Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 110

Spring Blossoms (1)

　　Feng Jie started checking her watch repeatedly from 4:00 PM. There were still two hours before she could leave work. Military discipline and self-regulation prevented her from leaving early, but even if she did get off work, what could she do?

　　Her daughter was grown and no longer clung to her like she did when she was little. Returning to that cold “home” held no joy. The boring work and the monotonous life made Feng Jie feel truly stifled, as if a massive weight was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. She felt like a trapped wild animal, pacing in circles, except her prison wasn’t made of steel bars, but of the constraints of life.

　　Feng Jie wandered back and forth on the “Military Arts” campus, killing time. Watching the young female cadets, some only thirteen or fourteen years old, in their crisp military uniforms, they were more than just pretty.

　　The bloom of youth—where had her own gone? Feng Jie repeatedly asked herself. Her youth was gone forever, and what saddened her most was that there had been almost no laughter or joy in her prime.

　　Finally, six o’clock arrived, and Feng Jie listlessly walked towards the school gate. Feng Yun had borrowed her car at noon, and she was considering whether to take a taxi home or squeeze onto a public bus. The school gate was a military no-parking zone. Feng Jie had only walked four or five meters along the roadside when a black Benz SL500 sports car pulled up beside her. The passenger-side window rolled down, revealing a neatly dressed young man with black-rimmed glasses. He wore a kind smile, which made him seem even more refined. “Auntie Feng.”

　　”Longtao?” Besides being surprised, Feng Jie suddenly felt her legs weaken a bit. “What are you doing here?”

　　”I just finished a business meeting and was passing by. Where are you headed? Let me give you a ride.” As Hou Longtao spoke, he leaned over and opened the car door from the inside.

　　”No… no need,” Feng Jie looked around aimlessly, avoiding eye contact with the man. “I’ll just grab a taxi.”

　　”Why bother? It’s no trouble for me to give you a ride,” Hou Longtao waved impatiently. “This is a military no-parking zone, so hurry and get in.”

　　”Sigh…” Feng Jie sighed, seemingly forced, but her movements as she opened the door and got into the car were quite swift.

　　The SL500 weaved through the traffic. The atmosphere in the car was noticeably awkward. Neither of them spoke. They both knew what had happened between them, but they hadn’t addressed it directly. Feng Jie felt her face must be flushed. She tried to control her breathing, not wanting him to notice her nervousness. To ease her anxiety, she took off her military cap and fiddled with it in her lap.

　　It was rush hour, and they were in the Zhongguancun area [a technology hub in Beijing]. The Benz had already started inching along, caught in Beijing’s congested traffic.

　　”Auntie Feng,” Hou Longtao broke the silence. “About that night…”

　　”Don’t… don’t mention it,” Feng Jie’s voice was tinged with fear and even more with shame.

　　”Let bygones be bygones. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

　　”Yes, you’re right. Let’s start fresh,” Hou Longtao glanced sideways at the woman. Her head was turned towards the window, and the glass reflected her beautiful face, flushed with embarrassment. “Can I call you ‘elder sister’ from now on?”

　　”What?”

　　”Yuqian and I are no longer together,” Hou Longtao said, sounding a bit sad. “Although age-wise, calling you ‘auntie’ wouldn’t be wrong, it just feels awkward, visually.”

　　”Call me whatever you want.” Feng Jie was in no mood to discuss titles with the man. Her mind was almost blank, and her palms were sweaty. She hadn’t felt this nervous even when meeting Yuqian’s father for the first time, a meeting arranged by her family.

　　”Sis, let’s have dinner out tonight.”

　　Feng Jie’s body jolted. Hou Longtao’s right hand reached over and placed it on her left thigh, actually inserting it between her slightly parted legs. His palm pressed against her inner thigh, his thumb close to her private area.

　　”How could he do this? It’s outrageous,” Feng Jie thought. Although she didn’t push his hand away, she inwardly blamed his brazen behavior. She never considered resisting, only weakly said, “Don’t do that.”

　　”Let’s have dinner together.”

　　”Don’t… don’t do that.”

　　”Is that a yes?” Hou Longtao moved his thumb, casually rubbing her through her military pants.

