Chapter One: The Class Reunion

In the lingering chill of early spring, when the weather wavers between cold and warm, the happiest thing on a weekend is, of course, to curl up at home and sleep in. Yet even that simple pleasure eludes Dong Yanyan now. She sits before her computer, struggling to finish today’s three thousand words, the results so discouraging she can hardly bear to look again. Listlessly, she opens a group-buying website, browsing through clothes and cosmetics with no real aim, musing that perhaps now spring has come, it’s time to do something to change her current state.

She’s been a stay-at-home mom for four years, her life revolving endlessly around her daughter Lulu. In the first two years, Lulu was more troublesome than other children, so much so that Yanyan often missed lunch, let alone had time to comb her hair or wash her face, looking not unlike a beggar’s disciple. She had finally looked forward to Lulu starting kindergarten, thinking she could breathe at last. She found a job, but after only a few days at work, Lulu, used to being with her mother since birth, came down with a fever that nearly turned to pneumonia. That was when both her mother-in-law and her own mother erupted in blame for her supposed negligence. Their words chilled her heart: back when she gave birth, her mother-in-law had only stayed in the hospital for two days before disappearing; her own mother barely tolerated taking care of her for a handful of days before fleeing in exasperation from the little one’s endless fussing. All these years, she raised her child alone, her husband Xu Cheng away at work, not a single helping hand at her side. Now, with the child sick, suddenly the two grandmothers remembered they had a granddaughter! With a sneer, she retorted, “If you think I’m not doing a good job, why don’t you help out?” That statement was more effective than anything else—both women hurriedly pressed a few hundred yuan into her hand and vanished even faster than before.

Once again, she had to quit her job and return to full-time childcare, now even obliged to accompany Lulu to after-school classes, spun dizzy by the teachers’ relentless recommendations. Having just crossed the threshold of thirty, Yanyan suddenly felt old, aged by the passage of time. In these years, she raised her daughter into a little princess, yet without realizing it, her own best years had slipped away amid the child’s cries and laughter.

She picked up a small mirror and studied her face: sallow complexion, fine lines at the corners of her eyes, and dark circles that never faded from all-nighters online. She changed out of her pajamas into a new sweater, washed her face in the bathroom, carefully applied moisturizer and BB cream, dabbed on a bit of foundation, swept on eyeshadow and mascara, and finally her reflection looked presentable—she even felt a little more energetic.

If only she could return to those invincible days of youth, she sighed—back then, she hardly needed cosmetics, just a little cheap moisturizer, and her skin was so supple it seemed it could drip water. Her waist then was barely eighteen inches; now it was over twenty-one. She pouted at her reflection in the mirror, forcing a cheerful smile. Today, one of her husband’s old roommates was getting married, so she’d see former classmates again; only with them could she savor a taste of those carefree student days.

She glanced at the clock—four thirty in the afternoon. She hurried into the bedroom. The curtains were drawn and husband and daughter slept soundly on the bed. Lulu clung to her father’s neck, her small head nestled into the crook of his arm, snoring away with abandon. Who knows how she’d managed to lull her to sleep this afternoon? Now that Lulu was asleep, she’d never want to wake up—she’d already been napping for two and a half hours and was still reluctant to get up.

Yanyan kissed her daughter’s rosy cheek, tugged gently at her long lashes, and whispered, “Sweetheart, time to wake up.”

Half asleep, Lulu pouted, lifted her chubby hand to rub her eyes, grumbled in protest, and clung to her father, determined to keep sleeping.

“Honey, wake up! It’s already dark!” Yanyan went over and gave Xu Cheng a push. He opened his eyes groggily, looked at her in exhaustion, and mumbled, “Just five more minutes.”

“Daddy, just two more minutes!” Lulu opened her big eyes, still drowsy, then closed them again, pretending to be sound asleep.

“Sweetie, five minutes is more than two,” Xu Cheng teased, kissing her cheek and shutting his eyes as if asleep again.

“I only need two minutes!”

“All right, all right, two minutes!” Xu Cheng surrendered instantly, hugging his daughter and settling back in.

Yanyan could only shake her head, having spent the whole afternoon online herself, she was tired too.

“Honey, aren’t we invited to Old Seven’s wedding today? What time do we need to be there?” she asked, giving Xu Cheng a firm kick. He opened his eyes, suddenly alert. “Right! Five o’clock! What time is it now?”

“Four forty!” Yanyan lay down beside her daughter and stretched. “Sigh, I’ll just sleep for two minutes too—wake me up in a bit!”

“What’s the point in sleeping now? Let’s get up!” Xu Cheng forced himself awake, coaxing and cajoling Lulu until she reluctantly opened her eyes. Lulu was annoyed, kicking her little legs in protest. “I want to sleep! I haven’t slept enough!”

