Curve of Life

By+SHEN+YONGXIA

TANG Hongmei is a typical housewife， but a little bit different.

She was once my landlady. The moment I stepped into her house， I heard her ringing laughter – a four-beat rhythm.

Because of her mild hearing loss， her husband speaks to her in a raised voice， so their day-to-day conversations are sometimes mistaken for quarrels. And when they do meet with real problems in life， nothing seems worth bickering about.

Tangs husband is 10 years older than her， while her son is 30 years younger. Family life revolves around her. As time goes by， she seems much happier than her husband and more unfettered than her son.

You can tell that Tang was once a beautiful woman. Now past her prime， her bosom and waist have puffed up like a steamed bun， but her pretty face has retained its oval shape and delicate features. Together with her bright laugh， these characteristics give her the air of an innocent young girl.

Her marriage to Mr. K was fraught with controversy and she was driven out of her family. What was it about Mr. K that so enchanted her？ “It must have been his ears – the moment I saw his ears I couldnt help but laugh！” she recalled.

Again， I heard her inspiring laughter – a four-beat rhythm.

From then on my gaze was repeatedly drawn to Mr. Ks ears， and yet， I could not see what was so special. Even if they had been made of gold， I still would not have been able to understand how a beauty like Tang was so attracted to Mr. K.

The fact is that Tang loves her “Old K” deeply. She calls out his nickname excitedly whenever she puts on her slippers after work and slowly winds her way down the corridor， or she cries out the stirring sound of “Old K” from the bedroom， which I sometimes heard at night.

Old K would get so embarrassed that he would whisper for her to stop.

Old K works at a leather shoes factory that produces old-style footwear that would blow the minds of fashionmongers. You can imagine the workers pitiful salaries. On pay day， Old K trudges home with a long face and several pairs of shoes bundled up in his arms. But he is luckier than most of his colleagues， who are surely scolded when they arrive home in this state. On the contrary， Old K is greeted by Tangs bright four-beat laughter， a bitter-sweet end to the day.

For a long time， Old K was racked with frustration – the whole family had to depend on Tangs salary alone. What could be done？

But Tang was not bothered by her husbands bewilderment； indeed， she didnt have much time to dwell on such matters. Every morning， she would get up early， get dressed and prepare fried rice for the family. When breakfast was ready， she would call loudly， “Old K！ Old K！ Little Miao！ Little Miao！” over and over again until her husband and son reluctantly emerged from their slumber. Tangs wake-up call would sweep away Old Ks self-contempt and remind him of his solemn responsibility， and the family would leave the house together.endprint

Old K often wonders what his life would have been like without Tang Hongmei.

Once， Tang sat me down and asked me in all sincerity to list the reasons for her piling on the pounds.

Finally， we hit upon two main causes： too much meat and too much sleep.

Tang let out a quiet sigh and said she had no choice –she was too tired！

Tangs work was not easy. She worked at a factory， starting out in an easy role with bad pay， and later became a porter， a busy and exhausting job but with a RMB 200 pay rise attached， a “promotion” that Tang is very proud of.

Unexpectedly， tragedy struck.

Tangs legs were crushed by a fallen piece of machinery. She recalled a discernible cracking sound above the din of the clanking metal. Her legs were horribly battered and mangled.

During months of medical treatment， Tang began to knit sweaters on a machine to ease the tedium of her recovery.

Early spring sunshine dances across Tangs back. To the beat of the creaking loom， a pink ball of wool pops lively around Tangs chair in various curves， as if dancing to a song of praise for her life.

Only then does Old K silently come over and affectionately looking at his wife， murmurs，

“Tang Hongmei.”endprint