　　”Okay, okay, I’ll go with you.” It was the first time Feng Jie had been teased like this. She felt like a middle school girl, not knowing how to deal with the advances, especially since she didn’t really want to refuse this rogue.

　　”Chinese or Western food?”

　　”Don’t do that.” Feng Jie’s hat fell onto her lap. She covered her crotch with her hands, turned her head to the side, and closed her eyes tightly, looking resigned.

　　This pitiful expression was very attractive to Hou Longtao. His right hand kept stroking her leg, from the inside of her knee to the inside of her thigh, and back again. He wasn’t afraid she would get angry. He had a good understanding of her personality and intentions. As long as he didn’t push too far, she would definitely give in, albeit reluctantly. “If you don’t have a preference, I’ll pick the place.”

　　”Whatever…” Feng Jie barely made a sound. She kept telling herself that nothing was really happening, that the man’s behavior was just a friendly gesture, and she shouldn’t overthink it. Although her thoughts and defensive actions didn’t match, in her mind, everything was normal.

　　Hou Longtao drove the Benz off the Third Ring Road [a major highway encircling Beijing] and parked in the parking lot below the CCTV Tower [China Central Television headquarters, a famous landmark]. “I heard the restaurant at the top is pretty good. Let’s go up and see the lights of Beijing.”

　　Feng Jie not only didn’t answer, but she didn’t even move. Her thoughts were wandering somewhere else, or maybe she had no thoughts at all. She just stared blankly out the window.

　　”Sis.” Hou Longtao unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

　　”Ah!” Feng Jie shuddered again, turning her head to look at the man in alarm.

　　The past was clear, but she still had to bring it up herself.

　　”Sigh…” Feng Jie sighed. Someone who was so dissatisfied with reality could easily be drawn into talking about their past. “Back in ’78, when I was twenty, the Central Ballet Troupe wanted to transfer me there. If I had stayed there for a few years, I definitely would have become a special-class performer. But that was the year the Military Arts Academy was re-established. Actually, I was already a bit old at the time, but because there was a shortage of talent, and no one could carry the main roles in performances, I was still recruited, as a student to mentor the younger ones.”

　　”That’s so unfair. It ruined you.”

　　Feng Jie looked at the man gratefully. “It wasn’t really a loss at the time. My family was originally in the military, and I’m a soldier. It’s my duty to obey the organization’s assignments and contribute to the military’s development. Besides, if I stayed at the Military Arts Academy for a few years, I could still go to the Central Ballet. Ballet doesn’t have strict age requirements.”

　　”What happened later?”

　　”Have you heard of ‘Color Swans’?”

　　”No.”

　　”In the late eighties and early nineties, the ballet department of the Military Arts Academy often had overseas performance assignments. Many foreign tycoons and their sons would come to watch because the ‘swans’ of the Military Arts Academy had long been famous for their beauty. As soon as the performance ended, the actors’ exit was like a luxury car exhibition. Most of the performers would be invited out to dinner, and guess what? Seven or eight out of ten couldn’t resist the temptation of a luxurious life and married abroad. The remaining ones who stubbornly adhered to their artistic beliefs and military dignity were called ‘Color Swans’.”

　　Hou Longtao didn’t know these things before, which piqued his interest. “Weren’t you no longer dancing at that time?”

　　”Yes.”

　　”Then what does it have to do with you?”

　　”Although they were more than one or two generations younger than me, I really envied those ‘Color Swans’. I gave up my artistic beliefs, I gave up my artistic career.” Feng Jie looked at the night sky outside the window, her expression revealing infinite longing, as if she had returned to more than twenty years ago. “I had only been at the Military Arts Academy for less than two months when we were invited to participate in a military-police gala performance. Many police officers and military officers attended, both local and from out of town.”

　　”Your in-laws were among them?”

　　”My father-in-law and his son,” Feng Jie shook her head helplessly. “Everything was predestined. Not two days later, my second uncle personally came to Beijing from Wuhan [a major city in China] to propose the marriage. At first, I didn’t take it seriously. I just met Zhang Guoxun, my husband, once. Actually, I could tell he wasn’t particularly interested in me…”

　　”He must have been out of his mind.”

