your time here and go back, reformed, and then you'll be an official again — our leader. Tomorrow when we go out to work, you can follow me and I'll introduce you to everyone. Once you get to know them, you'll see there are lots of good people here."

Little Liu wiped at her tears, and said:

"Big sister, you should go to bed. I still have to work on writing my confession."

"What is there to confess?" Grandma Hui laughed, standing up, "People like to get close to one another. It's natural. And then everything's all heat and madness, and you lose control for a short moment. You're already over the worst of it now. All you've got to do is control yourself from now on and everything will be fine!"

Early after dawn the next day, the production team leader's whistle shrilled, followed by his shout:

"Team Ten, all members, transplant seedlings!"

Grandma Hui carried a pair of bamboo baskets with a shoulder pole and called to Little Liu:

"Work time! Let's go!"

Little Liu asked if there were baskets for her, but Grandma Hui said:

"No need for you to have separate baskets — my husband and I will both take a pair and that'll be enough."

The members of Team Ten all emerged from their separate houses, some with baskets, some without, and headed towards the paddy fields outside the village. The whole way the people at the front kept turning around to take peeps at the woman official from the big city. Little Liu clearly felt uncomfortable walking along empty - handed. Eventually, Grandma Hui saw this and passed her shoulder pole over to her, whispering:

"Here, take this and you'll look a little more like you're doing something."

Little Liu gratefully took the shoulder pole and immediately took comfort in it. On the way, Grandma Hui greeted a few of the people who weren't just looking over shoulders but actually approached them head - on. She told Little Liu who was who, and they all shouted their names over to her. Pointing at Qiuyu's son, Grandma Hui said:

"And that's Tiepao over there, Tiepao as in 'iron gun!'"

Little Liu smiled and bowed her head in his direction:

"Hello, Tiepao," she greeted him.

Everyone laughed, and Tiepao looked embarrassed. When Little Liu asked Grandma Hui what they were laughing about, she replied:

"He farts a lot, and always very loudly, like a big gun!"

In front, people were going: "Bang! Bang! Pong!" trying to imitate Tiepao.

Before breakfast, they worked on pulling up rice seedlings ready for transplanting, then after eating, they got back to work replanting them in the rice fields. As Grandma Hui rolled up her trouser legs, she asked Little Liu in a soft little voice:

"Have you worked fields before?"

"Oh yes," she replied." Every year we go out to the fields as part of the 'support the peasants' campaign."

"Ah," Grandma Hui laughed, relieved, "well, I don't need to worry then."

Little Liu lowered her voice more:

"Actually, there is something else I'm worried about. I'm scared of leeches!"

"Don't worry," Grandma Hui reassured her, "I'll keep an eye out for you."

It was cold in the field, serious early spring morning cold, so that as the villagers descended into the fields they started a chorus of moans as their feet plunged into frigid paddy water. They were in high spirits today, making lots of noise. Only Little Liu made no noise, keeping the shock of cold water to herself. Grandma Hui knew the villagers were excited about their new workmate. How charming to have an adulterous woman official from the city living among them! Watching Little Liu pull up seedlings, Grandma Hui could see she was obviously well - practiced, much to her relief.

"Look at you go!" she said to her, "If you were earning work points here, you'd probably get seven, the same as me!"

"Well, my stamina's no good," Little Liu cautioned against the other woman's praise, "I get very dizzy when I'm tired."

"In most cases it's low blood sugar that does that. You should be fine as long as you don't go to work too hungry."

Little Liu stopped what she was doing to look over at Grandma Hui, amazed:

"Big sister, you could be a doctor! At the hospital in the city! I had dizziness before when I worked in the countryside, but the other barefoot doctors just said something vague like that I had 'giddiness.' Low blood sugar huh? Who knew!"

"No! I could never be a doctor. I can say the words, but I could never do everything a hospital doctor does! But anyway, if you get too tired, just rest for a moment and don't worry, no one will say you're slacking."

