When A Snail Falls In Love

Ji Bai & Xu Xu Short Story 3

Recently, Xu Xu had been engrossed in practising her calligraphy.

(T/N Calligraphy refers to writing using an ink brush, on special notebooks or on paper made from rice, mulberry, bamboo, hemp etc. Chinese notebooks have squares for the characters to fit into. You need a calm mind, patience and control to write the characters well, otherwise the interruptions to the flow of the brushstrokes caused by hesitating can be clearly seen. Calligraphy is one of the 4 ancient arts. Thanks to Librismuse for the information!)

Ji Bai was a little surprised at this, because his wife's calligraphy was very good. Her characters were neat and regular, hiding the vigorous activity* that went into their formation. Whenever the station had something especially important to be written, his wife was the one they turned to.

*龙腾虎跃 (long teng hu yue) – lit. dragon soaring and tiger leaping; fig. vigorous and active.

In comparison, Ji Bai's characters were a few degrees more unconventional, lacking in precision and restraint.

So, why did Madam Bookworm* suddenly come up with the idea of practising her calligraphy?

*学霸 (xue ba) – slang: top student, bookworm

——

The afternoon light was calm and languid. Xu Xu stood by the side of a long, narrow table, her brush upright as she practised writing. She looked like an industrious little tree.

Ji Bai reclined on the cool couch, drinking a cup of green tea. He observed his wife without a word or a movement.

"Why did you suddenly think of practising your calligraphy?" he asked.

"Recently, I've felt a little unsettled, so I wanted to discipline my temperament," she replied.

Ji Bai laughingly asked, "Why did you feel unsettled?"

Xu Xu laid down her brush, stretched her fair, delicate neck, and sighed. "Third Brother, I believe that everyone goes through different stages in life. It's been two years since I graduated. I've experienced so many cases, and I can clearly see the trajectory of my growth. However, I can also sense that there's some kind of strength or force stored up in my body. I think, I need some time to digest this force and settle it. That would be both dignified and glorious."

She was looking straight into his eyes.

Touched by the the serenity and frankness of her gaze, Ji Bai's heart softened until it felt as if it was brimming over with moonlight.

"Very well, go ahead and practise," he said. He stood up and walked behind her to watch silently with his hands in his trouser pockets.

—–

Xu Xu was Xu Xu. He was so close to her, with his breath whispering over the back of her head and his hands placed lightly on her waist. However, she was wholly absorbed in her practising, and was not even aware when he left.

By the time Xu Xu finally filled an entire copybook with her calligraphy, the moon had already risen high above the treetops. She stretched lazily and was horrified to discover that it was so late. The two of them had promised each other that, on weekend nights, nothing would stand in the way of their special lovers' time together. And here she was, having spent the entire night practising calligraphy.

Although Ji Bai wouldn't fault her, Xu Xu still felt guilty. After a moment's thought, she took out a fresh sheet of Xuan paper*, lifted her brush and wrote a line of characters.

*宣纸 (xuan zhi) – Xuan paper, a high quality paper made in Xuancheng (宣城) in Anhui province from rice, especially good for traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy.