YYMM - Summary (cont.)

Posted By: Ai My (203.101.39.14)
Date: Tuesday, 23 January 2001, at 9:40 p.m.

Dear All,

Sorry, only one chapter today because I am sooo.. busy.

THE DIVIDED RIVER - An extract (cont.)

On a rainy late afternoon, YiPing walked under the rain to her father’s house. Her heart and mind were depleted, she counted her steps slowly and really felt the loneliness than ever. Over a month, she did not know how it went and how had she coped without Shu Han. Shu Han, that name sounded so far away since her heart had gone with it. Walked through the gates, YiPing could see the lights through the glass windows and the noise of many people from the lounge room. What occasion could it be since the Lu’s family had nothing much to celebrate for a long time? May be MoPing had returned from the hospital ? Passed through the front garden, YiPing suddenly felt the same way as she did on the day she first met Shu Han, the only difference would be that day was in winter and now, it’s closer to the end of summer. Only more than half of year gone by but there were too many changes, in and out of love, YiPing could not believe she underwent that much in such a short time of her life.

YiPing walked into the lounge room, the sight at the lounge room…..YiPing immediately stopped and felt dizzy at once! Was it just a dream? she had to lean on the wall to keep herself together and gazed at the crowd. Shu Han sat together with RuPing, hand in hand, they talked and laughed loudly. RuPing’s face shined with happiness and confidence. And Shu Han ? YiPing tried to control the beating of her heart and turned her eyes to Shu Han, his smile stopped when their eyes met…..But in only a minute, it came back contemptuously……he looked pale but always smiled…He held RuPing’s hand and waved at YiPing "Ah, YiPing, long time no see, are you well?" His voice callously sounded like a stranger, YiPing felt a chill went through her body and weakened all her bones, she had to sit down to prevent herself from falling over and tried to keep her eyes open and glimpsed around. Aunt Xue, Ah Kuet and Ah Hao were all sitting at the lounge and looking at her with a derisived smile on their face, only her father and MoPing were not around. YiPing tried not to show her pain, she tempted to form a smile but unable to, her throat was so dry, eyes were blurry and every limb on her body was paralysed. Surprisingly, she heard herself answered Shu Han "Yes…yes…long time no….see" Ah Hao gave her a provocative smile "YiPing, have you heard that Shu Han and RuPing will get engaged very shortly ? Don’t you think they’re really a perfect match?" Ah Hao’s words had exploded YiPing’s head, she leaned backward to the lounge and looked at Shu Han and RuPing. RuPing’s face blushed with that panic look on her face, she only glanced at YiPing then quickly turned away. Shu Han held RuPing hand closer and looked at YiPing with a big smile "Ah Hao have told you about our good news, aren’t you happy for us ?" YiPing wanted to say some thing but her tonge went numbed on her, those words of Shu Han from that night still roaring clearly in her mind "Remember, you’ll be paying for what you did to me. Just wait and see what really is *An eye for an eye*, I’ll pay you back…I’ll pay you back…." Yes, this is Shu Han’s revenge, he did it triumphantly. Cruel, very cruel!
YiPing sat there paralysing under their laughters, Aunt Xue looked at her facetiously "Oh, What’s wrong with you ? YiPing, are you not well?" YiPing bit her lips really hard, it helped her to move her mind back and answered Aunt Xue "No…nothing. I’m well…very well." Aunt Xue continued "That’s good. YiPing, there was one time I thought Shu Han and you were….haha…but what God had decided, no one can change it, don’t you think?" YiPing bit her lips again, every single one there was her enemy, they’re all wanted to crush her. She had been defeated, serverely defeated! Ah Hao continued with his final shot "YiPing, can you do us a favour? Shu Han and RuPing shall have their wedding in October, we’re all thought that you are the most suitable to be a bridemaid, would you accept the honour?". "Yes" YiPing quickly answered, her veins were all stretched to their limits, she knew she had to leave there as quickly as she could before fainting. With all her final energy, YiPing stood up and said very quickly "I would love to have that honour. My congratulations to the bride and groom to be". Then YiPing walked hastily out of the lounge room.