All his life, Grandpa Yu couldn't stand Qiuyu. Mostly, he ignored her, never saying hello when they crossed paths in the village. At work in the fields, he made every effort to stand as far away from her as possible. But today, he purposefully worked right next to her, though he still ignored her. She wasn't really in a position to be offended when he ignored her, since he was two generations older than her, and thus had much higher status in the village. She was very aware of him and his presence though — trying to fawn on him, and she was always casting looks over in his direction. Now that he was working right next to her, she kept nervously trying to make small talk, though she didn't really have anything to say:

"Grandpa Yu, are you almost finished building your new house?"

"I don't have enough money for tiles," he replied, "Could you lend me some?"

"You must be joking! I don't have extra money lying around. I'm just about as poor as can be!"

"I don't see how either one of us could be much poorer than the other. We're both village people, aren't we?"

"But, you're a master craftsman! You can do a hundred different things with your hands, and all of them earn you work points! I'd sooner believe there's no sand in the river than your family has no money!"

"Maybe my problem is I can do too many things. I'm a jack of all trades but a master of none. Nothing I do brings in much money."

Other villagers, hearing Grandpa Yu, said:

"Uncle Yu, that's a bit rich, isn't it? You're a master at everything you do, and everyone knows you're a good man, There are plenty of people who'd be willing to help you."

Just then, Little Liu let out a blood - curdling scream. Everyone bent over rice seedlings stood up to look. It was a leech, latched onto her leg.

"Don't be scared. Don't be scared, and stand still. Don't move!" Grandma Hui told her.

The truth was, Grandma Hui was also terrified of bugs. Steeling herself, she grabbed the leech and tossed it as far as she could. It landed beside Tiepao's foot. He laughed in Grandma Hui's direction:

"Auntie Hui, you're out to get me, aren't you!"

Still laughing, he clambered up the embankment at the edge of the field, spread the leech on the ground and turned it over with a stick. He lifted it up like a war trophy, all red with blood, to show the villagers.

"The only way to kill a leech is turning it belly - up and letting it dry under the sun. You can't cut it into pieces, or each piece will turn into a new leech."

This wasn't something new he'd just thought up —everyone in the village already believed this to be a serious natural law.

Tiepao jumped back down into the field, and everyone saw the fun was over and bent back down to gathering up seedlings. The seedling field was big, so not everyone heard when Qiuyu said:

"What a screamer and all because of one little leech! I bet she screamed just like that when they found out she'd been sleeping around the place!"

But Grandpa Yu heard. He stood up and stared coldly at Qiuyu. Some of the others working nearby stood up too, watching Grandpa Yu watching Qiuyu. She felt the many pairs of eyes on her back and stood up too. Grandpa Yu wouldn't make eye contact but stared down at her feet, and quoted a proverb:

"Don't try to measure yourself against those who are greater than you, and don't trample those who are lesser than you!"

"I didn't say anything," Qiuyu said defensively as she turned red, knowing she had no ground to stand on.

"Well, good," Grandpa Yu said, "I suppose what I heard just now was someone farting. Alright, back to work!"

He bent back down, and everyone else followed suit.

Without hearing, Tiepao knew his mother was shooting her mouth as usual. He was known as an honest man, and often found himself in impossible positions because of his mother's mouth. He was just thinking about how she almost definitely was saying something mean - hearted about the new woman from the city, when a steam whistle shrilled, meaning breakfast. The steam whistle was located in a coal - burning power plant three kilometers distant. It went off twice a day — once at 8:30 in the morning, and once at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Without a single clock or watch in Water Village, it served as Water Village's sole timepiece.

After breakfast, it rained. The rain gained force, until waterfalls were pouring off the roofs of the village. Lots of rain was to be expected in spring, and the villagers still went out to work in it as long as it wasn't too heavy, protected by woven rush rain - suits. Today it was heavier than normal, with strong gusts of wind and peals of thunder. The sky soon turned dark with occasional white flashes of lightning. Grandpa Yu's thoughts turned to Qiuyu. According to Water Village folkore, a person who makes up rumors and spreads gossip will be punished by lightning strike. Grandpa Yu was nearly forty at this point, and he'd never seen anyone actually hit by lightning, just often heard about it happening, always in faraway places.

