Prologue
That night, she dreamed of him again.
So much time had passed that in the dream his face had already grown a little vague, yet the tall line of his back had not changed at all.
The school uniform still did not quite fit. It was that pale gray color that showed dirt the instant you brushed against anything. The summer afternoon sun blazed overhead, and everyone was drenched in sweat. White bandages were wrapped around his arm, and the back of his shirt was soaked through.
He held her hand and hurried on. She did not know where they were going, and she did not know what had happened. They ran down the tree-lined path, the road stretching onward with no end in sight.
Cicadas screamed in the branches above them. Her heart beat so violently she could hardly breathe. She gasped for air, her lungs straining inside her chest.
Her world, her entire world, spun in that one instant.
But she was not afraid, because he was still holding her hand, still...
Gu Xiang opened her eyes. Fugui's solemn, composed cat face was directly in front of her. Seeing that she was awake, the old cat leaned over and rubbed her cool nose against Gu Xiang's cheek.
"Meow..."
"Oh, stop it." Gu Xiang grabbed Fugui off her chest and dropped her to the floor.
No wonder she had such a nightmare. A cat pressing on you at dawn was hardly a good omen.
Fugui was already used to such ungentle treatment. She shook out her fur, gave two aggrieved little sounds, and ambled off to sharpen her claws.
As an eight-year-old cat who had seen the world, a calm life was the highest state she had always pursued. Or perhaps it was a calm life in which she got canned food every week.
Gu Xiang checked her phone. Seven twenty. She had slept less than six hours.
Her head still felt heavy, but she was no longer sleepy. She pulled on a layer of clothing, got out of bed, washed up, and went to fix herself something to eat.
Outside, the subway roared past, and the rumble was so strong it felt like an earthquake. Even the floorboards beneath her feet trembled.
The room was, of course, a rental. Fortunately, land was cheap in a small city. This tiny old brick room beside the tracks cost her only two hundred yuan a month, with water and electricity paid separately.
The furnishings were simple. In a room a little over twenty square meters, the carved wooden bed was the most valuable piece of furniture, and even that had been left behind by the landlord. There was a canvas wardrobe, two old wooden tables that served as her workbench, and a cabinet for odds and ends. The remaining space had been partitioned off with a glass door into a kitchen and a toilet.
She ate, slept, worked, and lived all inside this single room, and since no acquaintances ever came to visit, she often joked that if she died here in some accident, no one would know until the body began to smell.
It was already mid-September, but the weather outside was still hot. The last sweep of the autumn heat remained fierce. The brick room stayed fairly cool, though, and even in the hottest weather a fan was enough. That at least saved her the cost of air-conditioning.
After drying the water from her face, Gu Xiang changed out of her pajamas, tied back her hair, took two yuan from her wallet, and went out to buy breakfast.
Drifting Dust 2
The alley was full of small food stalls. Soy milk cost fifty cents, a fried pancake one yuan, and an extra egg could be added on top. The woman who sold soy milk already recognized Gu Xiang and often chatted with her.
"How's business lately?"
"Not as good as it is during the summer holidays. Only in tourist season is there really money to be made. Back then I could pack up early every day."
The vendor added an extra spoonful of sugar to Gu Xiang's soy milk. "Miss Gu, your hands are so skilled. Your business won't be bad."
"I hope your blessing comes true." Gu Xiang smiled.
The woman asked again, "You live alone, Miss Gu? Where is your family?"
"Back in my hometown." Gu Xiang bit into her pancake.
"It's not easy, going out alone to make a living. Do you have someone yet?"
"Auntie, you're too kind. I'm this poor, and I never even studied properly. Who would come chasing after me?" Gu Xiang laughed.
Beside her stood white-collar workers buying breakfast before rushing off to work, all crisp white shirts and sharp suits. One of them cast a curious glance at Gu Xiang. She did not look especially striking.
Her life was actually very monotonous. After breakfast, she went straight back to work.
The business Gu Xiang referred to was selling handicrafts in the tourist market at night. At first she had simply bought things wholesale to resell: small accessories girls liked, hair ties, bracelets, earrings, and the like. The profit was thin, only enough to scrape together a living. Later she had decided she might as well buy raw materials herself and make things at home.
