Divorce : This is a Trivial Matter

36

Lisa closed the video and clicked on her teaching software to start her art lecture. During the break, the music teacher gave her a call to discuss their shared sports performance.

"I found a song with a simple, educational lyrics!" Teacher Zhou’s voice sounded as excited as if she had just found an oasis in the desert. Unable to help her own curiousity, Lisa pinched the yogurt box on the table and inquired, "What song is it?"

"Pi!"

Her eyebrow leapt up. "Pi?"

"It's a song whose lyrics consist entirely of pi. It has more than 10,000 decimal places and goes for over an hour."

Lisa: "..."

More than 10,000! Were you serious?! Her level was still in the age of Zu Chongzhi!

Teacher Zhou added, "But an hour's too long. I found a simplified version that goes to two thousand decimal points. It's just four minutes."

Lisa was silent for a while before asking, "Do you know who holds the world record for reciting the most digits of pi?"

"No, I don't. Who is it?"

"I don't know either. But it's not me."

Teacher Zhou: "..."

She thought about it, then suggested, "We could get you a teleprompter?”
“Is the budget for that coming out of your salary?”

Teacher Zhou: “...”

“Let me think about it.” Teacher Zhou hung up. Lisa put down her phone and rolled her eyes. Two thousand digits? Maybe Jungkook might be able to take on that challenge.

When her online lecture was over, Teacher Zhou called again. “Perhaps we could have a retro performance?”
Lying in bed, Lisa asked, “How so?”
“Kind of the feeling of the 40s and 50s - a cheongsam, curly hair... kinda like Zhou Xuan!"

Lisa frowned dubiously. "I'm not sure if I can pull off the sound of that era."

"I can rearrange the music and accompany you on the piano. You just go ahead and sing it like a modern person." Teacher Zhou paused. "<Eternal Smile> would be a good song, but do you have a cheongsam?"

Lisa considered it. "My mother does, and I should be able to fit into it."
"That's it then! I'll put together the song tomorrow, and we can start rehearsing Monday."

"Sounds good." Although Lisa had agreed readily in the moment, now she would have to go home and see her mother tomorrow... it would have to be a quick nip in and out, just grab the cheongsam and leave!

She picked lunch hour, Mother Manoban’s busiest time, to return home, sneaking out the spare key like a thief. As soon as the door creaked open, she smelt the distinct smell of stir-fried bamboo shoots. She could see her mother cutting vegetables in the kitchen as she tiptoed through the living room. Father Manoban was on the balcony, reading his newspaper. She flew into the bedroom and opened her mother's closet.

She remembered her mother having a long red cheongsam with a large peony embroidered on it. The story she heard was that it had been a pledge of love from her father when they were young, but she had only ever seen her mother wear that cheongsam in photos.

Behind her, the unlocked door opened quietly. Still rummaging about in the closet, Lisa heard nothing. Mother Manoban took two silent steps in her direction before suddenly saying, "Lili, when did you get back?"

Lisa screamed and jumped a foot off the floor. "Mom! How do you walk so quietly?! You scared me half to death!"

"I haven't even asked what you're searching for yet. When did you get back? And what are you sneaking around for?"