Whenever Grandpa Yu didn't have to go out to work he would stay in his house and work on his carpentry, usually not stopping to sleep until the chickens announced midnight. He was especially busy now that he was preparing to build a new house. He already had the timber, wood of fir trees from the mountains to the south, piled up around his house. He'd bought them in the mountains and floated them to Water Village first down the River Xu and then down the little "thousand - worker canal" that passed right through the village. Everyone helped him carry them out of the water up to his house. The canal was an old piece of work done by previous generations by building a dam on the River Xu and thereby diverting some of the water down through a channel that wended over the feet of the mountains into Water Village and then exited from the north past the orange tree orchards back in the River Xu. Ever since, the "thousand - worker canal" had been enriching Water Village's fields with effortless and dependable irrigation. The dam itself was also a beautiful piece of work — unobtrusive and flat, laying under the surface so fish and even boats could pass easily.

There was an established schedule in Water Village by which people usually built houses. First a carpenter was hired to build a wooden frame for the house, and then walls and windows were added piece by piece. But Grandpa Yu had a different idea for his new building. He planned to first make the walls, windows and doors which in the meantime he'd store outside his current house, covered up with dry rice stalks and oil - paper to guard against wet. This way, he could save the most difficult part, putting up the frame, for last, and once that was done, his new house would be ready for moving in!

He had You Hui, who when he wanted to be was a steady and ferocious workman, come help him saw timber into planks. He could saw all day long without needing a rest, but Grandpa Yu didn't want to work his friend too hard, so they took frequent breaks to smoke the tobacco bong and shoot the breeze. Their conversations covered a range of topics, including:

"Brother Yu, my wife says people come from monkeys, as in, we were monkeys first and then later turned into people. What do you think? Do you believe it?"

"Ah," Grandpa Yu replied, "if it was Sister Hui who said it, then I'll believe it. She's read a lot of books, so she should know better than anyone else around here."

"Well," You Hui counter - posed, "there are plenty of monkeys up in the mountains. How come they don't all turn into people?"

Grandpa Yu laughed: "That, I'm not so sure about!"

A different day, and all the planks were already made, so Grandpa Yu didn't need You Hui's help. You Hui didn't have anything else to do, so he sat around while Grandpa Yu sanded the planks he planned to use to make his doors. It was Sunday, so the children were all at home. Qiangtuo and Qiao'er were playing with the wood shavings flying out from under Grandpa Yu's hands, curling them together and wearing them as pretend play glasses. Wangtuo was already in junior middle school, and Fatuo was in the fifth grade. They were still young, but too big to spend all their time playing. They were put to work, helping move the things their father made inside under the shelter of eaves, while outside thunder boomed so loud the house shook. The whole family was silently at work.

"Brother Hui," Grandpa Yu called to his friend, "how many years have you been watching me work wood now? Learning is all about the eyes, by now you should be at least half a carpenter, wouldn't you say? "

As always, You Hui admitted defeat to Grandpa Yu:

"If I was as good a carpenter as you, my house would already be built by now!"

"Ah, " Grandpa Yu said slowly, "when building a house you should be like a swallow making its nest — take it slow, a little lump of mud, then a little bundle of straw. When you do decide to build a house, I'll work with you. I'll be the cheapest labor you ever hired — I won't ask for a fee, or even for any food!"

You Hui chuckled:

"If you plan on waiting around for me to build a house, you'll be waiting until your beard turns white! I'm an old good - for - nothing. I've already accepted that. We'll just have to wait to see how Qiangtuo turns out. It's all up to him now."

Outside, the rain picked up intensity, no sign of easing off. Grandpa Yu passed the bong and tobacco to You Hui. As he blew smoke from his mouth, he gazed over at the rice field embankment opposite his house. Water was seeping over the edge, forming little waterfalls. Water also seeped from the "thousand - worker canal," and there was surely more water pouring down the mountain slopes, though the roots of the forest up there would stop it from reaching the village. Anyway, it was all hidden in fog. Grandpa Yu wondered, is this how years back under the same rains Water Village got its name? Water Village — Seeping Waters. ou+W4uN1kAj/YFJhUDMH57UPjhsLIhEKVvqy3MhTmSDWTzGON4PG5s6lJ5wgpTde