　　”Heh heh,” Feng Jie gave a bitter laugh. She didn’t mind the other party belittling her husband at all. “Our personalities were completely incompatible, but in that era, there weren’t as many pursuits or as open-minded ideas as you young people have now. Although I didn’t love him, I didn’t hate him either. Plus, both families did their best to make it happen, and we got married in less than half a year. It was completely a political investment. At that time, neither family’s capital was abundant, but both had an upward trend. Heh heh, are you tired of listening?”

　　”No, I like listening to you talk. Your voice is very nice.”

　　Hou Longtao reached out and held her hand. “Even if you got married, you didn’t have to stop dancing.”

　　Feng Jie’s face darkened, and she pulled her hand back from his grasp. “Is ballet beautiful?”

　　”Huh? Yes… beautiful.” Hou Longtao had been dragged by Ru Yan and the others to see several ballet performances. Although it wasn’t particularly to his taste, he had persevered because the performers were pretty and the skirts were short.

　　”What’s beautiful? The dance itself or the thighs?”

　　”Um…” Hou Longtao didn’t expect her to say what he was thinking.

　　”Ballet was invented for men to admire women’s thighs. I’ve heard this saying more than ten or twenty times, but that’s art. The Zhang family doesn’t understand art at all. They only knew that their daughter-in-law couldn’t show her face like that anymore. I got married, I got pregnant, I entered the Zhang family, and I had to follow the Zhang family’s rules. I gave up my artistic career and started doing boring administrative work at the Military Arts Academy.” Two tears welled up in Feng Jie’s eyes.

　　Although Hou Longtao had an idea, he still felt sorry for her when he heard her tell her story in such detail. “You’re not that old yet. You can start doing some of the things you want to do now.”

　　”I’m almost forty-six. I’m an old woman. What can I do?”

　　”Now, people in their thirties and forties are still considered young adults. People in their fifties and sixties are middle-aged.”

　　”Heh heh heh,” Feng Jie laughed at his words. “There’s no such thing.”

　　”I’m serious,” Hou Longtao said, deliberately dropping the spoon in his hand on the floor. Then, he bent down to pick it up, lifted the tablecloth, grabbed her right foot against the wall, took off her black high-heeled shoe, pulled her foot in flesh-colored stockings to his crotch, placed it on his chair, and gently kneaded it with his left hand. “You gave your youth to the Zhang family. It’s time to find some happiness for yourself.”

　　The man’s actions were sudden and seamless. Feng Jie had no chance to resist. Fortunately, the tablecloth here was particularly long and the table was low, so others couldn’t see what was happening under the table. “What are you doing? Don’t do that…” She protested softly, but took no real action.

　　Hou Longtao gently rubbed her soft feet. “You like to dance, so dance. If you can’t perform, you can teach students. Maybe your movements are rusty, but I know your vision and your awareness will never fade. I’m willing to be your audience, even if I’m the only one.”

　　”I…”

　　”You like me, so let’s have sex,” Hou Longtao also reached his right hand under the tablecloth, unzipped his pants, took out his penis, and rubbed the head of it against her sole. “Maybe you think you’re old, but I think you’re both mature and sexy. Although I was drunk last time, if your body wasn’t attractive, I believe I would have noticed that you weren’t Yuqian. Sis, I’m not like your husband, who doesn’t know a good thing when he sees it. I know who’s a good woman. Sis, let me hold you in my arms and love you. I want to fill your future days with happiness.”

　　Feng Jie was touched. She never thought the man would express his desire for her so directly. She had never heard such sweet words. She never expected the other party to take out his genitals in public and rub them against her body. A heat wave traveled from the soles of her feet to the top of her head through her stockings, almost making her faint. She was now speechless.

　　”Sis, I want to insert this into your body from behind,” Hou Longtao tore a hole in the stocking on her sole with his fingernails, inserted his penis through it, and felt the heat of her soft sole. “Sister, let’s have sex. I want you.”