Gu Xiang had skillful hands and a clever head. She specialized in making miniature wallets modeled after famous designer bags. Young girls loved them. One sold for ten or twenty yuan, and she could sell quite a few in one night. Other stalls saw the idea and copied it, but none of their handiwork was as fine as hers.
From cutting the pieces to sewing and gluing them, then letting them dry, a single small wallet took at least a full day to make. Gu Xiang worked quickly, though. She could finish more than twenty in a day, and once the glue had dried by the following day, she could take them out to sell. It was by this little trade that she supported herself in Lincheng.
The sun climbed little by little toward noon, and the temperature inside the room rose with it. Gu Xiang finished sewing the zipper onto a tiny imitation Gucci bag and finally stopped to catch her breath. Sweat gleamed on the tip of her nose, but there was still hardly any color in her face.
The old house did not get good light and always seemed a little dim. Fugui prowled soundlessly through a cool corner. In hot weather she did not care much for going outside, after all she was getting old.
Gu Xiang picked Fugui up in her arms. The cat was still surprisingly heavy. As she stroked her fur, Fugui meowed twice, her voice slightly hoarse.
You're already an old cat, Gu Xiang thought. Eight years had gone by in a flash. So fast.
Another train pulled into the station, and the old house shook again along with it, the window glass rattling loudly.
Gu Xiang went to the bathroom, splashed water onto her face, and forced herself back into focus. A customer had ordered a certain style of purse, and she still had to hurry and finish it.
By autumn, evening fell a little earlier than before. As soon as the sun had slanted westward, Gu Xiang packed up her things and set out.
One enormous woven sack and one half-new secondhand bicycle. She rode slowly from home to the pedestrian street in the tourist district and arrived just as the market was opening.
Drifting Dust 3
The streetlights came on, the hawkers all went into action, and the number of visitors gradually increased.
Gu Xiang shared a stall on that street with someone else. It faced the intersection, and only two blocks away there was a high school. Schoolgirls often came over after class to browse her goods. Young girls liked following trends. If one bought something, girls from the whole class would want one too. In the beginning, it was largely thanks to their patronage that Gu Xiang had been able to keep this business going.
The woman who shared the stall with her was called Sister Li, a widow in her forties raising a daughter alone. She sold handmade necklaces with signs that read "Latest Korean Styles," though in truth they were all things she strung together herself at home.
"Xiao Gu, have you eaten?" Sister Li had a loud voice and a warm heart. "We cooked fish at home today. I brought some. Have a taste."
"I'm really blessed," Gu Xiang said with a quick smile. "Sister Li, your cooking is wonderful."
In truth, the fish was not very good. It had been fried too long, so it was dry, and there was too much salt. But Sister Li meant well, and Gu Xiang appreciated the kindness.
The new batch of little wallets had just been set out when girls immediately crowded over to choose among them. The styles were all very new. Gu Xiang had even brought fashion magazines and spread them on the stall for comparison. Which brand, which shape, everything was obvious at a glance. Girls chased fashion and trends and were quite willing to spend a little money for the pleasure of it. After buying a wallet, they would often pick up one or two necklaces as well, bringing Sister Li some business too.
Night fell. There were more and more people in the street. Locals were actually fewer in number. Most were visitors from other places, speaking dialects from all over, and even foreigners were bargaining with the vendors in awkward Chinese.
Business was good for Gu Xiang that night. By a little after eight, she had already sold half her stock. At this rate, she would be able to pack up early. Another group of young girls came over, looked around, and each bought a small wallet. After they left, Gu Xiang noticed that one wallet had somehow fallen into a puddle beneath the stall.
She crouched down and stretched out her arm to retrieve it. At that moment, two pairs of casual shoes appeared in her field of vision.
"Is this a little wallet? It's really interesting." A young woman's voice, bright with delight.
"Is it? Then buy one if you like it." A young man's answer, indifferent and careless.
Gu Xiang finally got hold of the fallen wallet and slowly crawled back out.
The woman said coquettishly, "Can't you tell? They're modeled after designer bags. What clever hands."
"Miss, you really have a sharp eye. These are all little wallets modeled after famous designer bags." Sister Li hurried to help make the sale. "Buy a few, miss. They're very cheap. The one in your hand is only fifty."
"Fifty?" the man said in mild surprise. "Isn't it just a small wallet?"
Cheapskate, Gu Xiang thought.
