Ordinary World: Starting with a divorce from Tian Runye

Runye walked with a brisk pace all morning.

In the first class, she wrote the character for "trust" in "honesty and trustworthiness" as "heart" on the blackboard. When the little girl in the second row pointed it out, Runye was stunned for two seconds before she realized what she had done. She grabbed the blackboard eraser and scrubbed it hard for a long time, getting chalk dust all over her face.

In the second period, she had the students read the text aloud in unison. She stood by the window next to the podium, her gaze drifting through the window to the playground, lost in thought. She didn't stop the students after they finished reading; the classroom was silent for several seconds before she finally snapped out of her reverie and said, "Read it again."

During recess, she led her students in doing calisthenics on the playground. However, she was a beat slow and extended her right hand instead of her left when she should have. The PE teacher leading the exercises glanced at her several times.

Runye is usually very patient with her students; she'll even straighten anyone's red scarf if it's crooked. Today, a boy ran up to her saying his pencil was broken. She took a small knife out of her pencil case and handed it to him. The boy said, "Teacher, I don't know how to sharpen it." Runye glanced at him and said, "Figure it out yourself."

The boy stood there for a moment, then turned and left.

As soon as the school bell rang in the morning, Runye hurriedly returned to her office.

Several teachers were packing their things to go to the cafeteria.

"Runye, shall we go have dinner together?"

Runye was sitting at the table, head down, rummaging through her handbag, and didn't hear anything.

"Runye?"

"what?"

"Let's go eat."

"No, I have to go out in a bit."

After Runye finished speaking, she grabbed her handbag and walked out.

Without even eating, I hopped on my bicycle and rode towards the cultural center.

She was going to find Du Lili. Yes, she needed to talk to Du Lili first and clear things up. She would tell her that she had promised Li Xiangqian's mother, Liu Zhiying, that she couldn't leave Yuanxi for the time being. Li Xiangqian's behavior had been very abnormal lately, completely different from before; there was definitely something wrong, and she needed to keep a close eye on him.

Yes, that's what I'll say.

In the blink of an eye, the gate of the cultural center appeared in front of us.

Runye squeezed the brake.

The car stopped in front of the cultural center.

The scorching sun made people uneasy. The courtyard was quiet; even the cicadas were too lazy to chirp.

Runye looked at it for two seconds.

After thinking about it, I realized that my actions seemed a bit deliberate and abnormal. It made me seem like I was in a great hurry. I decided not to go in yet, but to go to the meat processing plant first, as I had promised to go buy meat from Xiangqian.

Yes, let's buy the meat first, then come back.

Runye turned the bike around and rode towards the meat processing plant.

The meat processing plant was located at the western end of the county town, not very close to the cultural center. It was a drab, single-story building with a sign that read "Former Xixian Meat Processing Plant Storefront" hanging at the entrance, where a swarm of greenbottle flies circled the greasy sign. Before you even reached the door, a strong smell of meat wafted over, and the cement floor in front of the entrance was stained with grease.

Runye propped her bicycle up at the door, waved her hand in front of her nose, and went inside.

The chef behind the counter was chopping ribs on a cutting board, the thumping sound making the enamel plates shake.

"Comrade, what kind of meat do you want?"

"Lean meat. One pound."

"You haven't lost much weight. How about this piece?"

The chef picked up a pork tenderloin, which was marbled with fat and lean meat, with less than half of it being lean.

Runye looked at it and frowned. Li Xiangqian said he wanted someone thinner.

"Is anyone else even thinner?"

The chef flipped the meat on the cutting board again and picked out a piece.

"This is it. Any thinner and it'll be just bones."

Runye nodded, took out the meat ration coupon and money, the master weighed them, wrapped them in straw paper and handed them over.

Runye took the meat, wrapped it in straw paper, and hung it on the handlebars.

Yes, carrying meat over would seem normal.

She got back on her bike and headed towards the cultural center.

As we sped along, the flesh on the handlebars was flung sideways by inertia and hung there.

Upon arriving at the cultural center's courtyard, the door to the studio was open, but no one was inside. Several sheets of manuscript paper lay spread out on the table, swaying in the wind as if ready to take flight at any moment.

Runye strolled to the entrance of the reading room, where Old Wu was dozing off at his desk, with a puddle of drool on the table.

Runye arrived at the business office.

When Sister Sun saw Runye come in, she was taken aback at first, then looked at the clock on the wall and then at Runye.