　　Feng Jie shuddered. She felt her vagina rapidly secreting fluids. She could hardly control the primal call of her body. She liked this man, this shameless man, but her strong traditional values still couldn’t accept an extramarital affair. She suddenly pulled her foot back, put on her shoes, and got up to leave. “Longtao, I… I can’t.”

　　Hou Longtao didn’t expect things to turn so suddenly. He quickly put his penis away. Although he wanted to chase after her, his “little brother” was still erect, so he couldn’t walk like that. It took him more than two minutes to get his body back to “normal,” and then he waited for an elevator. “Damn it, looks like it’ll have to be another day.”

　　But when he arrived at the parking lot, Feng Jie was waiting next to the SL500.

　　”Sis, you…?”

　　”I… my hat is still in your car.” Feng Jie had no other thoughts. She only knew that she couldn’t go home without her hat. This reason was too good, so good that she could believe it herself: “It’s not that I don’t want to leave, it’s that I can’t leave.”

　　Hou Longtao opened the car door and took out the military cap. He was overjoyed. This woman clearly wanted it but was afraid, embarrassed, and unable to convince herself. She was subconsciously creating opportunities for herself. “Sis, get in the car. I’ll take you.”

　　”You’re not allowed to mention those things again.”

　　”I won’t.”

　　”He promised not to mention it, so I have no reason not to let him take me,” Feng Jie told herself this, bent down, and got into the car.

　　”Sis, how old is your son this year?” Hou Longtao was hearing Feng Jie’s history for the second time today, but because he hadn’t paid much attention the first time he met Feng Yun, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

　　”Qiang? He should be twenty-four.”

　　”Twenty-four!?” Hou Longtao almost died of anger. He had called him “Brother Qiang” so many times. He had really suffered a big loss. “Then how could he be a classmate of Tian Donghua? Tian Donghua is already twenty-seven.”

　　”Oh, Donghua was originally in the countryside and didn’t start school until he was eight. Then, transferring schools delayed him for another year,” Feng Jie was willing to talk about these non-sensitive topics, both chatting with her sweetheart and not making herself nervous. “Qiang started school at six. In middle school… he repeated a grade in middle school.”

　　”I see.” Hou Longtao still felt something was wrong. If it was in a relatively good rural area, Tian Donghua wouldn’t have waited until he was eight to start school. Since he was Mayor Jia’s “godnephew,” even if it was to avoid suspicion, why would he be sent to a remote mountain area? But these questions weren’t appropriate to ask now.

　　The Benz turned onto Chang’an Avenue [a major thoroughfare in Beijing] from the Gongzhufen Bridge and headed east.

　　This wasn’t the way to take Feng Jie home. Although she had already noticed, she didn’t say anything because she was very calm. “He probably needs to pick something up somewhere first.”

　　Hou Longtao drove the car all the way to the parking lot of the “Grand Hyatt Beijing.” “Sis, let’s go up and have a cup of tea.”

　　”Okay, but only for a little while.”

　　”Okay.”

　　Feng Jie followed the man into the hotel because she was very calm. “He probably left something in the hotel room. After he picks it up, he’ll take me home. But since we’re here, he’ll of course politely ask me to go up for a glass of water or something, and of course, I have to politely go up and sit for a while.”

　　There were only this couple in the elevator. Hou Longtao put his arm around her waist from behind, pressed his body tightly against her back, and rubbed his crotch desperately against her full buttocks.

　　Even through two pairs of underwear and two pairs of pants, Feng Jie could feel his hard penis poking against her buttocks, but she didn’t stop him because she was very calm. “He’s probably been afraid of riding elevators since he was a child. He has to be close to someone else to feel safe. Who isn’t afraid of riding elevators? A few steel cables are holding up an iron box. If it falls, it falls. He probably misses his girlfriend. Sigh, young people, hard is hard.”

　　When they arrived at the suite, Hou Longtao didn’t offer her any water. He led her directly into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, close to her.

　　”He’s probably an only child and has always longed for an older sister. Today, I became his older sister, so of course he’ll be more affectionate towards me. This is also understandable.” Feng Jie allowed the man to put his left arm around her shoulders without any resistance because she was still very calm…(The Gold Carp is Not a Thing in the Pond)