“Sweetie, Daddy’s with you. Uncle Liu’s treating us today, we’re going out for something delicious!” Xu Cheng coaxed her gently as she rolled about on the bed.

Yanyan had less patience. She scooped Lulu up and put her on the potty, telling Xu Cheng to fetch her clothes. He rummaged through the wardrobe, finally finding her little wool dress. Together, they managed to dress her, a chaotic team effort. Once Lulu was in her pretty dress, all sleepiness vanished and she chattered excitedly about leaving.

“Hold on, Daddy needs to wash his face!” Xu Cheng quickly splashed his face, wiped it with a towel, brushed his hair, put Lulu’s puffer coat on her, and swept her up to rush downstairs. Yanyan grabbed her bag and hurried after them. Lulu, draped over her father’s shoulder, made faces at her, chanting, “Mommy can’t catch up, Mommy can’t catch up!”

“You little rascal! Let’s see if Mommy can catch up!” Yanyan pounded after them, trading playful banter with her daughter.

Spring was unusually cold this year—even snow had fallen today. The three of them took a taxi to the hotel, heading up to the private dining room on the third floor. Liu Qiang greeted them with his new bride. This burly, cheerful fellow was the last in their group to marry, and inside the private room were all familiar faces. Of the eight in Xu Cheng’s dorm, four had married classmates—Yanyan among them, a fate she resigned herself to. Boys from another dorm were there too, some with their own classmates-turned-wives, all of whom had come along. Nearly everyone present was an old friend, and though they hadn’t gathered in a while, the atmosphere was far from awkward.

Yanyan greeted everyone while nudging her daughter forward. As expected, the little beauty drew all eyes.

“Hey, look—she looks just like Maruko-chan, so cute!” The girls laughed, each taking turns fussing over Lulu, pinching her cheeks or giving her a kiss. Yanyan felt a twinge of melancholy—she was no longer young, and her only source of pride was this beautiful daughter.

Liu Qiang happily picked up Lulu, who wasn’t shy at all, wrapping her arms around his neck and laughing. His wife, three months pregnant, came over too, teasing Lulu.

“Yanyan, Lulu looks just like you, especially when she smiles—it’s uncanny,” Liu Qiang said, squinting at her with certainty.

Her heart gave a sudden jolt, then dimmed—like how I looked when I was young, she thought glumly, pouting to herself.

Xu Cheng came over and took Lulu back, pride written all over his face, as if he were the only one with a daughter. The other men from his dorm were also parading their children, showing off like only new fathers could.

After feeding Lulu for a while, Yanyan handed her over to Xu Cheng and went to the restroom.

The third-floor restroom was out of order, so she took the elevator down to the second floor. The elevator seemed faulty too, shuddering violently before slowly descending. Yanyan breathed a sigh of relief when she finally stepped out.

The second floor’s decor was completely different from the third—dark leather-clad doors, garish brown floors, a dated style. The restroom was clean enough, but the faucets weren’t automatic, there was no hand soap, and no dryer for her hands. She shook the water off her fingers, tidied her hair and clothes in the mirror, then tried to find the elevator to go back up—only to realize she was hopelessly lost. She asked a nearby waiter, who pointed her toward the stairs. Since it was just one floor, she decided to walk.

But once upstairs, she realized she’d entered a different area—the third floor here looked just like the second, probably a different wing of the building. She asked another waiter where Room 301 was.

The waiter smiled and pointed at the door beside her. “Isn’t this 301?”

Yanyan regarded the dark wooden door and shook her head. “Not here. Is there another staircase?” Just then, the door opened and a tall, slender woman stepped out, exclaiming in surprise, “Fifth! What took you so long? We’ve already started eating!” The familiar accent from Baishan tugged at Yanyan’s heartstrings. This was Liu Ying, their third roommate from college, still with short hair and wearing a high-neck sweater and jeans, the style a little dated—the same sweater her mother had knit for her years ago, sturdy and well-fitting, clearly built to last.

Yanyan burst out laughing. “Third, you’re here too! I’m so glad to see you!” Tears pricked her eyes as she went to hug her. Liu Ying, surprised by her enthusiasm, dutifully bent down to accommodate her—there was a striking height difference between the two, Yanyan being under 1.6 meters, Liu Ying well over 1.7.

“Let me show you my little treasure!” Yanyan, not about to miss a chance to show off her daughter, grabbed her hand and went to look for Xu Cheng. She found him at another table, drinking with the guys. One look at his shirt and her face fell—how could he wear that old thing out? No wonder he wasn’t cold—it was her fault for only noticing his freshly dry-cleaned brown coat and not checking what was underneath. How embarrassing! With so many classmates around, she didn’t dare make a scene, so she glared at him and asked, “Where’s Lulu?” Lulu wasn’t with him—she’d probably been carried off by someone else.

Xu Cheng looked at her, genuinely surprised. “Lulu? I haven’t seen her.”