Tattooed Whales

2006, Autumn.

The holidays flew past, and Li Jiu Lu finally became a third-year student after much anticipation.

On the first day of school, Jiu Lu sat at the dining table and ate her breakfast quickly. Walking out of the kitchen, Jiang Man served her another plate of fried eggs. Jiu Lu glanced briefly at the plate and stopped eating. “Mom, I’m full.”

“How filling can an egg be? It can’t take up that much space in your stomach, you’ll have to eat even if you’re full.”

Jiang Man took off her apron, sat down and started eating. “Have lunch at home later then, I’ll make your favourites.”

“It’s fine, there’s a canteen at school.”

“Food from school isn’t delicious.”

“It is.” Jiu Lu tried to dissuade her mother and used a reason that even she herself didn’t believe in. “I’ve always ate in the canteen. Besides, by having lunch with classmates, I can discuss homework with them. If there’s any questions, I can ask them too.”

This reason appealed greatly to Jiang Man and she softened immediately. She patted Jiu Lu’s hair from across the table and finally nodded. Jiu Lu then took a bite of the eggs; it was fried perfectly, the edges of the whites were crispy but the inner yolk and white surrounding were still soft and runny.

“Are you very close with that Ma Xiao Ye?” Jiang Man asked carefully as she lowered her head.

Li Jiu Lu’s warning bells rang, but she instantly shook her head. With a strict expression, Jiang Man put down her chopsticks and lectured firmly, “You’re no longer in middle school nor the first few years of high school. There’s still approximately a year left till your admission examinations. As your mom, I need to remind you that you should prioritise your studies, we’re aiming for university after all. There’s also differences between males and females, be aware of your words and actions, don’t be so friendly, do you hear me?”

Li Jiu Lu’s face alternated between shades of red and white. Poking her arm, Jiang Man’s tone became stricter as she asked, “Are you listening? I’m asking a question.”

“I know.”

Finally satisfied, Jiang Man raised her head. “Then eat.”

Suddenly, Zhou Ke walked out from the master bedroom. Wearing a black suit, he exuded an aura of refinement. He walked up to Jiang Man, lowered his body and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Jiu Lu lowered her eyes immediately and the eggs in her mouth no longer felt as tasty.

“Going out?” Jiang Man asked.

“I’m meeting Chen Rui to discuss something.”

Standing up, Jiang Man helped readjust his necktie and dusted off lint on his collar. “Had breakfast yet?”

“It’s fine, there’s no time to eat anyways.” Looping his arm around Jiang Man’s waist, Zhou Ke brought her slightly closer towards him. It wasn’t very affectionate, but it made him seemed especially gentle and loving. He then noticed Jiu Lu sitting nearby and smiled. “Lu Lu is going to school? I can give you a ride since it’s on the way.”

Li Jiu Lu immediately declined. “No need for trouble, Uncle. You’re busy, you need to take better care of your health. I can go on my own.”

She nodded her head politely and tried her best to smile comfortably in an effort to appear relaxed and natural when interacting with Zhou Ke.

Sometimes, Jiu Lu knew exactly how to behave to please adults. In response to Jiu Lu’s words, Jiang Man smiled and gave her a look of pride. Reassured, Zhou Ke left behind a few reminders and drove off to work. Jiu Lu’s sight unconsciously followed behind Zhou Ke. After a while, she turned her head, finished the eggs, notified Jiang Man and left too.

After the black metals gates that stood three meters tall were closed, Jiu Lu took a few steps and turned her head. The old run down house was enclosed tightly within the walls and it gave off an impression of a prison.

Jiu Lu took a breath of air and went off, her footsteps comparably lighter than before.

Round the corner, Ma Xiao Ye, who was frustrated from waiting rang his bell loudly after finally seeing Jiu Lu. “Girls really are troublesome.” Li Jiu Lu shrugged her shoulder apologetically and hopped onto his bicycle’s backseat.

“Sit properly.” He said.

The bicycle flew off in an instant. Having rained the night before, the air was slightly cold. The first rays of the morning sun reflected off the roofs of houses and shone on his back. A few strands of Jiu Lu’s hair brushed past her face as she focused on the back of the person sitting in front of her.

They maneuvered swiftly past the cramped back-alleys1; bounded by concrete houses with grey tiled roofs, the walls, having been subjected to years of weather, gained stains in the shapes of spots as weeds grew out from cracks in the walls and roofs. Above, the cables from transmission towers intersected in criss-crosses, almost as if there was a messy netting that covered the skies.

The streets had hundreds of years of history; everything here was marked by the passing of time. Situated away from the frenzy of urban life, people lived leisurely here; strolling about freely with birds, enjoying songs and eating slowly. The pace of living was so easy-going it was enviable.

Ma Xiao Ye turned his head slightly. “You’re late today, your mom nagged at you again? What did she say?”

“She asked me to be obedient.”
“Just that?” Doubtful, Ma Xiao Ye raised his voice.

After thinking for a while, Li Jiu Lu replied: “She asked me to stay away from you.”

The bicycle came to a sudden stop and her shoulder knocked onto his back. Using his leg to stabilise the bicycle, he turned around. “You’ll listen to your mom?”

Without his back to block out the sunlight, Li Jiu Lu strained her eyes slightly as she shook her head gently.

Patting her hair, Ma Xiao Ye grinned. “That’s better.”

The bicycle took off again, but someone called for Ma Xiao Ye as they passed by a breakfast stand.

“Ma Xiao Ye, surely you enjoyed the summer vacation?” It was two girls from the next class.

