CITM - 11

This was the most nerve-wracking day Ye Yun had experienced since coming to the city. First, she snuck off to the dance hall and ran into Bai Wenfu. Then, she had to deal with Tong Mingfang in front of her eldest brother. And somehow, she managed to anger Tong Mingfang as well.

Lying in bed that night, her nerves still hadn’t calmed down. The entire day replayed in her mind like a carousel of fleeting images.

The music and the rhythm of the dancing were still vivid. For a young woman like her, yearning to experience new things, it held an indescribable allure—a natural physiological response, an enticing interaction between men and women that broke constraints and liberated her from old-fashioned thinking.

To Ye Yun, this novel experience was undoubtedly unforgettable. Even in the quiet of night, recalling it made her heart race. A hazy stirring, complex and subtle longing—but when that longing took the form of Bai Wenfu in her mind, morality’s shackles instantly tightened around her, leaving her blushing furiously.

Ye Yun quickly tried to banish such thoughts. She convinced herself that no matter who it had been today—even Zhou Hao—she would’ve reacted the same. It wasn’t about who she had danced with, but the fact that this person had filled her void of the unknown. That was the only reason she remembered him late at night, nothing more.

Though she gave herself this perfect explanation, her thoughts were uncontrollable. The way he smiled at her when they left the dance hall, the brief touch of his fingers when he handed her the candy, their conversation about “hippies”—these memories kept surfacing on their own. She could recall every word. It was like a scene on loop, playing over and over in her mind.

Suddenly, Ye Yun’s eyes flew open. Something she had read in a magazine surfaced. In the early 19th century, hippies expressed themselves by creating an alternative clothing style—tearing holes in plain jeans, fraying the edges, and sometimes embroidering them.

If she connected this information with Bai Wenfu’s offhand question that morning, Ye Yun suddenly understood the curve of his lips when he looked at her in confusion.

Her emotions were extremely conflicted. In her understanding, even in poorer families, torn trousers would be patched up. Who would ever intentionally wear ripped pants? What tailor could bear to damage perfectly good fabric? If she hadn’t learned about the origins of the “hippie” movement, she never would have realized that she might’ve… made things worse.

Although Bai Wenfu had never mentioned it and still wore the pair of jeans she had mended, at that moment Ye Yun felt guilty. Her ignorance had turned good intentions into a blunder. That afternoon, she had even confidently discussed hippies with Bai Wenfu, not knowing that he had only brought it up as a gentle way to hint at her mistake.

Ye Yun buried her head under the covers. She wasn’t just blushing anymore—her whole body felt like it was burning with shame.

With that incident on her mind, she tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep. Her gaze eventually landed on the wooden panel of the wall, and she hesitantly reached out to give it a soft knock.

In the stillness of the night, her unease seemed to amplify every sound. The room next door remained quiet the entire time—Ye Yun didn’t even know if her eldest brother had left again.

After a long while, just as she was about to turn over and stop thinking about it, Bai Wenfu cleared his throat. His voice was low, but it was enough to make Ye Yun perk up her ears again.

Lying on her side, facing the panel, she called softly, “Big Brother…”

After another pause, she barely heard a low “Mm.”

She hesitated before finally asking, “I think I sewed your jeans wrong, didn’t I? Why don’t you give them back to me, and I’ll undo the stitching.”

Bai Wenfu didn’t answer. A brief chuckle floated through the wall, dissolving the anxiety in Ye Yun’s heart. After that, there was no more sound from next door.

Bai Wenfu never did give the jeans back to her. From time to time, Ye Yun still saw him wearing that same pair she had “fixed”—as if… it didn’t really bother him.

Later on, Lü Ping came by a few more times to invite Ye Yun to the dance hall. Ye Yun politely declined every time. She understood that while some things were dazzling and colorful, they weren’t meant for her. She couldn’t be so carefree, dancing with a different man every time. Besides, Wen Bin was out working hard to earn money—she had no reason to use the money he left behind to dance with other men. Some experiences only needed to be had once.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Yun turned twenty, reaching the legal age for marriage. But with Wen Bin still away and no one bringing up the subject, her birthday slipped by quietly. On that day, she especially missed home. Back when she lived at home, her second sister would always remember to cook her a bowl of noodles.

