Spittoon U Corner gives students the opportunity to showcase their creative writing.
“Ah! Ah! Old Zhang! Long time no see! How are you these days!”
“Old Li, Ah! Well, well. How about you? Your legs still hurt?”
“Just a bit. Not a big problem—people like us have to admit aging.” Said Li Ping with her standard Linfen dialect, “Eh… Old Zhang, how’s your son? Has he moved to his new apartment?”
“Hahaha. After Lili giving birth, they will move to the town with their child. I will go to the city with them to look after my grandson!” Li Ping could feel Zhang Hua’s joy through the telephone line.
“Eh … Bin is much more mature than my Feng, knowing to do the proper thing in his age.” Said Li Ping with a bit of gloom, but she immediately laughed to hide her depression, “Ah! to be honest, I am jealous of you! Hahaha … Bin and Lili are model husband and wife in our village.”
“Ah, don’t worry! 35-year-old is Ok. Your Feng has a good job. It’s easy.”
“Daughter doesn’t want children, son doesn’t marry … ah … how can I not be worried?”
“Take it easy. I found a go-between around the matchmaking corner who introduced Lili to Bin, you know, the place at the Flower Park beside the house you used to live.”
“Ah! Matchmaking corner! I remember it! We used to walk along the river every day! Ah! I miss the dandelions! The dandelions in the town have all been pulled out. I don’t know why!” Li Ping exclaimed with a sparkle of excitement in her bleary eyes, “Eh … old things, not worth mentioning … matchmaking corner! Ah! I know, I know! I never go there. I will go there and have a try.”
“Just walk around there in the morning, there are a lot of elder parents like us doing morning exercise, hahaha.” Zhang Hua laughed.
“Sure, sure! Thank you! Old Zhang. Tell me when you arrived in the town. Can’t wait to see you!”
“No problem. Me, too! Goodbye!”
After the call, Li Ping let a long sigh out of her breast. She slowly raised her heavy body from the soft sofa with her hand propping on the table.
She was a determined old lady who would act on most advice given by others. Otherwise, a thing undone would make her sleepless night after night.
Thanks to Old Zhang, she now had a quite clear “finding a daughter-in-law” plan. After all, she still pinned her last hope of having a grandson on her son.
Li Ping had an unsound sleep that night imaging and worrying about the big day. On the next morning, she got up at 6 a.m., one hour earlier than usual, to prepare for her first elder social party. After making the breakfast for the whole family, Li Ping washed her face carefully using the towel with twice as much soap as before. Then, standing by the toilet with the lid lifted, she slightly bent her back, making her face towards the toilet, and began to brush her teeth carefully. Today she gargled several more times with her stainless steel cup.
“Mom! I have told you don’t brush your teeth beside the toilet! The dirty water will spill out!” Outside the door was her ready-to-work daughter’s annoyed voice.
“I know, I know.” Li Ping swiftly pressed the button to flush the toilet, and went out of the bathroom to spare a room for her daughter. Having been living in the town for several years could hardly change her habit of brushing her teeth formed in the countryside.
She went back to her bedroom and put on the new tracksuit that had been carefully ironed yesterday by herself. She bought it last year, but hadn’t found an occasion worth wearing it.
She walked to the mirror and began her everyday go-out preparation. First was adjustment of the collar, second was brushing hair with the comb with water, and last was rubbing some oil on her wrinkled face.
After putting on her shoulder bag and reaffirming her collar was well organized in front of the mirror, Li Ping set off.
She has passed by the matchmaking corner in Beihai Park once or twice, standing aside the cobblestone road and watched the crowds talking and laughing. Most of the elder people there are acquaintance forming a little party, like her and Old Zhang’s in the countryside.
She remembered Old Zhang’s word of “early morning”. So she hurried when she passed those cobblestones with the worry of missing the best matchmaking time.
The cobblestones made her every step unstable, making all of her weight press on the aged O-shaped legs. Each step made her body lean a bit to the pacing foot. When she arrived, her back was all wet.
There was a bulletin at “matchmaking corner” where some parents put the information about their unmarried children. It was the first time that Li Ping had watched them carefully. She used to cautiously regard these people as frauds.
“Thirty-five, works in a bank; thirty-one, comes from Zhengzhou …” sticking her neck in front of the bulletin board, Li Ping read with squinted eyes word by word along her pointing figure under each word. She wanted to take a note but pitifully found she forgot to bring some paper. She could only use a napkin as a replacement. She borrowed a pen from another elder parent to record some daughter-in-law candidates crookedly. “Liu Xinhui, 35 years old, teacher, 13789110032; Zhang Yun, 34 years old, civil servant, 1325656 …” she murmured while recording in case of making mistakes.
“For your son or daughter?” The old lady who lent her the pen asked.
“Ah! My son.” Li Ping raised her head immediately.
“How old is he? What does he do?”
“Ah … he works in a company and lives in the south of the town alone. He is tall, 180cm, you know. Ah, just had the 35th birthday.” Said Li Ping with her nonstandard mandarin.
“Hahaha, that is great. And I guess the appearance must be not bad. Look at you, the son looks like his mother. You could find a one for him easily.”
“Hahaha … hard, hard.” Li Ping slightly shook her head with unclosed mouth. She suddenly felt the new suit was worthy. “How about you? Also a son?”
“No, a daughter. I found her husband here last year! Just took down the information and made several calls!”
“Oh! The corner must have some magic! Ah! Then why do you still come here? For another child?” Said Li Ping with a little smile.
“Haha! No. Just for some exercise. My daughter and her husband and children set off early and come back. Too boring to stay at home alone.” The lady said with her head shaking a bit.
“Ah! Me, too! Have no idea what to do for the long day!”
“You should go to the park some time. It is good for health.”
“Yes! My legs are …” Suddenly the phone rang and interrupted Li Ping.
“Mom, where are you? I told you last night I have to have lunch before noon to catch the meeting!”
“Ah! Ah! I forgot! I am coming home! Soon!” Li Ping said when she swiftly checked if the information note is in her bag.
“Ah! I have to go back and make lunch for my daughter. She has a meeting this afternoon. Maybe see you tomorrow!”
“No problem! Tomorrow here!”
With her trembled stiffened legs marching as rapid as she could, Li Ping decided to make a phone call to her Feng as soon as she finished cooking, and iron her tracksuit for tomorrow’s meeting with the old lady.
“I will soon have a grandchild.” Li Ping’s heart was as light as the peacock’s feather.
Guo Xinyi is a junior student in Beijng Normal University majoring in English language and literature. She is obsessed with literature and art. Gothic and realistic novels are her favorites, which she believes could strike people’s heart and help people reflect on the current time.