A Flower’s Shade by Ye Zhaoyan Page A

had surrounded him with a chatter of childish questions. Xiaoyun had suddenly become something like a wise mentor, and he continued exultantly to talk without any thought of the consequences, going on until he lost his voice. In truth, he hadn't really mastered the vocabulary, nor were the radical opinions he gave out necessarily his own. He was only trying to use criticism to inflict the greatest blow he knew how on the entirety of reality. But people were soon to discover that what he kept deep in his heart was a profound reserve of hatred.

7
    H uaifu lay on his back and vaporized the opium while Miss Yu lay on her stomach resting, waited for him to blow the smoke for her. Zha Liangzhong rushed into the room. He was an impressive-looking man, dressed in a Western-style suit, his hair neatly parted and shiny. He appeared to be a frequent guest, for he came into the room without the slightest inhibition, and looked at Miss Yu, lying on the opium bed and preparing to breathe in the fumes. It looked to him as though she was not in the best of spirits.
    Miss Yu was furious about the indifference shown towards her by Xiaoyun. This had been the first time she had left the Estate since Old Master Zhen's death, and she had gone out in marvelous spirits, only to return her heart full of bile. Xiaoyun's behavior had been so pernicious; every time she thought of the awful way he had treated to her, rage overcame her. She regretted having left the Estate, since if they hadn't been outside, he might not have dared to act so arrogantly. Evidently, Miss Yu was poorly adapted to the outside world. And if they had not gone out, they would not have run into that young female student. The affectionate way that girl had spoken to Xiaoyun had stung Miss Yu. Her youth and simplicity had filled Miss Yu with envy.
    Huaifu, noticing that someone had come in, stopped what he was doing. Miss Yu opened her eyes and was a little surprised to see Zha Liangzhong. Then, she sulkily closed her eyes again. This was the second time Liangzhong had visited since the death of Old Master Zhen. His purpose was completely transparent: to curry favor with Miss Yu. It could be seen that he was an accomplished flatterer.
    Shamelessly, Zha asked, "I suppose you weren't expecting me?"
    Miss Yu ignored him.
    With the same shameless expression, he went on, "I just knew you were still angry at me."
    Miss Yu sat suddenly upright and glowered at Zha, "Why should I be angry at you? You deserve it, anyway. What makes you think you can come here?"
    Zha said, "Me? I've been meaning to come see you, but I was worried you'd tear a strip off me."
    Miss Yu laughed coldly and said, "Why should I tear a strip off you?"
    As Huaifu handled the opium set, he listened carefully but with discretion to what Miss Yu and Zha said to one another. He wondered about this overdressed man, but could not guess his purpose. Every now and then, Huaifu stole a look at him.
    "And who is this?" Zha said, looking askance at Huaifu.
    Miss Yu understood what the look in Zha's eyes meant. She didn't care for that kind of look, and so she deliberately sought to mislead him, "Who do you think it is?" she said, mysteriously, leaving him guessing. He lost his color and observed for a moment, then gave himself a pensive look, thought a moment, shook his head, and said he couldn't guess. Miss Yu said: "You can say what you're thinking, if you have a guess, be brave enough to say so. You can say anything, whatever you like."
    Zha laughed and said he didn't dare to shoot in the dark. Miss Yu sneered at him, "Go ahead, I dare you, ha! You think I don't know how you've worked it all out in your head? Huaifu, you ought to know who this man is. Let me tell you, this gentleman is the most renowned eligible young bachelor in this town of ours. Once upon a time, my father even wanted me to marry him. But he's such a lofty fellow, how could I ever aspire to reach such heights?" As she spoke she fell back onto the opium bed