RuPing called after her when YiPing reached half way of the front garden, under the rain, YiPing slowly turned around and listened to RuPing "YiPing, please do not get mad at me. I know you’re still very much in love with Shu Han" YiPing felt the bursting of a volcano inside her, she said loudly "Don’t be silly, I have nothing to do with him." RuPing continued "YiPing, I know you are still in love with Shu Han and very angry with me, but I just want to let you know that I did not intend to snatch your lover…It just that …he was so… sincere to me when he asked for my hands…so..I could not…I…was not able to refuse him. YiPing, I hope you can take it and we’re still sisters." YiPing could not stand it any longer, she yelled out "Don’t worry. I am not sad at all. I’ll not pay attention to any of you." To that, she ran off under the rain. At the gates, YiPing felt the rain pouring sharply on her face and her body and the pain…just liked that night…when her father beaten her up and she ran outside… No, it’s so much deeper and unbearable….Her head was nearly exploded, she went all the way but still came back to that starting point. She failed miserably. Ha Shu Han. She called his name in despair, "Ha Shu Han. I hate you!"

YiPing walked tremblingly on the street, not knowing where to go. Her whole body was soaking wet with rain water and her head was fully inflamed. She had to find a place to sit down and cry. YiPing walked on a bus without looking at the bus destination, does it matter ? No, nothing matters any more. The bus kept on moving and YiPing was seating there liked a fzozen zombie. Finally, she had to get off because the bus reached its final destination. "Sun Moon Lake", YiPing looked at the sign at the bus stop and said it herself, she kept walking under the rain, passed a bridge and stopped at the brink of the lake. YiPing sat down next to a large rock and looked out to the water, very dark and very cold. Her body was shaking but her head was still boiling. Ha Shu Han, he has gone into another girl’s arms, the daughter of her enemy, Aunt Xue. Shu Han, he had suceeded in his vengeance! Shu Han, why could he be so cruel ? Her mother’s visit, her letter… and he did not even care, not to the least. But she still loved him. "Shu Han, I hate you and I love you". She leaned her head on the rock and cried, why is it so hard to love and not able to love ? She is now savouring the other side of love, bit by bit, painfully and miserably.

There was some one walking towards her, YiPing tried to open her eyes and looked up but she could only see the silhouette of a man. He sat down at another rock not far away from her and looked out to the lake. So, there was still one liked her in this world, probably also been beaten badly by love. YiPing smiled in silence then she felt like singing, she suddenly remembered a song Shu Han used to sing to her, she started singing, every words from the song absorbed in the rain and in her tears, she covered her face with both hands and cried when the song finished. The sound of some one’s steps stopped her, she looked up and saw that man again, he looked quite familiar in the rain coat but she could not remember. He bent down and looked at her face, she tried to say some thing but unable to. He held her hand, his hand was so warm whilst hers was freezing. At least, YiPing knew that he was not a ghost, a ghost would not have such a warm hand. He said some thing YiPing could not understand. Then he pulled her up and walked back to the bridge, YiPing had no idea but followed him, yes, she could follow him even to hell, would it make any different ?But her feet did not obey her again, those quivering steps nearly put her down on the ground, the man had to put his arm around her and dragged her along as if he was carrying her. On the bridge, a run of strong wind had waken her up a bit, she pushed him away and ran to the rail of the bridge, the man ran after her and held her arm tightly, silly man, he probably thought she wanted to jump into the lake, she smiled and turned to him said "Don’t worry, I’ll not jump down. The Lu’s children would never do such a thing". YiPing looked at the water beneath then asked him if he remembered the verse of a famous poem,

"Get a knife to cut water,
it’ll flow stronger.
To get drunk to forget sadness,
it’ll get even more grievous"

then she asked him where would they go, could they go to get drunk ?

"Call a little servant to fetch the fine wine,
You and I to swallow the pain away."

She laughed and held his hand to walk over the bridge. Back on the street, the street lights and car lights were mixing up in front of her, YiPing could not see clearly any more. The man said some thing she could not hear clearly but she still laughed and continued to read the poems. Then YiPing was dragged onto a taxi, she tried to open her eyes; the man’s face looked so familiar, those dark eyes flashing with the lights….she shook her head and asked him "Who are you?" then she fell over in darkness.

....to be continued...

Enjoy,
Ai My