This year, there was no one left to remember.

That evening, Ye Yun returned from the washroom. Tong Mingfang had already gone to bed, and the lights in the house were off. Feeling her way through the darkness, she reached her bedroom door. As she pushed it open, her hand brushed against a comb hanging from the doorknob.

It was a sandalwood comb, with a rich, warm luster. Along the edge, a row of lilies was carved in bas-relief, and it exuded a faint, soothing fragrance. Ye Yun had never seen such a delicate comb. She held it in her hand, reluctant to let go.

She climbed into bed, turned toward the partition, and tapped on it lightly. No response from the other side. She waited for a long time, but even before falling asleep, Bai Wenfu never came back.

So the next morning at breakfast, Ye Yun tentatively asked Tong Mingfang, “Mom, that comb from yesterday…”

Tong Mingfang asked in confusion, “What comb?”

Ye Yun didn’t press further.

For most of the days that followed, Ye Yun shut herself in her room, working on the embroidery for a quilt cover. Though Tong Mingfang was worried that such a rare fabric would be ruined by Ye Yun, she eventually relented and let her do as she pleased.

Just sketching the design took Ye Yun several days. Then she began stitching, needle by needle, according to the pattern.

It was Ye Yun’s first time embroidering such a large and intricate design. She had to figure things out as she went along, sometimes referring to books for patterns and techniques.

Her days were monotonous but fulfilling. Aside from taking care of a few household chores, she devoted all her remaining time to reading and embroidery. She rarely went out—her furthest trip was to the supply cooperative to buy thread.

Occasionally, she would bump into idle men like Xiao Liu in the corridor or at the communal water room—men who loitered and leered. Some would make suggestive remarks like, “Your man’s not home, why not come play with us?”

Ye Yun always avoided them and never responded. The men, just looking for cheap thrills, knew that Wen Bin would return soon and never truly crossed the line.

The dragon and phoenix bring prosperity quilt cover took Ye Yun several months to complete. She poured all her passion and energy into it. A young woman in the bloom of love, waiting to be wed—those feelings were all stitched into the fabric.

Once finished, she washed the quilt cover and hung it on a line outside to dry. The wind caught it, making the dragon and phoenix dance vividly in the corridor air, drawing many onlookers. Some praised Ye Yun’s skill, saying she was on par with professional embroiderers, while others said the pattern was auspicious. Tong Mingfang basked in the compliments, completely forgetting how opposed she’d been at first. Now, her door was wide open to anyone passing by, and she accepted every bit of praise without hesitation.

Later on, neighbors came to Ye Yun for help with sewing. It was Lü Ping who suggested she start charging. She noticed that Ye Yun had been so busy she hadn’t even opened last week’s borrowed books, and told her, “Next time someone asks for help, charge them. If you keep doing it for free, people from the next alley will come to take advantage.”

At first, Ye Yun was too embarrassed to take money from neighbors. So Lü Ping took the lead. She purposely handed Ye Yun money in a public bathhouse, saying it was for hemming her pants the other day.

After that, people who just wanted to freeload felt too awkward to ask, and those who genuinely wanted Ye Yun’s work were willing to pay a little.

Time flew by, stitch by stitch. In the blink of an eye, Wen Bin had been away for over five months, and his workplace still hadn’t provided any news of his return.

From time to time, Tong Mingfang took Ye Yun to the port to inquire. Some said the ship had changed course due to stormy weather, others claimed it was detained in Chittagong because of the cargo. Each trip brought a different story. No one could give a definite return date.

As autumn came, the weather quickly turned cold, and Tong Mingfang fell ill. She stayed bedridden, constantly worrying about her youngest son’s return. Even while lying down, she would ask Ye Yun if there was any news from the port. If something came up and Ye Yun couldn't go, Tong Mingfang would scold her.

