The Splendour of Spring

Huang Tongtong

Flower City Press

January 2023

59.80 （CNY）

“Well， this is the most precious gift those countrymen can think of.” Director Zhou said while eating the stew in the evening， “The hen was a little too old， but the flavor is pretty good.” Director Zhou is Wang Feng’s mother， the office director of the College of Education and the daughter of the former director of the Education Bureau. Had he not married Director Zhou， Chief Wang would have been assigned to be a teacher in the mountains， just like Huang Ying’s father. And had he summarily married a country girl， he would have been stuck in that small school in the mountain for the rest of his life -- just like his college classmate Huang Shuren. The last time Commissioner Wang went to see him， he was so weather-beaten and skinny that his old classmates ended up not recognizing him. Eight days out of ten， he would be drunk， and his manners and bearings had completely turned into those of an autochthonous mountain peasant， leaving not a single trace of his once youthful vigor. Chief Wang had offered to transfer him somewhere out of the mountain， yet he was reluctant， saying he was used to it. Later， he became so secluded that he didn’t even want to set foot out of the mountain， not even on the important occasion concerning his daughter applying for high school， just letting Huang Ying’s mother handle it.

It was the first time Wang Feng and Huang Ying met in their lives， and everyone was a bit at a loss and embarrassed. In the few minutes， they waited for Wang Feng’s father. Both of them felt that the time was incredibly prolonged， and Huang Ying was especially flustered. Her hair was yellow and soggy on her forehead， and she didn’t know where to set her eyes. Wang Feng， seeing her and their mud-plastered shoes， took pity on them and pointed her finger at the shoe cabinet in the hallway， gently reminding them to change shoes， “Come in， my mother just wiped the floor， and slippers are over there.”

“No， thank you. We’re good. No need to get the floor dirty. Just wanted to express our thanks to Chief Wang.” The middle-aged woman was sharp-eyed and caught sight of Chief Wang， who was buttoning his shirt in the living room， “I am Huang Shuren’s wife. We are grateful to Chief Wang for helping Huang Ying transfer to the school， even into an honors class. She will definitely study hard and live up to Uncle Wang’s trust.” After reciting these polite phrases， the middle-aged woman relieved a bit and quickly grabbed the hen from Huang Ying’s hand， put the two net pockets down against the wall in the door， and pulled her daughter over to greet， “Huang Ying， this is your Uncle Wang. This is your elder sister Wang Feng， whom you met when you were kids. You two will be in the same class. You shall ask Wang Feng for help when in trouble. She already studied in No. 1 Middle School for junior high.”

The girl’s mouth was mumbling， her voice thin， and it was unclear if she was greeting.

“Elder sister？ Who is your elder sister？” Wang Feng， being fifteen years old， utterly detested being called elder sister. She leaned by her father’s side， turned her face away， and rolled her eyes where nobody could see. When her father talked to the woman， she kicked the net pockets at her feet with hatred and force. The old hen， frightened， jerked upwards in the net pocket， and the momentum of the action， together with the slippery tiles， sent it gliding halfway across the living room.

Huang Tongtong

Huang Tongtong， a senior media editor and journalist from Hunan， is known as “the writer who understands women’s hearts most.” She has published 14 books so far， and The Splendour of Spring is her first collection of short stories.