"Aunt Xiangqian, it's not time to get off work yet, why are you here so early?"

"I'm looking for Lili."

"Lily isn't here."

"Not here? Where did you go?"

"Oh dear, the entire Yuanxi County is busy with the preparations for the arrival of the high-level officials. The leaders will be arriving tomorrow, and the county has mobilized everyone it can. Lili and the other comrades went to the Yuanxi Hotel early this morning to set up the stage and set up the scenery."

Sister Sun shrugged.

"I wonder when I'll be able to stop being so busy."

Runye stood there, stunned.

She glanced outside the courtyard. It was empty, and the yellow earth in the courtyard was bleached white by the sun.

Everyone in Yuanxi County is probably at the Yuanxi Hotel. They're all busy. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go there myself; there will be too many people and too much attention.

Runye carried the meat and went back to school.

When she walked into the office, covered in sweat, several teachers were having a tea break after lunch. They were all taken aback when they saw her carrying something wrapped in straw paper.

Wang Guiqin put down the enamel mug, looking puzzled.

"You're in such a rush, not even eating, just to buy a piece of meat?"

Runye had just sat down and was feeling annoyed when she saw Wang Guiqin ask her this, so she could only force a smile.

"Hmm... It's so hot, I'm afraid the meat won't be fresh if we go too late."

Wang Guiqin glanced at the meat on her table.

"With so little meat, you think it'll stay fresh just by keeping it in the office?"

Runye rested her hand on her forehead, looking embarrassed.

Pretend not to hear.

Seeing this, Wang Guiqin pursed her lips and wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

……

an afternoon.

Runye didn't have any classes, so she sat in her office.

Her lesson plan was spread out in front of her, but her eyes kept glancing at the piece of meat beside her. The toilet paper was translucent from the seeping oil, and several greenbottle flies hovered around it. Runye waved her hand, shooing the flies away.

How come I never realized flies were so annoying before?

The flies that had just been driven away buzzed back and hovered around the meat a short while later.

Just as Runye was about to continue chasing them away, she suddenly saw several teachers walking into the office, chatting and laughing. She quickly pretended to pick up her lesson plan book and started flipping through it.

Why is time moving so slowly?

Runye looked up at the clock on the wall.

It's only 2:30.

She looked down and flipped through two more pages of her lesson preparation book.

Look up at the clock.

It's still 2:30.

Is this wall clock broken?

She closed and opened her lesson preparation notebook repeatedly.

I glanced at Zhong again.

2:40.

Runye slammed her lesson plan book on the table and took a deep breath.

挨。

Finally, school was over.

The bell rang, and Runye jumped up immediately. Grabbing the meat, she hurried out of the office to get her bike from the shed. Hanging the meat on the handlebars, several greenbottle flies, drawn by the smell, buzzed around her again. Runye held the handlebars with one hand and waved the flies away with the other, then mounted the bike and rode towards the cultural center.

When they arrived at the entrance of the cultural center, Runye paused for a moment outside the gate.

He started to have doubts again.

Now that Du Lili is picking up and dropping off Li Xiangqian, if I come here myself, I might feel like I'm offering my warm welcome to someone who doesn't reciprocate.

But then she thought again, she wasn't there to pick up Li Xiangqian. She was there to find Du Lili.

Just then, Sister Sun walked out of the yard with a handbag slung over her shoulder. She spotted Runye at a glance.

Sister Sun looked her up and down, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned up.

"I wonder what good fortune Li Xiangqian has accumulated to marry such a loving wife."

Runye's face flushed red and then paled.

"I...I'm here to see Lili."

Sister Sun smiled.

"It seems unfortunate today. Taking over the task from the Higher Office is the most pressing matter for Yuanxi County right now, and I don't know how long they'll be busy. You should go back first; it'll probably be a while before they finish."

Runye opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Sister Sun adjusted her handbag strap, nodded to her, and left.

Runye stood alone at the entrance of the cultural center.

She glanced into the courtyard again. The doors to the three cave dwellings were locked tight, and there wasn't a soul in sight. The leaves of the old locust tree were curled up and drooping in the sun.

Runye got on her bike and rode back to the family compound.

The pork hanging on the handlebars was soaked with oil, and flies wouldn't leave.

Even in the evening, the heat in Yuanxi County was still intense.

Runye pedaled her bike, cursing inwardly.

It's all Li Xiangqian's fault.