The bicycle stopped again as he replied them. “Of course, what about you guys?”

“We did homework. We’re not as smart as you.”

“Stop joking, your results say otherwise. They changed the teachers in our class, did you know?”

“I know.” The girl with braids jumped. “The math teacher is my grandfather’s student. Liu-something, I forgot. But he’s balding2.”

“Liu Xian Min? He’s infamous; whoever sits in the front rows is going to be very unlucky.”

“He spits?”
“No, his breath stinks.” Hearing that, the trio laughed.

Ma Xiao Ye was familiar with the two girls and chatted eagerly with them. After seeing that they were reaching school, he gestured for Jiu Lu to get off, and starting pushing his bicycle.

Li Jiu Lu stood to his left and walked silently as the duo of girls cosied up to him on his right, chattering non-stop, both as happy as a lark. Seemingly isolated from the border of their world, she looked to the skies and sighed discreetly.

Today was the first official day of school. When they reached class, nearing half of the students had already reached. The seats were re-assigned, which followed the seating plan for their examinations last term.

Li Jiu Lu entered from the back and took her seat at the back of the class beside the windows. Ma Xiao Ye however, entered class boisterously from the front, which riled up a bunch of people. A few boys greeted him, and just as he sat on his chair, a group of girls had already begun crowding around him.

Ma Xiao Ye sat in the middle of class, and like a decorated moon, he was always bright, dazzling and easily commanded the attention of everyone.

Jiu Lu averted her eyes and focused elsewhere, no longer looking at him.

After a while, a commotion began in front and the noise and chatter in the classroom came to a stillstop.

Jiu Lu directed her sight to the source of commotion. A girl in a mini-skirt and cropped singlet stood beside Ma Xiao Ye, her backpack slingling off her shoulder, spotting a short head of fluffy hair. She appeared to be very arrogant.

The girl then kicked a chair. “Holding a fan-meeting? If you want to idolise him, do it outside.”

The girl was called Mo Ke Yan, a temporary transfer student. Her father was a famed architect who was currently participating in the design of a newly constructed building for the town. The family was previously living in another city, but had moved to stay here for the while being. Mo Ke Yan would only be studying here for a few months before transferring back to her original school after the project ends.

She attracted everyone’s attention the moment she arrived. After all, a girl from the city, the way she dressed, spoke and acted, it all seemed like she was better than the girls in this town.

The girls were embarrassed and yet irked by what she said, but only a girl voiced out. “Who’re you talking about?”

“You.” She replied rudely and threw her bag on the desk. “Make way.”

“…… Don’t push me.”

Mo Ke Yan glared. “So what if I push you?”

Not only was her behaviour arrogant, but her style was bold too, she seemed like the type that wouldn’t back down from a fight. However, she did have a very exquisite face, and though it was unsure if it was because of her clothes, but when compared to other girls her age, her figure seemed especially lithesome.

The girls that were planning to respond to her remarks earlier on bit their lips, looked at one another and reluctantly walked away. She then pulled out her chair and sat beside Ma Xiao Ye.

Taking out his books, Ma Xiao Ye teased: “So fierce?”

She clicked her tongue.

“I’m Ma Ye, what’s your name?”

Jiu Lu could not hear their conversation, but she noticed Ma Xiao Ye’s slight smirk. Though she wasn’t one to care about how he viewed her, she realised now that Ma Ye had viewed the girl admirably.

Sliding open the windows, Li Jiu Lu had an bad feeling as the stifling wind blew on her face.

This sense of unease persisted for a few days and Jiu Lu couldn’t bring herself to focus.

The frantic days of her final year in high school began in a blur. When she finally found her rhythm, three months had already passed.

As she prepared to return home after school with Ma Xiao Ye, he came out looking irritated. He probably got into another argument with Mo Ke Yan, and could not help but vent to Li Jiu Lu about it.

After walking a distance from school, he said, “I’ve never seen a girl like my tablemate before. First, she’s overbearing, then, she’s fierce, there’s really no sense of gentleness from her at all……”

With her hands behind her back, Li Jiu Lu secretly kept count of the number of times Ma Xiao Ye mentioned Mo Ke Yan. It was already the fourth time. And somehow, the term ‘tablemate’ gave off a weird sense of endearment.

Having realised that Jiu Lu was quiet, Ma Xiao Ye turned back. “What’s wrong?”

She didn’t speak for a while. “Ma Ye Ge,” being direct, she asked, “Do you like Mo Ke Yan?” Ma Xiao Ye was stunned by her words, but immediately denied. “How can it be? Don’t you know who I like?” He patted her hair and teased, “are you, perhaps, jealous?”

“No.”

Ma Xiao Ye pinched her cheeks lightly. “How is it possible for me to like a person like her?”

“A person like her?”

At a loss for what to say, Ma Xiao Ye kept silent for a while. “I don’t know, why’re we talking about her?” Taking the opportunity, he changed the topic. “Oh yeah, let’s eat beef meatballs at Bai Hua Street.”

“My mom asked me to return earlier.”
He held her hand: “I’ll give you a ride home after we eat. How late can it be?”

“I’ll be scolded if I’m late.”

“I promise.”

“Then cycle a little faster later.” Li Jiu Lu answered unwillingly.

“Don’t worry.”

The wind blew comfortably as the sun set.

“Is it Wednesday tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s swim in the afternoon?”

“Not eating lunch?”

“Eat a little more for breakfast then.” Ma Xiao Ye then added, “It’ll open at twelve thirty in the afternoon.”