Ye Yun was anxious too, but every visit yielded the same vague answers. The more she asked, the more impatient the port staff became. Sometimes, she could only sit alone at the dock, watching the ships come and go, before returning to face Tong Mingfang’s questions.

An invisible cloud hung over the Bai household during that time. Bai Wenfu was also using his connections to investigate the ship’s whereabouts. After extensive inquiries—and based on the port staff’s evasiveness—a terrifying possibility began to loom over the family: the ship might have gone missing.

During the Cold War era, the international climate was tense. Countries had different regulations on merchant ships, and both sailing and docking could be risky. Add to that the ever-present threat of pirates and unpredictable ocean weather—there were countless dangers. No news, perhaps, was the best news for the Bai family.

Until that afternoon, when two leaders from Wen Bin’s unit made an unexpected visit. Tong Mingfang had already recovered by then, and only she and Ye Yun were home.

Tong Mingfang asked Ye Yun to go make tea. As soon as Ye Yun reached the stove outside, a heart-wrenching wail erupted from inside the house.

Ye Yun’s hand trembled, clutching the teacup. Next door, Chun Di opened her door in alarm, and other neighbors began poking their heads out.

Wen Bin’s unit had received word that morning—Wen Bin had been involved in an accident. That afternoon, they rushed to inform the Bai family. According to them, the ship had encountered an incident and had not returned. Details would only be known after the ship made it back to port.

Tong Mingfang collapsed in grief, nearly fainting. A few elderly neighbors held her up as she clung desperately to one of the leaders, sobbing and pleading, “Bring Wen Bin back. Even if he’s gone, don’t leave him out there. No matter what, bring him home!”

The leaders couldn’t promise anything but assured her they would do everything in their power.

Even those neighbors who usually gossiped behind the Bai family’s back set aside their judgments for now. After the two leaders left, they stayed to comfort Tong Mingfang until she calmed down.

During all this, Ye Yun silently fetched stools, boiled water, and served tea. Then she escorted the leaders out and stood quietly by the wall, shrinking into herself.

She had never experienced the death of a loved one before. This sudden blow struck her like a bomb. Her mind went blank, and all sound became a sharp, piercing buzz. Her heart felt crushed, then surged upward violently, as if it would burst from her skull. No one knew she was going through a long internal earthquake—an earthquake whose end was shrouded in fear.

Tong Mingfang, immersed in her grief, looked up and saw Ye Yun standing there dry-eyed. Rage surged through her. She slapped the table and shouted, “How dare you just stand there? Wen Bin’s gone, and you’re not even crying?!”

Ye Yun’s lips trembled. She tried to speak, but no words came out. She couldn’t wail like Tong Mingfang. Aside from fear, she didn’t know what else to feel.

Her silence completely infuriated Tong Mingfang. Pointing at her, she yelled, “Since you came to my house, Wen Bin’s had nothing but bad luck. What kind of cursed disaster did I invite into my home?”

Just as she finished shouting, she caught sight of a stack of books on a stool. She got up, grabbed the top one, and tore it in half in front of Ye Yun.

At that moment, Ye Yun felt like her heart had also been ripped apart.

But Tong Mingfang wasn’t done. She shredded the pages in a frenzy, muttering, “I let you read books? Seeing you reading just makes my blood boil! Wen Bin’s gone, and you still have the nerve to read?”

The books had been borrowed using Lü Ping’s library card. Now that they were ruined, Ye Yun didn’t know how to face Lü Ping, or how to compensate the library. She panicked and tried to snatch the books back, but Tong Mingfang had gone mad, possessed by brute strength. During the struggle, a sharp page cut Ye Yun’s finger. Tong Mingfang took the opportunity to shove her hard.

Ye Yun fell heavily to the floor. Then, Tong Mingfang picked up the stack of books and hurled it at her.

At that moment, the door was flung open. A figure dashed past, and just as Ye Yun raised her arms to shield herself, the books slammed hard into Bai Wenfu’s right leg...