At last she wriggled out from under the stall, hair disheveled and sweat all over her. Standing on the opposite side was a dazzlingly attractive couple, obviously tourists from out of town. The woman had a slender figure, a full chest, permed hair, big eyes, and red lips. The man was tall and broad-shouldered, with fair skin and a pale blue shirt. He was holding one of the wallets and turning it over in his hand.
Gu Xiang awkwardly smoothed her hair. "Sir, it isn't expensive. These are all handmade, stitch by stitch. Labor alone costs money. Miss, the one you're holding is this year's new Chanel style. You really do have a good eye. There are new LV styles over here too."
"It really does look convincing," the girl said, shaking the man's arm. "What do you think?"
"They all look about the same to me." The man clearly could not tell one from another. "If you like it, then buy it."
Seeing an opening, Gu Xiang immediately pushed harder. "Why not take one Dior and one Chloe as well? You can switch between them later. I feel the two of you have a connection with me, so I'll give you twenty percent off. For all three bags, I'll charge only one hundred and twenty yuan. Miss, just look how worth it that is."
Hearing this, the man turned and swept a glance across Gu Xiang.
Then he froze and looked at her again.
Drifting Dust 4
Gu Xiang thought he still found it too expensive and quickly said, all earnestness, "How about this: we'll make it a round hundred. It really can't go any lower. Any cheaper and I'd be losing money. The two of you are visitors from out of town. We're making friends here, aren't we?"
She felt that her smile was already bright enough and her tone sincere enough, but the man only kept staring at her with a furrowed brow.
Embarrassed, Gu Xiang turned to the beautiful girl beside him instead. "Miss, other stalls do sell this sort of wallet too, but if you look closely, the workmanship on mine is much better. The color won't fade, the stitching won't come loose, and the zipper works very smoothly. And look here, you can keep paper money and coins in it. It's so practical..."
Jiang Anqi had originally been somewhat interested, but seeing Zhang Qirui's expression grow worse and worse, she tactfully shook her head. Money was not the issue. The trouble was that he might think she had no taste if she liked such cheap little things and make her lose face in public.
"Forget it. We're not buying anything." She tugged at Zhang Qirui's hand. "Brother Qirui, shall we go?"
"What?" Zhang Qirui seemed to come to himself only then, finally dragging his gaze away from Gu Xiang.
Women were always sensitive to this kind of thing. Only now did Jiang Anqi really look over the stall owner.
A woman in her twenties. Pale, thin, ordinary-looking, plainly dressed. No matter how she looked at her, she was not Zhang Qirui's type.
She relaxed. She had probably been overthinking it.
Seeing a perfectly good sale about to slip away, Gu Xiang hurried to salvage it. "Miss, how about eighty for all three? At that price you won't find anything cheaper anywhere. If you don't believe me, go ask around."
Jiang Anqi smiled apologetically and pulled Zhang Qirui away.
"Miss..."
"Forget it, Xiao Gu. There'll be more business," Sister Li said from the side, trying to comfort her.
Zhang Qirui seemed distracted. After being dragged along a few steps by his companion, he heard what Sister Li said and turned back to look at Gu Xiang once more. His gaze carried doubt and astonishment, and it made Gu Xiang pause as well. She found it all inexplicable.
"Do you know that man?" Sister Li leaned in and asked.
Gu Xiang thought about it and shook her head. "No. A face that handsome would be hard to forget if I'd seen it before."
"But the way he looked at you was strange."
Gu Xiang smiled. "Maybe he's never seen anyone slash prices like that before."
Her attention quickly returned to the little bag she had rescued earlier. It was a cloth one, so getting wet was not the problem. The trouble was that once it got dirty, it would be hard to wash clean. She wiped away the water with a pained expression, thinking that another twenty yuan had probably gone down the drain.
By a little after ten that night, the goods she had brought along had indeed sold out completely. Gu Xiang treated Sister Li to a bowl of liangfen, packed up the stall, and rode her bicycle home.
The neighborhood was still lively. The women gossiping beneath the grapevine trellis had not dispersed yet, and young couples were still hiding in the shadows whispering love words to each other. The moonlight was lovely, the autumn night breeze cool and fresh. It was exactly the kind of night made for romance.
As Gu Xiang rode past, she heard a young man say softly to his girlfriend, "You're not allowed to look at anyone else. You're my woman."
Her brows trembled faintly, and a distant, bitter smile rose to her face.